"Hey! The line is back here," the cashier yelled as Eva pushed and shoved everyone in the queue, trying to escape from God knows what.
"Hey watch it young lady, someone call security", were screams that filled the air. But the security agents were already on their job as one tackled Eva and pinned her to the ground restricting her with handcuffs.
"He's going to kill me! They are going to kill me. Release me at once". Eva yelled with bloodshot eyes and struggled with the cuffs, aggressively wiggling her shoulders while being bundled away.
Beep! beep! beep! The alarm sounded waking Eva up from one of those nightmares she's been battling with. The nightmares that get worse each passing week and become more realistic with each dream.
"Ugghhh..." Eva groaned, reaching out to the AC remote to increase the chill only to find out that it's already at its highest. She took a look at herself and saw how drenched she was in her sweat. Hopping into the shower to wash off, something caught her eyes, a reflection from the mirror. Eva took a few steps backwards to confirm what she saw, but could only see her beautiful reflection. Mesmerized by the beauty that she had become, Eva stood there admiring herself. Suddenly, she felt something crawl underneath her skin up to her head and then a snake attacked from the mirror. An attack that caused her to scream so loud while pulling on her hair that the snake emerged from.
"We can't continue to leave her like this. She needs peace." Silva said to Aaron, with her folded arms resting on her lower chest area.
"I will not kill my mother nor be an accomplice to her murder". Aaron said sternly, while standing over the glass wall.
“You will not kill your mother? You think that this is life for her? Maybe you don't already know this but Eva, your mother, is dead! She is dead to this world. She died the day that she decided to mess with forces greater than her. She died the day your father took his last breath stopping the pulse on the heart monitor.
Look at her Aaron! Does that look like the mom you grew up with? The woman you knew?” Turning to face Aaron with her eyes welled up in tears, Silva continued, “you can't even look at her can you? Do you honestly think that you love my sister more than me? No Aaron, you don't but you are the man, you are her son and trust me if you were not in the picture, I would have put Eva out of her misery a long time ago.”
Aaron sobbed like a baby, dragging the built up mucus up his nose while being scolded by his aunt. It was a pathetic scene and Silva left shortly slamming the door behind her. Overwhelmed, Aaron placed his hand on the glass wall holding his mother Eva in solitary confinement. Amidst the tears, Aaron muttered underneath his breath, saying, "I wish you had found me enough mom. I wish I was a better replacement for dad.”
With his hands cupped and placed on the glass wall, Aaron rested his head on his cupped hand and quickly drifted back down memory lane. It's been almost a decade since that fateful day and he could remember it like it was yesterday.
Eva did not mentally recover from the accident that hospitalised Mike which eventually ended his life. Mike's death was such a blow she could not stand up from. Her childhood sweetheart, husband and Aaron's dad. It was their 10 year anniversary, which was supposed to be a perfect evening of laughter and merriment. It so happened that Mike was on top speed racing to Eva. They had a dinner reservation and Mike, trying to close a business deal, worked late into the night. Knowing how furious Eva would be, he raced like crazy to be with her with the hope not to miss out on their anniversary dinner date. Sadly, he ran into a truck and although he made it to the hospital where he had a chance to fight for his life, he lost the battle after a few days.
On the night of the accident, when Mike did not show up, Eva had just gotten home furious and ranting to her sister Silva who was keeping 15 years old Aaron company.
“Calm down Sist, I'm pretty sure that if Mike had better alternatives, y'all would have had an amazing date.” Silva consoled her sister, while giving Aaron a gentle push on his elbow, signalling him to go to his room.
Aaron hated his mother being upset and oftentimes he disapproves of him always putting work first but then, he knew and also, he understands that it’s his father's dedication to work that affords them all the luxury things that they enjoy. Knowing that both his parents would always find a way to make up and settle their differences, he makes sure not to get involved in their fall outs. Aaron had just gotten into the room and was barely on his bed when he heard his mom yell out his father's name in tears.
To Aaron, the whole thing happened like a nightmare. The only difference was that there's no waking up because it's his reality. From the hospital, to a special cold room confinement where Mike’s body was kept because Eva believed that he’s sleeping and would wake up eventually.
Hours turned to days and days to weeks, Mike wasn't waking up and desperate times called for desperate measures. Eva decided to quit her job, to get more time to concentrate on spells. Being of a voodoo descendant, Eva knew the rules and the implications of spells. She knew the spell of the dead had long been abolished but she was desperate. A part of her felt guilty for Mike and she needed to fix that. The more she casts the spell to manipulate Mike's soul into his body, the more warnings and attacks she receives from the keepers of the underworld. Seeing that she wasn't relenting in her craft, she was trapped by the keepers and made to live in her head. Eva's punishment was seeing Mike as an attacker and not a lover every time she tries to sleep or close her eyes.
At first it was a condition both Aaron and Silva thought that they could manage because any attempt to free her will lead to the demise of both her and the person freeing her. Unfortunately, she got worse and it seemed like they lost her completely on the day that Mike was finally laid to rest.
