Short story – Page 2 – Tyrek's Writing

Annabelle

Hey, guys. This story might deviate a little from our usual paranormal/ ghost hunting content a little bit, as it is a bit sad, and also very scary, so if that’s not for you, that’s OK. Something happened while we were at this hotel for an investigation. Something unexplainable. Something that I will tell even though I know you won’t believe that it’s true. I’m not sure where to start this story but I’ll try starting from the time when we walked into the hotel. I won’t give the name of the hotel in this story.

It was just after 9 I think. We had checked in and we were making our way down the hall and one of the guys said

“Did anyone grab the keys”

“I thought you grabbed them”

“Why would I have grabbed them, you checked us in.”

The two of them went back to the counter and I went to follow when there was a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see a tall woman. She was wearing a long sleek black dress. I don’t know much about dresses so I can’t really describe it more than that. What I can describe though is her smile. When people say ” her smile can light up a room” it really seemed that way. It was bright, happy, and full of life. Blissfully innocent. Or as I would come to learn, Blissfully ignorant.

“Do you know where I can check out? I feel like I’ve been wandering around forever” she said, laughing a little, as if embarrassed to have to ask for help.

“It’s just down this hallway and to the right.” I said pointing in the direction my friends had gone.

“Thank you, so much. It’s good to know there are helpful people around, what’s your name?”

“Isaiah”

“Like the prophet”

“I guess so”

I’ve never really been much of a religious person. I know, ironic, cuz I have a ghost hunting channel, but I’ve always leaned toward the idea that there’s a scientific explanation for paranormal activity. Things that are unexplainable now could be explainable later. All that to say, I don’t know who Isaiah the prophet is.

“What about you, what’s your name?” I countered.

“Annabelle”

“Who are you talking to?”

My friends had come back and were staring at me.

I point in Annabelle’s direction

“There’s nobody there dude.”

I turn to look and she’s gone.

I mentioned before that I’m a tad skeptical when it comes to ghost hunting. So when Annabelle disappeared I was shocked a little but I figured she must have just walked away. Even with all the ghost hunting I do, the idea that you could have a full conversation face to face with a spirit seemed far fetched. So I just said

” She must have walked away”

“Ok dude. Let’s go set up for the investigation”

I won’t get into the whole investigation here. If you want the whole thing you should check out our website. Nothing quite so crazy, but we caught a few things. Including a female voice saying “He’s Coming”. I won’t spoil the rest, go check out the full investigation on our website.

We finished up the investigation and went to sleep. We all slept in separate rooms. We are on the road together all the time so a little privacy is always appreciated. It was about 4 am when we went to bed, and at around 6am I heard a scream. I wake up with a start and am greeted with the face of Annabelle. The beautiful face I had seen earlier that evening now twisted in agony and screeching out the most horrific sound I’ve ever heard as I shot out of bed her eyes followed me. Her pale face barely visible in the dim moonlight. Her face appeared to have black streaks running down. She stopped screaming and looked me in the eye. More streaks forming from, I’m assuming, the top of her head and down her face. With a groan she only spoke two words. Two terrified words.

“He’s Coming”

I had been reaching for the light switch but I stopped. Thinking maybe she was hiding from someone. And whoever it was I didn’t want them in my room

“Who’s coming, Annabelle?”

“My Husband, he’s a rotten man, Isaiah”

“What’s happened?” I asked curiously

“He’s a liar. He made a mistake, he said. His mistake. But he made me pay for it. He wanted her instead of me, so he made me pay. Do you know where Hell is, Isaiah” she said, stepping closer to me. The streaks are on her face now dripping onto the floor. She never broke eye contact with me.

“You should. Because you’re standing in it”

This time when she screamed her eyes went completely white and I quickly turned the light on and she vanished immediately. I didn’t sleep that night. Not after that. There was one thing that scared me more than the disappearing though. When the lights turned for a fraction of a second I could see her in the light. The streaks that looked black in the darkness of the room were actually a deep, dark red.

As the panic sort of subsided. I thought about the incident for a little bit, In the lobby of course. Directly after the incident I had packed my things and sat down in the lobby. I decided to look up Annabelle and the name of the hotel because she didn’t give me a last name. Turns out there was an Anabelle that died in that hotel. There was virtually no media coverage. There was an article though about how a husband, who had been cheating on his wife, took his wife to a hotel, under the guise of a romantic evening.

He would go on to tell her about the other woman, someone I won’t name here. He says. “It wasn’t supposed to go this far, but now she’s pregnant and it’s mine” He says he’s sorry it has to be this way. Upset, she cries. She had only ever loved him after all, she deserved so much better. In the interrogation he never actually says what the last straw was, but he admits that the bedside lamp makes a good improvised club.

I don’t know how Annabelle is so lucid, I’ll admit that I probably don’t know as much about ghosts as i thought i did, but i truly believe that she’s trying to get out. She asked me if I knew where hell was, because she’s in it. Reliving her horrible, tragic, demise , over and over again.

Every time he tells her of the other woman, Every time he tells her of the pregnancy, Every night he bashes her head in with the lamp, and every night she dies knowing that it will happen again tomorrow.

The guy is in jail now, but after what I witnessed I’m not sure if jail is enough for him. As a paranormal investigator it’s easy to forget that monsters can be human. That is the story as I remember it. I’m sorry if it sounds a little scatterbrained, it has been just over a week since that whole experience, and i havent really had much time to write.

That’s all for this blog, if you read it all the way through thank you. This was definitely a life changing experience for me and I hope it was at least educational for you, about domestic violence or abuse of any kind. I hope you have a good rest of your day. Bye.

The Population Machine

By Tyrek Showels

Act I: Creation

Transcription:

I finally did it. I have finally created the first artificial human. It has almost every feature that any other human would. For the sake of science i will now record the feature given to them by me, but keep in mind they are humans and are subject to variations and change according to many factors, including but not limited, Environmental, cultural, and societal stimuli. All humans from population machines will be “born”, if you could call it such, at the biological age of 16. Being that I was tasked to create this for the colonization of far off planets, Ive determined that children will not be necessary. I know it will be pointed out that in some caces, having children around could help with moral, and to that i say that children will only get in the way of a burgeoning society. However in a few years time the citizens of this society will hit “puberty” and will their sex drives will activate, Although sex drives will be low due to lack of need of traditional methods of procreation. Population Machines will create an almost 1:1 ratio of male to female. And while sexuality will stat with male and female due to need of procreation in order for there to be children, sexuality will begin to vary over time, exactly as they would in a normal human society. Most of what i have said so far only applies to the original batch. After first batch, all humans will begin life at age 0 and puberty will begin in there pre-teen to teenage years, Behaviorally, the fist batch are more inclined to work and each different person being good at certain tasks which will help build up a society in a short amount of time. All other people after the first batch will vary according to factors including but not limited, parentage, society, any cultures/religions that may emerge, education level, age ,and/or physical ability. The hope is that the skill-sets are diverse enough that the society will flourish but not so distant that communication between different people becomes complicated. Culture/ religion is encouraged as it gives people a reason to connect with others and will help create communities of people. Also having cultural traditions will add something for people to look forward to and take away from the monotony of daily life, as building a society is a full time job. Humans “born” in first batch, if i haven’t covered this already, will be given the knowledge that we here are already privy to, That way getting into space will be a much easier and quicker task and wont require playing with stone tools. Languages will become diverse due to the fact that we will try to spread out the population a little bit, in order to maximize the uses of the planets resources, but communication will not be impossible as all will be able to speak the common language. Although that really only applies to the first batch. All others will really only know what they are taught, but still i don’t believe communications between people will become a huge issue. If anything it leaves an opportunity for some to become translators in order to bridge any gaps in communication efforts.

