Eight

It was that time of the year when everyone had to decorate their homes for Halloween. As I lived in a cemetery, all I ever needed were pumpkins.

"Zoey? You here?" I scanned the living room for any sign of her.

"Over here, Kev." I looked behind me to see Zoey standing in the driveway.

"Oh, there you are. What are you doing at the truck? Going somewhere?" I smirked.

"Halloween…Decorations…Pumpkins…," she giggled.

"How'd yo---? Never mind. Let's just go."

I was surprised that she completely read my mind. The farmer's market to get the pumpkins for decoration. After a quick trip down all the merchants, we had all we needed. A ride home was all that was left.

We finally made it home from the market. I parked the truck, and Zoey ran up to the house with Cluck – that's what she named that stupid chicken. I can't believe she talked me into getting a chicken.

"Hey, wait up!" I called after her. She was already sitting on the step by the time I caught up to her. Ghost was licking Cluck in the face. Great! It seems like they will get along unless he's thinking about eating him. I thought as I chuckled unintentionally.

"What's so funny?" Zoey asked.

"Oh, nothing."

Zoey wouldn't appreciate my sense of humor on this one, I thought.

"Tell me," she demanded; her arms crossed over her chest.

"I was just thinking the reason Ghost was licking Cluck was because he was thinking about eating him." I laughed out loud.

"That's horrible! Cluck, cover your ears.'' Zoey placed her hands over his head.

"I mean, with some barbecue sauce, Cluck would be a tasty snack." I licked my lips.

"I thought you only ate healthy food,'' Zoey said.

"I did before you came along." I gave her a smirk.

"Whatever," she said, sticking her tongue out at me. "We don't have a chicken coop."

"I will have to build one."

I took out my phone and googled some blueprints for chicken coops, and found a relatively easy one. I head to the shed to make sure I have all the lumber I needed to build. I made a simple chicken house, surrounded with chicken fencing wire on wood posts that I pounded into the ground. "There. It's finished."

Zoey put Chuck in his new home.

"Thank you for everything today." Zoey kissed me on the right cheek.

"You're welcome. What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything you pick," she said.

"Do you want a sandwich? I will have them delivered," I suggested.

"Sure. Sandwiches sound like a good idea." She smiled.

It was long before the delivery man was knocking at my door. I handed him the money and grabbed the food from him. Zoey was waiting at the kitchen table. I filled Ghost's food bowl before I sat down and started eating my sandwich.

"I was thinking…" Zoey said, "What if we go to the crash site and look for any clues as to where my body may be?"

"Are you sure you can handle doing that?" I rubbed my hands together, before passing her the phone.

I want to go back to the crash site. ----- Zoey

Are you sure? ---- Kim

I need answers ---- Zoey

Fine. Do you know James Street? ---- Kim

I drive that hallway going to mom's house. ---- Zoey

Dad crashed just a little way down the hill ---- Kim

I grabbed my keys and headed towards the door, Zoey following behind me.

Getting into the truck, I looked into Zoey's eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this, Zoey?"

"Everything will be okay," she smiled confidently.

"Think about it."

"What's there to think about? I want answers!" I shook my head as I put the key into the ignition and started driving. The destination was only forty-five minutes away. As I got closer, I went easy on the gas pedal until I parked at the side of the road.

"I was here with dad, I remember now." Zoey grabbed her head.

"Having another memory?''

"Yes. The car flipped over, and I remember the cracking sound of glass. Blood everywhere. I tried to save daddy too, but I couldn't."

"So, you didn't die."

I felt a little excited.

"I ran into the woods because I knew that there was a house on the other side of the forest."

"A house? Did you make it there?"

"I don't remember. It's all hazy. The last thing I remember was running through the woods."

"Retrace your steps."

We walked into the woods. It was a beautiful forest full of thick green trees. I heard birds chirping and squirrels rustling through the leaves. The sticks cracked beneath us. Zoey stopped walking. She closed her eyes as she started walking in a different direction. I followed closely behind her. Is that a bloody handprint on the tree, unbelievable? This was becoming a scene from a horror movie.

