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" When you're dead...

you're dead

That's it."

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**** Ҟỳ ⱡ ɇ ****

Death is one of those things that just happen. It's something we might see coming, but one can never truly tell when the reaper will come knocking on your door. Whether it be dusk or dawn? One can only hope that they get to live a life full of love and contentment... but for some, that's not alway's guaranteed.

They say angels watch over the good and protect them from all that is evil... but there were no angels that cold dismal September night. Nor was there any of the nights that followed.

I still remember the eerie feeling that came crawling over me when we first reached old Mr. Jefferson's house over on Hollow's drive. You could smell the pungent copper-like sent of blood in the air, almost as if there was a cloud of it hanging overhead.

The smell was so potent. Almost like someone had slashed open one of their veins, or that I'd simply just set foot into a slaughterhouse. One without a single window to let the heavy smell of death escape out from.

However, the blood wasn't the only cause for my discomfort. As my eyes swept over the area I realized how deserted and abandoned the streets really were. There wasn't a single living person to be seen apart from the officers and paramedics that lurked around the crime scene.

Apart from the bright flashing fluorescent lights coming from the top of the cop cars and ambulance, they seemed to be the only source of light eliminating the area. There seemed to be a power outage or maybe a fried circuit causing all the light posts to be completely out throughout the whole block.

As I looked up the sky was filled with black crows that soared and circled overhead. They even seemed to be perched high up in the big old oak tree at the foot of Mr. Jefferson's yard.

Part of me could have sworn that they were watching me as I approached the house with the others close on my heels, following my every step. Or maybe I was just being delusional.

I had passed this house every day for years well on my way to school and it had never been a house I considered to be creepy in any way. However, looking at it now I was begging to feel differently towards my initial thoughts.

The house stood tall and narrow with a very angular roof that pointed straight up to the sky. The house was also the only one in the area that still had one of those old school winding cobblestone paths that lead you directly to this creaky wooden porch that wrapped around most of the front end of the house. As for the windows of the house, they weren't exactly large... at least not like the ones I'd seen on all the modern houses. They were quite small and also seemed to be quite dirty, making it hard to peer inside and take a glance. The windows were also not exactly right... They seemed to all be off scented and stayed shut most of the year, even during the hot summer days.

Dark crimson-colored bricks were used to build the outer walls of the house, some of which looked a bit chipped and cracked, crumbling away with every passing year. The big wooden door was slightly off colour from the rest of the house and had a big grey brass door knocker right at its center.

The grass in the front yard had not been cut and I could see a stack of newspapers on the porch that never seemed to have been collected.

It was silent, dead silent apart from the sound of the wind as it howled loudly as I walked over to the vibrant yellow caution tape where Danny stood. His face was full of fear as he stood there like a statue with his feet frozen to the ground.

"Danny!" I shouted and watched as he jumped like a scared cat at the sound of my voice.

"What the hell happened?" Zander asked before anyone else had the chance. His eyes widen as he looked around watching as people scrambled around the scene.

"It's Mr. Jefferson... they're saying he was hung," Danny stammered and I could see his body was quivering.

" Hung?" Nancy said freaked, her eyes wide, lip quivering, and body tense. She was in shock.

"I don't understand, why would he hang himself? I had a class with him and he never seemed like the kind of guy who would take his own life." I asked. My mind trying to search for a reasonable explanation to all this.

Mr. Jefferson was a happy man, he couldn't possibly have taken his life... could he?

"I don't know that's what they're saying happened. They said he's been like that since Friday afternoon... three weeks ago."Danny explained causing us to all look at each other in confusion hoping someone could explain.

"Three weeks ago!" Rebekah gasped and then covered her mouth with her hand.

" Yeah, it turns out he was supposed to come into the school to start preparing for classes tomorrow. However, he never showed up so someone reported it. A day later when the cops came to check on him they found him like this." Danny stated and I watched Courtney as she shook her head.

"But suicide? It just doesn't sound right." I said and the other sighed.

