10 Paranormal Stories

by Lamees Alhassar

  The bully pushed Michelle roughly. “Or what will happen? Tell me. What will happen if I refuse to get out of your path?”

  Michelle stared at the bully. She could feel the fumes and wisps of smoke beginning to escape from her slightly open mouth and nostrils.

  The bully watched Michelle with amusement. She was smiling when she heard everyone around begin to gasp. The bully turned, and that was when she felt it as well. The skirt of her uniform had suddenly burst into flames and was burning up. With a shriek, the bully struggled to pull off her skirt but it refused to come off.

  She then began to jump and scream. But even as she did so, the flames only continued to eat up every item of clothing on her body.

  By now, pandemonium had broken loose in the cafeteria. The other students had previously been laughing when they saw the bully trying to douse out the small flame that had caught on her skirt. For them, they had felt that it was a simple prank that would soon end. But now that the bully was completely on fire, the students were running out of the cafeteria.

  But not Michelle. She stood there with her tray, watching the bully get consumed in fire. The bully had now fallen to her knees, screaming and begging as the fire continued to eat her up in a hungry inferno.

  Michelle did not do anything. She only turned and walked to one of the seats and sat down, leaving behind the charred remains of the bully in a kneeling position with outstretched arms which had sought for help or mercy in futility.

  Michelle began to eat her meal silently, watching the bully, still smouldering, not too far from her.

  Someone came and sat by her side. Michelle looked up and saw that it was the girl with the red scarf. Soon, the nearby seats began to get filled as well with the other girls. They were girls whom Michelle easily recognized from the night before.

  “That was quite bold, Michelle,” the girl with the red scarf said.

  Michelle took a bite of her meal. “Was it? Maybe. I just needed to get rid of her. She has always been a pain in my neck. Especially that particular one.”

  The girl in the red scarf turned around to look at the burnt remains. “Yes, I can imagine. But you need to learn the art of being discreet. And when you cannot be too discreet, then you should master the art of concealment.”

  “Concealment?” Michelle asked.

  The girl with the red scarf nodded and snapped her fingers. Instantly, the burnt remains of the girl disappeared. There was no trace of any burnt body anywhere in the cafeteria anymore. She turned to smile at Michelle, who was staring back at her in bewilderment and surprise. “See? That way, when the authorities or anyone else comes asking questions, they will look like fools.”

  “Come asking questions?” Michelle repeated.

  Just then the doors of the cafeteria burst open and several teachers walked in briskly. They were being followed by several other students.

  The girl with the red scarf nudged Michelle. “See? I told you that they would come, didn’t I? The authorities, I mean.”

  Michelle nodded.

  One of the men in a police uniform came towards Michelle and the girl in the red scarf. “We got a report of someone being burnt alive in this cafeteria. What happened?”

  The girl in the red scarf looked around and made a face. “I’m sorry, Officer. Did you say someone was burnt alive? In this very cafeteria? When?”

  The officer bit his lip and glanced around. He could see in the distance some girls pointing at a particular spot, talking excitedly to his other uniformed colleagues. He turned around to face Michelle and her friends. “I’m sorry to disturb your meal, young ladies. But did you by any chance notice anything unusual while you were here this morning? I mean, anything out of the ordinary?”

  Michelle shook her head. “No, Officer. Nothing out of the ordinary happened this morning. But what really are you talking about?”

  The officer was now feeling foolish, and the expression on his face revealed his level of discomfort. “I don’t really know. My office was called not too long ago. A report had been made to your school authorities that a girl was on fire. Obviously, this must be some kind of hoax or a sick joke.”

  The officer turned to look at the girls who were still chattering and talking. “Obviously, they must be under the influence of something. And to imagine that I and my men drove all the way here for nothing.”

  “Why would they play such a prank?” Michelle asked.

  “That really beats me, miss. I just don’t know why,” the officer said.

  “Well, I have been here all this while having breakfast with my friends. I am sure that if there was anything of the sort we would not have been here all this while,” Michelle said.

  The officer nodded. “You are right. My apologies. I’d better go and pull away my men. Have a nice day then, ladies.”

  As the officer walked away, the girl in the red scarf tapped Michelle’s arm. “You were splendid, Michelle. Welcome to our circle of friends.”

  THE END

  The Messenger

  CHAPTER 1 The police officer came out of the living room, shaking his head. He was dressed in his full uniform. On his face was a thick, black moustache under a shiny, balding head.

  Another officer approached him as he left the room.

  “What do you make of it, Chief?”

  The balding man stopped and turned around. “What is there to make of decapitated body parts, Corporal?”

  “Just what I thought, Chief. The boys are asking the neighbours if they heard anything. We hope to get some clues from them, no matter how little, just something, anything that we can work on.”

  The balding officer shook his head. “Why are you wasting your time with such antiquated procedural stuff? So you think whoever committed such a grievous act would have left clues?”

  “I don’t know, Chief. They always do. No criminal is meticulous. Forensics will soon be here to begin their normal sweep as well. I am sure we are going to find some sort of lead.”

