Afterlife (Afterlife Saga) (32 page)

I was sure I remembered someone wearing one like that but where? I didn't have to wait much longer to find out as the sky lit up in three different places giving me more than enough light as the storm was now directly above the house. What my eyes saw there was scarier than any nightmare or any monster I had seen.

For there, under my window, beckoning me to join him... was my past.

I screamed and screamed until my lungs needed more air, I was gripping something as it felt like I was being smothered. I was in a bag! That must have been
it,
he had got me again, no, no, no! I had to get free. Someone must hear me. I screamed again and again. I could taste the material over my face and I could smell the sweat from my body as I twisted and turned.

I was scratching and clawing at it in hopes of escape. Not again, not again! I screamed again using all of the air left in my lungs and then the material lifted from my face as I heard a familiar voice saying my name.

“Kaz, Kazzy its ok, its ok it’s just me...calm down, you’re ok now, it was just a dream.” My sister was smoothing her hand across my forehead looking as pale as I must have been. She helped me sit up as my head started to find its way back to reality. My breathing slowed and the tears started to flow from my sore eyes.

I'm
sor
..
sor
..
sorry
!” I mumbled through sobs. She smiled and took my head into her arms, letting me cry freely into her shoulder.

“Is she all right?”  Frank stood near the door with a baseball bat in hand looking like he was ready for action. She waved an arm at him in response and he backed away leaving me in Libby's arms like a small frightened child.

“Feeling better?” She said after ten minutes of hysterics.

“I'm sorry for that, it was just I haven't had a dream like that for a while, I guess it threw me.” I took the tissue out of her hand and wiped my eyes and runny nose, feeling a little embarrassed.

“
It’s
fine, but the way you were screaming I think Frank was ready to bust the door down, and it wasn't even locked, I think sometimes he thinks he's Jack Bauer from 24!” We both laughed and I instantly felt better. 

“Poor Frank, he looked worried,” I said feeling guilty.

“Well at least you know you have a big brother in the house to protect you.” That was more comforting than she realised.

“Was it about him?” She asked carefully not wanting to upset me
anymore
. I just nodded feeling my eyes fill again. Her face looked both angry and sad at the same time.

“Try and get some rest, do you want to take some pills?”

“It's ok I already...oh no wait that must have been in my dreams, in that case yeah, I better had.” She got up and went into my bathroom but then came back out again with the bottle in her hand and no water, I was about to protest that I could never swallow pills without some form of liquid but she handed me an empty prescription bottle.

“But how... that's strange there were loads in there yesterday.” I couldn't understand how the bottle was empty, I had only taken some the night before and the bottle was over half full.

Libby glanced at me with a weird look, obviously not knowing what to believe but clearly she was worried so I told her about the part when I had taken some pills in my dream.

“Maybe I was sleep walking and tipped them away, I really don't remember.” Her face softened and she got me some she had been given when she pulled her back about four months ago.

“These will knock you out so take two now and I will wake you in the morning but you know this means you're going to have to speak to another therapist to get any more pills don't you?” I nodded not liking where this was going, the last thing I needed now was to ‘Talk about my feelings’ again.  It was beginning to look like my new life was trying to find my old one again.

The next time I woke it was morning and Libby was waking me up with a cup of tea.

“How are you feeling this morning?” I looked at her through blurry eyes and saw that she was all ready for work, which could only mean one thing ...I was most definitely late! RJ would be here any minute! I jumped out of bed and raced towards the bathroom but Libby stood in my way.

“What's the rush?”

“I'm going to be late, how come you didn't wake me sooner?” I said with a
croaky voice from last night's “Sob-a-thon.”

“Because I thought you would want to sleep in, as it's a Saturday!” Oh. I must have been more confused last night than I thought. I assumed when Sophia had said “See you tomorrow” she had meant in class but she had really meant in work.

“Oh yeah so it is
but you’re dressed for the office?” I stopped rushing to get ready and went to sit back down on the bed to drink my tea. Meanwhile Libby was picking up some clothes and putting a pair of my shoes back in the wardrobe.

“I'm sorry, I know we were supposed to spend the day together but this client is breathing down my neck to get this job done and if I do a good enough job on this one, then I might have six other show homes, so
it’s
a big deal.” She smiled with enthusiasm but also looked guilty as well. 

“
It’s
fine, I have loads of studying to do and plus I'm thinking while the storm's passed I will take advantage of the dry weather and go for a walk.” I needed to go and clear my head after last night and I couldn't think of a better cure.  

“Ok, but tonight I will make up for
it,
we will order some pizzas, pop some corn and watch a girlie movie.” I laughed at her take on an American accent. I loved the sound of spending some quality time with my sister, so when I told her that I couldn't because I was working she looked hurt.

“I'm sorry, but hey I'm off tomorrow, let's do something then, ok?” She nodded and added,

“Ok, but I still think it's all too much, all this work for college and the club... you’re going to collapse.” She was a little bit right. If I didn't get some decent sleep soon I was going to drop.

“It's only until I have enough to get a car and then I will cut some of my shifts, besides I can't expect you and Frank to keep chauffeuring me around back and to.” I held up my hand to stop her from continuing with her protests.

