Categories > Celebrities > My Chemical Romance > Famous Last Words
As he leaned over me, I was petrified, frozen to the spot, simply lying there unable to even scramble backwards. I could hear the guys shouting; the words weren’t clear, but somehow I knew that they couldn’t reach me. But they didn’t need to. Deep down I knew what needed to be done, but how and more importantly – where? I had long since realised that we had to find Lucy’s body and I believed it would be somewhere in the library. But where? Where could you possibly hide a body anywhere in that room where it wouldn’t be discovered either by someone stumbling across it or from the smell as it decomposed? And then, as he leaned over me brandishing the knife menacingly, it came to me.
“The grate!” I yelled as loud as I could. “The fire grate in the library! Gee! You have to…”
I stopped dead as the whole house seemed to shudder violently followed by an ear-splitting cracking sound. Frederick stumbled back away from me. He seemed shocked and disorientated and for the first time I began to feel that he was afraid of me. After so long being the other way around, I could scarcely believe it.
I realised within moments that I wasn’t the source of his fear. It was almost as if he couldn’t see me any more and I realised that finally I could move again. Looking to my right as a shadow crossed over me, I saw it was Gerard, come to my side to help me up. As the guys gathered around we watched as another shape formed in the lobby. It was smaller than Frederick, slight and as it took shape, clearly female.
“So, Frederick,” the ghostly voice echoed around the room. “After all these years, your watch is nearly at an end. You know what happens now, don’t you?”
“You can’t do a thing to me!” he screamed in reply, swinging the knife back and forth as she approached.
It was the woman who had appeared to me so often, either in dreams or in person but instead of being soaking wet and dressed in some sort of nightdress, she was smartly dressed in a blue suit with matching accessories as if going out for the day. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was Lucy Morgan. He had killed her, but now – well now, I felt revenge was on the cards.
The smile of deep satisfaction on her face spoke volumes. If she had been afraid of this man in life as her diary suggested, she was no more. She had the look of someone who held all the cards and slowly, as more shapes began to form, it became apparent that that was exactly the case.
“I don’t need to do anything, Frederick,” she smiled.
It was almost a sweet smile, but her eyes gave away the bitterness that wanted… I was going to say revenge, but as the shapes began to take form, I realised that the word I was really searching for was justice.
“You!” he pointed directly at me, he sounded terrified, his voice trembling, his hand shaking. “You can stop this!”
My eyes widened in pure shock, wondering what he was going to do next and what he was so afraid of. I had no idea what it was he wanted me to do, but I felt certain that unless he could somehow force me, I wasn’t going to do it.
“Do what?”
Don’t even ask me why I said that!
“He’s not doing anything for you!” Gerard yelled protectively. “Whatever you’re so afraid of, whatever’s going to happen, you deserve it all!”
“No! You don’t understand! They made me do it. I had to!” he pleaded. “It’s not my fault.”
“Who made you do it?” I asked.
Surely he couldn’t mean Daisy and Lucy? Did he mean the family? It seemed so unlikely. Looking through Lucy’s diary had made it very plain that the only person she was scared of was this man and rightly so. It was his reply that surprised me more than anything.
“It was the shadows,” he mumbled, looking around sharply as if afraid to be overheard. “They’re everywhere.”
I heard Bob snort his derision at the announcement, but my blood ran cold. There had been all too many occasions when I had been certain that several of the shadows I had seen had been just that little bit too dark, too solid, too real. Had I seen something he could see? Was I…? No, I refused to even think it. I wasn’t affected like him. Or was I? Had I tried to strangle Gerard? I had to know! Even as I turned, Gerard could see the alarm in my eyes and he was already nodding, reassuring me that everything was all right. I had no idea if he knew what I was thinking or worried about but he was putting me at ease in a situation where terror could so easily have taken hold.
“You know, don’t you!” he cried, reaching out to me without moving from the spot. “You’ve seen them! You’ve seen them! They’re calling to you too!”
An ice chill ran down my spine and Ray placed a hand gently on my shoulder. Glancing around I saw him staring at me with questioning eyes.
“I see them but that’s all,” I whispered, choked by the admission.
“They won’t stop there! Please! You can stop this!” he begged again.
“What’s going to happen?” I asked, as I suddenly noticed that he seemed rooted to the spot.
“It’s already happening,” Lucy smiled with deep satisfaction. “See his feet?”