It was then that we heard the paramedics open up the ambulance and take out a long metal gurney and start wheeling it towards the house.
Four men followed as they walked ever so slowly into the house. The gurney wheeling clinking loudly over the cobblestone path as they dragged it along.

"Are they..." Falon asked looking tariffed.

"Yep," I sighed knowing that they were going to be retrieving the body. This was really happening... he was gone.

"I can't believe he's... dead," Courtney stammered as she started looking as though she wanted to cry. She had always been very emotional, much like Falon. The two of them could cry over spilled milk it was actually quite amusing. However, seeing her like this... seeing them all like this... It was heartbreaking.

I had never been the best when it came to comforting people, maybe it had to do with our mother passing or maybe I just simply sucked at it. Always saying the wrong thing or just saying nothing at all, not knowing what words would be the ones to ease there pain. To take it all away. To numb it...

"I know right, he had to be my favorite teacher." Mike sighed as he put a hand on Courtney's shoulder. I guess it was comforting enough because she smiled weakly back at him as she reached her hand up placing it on top of his.

"It's going to be so strange not seeing him tomorrow." Rebekah thought out loud as she looked upon the entrance of the house. Her arms crossed in front of her chest as if like a shield of protection warding off evil.

"That's going to suck." Cole murmured as he took a set on top of the hood of one of the nearby cop cars and barring his face into his hands and running them up along his face and threw his light brown wavy hair.

" Wait you don't think they'd cancel classes because of this do you?" Nancy asked her face shocked. They all turned to me expecting me to have an answer.

"Um..." I tried to think.

"Probably not, maybe the next day, that is if they don't need to question the other teachers," Danny said as he had his arm wrapped around Rebekah's neck as she leaned into him. Her head resting on his right shoulder as she nestled up to him. Keeping warm against the cold winds.

I couldn't help but raise a brow and give a questioning look at the two, to whom were to busy talking to Mike to notice my confused look detected towards them both. I turned my gaze to Zander who as always knew what it was I was thinking or in this case just bared witness to the same thing I had and had seen my reaction. His was nothing but a simple shake of his head from side to side, followed by a shrug.

I guess they were back together... again.

I couldn't help but do a sarcastic eye roll well shaking my head back at Zander as we both silently laughed to ourselves know we both were thinking the exact same thing.

How long could this possibly last this time?

"So I guess no ones going to school tomorrow," Rebekah said looking at everyone I guess half expecting for someone to offer up a suggestion as to what we might do tomorrow. For we always would do something fun whenever we had a pa day or whatever dumb reason they had for letting us play hooky for the day.

" I doubt that! I think they'll probably just hold an assembly tomorrow for him, they did that at my last school when someone passed." Zander said leaning agest the base of the old oke tree.

" You think?" I questioned.

"Yeah, and it's probably going to suck! I mean a bunch of crying teachers and students, how fun." Blake whined and we all looked at him awestruck.

"Blake!" Everyone apart from me shouted at him in horror.

" What?" He hesitated in confusion as he gazes upon the group's faces and is met with a bunch of harsh looking scowls. Some have shocked expressions but they're all directed at him. "What?" He blurted again as he looked upon the others for answers.

" What do you mean what! How incentive can you be?" Rebekah scolded. I was sure had we not heard the loud booming thud come from inside the house at that moment, I and the rest of the gang would have probably had to whiteness to another one of Rebekah's long lectures about how little care and severity he had for what was going on. Knowing how much he'd pissed her off over the years with his spoiled attitude and cocky demeanor. We'd probably have remained standing there til morning... or maybe even lunchtime judging by the harsh look of pure disgust plastered on her face.

Much like Nancy, Blake was one of the most narcissistic people I knew. However, everyone has their own flaws. Apart from that and his taste in crazy girlfriends, he could be rather kind and funny. I verified to myself as my gaze fell over Nancy.

Sure I had also been down that very twisted and bumpy road, but I mean crazy can be hot sometimes... and Nancy was definitely pretty hot! She was the single most popular girl at school and by far the wealthiest. Her dad was some big diplomat but I'd never really met the guy, he was always away out of the country on business meetings and such.