While conflict is not entirely possible to avoid without peeling away what makes us human I don’t believe any conflict will grow big enough to mount a credible threat against the formation of this society. The Population Machine will become dormant after it is satisfied with how many have been created and the ratios thereof, and will remain dormant as long as population is above acceptable levels. If population continues to decrease after multiple reboots of the Population Machine, at that point it will go offline and it the planet will be labelled as uninhabitable. The remaining population and that planet will likely die, but there is little to do about that. The reason for dormancy is so the inhabitants of the planets will come to forget that they were created from machines, and since no future humans will be created from machines they can be left to come up with there own theories of where they come from. It is important to note that there are many unseen variables on these far off planets and that the results may vary accordingly. This concludes the final log of Dr. Claudio Winters.

Act II: Discovery

All was good in Caleb’s life. He was 25 and lived in a house just outside of the city of Stavia. He had bought the house with his boyfriend Daniel. They had talked about maybe adopting a child but they decided against raising a child in the city.

“There’s already too many people in the city, We don’t need to bring one more” , Daniel had said, jokingly.

Caleb had worked at a small eatery in town, but when the opportunity to leave arose, he was more than happy to leave it behind. Caleb’s boyfriend Daniel however, was a very important man in the city which meant that Caleb was home all alone today. Caleb spent most days alone. Daniel would come home at night but, he was always tired from his long work day. Caleb was bored now. He liked to draw though, so he grabbed a notebook and went to work drawing. Recently he had a dream about a cylindrical machine. He liked to draw this machine. He would draw the machine flying over cities and wastelands alike and dropping people out of the sky . The machine was small and yet it never seemed to run out of people. The dream always ended the same way though, The fire. All consuming fire. The world engulfed in flames. Dreams are weird like that, huh. Caleb chuckles a little bit. When Daniel returns home Caleb is waiting for him in the kitchen. Caleb is an excellent chef, so when Daniel saw him at the table with two plates of food on the table, he grinned excitedly.

“ Aw, Caleb you didn’t have to.”, Daniel said

“ But, of course i did, I love cooking”, Caleb said.

“I know you do, Do you ever miss your restaurant job”

“ Not at all, plus I’m practicing staying at home, especially with a baby on the way”

Caleb and Daniel had found a mother who was giving her baby for adoption and they had jumped at the opportunity. The mother is about 5 months along the pregnancy at this point and Caleb and Daniel are very excited about it.

“ You definitely need it, I had enough trouble just getting you to sit down, let alone settle down.” Daniel said with a laugh as he sat down at the table. “ So did you get up to anything while you were “practicing”?”

“ Just a bit of drawing, I’ll grab one for you” Caleb said, already up and running down the hall towards the room he had been drawing in. A moment later he was back with a picture of the cylindrical machine flying over cities and dropping people from the sky.

“ I had a dream about this machine. It was amazing. It seemed to just have an endless supply of people in it, and it would just drop them on to the ground.”

Daniels face had gone very pale as he looked at the drawing

“ Are you OK, Daniel”

But Daniel couldn’t hear him. Daniel was remembering

_______________________________________________________________________

Daniel had come home to the most amazing smell, and almost as if in a trance he followed the scent to the kitchen where he saw his boyfriend Caleb. Caleb was his boyfriend and soon to be stay at home Dad, but Daniel was still hesitant about there arrangement. Daniel had grown up with maids and other servants around him, and he didn’t want his boyfriend to become one. Daniel always insisted on doing everything himself, but on this occasion he was just tired enough to let it slide. After an exchange of pleasantries Daniel sat down at the table. Caleb ran to the back in order to get a drawing he had. Daniels boyfriend Caleb liked to draw. It helped him clear his mind. When Caleb returned with picture and showed it the Daniel. Daniels mind started racing. He had saw this machine not even a few hours ago. Daniel did demolition for the city. Sometimes the city wanted room to build more things. The whole concept didn’t make sense to Daniel but he didn’t question it. It was good money in any case, at the executive level at least which is where Daniel was. Daniel had got a call a few hours prior about a building that had no doors or windows or any indications as to who built it. How they built it , and why, and they were hesitant to break it down, Daniel knew the protocol. Just tell them to break it down and they would. If the city wants it down, it goes down. This time however Daniel said “ Hang on a minute, ill be right down there”

Daniel met them close to the edge of the city and he saw what they were referring to. It was about the size of a one story brick house. But the material used to construct it was unknown and how it was constructed was also unknown.

“ So what do you want do sir” The foreman had asked Daniel after they had enough time to look it over.

“ I have no clue what it is, but the city wants it gone” Daniel had said

Daniel and the foreman stood a good distance away as a wrecking ball hit the side of the structure blowing a hole in it. Daniel waved to the operator and the operator gets out and walks over to Daniel

“We’re gonna head inside, I’m really curious about this building”

Daniel had seen the cylindrical machine inside that building. He had also seen about a dozen sets of skeletons. As if the people who built this structure had trapped themselves inside and suffocated or starved to death. Law enforcement had to be called and while everyone noticed the cylindrical object it just didn’t really seem important. Especially surrounded by bodies. But even as Daniel walked away from it he had a feeling like it was very important.

“Are you OK, Daniel?”

Daniel snaps out of his daze and looks to see Caleb standing over him waving his hand over Daniels face.

“Dan, are you OK?, should I call an ambulance”

“No.no. I’m fine. I’m sorry i just remembered something, Ill be back soon I promise” And giving his boyfriend a kiss he runs back out into the night.

Act III: Destruction

“This is Dr. Claudio Winters. I would like to add to the end of this log that if any of the created lifeforms come into contact with the Population Machine an analysis of all life forms will occur, If it is determined that the discovery of the Machine would do more harm than good a mass extinction will occur. That may seem harsh but new life forms can be created immediately and it will be as if it never happened.”

