Play Dead 02

Play Dead
Ch II. – Forget Me
Story By: Andrew Vargas


“It’s been almost a whole week. I checked with his parents, Jaush hasn’t come back home since that day he took us to the Gardenline Insane Asylum. Do you think something has happened to him?”
“What are you asking me for? I went with you guys to the movies.”
“Maybe because you were the last one to be with him!”
“ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING JENNIFER!?”
“YEAH! I’M TRYING TO SAY WHY DIDN’T YOU GO WITH HIM; OR CONVINCE HIM TO COME WITH US!?”

Max just stood there under the old oak-tree near the library, the usual hang out spot for the four friends. Jennifer was sitting on the grass beside Max’s feet, only a few inches away. He took his eyes of Jennifer and stared down onto the healthy green grass and could see the wind blow on the blades of grass. He knew Jennifer was right, he felt it was his entire fault Jaush was missing for 6 days. There was silence between the two friends for a moment. They could hear other people living their life. Average conversations; average yelling kids; an average day for the people of Gardenline. Jennifer scrunched her legs into her chest and held them with her hands with her chin on her knees. She broke the silence by apologizing to Max.

“I’m sorry Max. I just got caught up in the moment.” Jennifer said in a low tone awaiting a reply from Max. Nothing. Max just stood there in silence.

Max lifted his head up and looked towards the sky, the shadow of the tree’s leaves were on his face leaving few rays of sunlight to shine upon him. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breathe, and sighed.

“No, you’re right. I should have done something instead of running off leaving him alone without trying to convince him to come with me and join you and Dan.”
“Don’t beat yourself up Max. By the way, where is Dan?”
“He said he had to go the police station to grab a story for the school newspaper. He said he’d be here around four.”
“It’s almost four-thirty. Dan’s not one to be late unlike you.”
“Don’t worry, Dan will come. In fact, is that him?”
“I think it is, but why is he walking so slow?”

Max was right, it was Dan. He was walking slowly, taking his time with his head down, looking at a page on his notebook he used for taking notes for the school newspaper. Max and Jennifer were wondering until Dan finally got near them.

“Guys…” Dan finally arrived.
“What’s with the long face Dan?” Jennifer asked worried.
“Yeah Dan. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I can’t say it. I can’t, it just hurts even thinking about it.”
“What is it Dan! Just tell us!”
“Out with it man! Don’t leave us hanging!”

Dan just turned his head and looked down on the ground. He handed Max the notebook. Max took the notebook and Dan just sat down in the ground in front of Jen with his legs crossed looking onto the floor. Max just stared at Dan and started to read his notes Dan had taken. He was confused until he got to read to a certain point. Max just dropped the notebook in shock. He was stiff, it’s was like he had forgotten how to move. Jennifer grabbed the notebook Max had dropped; she wanted to know what had made the two guys silent. She read until she got to the point Max did when he dropped the notebook. Tears slid from her eyes, onto her cheeks and finally dripped onto the notebook smudging the ink. She frowned and closed her eyes and shoved her whole face into her knee’s sobbing. Dan just sat there silent; he slowly grabbed the notebook that was on the ground face down and dragged beside him and closed it. He put the notebook back into his backpack and looked towards Max. Max was still in shock. His back slowly slid from the tree until his rear was on the ground with his right leg out and his left knee in the air. He put his forearms on his knee and his eyes on his forearms with a grin on his face. He began to talk in denial.

“You expect us to believe this!?”
“IT’S ALL LIES! LIES! PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS JUST A CRUEL JOKE DAN, PLEASE!”
“DAN YOU TURD! THIS BETTER BE A JOKE!”
“N..no… As much as I’d like it to be. That was the report announced by the chief of police. The police didn’t investigate until they had been urged by Jaush’s family to investigate. That’s why it took so long. The murderer was an insane woman who found her way inside the place. Jaush wasn’t the only missing person found there. There were several others. Jaush’s mom told me that we’re invited to his funeral. It’ll be in two days. It won’t be open casket since the body was found..”
“I read the damn report Dan!”
“Oh Jaush, why did you have to go by yourself!? You stupid idiot! Why! Why!?”
“So is this going to be the headline?”
“Yes. In fact, it’s going to be published tomorrow for others to participate in the funeral. I better get going.”

