Story collaboration - Story Thread

[MoogleViper]

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I could feel the cold beating at my face, the freezing winter air filling my lungs, the bitter night tightening every inch of my skin as I persevered through the frigid wind. It was unusually cold for this time of year. An entire landscape engulfed in frost, twinkling like diamonds in the moonlight. The whole scene was eerily still save for the bitingly cold wind, and myself of course. I soldiered on, marching forwards with a steadfast resolve. The crisp ground crunching with each tenacious step. The ferocious wind fought back, trying desperately to deter me from continuing. But I persisted. I didn't care that my toes were going numb, or that my fingers felt like ice. None of that was important enough to slow me down. Not tonight.

 

In hindsight this was not the best night to do this. I had plenty of other opportunities that I should have taken but there was always some excuse. Now excuses were not a luxury I could afford. I tried to find comfort in the fact tonight would be the night this is resolved, but it didn't warm me as I'd hoped. Figuratively or otherwise. I tried to fight back these thoughts and focus on the journey ahead, fixating on the horizon instead of my own failures. The frosty landscape made it difficult to know exactly what was in front of me, but I knew the direction was correct. I knew if I kept going, I'd find my way to her. There was a voice inside of me saying I wouldn't find her but I hunched my shoulders over, buried my head in and carried on moving forwards.

 

Just the thought of seeing her again was enough to keep me motivated. Just to see the smile on her face would be wondrous, while through the sustained ice-cold grimace on mine, I was left feeling ponderous. Would she even want to see me? It doesn't matter at this point, I thought to myself, just go to her. Staggering forward either through bravery or stubbornness - I did not care which at this point - each of my steps feeling substantially heavier than the last. Surely only a bit farther? I thought to myself, knowing full well that I was probably only half-way there. The sheer will to carry on despite the substantial force of nature in my path only further served to remind me that this extreme trial would be worthwhile, she is most definitely worth enduring extreme punishment for. Masochistic I may be but the fire within me burns too brightly to be extinguished by this temporary feeling of frigid isolation.

 

It felt like hours before I reached our meeting point but I know it had only taken one. The snow and the cold had made it a difficult and perilous journey. As I approached the small, isolated cabin I felt relieved. I could see a warm glow through the windows which meant the fire was roaring. Not only would it be warm inside but it meant she would be in there. I waited on the door step for a minute but again it felt like hours. What will I say to her? I thought. Somehow I summoned the courage to go inside and the door creaked open as soon as I touched it. The interior of the cabin came slowly into view as the door opened and I couldn't believe what I saw... she wasn't there.

 

I closed the door, and examined the room. Nothing immediately struck me as odd, well apart from her not being there. Despite knowing better, I checked every closet in the cabin. I even checked under the bed.. Of course she was nowhere to be found. She's not known for playing silly games. I was slightly getting worried. There's nothing of interest in the immediate area. If she left to go to the village, I would have met her half way. But she wouldn't leave the fire burning. Maybe she went to the forest to collect firewood? But she had plenty supply left.. There was nothing left for me to do but wait, and hope she returned. As I sat myself into her armchair, a black book on the table besides it got my attention.. I picked it up, and flicked through it, but all the pages were blank. It was at that point the fire stopped burning. All went dark, save for some moonlight shining through the window. I put the book back on the table, and despite the scarce light, I was able to find some matches and light the few candles in the room. Once again I sat myself in the armchair, and once again I noticed the black book besides me.. The book I was sure I closed before I put it back on the table. The book I was sure all pages of it were blank, or at least the pages I've seen. Two words could now be read on the left page: "save me".

 

What could those two words mean "save me". That could cross over many things. Could it be about money, life or necessities. As I kept scrolling the pages through to see if there was any other clues as to what this could be, I came across another page with more words. "I need help" was scrawled across the page. Still unsure about the mystery of the book and why it had many blank pages and only two with words on, I put it back onto the table and contemplated what would happen next. Eyes became heavy, and before too long I fell asleep in the armchair. I was awoken by a sudden noise just outside, it was morning at last. Thinking this was the other half returning, I stepped outside to investigate the noise. Nothing was to be found, except a knocked over bin and some footprints leading to and from the cabin. Deciding to investigate, the path I chose was the footprints away from the cabin. These lead back in the direction of the village.