The loud thud came quick and sharp as it snapped me out of my thoughts and Rebekah out of her furious yelling and scolding. One by one we all turned our eyes towards the direction the sound had come from.

It was then that I saw them carry out a gurney with a plastic blue sheet over what had to be a body. More specifically Mr. Jefferson's body.

As they moved towards us I couldn't divert my eyes. I watched as they advanced towards us and the second they did one of the men carrying the gurney stumbled well walking down the cobblestone path. I wish at that moment we all had turned around and started walking back home or just shut our eyes. Ignoring what we were about to see, but we didn't... none of us did, we all saw 'it'.

The dead and rotting hand of Mr. Jefferson's as it fell off the gurney and just hung in the air lifelessly yet covered in blood. Drops of dark crimson blood streamed down from his middle finger dripping onto the pathway leaving little puddle like trails the size of a dime on each of the stones.  By the time they put his arm back onto the gurney and covered his hand and arm back up with the blue sheet, I'd counted teen pools of blood splattered across the stone path.

The sound of their screams was piercingly sharp as they echoed in my ear. All the girls were like stone structures standing so still. They all shared the same horror-struck gaze and all were screaming high pitched shrieks that pierced and defend everyone around.

It doesn't take long for us guys to run to console them... or more importantly, shut them up as our ears bagged us for sweet sweet silence.

Mike is the first to react as he rushes over to Falon and pulls her into him. He's quick to wrap her up and into a tight hug as his hand holds onto the back of her head. As her scream melts down into as soft but heart-crushing cry he glides his hand up and down in slow motions against her light brown wavy locks and hushes. Trying to calm her. Without waiting for an invitation or an order Danny does the same with Rebekah. Holding her close till she breaks into tears and then he kisses the top of her head as she leaves tears all over his cotton white shirt.

As for Courtney... she does something quite unexpected and runs straight into Cole's chest. For a few minutes, he doesn't move. He just stands there in complete and utter shock. Much like Zander and I. However as Courtney's sobbing starts to grow heavier it snaps Cole from his state of shock and he takes to wrapping his hands around her in this awkward manner that has me thinking he's about as clueless as I am when it comes to comforting a female. He does his best though, copying what Mike had done with Fallon and runs his fingers through her ever so reddish-orange hair that falls to the midsection of her back.

I stand there not able to pull my eyes from this bizarre scenario and turn of events. That's till I see Blake walk over to Nancy to comfort her and she pretty much dodges him knocking her shoulder into his as she comes, oh no...

My eyes widen in horror and terror as she comes running with her arms wide open and practically jumps onto me.

Great... just great!

Any guy would be flattered and overjoyed to be the one Nancy wanted to hold her but me... I'm anything but overjoyed. In fact, I'm more uncomfortable by our sudden close proximity at this moment then Cole was by Courtneys! However, he even seemed less on edge as time passed. I on the other hand only gets more and more uncounterable as she holds on tighter and longer.

It's not just the fact that I don't exactly know how to handle a blotchy, sniffling, and sobbing girl... It's more so the fact that she's been in love with me since we were little that's got me so frantic. Crush is even putting it a little light. I was once told she got all the girls in the third grade to swear that they'd never like me or she'd have her friends beat them up. It wasn't exactly like all the girls followed those rules of hers... my mind thought as it wandered off thinking about all the girls I'd managed to sneak off into the broom closet with to make out with in high school and middle school. The very thought made me grin and snicker.

I know Nancy wants me back but we have gone through that conversation more times then I cared to. Each time I told her I wasn't interested in getting into another relationship with her. However, every party and late-night texts and phonecalls suggested to me that she didn't quite follow what I had said. It was as if she'd simply took to ignoring what I'd said because my answer wasn't the one she wanted or was looking to hear. So she'd just let it go through one ear and out the other.

