Disclaimer-I'm pretty sure I don't own The Ring. Not only am I too young
to have a movie, I'm still living in the humid and tourist capital that is
Florida. Oh, well...just four more years until college...how fun.
A/N-I apologizes for the last chapter. It wasn't as well-written as a few of the other chapters and it was pretty short. I'll try to make this chapter up to the standards I wanted last time...and it'll be longer. And it also occurred to me that I never REALLY described what Eric looks like, so I'll add that in here, too. Review, please!
Chapter 14-The Day that I Die
Crunching metal...
A boy screaming...
Fire...
An explosion...
Death...
Rachel's body jerked as a vision of the car crashing flashed through her mind. Eric glanced over at the unconscious woman lying in the seat beside him and sighed heavily. He was ridden with guilt. 'If I hadn't told her that I was going to die, Samara probably wouldn't have been mad at her for trying to change what's going to happen.' He sighed again, glancing at Aiden, who looked scared and exhausted. Aiden's eyes were locked on his mother's face, watching, unblinking.
'What is that kid doing?' Eric asked himself. "Hey, Aiden," he said aloud. Aiden's eyes drifted from his mother's to Eric's face. "What are you thinking about?"
"Rachel's having bad dreams," Aiden replied, his voice hollow and emotionless.
"About what?" Eric wasn't surprised that Aiden could read minds; Aiden had always seemed a little...off, even though Eric could only remember the past day or so.
"Fire...and people dying." Aiden returned his gaze back to his mother, who was lying as still as death. "She's going to die, you know."
Eric nodded. "I know."
Aiden remained silent for a few more minutes, before opening his mouth to speak once more. "Then why did you tell her that you only saw 'something bad' happening to her?"
"I didn't want her to worry anymore than she needs to."
Aiden nodded. "I know what's going to happen to you and her, but I don't know what's going to happen to me," he whispered. "Am I going to die, too? Or is the little girl going to get me? I...I'm scared. The little girl doesn't want me to know."
"Aiden, I have a question. Is the psychiatric hospital that we're going to REALLY going to protect us from Samara?"
Aiden stared at the back of Eric's head for a few seconds. He took a deep breath, and then responded. "No. I just said that so that my mom would have some hope. She just doesn't understand...we can't change what the future has in store for us. Especially when that girl is controlling the future."
"'Controlling the future?'" Eric repeated, uneasily.
"Yeah, she knows what she's going to do to us...but this is all a game to her. She likes playing with people's minds. That's the only reason she's chasing us like this; it's fun for her. But, I don't think that there's any way to escape what's going to happen."
Eric groaned. "Great, then why are we going to this hospital?"
"Because, maybe, there's a chance that Rachel is right and she won't want to go there, because of the past misery that it put her through, but I wouldn't get my hopes up."
Eric nodded, trying to understand everything Aiden had just told him. 'I'm so confused. Rachel and I are going to die, but that girl had SO many chances to kill us, but this is a game to her. What happens when she gets bored? Will she ever give up? Oh, my God...why can't someone answer these questions?!' Eric shook his head angrily, not wanting to accept that at least two out of the three people were going to die sometime soon.
Rachel began jerking around, thrashing her arms around her head. Eric looked over at her helplessly. He so wanted to stop the car and help his friend, but he knew that the moment he stopped, Samara would be there.
Rachel began to mutter something. Eric leaned in closer to try and hear what she was saying. "No," she muttered. "NO!" she said again, a little louder. "No, I don't want to be here. I have to help Aiden." She paused, obviously listening to whomever was talking to her in her mind. "Aiden is NOT getting taken away from me. He's not..I won't let you win.."
Silence..
Eric looked back over at Rachel; her head was flopped over on her right shoulder, and her arms were crossed over her stomach. She seemed to have calmed down from her nightmare.
Eric felt a little better, now that Rachel's dream had stopped for the time being, but wished that none of this had ever happened. 'But if none of this had ever happened,' he thought. 'I never would have met Rachel. I would have just been doing my job in my truck and wouldn't be about to die. I guess, in the end, no one will win..except for Samara.'
He ran his hand through his blonde hair and sighed. Everything was so unfair. Eric had been told many times that life was never fair, but this seemed ridiculous. No one deserved this.
