CHAPTER 7: DANGER, GHOST
3:33am – Sunday, October 9th/2016
Wade wakes up to the sound of his car alarm going off. Still lying on the concrete covered in blood, he opens his eyes and winces a little at the bright blinking headlights. He struggles to push himself up the steps feeling the dead weight of his body, and a maddening pulse intensifies between his temples. “Fuck me” he says as he reaches into his jean pocket for the keys realizing they are still in the living room. Feeling dizzy, he looks at the front door, not wanting to go inside to face what lies behind it.
You don’t like blood, Wade?
But you just bathed in it!
Or is it, you don’t like seeing what you’ve done?
There’s no hope for you passed your redemption.
The spiral is inward.
You won’t find an exit.
Just what waits for you at the centre.
It’s okay now.
You can trust me.
I will help you through this.
Just open the door, and follow the path.
Noticing how his head trauma has made his senses more acute, Wade focuses on the sound of his boots hitting the concrete. It reminds him of Leah's skull cracking against the staircase. Nausea builds in his stomach, but he can’t tell if it’s from the memory of Leahs death or the hell storm he knows he is about to walk into.
“You’re kidding. Where...where the fuck is she? How hard did I hit my head?”
Wade moans as he opens the door to the house and sees nothing but a slight trace of blood from the staircase to the doorway where he stands. The last thing he could remember was her body lying still on the ground. Struggling to see the rooms before him, Wade flicks on the light and slowly walks throughout the house. He feels like he is caught in a dream. Everything appears to be in black and white, and he fears facing a new reality he’s not yet ready to accept. Looking straight into the living room, Wade notices his keys on the coffee table. Bending to pick them up, suddenly flashes of Leahs' demonic face enter his mind causing him to panic and jump back into the hallway. Nearly slipping, Wade looks down at the floor and sees he is standing in a puddle of blood.
“What the fuck is going on?” He’s panicking. The car alarm is still going off, making his brain flustered, and he feels like he’s losing his mind. Every time he looks at something, it’s different. Wade grabs his keys to shut the alarm off. Pressing the button, he turns towards the doorway and sees someone standing there. All he can make out is a silhouette, and then the headlights from his car dim and the figure is lost in the darkness. He hears a whisper. An eerily familiar voice saying something he can’t quite make out. It keeps repeating itself, eventually becoming loud enough that Wade can hear,
“HAEL TSURT TNOD”
“HAEL TSURT TNOD”
“HAEL TSURT TNOD”
Slowly, but more precise and louder each time. The figure was getting closer.
Wade closes his eyes, thinking just like everything else lately, he will open them again, and the image he saw seconds ago will be totally different. Feeling a touch on his arm Wade opens his eyes and instantly feels the colour run from his face. “Tao?!” He says, confused. His son stands before him in a hospital gown, bandages on his head. Tao stands close enough to hold Wade by the wrist and whispers, “HAEL TSRT TNOD” one last time before disappearing. “Tao!!” Wade shouts, running outside onto the front porch, searching for any sign of where his son may have gone. With a painfully audible noise, the front door slams shut, leaving Wade lost, confused, and fucking petrified on the front porch of the house.
He is a good boy, Wade.
A sweet, growing child.
And he is dying.
From your choices.
Yet, he is YOUR son.
So, he will do exactly what you’ve done to me,
to someone else.
So be thankful he will ROT in hell.
Standing on the front porch, Wade is in great despair, and his mind is taunting him. Feeling helpless, he goes to open the door when it flies open as if being pulled by a gust of wind from inside the house and opens against the wall. He’s had it. He needs a shower, food and some sleep.
Wade walks down the front hallway shouting, “STAY AWAY FROM ME, LEAH. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE." The sound echoes into the kitchen and back at him down the hallway. He tries again.. "I will NOT let you get in my way. You’ve had your fun, and now I’m fucking over it!”
Feeling committed to the conviction in his own voice, he hopes it’s enough to ward off his demons and makes his way to the upstairs bathroom for a shower.
He strips and catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He can barely even recognize his own face. The blood and grit are only minor details compared to the watered-down grey irises he sees now. His eyes are no longer the dark brown they always were. Staring at himself in the reflective glass, his eyes look void, and he stands there momentarily, trying to remember what he used to look like. Then, stopping himself from dwelling on the unfamiliar face in the mirror, he starts the shower and hops in without hesitation. The water scalds him, but he just stands there watching the wash of greys run from his body and down the drain.
They’ll find me,
and they’ll come looking for you.
My blood is still here and will be a sacrament
to your future if you choose to stay.
I will make sure all the lines draw back to you
if you don’t submit, in the end.
Wash it away.
The light is coming,
and I’ll send you a signal at dawn.
You’re safe with me.
Wade wraps a towel around himself as he walks into the messy bedroom. He finds a new set of clothes in his closet and puts them on. His body is weak and needs food. Heading down the stairs, he tries to ignore the moments that have happened here and makes it to the kitchen without vomiting. As he opens the fridge, maggots and dead flies fall onto the floor. The smell is sickening, and he slams the door shut. Grabbing a loaf of bread from the cupboard, Wade palms a piece into a ball and swallows it. Gagging, he needs to wash it down with some water, finds his keys and leaves the house without looking back.
