Chapter 6

                Everything’s too dark. Kathleen caresses her hand on the cold and empty floor as she pushes herself up in one hand. “Where am I?” She asked as she watched everything around her in confusion. Her eyes squinted as a blinding light, from nowhere, hit her eyes. Furrows formed on her forehead when she suddenly found herself standing in a hall. She turned from corner to corner only to find out she’s in Samantha’s old house.

                “Hello?” She called to no one in particular—thus—no one answered either. Her heart started pounding; she could feel the muscles in her neck stiffen when the floor suddenly tilted from one side to another, but oddly enough, she’s still standing unmoved. She only stared into nothingness when a much brighter light struck from above leading towards the second floor of the house. She’s never been there before neither any of their friends; Samantha’s rules, and Kathleen wondered—what’s up there?

                She felt like a strong magnetic force is slowly pulling her towards the stairs until she found herself going up. Not long enough, she came face to face to a door at the end of a long and empty hallway to where the light is coming from. Taking few big steps, she heaved deep exasperated sighs, as she approached the mysterious door and opened it. For some unexplainable reason, she already found herself standing in a meadow.

                “Kath!”

                Kathleen looked back and almost tripped when she saw Samantha––no––she saw a young Samantha together with a young her. She only watched the two of them picking poppies. The young Kathleen picked the orange ones––Samantha’s favorite color, while Samantha picked the purple––Kathleen’s favorite.

                Her lips parted when Samantha suddenly looked at her and slowly walked towards her direction to hand her the poppies. “Together forever?” Samantha asked in a high, pleasant tone.

                Slowly, a smile crept on Kathleen’s thin lips. “Of course! Together forever––,” just when she was able to finish what she was saying, the poppies turned black and wilted and then everything disappeared: the meadows––them––she's now back in the hall.

                “You know... nothing lasts forever.”

                Kathleen turned around and saw Samantha dressed in white. Her eyes are droopy, her face is a bit pale. She was sitting on her old couch and was staring at her best friend from a distance. Her heart started beating a little tick quicker when Samantha stood up and looked outside the dusty window.

                “Love, compassion, and even life…” she chuckled. “Even secrets can’t be stayed hidden––everything has an end.”

                Kathleen’s throat dried. She always hated horror movies and now, seems like she’s one of the casts. “What are you trying to say?” Her voice is coarse, she hardly understood what she just said.

                Samantha looked at her in an exasperated grimace, turned towards her heel, and pointed the frame hanging on the wall. It was a portrait of a woman dressed in a Russian court gown which was evidently not there a while ago.

                “Her name is Lada Proebrazhensky; an evil and a heartless woman who lives in a place near the abandoned chambers in Chukhloma,” she began. “She killed her husband, Christopher Brown, to take all his wealth on her own, with their only child, Daniel Brown––my father,” her eyes dropped down the cold floor. “She molded my dad to be as heartless and wicked as her and married Josefina, the heir of the Smith family, just for her wealth. Their real plan was to kill her after months, but dad really fell in love with my mom which made my grandmother gobble in range, cursing one of the two beating hearts inside her womb.”

                Kathleen stood immobilized when Samantha turned to look at her.

                “'Twas the night of November 13 when me and my twin sister were born. It was me; I am the cursed one, and was the one who’s supposed to be taken away by that who inhabits the other realm on the night of our 7th birthday but my sister took my place to save me in a form of a ritual she made behind my back.”

                Kathleen felt chills sprung through her spines by Samantha’s rancorous remark. “A-And who is that––that who inhabits the other realm?”

                Samantha’s lips tightened. “The personification of my curse, Mors,” she suddenly placed a finger across her lips. “You should never speak its name or your soul will be hunted.”

                Her light steps towards Kathleen and the way she held her freezing hands made the woman freeze even more. “Your hands are usually warm, but I quite understand,” she whispered and looked directly in her eyes. “Just underneath our minimal perception lies another world—a world humans shouldn’t know; the world where I belong and it calls me again. This is the only safe place to where I can speak about them... about those dreadful creatures,” Samantha’s shoulders settled down and tears started dimming her eyes.

                “Every time it’s back, it takes someone I love. I thought it was over, when I tried offering what it needs, but I was tricked. I am a cruel and a horrible person. I have killed lots of people who cared for me, even children, with my own hands as an offering in return of my freedom, but nothing happened. The curse can’t seem to be broken.”

                Kathleen felt her words vaporized before she could even open her mouth. “Am I hearing things, right?!”

                “Every time I see my victim lie on the sacrificial table surrounded with black candles, my heart breaks, but because of my fear in death, holding that cold knife with my two shaking hands felt like a remedy. As I raise the knife and stab it into their hearts, their cries... their cries seem to heal my cursed and dying soul.”

                Kathleen only stared at her—there being nothing else she could do, nothing else she could say— disregarding the angst that clumped her entire anatomy, spurning the horror that held her heart in an icy fist; can believe nothing of what Samantha is saying. But looking at her while uttering all of those with a devilish smile on her face, something just seems to make sense.

                “I no longer deserve to live, Kath. I’ve done so much cruelty and I need to pay for it. Forgive me for keeping this as a secret from you. I am so scared that if you knew, you’ll leave. I just can’t lose you either,” Samantha bit her lip as her grip started to loosen.

