Week 340 – Undead

The world swirled around her.

The sensation sickening.

Alannah remembered the last time she’d felt like this. Like she was trapped in a rip tide being dragged out to sea. The beach was her favorite place in the whole entire world, a place she used to share with the man she loved, the man she was going to marry. Wilson had hated the ocean and the sand, but he went for her, to make her happy.

Three years ago Wilson had been ripped away from her. Killed just days before their wedding.

He hadn’t been in the house she had run to seeking help.

He hadn’t grabbed her and slammed her agains the wall when she entered the code and walked inside the house of the person who was supposed to help her.

He hadn’t stared at her with his usual eyes that were so pale a shade of blue that they appeared white.

He wasn’t among the undead, he was just dead dead.

He wasn’t here.

He wasn’t holding her like he loved her.

Because if he really was alive and he had allowed her to live three hellish years believing the love of her life was gone then he had never loved her at all.

“Lani, wake up, baby,” his voice crooned and she felt his fingers sweep across her neck, stroking her skin like he used to when she was having a panic attack and he wanted to soothe her.

Choking on a sob, Alannah bolted upright, scrambled off the couch she had been laid out on when she fainted, and backed up until she was against the wall.

Wilson really was standing there. There were scars on the bare skin of his chest, on his hands, and his face. There was pain in his expression along with something she refused to acknowledge because his death had almost broken her and he obviously was not dead.

“Baby, I’ll explain, I swear,” he said, walking slowly towards her, palms up, tone soothing.

Only it didn’t soothe.

It was gasoline being added to the fire sparking inside her.

“Stay away from me you monster,” she screamed, slapping his cheek as soon as he came within striking range. The sting on her palm only reminded her that this man had caused her more pain than anyone else ever had, and she hated him every bit as much as she had once loved him.