Kisses from the Grave - Chapter One (standard:Ghost stories, 2030 words) [1/8] show all parts
Author: kissofthehungry	Updated: Jan 22 2005	Views/Reads: 3843/2623	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Mark is on the verge of killing of himself when his parents walk in. Feeling that they are doing what is best for everyone, they buy a house out in the country. However, there's a secret about the house that even the townspeople don't know.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

opened his eyes to find himself in a white walled toom, ivs in his arm 
and wrist.   Confusion filled his mind, what was he doing here?  Then 
he remembered the pills and his mother and knew his plans had been 
thwarted.  Anger filled him then relief, he didn't really want to die 
and he knew it but it had seemed so right at the time. 

Just then a chubby nurse with graying brown hair walked in and startled,
spoke, "You're awake.  You gave everyone a good scare, I'll be back 
with the doctor."  Without waiting for a response, she was back through 
the door in a flurry of white hospital uniform.  Moments later, an old, 
unfriendly looking man walked through the door. 

"Well young man, looks like you tried to do yourself in.  Might I ask
why?" 

Mark thought about it then answered, "Seemed like my only choice.  Been
really good at making bad choices lately."  It was true and 
unfortunately, he was very well aware of it. 

"So I've been informed.  Though this is the worse, trust me young man,
every day has it's storm clouds but the sun eventually comes out," he 
turned his head away from the doctor, annoyed at his advice.  Like he 
needed some old jerk who didn't have a real clue about what was going 
on, telling him whether his mistakes were one worse than the other.  
The doctor didn't say anything more but checked his vitals and wrote on 
his chart.  Mark felt animosity towards him for sharing his judgements, 
he didn't need them.  Wasn't that obvious? 

"I'll go let your parents know that you are awake.  They asked me to
inform then when you came to," he peered at him through his spectacles. 
 Mark knew what he was thinking, another stupid teenager trying to take 
his life, there was always another.  How he resented him for thinking, 
for looking at him.  So, he didn't respond but continued to look away 
from the doctor and heard rather than saw him leave.  Quickly, his 
thoughts turned to his parents, he could hardly wait to see them.  His 
father would rail upon him about his newest idiotsy and how weak he was 
and his mother would cry hysterically and always look down or around 
him, but never at him.  What a party it would be. 

Bored and unwilling to deal with his memories, he turned the television
on and began absently flipping through the channels.  It always seemed 
there was nothing good on, no matter how many channels there were.  
Finally he settled upon a stupid looking anime on the cartoon network, 
there were hundreds of them out there, unable to be told apart.  Fairy 
Odd-Parents was on when his mother, pale and tear stricken walked in 
the room. 

As expected, she did not look at him but pulled a chair to his bedside. 
Looking down at her hands, she opened her mouth to speak but began to 
cry.  Not sure what he felt, he focused his attention back on the 
television.  Nothing like watching Timmy getting into one dilemna after 
the other. 

"Oh Mark, I, oh, I don't know what to say.  I love you, I want you to
know that but this was your worse decision yet.  It's not your time," 
Mark pretended he didn't hear her, kept on watching the silly cartoon, 
"Being here is obviously not helping you and I've spoken with your 
teachers.  They've told me that there is no chance of you pulling this 
semester off.  So your father and I have decided that we all need a 
break from here, from everything right now.  We've bought a house out 
in the country, away from here.  Once you're checked out, we're heading 
off there, and maybe we can help you.  Maybe you can help yourself.  
But we've got to try, I don't want to lose you, there have been too 
many losses already."  With these words, she fell silent and he closed 
his eyes, forcing Benny away.  Five lives had been lost and ruined not 
including his own or those that cared for them, he understood her 
meaning perfectly.  Yet he didn't respond, he was hoping that she'd go 
away, allow him to digest this news. 

"Mark, I wish you would talk to me.  Just say anything," her voice was
so imploring but he could see out of the corner of his eye that she was 
not looking at him. 

His patience snapped and he blurted, "Really?  Well, I wish that you
would look at me.  You haven't looked me in the eye since it happened.  
Can't you stand to look at me or are you ashamed of me?  Do you regret 
that you had me?  What is it?"  He began to cry as he spoke, releasing 
the hurt he'd felt at his mother's seeming rejection. 

"No, that's not it.  I'm not ashamed of you and I don't regret having
you.  It . . . it just pains me to see you hurting and everytime I've 
looked in your eyes, I cannot avoid the grief I see in there.  Your 
suffering causes me suffering and I couldn't stomach seeing my baby 
hurting and not being able to do anything about it.  Please, don't 
think it's cause I am ashamed of you, it's nothing like that," with her 
words, she looked at him and tears streamed down her cheeks.  
Instantly, he felt bad for yelling at her and lasped into watching the 
television again.  With another few "I love you"s and "sorries", she 
hugged him goodbye and left the room. 

So they were going on a vacation to an undisclosed location, though she
had seemed worried he would be upset, he was actually pretty calm.  He 
understood why they had decided to do this and he didn't mind.  There 
wasn't a doubt in his mind, he needed to escape this place.  Be 
somewhere far away from where he had killed his friends, where everyone 
didn't look at him with either grief or barely contained anger in their 
eyes.  Embracing his parents' choice, he slipped into a fitful sleep 
where he relived the crash. 

The screech of tires and the scream of metal seemed to make his eardrums
burst.  In the passenger side, Benny was sobbing, groaning and asking 
for his mom.  From the other car, he could hear Jessica screaming for 
help and in pain.  Then she would fall into softer but still agonizing 
pleas for Philip to come to her, that she couldn't see Philip.  He 
reached for the door handle to get out but Benny suddenly grabbed his 
arm and begged him not to go.  Benny knew he was dying and didn't want 
to die alone, so he instead grasped Benny's hand and encouraged him to 
hang on.  He'd tried his best but in the end, the reaper had taken him 
into the underworld. 

The nurse checking on his vitals saw tears rolling down his cheeks and
her heart went out to him.  Everyone knew who he was, he'd been the 
young man who had survived the horrible car accident that had killed 
three teens.  No wonder he cried and whimpered in his sleep, she wished 
that she could help him but for the time being, there was nothing she 
could do for him but let him sleep.  Let him suffer the ghosts that 
would forever haunt him.


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