Daniel makes his way back to the demolition site. The site had been locked down due to the discovery of human remains. Daniel didn’t care about the remains anymore though. It was too coincidental, the dream on the same day that he finds the machine. It’s almost as if he was supposed to find the machine. Daniel sneaks in to the demolition site, and up to the cylindrical machine. He starts to examine it. Part of him wants to touch it but without knowing what it is that could be dangerous. So he observes. He walks around it in a circle. Daniel felt the urge to speak to it

“Hello?”

A screen comes to life and a keyboard floats out .

“Hello, What would you like me to do” was written across

“ What are you?”

“ Error. What would you like me to do?”

“ Report”

“ I have completed my 7th reboot. All lifeforms emerged healthy and strong, with minimal defects, Machine not yet discovered”

“What lifeforms”

“ Humans, All humans emerged with minimal defects”

“ What do you mean?”

“Error: Clarify”

“Humans emerged?”

“Yes, Creation process successful: All humans are healthy and strong”

Daniel was having trouble understanding. The origins of life had always been a debated issue, Is it even possible that Daniel was looking at it.

No. No this is some sort of joke or something, Daniel became determined to look into it more, He wanted an explanation.

So Daniel touched the keyboard

“Claudio Winters DNA Detected, Scanning”

Claudio Winters? That wasn’t Daniels name. This was definitely a joke. If this thing had created all life surely it would know Daniels name .

“Result: Detrimental. Commencing Reboot 8. Extinction in progress”

Yea. This is a joke

Daniel laughed

And was silent.

Ancient Evil

Arnold the Brave, he was called. An adventurer unlike any other. It’s said he carved his name in places, even the gods feared to go. But one day he vanished. Nobody knows what happened to him. Except me, so allow me to tell you about the last moments of Arnold the Brave.

Arnold was on the run. Yes, Arnold was brave, but he was no fool. A pack of wolves chased him, ravenously, through the forest. Arnold saw his way out though, Through a cave. Arnold knew running through the forest was hopeless, but maybe in the dark he could lose the creatures. Arnold ran headlong into the cave, encouraged to see nothing but pitch black inside. He ran with a new found vigor, his escape close enough to touch, and ran headfirst into the wall of darkness. With no time to ponder what had just happened, Arnold jumped up sword drawn. The wolves surrounded the mouth of the cave, but would not dare to enter it. The reason why would soon become apparent to Arnold, but for now he took solace in the fact that he was safe. That is until the darkness opened its eye. It was massive. Bigger than Arnold himself, who was not a small man. The darkness began to shift. It stood up on enormous clawed feet, legs bent to keep from brushing its back upon the ceiling. Massive wings partially extended to shake off the dust that had accumulated in its slumber. Arnold’s sword felt inadequate in his hand. An attack could do nothing to stop this massive creature. A rumble emanated from all around. An earth shaking sound. The walls of the cave shook, threatening to give as the creature moved forward. All Arnold could do was watch. The beast was hungry, and Arnold would soon become its first meal. But Arnold was small compared to the creature, and its appetite was not yet satiated. He had shaken the bed of an ancient evil, and the dragon was now awake.

And I intend to feast.

Guilt & Forgiveness

“So, what are you running from?”

I looked up at the older man ahead of me. He was helping me carry my luggage into the lighthouse where I would be living for the next 6 months

” What do you mean?”, I said

“People who take this job are always running from something, so what about you, what are you running from”, he said without turning around, but I could tell he was smiling.

“Oh, um, nothing. I’m not running from anything, I just saw a job opening and I went for it’

The old man laughed, “Let’s hope that’s true, the past tends to catch up to people in this place.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The isolation really gets to people in this place. It’s best if you forgive yourself before walking in, because this place won’t do it for you” he said this while putting my stuff down,

“This is where you will be staying for the next 6 months, you can decorate if you want, it’s your house”

He points to the other side of the room at a phone on the wall. “You won’t get much cell service out here so if you need to call anyone use that, My number is on there for emergencies. Kyle’s number is on there too. He will be your shopper. If you need anything, within reason, call him and he will get it, and if of course emergency services is on there as well”

I looked at the sign, and saw the name Mr. Abernathy. I assumed that was the old man’s name. I really should have known it at this point, but if he has told me it, I completely forgot it, and it felt wrong to ask.

“Come on, Alisa, I haven’t got all day”, Mr. Abernathy said from outside the room. I quickly followed after him.

“This is the lantern room.” Mr. Abernathy waved his arm across the room. ” It’s where the big light comes from. You really don’t have to do anything in here. Just make sure the light goes on at 6pm sharp. It’s on a timer. Make sure to check it every now and then during the night. I recommend every two hours, but it really doesn’t matter. As long as the light stays on all night.”

He began to walk to the far wall of the room

“If for some reason the light is off when you check on it, hit this button. It kicks on the back up generator and it should last for the rest of the night, Make sure to fill the generator back up in the morning though ”

“What if the button doesn’t work?” I asked

“Call the coast guard and they’ll handle it”

“What will they do?”

“I don’t know, tell people it’s not safe to dock, or something. It’s really not the end of the world, just make sure to call me in the morning so I can fix it.”

“Mr. Abernathy looked around the room, seeming satisfied he said. “That’s all the important stuff, You can figure out the rest. What you do with your time is up to you. As long as the light is on at 6pm”.

I walked Mr. Abernathy to the door in silence.

I watched him get in a boat and head off.

It was going to be a long six months.

_________

The first thing I did was call Kyle.

Kyle: Ms. Walker, how may I help you?

Me: You already know my name?

Kyle: Of course, I try to know every keepers name, Ms. Walker.

Me: You can call me Alisa, I’m just looking to get some general grocery stuff. I’m assuming there’s a kitchen, and a bathroom.

Kyle: There is. He didn’t show you them?

Me: No, he said I could “figure it out”

Kyle laughed

Kyle: That sounds like him.

I gave Kyle a list of things I wanted. and when I was satisfied with the list Kyle said

Kyle: Alright, I’ll go get this stuff, it should get to you tomorrow morning

Me: Thank you

Kyle: You’re welcome, Ms. Walker.

_____________

The first few weeks were uneventful. I walked around the premises a dozen times, and found something new every time. It was weird having no contact with the outside world at first, but Kyle was nice enough to talk to. He would even hang out for a little bit sometimes. He helped me set up the Wi-Fi, and would sometimes stick around to play video games. I wasn’t much of a gamer before, but I’ve picked up a few new things. But then it happened for the first time. The phone rang.

Me: Hello?

Unknown: Hey, baby

Me: Isaiah?

