A love for the dead

We always say that love is dangerous. That it blinds you to make decisions you would have never made under regular circumstances. I guess that one would typically understand where this idea is branched out from, but the question remains - why allow yourself to be blinded?

I guess i am not fit to be asking such questions, because i, myself, am victim to such a love which blinded not only my vision, but also my heart. It conquered my mind like a transparent warrior and dictated my every decision from then out.

Hi, i am Blake Abraham. You are reading this from a moment in time, where all the pain exists merely upon the pages that are now provided for you to use not as a piece of entertainment, rather to warn you of what is there within the darkness. The depression and misery which pose as a threat to our kind. To warn you that sometimes, the pain we experience never comes from where we expect - for the enemy could never betray you.

My life was not all this gloomy depression however. It actually started out nicely. I got married to the love of my life, Nadia. She was everything that i wanted to have in a wife, and she was indeed everything that i imagined to be the best for me.

Nadia and i met in University, where she majored in the art of Science. I, however, majored in regular arts. We did everything together, and not once did we have a moment of disparity for the longest time. Our dating life consisted of fun and smiles - and i wanted that as a permanent aspect of my life, so i did the logical thing and popped the question. It was not a surprise when she said yes. Everything was going so fast, and we were definitely having the time of our lives - for the most part.

We even decided to move into our own house, and it was the best decision i have ever made at the time. However, like previously mentioned, love is dangerous and it is blinding. Your mind is screaming at you to run the other way and save yourself from impending doom before it is too late, but at the same time your heart has already pictured the rest of your life together.

Your heart uses passion, while your head argues logic - i clearly manipulated what i thought was logical at the time, and followed my heart. Nadia did not pose to be anything dangerous, or someone that would bring harm to myself or my family, but then again we have all calculated something in our lives at some point.

The story itself truly began a couple years ago, just when Nadia and i moved in together for the first time. We were a fresh couple, and people would come to visit us continuously, everyday - they wanted to see how they could help.

We moved into a quiet and still neighborhood, and the neighbors themselves were tremendously helpful to us, and they did make life a lot easier to deal with. There was one neighbor in particular, which was also a newly wed couple who quickly became friends with Nadia and myself.

Benjamin and Christina Caleb. Benjamin, or as we used to refer to him as, Ben was a bubbly character and was always help anyone and everything that needed his help at all times. Christina was the life of every get together both of our families held and it was in this that we found it simple to get along.

Now, you might be wondering what had happened for such a tragedy to occur, when our lives seemed to be so perfect in the eyes of everyone else.

We were at one of the events held by our families, but this time it was a much higher scale considering it was my mother's birthday. This date makes it easier to remember exactly when it happened - not like i would be able to forget it anyway. October 24th 2022. The day is just like a gloomy cloud which mockingly floats over my head every year to remind me of the love that i had lost that night.

We were all laughing and chatting the day away. The smell of Barbecues on the grill was fresh, and the sound of children playing were there for the world to hear. Birds chirping and the sun shining brightly - it really was the perfect day for a celebration.

Nadia, however, excused herself from the gathering, with the excuse that she needed to use the restroom. It was in the same moment, which i remembered the ice - cream that i had taken out for desert that morning, and it must have fully melted by them - so i silently followed her into the house. It was only a minute after she disappeared into the house, that i decided to follow her in.

I was still laughing from the cheerfulness that was in full swing at the gathering, as i slipped through the door - only to have not only my smile, but also every other emotion stripped away from me in an instant. My body became numb, and i lost all feeling in my knees, and fell to the ground. My eyes were fixed on the sight before me - a sight so terrifying that the demons of nightmares themselves would have hid away in the shadows.

I was just outside the house, so my family saw that something was wrong - and they rushed over. They also bared witness to what was on display that day - but they were as confused for its reason as i was.

