Fall Again (a Michael Jackson fanfiction)

30. Horror

Hopes POV 🥀

When I got home, I was exhausted. I usually stayed up with Autumn and Scottie but tonight I was fast asleep by 10, too tired to even have my nightly shower.

I fell asleep, until I woke up in a bathroom, stuck to the ceiling. Which bathroom? I looked around, it was our old flat bathroom, where me, Jamie, Juliette and mum lived.

Why was I in my childhood homes bathroom? I moved my head and glanced at the bath, and my whole body went cold.

James was in the water, the water was stained red and he wasn't moving. "JAMIE!" I screamed. "MOM!"

I tried to fight and get off the ceiling, I needed to help my brother - I NEEDED TO HELP MY BROTHER!

"MOMMY PLEASE HES HURT! MOM HELP!" I screamed so loudly that my throat was raw, tears and snot dripping down my face.

I couldn't move, something was sticking me to the ceiling, watching everything through my eyes - unable to help.
"JAMES!" I screamed. What was happening? At this time I didn't know why I was here or what was going on.

I had to save him. "MOM!" She and Juliette were the only ones who still lived in that flat. Me and James had moved out.
What was going on?

"MOMMY! JULIETTE!!!" I wailed, turning my head from side to side, my curls all over my face. "MOM!!!"

No one was coming, noone was coming to help. Why was James here anyway? I didn't know, but I had to save him.

"Jamie???" I pleaded, "can you hear me?"

His small pale face in the bath didn't twitch. Had he cut his wrists again?? What was going on?

Then the door banged and I screamed, and then heard mom sobbing hysterically. "I found him like this I didn't know what to do..."

I was watching history repeat itself. "Mommy!" I bawled. Then a bunch of paramedics came in, talking all together, and I screamed but no one heard.

They were helping my brother ... good!

They brought a stretcher in, not noticing me on the ceiling - and lifted James out of the bathtub. They were saving him, I could relax.

Well, that's what I thought..

James body started to dissolve, falling apart, disappearing into a pool of blood, it was horrifying. His cut wrists seeped blood and slowly filled the room, and the paramedics left.
They left the stretcher, they left what was left of James.
"NO!" I screamed, "NO NO NO JAMIE!!!!"

Then a figure started to rise from the blood, laughing manically as I howled. What was happening?

"Hope!" Was that my name? It was my name.
"Hope, wake up!"

I screamed and screamed and then suddenly I was pulled back through the ceiling and was being suffocated by blankets, sobbing and choking. "It's okay, Hope!"
Hands stroking my hair, my back, "it's okay!"

Those two words echoed through my mind and I forced out a reply, which came out as a scream. "No! Help Jamie help James Help MY BROTHER!"

"Hope!" A bright light hit my eyes and I was shocked back into reality.

I was in bed, sweating and messy haired, with Autumn and Scottie comforting me, trying to calm me down.

I tried to talk but only one word came out, "Jamie!"

"James is fine, Hope! Go back to sleep darling, there you go.." Scottie stroked my hair until I slept.

I woke up again and this time I was at work. "Hope! Wake up, your breaks over!"

I groggily stood up, rubbing my eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's half 5, you need to do your checks!"

James .. the nightmare ... was it a warning? Had something terrible happened?

I should have checked on Michael first, but I had to check James was alright. I staggered down the corridor, flashing my phone flashlight through his bedroom window.
He wasn't there?

Then I saw them, bloody footprints leading across the hallway, towards .. Michael's room?

"Help! Derek!" I didn't know what had happened but I knew it was something bad. I followed the footprints to Michael Jackson's room, pushing the door open, and cautiously stepping in.

My hands flew to my mouth and I dropped my observations folder.
Then I screamed.
And screamed again.
And again.

Nurses were pushing quickly past me, running into the room. I was ushered out, shaking and crying. I wanted to scream as the image flashed itself through my head.

Michael, and James, hanging from the ceiling - their throats slit open, blood running down their bodies and dripping onto the floor, leaving a big dark puddle.

Then I felt hands on my shoulders, shaking me. "Hope! Wake up!"
My eyes flew open and I was once again in bed. Scottie was there and Autumn was watching, petrified.

"Hope, you've had another nightmare.."
That was Autumn, and I stared at her, relief flooding through my body.

"Let me call Clemmies," I said, pulling myself out of bed, brushing my hair back into a messy, curly ponytail.

"Hope it's 3am, please go back to sleep." Scottie pleaded. "You'll be exhausted at work tomorrow."

But I was determined to check both James and Michael were okay.