A Century of Loneliness

Chapter 12: I'm Still Here

Jamie P.O.V

When I open my eyes I see that I am at home. I'm in bed where I thought that I had died. I am confused as to why I am still at home.

'Aren't I dead? I look completely fine, but I swore that I died. It was so excruciatingly painful. Surely I must be dead.'

I look around the room to see things are mostly the way I left them, but the door is broken from its hinges. I find that to be strange.

I walk around the house and see that much of it is burned and that the front window is shattered. There is also dried blood on a piece of the glass which is concerning.

Other than the damage from the fire everything seems to be in order, except for the fact that my silver ring has gone missing. I never take it off. I begin to search for it in the bedroom in case it has simply fallen off during my rest, but it is not there.

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. I will find it later, but right now I want to tell Elizabeth that I am, surprisingly, all right. I don't want her to worry any more than she has to.

I leave my house and walk down the street. I'm headed towards Elizabeth's house. I walk down the street and see someone else walking towards me. They aren't moving even though they are looking right at me. I find it strange, but figure they will move before we bump into each other.

They get closer and closer and end up walking right through me. Through me. It feels very strange to me. I glance back at them to see that they shiver even though it is spring time. They shouldn't be cold.

For some reason, I do not feel surprised. It almost feels right. Perhaps this is the way things were meant to be after all.

'I should have known that this wasn't normal. Last night I was severely beaten and burned alive. Now today I'm fine and alive? It's not possible.'

I sigh and look forward towards Lizzy's house. I no longer see the point of going to talk to her. She will not talk to me or even see me. There is no point.

I walk in the opposite direction and stay that way for a long time. I'm not sure what to do now.

'Why am I not in Heaven or Hell? I would like to have that explained. I thought that when you died that you would meet God or be sent to Satan. I'm still here. Perhaps it's a punishment; my own purgatory.'

As I walk I see someone run by me. I barely got a glimpse of them. Now I am curious. I turn around and make out the small figure as being Elizabeth. I wonder why she is running, so I decide to follow her.

She continues to run until she reaches my house. I'm a bit confused as to why she would choose my house, but then I realize that she probably hasn't accepted the fact that I'm gone. She got to say goodbye, but that doesn't mean she was ready. Perhaps she wasn't.

Lizzy enters the house slowly. It's obvious that the place isn't exactly safe anymore, so I could see why she would be hesitant. I would be too if I were her.

She sits down in the middle of the floor. I can see that she is upset. I sit in front of her, although I know that she will not be able to see me. As long as I'm here with her I feel as though I will be able to help, even if she doesn't realize it.

"Oh Jamie, it's all my fault... I wish you were still here... I need you," Lizzy says softly, a tear traveling down her face.

It hurts me to see her cry. Even when I'm dead I don't want to see her upset. I want to see her happy. She has to move on eventually. She can't be hung up on my death for forever. She'll have to move on eventually. I won't let her be held back because of this.

I try to wipe her tears, but my hands end up phasing through her face. I wish that I could touch her to give her a sign, but unfortunately, it seems as though I can't. She'll never know that I'm right in front of her.

Lizzy shivers and hugs herself after a moment. She looks around the room and sees that it is empty. It's only empty because she can't see that I'm right in front of her face.

It's quiet for a few moments. Lizzy is warming herself up with her hands. I think about how I touched her and she became cold. I also remember that the person on the street became cold after I touched them as well. Perhaps that can be a way I communicate with her in the future if she figures out that I am causing the change in temperature.

It would be nice if Lizzy could still have a way to communicate with me. I don't want to lose her as I friend. I want her to know that this is not her fault. I'm not going to let her believe that she caused my death. She didn't know that her father would react like that. She could have never predicted that.

I look at her hands and notice my ring on her finger. That explains where it's been. I'm glad that she has it. It will be safe with her. There is no one I would rather have it. Hopefully, it will help her remember me during the best of our times together. That's what I want her to remember.

"If only I had waited... If only I could keep a secret... If only I hadn't said anything... Then you would still be here," she scolds herself.

"I'm still here."

Lizzy looks up, her eyes wide with surprise. Now I am confused.

'Did she hear me?'