Do you like ghost stories? Well, this isn’t your typical tale to tell around the campfire. In early autumn of 1976, in a supposedly quaint suburb outside of Detroit, a terrible event took place. But no one has ever heard of it. The secrets of that night are as mysterious and unknown as they are terrible, heart wrenching. Some nights, in the warm air of September, residents of Deville Lane have seen disturbing occurrences- Could they be ghosts?- of that tragic night so long ago. They hear screeching tires, gunshots and the unmistakable hushed weeping of a heartbroken teenage girl.
As Bess brushed her hair, the pale moonlight shining on her ebony tresses, she heard a sweet tune being whistled just outside her window. She stood up and scuttled over to the casing. There he was, like every other night. Adam had a knack for showing up at exactly the right time. Bess’ mother was at the grocery and her father was tending to the two mares that pulled the hayride on Saturdays.
She cracked open the window and looked over her balcony. “Climb up the ivy; my parents won’t be back for a while.” Adam smiled, quickly scaled the wall and hoisted himself up over the balcony. There was a look of relief on his face as he kissed his beloved gently on the forehead.
“Bess, I hate that we have to keep seeing each other like this.” Adam confessed. He had a point; they had been dating for seven months before he told Bess that he couldn’t see her anymore. At first, she had thought he was breaking up with her. She finally made him confessed and she was shocked at what she had learned. Adam was a part of a gang that was stuck in the middle of a violent inter-neighborhood war. Neither he nor she knew what had brought about the feud but that it had been going on since before they were born. Bess feared for her life and Adam’s, because her own brother, Artie, was the leader of the Southern Gang. Her love was a Northern and her flesh and blood was a Southern. She was pinned between two worlds, two enemies, and she couldn’t choose which to follow and which to forget.
“Our safety. This is the only way we can see each other and not have them know.” Bess told him, burying her face in his shirt. She tried not to cry, she had to be strong for both of them. But she couldn’t hold the tears back. “Adam, I love you. But he’s my brother. I can’t see anyway that we’ll get out of this-”
“Oh, Bess, don’t cry. We’ll make it. I promise.” His promise meant nothing to her because she knew that there was no way that he could possibly ensure that it was kept. Adam pulled her into his arms and held her. She felt better. His embrace always made her feel safe, like nothing could ever hurt her. “You don’t need to worry about anything. It’s my war to fight, not yours.”
“But what if they hurt you because of me? I would never be able to live with myself if you-” Bess cried but stopped before she could finish. She just couldn’t bring herself to say ‘die’.
“Shhh, it’s gonna be alright, love.” Adam stroked her hair and pulled away. He cupped her cheek in his hand. His hands were so rough and big against her smooth skin. It made he seem so dangerous and tarnished. Bess knew him well enough to know that his rough, outer shell was the exact opposite of who he really was. Kind, gentle, sweet Adam.
“Things will be over soon. Landon is planning on meeting with Artie to make a treaty. No more fighting, no more violence. And no more secret love. Once that is done, we can come out into the open.”
Bess walked over to the balcony and looked out over the town. Everything was dark, except for one distant light, like a lamp or a window. “We can’t expect them to accept us.”
“What will they have against it if there is no more war?” Adam asked.
Bess turned to face him. He took her hand in his and kissed it lovingly. “We have too much of a past here. No one will ever forget what happened. The war may end but there will always be the lasting effect. There’s no way- there never was- that we’ll be together forever.”
Adam sighed, looking distressed, but then his face lit up. “Run away with me.”
“What?” Bess asked in surprise.
“We could run away. Leave all this behind.” Adam wrapped his arms around her and made a point to look into her eyes. “And then it’ll always be us, forever.”
“Adam, this is my home. I can’t just leave. What about my parents and Artie and the Inn?” Bess’ mind swam with the thought of running away with Adam. Yes, she loved him. But she had never left and she didn’t know if she ever wanted to. She was only seventeen and Adam nineteen. They couldn’t survive on their own, even if they made it past the county line. “Think about what you’re asking me.”
“I’m thinking that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and the only way that that’ll ever happen is if you come with me and we start over new.” Adam said, meaning every word of it. “I love you, Bess, and I want you to be my wife. Marry me?”
It was stupid, illogical but Bess answered with her heart, “Yes.”
Adam held her in his arms and spun her around. She kissed him as he let her down again. “The treaty may take some time, so I won’t be able to come till later. Probably after dark. But I promise you, I will be back to take you away. Even if I have to go through hell, I will be here to take you to heaven.” He kissed her one last time and then swung his leg over the edge of the balcony.