Trickle trickle, down your spine.
Where will you sleep tonight?
All the maggots make their bed,
around your home,
inside your head.
Forget the past, it’s over.
We need our boy alive.
Don’t succumb to devastation.
Find the answers.
Wade sits in his car, calculating how long it will take him to reach the town he used to live in. It’s not as close as he’d like it to be, and he’s sitting at a quarter tank. With at least half a wit about him, he reaches for his wallet and remembers he left it on Andrea’s bedside table. “Looks like I’m going to wake her ass up,” he says as he puts the car in gear and starts the trip back to her house. It’s ‘4:44am,’ but at this point, Wade doesn’t have time to care.
Driving down the country road toward Andrea’s house Wade starts to smell something burning. He sees a flicker of light in the distance through the trees and realizes it’s coming from the direction of her home. “Oh no...” he gasps as he pulls up her long driveway, and the flames shooting out her windows come into clear view. He gets out of his car and drops to his knees.
You didn’t think I’d let that bitch live, did you?
You are a funny little man, Wade.
As if you didn’t see that coming.
She doesn’t matter, Wade.
Find my voice.
Find the signal.
Fixated on the white-hot flames billowing from Andrea’s home, Wade sits on the hood of his car. He hears sirens and sees a flicker of flashing lights around him but can’t break his focus. He’d been sitting there for an hour when the fire marshall approaches him, "Are you okay, sir?”. Wade sits expressionless, caught in a cold stare. “Sir. Are you okay? Is there anyone in the home?”. Wade replies, “I, I don’t even know. I just showed up here looking for my friend.”
“Does your friend live here, sir?”
“She does. Or did. I don’t know anymore.”
Wade looks down at the ground.
“Can you give us information on who might be inside?”
“Her na-”
Her name, is whore.
Fucking, whore.
And she’s dead.
Oh, and I made sure she choked first.
That’s what she liked.
Right, Wade?
“Her name is Andrea.. Andrea Fulson. She was my friend.”
Wade pauses.
“I don’t know if she was home. I’m sorry. I don’t have any more information.”
“That’s okay, sir. Would you mind moving your car, so you are safe from harm?”
“Haha! Right. Safe from harm. Yeah, I’ll go. I need to go.”
Wade walks around to his car door and catches the side of his reflection in the window. He stares at himself, and watches the scar that was once on his face from Andrea, appear under his eye. A flash of Leah smiling behind him haunts his reflection, and he swings his arm back as if to hit her.
Aw, that’s not very nice, Wade.
I did you a favour.
She didn’t have a soul.
I at least gave her the chance to find one.
You should be thanking me.
I’ll let you thank me when we see each other again.
Wade gets into his car. Watching the house fall apart from the fire, he starts the engine and stares at the house again as it falls apart from the fire. “I’m sorry, Andrea.” he says. “This is my fault. Oh god, this is all my fault.”
He begins to sob. This has all gone too far and become too much. He never wanted anyone to get hurt, and now Andrea is dead. “Wa.. Wade..” he hears a voice come through the stereo. The static makes it difficult for Wade to listen to what the voice is saying, but he turns up the volume. He feels oddly drawn to the voice and can feel a warm glow in his eyes.
“Wade. It’s William.. can you hear me?” Wade’s heart jumps out of his chest. Confused but with a boyish excitement, he talks back to the voice. “William? What the fuck?” The static continues, “Just listen to me.. Go to the..cem..ry.. Wade..” The static is thick, and Wade yells, “WHY THE CEMETERY? I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!” The voice continues, “..the cemetery.. go to the cem..ry.. Wade..” The static gets really loud, then suddenly stops. Dumbfounded, Wade puts the car into drive and skids away. He has no idea why he feels so relentlessly dependent on following William's voice, but he’s going to.
You never cease to amaze me, Wade.
You are the dumbest piece of shit I’ve ever met.
You think that going to play with the dead is a good idea?
You have NO idea what you are in for.
The morning light is starting to peek through the trees as Wade turns left down Concession Road 11. The clock reads ‘7:17am’. The cemetery is just up the road to the right, and Wade wonders what will be there when he arrives.
Driving down the road, he sees an old man walking, wearing a dark-brim hat. The man has a trench coat, and his hands are in his pockets. As Wade passes the stranger to his left, the mysterious man walks into the forest backwards, keeping his eyes locked on the car. Wade’s right eyebrow raises in question as he enters the cemetery. Parking beside a pile of leaves, he gets out and grunts, “Why am I even here?” The trees rustle in the wind above him, and the birds fly out in unison toward the city. Wade looks throughout the cemetery. “I should be looking for my children, not looking around some fucking cemetery.” “Ah, that you should.” Says a man behind him. Wade turns around. There stands the man he saw earlier on the side of the road. “I know what brought you here, Wade. And I know-” “How do you know my name?” Wade interrupts. The man raises his head to show his face under the black brim hat. They lock eyes, but Wade can’t seem to recognize who it is. “I have watched your misfortune grow and have something for you. Something you need.”