Isaiah: That’s what my license says.

Me: How did you… How did…

Isaiah: How did I get this number, My new position has its benefits.

Me: You can’t call me. You’re…. You’re

Isaiah: What? I’m What, Ali? WHAT AM I? ALISSA!!

A loud roar resounded on his side of the line.

I jumped back, dropping the phone in the process. When I picked it back up, the call had ended.

I sat on the ground in shock. He shouldn’t have been able to call me and yet he had. What was I supposed to do about it? In the end I decided to brush it off. It was just a phone call after all. He can’t hurt me through the phone.

Days went by before I had the next call. Again it was Isaiah and again he was screaming while the roaring surrounding his voice

I tried to respond but he didn’t seem to hear me so I hung up.

After that day the phone calls were a regular occurrence, and eventually I just stopped answering.

__________________

Kyle was running late. It was getting close to noon, and he was yet to show up with my groceries. He is usually very punctual so after an a few hours I decided to give him a call to see where he was at. As I reached for the phone it rang. Instinctively I flinched back and strangely enough the ringing stopped. I reached for it again and the ringing started anew. It was giving me a choice this time. If I wanted groceries I would have to answer eventually. As odd as that was. I wasn’t scared. I was angry. He was somehow holding me hostage through the phone, and I wasn’t having it. I answered the phone, through gritted teeth.

Me: STOP CALLING ME!

There was silence on the other end. Absolute silence. After I a moment of silence I decided it was stupid to listen to nothing so I started to put it back. But then I heard him.

Isaiah: I know what you did, I know what you did, I know what you did.

Me: Wh- What do you mean?

Isaiah: You know, I called you that night.. But your phone was off. Where were you Ali?

Me: I- I was working late, I couldn’t leave.

Isaiah:LIES, I know what you did,Ali. Where were you that night? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I DIED, ALI! WHERE WERE YOU?

I slammed the phone back onto the receiver, and ran out of the room. The phone rang behind me, but I ignored. I slammed the bathroom door open and frantically splashed water on my face.

“Who’s Alex?”

My head shot up and where my face should have been, I saw Isaiah’s. It was charred, his whole body burnt beyond recognition. As if he could sense my shock, he took a step back and looked himself over.

“Oh, this? Don’t worry about it, it didn’t kill me. It was the smoke that did it. I felt every agonizing second of being burned alive, but enough about me. What about you? Who’s Alex? “

Isaiah reached through the mirror grabbing the sink on either side and pulling himself through as if it were nothing more than an open window.

” I don’t know what you’re – ” I began to say

“Don’t lie to me , Alisa. I know what you did already, there’s no point. Is Alex the reason your phone was off? The door was stuck, Alisa. I couldn’t get out. You knew that already though. The police would have told you that.”

” Please , go away” I muttered weakly, “Go away, you’re not real”

Isaiah has finished pulling himself through the mirror and was now sitting on the sink. His face looked calm, sad even. When he spoke, it was with pain in his voice.

“Who was he? Is Alex the “work” you were doing? Is Alex the reason your phone was off?”

“Go away, you’re not real” still muttering.

“You don’t have to answer, Alisa. I already know what did.”

Isaiah hopped off the sink, and began to walk towards me. With every step forward, I took a step back until my back was against the wall.

“Alex … Alex is a guy from work” I stammered out. I wanted to reach for the door but I couldn’t. My body was completely paralyzed.

“It was a one time thing, I swear. And I didnt know about-“

“The fire” Isaiah said, right in front of me now. “If only you knew about the fire, you wouldn’t have gone with Alex. Is that it? It would have been okay, if only I hadn’t messed it up by dying”

“No , that’s not it. That’s not what I’m saying” I said, my eyes were shut tightly, but I could hear his ragged breath only inches away.

“Then what are you saying, Ali?”

“I don’t- I don’t know. I don’t know what to say! This was never supposed to happen, It was only one time” Frantically I reached towards the door, my eyes still shut. ” I thought it was harmless. No one was supposed to get hurt. It was one time! One time!” I finally felt the doorknob and I pulled it hard. Running out of the bathroom, I ran right into Kyle knocking him over.

“Hey, what’s going on, you alright?”, Kyle said standing back up. I ran into my room, tears springing involuntarily from my eyes.

“He wasn’t supposed to get hurt” I said through tears.

Kyle walked in, and I told him everything. Then we sat in silence, for a long time.

” You know you didn’t kill him right. It was a freak accident. You couldn’t have saved him, even if you did answer the phone.” Kyle said quietly,

“I know” I said weakly

Kyle: You have to forgive yourself, this place won’t do it for you

Property of a Survivor

We’re stuck in this bunker for awhile. Apparently Tom saw a bunch of those “zombies ” walking around and we have to wait until they’re gone. We’re trying to get to the store close by, but the tunnel doesn’t go that way so we have to go above ground and then run back to the bunker. Tom doesn’t like the word, “Zombie”. He says we should call them “diseased”, because they didn’t die before turning. They look dead now though. Well anyway, we’ve been in this bunker for a little while and I’m getting bored so I decided to keep a journal. I only have a few writing supplies, but it’s not like anyone else uses them. Besides, there is probably more in the store. If we get there. If it were up to me we would pass by this one and find a different store. We aren’t low on supplies or anything, actually the bunker is pretty well stocked already ,but Tom’s the boss so we do whatever he says, and he says we shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to get more supplies. That’ll wait until tomorrow though, because he just fell asleep.
I’ve never actually kept a journal before. I’m not entirely sure what to write about. I guess it doesn’t matter. Now that I think about it, the only reason anyone else would be reading this journal is if I’m dead. Even still someone else would have to find the tunnels, which as far as I know are secret. I think they were used for smuggling but it might be a military thing. I have no idea. I guess I could write about what’s going on in the world right now, but if you’re reading this you probably already know. I can write about where I was when it happened.
It was a Sunday morning and I was feeling a bit under the weather. I think I ate something bad the day before, but anyway we were a church going family and so that’s where my family went while I stayed home. When they didn’t come back I knew something was wrong. So I went to the church. I saw the bodies. My only guess is that they got the “disease”. and then they were killed. Military, I think. The military was everywhere back then. That was at least 3 years ago though. It’s hard to keep track of time. I guess that’s my origin story. I didn’t find Tom until 6 months later when I had to run to the store to get food. Tom was in the store, and he offered to help. Tom never offers to help. I didn’t know that at the time though. I think Tom was military too.
The store is also where I met Carla. She was with Tom. Not to compare trauma but her origin story is a little darker than mine. Carla’s a lesbian. That’s not what makes her story dark, it’s just an important part of her backstory. And it’s the only thing I really know about her. Besides the fact that she used to be married. Or maybe she’s still married. I don’t know. She doesn’t talk about it much, but apparently her wife came back from the store and everything seemed normal until she started to become a zombie. Apparently there was a struggle before she killed her own wife. She still struggles with it sometimes, although it’s more of an emotional turmoil. I don’t pray much these days, I guess I blame God for what happened to my family. And why shouldn’t I? It is his fault after all. But I offered to pray for God to give Carla strength. She declined. Carla doesn’t believe in God. Or if she does she doesn’t like him very much. She probably blames him for making her kill her wife. And why shouldn’t she? It is his fault after all.
I guess if there’s a silver lining there it’s the fact that she never changed. She quarantined herself for a little bit, It wasn’t hard because the world was chaotic anyway, and when she didn’t change I guess she left and somehow found Tom. I don’t really know her whole story. She doesn’t talk much. I think she was the first of us to find Tom. There’s 5 of us now. I should sleep otherwise I’ll have to stay behind while they “shop”

