Lochwood Estate (A Romance Unearthed)

The first thing I felt as my head ducked back through that curtain was a sudden gust of wind. Actually, come to think of it, it wasn't really wind. More like when you walk fast and it feels windy. But I wasn't walking fast. I was inching behind Serephina.

I looked down at my feet. Pale and shoeless, I'm surprised a rusty nail hasn't lodged itself in my foot yet, considering my knack for attracting bad luck. Suddenly, Serephina stopped and ran into her because I was still looking at my feet.

"Oooh! Sorry, sorry!" I whispered, mentally punching myself for the act. She waved it off. I blushed profusely.

"Katie." Still in fear she would no longer take me, I winced.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You want to know why you are here, correct?" I nodded in the dark, and I suppose she saw me somehow. "Then you must be strong. This is as far as I can take you." And she turned around to walk away.

"Wait! Ma'am! How will I get back?" Andy, of course, crossed my mind.

"You will not. This has been merely a pit-stop for your soul." She said, and continued walking. I mumbled to myself softly.

"Will I ever see Doctor Andy again..." Serephina turned around sharply and cackled like a hyenia.

"He is no doctor. He lies , miss." She returned to walk back to me. "You are a smart girl. You should have seen it."





I growled to myself upon leaving the room. I should not have let this escalate. The girl is not ready and she’ll only come back with more questions, which I will answer with more lies. She doesn’t know what she has coming.

“She may not know what she is in for, but lying won’t help cushion the blow.” Serephina’s raspy voice startled me; I turned on my heels, ready to explode.

“Stay out of my head, old woman. I’ve had enough of your bitching. Everything I do is wrong to you.”

“It is wrong because your job is to help her pass on, not to cloud her decisions with emotion, as you have been doing.”



“You may as well stop yourself now, Andy. She won’t, and cannot have you. The dead cannot be with their witch doctor.”I winced at the way she called at me.

“Who say’s that is what I want? Besides, she is not dead.” I hissed quickly.

“She is in limbo. She may as well be.” Serephina clawed back just as quickly. She stepped towards me solemnly.

“What if I could save her?” I half mumbled.

“You tease the poor girl with her own fate. Once she knows the truth she will not come back. She will be able to pass on.” I studied my shoes as I walked away.

“She’ll be back.” I growled to myself. “They always come back.”



I looked on helplessly as John finished, standing over my own gored body. I wanted to say something, but my mouth would not move. I wanted to scream, but can the dead scream? And oh how I wanted to cry, but the tears never came. I wouldn’t have had time even if I were living.

He swept my body down onto the hardwood floor, and plopped himself back onto the bed that we were on together only moments before. Rigor mortis must not have set in yet, for my body was limp as my head swiveled on (what was left of) my neck from the initial attack. This was like a car crash. You don’t want to look, yet at the same time it’s hard to part your eyes from it.

Finally, I could not stand to watch him carelessly throw my body into a garbage bag in the back of his truck, and I squeezed my eyes shut, once again imagining that I was with Andy. I opened my eyes only to see I had not moved from the portal in time that I was in. The part where John drove to the ever-abandoned park. I shut them again. It worked last time I traveled. Why not now? Maybe I wasn’t thinking hard enough. I heard a phone ring. I opened my eyes.

“This isn’t happening…”I mumble. The one time I need help the most, I was alone. So much is the case of my death. I squeezed my eyes shut, not yet ready to give up hope.



Has it been minutes, hours, days even? I do not sleep, I cannot tell how long it has been since she has left.

Serephina Emerged from my left.

“You have not moved since Katie left.” I didn’t reply.

“She has moved on, Andrew.” I looked at my fingertips.

“How do you know?” This time it was Serephina who was quiet, “How do you know that she is not hurt, physically or emotionally?”

“Of course she is hurt emotionally. It’s part of the recovery.”

“How do you know she’s okay?” I stated it more than asked. Serephina let out a defeated sigh.

“Come, Andrew.” I followed her, barely listening to each careful step she explained to me.



When I opened my eyes again, I had to make sure that they were actually open, because all I saw was complete black. Nothing, not a speck of light anywhere that I could see it. The more I blinked, my eyes got adjusted, unless the color was lightening. Everything seemed more of a dark, bluish light. No shadows, it was just like the air itself was a navy blue. I slowly recognized my surroundings. I was staring straight up. I felt an enormous pressure on my chest, almost like an elephant was sitting on me, and the air seemed thick. I could not move anything but my head. I looked down for my body. At first I thought maybe it wasn’t there, for I could hardly see anything. But sure enough, a naked white figure was smeared below my neck.

I inhaled the thick air, and coughed. I coughed again. And again. And again. The cycle was endless and I couldn’t stop. I then realized something very crutial.



So this was the end. The final chapter. I was unsure if this was part of the portal I was in, or if by some chance I was still alive. I doubted the latter. I squeezed my eyes shut and stopped attempting to breath, therefore halting my coughing fit. I felt something like arms shuffle under my torso.

You know how I thought everything was blue? Now it all went black. For sure this time.



I now had her out of the lake where John had dumped her. She was cold, pale and nude. I hastily took off my shirt and draped it over her body, hoping my body heat alone would resurrect her.

"I am dead."
"Yes.".
"How dead”
"Beyond resurrection."



Her wounds were nearly entirely healed after I ran my thumb over them. I mentally thanked myself for listening to the last part of one of Serephina’s many rants. The only one that wouldn’t heal completely was the gash on her throat. At its deepest, the cut was about two and a half inches deep. Not aware of anything else I can do, I studied her face. Her cheeks had lost the human blush that they once had, and her lips were blue from being in the water. I wouldn’t call it involuntary, but I didn’t plan it as I pressed my lips against hers.








Whatever it was, I had more feeling and emotion than I had felt since Monday morning. You know. Whatever the date is now.



Although, dead people probably can’t kiss. I guess. Not that I would know or anything. And I mean physically. They can’t move their lips. I’m sure of it. I’m sure of a few things now.

I’m sure that dead people can’t fall in love. So I must not be dead. Right? God, I’m confusing myself. I wish someone would just give me a goddamn answer already.

“You’re not.” His voice was so close to my face, I almost thought I was dreaming. I didn’t even need to open my eyes; I already knew who it was.

“Then what am I?”

“Alive.” He smiled softly. Andy never gave me a straight answer like that.

“Why bring back something that is already dead?”He looked into my eyes. The blue eyes with dark circles around the iris. The eyes that have seen so much in what seems like both a moment and a century.



I allowed my eyes to flutter open. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget your kissing someone as beautiful as Andy is.

“What if it needed saving?” He said finally.

“Who says I needed saving?” I said, challenging him. He chuckled.

“Certainly not you. You’re not the type to ask for help are you?” He smiled.

“Why would I need help?” I said, letting my voice trail off, “I had a bull gore me once and didn't even know he'd hooked me.” We both smirked, and he leaned down to kiss me.