I looked down and noticed that Frederick’s feet seemed to be covered in something black that clung like tar. It was a deep, solid black like a complete absence of light. It moulded itself around his ankles with only the slightest outline remaining. I wanted to say that it appeared like someone had wrapped a cloth around his feet, but it was more than that, there were no folds, no discernible shape or form, just utter and complete blackness. It seemed somehow unnatural and, of course, I realised that that was exactly what it was. I watched with horror as the blackness collapsed and spread across the floor, with Frederick sinking the few inches with it. The shadows had… I was searching for the right word in my mind and with a surprising amount of distaste for the idea, the best I could manage was that they had absorbed his feet. He seemed now to exist only from the ankles up but he was held securely in place. As I continued to stare, I saw the blackness creeping slowly up towards his knees.
“You can stop this!” he screamed. “Please! They’ll listen to you! You’re next!”
“What’s he talking about?” Frank asked, concerned. “Stop what? Who is he talking about?”
“You can’t see it?” I asked, horrified as I realised I might be the only one who could see what was happening.
“See what?” Frank asked, puzzled by my response, only making me feel worse.
“What are you seeing, Mikes?” Ray asked in as calm a tone as he could manage.
I turned, frantically looking from one to the other. All of them were aiming questioning eyes at me and I realised I was the only one who could see them. I heard him scream as he collapsed to his waist, the shadows spreading out still further. Gasping in horror I realised that one branch of the oozing blackness was slowly heading in my direction.
“Michael,” Lucy began thoughtfully, “if your friends cannot see the shadows then I suspect Frederick may be right. You must not stay here.”
“But the recording? I have to…?”
“Please, help me!” Frederick begged. Despite everything he’d done, it was soul destroying to hear him.
“You’re worried about the recording?” Gerard turned a concerned glance to me. Perhaps he thought it an odd thing to say while a man was effectively dissolving in front of us, but I was simply replying to Lucy.
“You may work here during the day, but you must not be alone, nor must you spend the night.”
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on! But what about the guys?”
“Who are you talking to, Mikes?”
It was Ray who asked the unexpected question with a puzzled stare creasing his face. My head was beginning to spin with Frederick, Lucy and the guys all trying to speak to me at once. It only began to spin more when I realised that Gerard and the guys couldn’t see half of what I could see.
“Lucy,” I replied incredulously. “Can’t you see her?”
Before they even had chance to reply, the shadows enveloped Frederick completely with little more from him than a final resigned sob. Within seconds the entire block of thick almost viscous mass of shadows slipped silently to the floor, spreading out still further. Some faded almost instantly while some seemed to change direction and began to slowly ooze or slither in my direction.
“Where did he go?” Frank cried in surprise as, I assume, Frederick seemed to him to simply and suddenly disappear.
“It’s late, Michael.” Lucy stepped towards me. “You need to leave here. You can return in the morning if you wish.”
“What about your body?” I asked quietly, still stunned by events.
“You can actually see Lucy? You’re talking to her?” Bob added – I was really starting to lose track.
“You know where I am, you can deal with it when you’re rested and well. But, Michael, this must remain a secret.”
“Why?” I asked, confused by the request.
“This is my friend’s home. It’s had many uses over the years, but there remains a quiet dignity to it.”
“What about the shadows?” I asked tentatively.
“I’m not certain if they caused Frederick’s insanity or were born out of it, but they are here and they are dangerous. Now he’s gone, eventually they will go, I’m sure, but not if the place fills with paranormal investigators. They’ll feed off their curiosity and this house needs time to cleanse itself.”
“A quiet, private burial?” I asked, happy when she smiled and nodded in return.
“Thank you,” she replied. “But they’re getting closer,” she added. As I looked down, I could see that the stretch of shadow was now only about a foot away from me. “You must leave, for your own safety.”
“What about Gerard and the guys?” I asked, determined that I wasn’t leaving them if it were remotely unsafe.
“They are quite safe, they will even find that the gloom and oppression has lifted. I feel your sessions will be much more productive now.”
“Thank you,” I nodded. “And… I’m sorry he killed you.”
She smiled wistfully at me.
“At least he didn’t manage to kill you or your friends. Now, go, you will be safe away from here tonight.”
Even as I stared she faded slowly and I knew I wouldn’t see her again; finally, she was at peace. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Gerard.
“It’s over and he’s gone, but I need to get out of here right now.”
“You’re seeing things we’re not?” Gerard asked, but it was phrased almost like a statement.
“Yes, but I’m not crazy, I just see them, that’s all.”
Gerard nodded. I’ll give him credit, he accepted it without question. Perhaps he had simply seen too many strange things to need to wonder if it was true. We all had, but I knew as we turned to leave that my experiences had changed me. I was different certainly, stronger perhaps. I felt as if I had aged several years overnight and it gave me a confidence I never knew I had. Can I say I was glad of the experience for the strength it gave me? Possibly not but at least I was able to take something positive from it. That and the simple gratitude that we were all still alive and well.
