Crazy how I have never given a second thought to dying. But dying in the place of someone I love seems like a good way to go out, right? 

Thursday, November 12, 2021

Ali’s POV…..

I woke up a mess in the morning, with my silky blonde hair a rats nest. I checked the time, 6:37. I groaned, I didn’t want to be late for school again! I rushed to get my clothes on. I threw on a gold hoodie and my favorite pair of ripped jeans. I rushed over to my desk and put in my contacts, making my eyes go from chocolate brown to ocean blue. I blink a couple times to get the contacts in place. “I think this will do.” I tell myself. I quickly run downstairs, shove one of my mom’s donuts in my mouth, wave to her, and sprint to the door. I hear her scoff. “What a disgrace she can’t even get to school on time, let alone get into a decent college. And to top it all of she is stealing my food. I swear its all because of that little friend, Natalie...” I see her smirk and I shut the door.

As I am running, I hear the deafining sounds of Chicago cars. I pass the elementary schoolers on my way to the middle school, which means that I am only a couple minutes away. I make it to the sidewalk of my school and push open the door. I enter the school with my hands on my knees.. In a mad dash I sprint to my locker and then go to my first class. I sit down next to Natalie. 

“Really Ali, late again.” The teacher complains.

“Sorry- Mrs.-White.” I say, breathless. With the sternest look, she turns around to face me.

 “This is the 3rd time this week. One more time and I will have to report you to the office.” Mrs. White was my math teacher. Everyone was afraid of her. Especially in the morning. She is always grouchy and cranky when she hasn’t had her coffee yet. Everyone is staring at me but it is a normal thing at this point. I slouch down in my chair in response and she continues droning on for the next hour. RINGGGGGG.

Class finally ends. I walk towards my locker grabbing my sketchbook and pencil. I close my locker and find Natalie leaning against the locker next to mine, smiling. 

“ I finally found a decent guy!” She exclaimed. She showed me this random dude from a dating app on her phone.. I sigh and reply.

“ I am perfectly fine just being friends with you. I don’t need this random dude. Also, I need to focus on school work not a boy.” 

“ Fineeee.” She whines. Then, she slips off of the locker in defeat. “You know in 3 days its’s my birthday.” She retortes, shifting her mood. 

“ I am fully aware of this fact, it is totally not like I have known you for 10 years.” I reply sarcastically.

 We walk to our music class together. Ironically enough, Mrs.White teaches this class too. Me and Natalie both play guitar so we begged the principal to put us in the same class. We take a seat and start with warmup’s like hot cross buns when the phone starts to ring. Mrs.White gets up and picks up the phone. She calls a kid named David to the office. We continue with class, strumming along effortlessly. 

The rest of my classes go along in a breeze. Natalie and I meet outside of the school and start to walk home. After 10 minutes we reach the point where our neighbourhood’s spit. 

“Bye Natalie, see you tomorrow!” I wave goodbye. 

“Bye Ali, see ya.” That was an unfortold lie. For Natalie there would be no tomorrow or next day. There would only be frozen in time.

Natalie’s POV…

“ It will be ok, It will be ok..” I continue stuttering I have always hated going home alone. But my birthday remember my birthday. “Ali’s mom is probably going to throw a spectacular party for me like always.” The fear of being kidnapped or something worse lurching in my stomach making it hurt. I hear the screech of tires so I start sprinting toward my house when I trip and stumble. I look up but my shoe is caught in a crack on the road. I spin my head upward only to see a masked driver with long blonde hair, in a black amazon truck hurling toward me. “ Your going to fast slow down plea-!” My body is thrown to the side of the road, bloody and lifeless. The driver gets out of the car and kicks my body, to determine that I’m dead and then drives away. They whisper to themselves, “ Don’t worry, you will see your friend soon.” That is the very last thing I hear, but that voice, why is it so familier….. Darkness envelopes me. I wake up to light consuming me, screaming Ali’s name.

*********

Friday, november 13, 2021

Ali’s POV……

I woke up to my mom shaking me awake, tears streaking her face. 

“Hey mom, what’s up.” I say yawning. I look around for my alarm clock but it is gone. I complained. “ Ohhhh I swear to god if i am late to school again-” 

“Ali get up and get your stuff, I need to show you something.” She said this clearly distraught, so I did what I was told without complaint.

