The Royal Contract

She looked around, trying to see her surrounding, finding nothing was amiss from what she remembered. The room looked just like she had left it before leaving that day.

Then, her hand slid to his side of the mattress, which seemed disarrayed.

When her hands touched his pillow, it was warm to her touch, as if somebody had just woken up and left that side of the bed.

But that left her puzzled as her eyes roamed again around the room. But nobody was there. She could not sense any movement or noise coming from the bathroom.

He was dead, as she repeatedly told herself.

“That is not possible.” She mumbled as her mind searched her memories. It was impossible unless someone else slept beside her last night. But why could she not remember anything?

The last thing her mind could recall was that she was hiding in her room, not wanting to see anyone, not even her father. She refused company but only accepted food since she needed to feed her baby.

Therefore, how did she end up in his apartment and sleeping on his bed? It did not make sense as she slowly slid out of bed and walked towards the door.

.....

Who slept beside her?

Carefully, she placed her ears by the wooden surface of the door, pressing it harder, hoping to hear whatever noise she could detect outside.

She could hear the faint sound of the television running in the living room. She believed a news channel was airing on the screen. Gerald usually watched the news as soon as he woke up while drinking his coffee. But that could not be him.

“It is not him.” She repeated to herself. A stranger must have entered his apartment.

Cautiously, she moved away from the door, debating whether to come out and confront whoever was out there. Then, she listened again by the door, but suddenly, the noise seemed to stop.

She concluded that the intruder must have left. Then, slowly, she opened her door, avoiding making a sound. When she peeked outside, she did not see anyone in the hallway.

Then, she made her way to the living room, tiptoeing to minimize the sound of her steps. Once she reached the area, she found that the television was off. No one was there.

She breathed a large amount of air, feeling relieved. She concluded that she must still be groggy from her sleep, making her imagine things. There was no one there but her. Although, it was still a mystery how she ended up in this place.

“Let us just get something to eat.” Her stomach reminded her that her baby was hungry as it started to growl.

She believed she left a few groceries in the pantry and the refrigerator when she was last here. She could whip up something that she could eat. Luckily, her baby seemed to like anything she consumed. She was not queasy with food as the other pregnant woman experienced.

But she suddenly stopped by the entrance to the kitchen. It was clear she was not alone in the apartment as her eyes focused on a man by the stove. He had his back turned to her, so she could not see his face, but from her view, she could not believe her eyes.

It was like seeing a ghost because he was dead. Somebody shot him and burned him. That could not be him.

That man cooking was not Gerald.

It could not be him.

She kept repeating in her mind, hoping the image would suddenly disappear. She closed her eyes, believing that once she opened them again. The illusion would vanish.

But it did not.

He stood there, moving as if he belonged in that kitchen, reminding her of the times he would cook for her. He was not a great chef. But he could manage a mean omelet and a few simple dishes.

“Gerald?” She finally called to him, fear and hope mixed in her voice. Was it possible that he was alive?

She could not wait for him to turn around as she heard her voice float in the air. She was anxious to know if it was him, at the same time, afraid that he might be a stranger looking like him.

Or she might be going crazy, thinking he might still be alive and the dead body was not him, lying lifeless on that table. Then, one of these days, the authorities will confirm that it was not him.

Gerald missing was better than him dead. It would at least give her a chance that he might still be alive. Someday, the authorities would rescue him from whoever abducted him and save him.

“Haley. I am glad that you are finally awake.” The man said as he finally turned around and looked at her. “I made your favorite breakfast. Come on, join me.” He called to her.

She was rooted on the spot, unable to move or say anything. She blinked her eyes twice or several times, hoping to clear the fog obstructing her sight. Then, she realized they were tears flowing down her cheeks.

She was not sure. But was her mind playing tricks on her? It was him, but in a way, she could not tell. It was his voice, his body, but the face seemed different. She did not understand as she stared at him again, wiping the tears that blocked her sight.

“Gerald...” She had no words to say because nothing about this scene seemed right. She could not tell, but the more she stepped closer to him, the more he seemed to move away.

“Haley, what is wrong?” He asked as he finally moved to the table and waited for her with the food he had made.

Was his face burned or something, that is why she could not recognize him? No. That was not it. Something was different about him. It was like he was wearing a mask. It was his voice, but it was not him.

“I don’t know.” She finally answered him. “What are you doing here? You are supposed to be dead.” She confusedly said. Instead of being happy to see him, she could not stop denying that he was alive.

That was not Gerald, she told herself. That was an impostor. She wanted Gerald, but in her mind and heart, that man was not him. But who was he, and where was Gerald?

“If I am dead, why am I here?” He asked as he finally sat down, tapping the chair beside him. “Come, sit with me.”

She wanted to go near him, but her feet remained in place even if she kept walking. She had to get to the bottom of this. She had to look into his eyes to confirm that it was not him.

Then, she stopped. She wiped all her tears away. “No, you are not Gerald.” She finally said.

No, you are not Gerald. She repeated.

Then, she could feel the room start swaying, and soon it was swirling. She could still see the man sitting by the table, but slowly fading in her mind. Soon, there was chaos as she began shouting. Then, noises filled her ears.

“Haley.” A man’s voice resonated in her mind. It was familiar. “Haley, wake up.” He said as she felt someone tapping her on the cheeks.

“He is not dead.” She opened her eyes, shouting the words over and over again.

“Stop it, Haley. You are having a nightmare.” She could hear him say, but she did not want to believe him. What she saw was real.

Gerald was not dead. Her heart knew it.

“Dad, Gerald is not dead. Help me find him.” She said to her father, who knelt on her bed beside her. He attempted to snap her out of her hysteria.

“I wish that is true, my dear. But Gerald is dead.” Her father continued to say to her as he tried to make her understand.

“No, he is not. I saw him. Or rather the man that was on the table. That man was not Gerald.” She told her father, believing that it was a mistake. They had the wrong man.

If her father would help her, they could easily find the people who took him. Then, they could save Gerald. She only had to convince her father that the dead man was not the man that she loved.

“That is not possible. Of course, you want to believe that the man is not Gerald, but science doesn’t lie.” Her father said, making her look up at him. She wanted to read in his eyes that he was lying.

“What science? What are you talking about?” She finally asked, confused about what was happening.

“Mike called early this morning.” Her father paused as if he was choosing his words carefully. He looked at her as if he was concerned about her.

It had been a while since she last saw him, acting like a father to her. But at the moment, it made no difference because she could feel her heart squeezing the life out of her as she anticipated his words.

“The authorities finally confirmed through his dental records and DNA that the man was him.” He continued.

She did not want to believe it. She quickly looked away from her father as tears began to fall from her eyes. It was clear now. She only had a terrible dream.

In her dream, he was very much alive.

But wide awake, he was just a lifeless, unidentifiable, burned corpse.

In reality, he was no more.