Bess rushed over and her ebony hair blew in the wind, whipping against my face. “Promise me that you won’t get killed.”
“I promise.” With one last kiss on her delicate, rose lips, Adam climbed down the side of the house. From the lawn, he looked up at her. The light shining from her bedroom cast a glow around her silhouette, making her look like a true angel. She’s my angel. Adam turned around and ran to his mustang, which was park on the opposite side of the street. Before he could stop himself, he turned around and yelled back to her,
“I love you, Bess!”
She blushed to herself. As she was about to go back inside her room, Bess heard a rustling in the trees. It was probably just a deer, she told herself. But there was more rustling. Straining her eyes, she saw a blond head streaking through the dark. It was Tom, the boy who worked for her father. He was harmless, at least he seemed that way. Whenever he was around Bess, Tom acted polite and kind. At some times, Bess noticed a fiery glint in his eye, like he was working on some plan as he spoke.
Bess decided that he must have been passing by. There was no way that he could have eavesdropped on her conversation with Adam. Tom was her friend, so even if he had heard anything they’d said, he wouldn’t tell anyone else.
Adam didn’t come in the evening, but he said he wouldn’t be back until late, so that didn’t surprise Bess. She remained calm despite her anxiety about Adam’s safety and the secret joy that she would soon become his bride. When she looked at the clock to see that it was well past 9, she started to get worried.
At 11, she heard a commotion downstairs. Bess hesitantly descended the spiral staircase down to the kitchen. Was it Adam? Her heart froze when she saw three members of the Southern Gang standing in the middle of her kitchen. Xavier, Charlie and Ryan.
“Hello, Bess. How’s Adam?” Xavier said. There was a strange look on his face. A mixture of anger, and suspicion and humor. Bess had always trusted Xavier. He and her brother had been best friends for ages. The boy was like a second brother to her. “Your pal Tom tipped us off that Adam would be dropping by this evening. It seems that you two have been hiding quite a scandal. Your brother was concerned, so he sent us to catch the Northern before he could steal you away from your family.”
“What?” Bess couldn’t believe what she was hearing. First, Tom had betrayed her and squealed to the Southerns. And then her brother had sent his friends to kill Adam. “You’re lying. Artie would never say something like that.” Would he?
“Let’s go up to your room and watch for the little punk. I’m sure he’ll be eager to see you and rush to save you when he hears you’re in trouble.” Ryan seemed a little distracted. He was looking around the kitchen, glancing between Bess and the knife drawer. They all smelled like heavy liqueur.
“You’re drunk. Now get outta my house!” Bess yelled. She turned around, yanked open a drawer and pulled out her brother’s pistol. Her arms shook. It had been ages since she had held it and she had forgotten how heavy and unforgiving it felt. She prayed that it was loaded.
“Oh Bess, what an awful thing to say.” A malicious grin spread across Xavier’s face. He stepped toward Bess, knocking into the kitchen table. Bess’ arm tensed, ready to pull the trigger. “We had a few drinks to get buzzed, but not enough to make us miss.”
Bess almost dropped the gun.“What?” She asked incredulously and pointed the gun straight at his head. “You’re going to kill Adam, aren’t you?” They all chuckled. Her arm tensed again. Bess didn’t want to shoot them, but she couldn’t stand by and let them kill Adam. A promised she had made was that she would never let anyone hurt him. As long as she lived, she would protect him.
“Put down the gun, Bess. You obviously don’t know how to use it, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” Xavier lunged toward her and she jumped back.
“Why?”
“When you have a problem, you have to get rid of it.” Those words rang in her head for what seemed like eternity. Xavier lunged again, and this time, Bess pulled the trigger. An excruciating bang shredded her eardrum. She bent over in pain, dropping the gun. It felt as though her ear was bleeding. When she looked up, no one remotely hurt. The bullet had soared over Charlie’s shoulder, shattering a vase on the other side of the room. Bess fell to the ground; the ringing just wouldn’t stop! Xavier’s shoes came closer and closer to her face until he was practically stepping on her ear.
“Let’s go wait for Adam.” Ryan and Charlie grabbed her by the arms and half dragged, half carried her back to her room. She was still practically unconscious when they tied her to the end of the four poster bed. It faced the doors to the balcony, giving her a perfect view when Adam came. Her head lolled to one side. What am I going to do? Bess felt a hard object being thrust under her breast and when she looked down, she didn’t think she was truly seeing it. A rifle, pointed directly at her heart. There was no way to tell whether or not it was loaded, so she stayed very still.
