[Part 3]
I had figured he would appear when I made my first post, but when he didn’t I was shocked. When I made my second post, there was still silence for a while, but when he finally appeared before me the meeting wasn’t pleasant.
Two weeks ago, I had just gotten home and realized something wasn’t right. I hadn’t yet turned on the light, but my instincts warned me of something in the room. The air was chilling and filled with static. A familiar presence that still sends shivers down my spine.
I hurried and flipped on the light, coming face to face with that strange man.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
He neither laughed nor smiled like before. “Did you think you could just tell thousands of people of this gift I gave you, without repercussions?” I froze, unable to move. I should’ve known that was why he came to visit me.
“Things like this mustn’t be discussed or told, but yet you told thousands. Normally, I’d collect on the debt and enslave your soul, but you’ve been a great source of entertainment for me these past two hundred years. So, I’ll just give you a small punishment,” he continued.
I trembled, “What do you mean?”
His laugh echoed throughout my apartment, “You’ll know soon enough.”
Just like that, he disappeared into thin air. The room became warm once more, but I was left cold. What he said chilled my blood. He would’ve normally enslaved my soul, but he didn’t. He, instead, planned for me to be punished some other way.
I tried to calm my nerves, but my hands shook violently and kept me awake. Yet, with terrifying suddenness, I fell asleep. I awoke to sunlight shining brightly in my eyes. I was outside, but how? I sat up and that’s when I saw her, my lover, Iris. She was seated beside me.
“I-Iris?” I called out.
She turned with a bright smile, “Did you have a nice nap?”
I looked around confused, what was all this? Was this a dream? Wait, no not a dream, but a memory. I blinked multiple times, but I didn’t wake up. This is real. Iris now had a concerned look on her face.
“Sweetie, are you alright?” she asked.
I turned to her slowly, “I think, it’s just something isn’t right.”
I couldn’t help the tears that had now fallen, I finally got to see her again.
She hurried to me, “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
I shook my head, maybe everything that had happened was a dream, and I had finally woken up. Like a fool, I let myself be submerged into the illusion.
“Nothing, I just had a really bad dream,” I assured.
She smiled, “Let’s head back.”
I nodded and we left our picnic and headed back to her home. Our walk was peaceful and I felt myself slipping more. Then, pulling me out of brief joy, a loud gunshot rang out, and I immediately looked around.
“What the hell was that? Let’s hurry home Iris,” I said. Her grip on my arm tightened and I looked at her. Her complexion was bad. “Iris, what’s wrong?” She moved her hand from her chest where I saw blood soaking her dress.
“E-Elias.” My heart dropped in fear as she collapsed. I caught her and tried to apply pressure on the wound.
“Hang on Iris, just hang on!” I shouted, “Somebody! Please help!” I looked and saw not one person making a move. They stared at us in shock.
I looked back down to Iris who was growing colder by the minute. I scooped her up and ran towards the doctor. I was halfway there when her body went limp. I collapsed on the ground, tears falling from my eyes. I held her and hugged her for the longest time, my sobs growing in volume.
I don’t know how long I was there, but eventually someone pulled me from her. I tried to fight them, but I was too exhausted. The next few days were a blur, I had no energy to do anything. Her funeral was just a daze to me, and I found myself crying silent tears.
That night I was laying in bed when I heard the door open. I got up and there stood Iris. Joy overcame me and I ran to her,
“Iris!” I stopped short as I saw her blood soaked dress. Her head was tilted down, her face out of sight. “I-Iris?” I asked as I walked up to her.
It was then she lifted her head and I saw her decomposing face. I jumped back as Iris lunged at me. I fell to the floor with her on top of me.
“It’s because of you! All because of you! If only it wasn’t for you, I’d be alive! I wouldn’t look like this! It’s your fault I died!” She shrilled. Her hands wrapped around my throat and tightened. I struggled to breath, but I knew this wouldn’t kill me. It still shocked and scared me to my core seeing Iris like this. I know Iris, I know it’s my fault that you died. I wanted to say this, but couldn’t. Tears built up in my eyes once more, Iris was like this because of me.
My vision faded in and out until it finally went black.
I woke up, coughing and breathing heavily on my apartment floor. I looked around, confused. It was already daylight outside. I struggled up and walked to my bathroom. I looked in the mirror and saw the clear strangle marks on my neck. Everything that just happened was a dream, well the last part. That picnic was a memory.
I shuddered as I thought through everything. This was all my punishment, it had to have been. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Iris’s voice when she was strangling me didn’t sound like her at all. It sounded like that strange man. I covered my mouth; I felt sick to my stomach.
He was the cause of that horrible dream. I should’ve known. The Iris I knew wouldn’t have blamed me, even if it was my fault she died. After that, I stayed at home for days, going over everything that happened in my dream continuously. I knew what that strange man was trying to say.
He wanted me to know there was more than one type of pain can inflict on me, and if I didn’t stop, he’d cause even more mental pain. He said I was a good source of entertainment; I was nothing but a toy for him to play with till he was bored. I still tremble thinking about it.
I don’t know what to do. Just the mere thought of him coming back and manipulating my memories and dreams like that makes me afraid. I am in anguish; the dream comes back to haunt me day and night. Seeing my lover like that, it broke something in me. I’ve been trying so hard all these years to stay strong, but that image of her broke me. That dream broke me.
I had always known that it was because of me that Iris died, but hearing that shattered something in me. I’ve reverted back to how I was when she first died- no energy and no will. I just wish I could die, but even then I’ll be tormented. My soul is that strange man’s plaything. I am in a paradox, not wanting to live, but also not able to die.
Please, I know how I sound, but someone please help me. I don’t care how, just please, someone assure me that things will be better.