As my ripped up tennis shoes kept hitting the gravel road, I started running faster, not daring to look behind me. My breath was running out with every step I took but I wouldn’t stop till I saw those towering familiar trees in front of my house. My mom, as always, was circling the house with a hose in her hand not missing one plant to water. My dad was reading his daily newspaper on the porch, his glasses halfway down his nose. Comet was running after my mom with a tennis ball in his mouth. When will he realize she’ll never play with him?  We seemed like we had a perfect family on the outside. I thought we did too, the first 6 years of my life. Then my life took an unfortunate turn. We moved out of the state. From Orlando all the way to Milwaukee. The first couple of days, everything seemed perfect. We got a backyard, new rooms, more bathrooms and nothing could ever go wrong. Or so I thought.

About 3 years ago, I saw a person in the woods which just happened to be right across from my house. At first I thought maybe someone was lost. I figured I might as well go help out the poor person. Our woods were like an advanced maze game. Once I reached the woods, I searched every inch of it. All I found were leaves and trees. Confused and curious, I walked back to my house. As I was walking, I heard a loud, screeching scream behind me. I turned around and sprinted back to the woods. Once I got there, I found a lady around her late 20s lying in the dirt. Her eyeliner that looked freshly put on was all smeared up. Her eyes frightened like she had seen the most terrifying thing in the world. She looked like she had come from work from her business attire.  I asked her what happened hoping for her to say she just tripped and fell. Unfortunately, that wasn't the answer.  She opened her mouth like she was about to say something but nothing came out. She just stared into my eyes as if I was an angel from Heaven sent down to save her. “I...I..help..” Those were the last things she said before her eyes closed. As I rushed her to the hospital, I couldn’t help but think, what could have happened to her?
Once we reached the hospital, the emergency took her in before I could even say anything. My mom and dad came rushing there still in their pajamas and messy hair. My mom had tears in her eyes as if it had been me in the ICU. She hugged me like the last time she had seen me was my 8th grade graduation. The doctors came out of the room and assured us that the lady was in the safe zone. I went in and saw her. She seemed like she was in worse condition than when I found her. Her knees had big bruises, she had scratches on her arms, and her face looked like it didn’t have any blood left in there. As I left the hospital with my parents, I had a feeling something horrible was coming. I ran into my room right when I got home. I opened up my Mac and researched almost everything that lived in the woods. It was time to find out the real reason behind things. I spent almost 3 hours in my room researching when my mom called me. “Kelsey, time for dinner!”  The last thing I wanted at that time was dinner. I threw my Mac on the bed and headed for the door when I heard another scream from outside. My heart dropped as I ran to the window. Although it was just my mom who had dropped one of her precious plants, everytime I hear a scream now, I jump. Around 9 PM, I called one of my best friends, Monica. I felt like she was the only person who could understand my crazy theories about there being angry spirits in the woods. We talked for hours about all the possibilities that could be happening. We talked about ghosts, vampires, demons, and zombies. If I talked about this with anyone else, they probably would have admitted me into a mental asylum.

A couple days later, I was driving to school when I saw a lady sitting in the cemetery crying. I figured since I was already early for school since my mom wakes me up a half hour earlier than she’s suppose to, I might as well go talk to her. I walked into the cemetery towards her and finally approached. I told her that whoever she had lost would always be with her. She smiled at me and pointed to the half-broken bench next to her and I sat down. We sat there for a couple of minutes in silence, the tears still running down the poor lady’s face, when I asked her the most common question asked in a cemetery. “Who’d you lose?” She didn’t talk for 2 minutes when I figured the lady just wanted some peace. When I got up and started to walk, I heard, “My son. I lost my son. He was in the marines for about 18 years. I thought I saw him couple days ago in my house. The scary part is he died about a year ago.” Right when she said that, I knew something was definitely up. I gave my condolences, said my farewells, and walked away. Once I left the cemetery, I ran to my car and turned straight towards Monica’s house. I ran into her house when I heard a loud scream escape through my mouth. I found my best friend’s body on the hard kitchen floor with blood everywhere.

A couple months after she died, I graduated high school, wishing my best friend had been by side. When I was driving home, I was actually pretty pumped for the surprise graduation party I knew I was getting. I turned the key and entered the front door, my ears awaiting the “Happy Graduation Kelsey!” Although, that was not the response I got. I walked into my parents’ dead body on the floor, blood on the carpet. on the food, on the graduation poster, everywhere I looked. Tears filled my eyes as I ran to them. I looked up at the walls to see a phrase repeated over and over again, “Leave my house it’s mine!!” I ran out of the house and called 911. When the police arrived, they asked me millions of questions. “Did you notice anyone around your house? Where were you at the time? How long were you gone? When did you leave? When did you find them? Did they have any enemies?” I gave them all the answers but at the same time I realized one thing. Ghosts are real. Zombies are real. Demons are real. Everything I could ever imagine are real because now, I had living proof. The girl in the hospital who got attacked in the woods, the lady’s son and now this.

I moved out after the funeral. Stayed at hotels, traveled cities, wishing Monica had been with me the whole time. I finally got settled in a town named Colorado. It was beautiful, had everything I wanted. Mountains, chilly weather, private colleges, beautiful landscapes. I went to Colorado University and majored in criminal justice which was my passion ever since I was a child. One night I got a call at 3 AM. I answered half asleep, “Hello?” After I heard whose voice it was, I instantly popped up. “”Kelsey? It’s Monica. Kelsey everything we talked about is real! Ghosts, zombies, demons, angels. I’m in heaven. It’s a beautiful place up here. I can do everything I couldn’t before. I miss you Kelsey. I’m sorry about your parents. They’re here with me right now but they can’t come to the phone right now. They’re saying they love you and they’re glad you’re continuing your passion. Kelsey, I have to go now. My mom’s calling me. I really missed hearing her voice. I’ll call you again soon. Bye, love you!” By the time she was done, I had tears in my eyes. I couldn’t believe it; I just talked to my dead best friend. Well she talked, I just kind of sat there and tried not to pass out. I had so much to talk to her about, to ask her about. What happens when you die? Does it hurt? Where do you go? Have you met God? I opened my mouth to say “Wait come back!” Nothing came out of my mouth but a quiet sigh.  She called every so often to check up on me. We talked for hours just like before. At that time I realized, not all ghosts are bad. The world was not as evil as I had imagined.
The End