The smell surrounding my nose was awful – so awful I couldn't relate it to anything in this world. Nothing would do the horrendous smell justice. I looked behind the tree, and I saw a sight that would haunt me forever. There lay Zoey's body – blue, dead, and motionless.

"I truly am dead."

Zoey sat on the ground with her hands over her face.

"It's okay, Zoey," I managed to choke out.

"I was brave until I saw my corpse. Now I realize my life is over, and I wasted it fighting with my family," she cried in pain.

"You're still here." I tried to calm her.

"For how long? It isn't the same. I can't talk to them and tell them I am sorry!"

"I understand."

"You don't! You're not dead, Kevin!" she yelled.

"Come, Zoey, we should get leaving."

"We should just leave my body here?" she asked.

"No! I should call the police and report it, but what do I say? How would I ever report something like this?"

"Tell them you were following a dog into the woods and lost sight of him."

"That's lying."

"What other choice do you have? You can't tell them the truth.''

I called the police, still unsure of what I am going to say.

"Hello, what's your emergency?'' said the officer answering the phone. I told them about Zoey's body, and how I was following the dog. I was a good liar, surprisingly. I gave them the location. It was twenty minutes away from their headquarters. The officer took my statement. I watched Zoey sit by her body like a statue. She no longer appeared upset. She just stared motionless, watching the officers take her body away. She seemed more shocked than upset.

Once her body was gone, and the officers had left, I tried to get Zoey to leave. "Zoey, come on."

"I should try to follow them to see where they are taking me." She looked at the ambulance as it drove away.

"They didn't take you anywhere, Zoey, you're right here." I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her gently.

"My family never even knew that I was in the car with my dad," she said.

"That's why they didn't search the crash site for you."

"I am gone… I no longer exist," she sobbed.

"Zoey, you are here. Your body is only a host, but your soul is here. Let's go home."

"The cemetery where I genuinely belong," she said.

"You belong with me, Zoey."

"Really?"

"Most definitely."

We walked back towards the truck hand in hand. "You know what? Let's stop at the movie place and get some movies and pizza, just have ourselves a fun night."

We pulled into the movie rental store, where we skimmed the romance section. Zoey had her arms full of DVDs. It was okay. Honestly, it was never my thing – to fake love that easily. I walked over to the Horror section and filled my arms with scary movies. We put our selected DVDs on the countertop.

"I like your flannel,'' the girl behind the counter mentioned.

"Thank you. Wait…I am not wearing flannel." I sounded shocked.

"I was talking to the girl," she said, giving Zoey a wink.

"You can see me?" Zoey said jaw dropped.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be able to see you?" She seemed shocked and confused.

"Have you almost died before?" The girl raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yes. I was in a horrible pool accident as a girl. Why would you ask such weird questions?"

"I am a ghost," Zoey said. I put my hands over my face.

"Why didn't you just start with that?" she asked.

"I didn't want to freak you out."

"I have always seen ghosts since I can remember."

"It never scared you?"

"It did at first, but not anymore." The clerk smiled.

"You think you can see them because of the accident?"

"I one hundred percent think that's the reason."

Other customers started to line up behind us, so we had to end our conversation early.

"I can't believe she could see," Zoey said, walking out to the car.

"The other cashier did in the farmers market, remember?" I chuckled.

"Yeah, that's right she did." Zoey's face lit up like a strip of LED lights.

I parked in front of the pizza place and walked in to get our movie night snack – a cheese pizza. The transaction took mere minutes, and I couldn't wait to be with Zoey. As I stepped outside, I could instantly see through the windows that Zoey was gone. I looked all around, and my eyes landed on Zoey. She was standing next to a lady, who instantly recognized her as Zoey's mom from Bill's funeral. I didn't walk over to her. Instead, I waited in the truck. I noticed her mom was crying and on the phone. Zoey didn't take long. She was back into the truck in no time.

"What's wrong?" I took her hand in mine.

"My mom got the call that they found my body. She was crying. She cared."

"It is a funny coincidence that she's here at the same time."

"I think it is more of a miracle," Zoey said.

I nodded my head in agreement. "She does care."