Why Am I Dead? season 1 episode 4

Episode 4 "Like Father, Like Son"

Thoughts ran through Curtis' mind as he lay upon his bed. Yet again he found himself staring off into space, wondering if things would have been better had he not done what he did. In murdering his mother and himself he sealed his own fate. The images of him strangling his mother haunted him, even to this day.

He murmured, "Great just when ya thought being dead couldn't be worse."

He glared at his clock which forever remained the time in which he died. He remembered making it in shop class, one of the many times he wished he would have skipped school. The image of his mother, gasping for air as he clutched her neck tighter and tighter. The look cemented into her face as she tried screaming for help, knowing ultimately it was useless and she'd die by the hand of her son.

I opened my eyes to once again find Matt. I sat up and rubbed at my face, "What time is it?"

He looked up from the pile of cd's he had scattered across my floor. His expression dropped as if he was caught red handed in the act. He apologized, "Sorry I....was just curious what you were in to."

I waved him away, "It's fine. So what's in store for today? Any more creepy friends I'm bound to meet?"

Matt placed the cd's back into the cases as he laughed and shook his head, "None that I can think of."

A thought crossed my mind, I wasn't sure if I should ask knowing that Matt was unable to move on and get his door. I decided to ask anyways, "Hey Matt....what do you think it'll take for me to be at peace and move on?"

He stood up and walked over beside me. He sat down and shrugged, "Wouldn't have a clue, but if I were to guess I'd say you'd need to know how you died. I mean ever since dying this has become your top priority. Find out how you died and I think that'll get you your door."

Matt looked me over and raised the question, "Would you move on if you had your door? I know we're not that close of friends but...would you leave?"

The question left me stunned. I didn't want to say yes because I would seem so ungrateful. I decided to compromise with, "I hadn't been thinking about it much...if the time comes I'm sure I'll make the right decision."

Matt shook his head, "Totally not what I asked...I just wanted to know where your heart is. Don't stay behind just because of me. I've made some friends...dead or alive there's still a life to be lived here."

I nodded and sat up, "Whelp I'm going to see what's for breakfast!" I shot him a cute look and ran down the stairs. I knew I wouldn't run into the normal heart warming welcome I normally would but nevertheless it would be good to still see my family. I skipped a few steps as I jumped and landed on the floor. I looked around knowing that if I'd done that while still alive I would have been yelled at by now.

I turned the corner and entered the kitchen. I found my family already sat down and in the process of eating. My step brother munched away at his cereal as my father drank coffee and read the morning paper. I looked to them and sighed, "I miss you guys SO much!"

It was within a split second that I heard this in response, "We missed you too!"

Right then and there my head spun! My world turned upside down as I followed the origin of this voice. My father lowered the paper and smiled, "Aliah you look so beautiful!"

My bro lifted his spoon, "Hey even in death it tastes good!"

I reached for the table to regain myself and not topple over. I looked to both of them, asking while I hyperventilated, "Hhhhhhhow? You're both dead?"

Dad nodded, "We need to talk..."

It was minutes later that I realized Matt was still upstairs. I heard Dad and his story then my brother's about the last few minutes they remember. Unfortunately they too didn't recall their death or what had caused it. What was clear though was that the three of us were in on it together.

I sighed, "What about mom...she looks to sad...." I turned to see her barely taking notice of her food. She just sat there emotionless without a care in the world.

Dad frowned, "I'm sure she'll pull through...she just needs time. In time she'll learn to move on just like we will."

I shook my head, "Dad...we can't. We need to know why we're dead, that's the only way we can reach closure."

Just then that's when I heard the familiar voice of Matt. He popped his head around the corner and murmured, "That's where I come in..." He walked into the kitchen and nodded to everyone.

I smiled, "Guys this is Matt...I met him at my funeral."

My dead siblings nodded to him as my dad stood up and extended his hand. His brown scrunched up as he laughed, "Say...how old are you?"

My face got red, I immediately cut in, "DAD WE'RE NOT..."

