Resurrection: the action or fact of resurrecting or being resurrected.

Disclaimer: This is in no way, shape, or form an attempt to disrespect any Christian religion. No characters are a depiction of God or Jesus.

Main Cast:

May 17, 2024

Suffocation engulfed Jade as she felt the dirt surrounding her body. She wiggled her way through just enough to claw through the dirt. Her heart rate quickly began to slow as soon as she dug her way through the mud. She finally felt the wind hit her fingers and clawed fast.

DeLane sat in his new backyard, basking in his success as he sipped his Cognac with his music lowly playing. He has finally brought a home. It is also the first home he doesn't have to share with his siblings. DeLane made a name for himself via social media in the thick of the pandemic. When DeLane was employed and the pandemic hit, he eventually was fired and his place of employment, a small dentist office, closed. He earned his associate's in dentistry.

Luckily, he had already started his social media journey and earned his master's degree in marketing. DeLane is his brand. DeLane always loved to dress nice and that's mostly what he does. He also gets many brand deals. DeLane even helped his friends market themselves by showing off clothes on different builds via film and photos.

He was inspired by a lady who popped up on his screen and decided to do the same for the men. However, he does have a high female audience too. People had nothing better to do and many tuned in during the pandemic, men and women. The women loved his personality, voice, and his height, while the men could relate to style. He didn't like the extremely tight clothing that the men of today wore and styled himself the way he saw fit.

"Help me to decide. Help me make the most of freedom and pleasure. Nothing ever lasts forever. Everybody wants to rule the world," DeLane sang along to the old-school tune. He then took a spliff of his blunt, staring out at his view.

Finally, able to stick her nose and lips out of the dirt, Jade gasped for air, taking as deep of a breath as the dirt that suffocated her body allowed. The noise startled DeLane and he paused his music to look around, trying to find the source of the sound. He then stood up because it didn't sound like an animal noise, it sounded human. He didn't understand how anyone could get into his backyard.

"Aye, you better show yourself or imma start shootin'!" DeLane screamed with his hand on his hip as if he had a weapon.

In reality, he has nothing on him, he's bluffing. Why should he? He's in a very safe neighborhood with a private road. The only crime that's committed in this neighborhood is domestic or children playing what they deem as pranks. His heart raced, as he remained footed in his defense position.

As his eyes scanned his backyard, he caught a glimpse of something in the dirt from not so far away. DeLane squinted, thinking maybe it had come from an animal. A chuckle escaped his lips as he took a seat in his lounge chair, kicking his feet up again. He shook his head at his uneasiness and took a deep breath. In the meantime, Jade kept clawing her way out of the dirt as DeLane watched the spot where the animal was throwing around dirt, clawing its way out.

"Better not be no fuckin' rat or I'm shootin' the mothafucka for real. I ain't got my gun, but I will get that shit before he tries to run up in my crib," he laughed at himself, unpausing his music.

That spot intrigued him as he watched the dirt flicker and the hole enlarged. Although this is a new house with a very nice green lawn, he doesn't care too much because this is part of nature. He took another drag from his blunt. His eyes widened once he saw a human hand pop out of the spot in the dirt. The hand drew back into the dirt and then he saw a head.

DeLane gripped the armrest of his lounge chair, startled. His first impulse was to jump up out of his chair, grab his phone then run into his house through his patio door, and that's just what he did. He quickly locked his door, unknowingly misdialing the number of the police, and grabbed a firearm. He grabbed his remote, closing the patio curtains, peeking out of them.

Jade clawed faster until she was finally able to pull herself out of the dirt.

"Ayo! What the fuck!?" DeLane yelled.

"The number you have called is not in service."

DeLane looked down at his phone and noticed he dialed 919. He quickly dialed the actual number to the police. Jade panted as she was finally able to breathe without hindrance from the tightly packed dirt. She sat on the edge of the hole she dug with her feet dangling inside of the hole. Her throat is as dry as the dirt she dug herself out of.

Jade looked around, wondering where she was and where she could find any source of water. She saw a pool and immediately hopped up to get to it, but her legs failed her, and she fell back to the ground. Her body hasn't moved from the position she was in since she was buried.

"Help..." She dryly attempted to scream, but it came out as a whisper.

Jade rolled into her back, forcing her limbs to move, shaking them awake.

"911, what's your emergency?" The operator spoke.

"Umm, the- there's a person- a- a- a- WOMAN in my backyard," he spoke.

"How did she get there and what is she doing?"

"She's- she's naked and she came- ma'am you're not going to believe me when I say this, but she came from the ground- the fuckin' DIRT," DeLane spoke in disbelief of what he was witnessing.

"Are you in a safe place? Can she get to you?"