Eric began to bite on the inside of his lip. "I need to stop thinking about this for awhile. Aiden, do you mind if I turn on the radio?" he asked.
Aiden shook his head. "No, go ahead."
Eric reached for the volume knob and turned. It clicked on, and country music filled the inside of the car. Eric groaned; he hated country music. He pushed the 'seek' button, trying to find a station that played rock or rap or even some oldies.
Finally, he landed on a station that was playing rock music. He leaned back in his seat and listened as the radio DJ announced the next song. "Okay, and now we're going to listen to 'The Day that I Die' by Good Charlotte." Eric's eyes widened. Listening to a song about dying was the LAST thing he wanted. He reached for the 'seek' button and pushed it: the station did not change and the song began to play..
"One day I woke up
I woke up knowing today is the day I will die
Cashdogg was barking went to the park and enjoyed that one last time
I called my mother told her I loved her and begged her not to cry
I wrote her a letter that said I'd miss her and signed that goodbye...
You know the happiest day of my life
I swear the happiest day of my life is the day that I die
Can you feel the cold tonight?
(The day that I died)
It sets in but it's alright
(The day that I died)
Darkness falls I'm letting go
(The day that I died)
All alone but I feel fine
We took a drive and we drove thru D.C.
To see the places we lived,
Long conversations we talked of old friends and all the things that we did
Summer nights, drunken fights
Mistakes we made...did we live it right?
You know the happiest day of my life
I swear the happiest day of my life is the day that I died
Can you feel the cold tonight?
(The day that I died)
It sets in but it's alright
(The day that I died)
Darkness falls I'm letting go
(The day that I died)
All alone but I feel just fine
You know the happiest day of my life
I swear the happiest day of my life
I know the happiest day of my life is the day that I died
Can you feel the cold tonight?
(The day that I died)
It sets in but it's alright
(The day that I died)
Darkness falls I'm letting go
(The day that I died)
All alone but I feel fine
Did I live it right?
I hope I lived it right
I hope I lived it right, I know I lived it right
Did I live it right?
I hope I lived it right.."
As the song ended, Eric began to think if he had lived his life well. He became distraught when he was met with a blank. He could not remember anything he had done. He gritted his teeth and tried as hard as he could to remember what he had done before he had met Rachel.
Nothing.
He could not remember anything. Eric pounded his fist on the steering wheel in aggravation. Is this why Samara had taken away his memory, so that he would not remember anything when he died? Eric shook his head sadly. 'I don't know who my parents are, or if they're even alive. This isn't fair! This whole thing isn't fair! There isn't a dammed person alive who deserves this!' he thought, angrily. 'Why us? Why her? Why Aiden?' "Why?!"
Eric nearly shouted that last word. He was filled with rage. "Why are you doing this?! Why are you doing this to any of us?! Aiden won't want to be your friend, especially if you kill his mother and me! He hates you, Samara! He hates you!"
"Eric.."
Eric, who had been screaming and squeezing his eyes shut in anger, opened his eyes in time to see a turn in the road. His eyes grew wide and he attempted to turn the car. The car slid on a patch of water and slid off of the road.
It flipped over a numerous amount of times, the roof crunching and caving in closer and closer. Rachel's eyes flew open, only looking at a heavily- dented ceiling. She screamed aloud and attempted to push herself upright. The car came to a stop, laying upside down and gently swaying back and forth.
Rachel suddenly became aware of her surroundings and was immediately filled with worry. "Aiden, Eric? Are you two okay?"
"Yes." Rachel instantly recognized Aiden's voice.
"Eric, where are you?!" she called. She turned her head to the driver's seat; it was empty. "Eric?!" she asked, her heart pounding. She kicked the passenger-side door open and walked out into the ditch where the car had fallen, Aiden following closely behind her.
"Eric?!" she called again, and once again getting no response. She walked over to the front of the car. To her horror, there was a hole in the glass, as if something, or someone, had gone through it. She peered inside, seeing that Eric's seatbelt had ripped.
