Rebirth

2. Dead Alive

Dear Journal,  
           I write this entry, not upon the sheets of your pages but in my consciousness as a brutally murdered and wrongfully accused soul from beneath the grave. Death was dark; a never ending abyss of nothingness. I was cold, alone and indignant.
                - 𝓔. 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓮
(?)

Elias heard laughing.

If one were to explain to him what death would feel like, this would have been the furthest thing from his mind.

He had died but he was still conscious. Unable to move, unable to speak, unable to be. It was terrifying how his spirit remained in the dark limbo of the unknown.

Trapped within a decomposing body, he could feel the earth worms crawl into his ears, the insects trample upon his stretched skin and after a visit from the grave robbers who had discovered his foul-smelling corpse to rob him of 2 of his rings and his father's pocket watch, maggots had now began to infest his body after a very poor reburial.

His poorly dug grave had plagued the cemetery with the rotten smell of decay, causing the vultures to circle over head in the day time and commuters to take the long route over to the next town.

He remembered everything about his life and his death. It was easy for bitterness to infest his spirit. He was angry, angry at being killed at a young age for something he knew nothing about, angry the knights had abused his wife right before his eyes, angry he couldn't do anything about it, angry that the King and Prince would order such a cruel command on the people who supported him and most of all, angry he had died a man unworthy of his father's words.

Perhaps it was his anger that had kept his consciousness alive. He thought that maybe it was his rage that had ignited his sentience and this notion was enough to slightly quell the strange feeling of death.

The bizarreness of the situation however, was not his actively alive mind but the fact that he believed death was suppose to be quiet. And still, he heard laughing.

Elias had stopped counting after day 365 but throughout the year, the cackling grew louder each day. He had thought it to be the people from above ground enjoying their lives but no, this sound resonated deeper and the more he heard it, the certain he was that it was no ordinary human.

Over the days, the laughing was soon accompanied by whispers, causing Elias in his decayed state to believe he had finally gone mad.

"Young spirit," It whispered daily. "Finally! Someone will set me free."

These whispers became louder. So loud that their clarity could have fooled Elias into thinking he had said it himself. Someone or something was indeed speaking to him.

"Young spirit, I've finally gotten through to you." The voice rang in his head, cackling as it rejoiced.

"Wh-who are you? Where are you?" Elias thought.

"Well, I'm a witch but I am buried far beneath you. Rest assured however, it is not for long. I can help you, you know. In fact, we can help each other." The voice inveigled.

Elias was quiet.

"Tell me spirit, what is it that has kept you awake so long? Have you been wronged like I have?" the witch asked.