BURNT

Andrew was always paranoid. The constant feeling of desperation and loneliness took immense toll on him both physically and mentally. He didn't know what to do or say. Maybe this was his fate. To die as lonely as he was born. It was not until February 18 that things took a turn. On that particular day, Andrew went to sleep pretty early unlike the usual days. He was living with his foster parents and they were out of town. After a good 2 hours of sleep, Andrew woke up with a startle. He had a terrible nightmare that night unlike the usual ones. It scared him so much that he had to have some water before he returned to his bed.

After quenching his thirst, Andrew laid in wondering why he would dream such an awful thing. Just then, from the corner of his eyes he saw a black figure standing still behind the door frame. Andrew nearly had a heart attack. Fear took over his body and he lay there frozen unable to move or speak. The figure slowly twitched. And then, all of a sudden it leaped on to the bed and laid down next to him, with its head resting on his shoulder. Andrew shuddered. He closed his eyes and prayed in his mind. ' It's just a dream, It's just a dream'.

"Andrew...Are you a good boy Andrew.."

The whispers felt like they had a life of its own. It clouded his mind to the point where he could only hear the whispers and nothing else. Andrew burst into tears. ' Please leave me alone!'

Nothing seemed to work. He finally gathered the courage to open his eyes. ' You re gonna open your eyes and see that its all in your head'. Inhaling deeply, he counted till three. ' one...two...three'

" BOO!"

Andrew was dumbstruck to find a tall dark figure sitting on top of him, looking at him intensely. This time there was a difference. The figure had distinguished structures. Hands, legs and a head. The figure was eerily still, not whispering, not moving. Only its hair seamlessly floating in the air as if they were underwater. Andrew didn't know how long they stayed the same, not moving a muscle. He couldn't take off his eyes from it. The figure was looking down as if it was nodding off.

After what felt hours, the figure slowly moved its head. Twitching. No. Shaking its head from side to side. Started off slowly but picked up pace. Eventually it turned aggressive. The head bobbed from side to side and the creature started opening its mouth, making a gaping hole abnormally wide. Andrew shut his eyes tight. The scene made him extremely nauseous. The figure suddenly fell on top of Andrew lifelessly. Andrew now couldn't move. Literally. He realized that the figure was close to his left ear. Breathing abnormally into him.

" What...do...you want" . A cold pale hand caressed his face his shoulders and then his chest. The hand stopped at his heart.

" EVILLLLLLLLL" the creature screeched loudly into his ears.

Andrew started crying all over again, begging, pleading to let him go. The figure came close to his face and touched his forehead.

" YOU WILL BURN! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO WALK EARTH AND FOR THIS YOU WILL BURN. EACH AND EVERY DAY. LITTLE BY LITTLE. YOUR SKIN WILL TURN TO CRISP AND YOU WILL DIE A SLOW PAINFUL DEATH. YOU WILL BURNNNNNNNNNN!"

Andrew screamed at the top of his lungs. He opened his eyes and there was no one else in the room. His body was shivering and sweating. He couldn't move. He just sat there and wept till dawn.

******

Andrew couldn't leave his room the following day. The trauma of last night kept him paralyzed. At the afternoon, he noticed he had run out of supplies to cook. He didn't have his breakfast, so he was starving by noon. Hesitantly, he put on a old sweater and some slippers and left for the grocery store.

As he walked down the road, he felt a tingling sensation on his hands. Slowly the sensation grew to the legs and his stomach and all over him. When he looked down at his hands, he saw red blisters all over his skin. ' no...no...this can't be real...' Horrified, Andrew bolted to the nearest shade he could find. He was now standing under an extension of an apartment complex. The security guard who saw him bolt, quickly came to the scene. Upon arriving, he recognized the lad.

" Andrew why'd you run? Is something wrong??"

Andrew was sitting with his legs crossed and his head facing down, resting on his knees. He didn't acknowledge the guard's presence but when the guard kept questioning, he looked up.

" Are you okay?? " Andrew looked at him, teary eyed and said;

" I think...I think I'm cursed"

The security looked on concerned for the boy. He took a deep breath and asked him;

" Now why would you say that?"

The boy immediately pulled off his sweater and showed him his hands.

"L..L...Look for yourself"

The security was now more than confused. There was nothing to see. He genuinely liked the boy ever since they moved to the town. This was the first time he had seen Andrew so tensed.

" I...What am I supposed to look at...?"