We’re back from the store. There was nothing good there. It was to be expected. Most stores were ransacked within the first week. Most of the zombies were gone though. Tom and Carla killed the stragglers. I’ve never killed one. I’ve never killed anything, I don’t think I could. Tom and Carla have no trouble killing though. I think Tom was military and as for Carla, I guess if your first kill was your wife, the rest come easily enough. Maybe I’m just being too sensitive. In the end we’ll probably all have to kill someone to stay alive. I’m not looking forward to it.
I mentioned there were two other people with us. I’ll probably never mention them again. They’re just so annoying, I don’t really like talking about them. The only reason they’re with us is because they were there when we found the tunnel and Tom doesn’t want them to go run their mouths about it. Which was a legitimate concern because they run their mouths about everything. I think it was their house that we found the tunnel in and if that’s the case then they must have had quite a bit of money. Which was well for them because I can’t think of any other reason they could have survived as long as they have. They aren’t very bright. But before I go on, I realize I haven’t actually explained the tunnel or how we got here. I will do that, but give me a minute. Writing while walking is difficult. I’ve already run into two walls.

We found another bunker. This one comes up underneath another street. Most of them do. We haven’t actually been down here for that long. Probably 8 or 9 months. Before the tunnel it was just Tom, Carla and me. We found what we could and stayed in abandoned houses. Tom and Carla kept me safe, and I appreciated it. Although I think it’s worth pointing out that I survived the first 6 months alone. I was 15 then. I’m probably almost 18 now. In the old world I would have been worrying about college right now. No use dwelling on that though. I’m getting off topic. Tom, Carla and I squatted in abandoned houses for almost two years. Always moving. It was Tom’s motto. Always keep moving. Dory would say “Just keep swimming” . When I brought that up he looked at me like I was crazy. I guess he doesn’t know who Dory. Back to the topic. We kept moving and we saw a pretty big house and we thought that for sure there were supplies in it, so we broke in. Most houses are abandoned so we didn’t think it would be too much trouble. We walked through the house gathering supplies and stuff. It’s actually where I got the journal. I got it for Tom to use but he never used it, so now I’m using it. We found the twins huddled in a corner. I guess they hid when they heard us break in. They aren’t actually twins by the way. I don’t even know if they’re related. I think they lived in the house but I could be wrong. I don’t really care though. I don’t like talking to them. We found the bunker underneath a rug and from there we found the tunnel. As far as we can tell it’s basically a series of tunnels and bunkers. I have no idea how far they go, or who made them, or why. I suspect smugglers. Tom says it’s probably the military, but Tom thinks everything is the military. When we found the bunker we had the twins with us so Tom said they should come along. At the time I thought it was nice of him. It wasn’t until later I discovered he was really just scared of their big mouths and lack of survival instincts. That’s how we found the tunnel. Not super interesting, but at least you know where we are now. Today was a pretty quiet day which is good. For us at least. For you reading you probably wanted more excitement. It’s kinda funny. You, reading hoping for something to happen, and me, writing hoping for the exact opposite. If you’re reading this it must get good at some point though, because I’m dead now. Unless I just left it behind, but why would I do that. I hope I didn’t leave anything out of the story. I was half asleep while writing this. I should go fully to sleep now. You never know when excitement might find you.

We met a family today. The tunnel came up inside of their basement. They were confused about where we came from but they were very friendly. I think they were just happy to see other humans alive, even if they came from underground. We weren’t allowed to tell them about the tunnel. The less people the better Tom says. We gave them some of our food though. Most of the bunkers have plenty of food so we will be fine. We sat down for dinner with the family. It was a Mom, a Dad and a kid much younger than me. I wonder how old she was when it started. We kept moving after that. And I started writing. Overall I would say it’s been an exciting day. But good excitement this time. Plus I found more pens in the house and they let me take a few.

It’s been a while since I wrote anything down. Nothing much has happened. We ran into another mass of zombies but we just waited and killed the stragglers just like last time. Repetition is important. Here’s another reason they should be called zombies. Saying we killed a bunch of diseased people sounds way worse than we killed a bunch of zombies. Wait, one sort of exciting thing happened. We saw a tank. I guess the military is still around after all. They haven’t been killing zombies though so I have no idea what they’ve been up to. Not much excitement other than that though. Tom finally snapped at the twins. That was funny. He told them to shut up. They deserved it, they are really loud and annoying. Tom prefers quiet. That’s probably why he loves Carla. He’d never say but I know for sure that he loves Carla. And Carla loves him, though she would never say it either. They both prefer the quiet, and they prefer each other’s company over being alone. It makes sense. Before I came along it was just them.
And from being out there I know that the first few months were the worst. When I refer to the chaos, I’m referring to those first few months. Carla and Tom took the brunt of the chaos together though, and they survived together too. You can’t get much closer than that.

Tom and Carla went to a shopping mall. They’re looking for clean clothes, because the last house we found had people in it so we couldn’t take their clothes. Tom said to stay behind, so I did. I wish he took the twins too. Maybe they would fell down the stairs or something. That’s a bad thought. I don’t pray much these days but I pray that my soul isn’t corrupted by these bad thoughts. Is it wrong that I wish we could leave the twins behind? We don’t like them. We could just throw them at the zombies. They’re a liability to our safety and I know it would be mean but why can’t we just throw them to the wolves. Tom and Carla are too nice. I’m not though. I spent 6 months on my own, during the chaos, I don’t feel any sympathy for them. I know that’s awful, but it’s true. If it were up to me I would leave them behind. They would probably survive anyway. Cockroaches always survive.

