Lost Soul by Forest Ostrander (red queen free ebook txt) 📖

"Don't worry about the cats. I have a different place for them," I said. I wanted to spend as much time with them as I could before handing them over to Crystal. Tiffany nodded and I put Corky in the pasture with their donkey’s and miniature horses. I tied the dogs out back and petted them, giving them each a kiss on the head. Picking up the cat carried I left the Fuller's property and headed into town again. I was going to have a long walk but I hoped the entire time I would not be followed. After a couple of hours walking I knocked on my friend's door. Crystal opened it up, shocked to see me.

"Forest!" she said. "What are you doing here?" I gave her a weak smile and said.

"Can you watch the cats for me? Something came up and I don't trust them with anyone but you."

"Uh, sure. What's going on?"

"Believe me, the less you know the better. Trust me on this one Crystal." Crystal nodded and took the cat carrier.

"Whatever is happening, be safe." I hugged her and said goodbye to Cuddles, Candy, Cookie and JD before leaving them behind. Something about leaving Cuddles behind tore at my heart but it was for the sake of her life. I would not let anything happen to my animals so long as I lived. I began to head to town and as I reached the road to the highway I was stopped by a bunch of cars circling around me. This is it. It's time to fight. I wasn't going down without a fight. I pulled the gun off of my shoulder and took the safety lock off. I was scared but adrenaline pumped through my veins. The boys got out of the cars and I held the gun in my hands.

"Ah Forest. So nice to see you." Brandon stepped out of a black SUV and smiled at me. I knew that smile wasn't as warm as he tried to make it. I knew what their intentions were before I seen the guns on their belts. I hoped I would get at least a few rounds in before they shot me.

"What do you want?" I said through gritted teeth.

"Why, all I want to do is talk, that's all."

"You're pretty heavily loaded for someone who just wants’ to talk," I remarked.

"Ah, but are you not as well?" Brandon said motioning to my grandfather's gun.

"I have my reasons."

"As do we." We both had a long staring contest, neither of us willing to split eye contact.

"Now. Are you ready to talk or do we have to do this the hard way?" Brandon clasped his hands together, the fingers locking between one another.

"How about no way?" I said sarcastically. I wasn't going to let these boys get away with anything, not without a few tokens from me.

"Ah, tsk, tsk, tsk." Brandon said shaking his head with a sad look on his face.

"And here I thought you would enjoy bargaining for your life." I eyed him suspiciously.

"What do you want?"

"All I want is information on where the key to the safe is." I looked at him confused then remembered. After my greatest accomplishment of helping the police out, the Mayer had given me a key to a safe that held all the maps of where every safe that held gold and silver were.

"Never." I glared at him.

"Then this is the end for you." The boys pulled their guns on me and we both let the bullet fly. I managed to snag four of them before a bullet pierced me in my chest. I dropped the gun and grasped my chest, blood flowing out of the hole where the bullet had gone through. My eyes began to go blurry as Brandon leaned over me.

"It's a shame really, I was hoping this could have ended in a different way." The last thing I heard was a sickening laugh as I collapsed on the ground.

A loud wailing sound penetrated my ears. My eyes were groggy and not wanting to open. I put a hand to my head and was amazed that I was still alive. How could this be? I was hit by 5 or 6 bullets!   I finally opened my eyes to see the bright sunlight shine through the white, fluffy clouds. It was funny how after being shot at you finally notice the beauty of the world behind you. After a few minutes of laying there, the annoying wailing sound was coming closer. Looks like help finally comes. Maybe I will be ok after all. I sit up and hold my head, blood rushed back down into my body which caused some blackness appear before my eyes before it cleared up. I looked around me and noticed a bunch of people polling around me. What are they staring at? I know it may be weird seeing a girl rise from being shot but I'm not dead! I followed their eyes and for a moment it took me to grasp what I saw. A body was next to me, blood pooling around it. Funny, I didn't expect I had killed one of them. I took a closer look at the body and nearly screamed. The body wasn't one of the boys, it was me! But how? How can I be dead when I'm right here? How can I feel alive? I couldn't grasp the knowledge that the body laying next to me was me and not someone else. I was scared. I looked at the area where I was hit by the bullet and nearly cried. The would wasn't caused just by one bullet, there were three holes where my heart would be. My face frozen in a grimace of pain. Well, that sure is a face to look at I said sarcastically. It's funny how I can make fun of my body. I noticed the paramedics leaning over me, they stripped open my shirt to put those eclectic things on me that look like demented iron's. A man shouted.

