Voices From Beyond

Chapter 17

Samuel shot himself in the chest only moments after having shot Noah. There's a ringing in my ears and the world is spinning faster than usual. My breath is caught in my throat, the rain tumbles down from the sky like sharp little needles on my skin and sadness hangs in the air like poison. I wish Noah would open his eyes. Please, just wake up.

He doesn't wake up. Neither of them do. I feel nothing, it's as if I'm watching myself from afar. I think back to the time I was riding in Noah's truck between Samuel and Noah, the sunrise was so beautiful. I imagine myself back to when I was sitting across from Noah in the diner as the sun was setting, we talked about thunderstorms that day. We would've never known the next thunderstorm he'd see would be his last. I feel sick as I stare at his limp body.

I don't go to Samuel's funeral, I don't want Samuel to show up in my head like Kennedy and Ryan do so I'm doing my best to avoid it. Noah's family doesn't have a funeral for him. I wish they would have, I haven't gotten to see Noah since his passing. I hoped the funeral would get him to show, I miss him. It's almost worse seeing my friends after they're gone though, I can't touch them or hear their voice, and it just doesn't feel the same as it did when they were alive. It just makes me miss them more. I don't care, I want to miss Noah. I want him to show up like Kennedy and Ryan do. I just want to feel something, even if it's pain.

I haven't left my house for a week, that's how long it's been since Samuel killed himself and Noah. I haven't talked to anyone, my family checks on me every now and again but I don't talk about it. I haven't been eating much. The only time I get out of my bed is to use the bathroom. I haven't cried either, I've tried to get myself to but all I end up doing is stare at my bedroom wall. I've been staring at the ceiling a lot, I like to focus on the small shapes I can make out of the lines in the paint. There hasn't been any voices or nightmares, I barely sleep.

A knock sounds at my door. I ignore it. Go away. Another knock sounds, I roll over to look at the knob. It jiggles slightly, I see the shadow of someone through the crack under the door.

"I'm fine, just taking a nap," I croak reassuringly to whoever it is.

The doorknob jiggles slightly harder now and my heart skips a beat. I push myself up out of the covers stacked on top of me.

"Who is it?" I call out after clearing my throat. No response. I shuffle over to the door, I smooth down my shirt before reaching for the knob. My fingers only inches from it, the knob jiggles more violently. I impulsively jump back a little ways, but I reach for the handle again. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes as I wrap my fingers around the cool metal. I whip the door open, revealing an empty hallway. I let the air rush out of my lungs. I shut the door and relief washes over me. I turn around to head back to my bed when my eyes meet with his.

Noah sits on the foot of my bed, his face is calm and his grey eyes stare at my bedroom door.

"Was that you?" I glance from the door to him.

He looks into my eyes, he shakes his head slowly. I turn back to the door, rushing over to it and turning the lock. I don't want to turn my back from the door but with Noah in the room, I feel a little better.

"Was it Samuel?" I whisper.

Noah's eyes leave mine. The wind blows through my small window and Noah fades away into the air. "No please, come back," I scramble forward, reaching into the air to try and stop him. Tears swell in my eyes as I frantically search around the room as if he would still be there. He is gone just as quickly as he had shown. A small water droplet streams down my cheek, I wipe it away and gain my composure. I sit on my bed where he once was, I'm staring at my locked door. Every bone in my body aches to feel. I hear a sudden thump on the other side of the door. Fear dances over my skin, goosebumps rise quicker than ever before as I flinch. Kennedy strolls out of my closet as if she had been there the whole time, she sits on the floor in front of the door. She looks calm. Ryan forms from thin air beside her, they both press their backs against the door. I hear thumps from the other side.

Seconds feel like minutes, the thumping noises grow more intense. Out of nowhere, they stop. Everything is quiet for a few seconds before Kennedy and Ryan stand up from the floor. Kennedy reaches for the lock on the door and unlocks it.

"Wait!" I sputter out, fear grips me to my bed. The door slides open, Noah stands on the other side in the hallway. Just like that, they're all gone again. I don't know what's going on, or how to make it stop. I just want my life back.

I throw on a sweatshirt and brush out my gnarled hair before tying it off in a ponytail. I keep my sweatpants on and slide into a pair of sneakers. Before I know it, I'm hoisting myself out of the basement window and onto the grass outside. The wind blows against my face, I feel indifferent. I jog to the diner, the leaves on the trees above me rub against each other whispering secrets into the wind. It's simple, it's been simple all along. The woman is Mitch's mother who went missing, she's been trying to contact him.

I see Mitch inside the diner when I get there. I knock on the glass of one of the windows to get his attention, motioning for him to unlock the door. He waves to me, nodding as he makes his way over to it. I hear the lock click open and I quickly rush inside.

"Is Sydney here?" I ask him breathlessly as I pour myself a glass of water.

"No, what's going on Cora?" he looks at me in confusion.

"Call her and Bruno. We never ended up using the board," I tell him in between sipping the water.

He dials numbers on his phone and holds it up to his ear. "Meet me at the diner, tell Bruno on your way here," Mitch orders into his phone.

"The woman I've been seeing and the things I've been hallucinating, it just has to be your mom. She keeps asking for her son, and it took me so long to put it together but it just makes so much sense. Doesn't it?" I stare at Mitch intensely. Maybe I'm going crazy.

"My mom wouldn't kill my friends though," Mitch looks at me uncertainly.

"Maybe not," I am hesitant to say anything more.

"And why hasn't she tried talking to my dad, or my brother or something?" his voice is etched with stress.

"Well they didn't play with that board," I motion toward it sitting on the counter.

"I'm fucking scared, I don't want to die," Mitch runs his fingers through his hair as he paces back and forth. He looks up as the bell above the door chimes and Sydney rushes inside. She runs over to him and wraps him in a quick hug and then crosses the room over to me, he follows behind her.

"What's going on?" Sydney asks uncertainly just as the bell rings again and Bruno enters, making his way to us.

"Hey guys," Bruno forces a smile.

"We have to play," Mitch sets the board in between the three of us.

"What?" Sydney looks like she's in shock.

"Well, let's get it over with then. Fuck it," Bruno sits down in a chair beside Mitch.