The Row House -3

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A pool of red liquid sunk into my boots and I didn't need to look down to know that it was blood. Vicky's blood. How had this happened? She was there the whole time and I must have heard Vicky come in or at least the screams before she was unethically butchered into a box. Lila would be on her way, that was some hope. But what to do with Vicky? I closed my eyes, stretched my hand and closed it shut. Then I quickly skipped out of the room and locked it as well. It was a crime scene now, and the further I stayed, the more probable it becomes that I'm a suspect.
                         I walked over to the kitchen which was not covered in plastic like the rest of the house. It didn't need painting for the owners had renovated it and given it a rich burgundy color to the previous tenant. Hmmm, burgundy. Where had I seen this before? I walked around the kitchen, my boots making the only sounds I heard in the empty row house. And as I looked at everything around me, a wave of dèjà vu swept over me. We had been hunting houses just a few weeks back. But there was another time we searched homes. When I shifted out into this town, a couple of my college pals and I looked for a place.And one of them loved burgundy. She really wanted us to take this place just for it.
'What was her name?' I thought as I stared hard at the wall. I had seen this place before, these hills around the house should have triggered my memory strip but it hadn't. It hadn't because it wasn't a row house before. Somewhere in the back of mind a set of pictures, memories, smells replayed themselves and ended with her face.
'Heather.' I spoke out aloud.
'You remember now?' said a voice behind me. My spine ran its chills as I crossed my fingers. I knew that voice. I heard soft thumps behind me and then the pale creepy corpse came into view. It was Heather.
'You dared to come back to the same place after so many years?' she spoke. Her voice felt hollow, eerie and bloodless.
'How did you become.... this?' I mustered my strength and courage to ask her.
'Don't you know? I came and stayed out here... while you all left me to rot like this!' she yelled in a piercing tone.
'Heather, we told you. This place wasn't right from the minute we saw it. You know that.'
The conversation that followed was heated, revealed most of the queries that I had blocked for many years after her supposed death.
'Right, and what I didn't know was that this place has toxic levels so high to kill you! You knew that! And yet you didn't stop me when I took it out.' she stood beside me and I knew she was drilling her eyes into me.
'Look, the owners were different back then, they hadn't informed me either! Yes, I agree I knew there was something fishy. The neighbours spoke of some curse and demons but come on Heather, I swear to God I thought they were superstitions.
'Well they're not. Just look at me Riya!' She came to my full view and stood facing me.
'See how I've become! I can't even step out. People are scared of me! Even you were. It ruined my life, my dreams.' Heather was always one to fuss about little things and the reason to this fight was small, but she made sense. But I couldn't point a finger at myself for it.
'Heather, think over this rationally. What's happened has happened. But by living out here, you're becoming the monster you look like! You don't have to kill people, don't have to take revenge. Just start over... turn over a new leaf.' Maybe my words were too fast, but she got my point. I watched her closely as she held herself together. I knew I was winning.
'Listen, I'll come back and take you. We'll get you back to life, make you human again. But just forgive fate and let me? Don't let anyone see this creature you've become from the amazing girl that I used to know. What say?' I didn't wanna do it, but I laid a fleshy hand on her shoulder and gave a smile.
                           The sound of the door opening made me throw my head back into reality where there was a chopped up friend to deal with. Lila ran into the kitchen and caught me asking a dozen questions. Behind her the police swarmed in and I knew that they'd eventually find Vicky's box. But in my head, a happy melody was playing smoothly. I knew I'd give back the right life to Heather again with her burgundy kitchen... a new dream that I'd support her with...in the renovated yet not too promising row house.