Head Cheese

Frozen in Time

Who knows the madness that lies in the mind of a person. How do you know somebodies true heart when you only meet them at their weakest fragile moments.
It took a few times but Hope figured out it was Chip healing her, but this time it was different. She stared down at Chips lifeless body. This time he didnt walk out.
Hope picked up the nurse call button and held it in her hand. She was in no hurry to push it. After all she once again was healed. What's the emergency? Hope laid the button down beside her on the bed and fell back into her pillow. Within seconds she was sound asleep replaying the same dream she'd had for most her life.
Rick, Hope's stepdad, is standing over her, looking down on Hope as she goes into her play sleeping mode that she had used many times before to no avail. Lying there Hopes body becomes paralyzed. She feels cold, a cold that is building from the inside, instead of the outside were a blanket could warm her . The chill spreads. Her heart begins to crystallize, transmitting it's now slushy blood to the rest of her body.
Colder and colder as the fluid in her eyes begin to freeze over. Her skin turns blue. She becomes engulfed in ice. The ice then spreads to the bed and then to the floor. It shoots across the floor until it reaches her stepdads feet. Looking down he watches as the ice melts around his feet. In an instant he vanishes into the frigid water.

"Oh my god"! The nurse shouted waking Hope. "What?" Hope yelled back. She looked to the floor were the nurse knelt trying to get a pulse. "Oh yeah. " she whispered to herself. "What happened ?" the nurse asked. "I don't know. I was sleeping." Hope answered with a shrug of the shoulders.
She puzzled herself as to why she didnt feel anything. This man had come to her hospital 4 times before and each time pulled her from the clutches of death. So where's the sad for him or even the gratitude she should have for him. Why pick me, the one with the ice heart? Chip was the kindest man that she had ever met in her life so where were the tears?
Of all the times he visited her hospital bed, this time she expected him. Waited for him, knowing he would show. Different this time was Chip was gone yet she had a strong sense that she would never need him again.
She looked down at Chips body as the nurse left the room for help and saw the blood that once was the path of his tears now dried and flaked on his face. The two pools of blood that filled his eyes sockets slowly dehydrated into a fluffy crust. The kind on a spinach pie. She watched as Chip and the his clothes turned to powder and rose off the floor. A breeze suddenly went through the room and pulled up what was once Chip and in a final gust from nowhere the cloud traveled away with the wind.
She got up out of bed and took her street closes into the bathroom to change while the hospital staff went into hysterics wondering were their patient went.
They were all to busy to notice as Hope walked out of the hospital. No more sunken eyes and cheeks. No longer pale. She no longer looked like she belonged there.
On her walk home her thoughts went back to the death of Rick. When she was nine her stepfather went ice fishing as she played along the shore line. Hope liked the big rocks especially the one with a naturally formed step in it so she could stand higher then all the others. She would stare straight up at the clouds and will her self not to get dizzy and fall off the rock to her death. On this day a loud pop took Hope's attention from the rotating clouds out to where Rick was fishing. The ice cracked under him and he fell through into the freezing water. All submerged except for his head and arms he hung on to the ice . He was screaming . "Get help,run and get help." Rick pleaded. From the boulder Hope stared down on her stepfather thrashing in the icy water." God damn it Hope. I'm going to die you stupid bitch. " He shouted. Ricks energy was draining fast as the icey water was pulling all the heat from his body. Calmly and resolute to his fate he began to softly cry. "Please Hope ,please, I'm sorry, I need your help. I'm sorry. Im sorry." He repeated over and over. Hope jumped off the rock and began slowly walking up the path to home. His sorries got fainter with every step she took "No hurry. After all what's the emergency? she said to herself. Two birds with one stone. Rick gone and mother hysterically lost.
Hope didnt care. No love lost. That was lost long ago when Hope told her of Rick's visits. "You dont like Rick so your making shit up was her answer. Then from that day forward she treated Hope as if it were all her fault. Hope realized then who her mother had chosen. She loved her mom, but hated her. Hope felt she would do the same if it were her mom ice fishing. That was 9 year old Hope. 17 year old Hope brought herself back to the here and now. Reliving these memories left her feeling extremely mad at her mom.