  “I admire your enthusiasm, Corporal. I really do. But by the time you have risen through the ranks and become as old as me, you’ll begin to realize that the old way of policing, investigating, and tracking criminals does not always guarantee a success with apprehending the culprits. Trust me on this.”

  “What do you mean, Chief? Are we just going to give up because we might never catch the culprits?”

  “Not exactly, Corporal. What I am advocating is a different approach to what is the usual approach to such situations.”

  “What would that be, Chief?”

  The balding man ran his fingers through his bushy moustache as he regarded his subordinate officer. He was considering whether to tell him what was playing in his mind. Eventually, he arrived at a decision. “Call headquarters right away. Ask them to give Lazarus a call. He should come to this crime scene immediately.”

  The corporal blinked. “Lazarus?”

  The chief nodded. “Yes. And get him right away.”

  The corporal nodded and turned to leave. After he had gone, the bald chief looked in the direction of the living room again. He shook his head and brought out a cigar from his pocket. After lighting it up, he began to puff the cigar, allowing his mind to drift to different thoughts.

  “You really should be thinking of quitting, Chief.”

  The words seemed to cut through his subconscious mind like a hot knife through butter. The bald officer opened his eyes. In front of him stood a man wearing a black suit and a black hat. He had a slight beard on his chin and a moustache above his lips. He was smoking a cigarette.

  “Who are you to tell me not to smoke when you are doing the same thing?” the bald officer asked.

  “Would who I am really change the fact that your lungs are already polluted and weakened by your excessive smoking? You know it is the truth, Chief. And the sooner you begin to accept that fact and quit smoking, the better you will be able to enjoy a healthy retirement from all this dreary and dirty work,” the man replied.

>   “You think so? Well, maybe while you are busy worrying about my health you should also take a look at yours. I mean, what is it that they say about the pot calling the kettle black?”

  The man in black removed the cigarette from his lips and smiled. “You’ve got it mixed up, Chief. It is the kettle calling the pot black. You see, I am the kettle because I have a cigarette, while you are the pot because you have a cigar. It’s about comparisons, Chief. My cigarette cannot cause me as much damage as your cigar will cause you.”

  The chief waved his hand. “Whatever. Anyway, just let me be. I don’t need some stupid preaching about the hazards of smoking.”

  Just then, the corporal arrived. “I got HQ on the radio, Chief. They promised to get in touch with Lazarus. But how soon is he going to get here?” he asked, glancing briefly at the man in black who was smoking a cigarette.

  The bald officer nodded. “You don’t need to worry about that, Corporal. He has already arrived.”

  The corporal frowned. “I don’t understand, Chief. I just got off the radio with HQ and you say he has already arrived? How is that possible? Even if he was living a few blocks away from here, it would still take him some minutes to get here.”

  The bald policeman took a puff on his cigar. “That is if you are doing things the usual way, Corporal. But Lazarus does not work with the usual. He prefers the unusual.”

  “The unusual?” the corporal repeated.

  The bald officer pointed at the man in black who was standing in front of him. “Corporal, I’d like you to meet Lazarus. Lazarus, this is one of my new assistants.”

  The corporal stared at the man in black and gasped. “Lazarus?”

  The man in black nodded. “At your service, Corporal.”

  “But, but, but how? I mean, it is not more than five minutes ago that I completed the call. How come you are here already? Or were you in the neighbourhood?”

  Just then a phone began to ring. The man in black put his hand into his pocket and brought out a smartphone. He picked up the call and deliberately put it on loudspeaker.

  “Hello? Is that Lazarus?” the caller asked.

  The man in black nodded. “Yes. This is Lazarus speaking. Who is on the line please?”

  “I am calling from police headquarters. Our chief asked us to get in touch with you right away.”

  Lazarus nodded. “I see. Where am I supposed to meet with the chief?”

  “He is at an apartment off Redstone Avenue. You cannot miss it. Our men are already on the scene.”

  “No problem. I am going to be there soon,” Lazarus said. After the call had ended, he put the phone back into his pocket. He then turned to the corporal, who was staring at him with his mouth wide open in surprise and bewilderment. “I’m sorry, Corporal. What was it that you wanted to find out?”

  The corporal glanced from Lazarus to his boss. The chief was busy puffing away at his cigar. The bald officer had barely batted an eye when Lazarus had picked up the call from police HQ. And now, in the corporal’s state of confusion, he was not even showing any sign of concern or worry.

  “Chief, did you, did you—” the corporal began to say.

  The bald officer nodded hastily and patted his subordinate’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about such things, Corporal. Remember what I said earlier about the unusual. Lazarus is very good at it.”

  “But, but, but, but how?” the corporal stuttered.

  “You might not understand how I work, Corporal. But for this particular situation, let’s just say that I usually have my ears to the ground. That way, I can easily hear when the chief requests my presence even before your people at HQ put a call across to me,” Lazarus said.

  The corporal was still confused. The expression on his face said as much. But the chief was not ready to offer any more explanations. He beckoned to Lazarus, and they both headed for the living room.