Still waiting on Tom and Carla. I’ve been sitting here thinking though. It’s funny how long it takes for optimism to die. Even now I kinda expect for things to get better eventually. I won’t be running through tunnels for the rest of my life right? I guess I got too used to stories. In stories, the hero always saves the day. Things get bad but they always get better. Maybe there is a hero out there working on saving the day. It’s hard to know from underground. In my daydreams of the zombie apocalypse ( that sounds silly now, all things considered) I was always the hero. But I guess in my story Tom is the hero. Maybe there is no hero. Maybe things don’t have to get better. I guess reality doesn’t have to follow the same rules as stories. Things will just keep getting worse and we’ll just “Always keep moving” because that’s what we do.

Tom didn’t make it back. While Carla and Tom were coming back from the mall, they ran into a mass of zombies. Tom sent Carla ahead back to the tunnel and he stayed behind to hold them back. Carla says he’s going to be alright, and when we first met I might have believed her. I was a child then. Now I know better. Tom is dead. He knew they couldn’t both make it to the tunnel without letting in the “diseased” and he would never risk it. It’s possible he’s still alive, but he won’t make it back into the tunnel anytime soon and by the time he does we will be gone. It doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing Tom again. Before the chaos, I read a book called Slaughterhouse Five, and there was a phrase in it that stuck with me and probably applies here. So it goes. A resignation from a man who knows that nothing can be done. Tom is gone, probably forever. So it goes. Carla says we have to move. She’s the hero of the story now. I’ll send up a prayer for Tom just in case. He wouldn’t approve, but if anyone needs a prayer right now, it’s Tom.

It’s been a week since Tom… I don’t know what to say happened to him. I guess we left him. I don’t feel bad about it though. He would have wanted us to leave him. He’s most likely dead though. There were just too many infected. I started using the word infected because it sounds like diseased and sounds like Zombie at the same time. Carla has only made a few changes to our routine. One being that we only take supplies from bunkers and houses. No more stores or malls. She says, from what she saw, there are more infected than ever. I guess I always thought it would die down, but it’s only getting worse. So it goes. I’m using the phrase wrong. He actually only uses it when people die, but I find it fitting anyway. Carla is keeping a brave face. She has been all week. I can tell she’s devastated though. She didn’t want to leave him behind, but she knew it’s what had to be done. Still, Tom was her partner. Not bonded through romance though. Bonded by experience. They were closer than anyone before the chaos could have been. Because they had gone through the closest thing to hell anyone could have gone through, and came out together. I feel for her. I offered to pray for her strength but she refused again. I know she doesn’t need it, she’s strong on her own. I just wanted to show that I understand she’s in pain. I can tell she understands. Plus a little extra strength never hurts. She’s asleep right now. Sometimes she cries in her sleep, and although she wouldn’t approve I pray for her strength anyway. She means a lot to me too. For almost 3 years she has been a mother figure to me. She kept me alive as much as Tom did. She’s also much nicer than Tom. She’s easy to talk to, probably because she doesn’t say much. Maybe I see her as a mother because I lost my own. The twins are still here by the way. I would give updates on them but I don’t pay attention to them. If they even realize Tom is dead, it doesn’t show. It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t though. They really aren’t that bright.

Remember when I said, One day we would all have to kill to stay alive? Well my day came. I don’t know how the infection works but from what I gather it might take about 2 weeks for the infection to activate. How I gathered this is that yesterday, Carla changed. I don’t know what got her. Maybe she was bit by something, maybe just touching a wall with a paper cut is all it takes. It doesn’t really matter. There was a struggle. This time not between a woman and her wife, but between a man and a person who he had long since come to think of as a mother figure. God forgive me, I had no choice. I killed my own mother. I survived. It’s what I had to do. No matter how many times I say it’s what I had to do I can’t seem to make myself believe it. I killed her. I might have had a reason but I also had a choice. Carla would have said I was doing the right thing. That brings a little comfort. Tom would say “Always keep moving”, so I did. Without the twins. God forgive me, but I hope they get infected. Why did the two most useless people in our group survive, while the people I loved disappeared.

I’m sure they’ll just find the closest family that’s willing to take care of them, and blab there mouths the whole way there. The tunnel is officially compromised, but that’s ok. I’m leaving the tunnel anyway. At the beginning of this journal I said the only reason you’d be reading this is if I’m dead. That’s not true anymore. I’m leaving the journal behind. Without the tunnel for protection I’ll probably have far less free time. I don’t need any distractions. If it’s Tom who’s reading this and you made it back to the tunnel alive, I left the tunnel. I’m headed north. I don’t know what’s up there but I guess I’ll find out. If you’re infected, stay where you are. A 2 week quarantine is required to make sure. At least it was with Carla. Just know that if you change I’ll have to kill you too. I’m much better at it now. I guess when you’re first kill is your own mother, the rest come easily enough.
Just keep swimming. Suddenly that phrase is taking on a darker meaning. Just keep swimming, while everyone around you is eaten by the shark. There’s nothing you can do. Just move on, or you’ll die too. And as Billy Pilgrim would say, So it goes.

Ink

Dr. Bethany Ross was in the lab when I walked in. Dr. Ross and I never really seemed to get along. Sure we had worked side by side for 5 whole years ,but the years, if anything, just seemed to strengthen her resolve not to like me. I say all that so you understand how strange it was when I walked in to a big smile and a greeting from Dr. Ross
“Hello, Dr. Stephens. I just made the most wonderful discovery, come look.”

Dr. Ross waved me over with an enthusiasm I had rarely seen from her. On the table in front of her was a rat in a cage. It scurried back and forth as if looking for an opening to escape from, and at first glance there was nothing different about it.
“What am I looking at?”, I asked
“A rat”, she said with a smirk
“I see that.”
“Ah, but what you don’t see is that this rat is dead. 100% dead” Dr. Ross said, smiling wide.
I inspected the rat closer. It didn’t look dead. As a matter of fact it looked more alive than ever. It looked and acted like a frightened rat in a cage.
Dr. Ross smirked. This might have been the first normal behavior she exhibited since I entered the room. While we both graduated from the same university, Dr. Ross was at the top of class, and she relished every opportunity to show me how much smarter she was than me.
“You don’t see it, do you?”, she said with that awful half smile.
Swallowing my pride, I said, “I do not, what am I supposed to be looking for?”
“Look right on the neck” pointing, she looked at me, seemingly eager for me to finally see what she sees.
I inspected the neck of the rat, and again I found nothing. Starting to get frustrated I was about to turn towards Dr. Ross. About to exclaim that this must be some sort of joke, and I was not amused, but before I could, I saw it. A little black spot on the back of it’s neck. The spot was bald, and perfectly circular.
“It’s a parasite,” I said in wonder
Dr. Ross was ecstatic, “Yes, a parasite, a parasite with full control over the host body. If not for the mark it leaves on the skin it would be completely undetectable through observation alone.”

