A month had passed since that night but the memory of it stuck in Lily's head like no other. It had prevented her from sleeping the first week, getting a couple of hours at the most over the next few weeks. She was exhausted, and more importantly, she was making herself ill. She was so tired she couldn't eat, she couldn't concentrate and she was clumsier than she had ever been before. Who knew how many dishes she'd broken at the restaurant? And somehow she was still struggling on.

Occasionally she'd hear a man's voice saying, "Help me," but she could see no one to help. She sometimes woke up and thought she saw a man's figure, too, but there was never anyone when she looked properly. She was, as far as she could tell, being haunted by her imagination, as though she knew someone she could help and helping them would make up for being unable to help her own parents. But the man, she didn't know him, the voice wasn't familiar and he wasn't real. Even if he was, she couldn't help him, she was a twenty-year old girl who suffered from nightmares and was alone in the world, how could she help anyone?

So here she was, a tired, nervous wreck, fighting to make it from day to day, on her way to work. She walked the fifteen-minute journey, afraid to use her car in case she fell asleep and crashed. She preferred to walk this route anyway, it was peaceful and the air helped keep her exhaustion at bay, besides, was it really worth driving such a short distance? She arrived at work and headed to the staff room to get her shoes out of her locker.

"Hey Joe," she said as she walked past her boss.

"Evans, yer look rough, yer sure yer should be workin'?" Joe could be a strict old man but he had a soft spot for his workers, thinking of them like a family.

"Gee, thanks. I'll be fine. I just need to get some sleep."

"Well if yer sure…"

Lily nodded and entered the locker room. It was empty and quiet. Good. She opened her locker and took out her flat black shoes, putting her old trainers in. She was about to close the door when something caught her eye. She took the small packet out and looked at them. Caffeine pills, just what she needed, but they weren't hers. She didn't like tablets of any kind, so where did these come from? She decided they must have fallen through a gap between her locker and the persons above so slipped them into her pocket and headed back out.

"Hey, Joe?" She called to him through the kitchen door.

"Yeah?" He asked, coming to the door to meet her.

"Whose locker is above mine?" She asked.

"Yer twen'y-eigh' right?" Lily nodded, Joe thought. "No one."

Lily frowned. "You're sure?"

"Sure as I'm standin' here. Why?"

Lily shook her head. "Never mind. I'm probably just going crazy."

Joe smiled. "Happens to the bes' of us, now get out there and wait!"

"Yes sir," Lily joked and went into the main restaurant to take an order.

Her shift was going fine. A few of the regular customers had commented that she should take a rest because she wasn't looking too good but Lily just smiled, made some joke and carried on. She was feeling tired but the restaurant was busy that day so she didn't really get time to rest and she hadn't broke one thing…Not yet anyway.

"I hope you enjoyed your meal," she gushed at a couple she had never seen before. "Would you like anything else?"

"Just the bill please," the man answered.

"Certainly sir, one moment." Lily picked up the plates and headed to the back room with them.

She went through the double doors that led to the back. "Bill for table seven," she called through the kitchen door.

"Two minutes," a voice called back.

She leaned against the wall opposite as she waited, exhaustion threatening to take her over. After the longest two minutes of her life a man came through the kitchen door. Lily paid him no attention as she took the small dish and its contents and headed back out into the restaurant.

It was then that she heard the pleading voice in her head, "Help me."

She spun back around so fast that it was a miracle she didn't lose her balance. Before her stood the man who had haunted her for the past month only this time he wasn't wearing his usual faded jeans and black t-shirt covered in blood. He was wearing a white chefs outfit. Lily gasped.

"Who are you?" she asked him but there was no reply as he vanished right in front of her eyes.

She nearly dropped the dish she was holding, what was that? Shaking with fear she went out into the restaurant and gave the couple their bill, apologising for their wait, then she went back into the back and entered the locker room. She opened her locker and took out a bottle of unopened water, taking a sip to calm her nerves. As she sat, something fell from her pocket. The caffeine pills. She picked them, silently debating whether to take some or not. In the end she decided for not, not yet anyway. Maybe in a few days if her inability to sleep got worse.

She didn't know how long she was there, 5 minutes? 10? An hour? It didn't seem to matter as she thought about what was happening to her. Was she going crazy? Or was a ghost wanting her help really haunting her? She didn't realise when others came into the room and got their things before leaving. She didn't notice that Joe had come into the room and was sat beside her. Or that he was talking to her.

"Evans? Lily are yer alrigh'?" He waved a hand in front of her unfocussed eyes, shattering her reverie.

"Yeah, Joe, I'm fine." She answered, though she didn't really sound it.

"Well yer don' seem it. Yer look like yer seen a ghos'."

"I have," she muttered quietly.

However quiet she spoke, in the eerie quiet of the locker room it seemed to be echoing louder and louder.

"Wha' d'yer mean?" Joe's concern for her showing through.

"Nothing. Never mind." She stood up. "I suppose I'd better get back out there and serve."

"We're closed," Joe said, pulling her back down.

"What? What time is it?"

"Two a.m. I was jus' lockin' up when I saw the ligh' on in here."

"Oh…I'm sorry. I'll make up the time…"

"Don't worry abou' it, yer were better off in 'ere anyway, at leas' yer didn' break any crockery today."

Lily gave him a wry smile. "Thanks."

"So…wha's wrong?"

"If I tell you, you'll think I'm mad."

Joe shrugged, "I already do."

Again Lily smiled before answering. "Fine. About a month ago I had this dream, a guy died, only before he did he asked me for help but there was nothing I could do. Now I can't sleep and when I do it's only for an hour or so and I see him a lot. In my flat, in the street, in here even, and every time he asks me the same thing – to help him."

Joe sucked in some air loudly then exhaled slowly. "Do yer feel guilty? Abou' not bein' able ter help him."

Lily thought about it. "I…I suppose…But there was nothing I could do and I didn't even know him. I shouldn't feel guilty!"

"Doesn' matter," Joe said. "Yer wanted ter help and there was nothin' yer could do. Yer need ter go 'ome an' yer need ter confron' tha' ghos' friend o' yours."

Lily looked at him like he was crazy. "I don't think so, Joe. I mean, I'm glad for your help, and I might be going crazy, but I'm not that crazy."

Joe laughed. "Yer choice Evans, bu' yer won' res' 'til yer do."

"If you say so," she said as she stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow ok?"

Joe shook his head. "Take a week off, take two even."

"But…"

"No buts, jus' get some rest. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

Lily smiled sadly, she preferred going to work - it gave her a distraction. "If you're sure…"

"'Course I'm sure, now get goin' 'fore I change my mind."

She nodded and left, walking the fifteen-minute walk home. She had two weeks off; she needed to get some help, whether it was professional or otherwise. As much as she hated to admit it, it was her only choice. She had to go back.