Stories of The Undead

I watch him stare blankly at me with his ocean-like blue eyes like I wasn’t there standing in front of him with a knife to his throat ready to kill him for what he did to me.

“Why are you acting like I’m not here?” I scream as the way he acted irritated me. I didn’t understand why he pretended to not see me. I stared blankly into the cold metal blade puzzled, wondering why he couldn’t see me or why he was pretending not to see me.

As I stared at the metal blade I saw nothing. I looked closer knowing I should have a reflection showing on it but there wasn’t one. Why isn’t there a reflection? I’m standing right here, it’s not like I’m an a…..a ghost. I looked back at his blank eyes as everything started to come together like a puzzle long forgotten. He really didn’t see me, I wasn’t there to him, He wasn’t staring at me but through me. My eyes widened as the realization hit me. I wasn’t looking for him cuz he hurt me, no it was cuz he killed me. I wasn’t alive, I was dead. A bodiless spirit that couldn’t move on.

The truth was unsettling but that’s not what actually bothered me. I didn’t understand why I was still there? I couldn’t understand why I came back as a ghost. It didn’t make sense to me, not at all. If I was dead, if I was just a ghost then why was I brought back? To kill him? To get revenge? But why? Why does him killing me make me a restless spirit?

As I look him in the eyes it hit me, like a slap in the face. A memory that I had long forgotten. A memory when I was still alive when I was still flesh and bones. I wasn’t his first victim and I wasn’t his last. Of course, I wasn’t, he’s a killer and killers are never satisfied with just one kill. Once he tasted the blood of his first victim he would continue to kill feeding into his excitement to kill. He was the hunter and innocent people were his prey. To him, we were deer that he can just kill.

I remembered reading about him in the files on the case I was working on. I was the lead officer in that case. I don’t remember why I took on that case, I guess it was all those pictures of women and children’s bodies after they were found. Covered in blood and gashes, their skin pale white like they were tortured for hours non-stop. Both arms had a long deep gash, deep enough to show the white of their bones. I could only imagine how they felt at least until I felt their pain myself. When we found them they reeked of rotting flesh. I always had to cover my mouth and nose to the smell as my eyes just water to the sight of the scene. All those women, all those children killed for his own selfish game. It infuriated me, the anger I felt clouded my own judgment. I was stupid, yes, I wanted to put him to justice for all the people he had killed and to do it alone but to get myself killed in the process wasn’t worth it. My captain was right. God, I should have listened. Why didn’t I just listen? I wouldn’t be dead and he would have been in jail by now. Why did I go alone? Why didn’t I bring back up? Yes, I was an experienced police officer but he was an experienced killer. He lured me right into his trap and killed me like all his other victims.

My hand was shaking as I continued to hold the knife to his throat. I snapped out of the flashback shaking as my mind took another turn. I remember everything so what should I do now? Should I kill him like he did me and all the other victims or should I leave him to the police? I couldn’t think, I couldn’t comprehend what was going through my head. My head was pounding as I slowly start to lose my grip of the knife. The room starts to spin as the knife falls out of my hand and cuts him in the arm. A sticky crimson liquid that smelled of rust and iron ran down his arm and formed a puddle on the cool cemented floor. I snapped out of whatever state I was in and saw that he was screaming in pain as the same words over and over came from his mouth.

“Help me, please someone help me!”

As I stand there watching him scream and beg for someone to save him a small smile started to form on my face. His screams and pleading were satisfying to hear. I watched as his blood ran down his arm and onto the floor, his tan skin slowly turning pale white from all the blood he was losing. I pull the knife out as I knew what I was going to do. He needed to pay for all the deaths he had caused, all the family’s that he destroyed, but I wasn’t going to kill him. No, death would just be a blessing to him, death wouldn’t mean anything cuz He wouldn’t pay if he died. Instead of killing him I was going to torture him like he did me and the others, make him feel the same pain that we did and live with it.

I hold the knife over his other arm and let it slowly fall out of my hand, stabbing him again. He let out another scream as the smell of his blood filled the small room and tears ran down his cheeks as the pain was becoming too much for him.The floor turned a crimson red as his blood covered the floor around him. His screams filled the room, I ran the knife over his body making small cuts here and there. I stop as a loud noise started to come from outside, I looked up at the window as a flash of red and blue came in from it. He let out a scream for help as I dropped the knife. The knife fell to the ground making a loud clinky sound. I looked around the room thinking and in his own blood wrote ”I’m the serial killer" in front of him hoping they’ll know who he is.

As I finished I heard the sound of footsteps thudding loudly down the stairs heading towards us as the FBI came in filling the room. Their guns pointing in all directions ready to shoot at any threat that could harm them, they searched the room looking for who did this and any clues but came up with nothing. Only the knife I had used to torture the killer and the note I wrote in his blood. The killer was inhumanly pale as there were shallow cuts all over his body that has just recently stopped bleeding. His arms had gashes running up them showing the whites of his bones and his body covered in blood, just like his victims. He passed out from all the blood loss and the pain he was in. I was surprised he was still alive. God, he was like a cockroach, is this man even human? Yes, I wasn’t trying to kill him but still, no human being would be able to survive that, I mean me and his other victims didn’t. I guess I wasn’t the only one that was surprised so was the FBI and the paramedics and they came in to take him to the hospital. I just stood there as the FBI had finally given up on their search.

A few days later I stood outside the killer’s hospital room curious of what would happen next as the police came in to question him. I didn’t hear everything cuz they were talking quietly until the killer got louder as he was becoming terrified, I guess they were asking him who did this to him. His face was as pale as a ghost again, he was just getting his tan color back as his eyes widened like a scared child that was standing in front of a horrifying monster that was going to eat him. he spoke in a small voice but loud enough for me to hear every word.

