Fog of Shadows

Part 29

How is this possible?" her voice shook as she stared at her friend. She looked so alive and felt so solid. She knew there was something wrong with her bodily fluids, but other than that, she was alive for all Alisea could judge. "Do not just stand there, tell me!" she let her tears flow freely.

"Alisea, please, let us just get back to the Inn and forget this ever happened." She tried to take a step closer to her friend, but Alisea only moved further away from her.

"No, not until you tell me the meaning of this!" at this point, Willow knew there was no way out of this situation.it was, with a heavy sigh, she relayed to Alisea her story.

"I was sick for such a long time and I was in so much pain; one day I just gave up. I was so tired and I was all alone; not even my parents wanted to come and see me. The moment I coughed up the blood they were gone and the man I loved deserted me; I had nothing left to live for. After I was buried, he brought me back to work for him."

"Who?" Alisea interrupted, she tried her hardest to understand the situation until a third party became involved. "Who brought you back?"

"The Gray Man." At this, Alisea's blood ran cold. She thought he was just the legend of the town and Flinn even told her how the legend came about if the story was true. The thought of such a monster actually existing and bringing people back from the dead, mortified her. Willow could read the unspoken question in her daughter's eyes.

"He brought me back because I could get people to open their doors for me, then I would open their windows for him. I wish I could go back and stop him from bringing me back; I have caused so much pain over the years." She quietly approached Alisea and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, feeling her shake by her touch.

"You have been dead for over half a century, why now do you think what he is doing is wrong?" a new look crossed her eyes. Alisea now looked at her friend with anger and disgust. "Why would you ever work for that vile creature?"

Willow began to lose her patience with her new daughter. "He brought me back. I was free of pain. He showed me kindness and he allowed me to take vengeance on those who chose to abandon me when I needed them most." Her fingers began to press down on Alisea's flesh. "I wanted to stop once all who abandoned me were gone, but he would not let me. I fled before I would hurt the innocent generation." At this, her new daughter shook her head.

"I do not believe you. You hurt others because you hated them. They were scared of your sickness and you hated that they were alive."

"So what if I did?" she hissed. Now her nails were starting to dig into Alisea's shoulders, but Alisea did not flinch from the pain.

"It makes you as vile as him!"

"No, it does not! These people here are evil selfish monsters that would abandon you without a second thought!" she no longer cared to mask her anger towards her new daughter. "How dare you compare me to them?"

"You are just like them; you cared only for your revenge. You never even gave it a thought of whom you sent to their death!" With that, Alisea practically tore Willows hands from her, sadly, Willow did not take kindly to that action. Having had enough of Alisea's rude behavior, she gave the young captain a hard shove. In that moment, she forgot about her other "little secret," which was the hole at the base of her headstone that she used, not just to escape from her grave, but also to drop extra victims for the gray man. The moment Alisea was swallowed by the earth, the weeds and vines covered the hole back up as if it never existed.

For a long while, she stood in front of that grave with her hands trembling. She did not even notice the skeletal figure approaching her from behind.