Half Life (9 page)

“
You are so romantic,
”
she smiles, snaking her arms around my neck.

I lay her back on the bed. 
“
I don
’
t just have to kiss you on the lips.
”

“
Oh, Tom,
”
she moans as my tongue finds the centre of her.

A weeks passes and there
’
s still no sign of the light.  Any worries I may have had about it not returning are obliterated by Kate and the happiness we share, which is still only slightly marred by Michael
‘
s persistent phone calls. 

I
’
m reading in the chair by the fire, awaiting her return, surprised when the door opens and Kate practically stumbles through the door.  She looks shocked and dishevelled and I race to catch her before she falls.

“
Kate, what
’
s happened?
”

“
Michael,
”
she mumbles.

“
What has he done now?
”

“
He attacked me.
”

“
My God, are you alright?
”

“
I
’
m not sure, I feel so strange.
”
  She holds onto my hands for dear life. 
“
I think he really hurt me, I should have gone to hospital
…”
she pauses and looks up at me wide-eyed. 
“
Why do you suddenly feel warm?
”

“
Kate, Sweetheart, you need to listen to me.
”

She nods and stares up at me with those big eyes.

“
You
’
re dead Kate.
”

I didn
’
t think it possible but her eyes widen even more. 
“
No I
’
m not.  I only went out to the shop.
”

“
Focus Kate, tell me what you remember.
”

“
I stopped at the corner shop on my way home, the one at the bottom of the road.  I needed a loaf of bread.  I stepped out into the road, there was the squeal of tyres and I looked to the right and there was a black car coming at me.  Michael was in the driver
’
s seat.
”

“
Anything else?
”

“
I
…
I remember being hit then a bit of pain.  All I could think about was getting back here to you and suddenly I was walking up the path.
”

The wail of police sirens fills the air and we both dash outside.  Kate attempts to run out of the garden gate but she weakens and stumbles, unable to get any further.  I pull her back to me and instantly she recovers.  At the top of the road we can see a crowd gathered, which stands aside to allow the ambulance and police cars to pass.  It is then we see the shape crumpled up in the road, the limbs lying at odd angles.

“
Sally,
”
says Kate when she sees her friend join the crowd. 

Sally looks at the figure lying on the ground and screams before fainting dead away.

“
Oh Jesus this is awful,
”
cries Kate.

She clings to me as she sobs her heart out. 
“
When Michael said he was going to take everything from me I didn
’
t realise he meant my life too.
”

I just let her get it all out of her system then when she
’
s calmed down I stand holding her to me while we watch the circus up the road.  The police take over the area and put up bits of blue tape everywhere.  Once Kate
’
s body has been loaded onto the ambulance and taken away the crowd disperses, only a few ghouls remaining to watch as the men in bizarre white papery outfits start to sweep the area.  Michael must have escaped because no one has been arrested.

“
Come on, let
’
s go inside,
”
I say, gently leading her back to the house.

She refuses to let go of me for an instant and it
’
s a revelation to see her so vulnerable.  I recall only too well what she is going through.  Sometimes death takes you so fast you don
’
t realise what has happened.  It
’
s an awful state of confusion and grief.  Then you have to watch everything and everyone you know disappear and die, replaced by new things and strange people, which is just plain frightening.  Suddenly you find yourself in a world you are no longer a part of and cannot understand and it
’
s horrible.

“
I
’
m glad you
’
re here,
”
she says. 
“
Please don
’
t let me go, don
’
t leave me.
”

“
I wont, I promise.  Shall I put on the television?  It
’
s almost time for our show,
”
I say, thinking it will be a good distraction.

“
It can
’
t be that time already?  It
’
s only just past lunchtime.
”

“
I
’
m afraid not, it
’
s almost seven thirty at night.
”

“
I don
’
t understand
…”

“
Time will move differently for you now, faster.  Hours become minutes and minutes nothing at all.  It is a blessing otherwise madness would surely ensue.
”

She just nods, releasing me so I can switch on the television.  When I sit back down again she snuggles into me and I stroke her hair soothingly.  We watch it in silence and when it
’
s done I leave the television on, not wanting to release her again to switch it off.

