\chapter{Deja Vu} \by{The Bananana} Luke awoke in a bed. He stared at the ceiling and searched his mind for his surroundings. He couldn't remember a thing. His head ached, pounded as he struggled to sit up. He was in a clean white room. There was a noise. Familiar. Welcome. Beneath the door drifted the smell of home. Of warm bread. Of eggs. The sounds and clatter of morning seeped through as well. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. His head was still aching, but it was lessening. He stood. The sun's beams had warmed the floor. He stretched, lost his balance, and feel back to the bed. He lay there, lying in the light, when he began to listen. A voice, He recognized it. Then another. He knew them both. No, he thought, he must be dreaming. He got up and turned towards the door. Behind him, through the windows, the trees began dancing lightly in a sudden fresh breeze. He inched to the door, and reached for the knob, and recoiled in pain, as the hot door burned his hand. ``What are you doing'' asked a young boy from the corner of the room, surprising Luke. He was small. Pale. He looked unwell. ``Wha{\ldots}who are you''? Luke said, studying the stranger. ``That wasn't part of the deal'' the boy replied. Deal? Luke didn't know what the kid was talking about. ``Don't open the door'' the boy warned. Luke knew what was on the other side. His family. His wife. His son. Sitting, waiting. Her red locks swaying and bouncing as she prepared their breakfast. His boy, sitting at the table, his feet dangling from the chair, smiling and laughing. The young boy persisted. Don't open the door.'' He said again. The room grew dark. Luke looked outside, and watched as the trees now shook and swayed violently amidst an angry grass sea, heaving beneath the dark sky, as rain began to pelt the glass. ``What are you doing here? Who are you?'' Luke tried again. ``You're not listening.'' the boy's eyes narrowed and he continued, ``Enjoy it. Lay down this time. Stay and enjoy it.'' The kid must have been sick. He wasn't making any sense. ``I've got a son about your age, he's right in there'' Luke said pointing to the door. ``Do you have any friends? I'm sure my boy will play with you. Do you like pancakes? My wife, she makes the best pancakes.'' ``Luke'', the boy cut him off, ``Your son and wife are dead. They've been dead, since the fire. You know the deal. Stay here. Enjoy it.'' ``What do you know about my wife and son? What do you mean they're dead.'' He stared at the child ``Boy, I know your sick but you can't talk like that, it's not right. Listen, listen to them, can't you hear them, they're in there right now, look I'll show you'' Luke turned to the door. ``Please Luke,'' The boys face was unchanged, his voice placid but firm and sure. ``Don't open the do{\ldots}'' ``Hey!'' Luke interrupted, ``now I don't know what in the hell you're going on about, but it ends right now. Get out of here you sick freak, get out''! And the boy was gone. Luke rubbed his eyes. Had the boy really just vanished? As he wondered what had just happened, he noticed that his head didn't hurt any more. Outside the air was now enraged, thrashing about flinging rain and debris everywhere. It made Luke more even more uneasy, but he remembered the door, and he shook the feeling off. He reached once again for the knob, as the roar filled his ears. And he grasped the knob and suddenly it was deafeningly quiet. He turned and looked back outside. It was bright, very bright out, and the trees and sky were calm. The door was cool to the touch, and Luke pulled open the door, eager to see his family. Black. Charred wood. Everything, all of it, consumed. HE steeped through the crumbling doorway. The burnt skeleton of walls now surrounded all the ash and rubble that was once his home. Outside, surrounding the house were hundreds of people, just starring. Near the pipes where the sink had been, lay the dark remains of a woman clutching a child. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't swallow. Grief and sorrow were throttling him, and suddenly he let loose in heaving spasms as he ran to his family. He knelt, sobbing, over what was left of them. ``No'' he uttered The crowd erupted in a bellowing barrage of whispers ``You did this'' ``This is your fault'' ``They came for you'' ``Why did you let them die?'' ``They came for you'' ``No{\ldots}NO!'' Luke screamed, ``I couldn't stop them{\ldots}'' ``I tried to save them'', he continued. Amidst the churning crowd suddenly stood the boy again. ``I asked you not to open the door this time. I asked you to stay on the other side.'' ``I{\ldots}I tried to save them'' Luke sputtered out ``No'' reasoned the boy, ``no, you damned them. You dug too deep into our affairs; you stuck your nose in our business. It was you that did this to your wife. To your son. You are responsible.'' ``I tried{\ldots}I came home{\ldots}the flames, they were everywhere'' Luke carried on, distantly. ``There's more.'' Said the boy, ``there's more for you'' ``No, it doesn't matter now'', Luke said sitting up, looking at the boy His hollowed eyes and emotionless gaze should have terrified Luke. ``You can't do anything to me now{\ldots}just kill me. Kill me'' The boy's brows furrowed, his face twisted, pulled and broke. He smiled, and then began to laugh. ``Kill you?'' He said regaining his composure, ``Why? Why would I kill you? No. We have something much worse for you.'' And the crowd's accusing chants began to bleed through the boy's speech. They screamed now. Angry, haunting, they pierced through Luke's hands as he covered his ears. ``No, NOO!'' he screamed as he began to beat his head against the rubble. But it did nothing to lessen the shrieking crowd. He had to end it. He saw the pipe, sticking out of the foundation. Its jagged end would easily drive through his head. He stood, the cries and screams still pursuing and punishing him. He took a breath and slammed his head down. Luke awoke in a bed. He stared at the ceiling and searched his mind for his surroundings. He couldn't remember a thing. His head ached, pounded as he struggled to sit up. He was in a clean white room. There was a noise. Familiar. Welcome.