 We drove to the road in Appleton 2 miles away from school. I got out of the car and immediately heard police sirens. Then I saw it Natalie’s lifeless body being  carried away by firefighters all bloody and bruised. I gasped. I look around for a long time stunned, unable to move. This reminded me of the time when me and my mom went to visit my dad’s grave. That was also after he got home and my mom found out that he cheated on her. I comforted her after she found out. This time the roles are reversed. I looked around and saw a guitar. I start sprinting toward it when a police officer leaps infront of me and grabs me. 

“ Ma’m you need to come with us immediately for questioning. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can, and will, be used against you.” He had the sternest look on his face so I complied. He handcuffed me and shoved me head first, into the passenger seat of his car.

Before I could make sense of anything that was happening, we were in the police station. He grabbed my shoulders and directed me to an enclosed room. I sat down with my hands on the wooden table.I nervously start tracing my fingers over the engrated wood. He started asking me questions like “ Where were you on the night off the murder and when was the last you saw her.” The last question he asks is “ Do you have any suspects in mind.” I told him everything about how Miss White taught guitar lessons . I also told him about Miss White’s side job. A butcher. He left without saying anything. 

He returned 30 minutes later and told me some shocking news. “ So, we looked into your teachers background and it turns out that she has a criminal record. You were right.” The officer lets me go and runs off with a team of 20 people and blaring sirens. Mrs. White was arrested. 

I got home tears streaming down my ashen face. My mom greeted me at the doorway, and she started leading me up to my bedroom. Normally when I am in a bad mood my mom will play her guitar to cheer me up. But when we got to my room she locked the door. I looked around for the guitar in my room but it was missing.  My mom walked towards my rocking chair and sat down while I was on the edge of my bed. 

My mom started comforting me and telling me that it was all going to be alright when it clicked.  

“Mom, where’s my guitar?” I asked shaking my head. “ I saw her reach down for a bulky item in her pocket.

 “It’s in my room, why do you ask?” 

“ No it’s not. I checked there right after I got home.” I reply determined. 

“My oh my Ali, I was really hoping you weren’t going to figure it out.” My mom said. She got up out of her chair and started walking towards me. 

She pulled out a shiny silver pocket knife and leaped forward, the knife with it’s urge to fulfill its purpose. I rolled out of the way and ran torwards the door. I yanked on the handle. Locked. I banged and kicked and screamed, nothing happened, the door stayed locked in place.

 “ Mom please!” I yell crying “ PLEASE DONT KILL ME, IM NOT READY TO DIE NOT YET!” I kept banging on the door screaming, crying, pleading for my life. “ IV’E BARELY EVEN LIVED!” My mom pacing the room said,

“ Im sorry, you brought this upon yourself.” With a quick swift motion she stuck the knife into my stomach and brought it out. I crumpled to the ground holding my abdomen gingerly. Blood started pouring out of the stab wound like a stream. It felt like 1000 hornets stinging you in the exact place all at once. I shrieked. I noticed my mom had a tear streaming down her face even tho she had the same expression on her face, a stone cold stare. She looked all to much like a robot but it gave me a little hope that she had an ounce of humanity left. Everytime she spoke she sounded montontoned. I knew that she didn’t want to kill her only child, but she didn’t want to be found either. And if I was to be let go, I would go to the cops. She knew this. She knew me all to well. I hobbled torward her and knelt down on my knees. 

“ Kill me then.” I say exposing my chest. “I have nothing else to live for anyway since you killed my best friend and turned criminal.” I add on “ Oh and did I forget to mention that I figured out a long time ago that you killed my father and brother. Did you really think I was going to believe all of those silly love lies that you told me like, Oh Im so sad that your dad died, he was such a big part of me, or your brother was one of the most special kids I have known.” I walk toward her and stick my finger in her face. “ But the biggest lie you’ve ever told is that you love me.” I then step out of the way and she stayed quiet. I wanted to get to the point so I told her everything I knew and rubbed it in her face, savoring the twisted agony on her face. “I also figured out what the deal is with you and the number 3.” I had almost a manacial smile on my face at this point longing for revenge. “ Both of your parents and your siblings died on Wednsday March 3, 1983 because of a serial killer.” She looked stunned. I continue. “ Yeah I do my research. Not so dumb and gullible as my grades say I am right!” She just stood there with the blankest look on her face so I decided to fill the silence with a little humor before I died. I knew for certain now that I would die, no questions asked. I sneer “ I really didn’t see your soul spiraling so much that you would become a serial killer, but look were we are now.”  Everything I said sounded insane but it was the truth, not just an accusation, the truth. I started coughing up blood.