“I-I don’t know who did this to me….n-no one was there….” he said as the police looked at him confused. I could tell they didn’t believe him, I mean neither would I if I was still alive.

“What do you mean no one was there? You were tied up and bleeding.” one officer said.

“N-no one was there…” I saw him shaking he was scared like the thing that attacked him like I was going to come back and finish him off. The police nod giving up and just left he was useless to their case. He couldn’t answer their question cuz he didn’t know the answers himself.

As they left he kept yelling, “please don’t leave me alone…..It’s coming for me!!”

They laughed at him and I smiled as they do. Everyone thought he was crazy. He was suffering, I made him so scared that he thought something, not someone was after him to kill him. I made him feel the guilt of killing all those people and make him think that they wanted to take revenge and drag him into hell for all the blood he spilled. Even though I haven’t moved on yet I was enjoying this.

After he healed from the injuries I caused him, he was arrested and was sent to prison for life. At first, I thought my job was done and I could move on now but I was still there. I wasn’t gone. I didn’t understand. Why was I still there? Years go by and I was still there. I wandered the city wondering why I was still there and not knowing what to do as I overheard a group of women talking and I walked towards them to hear them better but what I heard left me frozen

“They say that the killer was put on death row not too long ago. Apparently, he killed thousands of people but they couldn’t find one of the bodies. They asked him where it was when he was arrested but he was too messed up from the so-called trauma he was in before they found them,” one said.

“Yeah, I heard about that. They said he keeps talking about ghosts and his victims wanting revenge. I mean they never found who did that to him. There was no evidence or DNA or prints just his. ” another said. The first woman nodded

“He also kept on about them killing him, no wonder they put him on death row. He’s insane and not even there anymore.” They went on talking as they said whose body wasn’t found, It was mine. I stood there frozen. I was wrong, I wasn’t there to make him pay. I was there cuz no one found my body, my body wasn’t put to rest so neither was my spirit. I needed to find my body but I didn’t know where it was. At least I don’t remember where it was. I thought about it but nothing. I walked around looking for clues, for something that would trigger a memory.

In the corner of my eyes, I saw a small pond. It was away from the public and there was a sign in front saying no trespassing. It reeked of a swamp and it looked like it wasn’t well kept. Green algae covered the surface and it was surrounded by large trees that once held beautiful flowers and flower patches that were now just filled with weeds instead of flowers. A small chill went up my spine as I walked over to it. I didn’t like this place, it gave me a bad feeling. I couldn’t stop walking towards the small pond that looked like it was abandoned years ago. It was compelling me to get closer, to look inside. I don’t know why I felt the need to look but I knew something was in there that would set me free.

As I got closer to the pond my heart started pounding like crazy. Even though I was dead and my heart wasn’t even beating. It still felt like it was pounding in my chest like it was trying to break free. I stood in front of the pond and saw the water ripple like something disturbed its silent slumber. I looked down and saw something on the bottom, it was stuck between a large rock. The fish were moving fast as they were eating something. I looked closer cuz the fish were making it hard to tell what it was. I let out a soft gasp, covering my mouth. No wonder they couldn’t find my body. I wasn’t where I was killed, not even close to where I was killed And that big rock made it extremely hard to see me. I took a step back, looking around frantically. It makes sense that the killer put me here. No one comes here cuz it was private property, an abandoned one at that. No one would have thought of looking here, I wouldn’t have either. I looked around looking for the house address that this pond belonged to.

Once I got it I ran to the police station, not knowing what else to do and put a piece of paper on my old captain’s desk as she sat there looking at other files. It read:

“Dear captain I am sorry that I did not listen to you when you warned me to be careful about the serial case. My body is in the pond under the huge rock of a house at this address 1900 Pond Lake Drive 09823. Please find my body and finally put me to rest. Love your old friend Sarah” I stand there as I watch her pick up the paper and start to read it. Her eyes widened as she put her hand to her mouth. She looks around shocked. She stood up and yelled telling everyone to get ready to go out.

I sigh in relief as I knew this was it. I was finally going to be set free. An hour later they found my body and my old captain said the words that I have been dying to hear for the years I have been stuck here

“You can rest now Sarah, you can finally go to the place you were meant to be. I will miss you old friend” I knew I was free but I wanted to say a little while longer. Just to know that my family knew that I was ok and that I was now home. I stay through my funeral and then, everything became a blur to me as everything went by fast. Everything kept moving faster and faster like a streak of paint across a canvas. Then all of a sudden nothing.

I was in a white room, everyone was gone and there was no sound. Just a blank room that seemed endless. I walked around for hours it seemed. I ran into something hard “oww” I said as I rub my head. It didn’t actually hurt since I was dead it was just a reflex, I guess I never actually got used to being dead. I looked in front of me as a door was just standing there, leading to nothing. It was a warm brown color with a golden handle. On it was a kinda meadow like design, the bottom had scratches that looked like tall healthy grass and as you look farther up all types of flowers carved into it like they were popping out of the grass. Above the flowers were clouds in all shapes and sizes. It was breathtaking. I have never seen anything like it. I softly grip the golden handle and just like a weight has been lifted from my body, it started to relax like it has been tensed without me knowing. A warm and peaceful feeling ran through me as I slowly open the door. I felt calm and I knew that I was finally at peace. I open the door all the way as a blinding white light came from the other side.

As my eyes start to adjust I saw stairs made of soft fluffy clouds. I smile as I walked passed the door’s threshold and slowly walked up the stairs. The smell of summer air and flowers filled my nose as I reached the top of the cloud made stairs And just like on the door was the most beautiful meadow I have ever seen. This was where I was meant to be. I was free.