Safe and Sound

Chapter 6- Believe, Shane

Old Shane's POV

Was it possible for ghosts to break down and cry? Well it was now. I tried with everything in me to stop...him. To stop it. But I couldn't do anything. I was hopeless. I couldn't help my girl. I couldn't save her from myself.

How was I supposed to just sit and watch as the new me made Claire's life hell? I couldn't just let it happen. But I had no choice. My parents and sister didn't understand. They just sat and watched too. They didnt particularly watch the scene, they just watched me. Watched my reaction. It was helpless.

I watched as new Shane ascended the staircase, leaving a very shaky Claire in the living room. Michael and Eve had gone back into the kitchen. It seemed like Michael knew something; knew something was up. But why wasn't he doing anything about it? It was obvious by the way he was looking at new Shane that he wasn't asking like the old Shane. I just wish Michael would do something sooner. That's what he's supposed to do! He's the mature one!

But he left Claire with new Shane. After a few minutes of Claire just...standing there, she slowly climbed the stairs, shaking with every step. I had to follow her. I had to know if she was stupid enough to follow new Shane into his room. She was.

"Leave it, hunny. You've seen enough." My mum grabs my arm, stopping me from following Claire up the stairs. I turned around and glared at her. I loved her, I loved them all. But right now I had to focus on Claire. I shrugged myself out of my mothers grip and continued walking towards the stairs.

"Shane, please!" My sister cries. I knew that sound. That's exactly what she said when I was stood outside her room years ago. When I was trying to get her out of the fire. "Shane, please. Help me!"

I spun around. Staring my little sister in the face. I kept seeing the fire. Seeing the flames erupt around the house. Hearing her cries. Her shaky screams.

I ran up to her and enloped her into a tight hug. I stroked her hair and breathed in her scent. She was my only sibling; and I lost her too soon. Now I had her back, I didnt want to let her go. But I had to. I had to...for Claire.

"Shane, please." She says again, making my muscles go stiff. "I don't like seeing her like that and I don't like seeing you watch it." I shake my head and hold her at arms length. Examining her. "There's nothing you can do, Shane. That's it. Lets just go home, okay?"

"You must be crazy." I mutter, staring into her eyes. I let go of her shoulders and pace around the room. "Im not leaving her here where I will probably kill her!"

"You won't kill her, Shane." My father puts his hand on my shoulder, stopping me mid-pace. "Well... not you.. you."
"Yeah, not me standing here. But that ass up there will!" I gestured towards the ceiling. I didn't want to imagine what was going on up there. I just wanted to find out.

Before I could say anything else, Eve walked into the living room with Michael. They both sat on the sofa and watched the TV. They snuggled into each others sides, like they normally did. My heart ached looking at them. Why couldn't I have that? Why did I have to die in the fucking Draug and have that bastard treat my Claire the way he is?

"There's a way." My mother mutters. She had her arms crossed as she looked down at her feet.
"What?" I frown and stalk towards her. She looked up at me and sighed.
"I should've told you sooner, I know." She shakes her head. "But listen to me very, very carefully Shane. There is a way that you can stop this. All of it. And by that I mean stop the abuse, the cruelty. Everything."
"So you made me sit here and watch my girlfriend get almost beaten to death and you never thought to tell me there's a way to stop it!" I throw my hands in the air in frustration. My sister stares at me in sorrow.
"I just wanted you to know, sweetheart. I wanted you to see what was happening. So you know how much you want to stop it. You need to be genuine about wanting it to stop."

"Just tell me how to do it! Please I can't watch it anymore...please.." I felt tears welling in my eyes as I pleaded my mother. She sighs and takes my hand, pulling me into a hug.

After a few silenced seconds, my mother continued. "You need to get into your own body." I frown into the crook of my mums neck. I pull away, looking to find something that made sense in her eyes. Before I could ask, she carried on. "You need to have the power to get into this new Shane's body and stop him. Believe that you can do it, Shane. Believe that you want this to stop. You do, don't you?"

"Yes!"
"Then make it stop! Go up there and get in your body!"
"How the hell do I 'get into my body'?!"
She shakes her head, biting her lip. "I don't know." She chokes and looks down at her feet. "I've never done it before so I don't know... just...believe Shane."

Eve and Michael had been speaking during the confusion with my family. Eve had sometime got up from the sofa and gone up the stairs. Michael was now sat on the sofa, running his hand through his hair, flicking through the TV channels. I looked at him in awe. I just wanted to hug him; however gay that sounded. I missed my best friend so fucking much, I hated being away from him. I hated someone else pretending to be me. Why couldn't everything just go back to normal?

I shook my head and began going up the stairs. I heard my mother whisper behind me, "Believe, Shane."

I shouldn't have gone upstairs.