 

I follow the footprints leading to the village. I walk through the trees and into the wood, obscuring the view of the village. Different trunks and twisted branches try to block my way through and yet I can still see the footprints in the snow. I walk on and as I go deeper into the wood, the snow starts to evaporate before me. I look behind me to see it snow and yet in front of me, the snow is melting away from under me. I carry on deeper into the wood. My heart is pounding hard against my chest. I just need to see my love one more time, to know she’s alright and I need for her to know that I’m coming for her.

Suddenly I stumble. A root that was sticking out from the ground had caught my foot and I stumble onto a tree trunk. It feels wet and the smell of metal instantly hits me. I pull myself away to find blood on the tree. Attached to the tree was a single page and on that single page was a message, scribbled in blood: "KILL FOR ME”.

 

I sat up against the tree and clutched the torn page. Staring at the paper, I read the 3 words again and again, over and over. 'Kill for me'. Was it her handwriting? It was difficult to tell. If not hers, then whose? Were these mystery notes even meant for me?

Forcing the questions out of my mind I slowly picked myself up and breathed in the cold air, taking a minute to think about what had unfolded so far. It was hardly how I'd imagined the evening would go when I set out all those hours ago.

With a steely exhale, and realising the snowy foot print trail that had led me here had ended, I gritted my teeth and continued back in the direction of the village. I now knew that I had to find Rachel.

The wind had subsided somewhat, and the treacherous icy surrounding that made the earlier journey difficult, was an unusually welcome setting to help me gather my thoughts. The cold air was refreshing, and went a long way to ease the sting of my fresh wound.

I quickened my pace, and thought to where she might be. As the blood red images flicked through my mind, one after the other, I tried to decipher their meaning. 'Save me.' 'I need help.' 'Kill for me.'

Each felt more chilling than the last. But it was 'kill for me' that lingered in my mind the longest.

When and if I do find Rachel, how would I tell her that I already have?

 

My mind flipped a switch and suddenly the scenery changed. Recollections of the past erased the frozen, white water I had walked through, replaced the path to the village I was wandering on and put me on a trip down memory lane.

 

The sun was about to set as I went down the street to get some bourbon. I needed a drink to calm my nerves, though the last day and the following night had not been that bad.

My feelings for a woman had crossed this tiny threshold which makes your pulse race for hours and you just know nothing can stop you from being happy.

 

"kill for me"

 

I had left her apartment in the early hours of morning and it felt like the sun in my heart was rising synchronously with the giant ball of fire in the sky. With a huge grin that would make you uncomfortable when you saw it on a stranger's face I had made my way towards my place. I passed a newspaper stand, took a glance at some headlines and suddenly – without any kind of warning – the knife which I used to carefully cut that guy's trachea penetrated my thoughts. The image calmly placed itself behind my retinas and stayed there until I reached my condo.

My grin did not fade as I slammed the door shut.

 

The sound tore my imagination apart and I snapped back into reality. Echoes reached hair cells in my inner ear and after the final, almost silent blast through the chochlea I realized: I have heard this noise before.

 

SLAM! The barman placed my drink in front of me and I lost my train of thought. I'm not sure I wanted to remember it anyway... I took my time to enjoy the bourbon as I had managed to calm down on my own by now. I looked around the bar, taking in the atmosphere and the clientele. My eyes settled on a man sat at the other end of the bar. His hair was windswept and his face was red. I looked down to his shoes and saw a final clump of snow drop into a small puddle of water under his bar stool. I caught his eye and his reaction told me everything. This was the man whose footprints I had followed to get here.

 

I took my drink, and walked to a quiet corner of the bar. Well, most of the bar was quiet, it was still early. But for some people, it's never too early of course. People like me. People like him. I'm a regular here, but I've never seen him before. We glared at eachother for a while, before he tried to ignore me. I had the waitress bring him a drink to get his attention again. Finally he walked up to me. We glared some more at each other, before I say "Take a seat". He reluctantly did so. I take the torn page I found on the tree out of my pocket, and hand it over.

"What's the meaning of this?", I asked.

"I think you know more about it than I do", he answered.

"If that were the case, I wouldn't have followed you to this bar. What were you doing at the cabin?"

"I..", he stumbles. He was visibly terrified. I wondered if I'll get much out of him. I was already contemplating what to do with him to.. encourage him. I guessed I should start with a warning.

"If you've done anything to her, I swear you'll pay for it. Start talking either way."

"I have little to say. My life is forfeit anyway."

"And why would you say that?", I ask.

"Because you're a murderer."