The man lifts his right hand out of his pocket and pulls out what looks to be two small white pills. “What the fuck is that? Who are you?” Wade says judgementally. The man walks closer toward Wade, and Wade backs up into a tombstone. The impact knocks over a bouquet of flowers resting on the grave. “I have been watching you, and you alone are not ready for your redemption,” the man says in a bold tone. He holds out the white pills in his hand toward Wade. “These will restore your sight. Your eyes are drained of colour, and you cannot see clearly with those demons in your head.”
Oh, not little old me?
I’m not even in your timeline anymore, Wade.
Moons have died, and worlds have passed.
I just came back to watch the show all over again.
Timelessness has its perks.
Things can change.
Tao, can change.
It’s up to you if you want our boy
to see this through.
Wade looks at the man’s trembling hands and squints up at him in question. “Who are you? What do you mean, my redem-” “Look into my eyes, Wade. Tell me what you see.” The man puts his head down and brings his head closer to Wade. Wade stiffens his neck back and looks away. “LOOK AT ME, BOY.” Wade tilts his head back towards the man and stares into his eyes. Still unfamiliar with his eyes, Wade says, “Get away from me, man,” and steps around the gravestone he was resting upon. As Wade walks away from the man, he shouts, “If you don’t understand why I’m here, Wade.. give me a chance to tell you. Or you’ll never get to see Tao live again.” Wade turns around in anger and says, “How do you know my son?” Wade’s face goes stern, and the man laughs. “Ah, I know both your children very well. Don’t worry, I mean them no harm.” Wade’s eyes move down to the ground. He questions what he is saying, and in a quiet tone, Wade whispers, “I don’t know who you are, or what you are trying to do to me with those pills, but I’m having a VERY hard time understanding ANYTHING anymore..” Wade’s anger turns to sadness, and says, “..but if this is what I have to do to save my son, then tell me. Tell me what to do. Where are they?” Wade breathes in heavily and holds out his hand. The man reaches toward Wade and puts the pills in his hand. “Take these. Swallow them, and lay your body down.” Wade looks at him. He slowly places the pills in his mouth and swallows. He sits down on the ground. “What is going to happen to me?” He asks, frightened. The man replies, “You will start to see colour, and a path will open up for you to follow. You will start to see strange things, but let them guide you.” Wade lays on his back and stares up at the trees. “I will be beside you. Your demons will be beside you too. Don’t listen to them. Hear my voice. Listen to my voice. Do you hear me, Wade?” Wade replies, “Yes, I hear you. Tell me where my children are.” The man says, “Just trust my intentions. Follow my voice. When you start to see-” “I can see now!” Wade exclaims. His eyes fill with colour, and the trees above him start to blend from greys to red and green leaves. The wood on the branches turn a light brown, and the sky turns blue in the distance behind them. “This is beautiful. Thank you. Now, how do I find my children?” Wade asks. He looks up at the man and can see his mouth moving, but there is no sound. Wade looks up and realizes he can no longer hear the trees moving. He stands up to see that the man is taken back by Wade’s confusion. He holds out his arm to stop Wade from getting too close, but Wade grabs his hand and screams at the man. “WHY CAN’T I HEAR ANYTHING?”. The man’s mouth moves again, but he still cannot hear what he is saying. In complete panic, Wade starts spinning around the cemetery, screaming. The man grabs Wade on the shoulders to try to calm him, but Wade pushes back, throwing him into a tombstone. Wade covers his eyes and then smacks the sides of his head, trying to get his hearing to work. He is getting dizzy from all this madness and looks over to see the man’s eyes are closed, and his mouth is open, lying with his head down on a grave. “HELLO? WAKE UP! HELLO, SIR! WAKE UP!” Wade shouts. He grabs the man’s shoulders and shakes his body to stir him awake, but he does not flinch an eyebrow. The man falls over to the side of the grave and reveals the name written on the stone.
'R.I.P. William Russel – 1967-2007 – brother of Wade Russel, son of Michael Russel, Susan Russel. ‘
The mind is a powerful thing.
So is the body.
When one part of it stops working,
the other is enhanced.
Yet, when a piece of your mind is missing,
the other parts cannot comprehend what is in front of you.
Don’t worry, Wade.
You’ll figure that out.
When you’re dead.
This is going to be hard on you.
You will not be the same again.
But Tao is worth it.
Help him.
Wade.
Snap out of it.
It’s just an illusion.
Follow my voice.
If you cannot hear me,
I cannot guide you.
In a complete state of confusion, Wade steps back away from the tombstone and looks up. Hundreds of birds swarm the trees above him, all landing on different branches. The blue sky starts to turn red, and the leaves on the tree turn a dark purple. Wade continues to walk backwards, staring up at the discoloured tree covered in fluttering wings, and falls over a concrete tombstone. When he lands, his head hits the dirt, enough to make him lose consciousness and pass out, spiralling into a nightmare.
Here we go.
You’re almost there.
First, we just need to take a trip down the rabbit hole.
Pack your bags, Wade.
It’s going to be a fun little saunter down memory lane.
8:17am – Sunday, October 9th/2016