“
So what happens now?
”
she says.  I
’
m relieved to hear her voice is stronger, some of the fear gone.

“
We just wait.
”

“
For what?
”

I kiss the top of her head. 
“
I
’
m not sure but we
’
ll know when it happens.
”

“
What if the light comes back for you and leaves me here?
”

“
That wont happen.
”

“
How can you be sure?
”

“
Because I wont go without you.
”

“
You can
’
t
…”

I press my finger to her lips to quiet her. 
“
We either go together or not all.  Do not fear, I will never leave you.
”

She stares up at me, wonder in her eyes.

“
What is it?
”
I say.

“
I
’
ve just realised that Michael did me a favour.
”

“
What can you mean?
”

She touches my face. 
“
Now I have everything I
’
ve ever wanted.
”

“
Oh sweet girl,
”
I say, kissing her.

Daylight brings with it visitors.  Sally and Simon enter first, followed by a dozen more people.  All are dressed in black and red eyed from crying.

Kate and I leap to our feet and retreat to the back of the room to watch.

“
Oh God, is this my wake?
”
says Kate incredulously.

“
I think so.
”

Kate
’
s eyes settle on Georgia. 
“
Mum,
”
she breathes in a heartbreakingly childlike voice.

We watch as Sally acts hostess, offering round tea and sandwiches then she settles onto the couch beside Simon, who wraps his arm around her.  She buries her face in his shoulder as fresh tears pour down her face.

“
I can
’
t believe Michael did this to her,
”
begins Georgia.  She sits in the chair by the window as though it
’
s a throne and everyone listens as she speaks. 
“
I thought he was a pig, especially after he destroyed her career but I didn
’
t think him capable of murder.
”

“
He carried out his threat to the full,
”
says Simon. 
“
When he said he
’
d take everything from her, he really meant it.
”

“
But why?  He
’
d won, she
’
d moved away and was trying to start over,
”
sobs Sally. 
“
Why did he have to take her life too?
”

“
Because he thought he could,
”
announces Georgia. 
“
After everything he
’
d already done to her he thought he could get away with that too.  But he wont because there
’
s too much evidence against him.  There were two witnesses and the police have taken forensic evidence from his car.  This time he will pay for what he
’
s done to her.
”

“
Kate did another good thing before she died,
”
says Sally. 
“
She proved that awful Marguerita Swirls was a fake.  Her real name was Maud Swathes with a long history of fraud.  I feel like such an idiot.  I brought her here to perform an exorcism.
”

“
You did what?
”
says Georgia incredulously, but the thought appears to amuse her. 
“
Kate must have loved that.
”

“
Oh yes.  So much so that she bashed Marguerita over the head and chased her from the house.
”

“
She never did believe in ghosts, thought it a lot of rot.  Why did you bring in an exorcist anyway?
”

“
Because this house is haunted.
”

The same scepticism that used to be in Kate
’
s eyes comes into her mother
’
s. 
“
Really?
”

“
Really,
”
adds Simon. 
“
I never used to believe in it all either but after a visit here once I
’
m a believer.  Me, Sally and our friend Nick were chased out by a poltergeist who threw things at us.
”

“
Well it
’
s all quiet now.
”

“
Thomas must have some sense of occasion,
”
sniffs Sally.

They all lapse into silence, too grief-stricken and exhausted to talk any further.  They are all genuinely mourning Kate
’
s loss, it hangs in the air like a great black bird.  Not like my funeral.  My family seemed to be rather embarrassed by it all and the associated rumours of suicide.  Then when they
’
d all gone my wife went upstairs to my bedroom with her lover.  It had been humiliating to watch but this wake is full of love and sorrow and all the mourners have naught but Kate on their minds.

Still she clings to me, tucked under my arm safely, watching the scene with anguish in her lovely eyes.  Then I spy someone stood in the kitchen, I can see him through the open doorway, a man in his early forties with light brown hair, dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt.  He
’
s looking right at us.

“
Kate, there
’
s a strange man staring at us.
”