Chapter 96 03: I Was Dead
The hallway stretched endlessly ahead of me.
Paintings.
Golden chandeliers.
Tall windows revealing the dark forest outside.
Everything blurred together.
My hand slid along the wall as I pushed forward.
My fingers left bloody streaks across the expensive wallpaper.
My breath came out in short, wet gasps.
The living room.
Just a little farther.
If I could reach—
My knees buckled.
“Ah—!”
I stumbled into the living room and collapsed.
The impact slammed the air out of my lungs.
I landed flat on my back.
My head rolled slightly to the side as I stared up at the high ceiling.
Crystal chandelier.
Soft golden lights.
My vision flickered.
My chest rose and fell unevenly.
Each breath scraped painfully through my lungs.
“Oh no,” Toby's voice said, closer now.
Footsteps approached.
Slow.
Unhurried.
They stopped beside me.
I could only see his shadow looming above my blurred vision.
His shoe nudged my foot.
“Come on,” he said lightly.
Another kick.
Gentle.
Mocking.
“Don’t die yet. The fun is just beginning.”
A weak sound escaped my throat.
My lips trembled as I tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
Then—
Footsteps.
Running.
Fast.
A familiar voice rang out from down the hallway.
“She can’t die yet!” Maggie shouted, breathless. “I’ve got one last personal message I’d like to deliver to her!”
My heart clenched.
My sister.
Her footsteps pounded across the floor as she ran toward us.
“Hurry!” he yelled. “I think she’s dying!”
My breathing grew louder.
Heavier.
Each inhale rattled painfully inside my chest.
My vision darkened around the edges.
Then everything went black.
But I was still there.
Still aware.
Still listening.
Maggie’s footsteps stopped beside us.
She was breathing hard.
I felt her lean closer to my body.
My final breath escaped my lips.
And then—
“Fuck you,” she spat.
The words hit my ears like a slap.
Silence followed.
And then I felt it.
A sudden push.
I watched myself leap out of my own body.
I felt weightless, like air itself.
Below me, my body lay motionless on the floor.
Then Toby spoke.
“Is she dead?”
A kick landed against my foot.
Once.
Then again.
My body didn’t move.
“Sad,” Toby sighed. “I thought I’d still have more time to torment her.”
He turned casually and dropped the crossbow onto the tempered glass table beside him. The weapon clattered softly against the surface.
Then Maggie spoke again.
“So,” she said, tilting her head slightly as she stared down at my body, “what are we going to do with her body?”
Toby chuckled.
“Whatever we choose to, baby.”
He shrugged lazily.
“We could bury her out back. Feed her to the dogs. Whatever.”
My gaze shifted downward.
To my lifeless body.
Blood pooled beneath it, spreading slowly across the polished marble.
My once-white gown was completely crimson.
Maggie stood over my corpse, a satisfied smile stretching across her face.
“I had the last laugh,” she said, her smile widening.
Toby took two slow steps toward her, closing the distance between them.
He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her gently against him.
“I’m sorry it didn’t happen sooner,” he murmured.
Then he lowered his head and kissed her softly on the forehead.
I stared at them in silence.
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
My voice sounded distant.
Thin.
I lifted my hands slowly in front of me.
My palms trembled.
I stared.
They were transparent.
My whole body was.
Toby and Maggie continued talking as if I wasn’t standing inches away from them.
My gaze drifted back to the floor.
To my body.
I was dead.