 

"But how can this be?" I think to myself "How could he know?" but then... why would this man be telling me this if it's not true?. As I gaze deep into my drink as I swirl the dark liquor from left to right, watching as the liquid sloshes around the sides of the glass, as I lose myself in this moment the colour turns from dark brown to a somehow more familiar hue of dark red as I go to take another sip; aghast at this my fingers trembling I drop the glass as it shatters on the hard floor beneath me; something has 'snapped' inside my mind.

 

Suddenly I'm back in the bar but the other man is nowhere to be seen, I hastily leave the place as there is nothing for me here any more, none of this is helping me in my search for my beloved Rachel who I'm not even certain is even... no! I must abandon these fleeting thoughts, she's out there somewhere... I must not let my imagination get the better of me. I carry on once more into the bitterly cold conditions, as I wander, I ponder at the thought of having to face her once again; fighting through the blizzard once more I can see a figure running away from me in the distance, I think it's the man who I met only moments ago in the bar so it seems that he hadn't got very far, my pace quickens and even though the temperature is sub-zero outside I can feel the heat rising inside of me, my blood boiling, the haze of the heat rushing to my head as I visualise the figure I'm chasing after.

 

I want him to be dead.

 

“Help me” a voice screams from the next room. A voice I recognise. A voice I love more than any other. Rachel's voice.

 

I charge through the door, disregarding any danger to myself, my mind focused on a single objective. Save Rachel. As I burst into the room I'm greeted with the sight of my beloved, ensnared in the arms of the man from the bar. A cold, shining blade pressed delicately against the soft skin of her throat.

 

“You should have stayed away, you shouldn't have killed him!” he snarled, plunging the blade into my sweet love.

 

A sea of red begins to cascade down her dress as she slowly drops to the floor. I try to reach out to her, but I'm frozen, unable to move. As the whole scene turns red, she gargles four words to me, “you didn't save me”.

I awake with a start, drenched in sweat. It take me a few moments to collect my thoughts and come to my senses. As the morning sun begins to creep through the curtains I try to take stock of that dream, that nightmare. What did it mean? Is Rachel really in danger? Perhaps it meant nothing.

 

My head is still swirling as I get up. I still need to make sense of it all, but the dream can wait.

 

 

1. MoogleViper

2. Ashley

3. S.C.G

4. The Peeps

5. Sméagol

6. Jimbob

7. Animal

8. Aneres11

9. drahkon

10. The Peeps

11. Sméagol

12. S.C.G

13. MoogleViper

 

 

I could feel the cold beating at my face, the freezing winter air filling my lungs, the bitter night tightening every inch of my skin as I persevered through the frigid wind. It was unusually cold for this time of year. An entire landscape engulfed in frost, twinkling like diamonds in the moonlight. The whole scene was eerily still save for the bitingly cold wind, and myself of course. I soldiered on, marching forwards with a steadfast resolve. The crisp ground crunching with each tenacious step. The ferocious wind fought back, trying desperately to deter me from continuing. But I persisted. I didn’t care that my toes were going numb, or that my fingers felt like ice. None of that was important enough to slow me down. Not tonight.

 

 

@Ashley up next

Edited January 25, 2015 by MoogleViper

[Ashley]

In hindsight this was not the best night to do this. I had plenty of other opportunities that I should have taken but there was always some excuse. Now excuses were not a luxury I could afford. I tried to find comfort in the fact tonight would be the night this is resolved, but it didn't warm me as I'd hoped. Figuratively or otherwise. I tried to fight back these thoughts and focus on the journey ahead, fixating on the horizon instead of my own failures. The frosty landscape made it difficult to know exactly what was in front of me, but I knew the direction was correct. I knew if I kept going, I'd find my way to her. There was a voice inside of me saying I wouldn't find her but I hunched my shoulders over, buried my head in and carried on moving forwards.

[S.C.G]

Just the thought of seeing her again was enough to keep me motivated. Just to see the smile on her face would be wondrous, while through the sustained ice-cold grimace on mine, I was left feeling ponderous. Would she even want to see me? It doesn't matter at this point, I thought to myself, just go to her. Staggering forward either through bravery or stubbornness - I did not care which at this point - each of my steps feeling substantially heavier than the last. Surely only a bit farther? I thought to myself, knowing full well that I was probably only half-way there. The sheer will to carry on despite the substantial force of nature in my path only further served to remind me that this extreme trial would be worthwhile, she is most definitely worth enduring extreme punishment for. Masochistic I may be but the fire within me burns too brightly to be extinguished by this temporary feeling of frigid isolation.