Dan got up and grabbed his backpack. He started walking to Gardenline High-school leaving Max and Jennifer at their spot where the four would have their laughs and fights. Max got up and punched the tree as hard as he could with his right fist. It started to hurt but he didn’t care. He left a small mark of his fist on the tree and looked at Jen. Max tried to get her on her feet but she refused, she just wanted to cry and cry. It took Max a while, but he finally managed to convince Jennifer to walk her home. Jennifer hugged Max and cried on her shoulder on the walk home. Neither of them didn’t say a thing, they just walked; that was it.

On that night, each of them had trouble going to sleep for their own reasons. Dan tried his hardest to convince students to come to the funeral and dedicate the day in remembrance to Jaush. Max decided to walk to the Gardenline Insane Asylum once more to help clear his mind. When he arrived he saw the yellow police line and construction machines ready to demolish the building on request of the victim’s siblings. He stood there in front of it thinking to himself if he could have saved Jaush; if he could have somehow convinced him to tag along. He turned around and started to walk home. When he arrived he headed straight to his room and opened the top drawer on his cabinet and took out two tickets Jaush had given him two weeks before that day he was murdered. They were concert tickets to their favorite band, Pain. They were to be playing at Gardenline a week from now. As he held them he could remember what he told him, “This is going to be my first concert, so watch my back if there’s any moshes and I’ll watch yours man”. Max put the two tickets under his pillow and fell asleep. Jennifer was in her room the whole day crying and sulking. She just wanted to be alone. She really liked Jaush; she just felt sad that she hadn’t expressed it enough towards him. She could only remember the last words she had told him, “Have fun with your empty building”. Eventually she managed to cry herself to sleep.

Dan succeeded in getting some students to come to Jaush’s funeral and manage to get the principal to dedicate the day into Jaush’s memory. His article was very spectacular, one of Gardenline High’s best. Of course most of the students who did participate just used this as an excuse to skip school. Some of them joked and praised that he died for a day off or some time off school. At the gravesite where Jaush’s casket was to be buried, his whole family who ever cared for him was there; Jaush’s friends and classmates who liked him for who he was. Some teacher’s even attended and so did the police officers who found his body to show their respect. Max, being Jaush’s best friend since Kindergarten, gave the Eulogy. His last words were, “Here Jaush, you’ll need your concert ticket too. I’ll pick you up at seven”, and Max threw the ticket on top of his casket with words he have written on the back, “I’ll still have your back, R.I.P.”.

“Heh. Didn’t know they cared so much. Don’t worry Max. I’ll have your back too.” Jaush said as he saw his funeral. He even cried when he heard Max’s Eulogy. He didn’t even know Max could make words stick to your mind, and it was his funeral.

Jaush flew back to the insane asylum to tell the other lost souls that this place would be demolished in a few days. They all knew it would have happened any time sooner ever since they saw the police take Maggie. Jaush was offered by the middle-aged woman who he first saw when he woke up dead to come with her and find other places and explore the world. Jaush kindly refused her offer and told her that he would stay here in Gardenline until he knew when it was time to pass on. The old man patted his back and just told him to watch out for zombies and to not try to use his abilities he had taught him too much. It could cause him to turn into a zombie himself. A week had passed and the Gardenline Insane Asylum had been torn down for a new mini-mall.

Jaush roamed the construction site for a while until he got bored and  decided to take a stroll around Gardenline. He visited Dan’s house first. He saw Dan doing the usual, studying and the occasional sneaking into porn websites on his laptop. Jaush left when he saw Dan take off his pants and pull it his member, but before he left he slammed his laptop shut before he ejaculated, “You owe me one Dan, haha”.

Jaush then went to Max’s house. He saw things he’s always dreamed of since he first hit pre-puberty; Max’s mother and sister naked. He also saw something that would burn his eyes if he were still alive, Max’s parents having sex. Jaush quickly went into Max’s room to find no one there. He looked around the house and couldn’t find Max until it hit him. Today was the Pain concert. He went to the Gardenline concert hall where Pain was performing. His favorite song was being preformed, Square Pegs. Although he wanted to head bang to the song, he was looking for Max. People were moshing and Max was too. He had a few bruises on his arm, no one to watch his back, that is until Jaush got there. He managed to nudge Max a little from some harm, “I told you I’d keep my promise bitch”. Max quickly turned around. He thought he heard Jaush’s voice. He moshed a guy who was behind him protecting the girl who was in front of her, he treated her as if he was Jaush, and because of that, Max finally got himself a girlfriend.

