ghosts of the mind

prompt: Write a STORY or POEM about a Halloween evening visitation from a spirit with whom you have unfinished business.
word count: 695

***

Katarina winced as the inside of her head pounded against the walls of her skull, a type of pain in which she had not encountered before. The room was pitch black, but she closed her eyes, then covered them with her blanket to shut out any bit of light possible. Her stomach lurched. She had wanted to show her respect for her friend's culture by attending the bonfire on the All Hallow's Eve, especially now that war was finally over and the world looked to them to display international unity, but laying in her bed, her head splitting, she vowed to never again be around so much smoke. And wine. She debated going to Daniel's room and demanding a cure, considering this was his all his fault, but even the thought of moving was excruciating.

Mercifully she fell asleep, but it was not the calming, dreamless sleep she had hoped for. It was a frantic, nightmarish sleep, where all her worst memories played out in her mind and she was powerless to stop it.

"Go find your father, volchonok," her mother says to her in a low growl, her hand firm on her dagger holstered on her hip as she stares down the two invaders in front of her.

She runs, following her mother's command without question, but her father is no where to be found. She screams for him, but no sound escapes. She runs further, but no one is there. Everything is dark. There is no sound. A voice sings her name, the tone harsh and mocking and she turns around. It is Daniel's father. Daniel is kneeling in front of him. His father tugs Daniels hair back to expose his throat and puts her mother's dagger to his neck. Katarina tries to move, but she is frozen. She screams, this time the sound piercing through the night air loud and clear.

Katarina sat up in her bed and tore the blanket off her boiling skin. She began to pull at the hair matted to her forehead and neck as her door burst open.

"Danny?" Katarina whispered.

Daniel's eyes darted around the room before settling on Katarina. He slid his two broadswords together, then sheathed them in the holster on his back and moved towards her.

"I heard... are you okay?" he asked, kneeling at her bedside and putting each of his hands to on the side of her face, picking off the hair stuck there by sweat.

At the close proximity his sapphire eyes gleamed even in the dark room. They bore into hers, searching for an answer from them.

"No," she answered, her voice almost inaudible.

His thumbs stroked her temples. "You have them too?" he asked, his voice equally low.

Katarina quirked her brow.

"I have had them since I was thirteen. Ever since my father gave me this," Daniel said pointing to the thick scar trailing from his brow to his jaw, "I joined the war front because I thought getting away from him would make them stop, but they got worse. And now, being back in this place," he paused, looking around as he appeared to search for his words, "Even though he is dead I still feel him here. Like even in the afterlife his ghost still haunts me, still makes me miserable. Most days are fine, but some days I panic when I look in the mirror because I think my reflection is him. My own voice makes me jump because I sound just like him. I see the other rulers' distrust when I approach them because of everything he has done. I never stopped fighting him."

It was silent for a minute before Katarina spoke.

"I dreamed that we had lost."

"I have that dream, too, sometimes."

"What do you do?"

"I meditate. I go for walks. I talk to you."

The corner of Katarina's mouth turn up in the smallest smirk. She bit her lip as a thought occurred to her.

"Is that how you heard me? You were going for a walk?"

Daniel nodded and stood.

"Danny?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think you could stay here a little longer? I am not accustomed to you being so far away."

Daniel smiled and shook his head. "Scoot over."