Dead Men (and Women) Walking (27 page)

“
Eva!” Emma screamed as she
splashed around desperately trying to locate her sister. Then
directly beneath her, Emma saw her sister’s figure.

“
Eva!” Emma
cried.

Suddenly a white face with
pink blood shot eyes, and yellow razor sharp teeth appeared in the
water, and stared straight at her. Emma felt her heart jump in
fear. Through the white face Eva suddenly emerged from the
water.

Her lips were blue, and
blood trickled out of her nose.

“
Emma, it should have been
you!” Eva gargled as she grabbed Emma by the shoulders and forced
her under the water.

Emma screamed as she jumped
straight up in bed. Sweat dripped down her back, and her eyes were
filled with tears. She rolled over to look at her alarm
clock.

“
Great, awake at three
again.” Emma mumbled.

She turned the T.V. back on
and watched music videos. She tried to go back to sleep a couple of
times, but every time she closed her eyes she would see that creepy
white face.

Seven o’clock came fast.
Emma dragged her butt out of bed and got ready for work.

“
No sleep again Em?
Courtney asked.

“
Nope, and don’t forget I
have to leave early today, I have another appointment.” Emma
replied.

“
No problem.” Courtney
said.

All day Emma dragged. Her
eyelids were heavy and she was so tired. It seemed like it took
forever for three o’clock to roll around. Emma finished up and
rushed off to her appointment with her therapist.

Emma sat out in the waiting
room and doodled as she waited for Valerie to come out and get her.
Emma was so focused on her drawing that she didn’t notice Valerie
standing in front of her.

“
Uh um.” Valerie
whispered.

Emma looked up and said,
“Oh, hi.”

Then she followed Valerie
down the long hall into her office.

“
So how are you?” Valerie
asked in a cheery voice.

Emma looked down and through
her clenched teeth answered, “Fine.”

“
You’re not fine.” Valerie
replied.

Emma looked up at
her.

“
Look you’ve got dark
circles under your eyes. Are you having trouble sleeping again?”
Valerie asked.

Emma nodded.

“
Dreams again?” Valerie
asked.

Emma nodded.

“
So are you going to tell
me about it?” Valerie asked.

Emma shrugged her shoulders
and took a quick glance around.

Then she began to speak, “It
was about my sister again. It’s been

over a year, when are they
going to stop?”

“
I don’t know. What
happened in this dream?” Valerie replied.

“
Well it was like the day
she drowned. I swam out to get her, but was too late again. Then…”
Emma trailed off.

“
Then what?” Valerie
asked.

Emma became real fidgety and
wouldn’t look at Valerie. Her eyebrows scrunched up as she
continued, “I saw the white face.” Emma was crying by now. “Then
Eva jumped out of the water and said it should have been
me.”

“
You don’t believe that, do
you?” Valerie asked.

Emma looked down at her feet
and shrugged.

“
You do.” Valerie
sighed.

Emma looked her in the eye
with her tear filled eyes confirming Valerie’s belief. Emma became
very fidgety again.

“
I should have been able to
help her.” Emma said.

“
Oh honey, it’s not your
fault.” Valerie replied.

“
What makes you so sure?”
Emma asked.

“
You can’t blame yourself
Emma.” Valerie said.

Emma nodded as she once
again stared at her feet.

Valerie came up to her and
placed her hand on Emma’s shoulder. She flinched. “Okay, I want to
see you next week.” Valerie said as she walked Emma out. Emma
nodded.

“
If things get bad don’t be
afraid to call me.” Valerie added.

“
Okay.” Emma
answered.

She left the office and
drove home. The dreams began to come every night. Emma found
herself staying up later and later. Consequently making her extra
tired for work, and her work began to suffer. Courtney took notice
and sent her home to get some rest.

Emma laid on the couch once
she got home. She switched on the T.V. and tried closing her eyes,
but every time she did she saw that creepy white face. After lying
there for awhile, Emma eventually fell asleep.

“
Emma!” Eva
cried.

“
Eva, Eva where are you?”
Emma cried as she searched the dark graveyard.

“
Emmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaa” Eva
moaned.

Emma followed Eva’s voice to
a grave. She kneeled down before it. She read the gravestone.
Emma’s name was inscribed in it.

“
It should have been you!”
Eva gargled.

A white boney hand with long
sharp black fingernails popped out of the dirt and grabbed Emma by
the wrist. She screamed and tried to yank her arm away. The white
face appeared from under the dirt.

Emma screamed and became
more frantic. She yanked with all her might and finally broke free,
sending herself flying backwards. But the nails had dug deep gashes
into her wrist.

Emma woke screaming. She
dabbed the tears from her cheek and felt something warm running
down her arm. She looked down at her wrist and saw the three
gashes, bleeding. Emma cried as she got up and ran to the
bathroom.

She blotted the blood away
with a tissue. She knew if she went to the hospital she would never
be able to explain this, so she butterfly bandaged the three gashes
and wrapped her wrist up with gauze. She started to stock up on
caffeinated drinks and caffeine pills. She would be sure she never
went to sleep again.

Emma sat in waiting room
fidgeting. She knew Valerie was going to ask her about her wrist,
and she had a strong feeling that she wouldn’t believe her. Valerie
came out and led Emma back to her office.

“
Emma, you don’t look very
good. Are you still not sleeping?”

Valerie asked. Emma shook
her head no. Just like Emma expected Valerie noticed her wrist and
asked what happened.

“
You won’t believe me.”
Emma mumbled as she looked down at her feet.

“
Try me.” Valerie
replied.

Emma looked up at her trying
to decide if she should tell her or not. “Valerie’s always listened
before. She’d most likely be the only one to believe me.” Emma
thought to herself.

