The Ghost Story

Chapter 6

It's raining in the late noon of the quiet little town, pouring rain everywhere in a harsh manner. A car drives up to the old house down the road from the hotel and stops in the driveway. A man exits, holding an odd angled, crooked umbrella over himself and pulling something out of the front passenger seat. It's a bouquet of black and red roses. His boots slosh in the puddles of the sidewalk and he stops in front of the house, ever so gently placing the flowers on the door. "Happy birthday, Andy…me and Jake came up with a little money to get you something. He couldn't come this time, he's really sick right now.", the man says, in a hushed tone, "But you probably know that...you never really left us…". The man's name is Jinxx, he's one of the few people who was close to Andy before he reached death's door. He was also the one to find Andy first after he committed suicide, it was a pretty horrifying site. It was so awful that since he experienced seeing what he saw, he's been in therapy. And not just for the sight of Andy's death, but for the fact that Ashley has become abusive towards him and really everyone else since the suicide. The reason was the fact that he and the others were haunted, they're sure, by Andy. Ashley firmly believed it was everyone else's fault but his own. Maybe Jinxx himself deserves the torment, after all, he and the others might be the reason Andy took his life. Jinxx never found a note or anything that stated why Andy did what he did, he left nothing to tell them any reasons. This further pushed Ashley to believe what he believed because there isn't anything to prove him wrong. They knew he had been dealing with anxiety and a little depression before his death, but no one knew it could have been that bad. Why didn't Andy say anything about pain, or did he say something and they didn't recognize it? "You know Jinxx, maybe if you weren't so busy feeling sorry for yourself we wouldn't be in this mess.", A voice says. Of course, Jinxx immediately recognizes it. He decides to ignore what was said, "Happy birthday.", he whispers. "Don't wish me no d-mn happy birthday.", Andy hisses back in response, he knows Jinxx can't see him of course. At least as long as he makes himself invisible. With a sigh, Jinxx says,"I don't care how much you hate me, I'm telling you happy birthday.". A cold hand touches his back, Jinxx holds his umbrella tighter in response to it. "You all deserve everything you get.", Andy replies, Jinxx hearing his words cut his heart like a knife and twisted his inside his chest. He moves away from the coldness on his skin, "Andy, you can't keep blaming us forever for what you did to yourself. If you wanted to be saved, why didn't you ask us for help? It's not like we can read minds or immediately notice signs. We could have helped you if you just told us what was going on.". Jinxx's icy blue eyes brim slightly with tears. "Don't act like you're actually sorry, stop crying!", Andy's voice shouts, in an angered ghostly tone, "I know you guys wanted me to die. You ignored everything and watched me suffer.". Jinxx hesitates before snapping back in a very emotional manner, tears and mascara slipping down his pale cheeks, "Yes because I know for sure I f-cking did, I'll admit it! Even in your last moments I had to! I personally regret coming home late, d-mnit, I could have stopped you! You remind me of that everyday, that it's my fault you're gone!". He flashes back to how he found Andy when he got home from work. Hanging from a rope around his neck, from the ceiling fan. His eyes half closed and nearly lifeless as blood trickled down his chest and face. By the time Jinxx got him down, he was alive but by a sliver. The elder member had stayed with him and held him as he called 911, even though he already knew it was too late.  Andy's head hung at an awkward angle as Jinxx had held him of course, he choked slightly with what was left of his breathing before his lungs gave out. By the time the ambulance got there the young man was already far gone. Jinxx was covered in Andy's blood. Red covered the floor and the dead man himself as well. After they examined Andy's body, the morgue announced that the rope pulled him so hard it splintered the spine in his neck and broke through his skin due to his height and weight. All this caused a lot of bleeding as he hung there with his life slipping away. The doctors told Jinxx that if he had lived, he would never walk or talk or do anything at all ever again. If he had just been there earlier he could have saved him, right? After the incident, Jinxx moved in with CC. Him and CC were really close and he was the only one who could really comfort Jinxx without really getting angry at him since CC was a rather calm person at times like this, and of course they saw each other as brothers. Nothing more, nothing less. They still do, CC sees most of the band that way because he's just that friendly. "If it was just your fault, it would be only you I haunt.", The ghost speaks with a hint of sympathy, "Don't put all the blame on just yourself.". The damage is done, Jinxx breaks down and starts sobbing hysterically, "You really have no idea what we all went through after you ended it all! You may have lost your life but we lost someone we loved! You don't have to live with that hole there! We do!". A part of Andy feels bad seeing Jinxx cry the way he is, he tries to keep that sympathy locked away. But the anger isn't enough to keep him from somewhat comforting him, "Just shut up...just stop crying.". Jinxx sobs and lowers his head, his umbrella dropping and no longer shielding him from the rain. "Stop it, stop that, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!", Andy shouts, once again in an angry tone, "Don't cry… don't f-cking cry for me Jinxx! I'm already gone! I'm dead and there's nothing anyone can do about it now. Maybe before you could have but it's too late to do anything now!". Jinxx's makeup runs down his cheeks and face as the rain and his tears soak it away, he takes a shaky breath before picking his umbrella up and closing it. He wipes his eyes a little, they burn. "Happy birthday Andy…", he says, before he walks away from the house and enters his car.