 My mother was just staring at me tears streaking her face like stars.

 “ I didn’t I-” 

“ YOU’RE BROKEN MOM. YOUR BROKEN!” I scream. I attempt to soften my voice but my blood is boiling at this point. “Ever since my brother died you were BROKEN. You want to know how I know?” I got up and started to  walk over to her, driving my pointer finger into her chest. It was a miracle that I was even moving after the stab. “ Because you killed my dad for no reason. You are responsible for the death of 23 people, including my best friend and my brother! And now you are going to be held responsible for killing the last family you have left, and the saddest part is that your broken soul is beyond repair. No one can help you when you’ve already dug a hole this deep. You might as well just kill me now, add to your kill count. Break your soul even more! If I am being quite honest, I am surprised your not in an insane asylum right at this very moment.” I had enough tears on my face that I could create a waterfall. I was sick and tired of this. The pain in my stomach was starting to get unbearable. I slouched down and shrieked.

 “DO IT, KILL ME THEN! DO IT!!!!” She walkes over to my bedside opens the wall and pulls out a gun, with a blank look on her face. She still looked like a robot. I guess she wanted to get the job done quick. She probably thought that the knife would be to painful. Believe me It would’ve been. I don’t think she would want to add more pain to me than she already has.

She walks over to me and lifts me up, forcing me to face her. She strokes my golden blonde hair.

 “ You really do have your fathers eyes.” she says. Suddenly, she flips me around and forces me to bend down. I try to resist. “ GET DOWN.” She says assertivly. She immediatly sticks the muzzle to my head. I hear the chamber load and click. I squeeze my eyes shut and whisper “Mom please.”  my mom faintly replies “ You may have been right about my soul being broken and about your father  but I will make sure that I get the job done correctly this time where no one will ever find the body.” She pulls the trigger without hesitation.

My body falls to the floor. My vision getting hazy and my head hurting like a migraine. My blood starts pooling around me when I hear sirens and my mom saying “Oh no.” These are the last words I hear from her. As it  turns out, the neighbours heard screaming and called 911. But they called the police 1 minute too late. I feel my body being lifted and a soft voice saying thats it’s going to be alright but I knew it wasn’t. I take one last glimpse of the pink, orange and red horizon when everything goes black.  My last words I very faintly whisper 

“I wonder what the afterlife is like.” Then my body falls limp.

Moms POV…..

Should I check to see if she is dead? I mean a head shot should be fatal right? I don’t have time to think it’s time to go paramedic’s will be hear in 2 minutes tops. I take one last glance at my last family her limp bloodstained body stinging my face with tears. I kneel down and whisper, “goodbye my dearest love. I wish it didn’t have to turn out this way.” I then dash the crime scene leaving my past behind. My daughter, my house everything. Time to find somewhere to hide.

Ali’s POV……

Now you all must be thinking that I was saved and I lived to see another day but, It turned out quite the opposite of a happily ever after. You probably thought my mom got arrested too, but no. I died, and my mom fled the crime scene leaving my body.  My mom did however die 3 years after my death because of murder, which I found ironic since you know, she killed me. Aparrently she was and I quote, “disturbance to society.”

 I finally woke up to bright lights burning my eyes. I look down and try to touch my stab wound squinting. My hand surges through my stomach. 

“ What the-” 

“ Welcome Ali.” I hear the voice of someone familiar. My eyes swell up with tears. 

“Natalie!” I starting sprinting towards when I trip and fall. She giggles.

 “ Still clumsy I see.” I pick myself up and ask the most obvious question.

 “ Where am I?” 

“Well you died and ended up in heaven silly.” She replied. Everywhere I looked it was either white or gold and It was beautiful. For the 1st time in 4 years I finally felt at peace with how my life-. Wait, AFTERlife turned out.