THE JOURNEY OF SHEIRA HART

19 | I Almost Thought Dying The Second Time Doesn’t Sound So Bad

“Mikhael!” I called and he didn’t look at me. He can’t. Not when all those spikes were pointing towards him. 

“I can’t afford to get distracted now, Sheira darling,” he said and stared at Monica, not risking taking his eyes off of her.

“What are you going to do? Fight her head on?” 

Before I could even say another word, the hair spikes went flying in his direction. I remember myself screaming but Mikhael was fast enough to dodge it. He rolled to the side and I could have sworn he muttered something around ‘meatballs and tea parties’.  I was too shocked to move. I was too shocked to process everything. It was when Mikhael grabbed my hand and whipped a s***h of wind on Jacob’s back to tell him to run, that I realized Monica is coming after us. 

“I’m not fighting her head-on. We’re going to run,” Mikhael said, panting. Behind us, we could hear the sound of chairs falling as Monica trampled on them. Jacob was running with us maybe because she could feel our presence somehow. 

“But she’s going to trample this whole school!” I yelled as we continued to run down the quiet hallways. Monica’s shriek and the falling chairs were the only things we could hear. We turned right and down the stairs. 

“You can’t run away from me!” We heard Monica screamed and I covered my ears because of it. It wasn’t an ordinary scream. It was something that seeps deep into your ears until your head hurts. It was something annoyingly disturbing. 

“Your boyfriend can see Monica,” Mikhael said as we continued to run. 

“He could sense us too,” I continued and Mikhael didn’t say another word. We ran down the stairs until we reached the first floor. It was a good plan. Staying inside the building will only cause more damage. The soccer field was big enough for us to play tag. 

I looked back and grimaced at the wet floors. We reached the soccer field and stopped in the middle of it. I hitched a breath when I saw Monica more clearly under the lamp posts around. She’s a small woman. And her black hair wriggled, moving on their own accord. 

We were panting. And Jacob was wise enough to hide. We then heard heavy footsteps and the ray of light, which looked like it came from a flashlight. It was when the footsteps came closer that we realized it was the security. He flashed his flashlight on the wet ground as if a huge slime just passed by it. He crouched down, examining it. He gagged when he brought his finger to smell. Monica just chuckled as the security flashed his light on the slime that extended and stopped in the soccer field. He walked closer, towards where Monica was standing. 

“No,” I said and just watched the security get closer. Monica was just waiting there, waiting for the security to come close. A sound came out of my mouth when a thick strand of Monica’s hair slashed through the air and into the poor security, sending him flying across the field. 

“Humans are so weak,” Monica said followed by her creepy chuckle as she caressed her hair that just hit the security. “One flick of my wrist, I could send them flying across the room. If I willed it, I could kill them.” She then looked at us. “Ghosts are the same. I am a ghost too. Just a lot stronger than anyone.” She touched her hair and twirled it around her fingers. I looked at the security who was already unconscious. 

How are we going to stop her? We couldn’t do anything, other than run.

“It would be a pity to kill you both. Sheira, dear, I really think we can be good friends. It’s not too late, you know. I can still accept you as my friend.” Her smile was crooked as her gaze went to Mikhael. “You’re quite a handsome fella. It would be a waste to kill you here, too. Why don’t you both surrender and come with me? Stop hiding Jacob so I can kill him too.” 

I heard Mikhael chuckle. Then his chuckle turned into laughter. “I’m sorry, you sound so desperate it’s getting funny.” 

Monica furrowed her brows. 

“Who forces people into their lives? You’re just pathetic, Monica. Just stop this nonsense already.” 

Her fists were clenched and she somehow felt ever scarier than earlier. Then the next thing I knew was we were both covering our ears as she shrieked again. 

“That goddamned—“ Mikhael didn’t finish what he was about to say when we both crouched down as we saw her hair slicing in the air. 

“You don’t know anything!” She screamed and we ran to the other side as her hair slashed through the ground. I swallowed hard as I saw the impact of her hair to the ground. I have been choked and immobilized by her slimy hair, and I don’t ever want to be like that again. 

“You don’t know what it feels like to be abandoned!” She yelled and a strand of her hair might have scratched me that I felt my arm stung. She could truly hurt other ghosts. 

“You don’t know how it feels to be an outcast. I just wanted to have friends!” Another slice of her hair and we barely dodged it. “I just wanted to be friends!” Mikhael di Angelo groaned as he took a blow. It sent him flying across the field. 

“Mikhael!” I yelled but Monica took that as a chance to strike me too. 

It was painful. Air was knocked out of my system. I don’t know how to stop her. I don’t know what to do anymore. We are going to die at this rate. If it’s possible to die again, maybe it’s going to happen now. I tried to get up and go towards where Mikhael is. I looked at where Jacob was hiding and I couldn’t see him there. Did he run away? Good. Because he wouldn’t be able to do anything. He’ll just get killed. 

But then when I looked at where Monica was, I saw Jacob behind her, and before she could even react, Jacob swung the thick metal bar behind Monica’s head as hard as he could. But then it didn’t reach Monica’s head as her hair wrapped around the metal bar. 

“My, my, Jacob. I really thought we could be friends too.” She grinned and took the metal bar away from his grip. And then she swung it towards Jacob, hitting him in the head. 

“Jacob!” 

“You are just like anyone else. You’re like them. You looked at me as if I was the most disgusting person in the world. You looked at me as if you couldn’t stand me. It’s annoying. Friends don’t look at each other that way, Jacob.” She walked towards Jacob. I was about to stand when her hair hit me again, this time on my back. I groaned. I also heard Mikhael grunting as Monica whipped him with her hair. 

“No! Stop!” I yelled but it was futile as she continued to whip his back. 