I will never forget it, and, not least for the promise I made to Lucy, neither will I ever discuss it.
THE END
“The grate!” I yelled as loud as I could. “The fire grate in the library! Gee! You have to…”
I stopped dead as the whole house seemed to shudder violently followed by an ear-splitting cracking sound. Frederick stumbled back away from me. He seemed shocked and disorientated and for the first time I began to feel that he was afraid of me. After so long being the other way around, I could scarcely believe it.
I realised within moments that I wasn’t the source of his fear. It was almost as if he couldn’t see me any more and I realised that finally I could move again. Looking to my right as a shadow crossed over me, I saw it was Gerard, come to my side to help me up. As the guys gathered around we watched as another shape formed in the lobby. It was smaller than Frederick, slight and as it took shape, clearly female.
“So, Frederick,” the ghostly voice echoed around the room. “After all these years, your watch is nearly at an end. You know what happens now, don’t you?”
“You can’t do a thing to me!” he screamed in reply, swinging the knife back and forth as she approached.
It was the woman who had appeared to me so often, either in dreams or in person but instead of being soaking wet and dressed in some sort of nightdress, she was smartly dressed in a blue suit with matching accessories as if going out for the day. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was Lucy Morgan. He had killed her, but now – well now, I felt revenge was on the cards.
The smile of deep satisfaction on her face spoke volumes. If she had been afraid of this man in life as her diary suggested, she was no more. She had the look of someone who held all the cards and slowly, as more shapes began to form, it became apparent that that was exactly the case.
“I don’t need to do anything, Frederick,” she smiled.
It was almost a sweet smile, but her eyes gave away the bitterness that wanted… I was going to say revenge, but as the shapes began to take form, I realised that the word I was really searching for was justice.
“You!” he pointed directly at me, he sounded terrified, his voice trembling, his hand shaking. “You can stop this!”
My eyes widened in pure shock, wondering what he was going to do next and what he was so afraid of. I had no idea what it was he wanted me to do, but I felt certain that unless he could somehow force me, I wasn’t going to do it.
“Do what?”
Don’t even ask me why I said that!
“He’s not doing anything for you!” Gerard yelled protectively. “Whatever you’re so afraid of, whatever’s going to happen, you deserve it all!”
“No! You don’t understand! They made me do it. I had to!” he pleaded. “It’s not my fault.”
“Who made you do it?” I asked.
Surely he couldn’t mean Daisy and Lucy? Did he mean the family? It seemed so unlikely. Looking through Lucy’s diary had made it very plain that the only person she was scared of was this man and rightly so. It was his reply that surprised me more than anything.
“It was the shadows,” he mumbled, looking around sharply as if afraid to be overheard. “They’re everywhere.”
I heard Bob snort his derision at the announcement, but my blood ran cold. There had been all too many occasions when I had been certain that several of the shadows I had seen had been just that little bit too dark, too solid, too real. Had I seen something he could see? Was I…? No, I refused to even think it. I wasn’t affected like him. Or was I? Had I tried to strangle Gerard? I had to know! Even as I turned, Gerard could see the alarm in my eyes and he was already nodding, reassuring me that everything was all right. I had no idea if he knew what I was thinking or worried about but he was putting me at ease in a situation where terror could so easily have taken hold.
“You know, don’t you!” he cried, reaching out to me without moving from the spot. “You’ve seen them! You’ve seen them! They’re calling to you too!”
An ice chill ran down my spine and Ray placed a hand gently on my shoulder. Glancing around I saw him staring at me with questioning eyes.
“I see them but that’s all,” I whispered, choked by the admission.
“They won’t stop there! Please! You can stop this!” he begged again.
“What’s going to happen?” I asked, as I suddenly noticed that he seemed rooted to the spot.
“It’s already happening,” Lucy smiled with deep satisfaction. “See his feet?”
I looked down and noticed that Frederick’s feet seemed to be covered in something black that clung like tar. It was a deep, solid black like a complete absence of light. It moulded itself around his ankles with only the slightest outline remaining. I wanted to say that it appeared like someone had wrapped a cloth around his feet, but it was more than that, there were no folds, no discernible shape or form, just utter and complete blackness. It seemed somehow unnatural and, of course, I realised that that was exactly what it was. I watched with horror as the blackness collapsed and spread across the floor, with Frederick sinking the few inches with it. The shadows had… I was searching for the right word in my mind and with a surprising amount of distaste for the idea, the best I could manage was that they had absorbed his feet. He seemed now to exist only from the ankles up but he was held securely in place. As I continued to stare, I saw the blackness creeping slowly up towards his knees.