"I'm in my home, peeping out of the balcony curtains, so I'm safe."

"Sir, do you live on 837 Jefferson Road?"

"YES! Now send someone over quickly!" He yelled into the phone. "PLEASE!" He pleaded.

"Sir, are you currently under the influence?" She asked him.

"There's a fuckin' naked woman in my backyard covered in the dirt she climbed out of. I don't recognize her and she's currently throwing up the pool water she drank," DeLane spoke more calmly to the operator. "Please send someone over."

"They have been on their way since you called," she calmly replied. "Are you under any illicit substances? Drugs? Alcohol?"

DeLane exhaled through his nostrils and mouth, "Lady, I'm sober." He lied through his teeth. His marijuana is still burning in the ashtray he left it in and his alcohol is still sitting on the tabletop. He dragged his free hand down his face. "I said that you probably wouldn't believe me."

Jade crawled to the sprinklers to get some water after throwing up the pool water. She put her mouth to the sprinklers, drinking all the water that she could. Because she had drunk so much, she was holding her breath, so when she stopped for a moment, she took a few deep breaths before drinking more water. When she finished, she laid flat against the lawn with her chest rising and falling. She lay there for a while remembering everything that occurred to her.

Flashback:

~May 17, 2017~

Jade, a college student, employee, and great friend, lives with her parents. Her parents are currently vacationing for their anniversary. She is allowed to have company because she's a trusting and an adult. Jade is a 22-year-old woman, but her parents just didn't want her throwing any parties or messing up the house to the point of no return. Jade wasn't exactly a social butterfly, but she knew of so many people. Those people just happen to think they know Jade.

Her parents knew they wouldn't have anything to worry about. Jade mainly went to work, parties here and there like many college students, and visited friends, family, and her boyfriend when they were together. Except, Jade and her boyfriend weren't on good terms. In fact, they were broken up, so he was her ex-boyfriend, Asaad, but that didn't stop him from making his way into her home.

"Asaad, what- what are you doing here? How did you get in- i- in my home?" Jade asked, tightly clutching her towel with an uneasy feeling in the out of her stomach.

"Jade- I-" Asaad, exhaled. "I just came here to talk."

"Why?" Jade's eyebrows furrowed, "Asaad, we're broken up."

"Only on your terms," Asaad chuckled. "After we speak, everything will be alright."

"Asaad," she took a deep breath, "no, it won't. You cheated. I told you from the start when we were in the talking stage that if you cheat, I'm leaving. I'm a woman of my word and you know that," she softly spoke. "How did you get into my home?"

"I broke the window," he calmly stated as if it was normal.

Her breath hitched, "um- um- what- what made you do that? Asaad, we could have spoken on the phone."

"I tried," he looked up at her. "You blocked me everywhere." He saw an outfit lying across her bed. "Are you seeing someone else? Are you expectin' somebody else?"

"Asaad, that's none of your business. I am NOT your business. Could you please leave?" She calmly spoke to her ex-boyfriend.

Asaad took a few steps forward, making Jade take the same amount of steps backward. She noticed the black rubber gloves that Asaad was wearing. Jade glanced at her phone that was on her nightstand with her heart beating out her chest.

"Please, Asaad," she pleaded, feeling tears well in her eyes.

"No, Jade," he stepped forward again and Jade's adrenaline went through the roof and she quickly ran back into her bathroom, but before she could completely close the door, Asaad stuck his foot between the door and wall, then pushed it open with his hands. Jade backed up, looking around the bathroom for anything she could defend herself with.

"Why are you upset that I left? You cheated on me with MULTIPLE women," she cried out. She grabbed a stainless steel tongue scraper from the countertop and held it up as he walked closer. "Don't come any closer!"

"Or what?" Asaad chuckled menacingly at her threat and her weapon, but he stopped walking for a moment. "You'll clean my tongue?"

"I'll-" she stopped herself thinking that if she said what she really wanted to say, it'd make him more upset. "Please, Asaad." She cried out harder, tightly gripping the tongue scraped in her hands in front of her.

"When you found out, I told you that them bitches ain't mean shit to me. You weren't doing your job as a woman. You weren't pleasin' me as much as I needed you to, so I found it somewhere else. I love you though. Now, you're- you THINK you're about to give it away to another nigga, when I was never pleased?" Asaad chuckled.

"Asaad, w- we ca- we can talk about this, baby," she coaxed.

"I think I'm over that stage now..." He smiled at her. The same smile that he gave her when they first met, but this time it didn't sit well with her.

Jade has never seen Asaad look so angry, crazy, and happy at the same time. She stepped back again, slipping and falling onto her back on account of how wet the floor had become from her shower. She quickly sat up on her bottom, not even feeling how bad she hit her head. Although there's no blood, she did hit her head hard enough that it'd leave a bump. Her towel also fell off of her body.