“Stop it, Monica!” I ran in Mikhael’s direction but I was sent flying away when one of her strands hit my gut. I grunted as I stood. She continued whipping Mikhael’s back. I couldn’t see blood but I know it must have hurt. I looked at Jacob and she was doing the same thing to him. 

She’ll kill both of them at this rate. 

“Stop! I’ll go with you,” I rasped and I stood up. My knees were trembling. Hell, I am so scared. All those things I went through just ended up with me being tap buddies with a psycho Lolita girl. But I can’t let her kill Jacob. Not ever. 

“I’ll go with you. I’ll come with you. So please,” I breathed, “Please don’t hurt them anymore.” 

Her hair strands, which looked more like a black thick rope stopped mid-air. Ever so slowly, she looked at me and tilted her head. Her hair strands receded and I sighed as it stopped hitting both Jacob and Mikhael. 

“What did you say?” Her voice was soft, very different from the sharp, shrieking sound she made earlier. 

“I said,” I stood straight, “I will go with you so stop hurting them.” 

A smile curved her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes. 

“Liar,” she said. “I could smell the stench of your lies, Sheira. You don’t want to be with me. You’re just doing this to save your friends.” Her hair rose and I could see the spikes on it too. It was all up in the air and was all pointing towards me. 

“You don’t lie to your friends, Sheira. If you really wanted to be friends with me, you would do it not because of them. You’ll do it with all your heart.” She looked at the unconscious body of Mikhael and Jacob. 

“Monica, please,” I said. I knelt on the ground. I will save them. I will save Jacob. 

But Monica shook her head and her hair rose higher. But much to my horror, it wasn’t only pointed towards me. It was pointed to the three of us. 

“Monica, no!” 

“Too late, Sheira. Too late,” she said and her laugh echoed across the field. It was a loud and sharp shriek that seemed to penetrate my deepest being, making my head hurt. I closed my eyes, covered my ears, and crouched down. We’re dead. We are so dead. I don’t know if we’re going back to the Silver City or if we'll just disappear completely. I stopped thinking about it and just let myself feel miserable even for my last minutes. 

I don’t know if it will hurt, getting pierced by spiky hair. It sounded funny. If ever we all end up in the Silver City again and we find out that we were killed by spiky hair, I would probably laugh my ass off. It’s like a very lame way to die. 

I waited for the pain, or the punch in the gut I usually feel but nothing came. And now that I focused on my surroundings, I realized the shrieking was gone too. 

I looked around and saw Monica, stepping back. I furrowed my brows as I looked at her. Her eyes were filled with horror. Her hair became limp and it became white and dry. 

But what’s strange was she was frozen. She wasn’t even blinking. And then I saw a moth in front of me that just stopped flying midair. 

It was as if the world stopped. No. It did stop. And when I looked at what Monica was staring at, I dropped my jaw. 

The darkness seemed to creep close to him. Wisps of shadows coated his fingers. He was wearing a very elegant suit and his hair was so black, matching his black orbs. And they were looking at me. I blinked. 

“Did you dye your hair, Mr. Grim?” 

He raised his brow and stuffed his hands inside his pockets. He looked at my state and grimaced. 

“I am Thanis Grim. Do I know you?” 

“Huh?” 

He looked around and clicked his tongue as he saw Jacob, unconscious. 

“This psycho has caused me so much trouble. I was tracking you for so many years and you’re so good at concealing yourself,” he said as he looked at Monica. I don’t understand what is happening at all. He walked towards where Jacob was and with his finger, tapped Jacob’s head. He then walked to where the guard was and did the same. Next, he walked towards Mikhael and placed his palm on his back. It took him longer than the rest. He sighed and looked at me. 

Without a word, he placed his hands behind my back and I suddenly felt something warm and pleasant going inside me. I closed my eyes and felt all the damage Monica’s hair inflicted slowly healing. 

When he was done, he stood up and looked at me. He looked like Mr. Grim but he isn’t Mr. Grim that I know. And then I remembered Mr. Grim talking about a lot of other Grim Reapers. This man in front of me must be one of them. 

“You aren’t Mr. Grim from the Silver City.” 

He gave me a sharp look. “Sorry to disappoint you, Miss. I would appreciate it if you don’t mistake me as my brother again.” 

“You are brothers?” 

I know, it should be obvious because they have the same name and the resemblance is uncanny. I swallowed hard as I looked at him. He’s all about darkness, very opposite to Mr. Grim from the Silver City. Come to think of it, I didn’t get Mr. Grim’s first name. 

“As much as I hate my twin brother’s pets, I am thankful to you for provoking this murderer. If not for what you did, I would have never located her. She’s extremely skilled at hiding her presence.” 

I still couldn’t get the fact that I just met with Mr. Grim’s brother. Twin brother! And it’s quite amazing to see how different they are. Mr. Grim is all smiles and gives a very calm aura. While this man in front of me is very…

“I dare you to continue that thought.” He faced me. 

“Huh?” 

“I could read your mind like an open book. Continue that thought. I am what?” 

I suddenly want to get buried under the ground. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to say something bad to you, Mr. … Grim.” 

He was silent for a moment before he flicked his wrist and then Monica was gone. As if she turned into a mist. “What happened to her?” 

“Sent her to my city,” he casually said. He then pointed towards where Jacob and the security is. “They will not recall a moment that happened here. They’re fine too. Your companion is unconscious but also fine.” He then looked at me. “Are you on a mission or something?” 

 I nodded. He didn’t ask what mission and just stuffed his hand back into his pocket. “Whatever you do, don’t kill anyone. Or you’ll end up like Monica.” Darkness rippled around him. “And before I forget, tell my brother I said hi and I am waiting for his reply to my letter. Goodbye,” he said and disappeared. Before I could even say anything. 

And I realized, I almost died the second time.

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