“
Okay, um two days ago I
was sent home from work to get some rest. I fell asleep on the
couch, and had another dream. Only Eva’s voice was in it this time.
I was at a grave with my name on it. A

boney white hand with really
long black finger nails grabbed me. Then I saw the face, and pulled
my arm free. His nails cut me, and when I woke up the gashes were
here.” Emma showed her, her wrapped up wrist.

“
Let me see it.” Valerie
insisted.

Emma hesitated a moment then
slowly began to unwrap her wrist. Once the three gashes were
exposed Valerie gasped. She took hold of Emma’s arm to examine the
wounds better.

“
Oh Emma.” Valerie
whispered.

“
You believe me, don’t you
Valerie?” Emma asked.

She looked Valerie in the
eyes. Valerie could tell by the look in

Emma’s eyes that she wasn’t
lying.

“
Yeah.” Valerie
answered.

Emma’s fidgeting began once
again as she contemplated on asking her next question.

“
Valerie…” Emma trailed
off.

“
Yeah?” Valerie
replied.

“
Do you, do you think Death
ever makes a mistake?”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
Well maybe it was supposed
to be me.”

“
Emma don’t say
that.”

“
Why not? Maybe Death
mistook Eva for me; after all she was my twin.” Emma suggested as
she wrapped her arm back up. “Think about it, maybe that’s why he’s
coming for me in my dreams. I see his face every time I close my
eyes. I’m just afraid that the next time I open my eyes he’ll still
be there.”

“
Emma, this face in your
dreams, how do you know that it’s Death?” Valerie asked.

Emma shrugged then said, “I
just know.”

“
Okay, well I want to see
you again next week. If things don’t get any better call me and
I’ll work you in sooner.” Valerie said.

Emma nodded as she got up to
leave.

“
Emma?” Valerie
said.

Emma turned to look at
her.

“
I’m serious. And get some
rest. If you get any worse you’re going to have to go back to the
hospital.” Valerie said.

Emma got home and plopped
herself down on her couch and flipped on the T.V. “I can’t go to
sleep.” She thought to herself.

She began rocking her body
back and fourth. She was so tired. Emma kept getting up and walking
around to keep herself from falling asleep. Her body was now immune
to the caffeine.

Emma could feel herself
nodding off, and she kept getting weaker and weaker until she
finally fell asleep.

Once Emma closed her eyes
she instantly found herself back at the lake. “Oh great.” Emma
mumbled.

“
Emma, help me!” Eva cried.
Emma scanned the water until she saw her sister bobbing up and down
out in the middle of the lake. Emma was a little smarter this time,
she jumped in a row boat and rowed her way to her sister. But once
again by the time she made it to her sister, Eva was all ready
submerged.

“
Eva!” Emma screamed as she
looked over the side of the boat. She couldn’t see any sign of Eva.
She stuck her hand in the water trying to feel for her sister.
Something grabbed her arm and yanked her over the side of the boat,
and pulled her under the water. Emma struggled to break free, but
it was no use. The air was quickly draining from her lungs. She
turned to be face to face with what had a hold of her. It was
Death, she was face to face with his creepy white face.

She screamed, expelling her
last ounce of air. Instantly she began choking on the water. There
was a great pain in her chest. Her body struggled to breathe. Her
sight was beginning to blacken out. Emma woke up coughing
uncontrollably on her couch. Her chest still hurt, and when she
looked in the mirror her lips, and the skin around her mouth were
blue.

“
Oh my God!” she cried.
Then she ran to the phone.

Emma pulled out her little
phone book and dialed Valerie’s number. “Please answer, please
answer, please answer.” Emma whispered over and over, but it was
Valerie’s voice mail, so Emma left a message, “Hi Val this is Emma,
please call me as soon as you get this message, it’s really
important!”

Emma hung up the phone, and
staggered back to the couch.

“
What am I going to do? I
think I’m going crazy.” Emma whispered to herself as she rocked her
body back and fourth. She decided to go into the bathroom and
freshen up. She stood in front of the mirror realizing how horrible
she looked. She opened up the medicine cabinet and pulled out some
make up. Once she closed it the reflection of the creepy white face
was staring at her from the mirror.

Emma gasped as she dropped
the make up bottle on the floor, shattering it. He grinned at her
with his razor sharp yellow teeth. Emma could feel her heart
thudding in her chest. She clenched her fist and smashed it into
the mirror where his face was. She pulled her bloody hand away from
the mirror when she still could see his reflection in the shattered
pieces. She quickly turned to be face to face with
Death.

“
Leave me alone!” she cried
as she ran out of the bathroom slamming the door on him.

The phone rang. Emma rushed
to answer it.

“
Valerie?” Emma
gasped.

“
Emma what’s
wrong?”

“
Valerie? Death’s here!”
Emma cried.

“
Emma calm down.” Valerie
insisted.

“
He’s come to get me,
Valerie!” Emma cried.

“
Emma I’m going to send
some help okay?” Valerie asked.

Emma was silent.

“
Emma?” Valerie
asked.

Still silence. Death was out
of the bathroom and standing in front of Emma. “Emma, are you
there?” Valerie asked.

“
Death!” Emma
choked.

Death grabbed the phone cord
and wrapped it tightly around Emma’s neck. Emma frantically pulled
at the phone cord as she began choking and whimpering.

“
Emma! Oh God Emma!”
Valerie yelled.

She grabbed another line and
called 911.

The paramedics arrived to
find Emma’s body hanging from the ceiling by the phone cord. Her
lips were blue, and her eyes were red where the vessels had
popped.