"Baby, we can get back together," she told him. "I still love you. I ju- I just needed to teach you a lesson."

Now towering over her body, Asaad let out another menacing chuckle. He lifted his foot, kicking her in the face, making her fall back, whimpering and crying. Her nose and mouth immediately began to bleed. Asaad fell to his knees.

"Baby, I'm so- I'm so sorry," he cried, hugging her. "I didn't mean to do that."

"It's- it's okay," she spoke through her tears and pain. "Baby, it's okay."

"No! No, it isn't!" He screamed. "I hurt you, baby. Do you forgive me?"

Pulling her curling iron that's plugged into the wall and turned on, she picked it up and burned his face once he pulled away from her. That gave Jade time to get up and run away, but she quickly got dizzy after she officially made it out of her bedroom. Asaad held his face and Jade fell to the floor. No amount of adrenaline could keep up on her feet. He snatched the cord from the wall and stood up on his feet.

"Teach ME a lesson? I'll teach you a fuckin' lesson!" Asaad marched out of the room, looking for Jade. Then he saw her lying on the floor in the hallway. "You gon' give MY pussy away to another nigga!? You got another thing comin'!" He punched Jade in the face a couple of times before he opened her legs.

"Help," she coughed blood up.

He sexually assaulted her... Jade laid there defenseless, going in and out of consciousness as her ex-boyfriend, Asaad, sexually and physically assaulted her. When he finished, Asaad knocked Jade across her head once more, knocking her out cold. Asaad was the last thing she saw.  He pulled his pants up. Asaad then lifted her body over his shoulder, carrying her down the stairs and to the backyard where he buried her. Because her parents were getting work done in their backyard, the place he dug a hole blended into with the rest of the backyard. He didn't even make sure she was dead because he wanted her to suffer as much as he had suffered from her breaking up with him. Jade passed officially away from suffocation.

Asaad knew that he had so much time because Jade posted that she missed her parents on her social media account. She even said how long they'd be gone. He used a friend's account to spy on her at one point before he made another account with another name and photo. All of this was days leading up to the assault and death of Jade. Knowing where everything was located, Asaad cleaned up the house, leaving no traces of himself.

He planned this. Asaad had so much anger and so much time to think about what he'd do to his ex-girlfriend who broke his heart over something he felt was natural. He even packs up a suitcase of Jade's clothes to make it seem like she left. He went as far as posting something on Jade's social media to make it seem like she left. In the end, Asaad kept a piece of Jade's clothing for the scent of her that he knew he'd miss and dumped the rest in a bin for the Salvation Army. The suitcase was thrown in the trash, right along with her phone.

The police investigated everything and ruled it was a grown woman wanting to get away from her family. Well, that is until her phone was located in a dumpster, ringing. Asaad forgot to turn on the ringer, and a homeless person fished it out. The homeless man was ruled a suspect but was ruled out. The case is now a cold one. 

~Present Tense~

Date: May 17, 2024

"Help!" Jade screamed out, now that she was able to scream out.

DeLane watched the police enter his backyard through his patio door. "See look?" He told them, then slammed his door shut, locking it, and pulling his gun out again. "Zombies really do exist."

The police and paramedics approached Jade as she lay there with two black eyes that were almost swollen shut, a busted nose, a busted lips, and a big bump on her forehead. Her body was covered in mud from her crawling out of the dirt and onto the wet lawn.

"Help!" Jade screamed again as the flashlight shined into her eyes. She held her hand up, blocking it.

"What the hell?" Officer Brandon Lewis looked down in disbelief. "Ja- Jade?" He grabbed his walkie-talkie. "We need backup!"

The ambulance automatically came with the police, so they loaded Jade onto the stretcher and had to make their way inside DeLane's home to take her to the truck because his gates were locked with a key. DeLane looked at the busted-up lady lying on the stretcher in disbelief. Her face, which is the only thing visible was covered in dirt.

"Sir, where did she come from?" Officer Brandon asked DeLane.

"She came from the ground. I swear I'm telling the truth. Although I was smoking a joint, it's legal here now, and drinking, it's the truth. I heard a noise and thought it was some sort of small animal, so I relaxed. Then I noticed a spot being dug up and thought it was a rat or groundhog- shit they all rats to me, but a hand came out of the ground. Then a head eventually popped out. I ran inside, grabbing my LEGAL firearm after locking my door. After that, I called y'all," DeLane explained. "Is it a zombie? I've been living here for a couple of weeks now and my lawn has been looking nice since. That is until The Night of the Living fuckin' Dead crawled out of it." He gestured toward the direction of the ambulance and the officers left.

