CHAPTER TWELVE

12

“Phoenix!” I was falling into a black abyss, and as I was falling I heard, “Phoenix . . . Phoenix . . . “ my name was being whispered by multiple voices throughout the darkness. “Phoenix . . . Phoenix . . .” I moved my head quickly as my limbs were forced to go limp. It was like they were injected with numbing juice. My eyes darted back and forth trying to figure out who was calling for me. Then all of a sudden, I hit the ground. Hard.

It knocked the breath out of me. I was completely in the dark “DANIEL!” I called out in terror. “Oh, god - Not again,” tears started to burn my eyes and make a painful tingle at my nose. 

I kept hearing my name whispered throughout the darkroom. Then, almost abruptly, a spotlight appeared out of nowhere, shining on one part of the room, then a man appeared.

“Hello Phoenix,” It was a man with brown eyes and blonde hair. He was wearing a vertical striped pink and white shirt, blood-soaked his shirt and face and . . . he didn’t have legs? He was just a floating head and body. And for some odd reason, he looked so familiar. 

“Wh-who are you?” I stuttered.

“You don’t remember me?”

“Have we met before?”

“I can’t believe you don’t remember your own father.”

“D-Daddy?” My eyes grew wide, “But-But you’re dead!”

“On the contrary, kid, you see me standing here don’t you?”

“PART OF YOU!” This can’t be real. I thought to myself.

Then all of a sudden, “MOM!”

Her wavy light brown hair and fair skin were covered in blood, her arms and legs were twisted inhumanly. Her eyes, those green eyes that she got from Maw Maw, were bloodshot - there was something off about them. She was missing an eye! There was just an empty eye socket on the right side of her face.

“Hello, darling!” Mom said to me, in an almost demonic voice that sounded nothing like her. “We’ve missed you while we were away, sweetheart!” 

Then, I think that somehow, they had me under a spell, “You-you did Momma?” There were twinkles in my eyes, opened wider than ever, I was in a trance. “I missed you too, Mom.”

“Yes baby, we missed you while we were at our anniversary dinner, It was like we were gone for four years!”

I started to run towards my Mom and Daddy. I wanted to hug my Momma and Daddy after not having seen them for so long.

Then I ran right through them with my arms spread out, and their bodies blinked. They turned a little blue, then back to normal color.

It was a hologram.

That’s when it clicked.

“LEAVE ME ALONE! MY PARENTS ARE DEAD, AND YOU’RE NOT THEM!” I started to run in the other direction, trying to get away from them. I was just running in the dark, I had no idea what was in front of me, or what I would run into.