"Melinda?" I yelled as I walked into her house, yes it was two in the morning but some things can't wait. The last time I had been here was the last time I ever thought I would see her. You see, Melinda is capable of things most of us wouldn't believe, and I am a skeptic myself but there is something about her that draws you in, makes you want to believe. She had gone into the underground city under Grandview, this girl drove me nuts, I thought she was dead and that's when I knew.
"In here." A groggy sounding voice called from her living room.
"Oh Melinda you just sound terrible." I laughed. She was folded in a ball on the couch; it looked like she hadn't gotten sleep in years.
"Professor Payne?" She shot up out of the couch her hair going wild with the slightest movements she made, it only made me laugh some more. How could this girl look that amazing at two in the morning? Her brown hair and slender body complimenting her night gown.
Her eyes shifted from me to the suitcase that was behind me and a smile grew on her face. A smile so bright it would take anyone's breath away. Her arms wrapped around me and her eyes began to water. That's what you have to understand about Mel, she's been through a lot, and is emotional but not more than anyone else. You'd be emotional too if you had to deal with half the stuff she puts up with.
"Yep it's me back from the dead!" I wanted to hug her longer, to have the smell linger in my nose but instead I gently shifted out of her hug and threw myself on her couch.
"That was the longest sabbatical you've ever taken…" she ran her fingers through her hair and wrapped her arms around herself.
"I didn't mean for it to be that long you know those flowers I was studying were just so interesting that I never wanted to leave." She smiled and threw a pillow at me.
I only took a sabbatical because I needed to get away from Grandview. My wife had recently died and from the grave admitted to cheating on me and, well, honestly I didn't take it very well. And then there was the time that Melinda almost got caved in the underground city that just pushed me over the edge. I have yet to tell her all the reasons I left.
"Where are you staying?" She asked, now looking more awake.
"A hotel, Hotel Allenstown possibly." I lied; I really didn't have anywhere to stay because my house was being rented out.
"Allenstown... No way stay here Jim and I insist." She smiled. Just hearing the name "Jim" made my heart drop into my stomach and my stomach fall onto the floor.
"Yeah, I don't want to impose on the happiest couple in this century. Where is Jim anyways? I just love that man…"
"We are positive though we would love to have you stay here!" She laughed, "What time is it?"
"It's about 2:15 in the morning now, why?"
"Jim is just getting out of work then; he should be home anytime soon but please stay!" she batted her eyes which, somehow, made me agree.
"Hey any good ghost stories I missed while I was off exploring the world?" I asked while helping her put sheets on the couch.
"No, shockingly it's been sort of quiet around here. Eli has been getting stronger with his gift though, it's so great to be able to help him out!" Eli…I had forgotten about him, he took over my spot when I left. He was now the new right hand man for Melinda.
"He's young. No one can beat the natural gift I have!" I flexed my muscles
"Which is what? The power of sarcasm?"
"Ouch Melinda that one will cost yah!" I through a pillow back at her then wrapped the blanket we were placing on the bed around her. She was laughing and the sound was magically filling the room, bouncing off the red walls, through the fire of the candles placed around the room and even off the pillows that spilled onto the floor.
Suddenly though she screamed, which took away all of the magic, it was an ear piercing scream like someone had just got shot. Quickly with my reflexes I reached for the blanket but it was stuck, sucked around her neck and wouldn't budge. Then the key in the door began to twist, quicker and more violent with every scream.
"Mel!" It was Jim, he threw his bag onto the stairs and ran to Melinda and the blanket flew off with ease.
"Payne? What the hell?" Jim's eyes glared into my own as he took Melinda in his arms. I backed away feeling helpless.
"Jim stop it, it wasn't Payne." She looked as white as a ghost; which was ironic because that's what was attacking her… I assumed.
"What the hell is going on?" Jim looked around, the lights were dimmed, soft music was playing in the background, the candles still flickered and there were feathers on the floor from the pillows. I guess it looked worse than it had been. The candles were already lit when I got there, that's what Mel does…she likes candles; Aroma therapy I suppose.
"Ricks back from his sabbatical, Jim." She rubbed her neck where the blanket had been
"Yeah. Uh-huh I can see that." He was tense, his shoulders rose up towards his neck and his mouth in a stiff line, and his eyes still digging flashes of glares into my eyes. "Welcome back bud." He shook my hand and smiled through gritted teeth. He squeezed my hand too hard, I won't admit it to either of them but it really hurt.
"Yeah, well I don't plan on staying that long." I picked up my suitcase. Mel's confused look changed to a frown.
I sighed. "I don't want to impose." I whispered to her pointing at Jim who was standing in the corner trying to take deep breaths. Jim turned around and looked guilty as Melinda shot him a look. In my head I was laughing hysterically but on the outside I had to appear strong and stiff with a bored expression. Your head is always the safest place for those kinds of things, especially if the man who you're laughing at wants to kill you.
Mel had her hand running along the blanket as Jim explained to her all the reasons I couldn't stay, which he thought I couldn't hear.
"First of all, the man tried to kill you with a blanket. Second of all he left you to go on some fancy trip when you needed him, not that I minded that…and I mean seriously do we want him in our house mooching off of our food, Mel we need to think about supporting ourselves right now."
Jim and Melinda were cute, as cute as any married couple could be. She was an attractive girl and he was a good looking EMT you couldn't ask for anything better in a young family and I absolutely couldn't stand it. Jim didn't know her like I did, for instance, while he stood there explaining to her all the reasons I couldn't stay she couldn't hear him I don't know if this was a good or bad thing. Melinda was in the middle of a vision he should have known that, how could he not have known. Her eyes were glazed over and her movements looked force, she wasn't looking into his eyes which wasn't like her at all…gosh Jim could be so stupid. Finally I held up my hand to motion him to shut up. His eyes flew to Melinda where mine had never left her.
"Mel? Melinda?" he started walking towards her with his arms outstretched
"Don't touch her." I said
"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do, she's MY wife."
"Jim, I'm serious, she's having a vision." I warned him because that idiot would not stop walking towards her. Her movements were changing, she stopped pacing and feeling the blanket, she looked stiff as a board. She then screamed, another deafening scream like before, she was also wheezing and coughing and shaking hard. I watched wanting so badly to help, Jim felt the same only he looked like he wanted to kill me even more I mean as if this was my fault too.
"Payne, make it stop!" Jim yelled. We were now frantic normally the visions lasted about a minute or less it approaching five minutes now. Then she stopped, stopping the shaking, the wheezing and coughing. Her arms outstretched before her and flew up into the air rapidly before she fell to the ground.
"Payne? Payne?" Mel called from the ground, my heart skipped a beat. She was calling my name.
"Where's the Pain?" Jim asked. Foolish, Foolish Jim.
"Rick… Payne." She breathed and Jim let go of her arm and went into the kitchen, I took his place.
"What is it?"
"I saw it; oh I saw all of it." She croaked her eyes still closed, and she felt cold. It didn't sound like Melinda and I had a strong feeling it wasn't before I even heard her talk.
"What do you mean?" I was confused, her hand squeezed mine and then the pressure disappeared and her hand felt limp. She got to her feet and I backed up to give her, or whoever it was, room. She held her hands up to the ceiling lifting on her tip-toes and then fell, again, this time she hit the floor harder.
"What the hell did you do to her?" Jim yelled running back into the living room
"I didn't do anything! It was the vision!" I picked up the phone and called 911, looking at the tiny spot of blood that was on the hardwood floor.