|OPEN YOUR EYES|

My whole body hurt. It ached from my bones to my flesh. Everything I am, or thought I was, burned. My skin was black, and it flaked off in sizzled bits, but my hair was white. It fell out onto the dock, literally flaming up as it fell. The smell of my burnt flesh was all I could inhale, and it gagged me. It made me wish that my senses would be dulled again, but to my dismay, they were enhanced by the pain.

I felt a thousand years old, like my body was nothing but dirt. It was about to cave in and collapse over itself into nothing but tiny grains of dust. I would be so small that I would fall right through the cracks of the dock and into the bloody lake. Nothing frightened me more than the thought of myself touching that red liquid, and lying among the dead fish.

I almost couldn't form thoughts at all. My brain was mush that sloshed around in what's left of my skull.

My breath sounded like claws on a chalkboard, and I could feel the last bit of my energy drain with every one I forced in.

I could barely hold my eyes open, let alone stand up on my own. Larson was practically holding me. My frail body was tucked under his arm, and it clung to his waist with all the strength it could muster, which wasn't nearly enough. I still felt that I would buckle over any minute.

"This is it, Harley." He said. I couldn't look up to see his face. I wanted to see it's beauty one last time. 

My eyes could only focus ahead of me, but that really did no good. My vision was totally blurred and right now, mostly black. Not because it was going out though, no, I'm sure of it. It's black because of the beast, more specifically, it's body. I knew I was looking at him because I could just make out the flames of its eyes. They danced and swirled with the blurs. One more thing to taunt me before my pending final death.

I cowered into Larson's side, attempting to make myself less of a target. It wasn't working; the beast would find me anywhere.

The dock pounded and creaked under the extra weight of the fierce hound.

"Josiah, if that's you, please..." I had to take in another painful breath. "Please leave us be."

I squeezed my eyes closed, waiting. I didn't hear the creaking any longer, but Larson's body was suddenly very stiff. He wasn't breathing anymore. I think he was holding in his breath.

"Harley." A new voice, or rather one I haven't heard for a while, said.

"Josiah, is it you?" I asked the voice.

"Here I am." It said again.

It was him. Perhaps he was the beast the whole time.

"Open your eyes Harley." He told me.

"I can't."

"You can."

"You don't understand, Josiah, I can't. I'm too weak."

"Do you trust me Harley?"

I thought about his question. Do I? Has he given me reason not to? Besides withholding information, he hasn't harmed me, that I know of anyway.

I have nothing left to lose. "I do." My voice was but a whisper, but I knew he could hear it.

"Then open your eyes and see."

I listened to his command, though I was skeptical. My vision was blurry at first, but it slowly swirled back to normal.

I gasped at my first sight. The beast was still there in front of me, but it no longer looked menacing. It was crouched onto the dock, as flat as it's giant body could get. It's eyes were no longer the burning orbs I remember, but black, glossy spheres.

A slight whimper escaped through clenched teeth. It still wanted me, but something more powerful held him back.

My eyes then fell on the small figure next to the huge creature. It was Josiah. His hand was extended out in front of the dog, and I realized he was the obstacle that tamed the beast.

What is he that could stop something so terrible; that could force that wild beast to cower down?

"Josiah." My tiny voice uttered.

"It is I." His focus wasn't on the dog, but on me. In fact, he didn't seem to worry about it at all.

Even more questions swarmed me, but now wasn't the time for answers.

"I'm hurt Josiah. I'm dying." My voice sounded terrible, it hurt my ears to hear it.

His warm eyes looked me over. "I can save you." He said, to my surprise. I thought my situation was too far gone.

"How?"

"Do you want an explanation, or do you want to be saved?" He asked.

"I need you to help me." I finally got out.

He smiled a soft smile. Somehow I knew I would be okay, well not in pain anymore at least. "Then you must listen to me Harley."

"I will." I said. "I'll do anything."

His eyes fell off to my left. "You must get rid of him."

At first I wasn't sure what he meant. I had forgotten that Larson was even here still. He hasn't moved an inch.

I looked up to his pale face. It held fear. His blue eyes pleaded with me.

"No, I can't." I said. The thought of losing Larson... It's just impossible.

"Harley, you have to." Josiah said.

"But I love him."

Larson's lips gained a small smile.

"You can't love him."

"Why not?" I can't believe Josiah is saying these things.

"Because he isn't real, Harley."

I looked over to Josiah again. Is he joking or crazy? Larson is standing right in front of both of us.

Josiah seemed to answer my thoughts. "Your mind created him, Harley. You needed a way to separate the bad things from yourself, so you made him."

"What?" I was totally confused now. What could he mean?

I turned back to Larson for clarification. He said nothing; he was afraid to, but he still held my interest.

"Look at him Harley, see him for what he really is.."

"I am looking at him..." I said. I could feel tears sting my eyes, and blur my vision once more.

"Think about it, has he really been there? Has he helped you in any way?"

"He helped me solve my murder." I said.

"You haven't solved anything, Harley." Josiah said. "All you've done is scramble the real story up." His words were absolute, he was sure of them.