Matt waved it off, "It's fine...I'm in my twenties more of less and married...or was."

My father nodded, "Oh...sorry. So how do you plan on helping us exactly?"

Matt lead them up into my room and began explaining things, I however decided to take some time off. Enjoy the after life and all it's gifts. I thought in my head what Venice Beach would look like and how I'd love to just lay in the sane one last time. It's been forever since we vacationed there. I closed my eyes and felt the atmosphere around me change. It wasn't long before I could feel the sand around my feet.

I looked around to find myself dead center on Venice Beach, California. I noticed that the sand wasn't really caved in around my feet but rather a sensory memory of how it felt was being triggered. It's not like I'm actually on the beach, I just recall what it felt like to be in the sand. A wide smile stretched across my face as the sun beat down, kids my age and older played volley ball, swapped stories and flew kites.

I soaked up the sun and decided to plop down and take a load off. I watched as the water came in, destroying a sand castle or two then went back out with constant motion. I smiled thinking about how I used to build sand castles and what it'd be like to do it again. Just when all was quiet I hear a voice. "Heyyyyyy there."

I turned to see a smoking hot dude holding a surf board. He had long blonde hair and a very tan body. A sea shell necklace draped around his neck bounded as he took two steps and came to a stop just beside me.

I grinned, "Hey yourself stranger...hey wait a minute how can...."

He cut me off, "Don't worry I'm not dead. But I still can see you." He smiled.

His face was so dreamy along with the rest of his body. He dug his board in and sat down beside me. I questioned, "So how can you still see me then if your not dead?"

He shrugged, "Dude I don't know...guess I'm just so chill with life I'm the in between ya know?"

I nodded, "So I take it you come here often?"

He nodded, "Chaa like every day. But lemme ask ya this, what brings a little ghost like you all the way up here? I normally don't see to many on the beach."

I shot him a glare, "I'm not little...I'm just new to this whole death thing."

He threw his hands up, "Woah ho hey meant nothing by it...just asking."

I shrugged, "Well I dunno, just felt like getting some fresh air. I'm in a bit of a pickle."

He pulled his hair back with one hand and nodded, "Continue ghost child..."

I sighed, "I don't know why I'm dead. All I know is I died with my dad and brother."

The cool guy nodded, "Well from what I've come to know about the dead sometimes knowing why you're dead is worse than actually being dead. It's like a paper cut or something, it really hurts but isn't actually that bad ya know?"

I looked at him, took in his calmness. He was so much at peace I was surprised he was alive. I laughed, "Don't take this the wrong way but....you'd make a perfect ghost."

He nodded, "Well aint that the truth....woah check out that wave! The mother sea has spoken! Gotta go catch that one, but come back any time ghost child...always find me here."

He shot up and started running toward the water. I called, "Well hey I didn't catch your name!"

He turned back to shout, "They call me Sal."

I spent some time then roaming the beach and a few hours later realized just how long it had been. I decided to poof back home and once I appeared in my room I could hear down stairs the sound of my brother and Matt. I looked around at my room, it had been just as I left it prior to my trip. I was about to leave when my father stopped me. He smiled, "Have fun?"

I sighed, "Dad I'm dead...you don't need to be keeping tabs on me."

He threw his arms up, "Hey I definitely wasn't....but did you have fun?"

I smiled, "Of course, I met this guy that was living....somehow he could still see and talk to me. Said his name was Sal. So how did the whole dream walking thing go?"

Dad shrugged, "Didn't find anything else out that we didn't already know."

I nodded and finally took into consideration mom. I urged, "How's mom been? Do you think she could keep tabs on her?"

Dad shook his head, "Checking in on her every ten minutes is only going to make our after lives a living hell and get us more wrapped up in hers. Maybe it's best we give her space...even in death?"

As it would have it they were both wrong. She had recently quit her job and stopped roaming outside for anything. All she did was stay inside and mourn her family. Seemingly a normal act but recently she's been thinking...She remained in her room crying yet again. She looked up to the closet and wiped away her tears....she got up and desperately tried opening it....