“Just so you don’t give us away.” Ryan pulled a strip of black fabric from his pocket and gagged Bess with it. “There, now, don’t move, you wouldn’t want to make a mess, would you?” They all laughed like she was some animal at a zoo. Xavier pulled out three more beers from his bag and handed them to the others. Bess felt a rush of anger flood through her as Charlie pulled out the parts of a second rifle and began to assemble it right in front of her. How could they do this? They had known her all her life. Yet, they treated her like garbage, shoved a rifle under her breast and threatened to kill her. When would it stop?
Bess started to cry, For the love of God, Adam, don’t come back.
Miles away, Adam climbed into his mustang. He hoped that Bess was still awake. She knew that he was coming. Bess would wait, he knew she would. Before starting the engine, he pulled out to check his phone. No calls. Nothing, not one text. That was strange. He expected that she would have been wondering what was keeping him so long. This really worried him. Was she in trouble?
Oh God.
What if they had found out? Would his own friends kill the girl he loved?
Adam shook his head, thinking that he could throw the idea from his mind. But he couldn’t. He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. Wheeling the car around, Adam drove in the direction of Bess’ house.
He jammed on the gas pedal, but the ancient car refused to go over 55 mph. “Come on, you worthless piece of crap!” Sweat ran down the back of his neck. Worry and fright coursed through his veins. “Please don’t let me be too late.”
As the car drew closer to the house where Bess was held captive, she feared that the others could hear the engine. It was definitely Adam.
Her hands stung and we drenched in sweat. Or was it her own blood? For the past hour, she had been turning and twisting her hands in hope of finding a weak spot in the rope. But the knots held, strong and thick.
Bess tried to persuade herself that the sound of the engine was not Adam’s. He would not be as stupid and ignorant as to try and save her when all the odds were against him.
But he had promised. He had promised that he would come to take her away tonight. And he never broke his promises. Never.
Bess looked at the alarm clock on my bedside cabinet. The red letters shone through the black air in the room: midnight. Now she knew for sure that the sound of the engine was Adam.
Please, Adam, just stay away from here. Stay away until dawn. Hopefully by then you’ll be safe. I’m not worth it; you shouldn’t risk yourself just to see me for no more than a few moments before they shoot a bullet through your heart. My heart.
She chanced a glance at Xavier. He was glaring intently through the window. There was a vein pulsing in his forehead; he seemed so concentrated. But he was getting impatient and they all knew that time was running out. Bess tried to wriggle her hands out of the rope once again. But it didn’t work. Instead, she felt a smooth, cold curve. The trigger of the rifle.
She realized that this was the only way she could save him. Even if they survived tonight, the others would continue to attack them until they surrendered. The only way to stop this entirely was to remove the problem, just like Xavier had said. But Adam wasn’t going to be removed. Bess was. Her mind began to play the fondest memories of her and Adam together. She thought, we don’t deserve to have to go through this. But she was doing this for him and for him alone. So that he may live and find another love. So that he may live. Bess drew one last breath.
“I love you too, Adam.”
Bang!
The pain seared through her side. Blood- her blood- was streaming down her jeans and onto the carpet. The liquid seeps into the strings of fabric and forms an unmistakable shape. A crooked, mishapen heart.
Bess felt hands grab her shoulders, while another pair untied her bindings. A loud clatter made her look across the room. Charlie had scampered downstairs while Xavier and Ryan stayed with her. They talked and argued, but the words slurred together. They hoisted her onto the bed. Ryan went back to the window and started shooting- could it be Adam? Xavier tried to blot the blood. He muttered comfort words to Bess, but she understood nothing.
In her last few moments, Bess glanced out the window to see Adam in his mustang, speeding away, to safety. It had worked. He was alive.
Even though I won’t be…
Adam heard another loud Bang! from Bess’ house and feared the worse. He jammed his foot on the gas, using all his weight to hopefully raise the speed. His heart was beating so loud, almost bursting from his chest. Fear, anger and worry surged through his body.
Bess’ house came into view and a bullet shattered the glass on his windshield, spraying him with glass. They had found out! He had to get out of here, before it was too late.
As he wheeled his car around, Adam prayed that Bess had gotten out in time. If she wasn’t okay, he would never forgive himself. She was the one who had told him not to get killed. He was going to follow her instructions, so he could see her again.
Loud gunshots followed him down the lane. Without thinking, Adam picked up gun from the passenger seat and shot at the house. No aiming, just shooting. Only when he turned onto the main road did he stop shooting and he couldn’t hear anymore gunfire. Adam was safe now, guarded by witnesses and lights. Once he was past Braxton Street, he’d be safe. They wouldn’t dare shoot him on Northern territory; it would turn everything upside down, start the war over.
