The Eternal Tenant-part 5

My head was spinning. I wanted to speak but the words wouldn't come out. I was so shocked by all these revelations that I had to sit down and take a ghostly breather.

Minutes passed; both of us were quiet. My tears started falling not only from sadness but also rage. There were a lot of things I wanted to say but I wanted details, so I started mumbling "How? How did you kill me? I don't remember anything! I just remember waking up in my bed...". Henry wiped the tears off his face, cleared his throat and started talking "I...I came in at night, used my keys to open the door, and...went upstairs...I had my gun out, trying to kill you in the bed...but the damn storm kicked the door open and you woke up. I immediately hid in the next room, I didn't wanna shoot you then because I thought you might fight back, so I waited for you to go down the stairs and then came right after you. I was about to pull my gun out and finish it...but when you saw me, you got scared and jumped backward and tripped. Your head hit the window edge and...Then I dragged your body and took it to the basement and locked the door"

I was appalled, scared, shocked, you name it. I was unable to speak, think, or move. Millions of thoughts were swirling in my head. My body? what did he mean? everything was so surreal, I couldn't believe it. Even though I was still having a hard time digesting the truth, I gathered my courage and said "show me...".

Henry got up from the couch and started walking toward the basement door without saying a word. I followed him in the same manner. He went down the stairs, went to the end of the basement and stood next to a big freezer, hesitated a bit, turned back to me, looked me in the eyes as if he wanted to tell me my body was there but didn't wanna say it out loud. I went forward, opened the freezer slowly while my hands were shaking... and there I was... lying on the bottom of the freezer...lifeless.

I took a few steps back, my heart racing as the weight of the moment pressed down on me. I stumbled and fell onto the cold, hard floor, the impact sending a jolt through my body. I buried my face in my hands, feeling the tears welling up, and just stared blankly at the freezer that stood ominously in front of me. My mind was a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. What could I have done differently? Was this truly the end for me? The final chapter of a life that felt so unfulfilled? No, not like this! I was far too young to die; I had fought so hard to overcome the countless struggles life had thrown my way. It wouldn’t seem fair for me to simply go now, not when I had so much left to give, so many dreams still to chase. After what felt like an eternity of disbelief, I finally managed to pull myself together and stood up, my body trembling with a mixture of shock and fury. The shock that had paralyzed me moments earlier was quickly replaced by a burning anger that surged through my veins like wildfire. I turned to Henry, my voice rising as I pointed an accusatory finger at him, "YOU! You did this to me!" I gestured wildly at the freezer, the very object that had become the focal point of my despair. "You rented your house deliberately, didn’t you? You wanted to kill someone and set your wife's soul free! You selfish, nasty son of a bitch!"

Henry's face paled, and I could see the fear flickering in his eyes as he stammered, "I had no choice...I had to do..." His voice trembled, but I was beyond hearing him. The absolute rage in my head drowned out his words, a cacophony of anger and betrayal. "You just destroyed everything!" I shouted, the intensity of my emotions spilling over. In that moment, I felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through me. I gathered all my energy, fuelled by a desperate need for answers and resolution, and charged toward him. I pushed him with all my might, and he stumbled backward, losing his balance and crashing to the ground. He looked up at me, wide-eyed and terrified, like a small mouse cornered by a cat, desperately searching for an escape. As he slid himself back against the wall, seeking some form of protection, I couldn't care less about his fear. My mind was racing, and I pressed on, my voice rising in urgency. "You need to do something! Whatever you have done...there must be a way to fix this! It can't just be over like this!" The desperation in my tone was palpable, each word laced with the hope that perhaps, just perhaps, there was a sliver of a chance to turn back the clock, to rewrite the ending of this tragic story. I needed him to understand the gravity of the situation, to realize that my life, my very existence, hung in the balance.

Henry was terrified. Although I hadn't known him for long, I had never seen such fear so clearly on someone's face. It was as if he feared for his life! It seemed like the weight of his actions had just hit him. He buried his face in his hands and suddenly began to cry like a baby...

I was both surprised and confused. Was it fear or guilt that drove him to this? Who was I kidding? It wouldn't have mattered to me, I was already dead. The rage that had built up inside me suddenly turned into sadness. I sat down on the cold, dark basement floor, and tears began to run down my face. After a long period of denial, I started to accept reality. I remembered what Henry had said about ghosts staying too long in this house, becoming angry and dangerous. I... I didn't want to become that... I... needed to pass over the veil. Once my tears stopped, I looked back at Henry. He was still sitting there, no longer crying, just staring at the freezer. He slowly turned his eyes toward me and said, "Maybe I can't give you your life back, but the only thing I can do is help you pass over the veil." "But you told me someone needs to die in this house for another to pass! Of course, you'd want to sacrifice another poor soul just to ease your guilty conscience! You selfish, murderous prick!" I said with subtle disgust in my tone. I was about to say more when I saw him smirk slightly, look to his right, and pull something from his back pocket. In the dim basement light, I couldn't see what it was. He stood up and said, "I know how to fix this." I could now see what he had taken out—it was his gun! He aimed the gun at his own head... I rushed toward him...

"Sorry, my dear..."