He left…he just walked away.

I was left, stunned, in a vintage wedding gown on the steps of a cathedral. Billowing smoke from the incense, lit for the ceremony , floated around me stinging my already burning eyes. I should be getting married right now, but instead, the groom is gone.

Large salty tears poured from my eyes as I clawed at my made up face and pulled a multitude of pins, and bits of hair, from my head. Reaching full hysteria, I began to rip at the dress that felt more like a straight jacket trying to keep me confined. I couldn’t breathe and didn’t want it on, or anywhere near me. Swiftly, I was grabbed off the floor, carried into a nearby room and placed gently into an old chair. My fingernails snapped and splintered into the wooden arms and pain radiated through my fingers and beyond. The pain felt good.

“I’m going to kill him for this!” A man said coldly, handing me a box of tissues.

“MAVEN!!!” My partner’s voice pulled me from my trance.

“Sorry Ryan, I…”

His warm hands steadied my shoulders, I read concern on his face.

“ You were crying and shaking…you scratched your face.”

I could taste blood but I had no idea where it was coming from.

He took his thumb and wiped my cheek, it shined red. I pulled a small pack of travel tissues from my purse and absently patted my face.

“What did you see Mav?” I was about to answer him when a young officer approached us from the scene. I could sense that this was his first murder investigation by the paleness of his skin and haunted look in his red eyes.

“Detective Sullivan…” he nodded to my partner. His eyes drifted towards me but made no contact, “Ma’am.”

“Stoltz was it?” Ryan patted his shoulder once.

“What do you have so far?” Ryan turned the officer with the next strategic pat so he didn’t have to look at the victim anymore and they walked back in the direction of the other officers.

As a medium, I have been working with Detective Ryan Sullivan for a year now and have helped solve a couple cold cases, but this was the first time he brought me to an active scene. The visions are stronger when I am at the site and ,apparently, even more so when the deceased are still present.

Before me, a burned out vehicle held the victims charred remains in the back seat. It is not going to be possible to gather anything from the present state of things, forensics was going to take a while. I was walking closer to the vehicle when a wind whipped from the trunk and I felt a blistering heat on the palms of my outstretched hands.

I turned away to shield my face. The flashing red and blue from the sirens in the distance suddenly began to fade along with all sound. Ryan and officer Stoltz were still talking. He was looking at the ground and kicking a small rock with the toe of his boot. Ryan kept his eyes on me. The bustling scene slowed to a crawl, then vanished all together. I was facing total blackness. Suddenly, breaking the silence, was a cracking sound, like logs in a fire, coming from directly behind me. A wave of nausea hit me as I was locked inside the now blazing vehicle. An unbearable heat licked at my face and arms but I couldn’t move. I felt as if I were on fire. My skin bubbling and bursting open. I was screaming soundlessly while also trying to gulp in air. Nothing but smoke filled my lungs burning me from the inside out. I could feel my life force being wrenched from me.

I looked in the rear view mirror and gasped. The woman I was, in my vision from before, was right next to me. Her face was stained with mascara tracks and smeared lipstick or blood. Her eyes were black holes and her jaw hung broken open at an unnatural angle. Her boney hands grabbed my arms turning me to face her, and pulling me closer. Broken shattered fingernails drove into the skin I had left. She cocked her head sharply and the bones in her neck cracked, the corner of her mouth twitched up and she leaned in closer and gargled,

“If he wasn’t going to love me, he wasn’t going to love anyone!”