Angel From My Nightmare

“Jack Bassam Barakat, get here now”
Hearing his dad’s voice calling for him through the rain Jack walked back towards the church, the disappearing boy put out of his mind.
“Jack you’re soaked! What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded once Jack was back inside. Looking down at his clothes Jack hadn’t realised how soaked he was, a puddle had formed under where he stood.
“I tried... I couldn’t...”
“I’m just disappointed in you Jack, you promised” Jack was shivering from the rain but it was his dad’s words that really made him go cold. He’d disappointed everyone, especially his mum.
“God Jack, what happened to you?” May rushed over seeing her little brother soaking wet and shivering.
“I promised and I fucked it up”
“Shh now, come on let’s get you home and into some dry clothes” she said, moving his dripping hair away from his face to see his eyes glistening with new tears.
“What about the memorial service?” he asked, his teeth chattering from the cold.
“It’s just a bunch of old people talking about days long before we were born, they won’t miss us. Anyway mum wouldn’t want you getting sick.”
Taking Jack’s freezing fingers in her warm ones she lead him back to her car.

The car ride back to the house was silent, the air con blasting trying to keep Jack’s shivers at bay. Jack didn’t live at home anymore, he’d moved out nearly three years before but for the funeral everyone was staying back in the Barakat family home. The building that used to fill him with the joy of his family now filled him with dread at facing the empty rooms.
“Go have a shower, I’ll make you some tea” May said as she opened the door to the large and silent living room. Jack nodded and made his way upstairs to old bedroom. It was like being ten years again, the walls in his old bedroom were covered in old posters and many of his old childhood things lay around the room, from his remote control car to his first computer games; his mum had always been bad at throwing things away. He sat down on the bed, burying his face in his hands he tried to stop the sobs racking his body.
“Jack?” came his sister’s timid voice from the doorway.
“Jacky, what’s wrong?” she asked, sitting down on the bed beside him, placing her hand on his still frozen skin.
“I promised, I promised I wouldn’t run away this time. I promised I’d stand there and say my part, that I’d tell her I’d be okay but I couldn’t do it. I let everyone down”
“No you didn’t, Jack mum knew you’d be fine, she’s always believed in you. She didn’t need you to tell her, she knew” She peeled his soaking wet jacket away from him, revelling how his shirt underneath was still sticking to his skin.
“I disappointed everyone”
“No, look you’re freezing cold and you’re going to make yourself ill. Go and have a shower, because I’m not taking care of your sick ass” that earned a small smile from Jack and he nodded. One steaming hot shower later and Jack was passed out on his bed, a mug of tea going cold beside him and Wake Me Up When September Ends still playing through his headphones.

He didn’t wake until the morning light was pouring through his window. Opening one eye he looked around his old room and at first he didn’t remember, what had happened last night or in the months before. Getting out of bed with a smile on his face he raced downstairs expecting to see his mother making pancakes just like she did every time he was home, but as he entered the kitchen it was empty. Everything came back to him, hitting him like a ton of bricks that he actually had trouble staying standing.
“Jack?” he turned to see his dad standing behind him.
“I’m err sorry” he stuttered.
“Come on, sit down. You look like you’re about to pass out” he guided Jack into their living room, seeing the chair his mum would always sit in and the fact it was now to be forever empty.
“I can’t do this!” he screamed, before bolting out of the house. Luckily it had stopped raining, Jack didn’t know where he was running too, he was just running.

He finally stopped running, when he was short of breath and red in the face. At first he didn’t know where he was but things look a lot different in the pouring rain. He was outside the church he’d been at less than 24 hours before. He took a slightly shaky deep breath and carried on walking towards it, maybe he had a chance to say the things he was meant to say.
It didn’t take long to find where his mother was buried, the ground was still fresh and there was no head stone yet.
“Mum?” he asked, unsure like he was expecting some kind of answer.
“Mum it’s Jack. Look I’m really sorry about running away again, I’m just... How am I spouse to do this? You’re my mum I’m not spouse to be trying to say goodbye to you” his words were getting jumbled and he was on the verge of breaking down again. A noise behind him brought him back to his senses, turning on his heel he saw the same pair of chocolate brown eyes staring back him with the same scared expression.
“Hey...” the word caught in his throat as the boy ran again, disappearing behind the side of the church. Jack ran after him, what was it with this strange boy? What’s was he so scared of?
“Wait!” Jack called; he followed the boy around the back of the church half expecting him to have disappeared again but there he was. The boy was standing at the same grave it had been when Jack first saw him.
“Hey” he called out softly. The boy turned to look at Jack; he was biting his lip and looked frightened.
“Y...You can see me?”
“Yeah?” Jack questioned.
“No one’s seen me before... Wait weren’t you here for the funeral yesterday?” the boy asked.
“Yeah, I saw you then but you ran away before I could speak to you”
“I remember... I’m sorry I didn’t realise you saw me”
“I’m Jack by the way” Jack reached his hand out to the boy.
“Alex” he ignored Jack’s hand and huddled more into his jacket.
“Who are you here for?” the question caught Jack by surprise; well they were in a graveyard after all.
“My mum, she died of cancer” he said, looking at his feet and not meeting Alex’s eye.
“Oh I’m sorry”
“Who are you here for?” Jack asked.
“.... My mum also” Alex said after a small pause.
“Oh sorry” The boys stood in an awkward silence not really knowing what to say to one another until Jack’s phone started buzzing in his pocket.
“Oh shit” he said, upon seeing the amount of missed calls from his sister.
“I’ve got to go, my families probably getting worried. It was nice to meet you Alex”
“You too Jack, really”
With that Jack left the cemetery and the strange boy behind.