The Day I Died

Being stuck as a ghost is frustrating. Having to move around, seeing people you can't talk to, the food you can't eat, and the experiences you'll never have the pleasure of indulging in.

Stuck in limbo because you were taken before your time. I know you cannot relate, but perhaps you can sympathize with my plight.

Especially since I have to watch my killer enjoy life every damn day.

The day I died was a Monday, I think. Which is ironic because I always thought I would die on a Friday night after enjoying one last night as an old geezer at a pub. I never thought I'd be another unsolved murder case on Crime and Investigation, which was my best TV show.

I was heading for a job interview with my friend Sky. She was my best friend, although I had initially wanted us to be more. Guess I had to settle for what I could get. Nevertheless, it was a swell experience with Sky as a best friend.

That was why I told her about the job opportunity immediately I heard about it. XYX company had vacancies in a position we were more than qualified to apply for, being unemployed graduates. We both walked tom school that day, passing the house of Mr. Jenkins.

Mr. Jenkins had a daughter named Elsie, who, according to him, liked me but was heartbroken because I ignored her. On the day Elsie was involved in a car accident and died, she had come to visit me, but as usual, Sky was around. According to Mr. Jenkins, she was drunk while she drove on the slippery roads with reduced visibility.

Every time he saw Sky and me together, he would fume with rage and come out shouting at us. I knew he hated my guts and I steered clear of him as much as I could.

I also passed Fergus' house. He used to be the state Scrabble champion until I won him. According to him, I had a perfect life: the best grades, the hottest girl in school as a best friend. And all he had was Scrabble, which I took from him. When I passed his house, he was watering his front lawn. His noisy mother screamed his name, and as he looked up and saw me, his sneer was scary.

We both passed a Chinese restaurant as we were in a taxi. Sky suggested that we ate there after the interview. I obliged.

When we got to the company, the interview was a breeze for me. I was confident and smart. Sky was smart too, but according to her, she stuttered a little while she was being interviewed. We stayed a little while and got a tour of the place, and soon we were back at the office to get a couple of brochures before we left.

Right before we exited that office, I could swear I faintly heard "...gonna have to choose."

We stopped by the Chinese restaurant that day. I can't even remember what we ate, but I remember my fortune cookie was blank. Sky's cookie read "Opportunities await you. Take the wise step."

I complained to the waitress - it was petty but I felt weird about it, so I asked for another one.

That one was blank as well.

I left the shop a bit pissed off why Sky kept patting me on the back to calm down. I allowed her to take an Uber home, I needed an evening stroll and my house was about a quarter kilometer away.

I did notice two strange things that night.

Fergus' silhouette was visible in his bedroom window that night. I can't explain it, but I felt him leave the window as soon as I walked past. I quickened my pace.

Mr. Jenkins was sitting on his porch, smoking when I passed. He let out a burst of loud, eerie laughter which made my bones shiver. I became even hastier as I broke into a run, keeping it up just until I was two houses away from my house.

I couldn't hear anyone behind me. Only a car which stopped for a little while, and then breezed off. It looked oddly familiar.

Suddenly, I was bumped into from behind, and before I could react, a massive force hit my back hard. The world seemed to become warped, as sky and ground melted into one another. I could feel my lungs fill up with blood, and I could hear the heartbeat of my killer.

The shadow on the ground looked familiar.

Then I felt another hit on the right side of my chest, and then I knew that both of my lungs were going to collapse.

Then I knew I was going to die.

My vision became blurry as my assailant stepped over me and ran off, but something fell on my face.

A paper.

I was curious to see what it read, as I carried my shaky hands and brought it closer to my face in my very last action.

"Take the wise step," was all I could see before my vision went black.

I could feel a tired, worn smile forming on my face as I shoved the paper into my mouth with my last breath.