"I'm right, I saw it." I said, a little louder. The louder I got, the more it ached my body.

"What you saw doesn't prove anything. Think about it."

I thought through his words, and I tried my best to look over my memories.

I saw my brother and my father. I saw myself write the note. I saw myself bleeding on the dock...

My thoughts were cut off. "Where did the original idea of that theory come from?" His tone implied that he already knew the answer, but he wanted me to see it on my own.

I thought back to my first few days here... To the cemetery, where I met Larson. It was so long ago, I could barely remember, but I tried harder, picking through what was left of my brain.

I was looking for my grave, but I couldn't find it. I couldn't read at all, until Larson showed me how of course. But, we never found it. That's when we decided I was murdered. Well, that's when Larson concluded that I was murdered. The thought hadn't crosses my mind until then...

Josiah interrupted my thoughts, again at the perfect moment. "He has been leading you to this lake the entire time, Harley... Why is that?"

"Because that's the vision I saw." I said. That one was easier to answer.

"Why did you have the vision in the first place?"

More thinking. The memories that I made here were so foggy, it took me a while. "Larson. He gave me a drink... from the liquor cabinet. I passed out I think.." I was slowly starting to realize the theme. Larson told me to do something and I listened.

"Harley, look at him." Josiah said quietly.

I glanced back up at Larson, my friend through this entire journey. The one that made me laugh, and have fun...

"You have to let him go." Josiah said.

Is he in my mind?

"I can't. If I do, I will fall." I said, remembering my condition.

"He's not even holding you, he's not real, Harley. Don't you understand? You're holding yourself up." More tears flowed with my confusion. I don't understand any of this... "You'll be okay if you listen to me. Do you trust me?"

I'm not sure why, but looking into Josiah's kind face told me that I could. I could trust him. No, I should trust him.

"Yes."

"Then won't you open your eyes and see?"

I sighed and tried again. This time, something was different. His eyes. The blue eyes that I looked into for comfort, were now black. Completely black; just like those of the silenced beast. Suddenly, Larson wasn't so loveable. He was scary. The skin under his eyes was blackened as well, and it sunk into his eye sockets, highlighting the bones underneath.

His dried out lips hung open in a crooked angle and unnaturally wide, like his jaw was no longer attached.

His whole body seemed too small for his clothes. Now, he was just a sack of bones, much like I imagine myself looking right now.

He looked like a standing corpse.

His jaw suddenly snapped back into place. His skin gained its color back, and his eyes were the ones I loved again. He had magically transformed back to normal before my eyes.

He spoke in his smoothest voice. "Harley, please, I need you. Don't leave me. Please." His eyes were wide, pleading with me. It almost broke my heart to see him so afraid. I wanted to hold him in my arms, but I remembered the way he looked seconds ago; like he really should.

His hands held my arms as he tried his best to convince me.

"No, Larson. It's time for you to go." I said. I attempted to wiggle from his grasp.

The black of his eyes glazed over again. His grip on my arms tightened, even as they became dead skin over bones. His jaw fell open, but he continued to speak.
"Stay with me Harley!" He screamed. The words came out of his vocal cords in an unnatural snarl like the growl of the beast.

"No. Let me go!" I screamed. I struggled to release myself from his clutch.

"If I go, you go with me!" He fired back. This time he pulled me towards the edge of the dock.

We both stumbled, but I managed to get my hands on his chest. If he isn't real, then I should be able to have power over him. With as much strength as I could possible manage, I shoved him towards the dark water.

Just as he fell over, I felt myself collapsing with him.

"Josiah!" I screamed.

Instead of hitting the dark waves, I fell into Josiah's arms. "I'm with you." He whispered.

I looked over his shoulder into the now boiling water. Ashes surfaced where Larson's body fell, and the dead fish sunk under with him.

He's gone.

The dog ran towards us, but instead of attacking, it dived off into the water. No evidence resurfaced after its splash, but other things under the water's surface were visible. If I wasn't mistaken, they looked like hands reaching up for help.

Josiah turned me from the water, and in the direction of the rising sun. "You are safe now." Josiah said, releasing me.

"Wait, I'll fall!" I said. If I'm relying on my own strength, my fall is inevitable.

"No, I have you in my arms, you can stand now."

I looked down to my feet. I was standing on my own. Josiah only held my hands, which were now back to normal.

"My skin..."

"You are cured, Harley." Josiah assured me.

He was right. I effortlessly took in sweet breaths of air, and my skin was no longer stained with darkness. I was clean from my illness, my weakness. Even my tattered sweater was in better condition than before the tear.

"How can this be? I was a walking corpse seconds ago..." My thoughts were wild. My brain was up and running at full speed again.

"You trusted me." Josiah said.

I stared into his perfect face. "What are you Josiah?" I asked for the second time.

"I am." He said with a smile.

"You are what?" I asked. Confusion fell over me. Don't tell me he's still going to be secretive with me...

"I just am, Harley." He said with a small laugh. "Now come on, we have much to discuss."

He took my hand, and we were no longer on the dock.