Ghost In The Dark

Close To Heaven

CHRISTINA'S P.O.V.
I opened my eyes slightly when I heard the metal door that led to the entrance of a room open up in front of me before I was dragged in by a face I was too dizzy to recognize. My eyes struggled to maintain vision as they opened and shut by themselves.

Barely conscious I was tossed down on a chair as my arms and legs were tied down with rope, pinning me down and restricting my movement.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I was barely audible as the words came out like a whisper into the night.

I fell back into the chair as my head ached and vibrated like the bass of a drum. I tried to see the face of my captor but as soon as our eyes met, as soon as I looked into those green eyes all I felt was absolute fear. I was knocked out as he hit my head with the back of his gun.

My head rung and my eyes spun as they slowly opened to see the darkness that almost enveloped the entire room. The only light in the room was a small yellow light bulb that hung over my head. The heaps of hay and bags of what seemed to be seeds littered on the ground was a sure hint that I was tied up in some storehouse
I sat, tied up at the wrists in this empty and barely lit barn with nothing but fear in my heart and regrets running loose in my mind. If I was never a police officer maybe I wouldn't have been here now about to be killed. I tried my best to push these thoughts aside because I was sure everything would be fine but here and now, nothing is okay. Nothing is going according to my plan and now I regret everything.

I thought that I could be a change, avenge those who couldn't speak up for themselves and be their strength when they were weak but now I can't even speak up or do anything when Ghost pulled me out of the car after he knocked me out. I sat there in fear as he walked to the backseat and opened the car door, looking at me with eyes that seemed all too familiar. Eyes that didn't want to capture me but had to. I was paralyzed with fear and I couldn't do anything

At this point I couldn't even stop the tears as they rushed down my cheek. My legs and hands ached as the rope ate into my skin. I waited around like a piece of meat being preserved in a freezer.

"Hello" I screamed hoping that someone might hear me "Is anyone out there?"

My cries and wails bounced around the walls as no one seemed to hear me, or maybe no one bothered to hear me. Who would want to help someone like me anyways? Why would they want to waste their time?

"I'm in here" I screamed hoping for a miracle, hoping someone would come save me from certain death. "Blake please save me" I thought as I bowed my head down in defeat.

This was how Allison, Mr Peterson, Heather and Marina felt as they waited and watched as Ghost killed them slowly. The fear in their hearts and how much they must have hoped that someone would find them before it was too late. I could feel it all and I know that there's nothing anyone can do now to save me. Not Blake, not Nate, not Tony or even the captain.

I lifted my head and looked around the room, hoping to see something that would be useful to set myself free or something to try to defend myself with even if I am destined to die here today. There were no windows and the only means of escape was the door in front of me.

I struggled briefly with the ropes around my wrists hoping that I could wiggle my hand free but the more I struggled the more it seemed to hurt because it was tied too tight. Cutting out the circulation of blood flowing in my arm.

I bent my head down, giving up the struggle because It was pointless. The tears from my eyes dropped on my legs as I sat there head down, waiting for it to be chopped off. All I could think about was Blake. Our life we had started to plan together, getting married and having kids with him was the thought that gave me the greatest joy. Growing old with him and not being afraid  of what the world would throw at us because he was by my side.

All I could think about was his charming personality and his very annoying laugh that made me smile briefly. His spirit and resolve are what drew me to him in the first place and I don't regret it, because He always made me feel so secure. Over the past few years he has being my support system.

If there's anything I truly regret was not always being there for him and giving him as much attention as he gave me. But now that I think about it if I never joined the force I would have never met Blake and Nate and Marina. Life works so strangely I guess.
Not knowing how long I was unconscious and trapped inside this room I was oblivious to the weather and the time of the day, If it was day time or still night time.

I lifted my head up and looked at the door in front of me, freedom so close but yet so far away and there's nothing I could do to save myself.

"No, I'm not going to give up now" I thought

I turned to the ropes as I struggled to get free. Though it hurts to move but maybe the more I moved my hand the bloodier it would be and I can slip it out like butter.

I wiggled and pulled my hand as the rope dug in and pulled at the skin on my hand. I gasped and hissed and cried as I dragged on the relentless strength of the rope, Stretching my head trying to bite off the edges and stretch it wide enough to pull my right hand free.

I sat back into the chair hopeless as a different memories and thoughts flashed through my mind. I remember how shy I was when Blake and I snuck out of the academy to get Ice cream. The thoughts of Marina in her beautiful white dress flashed my mind, how she was so ready to get married and start her life with Nate made me think more about how life would have been like if Blake and I decided to want to start a family.

The thoughts of my mom and dad and how proud they were of me flashed through my mind as the tears began to gather in my eyes.

"You're going to do the world a lot of good" My dad said to me on the day of my graduation from the academy.

