The Haunted’s Kiss of Regret and Repentance

“How does it feel to know the full extent of my love for you?”

A man’s voice whispered near my ear, but no matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t move or open my eyes.

“How does it feel to know that my promises were all true and that you could never escape me nor my love for you, Shyne?” My eyes snapped open to search for Rian, but it was pitch black. The chest that I bumped into was nowhere in sight, and I couldn’t feel it either.

“Are you looking for me, my love? I’m not in front of you, I’m not beside you, nor am I behind you. Look up and look at me, Shyne” I saw Rian hanging with his tongue sticking out long enough to be terrifying like a demon’s tongue. His eyes were closed, and his neck was bloody as if the rope was eating his flesh.

I screamed as loud as I could and wanted to cover my eyes, but it remained open. I couldn’t move my body either. Rian’s eyes opened and looked directly at me as my entire body froze in fear.

A cloud of black smoke covered his hanging body that stared at me as if he was looking straight into my soul. A tear left his eyes, and his hand reached me as I was slowly backing away. Then, Rian disappeared, leaving me shaking in fear and looking at the pitch-black void that made me feel blind.

“Why Did you take everything from me, Shyne?!” Rian’s voice echoed throughout the blackness of the void I was in. “You took everything without even a proper excuse. I gave everything to you and never even thought twice of selling my soul to the devil just so we could always be together.”

His voice was harsh and filled with dread and anger. The tremble in his hoarse voice made the guilt inside me increase a hundred folds.

I calmed my heart as his words repeated like a broken record. I covered my ears and closed my eyes tightly.

“I never asked you to do those things for me, Rian! All I asked from you was to take it slow and let things happen on their own, and yet you chose that road on your own without even informing me!”

I felt like I was on fire with rage and hurt by every word that he was saying. His voice grew louder to overpower the sound of my voice. My lips felt like I was dragging the words out of my mouth as I had difficulty moving my own mouth.

“I know I made a mistake by not talking to you properly in the beginning, and I regretted that, but you were wrong too! You know your faults, and yet you choose to blame me for your own actions!”

A sudden silence came, and all that could be heard were my deep breathing and fast heartbeat. An ear-piercing scream of a man suddenly tore through the silence, and I was face to face with a full-body mirror.

“Why are you tormenting me, Rian?! Whatever you gave me, I gave it right back, so don’t you dare use fear to make me succumb to your twisted thinking”.

I looked directly at Rian’s reflection in the mirror, which was behind me. I didn’t want to risk moving, knowing he was inches away from me. All I want is for him to talk rationally and somehow break this stupid curse that he gave me.

“You want to talk because you want to break the curse, am I right, Shyne? You don’t want to talk because you love me and want to spend eternity with me.”

Rian’s eyes were menacing and judgmental as he looked at my entire body’s reflection in the mirror. He was looking at me as if I was a deer in headlights, and he couldn’t wait to kill me and take me home as a prize.

“Oh, my lovely Shyne, there is no way to escape the love that I offer you. I have said it before, and I will gladly repeat my words. You are mine, and we are bound to be together for all eternity. That is the price I paid to show you how true my love is.”

The floor cracked in between Rian and me, and we fell deeper into the void. However, Rian disappeared again. This time, my feet landed on a rock in the middle of a cave covered in fire and lava.

“Welcome to my hell, my love, Shyne,” Rian’s voice echoed, and I saw him on the other side of the lava lake being surrounded by fire and black smoke.

I covered my open mouth, but no voice came out of it. My eyes felt like they were burning from the tears that were rapidly cascading down my cheeks. The heat was intense, and it felt like I was being slowly roasted alive. However, my body did not show any signs of burning.

Rian was now standing in the middle of the lava. However, he didn’t show any signs of pain or emotion other than happiness in his eyes and smile. The lava was rising, and he was being consumed by it slowly.

I screamed when a drop of lava fell from the ceiling and on my shoulder. The lava burned so much that it felt like I was shot by a gun. I quickly made sure I was far from the lava droplets, and I was now at the side where the flowing lava and Rian couldn’t reach me.