The concert ended and Jaush finally went to Jennifer’s house. He could see she had moved on, but still a part of him was still with her. She got a new boyfriend and found him to be just as good as Jaush as much it pained her to think it. Jaush didn’t mind, he wasn’t the jealous type, he was just happy to see his friends happy; except for Dan, he found him to be a little “too” happy. Jaush stayed in Jennifer’s room for the rest of the night. He finally got to see her naked and his first words to that sight were, “I knew it, and she didn’t shave her pubic hair! Fuck… I lost the bet too. Good thing I’m dead, or else Jen would have an extra ten bucks”. Jaush stayed with Jennifer until daylight broke. He then left to his house.

When he arrived he saw his mom with tears in her eyes, his two brothers in the car and his sister on the phone as usual. Jaush’s mom was starring at the house and the thoughts she had raising Jaush and her other children in the house. She knew she had to move or she would never feel better from the family’s loss. Jaush’s mom finally got in the car and pulled out the driveway and drove to their new home. Jaush was sitting on the roof of the house when he saw his mom staring at the house, he wanted to believe she was staring at him. He saw them pull out and just looked at the car until it was out of his sight. He then fell on his back on the roof and phased through the roof until he was in the living room. It was empty. He walked around the house, looking around and remembering memories he has had throughout his life. Like the time he cut his forehead falling into a glass cabinet because he wanted to catch the ball before it fell onto the floor. The time he and his brought played for hours on the Super Nintendo, trying to beat the final boss in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles In Time. He had good and bad times, but he was glad he had them.

Jaush moved to his room, which was really a garage that wasn’t really apart of the house. When he got there he found the room to be empty. His brother had taken his things too; even his secret porn stash. He thought his brother knew, but he wasn’t sure, but now he knows. While inspecting his room, he saw a small carving in the corner of the room; in each corner, there was one letter, R, I, P, J; which stood for Rest In peace Jaush. He knew his mom made his brother do this, but he was surprised he actually did it. Jaush heard scratching on the door and went outside by just walking through the wall. When he got outside he saw his cat, Endark. Jaush was furious that his family left his beloved cat friend behind. He would never forgive them if he were still alive. He stood next to Endark and squatted on his legs and stared at him. Jaush then began to talk to him.

“Endark, go. Everyone else is gone, and I am too. I raised you with love and emotions I can only express to you, go find yourself a new family. A handsome black pussy cat like you with white paws and a little bit of white on your chest to your neck will find one quick.” Jaush said as he smiled since he couldn’t show emotion when he was dead.

Endark heard the dead Jaush and jumped onto objects in his backyard until he got onto the house’s roof. Endark then stopped and turned around and stared at Jaush. Jaush stared back in awe and in shock. If he could cry he would now, instead he smiled and nodded. Endark meowed and was off his way to look for a new home or start a new routine. Jaush then stood back up and went inside his room and went to sleep. Even though he’s dead, he can still manage to sleep. It helps pass time for those without a shell.

Throughout the days, Jaush would hang around his neighborhood causing havoc; Flushing toilets, turning on the television and turning them off, he would even go as far as to misplace a sock to ruin the pair. Of course he had never changed, now that he was dead, he would always peep when he had the chance or if he felt like it; although it didn’t feel the same when he was alive. He had no sexual desire anymore. Everything was still new to him, not being able to feel almost any physical emotion. Eventually days had turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Jaush was staring to get bored hanging around here in physical life world. He was considering passing on, but then while lying on his room floor’s he heard something. It was the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and the engine being turned off. Jaush got up and he quickly thought it was his mother paying a visit to the house. When he arrived to the front lawn of the house, he couldn’t believe his eyes, a new family had moved into Gardenline city. He saw the family come outside the car. It was a middle-aged man, and a teenage girl. Jaush just stared at awe.

“Dad, do we really have to live…here?”
“I told you already hun, this is our new home since I got that new job being the manager at the new mini-mall here.”
“Ugh. Fine! I left my friends for this? Oh well, as long as you’re happy right dad?”
“Oh come on. You agreed on this too. So don’t play the blame game with me, you know I always lose.”
“Haha, sorry dad. Girls have the advantage on that. Anyways dad, remember our deal, I get that huge garage room you mentioned to me.”
“Of course, and I get the whole house. Don’t forget to come and visit ok?”
“Don’t worry dad, I’m still your little girl. Only when I’m in the house.”

“Jeeze. Shut up already. This is to GOOD to be true.” Sulked Jaush while he listened to the two’s conversation.