“I know you don't mind doing it but I do, it's not right that you have to keep picking me up at such late hours and plus I don't want to push my luck with RJ.” She admitted defeat and gave up.

“Ok I will see you later, try and relax today, take it easy ok?” I replied with a “Scouts honour” and saluted.

I spent some of the day catching up on college work and ‘trying to relax,’ but I found that every time I didn't have anything to warrant my full concentration my mind would wander over to darker thoughts. The most disappointing thing about my dream last night wasn't the fact that it had managed to worm its way back into my life, no it was more the lack of someone coming to rescue me from it. In my last nightmare Draven had come to save me from the monster which made the nightmare less scary but in the one last night, that was one
where
I had needed him the most. As a result I couldn’t keep my mind off my past no matter how much I tried. It was so bad at one point I was half considering the bottle of vodka that Libby had down in the liquor cabinet.

But that was a bad place to go and I knew it but sometimes just the thought of going that low to numb the pain was all I needed to knock me back out of it. I decided this was the right time to go for a walk and try and find that place that Libby
and I had hiked to. It was a nice clear day, it was still cold but once I started walking I would soon heat up.

I grabbed my jacket, which had a big hood, just in case it decided to pour it down. I put my mp3 player in my pocket, turned it on, placed the headphones in my ears and grabbed the keys. I knew the direction I was heading for so I set out losing myself in the music and the scenery around me. I followed the rough pathway that led deeper into the forest and continued until I got to the part that forked but for the life of me I couldn't remember which way we had taken. For some reason though I had the biggest urge to go left. As though something was pulling me that way. There was that little voice inside that said it wouldn't be a good idea but I didn't listen to it, instead I listened to the rebellious voice that told me not to be afraid.

After about twenty minutes along my chosen path the forest floor started to get a bit more like hard work, as if this was once a regular walking spot but now I wasn't so sure. It looked like the earth hadn't been disturbed in some time. There were a lot of branches to duck under and pull back to allow me to pass and at one point there was a fallen tree that made me change course due to its size. It looked freshly up- rooted and the air was filled with the scent of freshly dug earth. Maybe it had been from the storm last night.

Another twenty minutes or so of walking in this direction was all it took to make me regret my decision, fearing now that I would never remember my way back. I stopped and pulled my headphones from my ears to find that I could hear the sound of running water and realised there must be a stream nearby. As soon as I heard it, all I could think about was how thirsty I was. I followed the sound a little off the track I was on and it wasn't long until I found it. The little scene was so pretty I wished I had a camera with me.

The ground around it was softly covered in moss and it curved its way around each little rock and stone like a blanket. The forest echoed the sound of the water rushing along and I bent down closer to take a drink. I rolled up one of my long gloves freeing my hand to cup the crystal clear water. I made a noise when my skin came in contact with the freezing liquid, as it was a shock but a refreshing one. I got up once I had enough and followed the stream upwards for a while before coming to an opening. The light pierced through the trees as they separated creating a clearing like the one that I had seen in my first dream about Draven.

I stepped into the light screwing up my eyes, as they had grown accustomed to the shade the forest provided. I walked forward and soon realised that I was at an opening by the cliffs. There were trees that surrounded a log cabin, which was on the very edge of a sheer drop and the National Park opened up reaching for miles. It reminded me of the view outside my bedroom window with wave after wave of lush green forest. I couldn't help but smile at the beauty and could imagine that the people who must have lived there, not only liked to live life on the edge (literally) but they must have loved the forest and its beauty. It was one of the best views of scenery I had ever seen.

The log cabin looked long abandoned with windows smashed and cracked wooden panels as though it had once been kicked in. The door was nearly hanging off its hinges and had also seen better days.  I walked closer, feeling that I should be
shouting to see if there was anyone else around. I don't know why, it was obviously a long time since it had been lived in but I just felt that maybe I wasn't as alone as I should be.

I put that thought to the back of my mind and put my foot on the wooden steps leading up to the front door. The wood creaked under the weight of my foot and I looked around making sure I wasn't being watched. Seeing nothing but the wall of forest looking back at me I walked onto the porch and looked through one of the windows by the door. One of the panels was missing so I crouched down and peered inside telling myself that this was as far as I was going to take it.

It looked as abandoned on the inside as it did on the outside. There were a few bits of handmade furniture but most of the stuff looked broken up and piled up near the doorways and windows. That's when I noticed the rest of the windows that faced out towards the cliff had been boarded up in what looked like a hurry.

The front door had the most furniture next to it but it had been pushed backwards. Like something had burst through the front door spreading it along the floor in its path. I couldn't understand why anyone would do this, what were they trying to keep out? It didn't look like it would flood here and anyway what would furniture do? Wouldn't there be sandbags and stuff like that around the doors instead.

I got a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach as I felt like it was time to leave. A gut feeling had me believing something bad had happened here. I started walking backwards off the porch not wanting to take my eyes off the
door
, fearing
if I did someone might come bursting from behind it. This of course wasn't the brightest of ideas as I caught my foot and fell backwards off the steps.