“I gave everything for you to permanently love me as much as I love you, Shyne. I just wanted to hug you every second of every day and build a family with you”.

I felt the guilt build up inside me once again, and I couldn’t stop myself from shedding a tear. I know I was partly to blame for Rian’s suicide, but I remembered Perry’s advice that I shouldn’t beat myself up for my ex-lover’s own decisions.

“We almost had a chance to be friends, Rian, but you destroyed that when you decided your ego mattered more.”

Rian took a step towards me as the lava was now below his knee. He was walking smoothly as if the lava was nothing.

I froze on the spot I was standing on because there was nowhere else to go. A realization suddenly came to me, and I jumped in the lava while closing my eyes and praying to God I wasn’t losing my mind.

“What in the world do you think you’re doing, Shyne?! That’s dangerous! Hey!”

Perry pulled my hair as I woke up in front of the window. I freaked out and sat on the floor while my body shook.

“What did you think you were doing leaning against the window’s glass, Shyne? The glass could have shattered, and you would have fallen!”

Kath was now the one scolding me while she held my arms that were visibly shaking.

“I-I didn’t realize I was walking towards the window and attempting to lean on it. I was talking to Rian in my dream. I didn’t even feel like I was moving or anything.”

I saw both Kath and Perry’s faces shift from anger to worry as I told them what happened in my dreams.

“You faced that man all alone even if you were afraid, and I think that caused you to sleepwalk. You haven’t had any sleepwalking moments for years, Shyne.”Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“I know, Perry. I think right now, I should prepare myself to go home and find a way for this stupid curse to be stopped.”

My phone rang, and I saw that it was Brixton calling me. The clock showed that it was already four in the morning, and I had a bad feeling about the call.

“Hello, Shyne? What’s up, babe? Are you alright? I had a nightmare, and when I woke up, I instantly grabbed my phone and dialed your number.”

“I-I’m alright, babe. I had a nightmare too, and I just woke up.”

Kath and Perry had knowing looks that showed sadness for some reason. I knew it was because they knew that I would never tell Brixton about Rian’s jealousy towards him.

“Brixton, babe, I’m going home tomorrow to get a few things. Can you tell me your nightmare tomorrow before I leave? Right now, I just want to know if you’re alright.”

“I’m fine, babe, but I am more worried about you. You don’t sound like you’re fine, and I could worry in your voice. Is Perry and Kathy with you? Make sure you are with them at all cost, Shyne.”

A small smile formed on the corner of my lips as I felt warm and fuzzy inside. Brixton always had this calming effect on me that I have no idea how to describe.

“Well, well, well. It looks like my cousin doesn’t need Kath and me anymore since that smile you have clearly shows you are now more than okay.”

I heard Brixton’s laugh on the phone, and I allowed myself a genuine giggle. Perry and Kath began to go back to bed while I sat on the floor talking to Brixton for a bit longer about safety measures if I had hallucinations again.

“Okay, babe, that is enough. I think you covered every possible instance that I would need to call for backup. Just pray for me, babe, and I know that I can get through this.”

“Alright, I’ll tone down my overprotective nature just this once. I’ll just say good morning since it’s already four in the morning. So, good morning, babe!”

“Good morning to you too, babe. I’m going to hang up now. I have to prepare breakfast for the three of us. God bless you!”

I made kissy sounds on the phone and heard a faint “I love you” from Brixton. I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my lips.

“Mwah, mwah, mwah. I love you so much, babe. I can’t wait to kiss your lips when we meet later.”

Kath’s laughter echoed at Perry’s poor attempt of mimicking my voice and creating a scenario while sitting on the bed.

“Wow, Shyne, the level of the friend zone is tough to overcome, huh? I can’t believe you and Brixton are still only friends.”

“Kath is right, cousin. You and that babe of yours should just get together and have a happy ever after, so all of us can just sleep properly at night.”

I laughed at their words, and I decided to ignore them as I went straight to the kitchen. I stopped walking, and my breath was caught in my throat when I saw a man sitting on the sofa.