 What good is that going to do? Can't you see the bullet holes? Obviously those aren’t going to work! People these days! I watched them as they tried it three more time then CPR. I laughed. I couldn't help it. Something about this scene before me was just too hilarious not too. I shook my head. These people just wouldn't give up, even though the scene before me is obvious. I had already left my body and unlike those fantasy movies where the soul feels the pull to go back, I didn't feel that pull. I just sat there watching it all. When the scene became blurry I knew it was from the tears. The reality of it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was not going back. I couldn't return to my body. I was actually, truly gone from the world yet here I was. Surly that means something? I always had thought that when you died you would wake up in heaven or hell, I never expected to wake up next to the bloody scene before me. I looked around me, everyone I knew was here, everyone except the boys. Hmmm, don't they want to see the scene they caused? Aren’t they proud of what they did? They should be here gloating! I was furious that they would leave without taking some responsibility but I knew that would have been expected from them. Sighing, I climbed up to stand on my feet, looking down at my chest, I still had the three bullet holes in my heart. I had thought it was only one but obviously they wanted to make sure I was really dead. Holding my right hand up, it was still encased in blood from when I tried to stop the bleeding. Looking down once more at my body I laid my hand on my face, I couldn't stand seeing it like that. Plus, I also wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Looking the paramedic in the face, I noticed his chiseled features and how his brown eyes pleaded with me to wake up, to not be dead but it had already been past the golden hour to save someone. I oddly found him sexy to look at despite already having a boyfriend. Yet also, strangely enough, I really didn't care I had one. For some reason, I wanted the man before me and I knew not why. I tried to talk to him, to make him hear me but either he can't hear the dead or I'm just not strong enough to break through that sound barrier. Standing up once more, I surveyed the group around me, the road was shut off and cops were directing traffic a different route. I soon noticed my friend Crystal within the crowed, her eye beat red and swollen. Unshed tears were brimming behind them, wanting to break through and stream down like a water fall. I walked over to her, I wanted to reach out to her, to make her see that I am still here, that I'm not really gone. But when I reached my hand out to touch her I only went through her. Why could I touch my body but not her? I was confused. Obviously there was still a lot I had to learn and why hadn't I seen a white light? Shouldn't there have been a white light to take me home? Shouldn't there be at least someone here to greet me? To show me the ropes? Why I was still stranded? I looked back at my body. Well, if I was going to remain on this earth, I might as well make the most of it. Now that I can't be seen, maybe I can now finally stop the boys before they killed someone else. I left the scene behind me and headed in an unknown direction. I didn't want to stay around any longer, to watch as they take my body away. I wanted revenge and I was going to have it no matter what. I was going to stop them, I didn't know how but I knew I would find a way.

Walking for what seemed like hours, I decided to head to Crystal's house to check up on Cuddles and the other cats. Obviously they would be able to see me, animals are amazing like that. When I headed down her road, I soon felt like I was being followed. Looking around, I didn't see anything but then I heard a loud scream as a woman ran out to me. Her hands outstretched and her eyes locked on me. I felt frightened as the woman ran to me, obviously she was not friendly. Quickly mustering up the courage, I ran from the strange woman. I could hear her running after me but a few miles down the road she stopped and turned back, every walk she let out a piercing scream. What was that about? Who was she and why did she chase me like that? Obviously the woman must have been a soul like me. Maybe that is what will happen to me eventually? I don't want to go mad like her. I don't won’t