Hope reached home . Her mom was sitting on the couch and her new stepdad Don was sitting in his usual chair. The chair with ground in cigarette ashes and beer stains. The chair Don very seldom got up from.
Hope's mom rose from the couch. "What the hell. " She barked.
"What are you doing out? " She demanded." " Good to see you too Sally." Hope answered sarcastically.
Her mom gave her a cold look as she walked over to Hope. "You cured again? What the fuck." Sally said shaking her head " None of this makes any sense. I'm sick of this shit. You a witch or you just one of those hyprocondrecs? You been faking ?" she paused to take a breath then continued shouting. "Tell me what the fucks going on Hope." With that spit left her mothers mouth and sprinkled onto Hope's cheeks. Hope's anger was building. Will she ever say my name without spitting on me ,she thought. "Know what I think?" Hope asked without waiting for an answer "Maybe you been poisoning me. Then when I get away from you I get better. Maybe your a piece of shit." Her mother swung her hand around to slap Hope but in mid swing Hope grabbed her arm and held it sending her mother to her knees. Hope was squeezing Sally's wrist. She could see fear for the first time in her mothers eyes as she looked up at her. That fear fueled Hope and as she held onto Sally s wrist Hope could feel the energy leave her and paralyze
Sally. She hadn't taken a breath since Hope's grip on her wrist. It might as well be around her neck .
As she collapsed to the floor Hope still maintained her hold. Slowly choking out Sally's life. Don knew it didnt make sense that holding a wrist could kill someone but knew that Hope holding Sally's wrist was. He jumped up out of his chair. " Let go of her! He shouted. Hope turned her head to him and smiled." Donnys up, he lives. " she said as she spread her arms apart in a welcoming manner yet maintaining her grip on Sally. Hope felt the power cursing through her. Her smile faded as she promised Don."Your next."
Don knew he was no match to Hope so ended there stand off by running into the kitchen were the phone was.
Hope's attention returned to her mom who was now blue. She released her grip and Sally crumbled to the floor. Adrenalin shot through Hope as she entered the kitchen . "Oh Donny where are you?" She sang as she spotted the phone cord running into the pantry. " There you are " Hope whispered as she pulled the phone cord off the wall.
. She opened the pantry door " I called the police" Don yelled and charged Hope knocking her back. Hope chased him through the living room and out the front door.
She stopped on the porch and watched as Don ran down the street with both hands on the waist of his pants trying to hold them up. She had no hate for Don, so laughed as he became obscured by the police cars lights. Hope went back to the house and sat on the couch that had become a part of the porches furnishings. The two police cars were stopped side by side with Don in the middle jumping up and down and pointing in Hope's direction. "Oh geez Donny, hold on to those pants." Hope chuckled. One of the police cars had left the other and Don, and pulled into the driveway. As the officer approached the house he unholstered his gun . Pointing it at Hope sitting on the couch he ordered her to drop to her knees and put her hands in the air. Hope complied with the demand. "Put your hands behind your back ." He barked once he was standing behind her.
With one hand holding his gun to her head he used the other to hand cuff her but Hope grabbed his wrist instantly paralyzing him. The gun dropped to the floor of the porch and soon after the officer too. The second police car had made it to the scene and officer Hut was now aiming his gun at Hope as he crossed the front yard . He saw now what that crazy man on the road was talking about. Just by her holding officer Stars wrist she was killing him. " Let go of him" he shouted as he now stood on the steps of the porch. He saw that Stars eyes we're bulging as he fought for air. With that he pulled the trigger and watched as Hope lurched back releasing her hold on Star and collapsing to the floor. Hut knelt down next to officer Star as he tried to catch his breath. Still pointing his gun at Hope's body he thought she was still moving but realized it was her clothes moving. He watched as Hope and her clothes turned to powder and rose off the floor. "Wha "was all of the wtf Hut got out of his mouth before the black cloud shot across the porch and into his mouth. Like a long arm it reached into the bowels of his soul and squeezed. At the same time officer Star had finally stopped gagging and looked up just in time for the cloud to enter his nostrils. It felt as if he were held upside down by his feet over Niagara Falls.
It lifted the both of them up and off their feet, suspended in air until the last Adam of dust was gone.