As I glance over to Zander for aid he just stands there still leaning against the tree trunk, however, he's got this wide beaming smirk and the assholes actually snickering at me.

Laugh all you want now Zander, but you are going to get it! Is all my mind can think as my eyes shoot daggers at him as I scowl. However, I should have known better, because this only makes him snicker more as he marvels and basks in my obvious discomfort.

Then I start to get this weird uneasy feeling fall over me. Someones watching me.

My eyes turn to my left and I see a very scowling and pissed-off Blake! He's huffs out air as he shakes his head and crosses his arms at me, not one bit liking what he's seeing before him.

I want to yell out for him to take her or even to just pick her up myself and toss her to him but I'd rather not deal with the tormenting reproductions that would follow from that choice. I happen to like my body parts remaining attached to me and as much as I know Nancy would find a way to spin the chain of events onto Blake, somehow making him responsible. Leaving him to have him tear him apart like a ravenous mutt wasn't exactly something in my agenda... not that I really even had one.

Shockingly my way out of Nancys ever so strong clutch comes in a rather frightening sight. Before Mike has a chance to react and respond, Falon goes into a full-on panic attack. Her breaths shorten and with it comes this strange choking sound, and she starts to cough, hard!

"Hey, Fal! Hey, it's okay, calm down." However, she doesn't "Fal you're having a panic attack you need to calm down." He says as he looks at her, his eyes full of worry as he cups her face in both his hands having her looking into his eyes.

Rebekah runs to her like any older sister would and grabs onto her hands to try to comfort her and the rest of us follow.

"Hey, it's okay Fal we are here, I'm here!" Rebekah says as she squeezes her hands. Falon's lip quivers and she nods but she's still not completely calm.

She needs to slow down her breathing or she'll faint! My mind screams at me and I'm quick to head the warning and I run over to her.

"Falon, Hey, Look at me, Falon, try breathing with me!" I urge to her.

"Like this!" I say and take a breath in and exhale slowly. " Do it with me!" I say and she nods and follows me tell the coughing stops and her breathing steadies. Her sister hugs her and when she lets go Mike runs and hugs her.

"You all can crash at mine, I doubt anyone is up for being alone tonight." Zander offers as his house is not only the biggest and has well over eight guest rooms, it's also the closest. Yet he ends up ordering two SUVs like taxi cabs instead for all of us.

Falon and Mike hop into the back of one of the vans followed by Danny and Rebekah who take the middle two sets.

I look over to the other car where Nancy is calling me to come to sit beside her as she sits in the same middle chairs that Danny and Rebekah are. However, I don't budge. Instead, I watch as Zander walks over and hops into the chair beside the driver and Cole and Courtney hop into the back chairs before I decide to call Blake over.

"Blake," I called out not taking my eyes off her tell I hear him speak from beside me.

"Yeah?" He retorted coldly. "What do you want Kyle?" The tone of his voice made me glare back as I knew this was about Nancy.

" I need you to go with them." I insisted, using my stern voice.

"What you tired of her already?" He spat and my eyes flew up to his.

"Get in the dam car Blake I don't have time for this," I warned. " I have to tell the guy where to go," I called out as I made my way back to the other car knowing fully that both Danny and Mike could easily guide the cab driver to where Zander lived but I didn't really care. I didn't want to deal with Blake's ill-mannered temper and he should know better than to challenge me. At least you'd think he'd have learned from the last time.

I hopped into the car and fastened the seatbelt, I glanced up at the now vacant street. The large gathering of cop cars and other emergency vehicles were now gone. The nearby streets were completely deserted and dark. I looked on as the taxi sped ahead, I began to follow... it was then my eyes took note of the flickering.

It came from a lamp post. I watched as it flickered on and off. Over, and over, and over again, from the cars review mirror near my head. It wasn't something I'd seen on our walk-up no, they were all out, I guess the power must be coming back, was all I could think As I looked at that bright white light as it shone in front of the house. I stared into the mirror looking back at that old house watching it closely tell it vanished from my view, just like...

a ghost!