Stress was exhaled from his body with every breath he took as he pulled into his driveway. As of right now, he didn’t care what his parents might say about curfew. If they knew the situation, and the circumstances, they might understand. From his pocket, he retrieved his cell phone and hastily dialed Bess’ number. The phone kept ringing and ringing and ringing…
“Hello pretty boy.” An all too familiar voice hissed. “Don’t you want to see your girl-”
“Xavier!” Adam yelled, “You bastard, what did you do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything. The question you should be asking is what did you do to her?” Xavier slurred his words together the way a young child would, but Adam could not miss the anger and torment in his voice. “You should hurry up and get back here. So you can say one last goodbye.”
“Xavier, what are you talking about?” Adam asked cautiously.
“Bess is dying.” Xavier said in a malicious whisper. “And it’s because of you.”
Adam dropped his cell phone, where the screen cracked upon hitting the pavement. How could it be his fault? The shots he had fired at the house. One of them could have hit Bess and then, it would be true, he had killed her. The only person that he cared about in the entire world. And he had murdered her in cold blood. Adam was a strong soul, but he couldn’t hold back the tears as he hastily jumped back into his car. There was no time to waste. Bess doesn’t have much time. She may have no time at all.
Back down the main street, back tracking his escape route. Adam was risking everything to go back and see her before she left him forever. Not paying much attention to the road, Adam came to just in time to swerve away from a Mercedes, its headlights putting him in a smoky spotlight. As he swerved to avoid it, he lost control and the next thing he knows, the front of his mustang is wrapped around an oak tree on the side of the road. Gasses are streaming out from under the hood. People didn’t seem to notice much; no one stopped, they just kept on driving by the wreck. Adam tenderly touched his forehead and saw that his fingers were covered in blood from a nasty head wound.
Despite the screaming pain in his head and the aches spreading through his body, Adam scrambled out of the car. Traffic narrowly missed him as he sprinted across the street. His feet carry him behind the line of stores, to the secluded back road that would lead him right into Bess’ neighborhood.
In no time at all, Bess’ house came into view. But it’s silent, the house is dead. Like Bess? Adam’s legs, head and heart pounded with agony. He was exhausted and scared to death of what he would find when he reached the house. Deep in his heart, he knew that he had to get to her, before she was gone forever. With his last burst of energy, Adam dashed across the street.
Bang!
One shot and his legs were swept out from under him. A great forced pushed him back and he fell to the ground. He had been shot right in the stomach. Searing pain spread through his abdomen, like his flesh was being eaten away. He tried to convince himself that it wasn’t that bad and forced himself to get up and get to Bess. Staggering across the lawn is not easy. Already the bullet has caused Adam to lose feeling in his legs, making them shake, and his sense began to dull. There was no sound, no smell, he could barely see anymore. The one thing he could see- and that which was pushing him on- was Bess’ balcony. He pictured her coming out, perfectly fine, and greeting him like she always did, with a cheerful, “Hi Adam.”
A second bullet lodged itself in Adam’s leg and he finally gave up, falling into a rose bush just below Bess’ balcony. He was so close, yet so far.
Finally, his vision started to play tricks on him. Bess was on the balcony, just as he had imagined she would, all in white, and smiling down at him. She was as he had left her. Alive. Or so he thought. Like she was floating on air, Bess went to him. Up close, he could see that the only color on her dress was a blood red bullet wound in the middle of her ribs.
Was this her ghost?
Bess bent down next to Adam and whispered, “It’s time to go, Adam.” He nodded, with a smile on his face. She was smiling too. Adam shut his eyes, only for a moment, and all the pain seemed to fade away. Soon, there was no pain at all.
When he opened his eyes, his clothes had turned white and had red bullet wounds where he had been shot, just like Bess. He stood up and glanced back at the rose bush. There was his body, sprawled across the branches and flowers. Eyes wide and blank, his face unnaturally pale. In the background, they heard the shouts of Charlie, Xavier and Ryan from upstairs. But they did not care enough to listen.
“Are we dead, Bess?” Adam asked, scared of the answer.
She responded, “Yes. But now we don’t have to worry. We don’t have to be afraid. We don’t have to run.”
“At least we’re together.” At this point, that was the only thing on Adam’s mind: We will always be together.
“Forever.” Bess whispered to him and they kissed one final time before they drifted into nothingness.