She searched around in front of the car near a patch of bushes. As she walked around the bush, she saw Eric lying on the ground. Gasping, she threw herself beside his body and flipped him over. His face was not deformed, as she had suspected. His face looked still, as if he had died peacefully.
Eric began to cough. Rachel sat beside him, putting his head in her lap. "Eric, can you hear me?"
Eric's eyes fluttered open. Rachel gazed into his green eyes and was overcome with emotion. She began to cry silently. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"Rachel," he murmured. "It's okay..I lived my life well. I remember.."
Rachel smiled through her tears. "That's good." She could feel the life leaving him, and now understood that there was no way to change what Samara was going to have happen to him.
"Oh, and Rachel? I'm happy..now I get to see my wife." His eyes closed, and his body went limp.
Rachel continued to cry. "I'm so sorry.."
After about five minutes, she stood up and walked over to Aiden, who was standing by the car. "Honey, Eric's dead."
Aiden nodded. "I know."
"You were right. I can't change what Samara's future holds for him, but I can change her future for you. Come on, we're going to go to that hospital."
"Mom, the car is ruined..we'll never make it."
"Yes, we will." Rachel rubbed at her now-red eyes. "Nothing will keep us from it, I promise you. Come on."
As she and Aiden began to walk up the ditch, Rachel began to smell something in the air. It smelled like..smoke. She turned her head around and saw that the car had caught on fire. "Run!" she shouted, running as fast as she could up the ditch and onto the street. As soon as they set foot on the tar road, they heard a giant explosion. Metal and dirt went flying everywhere, covering them.
As soon as the soot stopped falling, Rachel picked herself and her son up and took off down the street. She did not want to know what set off the car. As she ran, she looked back at the ditch. Smoke was spilling out into the sky. Rachel gasped as the smoke took the form of a ring, growing larger and larger..
To Be Continued..
A/N-that's better. A nice long chapter filled with crashes, death, and suspense..I felt bad about killing off Eric, but I had too..it was a much needed thing to do to make the story go in the direction I want it to. Okay, now review! I love reviews..I'm sorry, I also love to talk..write..you know what I mean..
Disclaimer-Not only do I not own The Ring, I don't own the song 'The Day that I Die.' It's by Good Charlotte, one of the best bands in my opinion. Okay..that's it!
A/N-I apologizes for the last chapter. It wasn't as well-written as a few of the other chapters and it was pretty short. I'll try to make this chapter up to the standards I wanted last time...and it'll be longer. And it also occurred to me that I never REALLY described what Eric looks like, so I'll add that in here, too. Review, please!
Chapter 14-The Day that I Die
Crunching metal...
A boy screaming...
Fire...
An explosion...
Death...
Rachel's body jerked as a vision of the car crashing flashed through her mind. Eric glanced over at the unconscious woman lying in the seat beside him and sighed heavily. He was ridden with guilt. 'If I hadn't told her that I was going to die, Samara probably wouldn't have been mad at her for trying to change what's going to happen.' He sighed again, glancing at Aiden, who looked scared and exhausted. Aiden's eyes were locked on his mother's face, watching, unblinking.
'What is that kid doing?' Eric asked himself. "Hey, Aiden," he said aloud. Aiden's eyes drifted from his mother's to Eric's face. "What are you thinking about?"
"Rachel's having bad dreams," Aiden replied, his voice hollow and emotionless.
"About what?" Eric wasn't surprised that Aiden could read minds; Aiden had always seemed a little...off, even though Eric could only remember the past day or so.
"Fire...and people dying." Aiden returned his gaze back to his mother, who was lying as still as death. "She's going to die, you know."
Eric nodded. "I know."
Aiden remained silent for a few more minutes, before opening his mouth to speak once more. "Then why did you tell her that you only saw 'something bad' happening to her?"
"I didn't want her to worry anymore than she needs to."
Aiden nodded. "I know what's going to happen to you and her, but I don't know what's going to happen to me," he whispered. "Am I going to die, too? Or is the little girl going to get me? I...I'm scared. The little girl doesn't want me to know."
"Aiden, I have a question. Is the psychiatric hospital that we're going to REALLY going to protect us from Samara?"
