Parcels and Wounds

Something was cutting through my skin, I knew this feeling, it had happened before. I slowly felt my head tilt downward, my arms were wounded, there were lacerations on both of my arms, blood was pouring out nonstop. I counted, one, two, three....seven cuts per arm, it was painful to think but I felt nothing, just an unsettling numbness. "Who was this person?" I asked myself. This wasn't the first time that I was seeing through his eyes, I felt him walk, the floor was ice cold. I can feel his blood dripping, covering the whole place with it, I wanted to throw up, my head feels like it's spinning. For once I knew that I was dreaming, "Wake up." I told myself, "Wake up!" I shouted in my brain...wake up...As if on cue I felt an arm on my shoulder, and heard a voice say, "Robin, it's not nice to be snooping around somebody else's memories", for the first time ever when I looked back I saw a face, it was a child that looks like the girl I met at Dr. Ian's office; realization hit me on who she was, she was Annie.

The following morning I had mixed emotions about the dream. It was impossible, the face was vivid in my mind. It was little Annie. How could I see through her eyes? How could it be that voice call those dreams "her memories"? I sighed, something was wrong with this case, I never felt this bothered by anything. How could this case trigger all the things that I have completely locked away and forgotten, my mental illness, my fears and the never ending anxieties that I never thought I had. I went to work feeling miserable that day. Things were going from bad to worse by a mere blink of my eye, and nothing seems to be helping me to solve this case, but it was clearly driving me crazy. Nobody, not even Chris will understand my situation so I couldn't tell anyone, even my therapist just believes that all this was brought about by the stress and pressure of this case, I sighed, because for some weird and illogical reason I knew that there was a connection between my dreams and the case. Trust me I didn't want to believe it either, but it feels as if my dreams were the only clues that I have and they all seem to be legitimate when put under close inspection, they all seem to fall into place and logical when looked at a point of view of an investigator. Again I let out an exasperated sigh, whatever it was I was thinking it was not acceptable in the eyes of a normal person, but these dreams were all I could rely on with all the dead-ends clues I have. I walked towards my desk and saw something sitting on it, it was a package. Being a police officer I knew better than to carelessly open anything that is wrapped and surprisingly without a return address so I took my pen knife and cautiously cut through the paper wrapping. Inside it was a necklace with a crucifix pendant which fell onto my desk. I also saw a small note, it was written in a hasty and seem to be shaky manner:

"Officer,

You are the first and last person that I could tell of what I know, but forgive me if it may look all made up but I swear to my God that this is as true as it gets. The girl you are looking for is alive, she is a spawn of the devil. She warned me to never speak of this but I felt that if I tell you of what I know no harm will come to me. I watched as she walked away that night, her blood was washed away by the waves but she was alive like you and me.

She dropped this when she left. I saw her eyes welled up with tears as if she didn't want to do whatever she was doing, but at the same time they were also filled with all the evil in the world. I hope this information will be enough, and if ever you find her, be careful."

The note was nameless, but I knew who it was from. I took the crucifix in my hand, it was covered with blood and was cold as ice. In an instant, I heard voices, screaming unceasingly, women and children crying, they were all in agony, I swooned. Suddenly, my body felt like lead, it felt as if I was sinking, a burning feeling was around me, I looked around, there were flames all around me, I was being burned. I screamed in agony when -

Hey Robin!", I heard Chris' voice calling me out. He was staring down on me, I looked up to him, I must have gave an expression that made him worry because his next words were, "What's up, you're pale."

"Nothing, just got a lead with my case", I lied. I didn't want my best friend to be worried than he already was.

"Wow, that's great", he pat me on my shoulder with that big smile on his face, he was so immature with things that excited him.

"I know", that was all I could say, clutching the bloody crucifix.

Later on that day I sent samples of the blood to be examined and I processed the other things that I have to do. Again I studied the note, they were written by a person consumed with fear. It was evident who wrote it, but I had my reservations about going over to question the old man, because based on the note it was easy to see that he didn't want be asked about it. Could there be someone threatening him? But if there was, who? Or rather, what? In the midst of my thoughts an image came into my mind, it was the face of a demon. I slapped myself, this was the real life and the things that I dream about or see because of my mental state is irrelevant and unacceptable to the logical thinking of a police officer such as myself. Then again, I glanced back on the note, the man did mention the word 'demon', why would a man say such a thing? Unless the man is deranged such as myself, it was not logical. I returned to studying my grandfather's notes on the case but again I ended up empty handed.

"I give up!" I let out an exasperated sigh. I mean, this case was hopeless to begin with and the doctor was right, this case is affecting my mental well-being in ways that are utterly not proper. It's given me nightmares (not that it's new), hallucinations and if I'm not too careful it may end up killing me! Killing me...The image of the demon flashed in my head, it was a hallucination that I could not and will never forget, for it felt so real. Unconsciously I touched my face where the near invisible scratch was, I shivered with the thought. I returned to my work to distract myself, still a bit shaken.

I was finishing my report on why I want to drop the case when a phone call changed everything. "Hello", I heard a small voice from the other line, it was a girl, a very familiar voice - at least I thought.

"Hello", I said back.

"Is this you Robin?" the caller said carefully.

"Who is this?", I opened the word processor in my computer and began typing, I knew in my mind that this was no ordinary call.

"We've met before. But I want to talk to you personally. Would you like to have dinner?" she said suddenly, "by the way I'm not the type of girl that takes no for an answer", I didn't think she was by the sound of her voice.

"Why would I be doing that?" I replied

"You don't seem to understand your position Robin. I'm not asking you, but rather telling you. Besides this is a rare chance for us to speak before the other one gets to you. Right now he's busy killing off that old man that gave you information."

Killing off... Soon as those words came from the receiver, I suddenly found myself watching the sunset on the beach. I looked around, some distance away there were two people, it was impossible to tell who, curious i walked towards them. Suddenly one of them fell face down on the sand, I held my breath, there was something coming out from the one who fell - it was blood. The person standing over the one who fell was a child, her hands were covered in blood and one of them held a knife. Then I heard it spoke in a voice not unknown to me, "I warned you, all you had to do was to be silent, I took pleasure in slitting you", the voice was raspy and felt slimy, this was a voice that I heard not long ago, this was the voice of the demon. I felt my chest tighten, I swallowed, I was perspiring with fear. Suddenly she turned to me. She grinned, her face was splattered with blood, her hands and arms were dripping with it. I watched as her slitted pupils narrow at the sight of me. An aura of malice and evil was emanating from her; this was the demon wearing the face of an angel like a shell to hide all the ugliness it held. She brandished her bloody knife, a very good substitute for the claws that it once had on our first encounter, I knew what she was thinking, that I will be next.

"What a pain, it seems that you have been made aware of my actions again", it laughed, it was cold and slimy. "But nonetheless Traveler, you are again too late", she stepped aside exposing the body of the old fisherman, I gulped. "Now you have officially been meddling with my plans, I have no other option but to get rid of you", she laughed once more, she then lunged at me with the knife at hand. I was too shocked and scared to move, all I felt was a cold slimy blade piercing my chest. I could scream, but I was too shocked. I didn't know what to do but my hands instinctively drew my gun as the demon was above me driving the knife deeper. I felt my hands took the gun and in one quick action - BANG!

I blinked, I was sitting behind my desk, holding the phone with one hand and clutching my gun with the other. What just happened? I let go of my gun and unconsciously put my hand on my chest, there was blood, I was...bleeding... My shirt was drenched with my own blood and the last thing I saw was my friends and co-workers running towards me.