Brandon nodded to his partner to check out the story, although, he didn't believe a word DeLane said to him. Another officer entered the house, finding their way to DeLane and Officer Lewis.

"He said Jade Lewis crawled from the dirt. She's battered, bruised, and pale," Officer Lewis squinted at Officer Terry Franklin.

Terry frowned, "your sister?" Officer Terry asked, confused. "What? How? How is that even possible? She's been missing for seven years."

Officer Harold stepped foot in the house again, "there is a large hole in the backyard. Vomit in the pool, and slither marks big enough for a human."

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning," Officer Lewis read DeLane his Miranda rights before he was led outside in handcuffs.

"I ain't did shit!" DeLane screamed.

"Calm down," Terry spoke calmly.

"You're getting taken in for questioning," Officer Lewis spoke to DeLane, holding his arm.

"I was only trying to make sure zombies weren't coming," DeLane yelled, sounding as crazy as crazy can get.

He was placed into the back of the squad car and the door slammed.

"Sir, where are your keys?" Officer Terry Franklin asked DeLane. "I need to lock up your home."

"They're by the door," DeLane sat back, huffing. "This ain't real," he closed his eyes, whispering to himself. "This shit can't be real. What kind of shit is this?"

The ambulance is long gone. Jade fell asleep in the ambulance on account of how sleepy she was. She was dead for seven years, not asleep. Her body is exhausted and her opened bruises are infected from the dirt. DeLane quietly sat in the questioning room, still flabbergasted.

"Mom? Dad?" Brandon teared up.

"Yes, Brandon?" She asked her son, knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong son?" His father asked him through the receiver.

"It's Jade... She's been found," he cried out in disbelief and a loud gasp escaped from his parents' mouth. "She's- she looks as if she was beat up and she's covered in dirt," Brandon went to the corner of the room to cry with his forehead against the wall.

"Oh my God!" His mother screamed, letting out a cry of relief.

"How- how can you be so sure?" His father asked him.

"Dad, I know my sister. She still has the same features as she did when you brought her home as an infant. That's my sister and your daughter," he cried. "I- I can- I can't believe it, pops."

His mother snatched the phone away from her husband, "where was she found!?"

"In- Jade was found in our old family home's backyard," he squeezed his eyes shut. "It's all I'm able to say right now. I shouldn't even be tellin' y'all this, but I- I'm in disbelief myself. I'll get back to you both later. I love you," he hung up the phone.

Terry came up to Brandon, comforting him by rubbing his back. Terry had nothing to say because she understood why he called his parents, though, he was not supposed to.

"Terry, I thought- I thought she was dead all of these years," he hugged her.

"We all did," Terry spoke, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.

There aren't many officers currently at the station because the area has a low crime rate and it's past midnight. Jade laid asleep in bed, having a nightmare about what occurred the night she died. The bad part is that she isn't aware that ever passed away. Her heart is now pumping at a normal speed, and blood is coursing throughout her veins just like before.

"Did you, DeLane Moreau, bury the woman who was in your yard? Did you cause the victim any harm?" Officer Terry asked as Officer Lewis paced the room, hiding in on the questions being asked.

"I said I want my lawyer," DeLane stated as the officers bombarded him with questions. "I'm not answering SHIT because I ain't did SHIT. I already told y'all what happened. I'm sure you have it on your body cam. I have a personal lawyer. Don't assign me shit."

"What's the number?" Officer Lewis asked him.

"My mother's number is on my phone. This is 2024, I don't know that shit by heart, man," DeLane sighed. "I ain't ever been in no interrogation room. Y'all got me fucked up," DeLane flailed his hands in agitation.

"Quiet!" Terry banged her hand on the table, silencing him.

"I- I have footage!" DeLane shouted in realization, not cowering. "My house is surrounded by cameras. Can I get my phone to access them?"

Brandon quickly turned to face him. "Yeah. Yes. Sure," Brandon scurried out of the interrogation room to fetch the cell phone.

Brandon immediately handed it to DeLane. DeLane unlocked it, noticing that it was on a low battery. His phone is on two percent. He immediately went to the RING app to access the footage. Just as he clicked the video, his phone died. As much as DeLane wanted to throw his phone from conking out on him, he just angrily slid it across the table. He didn't want to break his phone and lose evidence that would get him out of this.

"These FUCKIN' iPhones!" DeLane angrily huffed.

Brandon picked up the cell phone and walked out of the room feeling frustrated. The officers provided DeLane with a meal because he became compliant and they wanted the evidence. However, he remained handcuffed to the table. DeLane took cat naps. It was always hard for him to sleep in unfamiliar places. Not to mention, he isn't exactly in a comfortable position to sleep. Not many are comfortable in handcuffs, especially if it's their first time in them.