[The Peeps]

It felt like hours before I reached our meeting point but I know it had only taken one. The snow and the cold had made it a difficult and perilous journey. As I approached the small, isolated cabin I felt relieved. I could see a warm glow through the windows which meant the fire was roaring. Not only would it be warm inside but it meant she would be in there. I waited on the door step for a minute but again it felt like hours. What will I say to her? I thought. Somehow I summoned the courage to go inside and the door creaked open as soon as I touched it. The interior of the cabin came slowly into view as the door opened and I couldn't believe what I saw... she wasn't there

Edited January 11, 2015 by The Peeps
(spelling)

[Sméagol]

I closed the door, and examined the room. Nothing immediately struck me as odd, well apart from her not being there. Despite knowing better, I checked every closet in the cabin. I even checked under the bed.. Of course she was nowhere to be found. She's not known for playing silly games. I was slightly getting worried. There's nothing of interest in the immediate area. If she left to go to the village, I would have met her half way. But she wouldn't leave the fire burning. Maybe she went to the forest to collect firewood? But she had plenty supply left.. There was nothing left for me to do but wait, and hope she returned. As I sat myself into her armchair, a black book on the table besides it got my attention.. I picked it up, and flicked through it, but all the pages were blank. It was at that point the fire stopped burning. All went dark, save for some moonlight shining through the window. I put the book back on the table, and despite the scarce light, I was able to find some matches and light the few candles in the room. Once again I sat myself in the armchair, and once again I noticed the black book besides me.. The book I was sure I closed before I put it back on the table. The book I was sure all pages of it were blank, or at least the pages I've seen. Two words could now be read on the left page: "save me".

[Jimbob]

What could those two words mean "save me". That could cross over many things. Could it be about money, life or necessities. As i kept scrolling the pages through to see if there was any other clues as to what this could be, i came across another page with more words. "I need help" was scrawled across the page. Still unsure about the mystery of the book and why it had many blank pages and only 2 with words on, i put it back onto the table and contemplated what would happen next. Eyes became heavy, and before too long i fell asleep in the armchair. I was awoken by a sudden noise just outside, it was morning at last. Thinking this was the other half returning, i stepped outside to investigate the noise. Nothing was to be found, except a knocked over bin and some footprints leading to and from the cabin. Deciding to investigate, the path i chose was the footprints away from the cabin. These lead back in the direction of the village.

[Beast]

I follow the footprints leading to the village. I walk through the trees and into the wood, obscuring the view of the village. Different trunks and twisted branches try to block my way through and yet I can still see the footprints in the snow. I walk on and as I go deeper into the wood, the snow starts to evaporate before me. I look behind me to see it snow and yet in front of me, the snow is melting away from under me. I carry on deeper into the wood. My heart is pounding hard against my chest. I just need to see my love one more time, to know she’s alright and I need for her to know that I’m coming for her.

Suddenly I stumble. A root that was sticking out from the ground had caught my foot and I stumble onto a tree trunk. It feels wet and the smell of metal instantly hits me. I pull myself away to find blood on the tree. Attached to the tree was a single page and on that single page was a message, scribbled in blood: "KILL FOR ME”.

[Aneres11]

I sat up against the tree and clutched the torn page. Staring at the paper, I read the 3 words again and again, over and over. 'Kill for me'. Was it her handwriting? It was difficult to tell. If not hers, then whose? Were these mystery notes even meant for me?

Forcing the questions out of my mind I slowly picked myself up and breathed in the cold air, taking a minute to think about what had unfolded so far. It was hardly how I'd imagined the evening would go when I set out all those hours ago.

With a steely exhale, and realising the snowy foot print trail that had led me here had ended, I gritted my teeth and continued back in the direction of the village. I now knew that I had to find Rachel.

The wind had subsided somewhat, and the treacherous icy surrounding that made the earlier journey difficult, was an unusually welcome setting to help me gather my thoughts. The cold air was refreshing, and went a long way to ease the sting of my fresh wound.

I quickened my pace, and thought to where she might be. As the blood red images flicked through my mind, one after the other, I tried to decipher their meaning. 'Save me.' 'I need help.' 'Kill for me.'

Each felt more chilling than the last. But it was 'kill for me' that lingered in my mind the longest.

When and if I do find Rachel, how would I tell her that I already have?

Edited January 13, 2015 by Aneres11

[drahkon]

My mind flipped a switch and suddenly the scenery changed. Recollections of the past erased the frozen, white water I had walked through, replaced the path to the village I was wandering on and put me on a trip down memory lane.