Aiden stared at the back of Eric's head for a few seconds. He took a deep breath, and then responded. "No. I just said that so that my mom would have some hope. She just doesn't understand...we can't change what the future has in store for us. Especially when that girl is controlling the future."
"'Controlling the future?'" Eric repeated, uneasily.
"Yeah, she knows what she's going to do to us...but this is all a game to her. She likes playing with people's minds. That's the only reason she's chasing us like this; it's fun for her. But, I don't think that there's any way to escape what's going to happen."
Eric groaned. "Great, then why are we going to this hospital?"
"Because, maybe, there's a chance that Rachel is right and she won't want to go there, because of the past misery that it put her through, but I wouldn't get my hopes up."
Eric nodded, trying to understand everything Aiden had just told him. 'I'm so confused. Rachel and I are going to die, but that girl had SO many chances to kill us, but this is a game to her. What happens when she gets bored? Will she ever give up? Oh, my God...why can't someone answer these questions?!' Eric shook his head angrily, not wanting to accept that at least two out of the three people were going to die sometime soon.
Rachel began jerking around, thrashing her arms around her head. Eric looked over at her helplessly. He so wanted to stop the car and help his friend, but he knew that the moment he stopped, Samara would be there.
Rachel began to mutter something. Eric leaned in closer to try and hear what she was saying. "No," she muttered. "NO!" she said again, a little louder. "No, I don't want to be here. I have to help Aiden." She paused, obviously listening to whomever was talking to her in her mind. "Aiden is NOT getting taken away from me. He's not..I won't let you win.."
Silence..
Eric looked back over at Rachel; her head was flopped over on her right shoulder, and her arms were crossed over her stomach. She seemed to have calmed down from her nightmare.
Eric felt a little better, now that Rachel's dream had stopped for the time being, but wished that none of this had ever happened. 'But if none of this had ever happened,' he thought. 'I never would have met Rachel. I would have just been doing my job in my truck and wouldn't be about to die. I guess, in the end, no one will win..except for Samara.'
He ran his hand through his blonde hair and sighed. Everything was so unfair. Eric had been told many times that life was never fair, but this seemed ridiculous. No one deserved this.
Eric began to bite on the inside of his lip. "I need to stop thinking about this for awhile. Aiden, do you mind if I turn on the radio?" he asked.
Aiden shook his head. "No, go ahead."
Eric reached for the volume knob and turned. It clicked on, and country music filled the inside of the car. Eric groaned; he hated country music. He pushed the 'seek' button, trying to find a station that played rock or rap or even some oldies.
Finally, he landed on a station that was playing rock music. He leaned back in his seat and listened as the radio DJ announced the next song. "Okay, and now we're going to listen to 'The Day that I Die' by Good Charlotte." Eric's eyes widened. Listening to a song about dying was the LAST thing he wanted. He reached for the 'seek' button and pushed it: the station did not change and the song began to play..
"One day I woke up
I woke up knowing today is the day I will die
Cashdogg was barking went to the park and enjoyed that one last time
I called my mother told her I loved her and begged her not to cry
I wrote her a letter that said I'd miss her and signed that goodbye...
You know the happiest day of my life
I swear the happiest day of my life is the day that I die
Can you feel the cold tonight?
(The day that I died)
It sets in but it's alright
(The day that I died)
Darkness falls I'm letting go
(The day that I died)
All alone but I feel fine
We took a drive and we drove thru D.C.
To see the places we lived,
Long conversations we talked of old friends and all the things that we did
Summer nights, drunken fights
Mistakes we made...did we live it right?
You know the happiest day of my life
I swear the happiest day of my life is the day that I died
Can you feel the cold tonight?
(The day that I died)
It sets in but it's alright
(The day that I died)
Darkness falls I'm letting go
(The day that I died)
All alone but I feel just fine
You know the happiest day of my life
I swear the happiest day of my life
I know the happiest day of my life is the day that I died
Can you feel the cold tonight?
(The day that I died)
It sets in but it's alright
(The day that I died)
Darkness falls I'm letting go
(The day that I died)
All alone but I feel fine
Did I live it right?
I hope I lived it right
I hope I lived it right, I know I lived it right
Did I live it right?
I hope I lived it right.."