I kept quiet for a moment, not wanting to admit how cool her discovery actually was. After a moment though, I came up with a question.
“How does the parasite know how the rat would react to the cage?”

“Observation,” Dr. Ross said, without missing a beat, “this parasite can lie dormant for days or even weeks in order to observe the host brain and once it becomes familiar it destroys the host brain and takes over almost seamlessly.”
“Interesting,” I conceded, “and how does this parasite infect the host”

” Ah, the million dollar question, as far as I can tell a simple touch will do the trick.” Dr Ross grinned wide. ” It’s like a parasitic virus, same organism in different hosts.”

In hindsight, I would note this response as strange. Though Dr. Ross and I graduated at the same time, she had always been somewhat of a genius. I wouldn’t go so far as to say she’s smarter than me, but well, she is.
Surely she would have realized the implications of this intelligent, invisible parasite, and would understand just how dangerous it could be if it got out. But instead of taking preventative measures, she just smiled. A smile of genuine excitement, as if she couldn’t be happier by this development.

Dr. Ross looked away for me for a minute, spying the digital clock on the wall.

“Wow, I have been here all night,” she said, “I really should be heading home”

” Right, of course” I responded, my mind preoccupied “Congratulations on your discovery, Dr. Ross”

I extended my hand and she shook it
“Thank you, very much”, she said with a nod, and she exited the building.
Maybe I’m overthinking it, but as she withdrew her hand, I saw a black dot on the tip of her index finger.
Maybe it was just ink.
God, I hope it was just ink.

I woke to the sound of crying.

It was early morning when I heard the whispering
I had been sleeping over at my girlfriend, Julia’s apartment when it happened. We had been together for a while and I’ve slept over several times, even still this particular development seemed to bug me. I had never heard her whispering in her sleep before, but more than that her words were a little unnerving if not outright creepy She seemed to be saying,
I have to save them

I have to save them

I have to save them

I have to save them…

Over and over again, Each whisper was like a small needle in my brain, preventing me from sleeping.
Not sure what to do in a situation like this I decided to go to get up and go to the living room. I was already up, with no hope of falling asleep so I decided to watch a little TV until she got up. I wonder if waking her up would have changed anything.

Julia woke up around 11 am. I tend to get up a little earlier anyway so when she woke up and saw my modest attempt at breakfast she just smiled.
“Good morning”
“Good morning, Julia, How did you sleep”
“Good, good. I had a wonderful dream. At least I think so. I can hardly remember it now”
“That’s nice, I would have figured the opposite”
“What? Why?”
“You seemed uneasy when I woke up. You were whispering.”
“Whispering? What was I whispering?”
“I don’t know, it sounded like “I have to save them”, it was pretty creepy actually,” I said with a slight chuckle.
“Oh?”, She said with a laugh, “That does sound pretty creepy.”
We shared a laugh over it and then everything went on as usual. But even though enjoyed spending the day with Julia I couldn’t help but feel uneasy with her. I just keep hearing.
I have to save them
I have to save them
I have to save them

Over and over again.

It was a few nights later when I found myself in the same predicament
Awaking once more in Julia’s apartment. To the faint sound of whispering….and crying
Quietly crying, almost imperceptible, while saying
I can’t
I have to save them
I have to
I have to save them
I can’t save them
I CAN’T SAVE THEM
I CAN’T SAVE THEM
Julia, screaming with sobs,
I CAN’T SAVE THEM I CAN’T SAVE THEM I CAN’T SAVE THEM.
I jump out of bed, frightened by what I could only assume was some sort of psychotic break. I approach my girlfriend’s screaming and crying body unsure of what to do. I tap her shoulder.
“Hey, are-” I start to say but as soon as I tap her shoulder she falls silent.
Hesitantly I put my hand on her shoulder
“A-Are you okay?”
Julia’s head slowly rose. Her eyes met mine.
And then she screamed
An ear-splitting, eye-watering scream of desperation and sadness. I couldn’t help it, I fell to my knees in tears, praying for the screaming to stop.
I reached for Julia and shook her shoulder.
“Julia please wake up, please. Julia please” I pleaded and then… silence.
Julia looked over the side of the bed where I was laying on the floor.
“Why are you on the floor?”

Julia had gone back to sleep, but I couldn’t.
I walked out of her apartment and went home.
In the following days, she tried to contact me but I ignored her. A few times she’s even knocked on my door but I pretended I wasn’t home. I know it’s terrible but I would do anything to avoid her awful screams. I would do anything to avoid those eyes. I went to bed uneasy, feeling guilty about abandoning Julia. But eventually, I was able to fall asleep. I dreamt I was outside in a meadow. Looking up at the stars. There was a woman next to me. It wasn’t Julia, but she somehow felt familiar. She looked up at the sky and then she looked down at me.
“It’s coming,” she said
I didn’t respond. I didn’t know what to say I just looked back to the sky and saw nothing
“I can’t save you, any of you. You will hurt and you will die. You can’t be saved”
Her words snapped me out of my stupor
“What did you say?”
I turned to look at her. Her brows were furrowed in frustration, her lips curled in rage. And she screamed. A scream of anger and fear and frustration. I fell backward into the grass in time to see a massive meteor crashing through our atmosphere.

Once again I woke up. Only this time it was so much worse. It was laughing. It was laughing and screaming and crying and though I couldn’t see the source it was unmistakably Julia.
THEY CAN’T BE SAVED
THEY CAN’T BE SAVED
THEY WILL HURT AND
THEY WILL DIE
THEY WILL HURT
AND THEY WILL DIE
I HAVE TO SAVE THEM
THEY WILL HURT AND
THEY WILL DIE

And suddenly it was silent again.
I waited. And then waited more.
It was still silent after a few minutes but I decided to check the window to be sure.
Being on the second floor I did not expect to come face to face with Julia. Our eyes met once more. And then she screamed A scream that could rouse the dead. And I ran. She didn’t follow me she just screamed. And I cried. I couldn’t help it. The despair overwhelmed all of my senses. I ran blindly through the streets but no matter how far I ran I could still hear the screaming.

I woke up in a hospital bed. Somebody was driving by and found me lying on the side of the road and took me to the hospital, where I was comatose for six months.
When they asked me what happened I told them. I told them everything and they laughed. They thought I was joking at first but once they realized I wasn’t kidding they decided to call in a psychiatrist. So now I’m telling you. I still hear her screaming every night. I can still hear her anger, her despair, and her frustration.
We will hurt
We will die
And we can’t be saved.