I can still remember the look in my moms eyes as she smiled and brushed my hair to the side. That was the first time I saw her smile so earnestly at me. She looked so happy.

But now here I am awaiting my final demise by the hand of the killer that took my best friend and teammate from me. Is this the card that life had dealt me? To have lived like I had control only to have the control snatched away from me by a psychopath.
Now the tears flowed freely as I banged the back of my head against the chair, struggling and screaming at the top my lungs.

"Help me" I screamed as I cried, bouncing up and down trying to free myself and run away before he came back.

My head pounded as I felt liquid run down my neck into the back of my shirt. I slowly slipped in and out of consciousness, my eyes struggling to stay open as my mind went blank.

I slowly opened my eyes as the light from the window beamed straight at me. I turned over on the side to meet an empty bed. I yawned and stretched as I lifted my body up to sit down on the bed in his room and as my eyes opened, I saw Blake standing in front of me with a tray. A plate of steaming hot pancakes glazed with honey and strawberries on top with a cup of coffee and a red rose in a small vase all sat down perfectly on the tray

"Good morning princess" He said with a smile on his face wearing his favourite 'Kiss the chef' apron around his neck.

My eyes flickered before they opened wide to see where I was and what was going on around me. I looked down at my wrists to see no ropes binding my hands and feet. I was no longer on the chair in a dark storehouse but Instead I was in Blake's house, on his bed, wearing nothing but my underwear.

"How did I get here?" I asked as I turned to look at him

"What do you mean?" He asked arching an eyebrow

"I remember being tied up to a chair in a storehouse by the serial killer Ghost. I closed my eyes and by the time I opened them I'm here, In your bed" I said looking as confused as I sounded

"Sounds like you had that dream again" He said placing the tray on the bed and sitting down next to me

"A dream? No that wasn't a dream" I said looking erratically around the room

He grabbed my hand and then pulled me into him as he stroked my hair "Calm down babe"

But it didn't make any sense. One second I was a prisoner and the next I'm waking up comfortably in his bedroom. I tried to push him off but he held me tight, against his chest. I could clearly hear his heart beating calmly inside.

"The Ghost case has been over for almost a year now" He said in a hushed tone

A year? How? "What do you mean?" I asked

"Nate and I found you tied up to the chair after we arrested Mark. He was Ghost" He said lifting up my face to meet his "It's just a nightmare. You're safe" He said as he dropped his lips to mine
We locked lips and I can swear it felt real, perfect and not my imagination. He smiled at me as he pulled away from the kiss "Does that still feel like it's a dream?"

I took in a deep breath and smiled back at him "No, It was perfect"

"Good" He said reaching for the tray and pulling it close to us "Eat up before it gets cold"

"It smells really good" I said breathing in the soothing aroma that came from the pancakes

I grabbed my fork and took the first bite from the pancakes and it was truly divine. I don't know how but I finished the entire stack of pancakes during the time Blake was in the shower.

"Hey babe, so what would you like to-

He locked at me as I wiped my mouth with the napkin on the tray. A surprised expression filled his face before a smile took over

"What? I was hungry" I chuckled pushing the tray aside

"I bet you were" He smiled back at me before returning to the bathroom

I heard footsteps and tiny giggles heading towards the bedroom. I turned to look at the door just as Blake came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Daddy, mommy" She giggled as she ran into Blake's arms

"Princess" He smiled as he picked her up and planted many kisses on her cheeks

"Stop it" She laughed and giggled trying to stop Blake from kissing her

I looked at both of them and I couldn't place the picture of us having a daughter anywhere in my memory. Blake looked at me and a frown appeared on his face for a quick second before he smiled. He walked up to me with the girl in his arms as they both dropped down on the bed.

"This is our daughter Askia" She looked at me with her pretty blue eyes

"Askia?" She crawled on the bed and sat next to me, her smile plastered on her face "Why can't I remember her?" I asked turning to look at Blake

"The wound you sustained at the back of your head affected your memory" He said as he sighed "You tend to forgot a lot of things sometimes"

I turned back to look at our daughter and then at my hand which I now noticed had a silver ring on it. We're married and this is our daughter

I turned back to look at Askia as she continued to stare at me, her smile slowly fading and her expression gradually developed into worry. I couldn't help but be happy at the thought that we were married and we have a child to call our own even though I can't remember everything now

I stretched out my hands and grabbed Askia pulling her close and kissing her cheeks just as much as Blake did. She laughed as the smile on Blake's face returned. This is the life I always imagined and now I'm living it.

