Filling The Gap...

William

"I'm sorry someone hurt you."

She thinks someone hurt me? That someone had made me like this. Her hand moves down from my face and on to her stomach. She was warm, I could feel her heart beating pumping steadily the blood around her body. Mine haven once done that. Letting out another yawn, her body growing tired from the amount of alcohol she wasn't use to drinking and being in her system.

"William?"

My name on her lips mumbled as she fights her eyelids from closing and falling asleep.

"Are you going to hurt us?"

Part of me hating that she thought I would though I hadn't given her reasons to completely not to doubt me. I had nearly killed the boy right in front of her and there were things she still did not even know about.

"no."

I couldn't hurt her or her family, not that I had any reason wanting to right now. I needed her help, finally finding someone who was smart enough to help me so I can get out of this place. But that would mean we would have to dig into mine and my family's past. I saw the research she had been looking at and collecting, knowing she was curious to who I was.

Sitting on the bed keeping a safe distance between us. She was still nervous around of me and I couldn't blame her. I was a stranger and something unnatural on this earth.

"we're you always an asshole?"

Expecting her to have fallen asleep by now.

"Pretty much."

Which was true though now I do not particularly care for other people's feelings. It was something that did not phase me anymore, making me feel less human and myself each day that had passed.

"Did you have a girlfriend or wife? When you were still alive."

Not sure on why she was asking me this as I shake my head.

"Sorry. I just couldn't help the thought of someone losing a loved one in a fire like that. Especially it being Christmas the next day."

Impressed that she had retained the information of my death.

"People die every day. Life goes on."

I dismiss her natural caring side that she is showing me. Never asking for it or wanting it.

"So, if there is no one you left behind. And your body was burned in the fire. Why are you still here?"

Her body rolling so she lays on her side facing me.

"That is why I need your help."

Her body moving upwards, first struggling but then managing to push herself. Still towering over her, me being at least a foot taller than her at 6.1ft. She brushes a few loose strands of her hair back that fall into her eyes, which are glassed over and red around the edges.

"What? I don't know why your here."

Do I need to explain everything to her?

"No but I could use some help figuring out why. That way you won't have to worry about me ever being here again, I'll be out of your hair. You can get on with your life in peace and do whatever you want to do."

She looks down to my hand that I now hold out in front of her to shake.

"I don't know. I wouldn't know where to start."

She hesitates. I need to give her some motivation to help me, I needed to make it worth while for her. But what I could offer, I had next to nothing apart from some old family items that had survived the fire in my lockbox. Having quickly grabbed them before they got taken, luckily being a ghost, no one could see me which at the time when I just died was scary. I didn't know what had happened, I don't remember dying or how it had felt. It was like waking up from a dream.

"I have a really old pocket watch, it is worth a lot of money. We're talking more than a couple of thousands. In the auctions alone I know it will start and pass twenty thousand pounds."

Twenty thousand was still a lot of money these days. My inheritance alone would have made that look tiny but with all my family dead the money would have gone to the banks. Being only nineteen at the time I hadn't yet wrote my will out not finding it remotely important at the time. Having more exciting things on my mind which would be sleeping around and working on a book I had been writing.

"How?"

Getting distracted with my old memories.

"I have a lockbox buried in the forest."

Being the safest place where I could bury my belongings without anyone finding them. No one really venturing inside not since a couple of people started disappearing, not forgetting about the times where animals were found hanging from rope attached to the thick tall branches. Like sacrifices warding evil spirits away.

"Show me."

Shaking my head, I get up from the bed already regretting my over. She grabs my hand with both of hers not letting me get far.

"Show me. Or I won't help."

Now being my turn to swallow hard. It was dangerous. Even if nothing could hurt me, she was still going to be there. And worse part was I wanted to show her everything, I wanted to see exactly where her limit was. To test her and get her to breaking point. I wanted to see her come undone.

"I won't stop you from following me. But just understand, the people who decide to go in there don't always come back out."

Not yet finding or seeing the murderer who had killed Elizabeth. I knew they were out there watching but how far would they go? When would it all stop? And why were they targeting near my family home?