Nadia's body, lifelessly dangling from the ceiling. It was only a minute prior that she was with us, beside us, laughing with us, in my arms - the happiest moments of my life. Only for now to be her hung of the ceiling. Everyone was just as frozen as i was, but i managed to find my feet, and keep my composure. I walked over to her, and saw that there was a note attached to her chest. I pulled it off her shirt, and read the opening letters, which were engraved on the cover of the letter - "You will never catch me."

I remember that moment feeling like nothing made sense. I wanted the earth to swallow me whole, and that the nightmare which i was sure i was in, to finally end. It had to be fake, or some sick prank - but it got pretty real once the sirens of the police and emergency services pulled up in our front yard. Apparently, Ben had called the 9-1-1, and they arrived in seconds.

I hid the note in my pocket, because i saw that there was more to read, but i did not want the police to take note of the letter.

There was literally no time to react to anything that day - and everything happened so fast. In life, we are so focused on planning on a future, that you do not even have a guarantee of living in. Nadia's incident reminded me that life is too short.

I stood to the side, as the paramedics tried everything to restore her life to her, but eventually the inevitable and the expected occurred.

"I am sorry Mr Abraham - but we did all we can do. We are truly sorry for your loss."

I nodded slowly, completely numb because i refused to allow my brain to use its logic and accept that she is gone - but allowed my heart to run like a wild horse, as passionate as the bright sun dipping below the horizon.

I pretended to accept that she was gone, and that it was what was assumed to be suicide. However, there was this feeling inside of me - which was largely influenced by the letter, who's caption was - " You will never catch me!"

There was someone behind this - who used Nadia to get to me, for something that i had done in my past, or something that Nadia did and she got a taste of revenge.

There was indeed more to the letter, but with people flooding my house to pay their respects for the loss of Nadia, it became ridiculously difficult to even have a second alone to process anything.

The day of the funeral arrived, and there were tons of people who came to watch the burial. Nadia's friends from Uni, her co - workers, and some extended family. Each of them saying the same ridiculous line of - "She did not deserve this." "She was so young." "Gone too soon!"

I had to suck it in, and deal with it, until that evening. The house was empty - just my parents, her parents, Ben and Christina. I told them to leave me alone to have a moment in privacy. They agreed, thinking that it was for me to process her loss, but as we have already established, we were not going to do that just yet. I really needed to see the rest of that note - for there was something else going on.

I opened the note and this is where i begin to understand that it was indeed not for me to accept, rather it was her blood that i needed to avenge.

The note read - "Dear Blake, finally we meet. I have waited for this moment for my entire reign, but now it is finally time for you to learn of a world beyond your own. You did the smart thing by not turning this into the police, for it would have resulted in the title being effortlessly true. You truly would have never caught me. Nadia's death is a tragedy to us all, but you should not despair much longer - for your concerns will be lifted in due time. For now, however, you need to find me. This will be the most challenging part of your life, because this is no child's play. There is no time limit which restricts you, so do whatever you must to complete this mission successfully. I do feel for you, and i do care for you, therefore i will give you a bit of a tip - you will experience first hand betrayal at every step of the way to the end. Do not be surprised to know that the people you trusted the most, are the ones stabbing you in the back.

Good luck Blake - and may you find what you are looking for.

Love XXX"

I stared at the letter with confusion in my eyes, and the uncertainty which engulfed that logical mind of mine, made it utterly difficult to focus on anything. The letter did say that i could do anything to find the killer, and i was going to do just that. I did not care for betrayal, or if they labeled it suicide - i knew Nadia better than anyone and i knew that she would not end her life. She was the most faithful human on the face of the earth, therefore she would never cheat life.

I walked out of the room, with the note tucked tightly away in my pocket. Everyone on that side of the house was anticipating me to say something, but i remained silent. We were all basically dealing with the same pain, each in our own way. Her parents had lost a daughter, Ben and Christina had lost a neighbor, but i had lost a partner. I had lost a lover, a friend. I had lost my comfort and my home. That has got to be the most difficult part of anyone's life. That being losing the person that you love most. The person that you thought you would have eternity to live with - only to find that eternity does indeed have an end on this earth.