The Graveyard Guitarist

Graveyard guitarist
(The guitarist is sitting in a chair in front of a gravestone, idly picking at his guitar. An eerie sounding tune but not overly complicated. He looks comfortable like he’s been there for a couple minutes, but he only now chooses to speak. He speaks slowly and he speaks over the guitar)
“Hey it’s me again. I was here last weekend. You don’t remember me. You weren’t alive last week either. But I’m here to chat again.
(Only the sound of the guitar fills the air)
I envy you. You lived your life. You had ups and downs but it’s over now, you get to rest.
You no longer have to deal with the world or all it’s problems, of which there are many. Although it really won’t be that long until I return to stay here permanently. Life is short. I guess you know that already though” (He plays the guitar. The same notes over and over he sways slightly as he listens to the song carry over the breeze.)
A voice comes from behind him. A female voice
FV: Are you going to sing?
The guitarist doesn’t flinch nor does he turn around nor does he stop his guitar
GG: I wasn’t planning on it. Then again I wasn’t expecting company.
GG: Are you looking for someone?
FV:(She walks into view now) No, I just was going for a walk and decided to walk through the cemetery.
GG: I see. Are you mourning?
FV: No. Why do you think that?
GG: You’re in your pajamas.
FV: So I am, what does that have to do with mourning.
(He stops playing the guitar)
GG: Well the fact that you couldn’t sleep suggests that your mind is occupied. You’re in distress. Like maybe you’re college student with a big exam coming up.
FV: Do you think I’m a college student with a big test coming up?
GG: You could be, but I don’t think that’s why you’re here.
FV:Why not?
GG: The pajamas. Even a college student would remember to change before going out. Which leads me to believe your brain is so occupied that the idea of changing completely slipped your mind. Also you walked into a cemetery. Which is where dead people go.
FV:That’s pretty good. But honestly I just like wearing pajamas. They’re comfortable. And I really just decided to walk here impulsively
GG: I don’t believe you.But I’m not a detective. (He lifts the guitar slightly) I just play guitar.
(He starts playing but just finger picking a simple tune. Almost absentmindedly)
FV: I see that. Which brings me to my question. Why?
GG: Why what?
FV: Why are you playing your guitar in a cemetery.
GG: It’s actually quite simple. I play and they dance.
FV laughs but then when GG doesn’t react she stops and remains silent.
GG(continues): I talk to them but they can’t hear me. But they feel it. Don’t you feel it?
FV:I don’t feel anything. What am I supposed to feel?
GG slams his hand down over the strings, muting them.
FV jumps a little
FV: Did I-
GG(holds a finger to his lips) listen. Do you hear that?
The night is quiet. The town is quiet.There is nothing to be heard
FV: I don’t hear anything.
GG: Exactly. What you’re hearing is the void. What you’re hearing is death but
(He plays his guitar again)
With a few notes I can bring them back to life. Don’t you feel the energy rising. The swirling of spirits as they dance.
FV: Metaphorically I think I understand what you’re saying. By the way are you allowed to be here.
GG: Not technically but he funny thing about music in a graveyard is most people walk the other way when they hear it.
FV laughs.
GG(continues): Do you have a name?
FV: I do. My name is Amanda.
GG: Nice to meet you Amanda. I’m James.
He perks up and points at her
J: Divorced.
A: What?
J: You’re divorced.
A: You should really work on your people skills, James. How do you figure?Me being divorced I mean.
J: Well everything I said before except with an added emotion. Loneliness. That’s why you walked towards the music and not away. You were looking for companionship.
A: Is it possible that I just like pjs, couldn’t sleep, went for a walk, and ended up here by random chance?
J: It is entirely possible That you got up and walked to the graveyard alone in your pink fuzzy pajamas for absolutely no reason.
( He is quiet. playing guitar once more.)
Note: he is not super great at guitar so pauses and false notes are to be expected. But he is adequate enough that he’s comfortable playing in front of people. Or in this case spirits)
They sit in silence except for the guitar.
James: I wasn’t speaking metaphorically.
Amanda: What?
James: You said you understood what I was saying metaphorically. I wasn’t speaking metaphorically.
A: Oh?
J: I play and they dance. I believe that spirits are energy. I believe music is energy to. They can’t hear me but they respond to the energy. I can feel them swaying. I can feel leaping. I can feel them spinning. Not metaphorically. I feel connected to them. Like this is the closest I can get to the other side without dying.
A: I can believe that you believe that.
J: And I do..But I know that belief doesn’t shape reality, and no matter how hard I believe something, it doesn’t make it true.
A: Hm. You’re a very strange man.
J: Should I remind you that this is my thing that you walked in on uninvited?
Amanda laughs a little
A: No. I think I can remember. What song are you playing anyway.
He doesn’t respond. He just plays his guitar.
J:Is someone you know sick?
A: No. I’m here by random chance and that’s it.
J:hm
A: Are you going to answer my question?
He doesn’t respond.
A: No?
He doesn’t respond. then finally
J:Memento mori
Amanda looks confused.
A: Is that like Latin or something.
J: It is. Memento Mori. Remember death. The song doesn’t have a name but I gave it one. Remember death. Because death is what makes things beautiful
A: See, you were starting to make sense but you completely lost me at the end.

J: This song has never been played before and will never be played again. Nobody wrote it down. It never existed before this moment and it will never exist again. Nobody else will ever hear this song, Nobody else will ever know this song existed. Except you and me. The beauty isn’t in hearing it, but knowing you are one of the few people who heard it before it was gone forever. It really makes you appreciate the things around you. And the people around you. You experienced they’re presence before they were gone. Forever And that is beautiful. Memento mori. Because just like this song all living things come to an end.

A: Is that why you’re in the cemetery?
J: It is. As it turns out my end is a little closer than you realize.
A:(hesitantly) Oh..? Are you sick or something?
J: I’m definitely not healthy. They don’t know what it is, all they know is that it’s killing me.
A: I’m sorry
J: Don’t be. I’m ok with it. It scared me at first. The possibility of death. But I’ve come to terms with it.
A:How long do you have?
J: I’ll be lucky to make it to next week. All living things must die. I am no exception. But my spirit will be here. Playing the guitar and when that happens they’ll finally hear me.
A:If I’m being honest I don’t know what to say right now I’m glad I met you though.
J: It was nice to meet you as well. I’m going with divorced by the way.
A: I’m not divorced. I was never married. You’re not a detective.
J: You’re right. I just play guitar.
James plays while Amanda continues her walk into the cemetery.
The camera zooms out like a drone shot so we can see Amanda walking away while stil seeing James playing the guitar.
And then the camera shuts off and it’s over.
******************
Amanda is sitting on the edge of her bed. She’s just staring at the wall restlessly. She jumps up puts on her shoes and walks out the door.
We see Amanda walking down the street towards the cemetery
We see her walk up to the gravestone.
The chair is there but it’s empty
Amanda doesn’t cry.
She sits down next to the chair and she sways to the unheard music on the wind
The End