 

The sun was about to set as I went down the street to get some bourbon. I needed a drink to calm my nerves, though the last day and the following night had not been that bad.

My feelings for a woman had crossed this tiny threshold which makes your pulse race for hours and you just know nothing can stop you from being happy.

 

"kill for me"

 

I had left her appartment in the early hours of morning and it felt like the sun in my heart was rising synchronously with the giant ball of fire in the sky. With a huge grin that would make you uncomfortable when you saw it on a stranger's face I had made my way towards my place. I passed a newspaper stand, took a glance at some headlines and suddenly – without any kind of warning – the knife which I used to carfeully cut that guy's trachea penetrated my thoughts. The image calmly placed itself behind my retinas and stayed there until I reached my condo.

My grin did not fade as I slammed the door shut.

 

The sound tore my imagination apart and I snapped back into reality. Echoes reached hair cells in my inner ear and after the final, almost silent blast through the chochlea I realized: I have heard this noise before.

[The Peeps]

SLAM! The barman placed my drink in front of me and I lost my train of thought. I'm not sure I wanted to remember it anyway... I took my time to enjoy the bourbon as I had managed to calm down on my own by now. I looked around the bar, taking in the atmosphere and the clientele. My eyes settled on a man sat at the other end of the bar. His hair was windswept and his face was red. I looked down to his shoes and saw a final clump of snow drop into a small puddle of water under his bar stool. I caught his eye and his reaction told me everything. This was the man whose footprints I had followed to get here.

[Sméagol]

I took my drink, and walked to a quiet corner of the bar. Well, most of the bar was quiet, it was still early. But for some people, it's never too early of course. People like me. People like him. I'm a regular here, but I've never seen him before. We glared at eachother for a while, before he tried to ignore me. I had the waitress bring him a drink to get his attention again. Finally he walked up to me. We glared some more at each other, before I say "Take a seat". He reluctantly did so. I take the torn page I found on the tree out of my pocket, and hand it over.

"What's the meaning of this?", I asked.

"I think you know more about it than I do", he answered.

"If that were the case, I wouldn't have followed you to this bar. What were you doing at the cabin?"

"I..", he stumbles. He was visibly terrified. I wondered if I'll get much out of him. I was already contemplating what to do with him to.. encourage him. I guessed I should start with a warning.

"If you've done anything to her, I swear you'll pay for it. Start talking either way."

"I have little to say. My life is forfeit anyway."

"And why would you say that?", I ask.

"Because you're a murderer."

[S.C.G]

"But how can this be?" I think to myself "How could he know?" but then... why would this man be telling me this if it's not true?. As I gaze deep into my drink as I swirl the dark liquor from left to right, watching as the liquid sloshes around the sides of the glass, as I lose myself in this moment the colour turns from dark brown to a somehow more familiar hue of dark red as I go to take another sip; aghast at this my fingers trembling I drop the glass as it shatters on the hard floor beneath me; something has 'snapped' inside my mind.

 

Suddenly I'm back in the bar but the other man is nowhere to be seen, I hastily leave the place as there is nothing for me here any more, none of this is helping me in my search for my beloved Rachel who I'm not even certain is even... no! I must abandon these fleeting thoughts, she's out there somewhere... I must not let my imagination get the better of me. I carry on once more into the bitterly cold conditions, as I wander, I ponder at the thought of having to face her once again; fighting through the blizzard once more I can see a figure running away from me in the distance, I think it's the man who I met only moments ago in the bar so it seems that he hadn't got very far, my pace quickens and even though the temperature is sub-zero outside I can feel the heat rising inside of me, my blood boiling, the haze of the heat rushing to my head as I visualise the figure I'm chasing after.

 

I want him to be dead.

[MoogleViper]

“Help me” a voice screams from the next room. A voice I recognise. A voice I love more than any other. Rachel's voice.

 

I charge through the door, disregarding any danger to myself, my mind focused on a single objective. Save Rachel. As I burst into the room I'm greeted with the sight of my beloved, ensnared in the arms of the man from the bar. A cold, shining blade pressed delicately against the soft skin of her throat.

 

“You should have stayed away, you shouldn't have killed him!” he snarled, plunging the blade into my sweet love.

 

A sea of red begins to cascade down her dress as she slowly drops to the floor. I try to reach out to her, but I'm frozen, unable to move. As the whole scene turns red, she gargles four words to me, “you didn't save me”.