"Okay what do you ladies say to having a picnic at the memorial park?" Blake said getting up from the bed

"Memorial park?" I asked looking at him

"Yeah. Get ready I'll take you there" He said looking at me "You too Askia"

"Yay!!" She screamed as she ran out of the room

"Blake?" I called out to him. He turned to look at me almost like he could read the thoughts in my mind

"She's adopted. We agreed to adopt her because you were still too traumatized to have a baby of our own so we agreed to adopt one" He said walking back to me before placing a kiss on my forehead

"I love you" I said as he walked towards the wardrobe

"Yeah I know"

We got to the memorial park at about twelve noon. The sun was already at its peak shining bright and over the park as other families sat down and talked. We chose a spot underneath an apple tree, with its leaves provide a good shade, protecting us from the vicious solar rays. A huge monument stood tall in the middle of the park with flowers placed below it.

"What's that?" I nudged Blake pointing to the monument

"That's the memorial stone. Engraved on it are the names of those that died at the hands of Ghost" He said

I got up and walked closer to the monument. As I stared at the names I could feel the tears already gathering below my eyes.
"The lives of Allison Parker, Anna Peterson, Damien Peterson, Heather Davis, Marina Jackson would not be forgotten for they live on in our hearts and In our memories"

I could feel my heart break when I read Marina and Heather's name on the stone. If only we could have saved them on time. I wiped at the tears in my eyes before I felt Blake wrap his arms around me

"My name would have been on this stone if it wasn't for you and Nate" I said still looking at the stone

"Don't think about it too much babe" He said, his voice low and calming

Askia came from the side and pulled on my gown. I bent over and picked her up before we walked back to our spot and sat down.

"Where is Nate anyways?" I asked emptying the basket and placing the contents on the mat

"He left the county" He said as he spread some jam over a slice of bread "After we closed the case and arrested Mark he said he couldn't continue living here because everything reminded him of Marina, so he left a month later"

He handed the now made sandwich to Askia as she grabbed it from him with so much joy. Then he turned to look at me "Do you want to leave the county as well? We could start over"

Leaving the county and starting afresh doesn't seem to be a bad idea. I looked around and I saw the calm in the environment. Just as easily as the calm turned into a storm before it could happen again and now I have someone who looks up to me. I turned my head to look at Askia who now had jam stains on her lips from her sandwich.

I reached forward and wiped it off as she smiled at me and continued eating. I turned to look at Blake who was watching me and waiting for an answer

"Yes. Let's leave" I said

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements" He said as he handed me a sandwich as well

We sat down and ate, before we got up and played. Running around with Askia was the best feeling in the world and I'm grateful.

It was about 4pm and it was time to pack up and go back home. I watched Askia with complete focus as she ran around the monument tying to catch a blue butterfly, not even taking my eyes off her for even a second as Blake gathered the snacks and leftovers into the basket.

"I'm done" He said from beside me

"Okay. Askia come here" I yelled calling out to her

"Okay" She yelled back as she ran back to me giddy and joyful

"Did you have fun today?" I asked brushing her cheeks

She nodded her head as she smiled with her beautiful blue eyes

"Alright time to go" Blake said as he picked up the basket in one hand and held Askia with the other

I held on to her other hand as she walked in between us, half jumpy and half runny. Who knew that girls her age had this much energy. We walked slowly out of the park towards the parking lot entrance where our car was. A few minutes away from the car, we walked by a group of construction workers as they drilled and hammered.

I held onto my forehead with one hand as I staggered a bit.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked putting the basket down to grab me
"Yeah" I tried to shrug it off

"You seem weak. Wait here with Askia lemme bring the car over" He said before running towards the car

The hammering sound bounced around the walls in my head as the echoes got serious. I was slowly losing consciousness as I fell to the ground

"Mommy" I heard Askia call out. I could hear her voice but I couldn't see her face "Daddy" I heard her scream and a few seconds later I could feel Blake's hand holding me

"Chris, come on stay with me" His hands felt warm as he tapped my cheek "Hello yes I need an ambulance"

His voice slowly faded along with Askia's cries. I couldn't hear or see anything anymore. The darkness was slowly consuming me. The only sound that still echoed in my mind, that I could still hear perfectly well was the hammering sound.

By the time my eyes opened again, when my vision restored I was seated. The back of my head ached. I tried to lift my hands to add pressure to the back of my head but my hands felt heavy. The ropes that bounded me to the chair had returned there. I was back in the storehouse

I could feel my heart racing again. It was all a dream

"NO NO NO NO" I screamed as I began to struggle again "Blake, Askia, I'm here"

It was all a dream. He didn't find me, He didn't rescue me. I'm still trapped here. Just then the sounds from outside the door became loud, like someone was battling with chains. The hammering sounds I heard in my dream.

He's here, he's finally here to kill me. The doors opened up and I closed my eyes, too afraid to look death in the eyes. The footsteps slowly approached me, getting louder with each step he took till he stopped right in front of me.

I opened my eyes and I was shocked at the sight of the person I saw standing in front of me smiling.

"Nate"