" Don't you SEE?" Andrew looked down at his own hands and he could still see the blisters on his skin. They were no longer burning but the sensation was still there. " You really can't see?"

" No...nothing at all...umm have you eaten anything?"

Andrew looked at his arms again, in complete haywire. Without a second thought, Andrew swiftly got up and started sprinting to his home.

Throughout the way, he could hear the whispers over and over again." You will burn Andrews. You will BURN" .

Andrew ran as fast as he could and upon entering almost broke the door. He threw himself into the hall and lay on the ground screaming. He wanted this to end. He couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't live like this. He took off his clothes and examined his body. There were scars and burns all over. Andrew barely recognized himself in the mirror. This had to stop.

Picking up his phone, he dialed his foster parents. His father's phone didn't ring and went straight to voicemail. He then tried his mother's. The phone started ringing and weirdly enough he could actually hear it. Faint at first but as he followed the sound, it grew louder and louder. He found himself on the first floor, outside the guest room. Why would his mother's phone be here? He couldn't make heads and tails of it.

Andrew slowly turned the door knob and the door creaked open. The curtains were drawn and the room was dully lit. However he didn't miss the entity awaiting him. It was facing away from him in the far end corner of the room. Due to the insufficient amount of light, the corner looked as if it was wholly consumed by darkness. Andrew didn't flinch. Oddly he felt a little sense of courage build in him and with that stepped into the room. The room had a foul odor. Andrew walked over to the king size bed at the center of the room.

He stood hovering over the bed before him. At the corner the room, the creature moved from the corner and it now stood right beside the boy.

" Did you burn Andrew" the entity hissed into his ears. " Did...you...burn...like...you...deserve to..."

Andrew stood at the peril of a mental breakdown. His heart was beating so loud that he could hear it.

" What did I do..." his voice trailed off into the distant.

Trembling, Andrew held on to his last bit of sanity and gathered up the courage. He went over to the side of bed and single handedly lifted and threw the mattress over to the floor.

The sight before him was one that he could never forget even if he wanted to. His mother and father lay there rotten, squished to the wood underneath the mattress. The foul smell circulated across the room, leaving no air for Andrew to breathe.

Andrew fell on his knees and whispered under his breath, over and over again. ' It can't be me...It couldn't have been me...'

*****

Andrew sobbed for hours, looking at his helplessly forgotten parents lying dead. The entity now sat across Andrew, with its pale hands reaching out to him.

" You don't deserve to walk on Earth...you deserve to burn...Andrew...."

" I didn't...I didn't...please listen to me...I didn't do it...I don't remember doing....I...please..."

The creature caressed his face, ever so gently.

" You know deep within you...you just don't want to remember..." the cracked voice echoed through the silent room.

Andrew wiped his tears away and sat in silence, forcing himself to remember.

" They didn't want to take me, isn't it" Andrew looked right into it's eyes.

" They wanted a break...FROM ME. They said they wanted a vacation, some 'alone' time they said. "

Andrew felt rage waiting to explode from within.

" They didn't want me anymore" tears streamed down his cheeks and he scoffed.

" They didn't want me anymore"

" They never said that, now did they Andrew..."

The entity leaned in, inches away from his face. Darkness clouded

both his eyes and his rationality.

" They always took care of you. They took you in despite your mental issues. They never abandoned you. Yet this is how you repay them. They took care of you for 13 years and you killed them in a blink. You will burn in hell Andrew. You don't deserve to live"

Andrew broke down for the second time. Everything was as clear as day. He remembered why he did this. He remembered the look on his 'father' when he cold bloodedly murdered his wife. As the thoughts returned, he felt sick to his stomach.

" You know what you have to do"

The creature opened the curtains and the sun shined through the huge window. Andrew stood up and walked towards the light. The unusually large window panels gave the feeling that this was its purpose all along. He took one last look at his ' parents' . He hoped in his heart that they found peace and that they are living together happily somewhere far away...away from him and the misfortune he bestowed upon them.

Andrew turned towards the entity, now standing in the corner of darkness, looking at him.

" Thank you"

The creature almost immediately disappeared into thin air.

Without hesitation, Andrew flung the doors open, letting in the scorching sun rays right onto his skin. His entire body was set ablaze and his screams echoed throughout the house and towards his neighbors. He, in his heart, felt a relief. The burden was lifted off of him and he was ready to face the repercussions.