Everyone huddled in for a hug, and we just let it out, but my mind was focused elsewhere. Once i got out of the hug, i pulled Ben outside, and showed him the letter.

"Hey man, what is up - why did you want to talk outside?"

"Keep it down dude - check this out."

He took the letter and opened it up to reveal the message that was hidden within. As he read through the words, his facial expressions changed and becomes increasingly stressed. It was evident that he was at disbelief with his eyes, and his mind was at war with his sight.

He was silent for a second as he took in all the information that he had just consumed. It was clearly a lot to digest - for anyone, let alone the most frequently visited person for many years.

When his ability to speak had returned to him, his first words were a question, inquiring where the note had originated from.

"Blake, where did you get this note from?"

"I found it in Nadia's jacket when we found her - you know."

"Yeah i know, but how long have you had this - and more importantly, who else knows?"

"I had it from the moment we found her, up until now. The note warns to expect betrayal from your closet people - but i do not know what to expect anymore."

"Okay, but who else knows?"

"Oh - it is just you and i. Well, and whoever wrote it i guess."

"Any ideas?"

"Not a clue Ben."

"Right."

We just stared at the letter, trying to think of anything that might work for us to figure out the origin of this note, but were shortly disturbed by my father summoning us for dinner. We were all understandably exhausted from the days prior - so we argued not with him, and obeyed his command.

Dinner was a silent one, each of us already occupied by the thousands of thoughts that we had flooding our minds. Granted each of us had our own thoughts to think about, it was still filled with those thoughts.

Ben had eye balled me the whole time we were eating, but it was more him trying to calculate some sort of an explanation to what he had just learned. Unfortunately, i could not quench his thirst for such an answer, because i myself was dying of the same dehydration.

I stepped outside again, once everyone had finished dinner, and had gone to bed. The air needed to be fresh, and i needed some space to try and finally have the silence again. I needed to think where all of this was coming from, and what can we do with it.

My wife's killer was on the loose, and this letter was the only thing tying us to the hope that we ever so desperately cling onto. That silence, however, was once again disturbed by an over thinking Ben - who decided to join me on the porch, and help me piece it together.

"So wait, i have an idea - hear me out right. What if i take it down to the station, and try to run some finger print identification on the letter. Maybe i could even run the recognition software on the origin of the letter."

"I honestly do not think that would work, this person sounds like they mean business. It is worth a shot i guess, but i do not want to be wasting the resources that the police department need to operate, on something like this."

"Oh it is not wasting at all - let me run it through the software and the lab. I can say it is under a special request."

"I guess being the head detective at the police department does eventually pay off!"

It was a miss to us, because understanding something like this was a lot. It was a massive change in our family and everything that we considered daily life - but instead we choice to ride the wave. Nothing else mattered to me anymore, and all that did matter was that we find her killer. The end of the Earth was only the start of the borders that i would conquer to find that lowlife. What ever reason they had for such a disgusting action, on such an innocent soul.

That night, as the stars were silent, and the earth was still - i wondered about what was next for me. I could not exactly halt my life, and just go on a frantic bounty hunt for whoever did this, but at the same time - nothing else made sense. I needed to continue my life, going about my business without raising suspicion. Obviously, people would come to the ridiculous conclusion that i have finally lost it - but they do not know the truth that i do. Thankfully Ben does. He swore to keep it between the two of us, and even agreed to keep it from Christina - although that might have been a whole different mission altogether.

The two of us retired the night respectively and for me i assumed it was going to be a difficult night ahead. This was the setting of the old life which i had become so accustomed to, and now i was on the brink of rising to the new dawn of Blake. A life without the one person who turned disparity into delight. The one person who shifted sadness into celebration. She always knew what to say, and when to say it - but now it was time i learnt to live without her, because verily she was gone. However, she might be dead to the world, but in my heart will she forever live on. The memory of her kindness will be in my mind i too join her in the after life. Until then, i vowed to avenge her name. Someone clearly had it in for her, and whatever their motive was - it never mattered to me. All that mattered was seeing vengeance served as freshly possible.