As the song ended, Eric began to think if he had lived his life well. He became distraught when he was met with a blank. He could not remember anything he had done. He gritted his teeth and tried as hard as he could to remember what he had done before he had met Rachel.
Nothing.
He could not remember anything. Eric pounded his fist on the steering wheel in aggravation. Is this why Samara had taken away his memory, so that he would not remember anything when he died? Eric shook his head sadly. 'I don't know who my parents are, or if they're even alive. This isn't fair! This whole thing isn't fair! There isn't a dammed person alive who deserves this!' he thought, angrily. 'Why us? Why her? Why Aiden?' "Why?!"
Eric nearly shouted that last word. He was filled with rage. "Why are you doing this?! Why are you doing this to any of us?! Aiden won't want to be your friend, especially if you kill his mother and me! He hates you, Samara! He hates you!"
"Eric.."
Eric, who had been screaming and squeezing his eyes shut in anger, opened his eyes in time to see a turn in the road. His eyes grew wide and he attempted to turn the car. The car slid on a patch of water and slid off of the road.
It flipped over a numerous amount of times, the roof crunching and caving in closer and closer. Rachel's eyes flew open, only looking at a heavily- dented ceiling. She screamed aloud and attempted to push herself upright. The car came to a stop, laying upside down and gently swaying back and forth.
Rachel suddenly became aware of her surroundings and was immediately filled with worry. "Aiden, Eric? Are you two okay?"
"Yes." Rachel instantly recognized Aiden's voice.
"Eric, where are you?!" she called. She turned her head to the driver's seat; it was empty. "Eric?!" she asked, her heart pounding. She kicked the passenger-side door open and walked out into the ditch where the car had fallen, Aiden following closely behind her.
"Eric?!" she called again, and once again getting no response. She walked over to the front of the car. To her horror, there was a hole in the glass, as if something, or someone, had gone through it. She peered inside, seeing that Eric's seatbelt had ripped.
She searched around in front of the car near a patch of bushes. As she walked around the bush, she saw Eric lying on the ground. Gasping, she threw herself beside his body and flipped him over. His face was not deformed, as she had suspected. His face looked still, as if he had died peacefully.
Eric began to cough. Rachel sat beside him, putting his head in her lap. "Eric, can you hear me?"
Eric's eyes fluttered open. Rachel gazed into his green eyes and was overcome with emotion. She began to cry silently. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"Rachel," he murmured. "It's okay..I lived my life well. I remember.."
Rachel smiled through her tears. "That's good." She could feel the life leaving him, and now understood that there was no way to change what Samara was going to have happen to him.
"Oh, and Rachel? I'm happy..now I get to see my wife." His eyes closed, and his body went limp.
Rachel continued to cry. "I'm so sorry.."
After about five minutes, she stood up and walked over to Aiden, who was standing by the car. "Honey, Eric's dead."
Aiden nodded. "I know."
"You were right. I can't change what Samara's future holds for him, but I can change her future for you. Come on, we're going to go to that hospital."
"Mom, the car is ruined..we'll never make it."
"Yes, we will." Rachel rubbed at her now-red eyes. "Nothing will keep us from it, I promise you. Come on."
As she and Aiden began to walk up the ditch, Rachel began to smell something in the air. It smelled like..smoke. She turned her head around and saw that the car had caught on fire. "Run!" she shouted, running as fast as she could up the ditch and onto the street. As soon as they set foot on the tar road, they heard a giant explosion. Metal and dirt went flying everywhere, covering them.
As soon as the soot stopped falling, Rachel picked herself and her son up and took off down the street. She did not want to know what set off the car. As she ran, she looked back at the ditch. Smoke was spilling out into the sky. Rachel gasped as the smoke took the form of a ring, growing larger and larger..
To Be Continued..
A/N-that's better. A nice long chapter filled with crashes, death, and suspense..I felt bad about killing off Eric, but I had too..it was a much needed thing to do to make the story go in the direction I want it to. Okay, now review! I love reviews..I'm sorry, I also love to talk..write..you know what I mean..
Disclaimer-Not only do I not own The Ring, I don't own the song 'The Day that I Die.' It's by Good Charlotte, one of the best bands in my opinion. Okay..that's it!