Supernatural thriller | Rising fashion influencer Rhea is gearing up for her runway debut, but her perfect world is upended when she finds herself haunted by a ghostly doppelganger.
*****
Twenty-four-year-old Rhea Patel has it all-the career in fash...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The ghostly Nolan floated inches above the ground. Missing buttons on his dingy white shirt brought my attention to it and the rolled-up sleeves. His frail arms no longer displayed the attractive muscle and definition I had become used to.
The way the toes of his dress shoes scraped the ground as he moved toward me prompted me to back away, unable to tear my eyes from the horrid site before me.
"Stay with me." His disembodied voice groaned from behind him as if demanding instead of pleading. "We'll be together forever."
"What are you doing here?" I shook my head, confusion and fear causing my lips to tremble.
"I'm here for you. Only for you. Don't leave me, Rhea."
I backed away, keeping a gap between us. The distant sound of a machine beeping took my attention, and my eyes followed the noise. A light far ahead highlighted the hospital room with injured Rhea in bed. Her head remained wrapped in loose gauze as she continued to be surrounded by the same posters and pictures of get well wishes and support.
The beeping chimed from the machine connected to her, measuring her vitals. I imagined the beeps matched her heartrate, steady and ongoing.
My eyes connected with his sunken, dark eyes again. "Stay away from me, Nolan," I shouted. Words that should have left my lips years ago.
I rushed toward the brightly lit room to get away, but the more I ran, the further it seemed. And with every step, ghostly Nolan followed.
"You can't go. I won't let you." He followed behind, hovering inches from the ground like a half-deflated balloon attached to me by an invisible thread. "You belong here with me, and I'll make sure you'll stay this time."
I picked up speed to put more space between him and myself, hoping to step foot inside the brightly lit hospital room ahead. Still, no matter how hard I ran, how fast my feet were, the room evaded me.
As the injured Rhea lay in the hospital bed, covered in a white sheet from the neck down, her exposed arms and face seemed to be more transparent than the last time. What was happening? Why could I see the pillow she lay on through her earlobe?
Before I could let my thoughts register, Nolan pounced on me from behind and I hit the floor with a thud. I managed to roll over as he straddled me, pinning me down with an immense weight. "Get off of me!" I pushed at his chest, trying to knock him away.
"You're not leaving me this time," he growled through clenched teeth, although his lips never moved. He managed to grab my wrists and pin them to the ground at my sides.
"Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you." I pleaded with my eyes, hoping he would hear the pain and fear in my voice and take pity on me. "Just talk to me, Nolan. We can figure it out together. Okay?"
His sunken gaze locked onto me, sending a chill down my spine. He continued to keep me pinned under him but spoke. "Let her go and stay here with me." He looked up at the diminishing Rhea in the hospital bed. "She's almost gone. Let her go. Don't try to change it. Then I'll have you forever, like it's meant to be."