                “W-What are you doing?!” Kathleen stuttered as Samantha started walking backwards to where a peculiar faceless man who stands 7 feet tall, with hair which looks like moving spider legs—as what Kathleen would describe—is waiting for her; beside the man stood a familiar little girl. “You!” Kathleen screamed when the girl held Samantha’s hand and led her towards the dark, away from her. “No! Shane! Stop right there. Don’t go with her!”

                Samantha only looked at her for the last time and smiled before completely vanishing in the dark. “H-Hey!! NO! WAIT!” Kathleen tried chasing after her but her body froze into a statue.

                “Deaths stops curses, so whatever you do, do not ever try and look for me.”

                 Kathleen broke into a loud cry when Samantha's soft voice echoed through the empty spaces of the dark place to where she’s now standing blankly at.

                “No, I will come! Devils curse me for all I care—I will come!” Her voice vibrated in her throat. “I will come no matter where you are! We promised each other we will be there for each other through thick and thin, right?! Right?!" She waited for a response, but seems like her voice could no longer reach Samantha.

                “NO! NO! DON’T LEAVE! PLEASE! SHANE!” Kathleen gasped and opened her eyes to find herself drowning in her own tears.

                “Love! Love are you okay?”

                She looked beside her to where she saw Christian; behind him stood Kim and Junel. They all looked extremely worried. Goosebumps crawled in Kathleen’s whole body not because of the cold. She’d never considered herself so imaginative and that dream, just now, felt so real—yet again.

                “Where’s Shane?!” She groaned. “Where is she?”

                Everyone’s mood nose-dived. “You were the only one inside her car when the rescuers arrived, Kath,” Kim muttered. Kathleen caught Christian staring and dropped his gaze in gloom.

                “What do you mean?”

                “You were asleep for three days now, love.”

                “S-So Samantha’s gone for already three days?!” Kathleen screech. “Are Scott and Kaiser looking for her?” She asked but none of them answered; she looked at Junel and his eyes widened.

                “W-We don’t know. We haven’t seen him s-since they broke up.”

Kathleen's jaw clenched, scrubbing her hands in anger.

                “That piece of shit!” She winced, pushing herself up in one hand. “How heartless can he be?!” Her curly, dark brown hair, fell into her face as she eyed her huge black leathered purse placed on the bedside table.

                “Hey! Love, stay still! You’re not fine yet,” Christian tried laying her back down the bed but she fought and even pulled her IV out.

                “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP!” He yelled, restraining both her arms. “Love, please calm down,” Kathleen only stared at him, feeling the blood creeping down her hands.

                “I can’t just sit here and wait for an update to what happened and what’s happening to my best friend,” she whimpered. “I’m all she has now,” Kathleen pulled her hands and wiped all the blood with the blanket. Despite her head turning, she managed to stand up and stepped out of the room. Kim and Junel helped her walk while Christian went to talk to the doctor.

                “He's been seeing his ex-girlfriend behind my back quite some time now,” Kathleen sagged against the wall, emotions weakening her knees. She looked at Junel and Kim, tears falling down her cheeks. Both of them watched the thought cross Kathleen face and looked down.

                “I’m so sorry,” Kim broke into a soft sob. “I didn’t know this would happen. I-I just don’t know how to tell you—I don’t know how to tell Samantha. All of you are my friends and we cannot seem to side anybody so we remained quiet. I-I should have done something but now she’s gone. I’m so sorry.

They stood there for a moment, staring at each other. Kathleen, struggling against her desire to lose her remaining sanity, had a violent impulse to snap their hands off, and before she could, she chose to leave. Christian found her sitting beside her car when he reached the parking lot. She never said a thing until they reached home and spotted Christian scrolling through a familiar F******k account. He looked at her with a frown.

                “This might be a wrong timing, but I think it would be better if you know earlier.”

                Kathleen looked at him as he handed her his phone and her body shook in rage. Scott is engaged with his ex-girlfriend just an hour ago. “Holy mother of Titans,” she scoffed in disbelief. “So, the reason why he didn’t even show up because of this? That’s very humane of him, actually.”

                “I'm sorry you have to go through this because of me. Please take care of him for me, o-okay? I-I love him so much––very much.”

                Kathleen could only bite her lips when she heard Samantha’s voice resounding in her mind out of nowhere. She held her head when she remembered the dream she had earlier. Everything’s so vivid. Everything felt real, or are they? She’s bewildered. But what she’s certain of is that Samantha is in danger and needs her help.

                She rested for hours and waited for Christian to leave for work so, she could sneak out. She only wore a SpongeBob oversized shirt, fitted jeans, and yellow converse, then went on her way. She’s about to lock the gate when a guy approached her. He’s wearing all black. From his tic-tac shoes to his jeans, to his shirt, and to his leather jacket.

                “Hello,” his voice sounds sweet, but his tone… “Does he want war?!” Kathleen thought.

                “Ah... hi?”

                “You’re Kathleen, right?”

                Her brows twitched. “Y-Yes, why?”

                He nodded. “My name is Takumi Takahashi, Shane’s senior psychiatrist. And I have something to tell you.”

                “About what?” She saw his Adam’s apple rolled.

                “About Shane.”