  The corporal was still standing where they had left him in the corridor. He watched as his boss and the mysterious man in black walked into the room. Suddenly, he went after them, as if he had been in a trance all this while. He sensed that he might be missing out on a whole lot if he continued to remain transfixed in the corridor, pondering over issues that he could not get adequate explanations for.

  Inside the living room, there were a couple of other cops there. “I hope none of you has touched anything here, guys. I don’t need to tell any of you that this is officially a crime scene. Which means that you leave everything as you see it. Understand? The forensics team will soon be here. But until they get here, I need you all to evacuate this apartment right now. Lazarus needs to do his work quickly.”

  The corporal saw the other cops nod. Without a word, they all filed out of the living room. The chief watched them leave. He turned to the corporal. “I would have said you should join them as well. But since you are so keen on finding out more about the other ways for solving crimes, maybe you can stay. Close the door, and make sure that it is locked.”

  The corporal nodded and shut the door, turning the key in its lock.

  Lazarus looked around the living room. As he did, he was greeted by a sight that he had become familiar with. There were three settees and a glass table in the centre. All of these had been moved aside, very close to the wall, exposing the Persian rug underneath. On this rug was what appeared to be the body of a young woman. However, there were several missing parts.

  “No head, no feet, and no hands,” Lazarus said as he looked around the room.

  “We swept the entire apartment several times over, Lazarus. We could not find them. Whoever did this took those parts away,” the chief said.

  “Because they needed them, I am sure,” Lazarus said.

  “But what would someone need with a woman’s head, feet, and hands?” the chief asked, watching Lazarus assess the decapitated body.

  “The usual stuff that such things are required for, Chief. Dark arts, black magic, and the usual,” Lazarus said.

  “Dark arts and black magic?” the corporal blurted suddenly. He felt embarrassed that he could not restrain himself before the words came tumbling out of his lips.

  Lazarus looked at him and smiled. “Yes, Corporal. Are you familiar with any of those?”

  The corporal glanced at his chief and shook his head nervously. “No, sir. I thought that was all stuff made for the movies. Is it real?”

  “You’d be surprised at what is the reality of our existence, Corporal. So you think all that stuff you see on television is not real?” Lazarus asked.

  “Isn’t it just for entertainment?” the corporal asked.

  Lazarus could see the chief shaking his head as if he was being embarrassed by his subordinate’s questions. “Don’t worry, Chief. It is usual for such people like your corporal here to imagine that all they see on television is not real. If only they knew.”

  “Well, isn’t it just for entertainment?” the corporal asked again.

  Lazarus pointed at the headless body on the floor. “You think it is for entertainment. Does that body look entertaining to you, Corporal?”

  The corporal shook his head. “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand.”

  “Then remain quiet, observe, learn, and become wiser, Corporal,” Lazarus said.

  The chief and the corporal watched as Lazarus assessed the figure on the floor again. “They did a very good job this time.”

  “A very good job?” the chief asked.

  “Yes, Chief. They made sure that they did not spill any blood, even while decapitating the corpse,” Lazarus replied.

  “Decapitating the corpse? Are you sure that the woman was already dead before they cut off the body parts?” the chief asked.

  “Absolutely, Chief. There is no other way they could have succeeded in cutting those parts unless they had already killed her and then drained the blood before cutting off the needed parts. All signs of the dark arts, if you ask me,” Lazarus replied.

  The chief puffed on his cigar. “Drained her blood before cu
tting her up into pieces? I never thought my police department was ever going to be involved in such cases.”

  “Yes, Chief. No one ever wants to get involved in such cases. It’s good you have me around. You can just imagine what it would take other police departments to solve this case without people like me by their side,” Lazarus said.

  “I really am grateful to know you, Lazarus. I always have been. But now, can you tell me why anyone would want to do this to a woman?” the chief asked.

  “That is what I am going to find out right about now,” Lazarus said.

  “How long will you need? The forensics and detective units will be here any moment now,” the chief said.

  Lazarus nodded. “That will not be a problem. I will be done before they can get through this apartment’s main door.”

  The chief glanced at his wristwatch. “You sure about that, Lazarus? They should be here any moment. The case was communicated to all units quite a while ago. Those cops you saw earlier were in the vicinity, just like me and my corporal here. That was why we could arrive quickly to the scene.”

  Lazarus stood up and looked around. He then walked to the living room door, which was closed. He raised his hands to the top of the frame and then stopped what he was about to do. He turned around, glancing from the corporal to the chief. “Are you sure that we can trust him on this, Chief? Or do we ask him to leave?”

  The chief puffed at his cigar. He glanced at his subordinate with tired and disinterested eyes. The corporal was feeling uncomfortable at the sudden interest being shown to him by his boss and Lazarus. He fidgeted nervously as they watched him closely.

  “Well, Corporal? You heard what Lazarus just asked. Do we send you out or will you be able to stay?” the chief asked.

  The corporal blinked nervously. “I don’t understand, Chief. I mean, I would like to stay. I am not getting in the way or anything, am I? Besides, it would help me get to know much more. I really want to grow in my career, and I appreciate the faith you have in me by allowing me to remain with you even while you sent out my other colleagues. I want to stay. Please.”