Everything was fine. Everything was peaceful. Everything was perfect. Then the draug came. Then... then the fine came out of everything, the peace blew away and the perfectness was lost. I remember what it felt like being eaten by the Draug. It was a peace all of its own. Painful, but peaceful. Floating in the black mess, eyes staring up above me, waiting for death. Waiting for my mother to grab my hand and pull me out. Waiting for the peace and perfectness to return. I knew dying would have hurt my loved ones more than me. But people get over it. People die, its really sad, but after a few years everything becomes normal again. I knew it would break my friends hearts, but I also knew that in a few years they wouldnt have forgotten about me, they would have just accepted the fact that I wasn't coming back.

But I didn't die. Nothing was fine, nothing was peaceful and nothing was perfect. I was still alive in their worlds. And I was a monster. And Eve knew it now, too. Staring at the scene in frront of me, anger boiled all over me. Why couldn't I have died like any normal person would have? Why did I have to die, but have this thing take over a new Shane body and treat the people I loved like rag dolls? Why couldn't I stop it straight away? Why did I have to watch it? Why?

Wasn't Claire's natural skin tone a nice, smooth peach colour? Not anymore. Her skin was dyed red with blood, painted black and blue with bruises. And wasn't Eve the one who always hit me? Always took the piss out of me? Always play foughtme? Not anymore. Her body shook with terror as New Shane towered over her, her arms hung over her head trying to protect the only part of her that wasn't bloody.

Claire lay still on the floor near the wall. Her hair covering her bruised face. My heart ached for her. Seeing my girl lay unconscious and she thinks it was ME that did it. ME hurting her. ME making her life miserable.

I couldnt scream. Couldn't move. It would have been no good. Nothing would have helped this. Believe Shane.

I heard footsteps coming from behind me. Hard, rushed footsteps. Michael. My heart rate sped up as I watched him sprint down the hallway. He must've heard something. I turned back to the scene. New Shane had his foot raised right above Eve's head. He was going to kill her in one stomp.

"HEY!" Michael screamed from behind me. He stood with his fists clenched, staring holes in New Shane's skull. New Shane span around and lowered his foot to the ground. They both just stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Get out, Michael." New Shane said sternly without moving a muscle.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Michael looked from New Shane to Eve and Claire. "What the fuck did you do to them you bastard!" He ran straight through me and to Eve's side, pushing New Shane out of the way.

"Eve?!" He shook Eve's body lightly, making her shriek softly. She looked up and stared at Michael. A big black and blue bruise was forming on her left cheek.

Michael helped Eve into a sitting position as he examined her body. He frowned in the process. He stood up and got right in New Shane's face. They stayed there for a while just...staring.

"You son of a bitch." Michael mutters. "How the fuck could you do this to the girl you love? And you're best friend? You fucking hermit."
"Don't cry, Michael." New Shane states. "It's not like I'm hurting you."
"I'll fucking hurt you in a minute, you sick fucker!"

Michael punched him square in the face.

New Shane rocked back on his heals, easily taking the blow. I wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled. "Nice try." He nods. Then grabs Michael by the hair and throws him to the side.

New Shane must've had powers. Or something along the lines of super strength because he was beating Michael. Vampire Michael.

Eve screamed as tears ran down her face. She was sat with Claire now, with her head in her lap. Eve stroked Claire's hair as she screamed at Michael to stop, that he was going to get himself killed. Michael didn't like that.

I ran up to my best friend and the new me to try and stop it. I hated it. I hated seeing my friends hate me for someone that I'm not. I screamed at New Shane. I called him every name under the sun. It wasn't enough.

I stood next to them both and closed my eyes. I balled up my fists and breathed. I remembered what I dreamt about when the Draug had captured me. I remembered marrying Claire. I remembered holding my baby girl for the first time. I remembered returning home from work to find Claire and my daughter waving at me from the window. I remembered Claire telling me she loved me. I remembered telling Claire I loved her. I remember first meeting Claire. I remembered seeing her in such a state. Seeing bruises all over her body when she first entered the Glass House. She looked the same now.

I felt something shift inside of me. My whole body shifted. It was a foreign feeling. My head span as I clenched my eyes shut. My heart began beating faster than a human heart should beat. I felt the world spinning. I heard my mother distantly say, "You believed, Shane."

Then I opened my eyes.

I wasn't stood where I was when I closed my eyes. I was now crouched over the bed, pinning Michael down, ready to take a blow at his face.

Wow, this is a long chapter! I had so much to fit in though! I hope you liked it! Thank you all for the amazing reviews! I love you all so, so much for the support you're giving me!

I made a new twitter for a writing account - its stephaniecrow9 so I will tweet when Im going to update and if there will be delays on any of my stories! Please follow and I will follow back!

Thank you again for reading and please review! The next chapter will be good ;)