I awake with a start, drenched in sweat. It take me a few moments to collect my thoughts and come to my senses. As the morning sun begins to creep through the curtains I try to take stock of that dream, that nightmare. What did it mean? Is Rachel really in danger? Perhaps it meant nothing.

 

My head is still swirling as I get up. I still need to make sense of it all, but the dream can wait.

[Aneres11]

It took me a couple of seconds to realise that the shower was running cold. I've made that mistake before, and nearly given myself an injury jumping back in horror at the unwelcome barrage of sharp water.

Today though, it didn't bother me.

I didn't last long, sense finally prevailing, and I got out and dried myself off.

Catching my reflection in the mirror, I knew i'd looked better.

People had always commented on my looks. I never saw it myself, but then self appreciation was never a strong point of mine.

I've always had olive skin, thanks to my Italian parents and heritage, and the dark hair and eyes naturally came with it. I was well built, in part because of all the labouring work I did during my teenage years throughout my school and college life, as well as being a keen rower during university. Where my 6ft 2 height came from is a mystery, but I was always thankful for it. My height was one of Rachel's favourite things about me. But then when your close to 6 foot without heels yourself it was always going to be favourable.

I threw on some clothes and headed down stairs.

"Rachel" I called.

"Rach are you in?"

No response.

'Odd', I thought. It was just after 7am, and it was Saturday. Rachel never got up early on a Saturday morning. I did a quick check of the living room and kitchen. Both empty. My mind and pulse began to race slightly, as the dream of last night flickered in my mind. The bits I could remember anyway. The blood, the strange cabin, all the snow, the death... I told myself to stay calm as I walked to the hall, checking the notepad by the phone to see if any note had been left. None.

I darted up stairs to pick up my mobile phone that had been charging overnight by the bed. Rachel would have messaged if she was leaving the house early, surely. I unlocked the phone. No message. No voicemail. I dialled her number and called, but what I didn't want to happen, happened.

"Hi you've reached Rachel, sorry I can't take your call but if you leave a mess..."

"Shit!" I said, cutting the voicemail off.

I began to feel uneasy. I needed to let some light in, to get some clear perspective on what was going on.

I moved to the window and threw the curtains open.

My body stiffened at the unexpected but familiar sight. My mind was right back to that horrible nightmare at what was before me. The whole village was covered in snow.

[Beast]

I walk out of the door and into the snow-covered nightmare. I look around me to see if there were any signs of life but alas, there were none. I look down on the snow to see if the snow would make Rachel's presence clear but all I see around me is virgin snow.

I tread carefully, the snow beneath my feet making a crunching sound as I walk. I edge slowly out of the house, approaching the end of my garden. The village looks like it hasn't had anyone here for a while.

My heart begins to beat fast and hard, the hairs on the back of my neck raise and for some reason, I have the sense that something is very wrong.

I want to yell out her name, call her, scream for her but my voice fails me. My survival instincts kick in. What if there's danger or trouble ahead? What if they have weapons, waiting to hurt you or even kill you? These bastards might lead you to Rachel...

I take a deep breath, the cold air filling my lungs with a sharp, fresh feeling as I inhale. I step forward to find a figure in the middle of the road.

A woman in a wedding dress. Her hair flows down to her shoulders and her dress is as white as the snow. I can only see the back of her, she's facing the opposite way. Instantly, my mind wanders to Rachel and one of the last, normal discussions we had. We talked heatedly about marriage and children. She wanted it all right now but I told her we weren't financially ready. I remember her crying because it was her dream to have her own family and she felt like I was holding her back from that. I remember her slamming the door behind her and not coming back to me for hours.

In my heart though, I knew it wasn't Rachel and yet I couldn't escape the thought.

"Do you like it?" I hear the sweet, angelic voice say. "Do you like my dress? I got it for you"

Instantly, the pure-white dress starts to turn red on the back, specifically in the middle.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"Oh look, it's changed colour. This isn't the one I wanted. I've ruined the surprise for you" she says calmly and monotonous.

"Who are you?!" I shout a little louder.

"You should know me. I'm the very thing that frightens you. I'm the reason why you feel guilty"

"What are you talking about? I don't feel--" I try to finish the words but I'm overwash with guilt, jealousy and fear. I shake my head hard to try and make the feelings go away but they stay in my head.

I walk towards the woman quickly, feeling brave.

"Look, I've had just about enough of this shit! WHO ARE YOU!" I say.

I get close to the woman and reach my hand out when she turns to face me.

I gasp, I didn't expect this. I didn't expect this at all.