“You can stop this!” he screamed. “Please! They’ll listen to you! You’re next!”
“What’s he talking about?” Frank asked, concerned. “Stop what? Who is he talking about?”
“You can’t see it?” I asked, horrified as I realised I might be the only one who could see what was happening.
“See what?” Frank asked, puzzled by my response, only making me feel worse.
“What are you seeing, Mikes?” Ray asked in as calm a tone as he could manage.
I turned, frantically looking from one to the other. All of them were aiming questioning eyes at me and I realised I was the only one who could see them. I heard him scream as he collapsed to his waist, the shadows spreading out still further. Gasping in horror I realised that one branch of the oozing blackness was slowly heading in my direction.
“Michael,” Lucy began thoughtfully, “if your friends cannot see the shadows then I suspect Frederick may be right. You must not stay here.”
“But the recording? I have to…?”
“Please, help me!” Frederick begged. Despite everything he’d done, it was soul destroying to hear him.
“You’re worried about the recording?” Gerard turned a concerned glance to me. Perhaps he thought it an odd thing to say while a man was effectively dissolving in front of us, but I was simply replying to Lucy.
“You may work here during the day, but you must not be alone, nor must you spend the night.”
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on! But what about the guys?”
“Who are you talking to, Mikes?”
It was Ray who asked the unexpected question with a puzzled stare creasing his face. My head was beginning to spin with Frederick, Lucy and the guys all trying to speak to me at once. It only began to spin more when I realised that Gerard and the guys couldn’t see half of what I could see.
“Lucy,” I replied incredulously. “Can’t you see her?”
Before they even had chance to reply, the shadows enveloped Frederick completely with little more from him than a final resigned sob. Within seconds the entire block of thick almost viscous mass of shadows slipped silently to the floor, spreading out still further. Some faded almost instantly while some seemed to change direction and began to slowly ooze or slither in my direction.
“Where did he go?” Frank cried in surprise as, I assume, Frederick seemed to him to simply and suddenly disappear.
“It’s late, Michael.” Lucy stepped towards me. “You need to leave here. You can return in the morning if you wish.”
“What about your body?” I asked quietly, still stunned by events.
“You can actually see Lucy? You’re talking to her?” Bob added – I was really starting to lose track.
“You know where I am, you can deal with it when you’re rested and well. But, Michael, this must remain a secret.”
“Why?” I asked, confused by the request.
“This is my friend’s home. It’s had many uses over the years, but there remains a quiet dignity to it.”
“What about the shadows?” I asked tentatively.
“I’m not certain if they caused Frederick’s insanity or were born out of it, but they are here and they are dangerous. Now he’s gone, eventually they will go, I’m sure, but not if the place fills with paranormal investigators. They’ll feed off their curiosity and this house needs time to cleanse itself.”
“A quiet, private burial?” I asked, happy when she smiled and nodded in return.
“Thank you,” she replied. “But they’re getting closer,” she added. As I looked down, I could see that the stretch of shadow was now only about a foot away from me. “You must leave, for your own safety.”
“What about Gerard and the guys?” I asked, determined that I wasn’t leaving them if it were remotely unsafe.
“They are quite safe, they will even find that the gloom and oppression has lifted. I feel your sessions will be much more productive now.”
“Thank you,” I nodded. “And… I’m sorry he killed you.”
She smiled wistfully at me.
“At least he didn’t manage to kill you or your friends. Now, go, you will be safe away from here tonight.”
Even as I stared she faded slowly and I knew I wouldn’t see her again; finally, she was at peace. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Gerard.
“It’s over and he’s gone, but I need to get out of here right now.”
“You’re seeing things we’re not?” Gerard asked, but it was phrased almost like a statement.
“Yes, but I’m not crazy, I just see them, that’s all.”
Gerard nodded. I’ll give him credit, he accepted it without question. Perhaps he had simply seen too many strange things to need to wonder if it was true. We all had, but I knew as we turned to leave that my experiences had changed me. I was different certainly, stronger perhaps. I felt as if I had aged several years overnight and it gave me a confidence I never knew I had. Can I say I was glad of the experience for the strength it gave me? Possibly not but at least I was able to take something positive from it. That and the simple gratitude that we were all still alive and well.
I will never forget it, and, not least for the promise I made to Lucy, neither will I ever discuss it.
THE END
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