As thunder rumbled through the gusty gale, a ghastly apparition briefly caught my eye. Instantly, a haunted haze of fear surrounded me. Squinting through the darkness, I took a nervous breath. Terror was gripping my whole being and perspiration was dripping off my forehead. When I recognized the figure, however, a prickling sensation of trepidation shivered down my spine. It couldn’t be real; my eyes were deceiving me. It was most definitely a hallucination. It had to be.

Suddenly, memories began to haunt me as flashbacks invaded my mind.

I awoke amidst a pool of blood; flabbergasted, I followed the red, ghastly trail to the main corridor of the yacht. However, little did I know it’d lead to my wife’s body. My precious wife, Aliya, was stabbed. As she gasped for breath futilely, the universe turned into a mighty stranger. I was losing everything. My heart was empty, and nothing could fill the void. Life- a black hole with no escape. I denied myself the right to live without her; what was the reason for my existence? Falling, I couldn’t find that one string of hope to hold onto, the one ray of light to awaken hope in me again. It wasn't long before I blacked out.

Suddenly, I woke to her being dragged by sinewy men. Unstable, I attempted to move. It took every ounce of strength in me to reach her- until I was shot. The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed and my memory was a net full of holes. I couldn't come to terms with what had happened; everything from there was a downward spiral.

An unforeseen but pleasant sound pulled me out of the flashback I had buried myself in. The melody of her voice made me burst into tears. It was as if a knife had cut through my stomach, and the wound bled incessantly. Not only had I lost my wife, I’d lost a part of myself too.

Suddenly, the apparition -her apparition- came closer. Mesmerized, I reached for her, longing for the warmth of her hands. However, I pulled back immediately. I wasn’t going to let the hallucinations get the better of me; they were merely making it harder to let go.

Soon, her figure came even closer and spoke again. “Everything will be alright,” she’d said. And this time she’d reached out for me, patting my back.

In that moment of meaningless calm, one question continually invaded my mind: was I hallucinating, or was my dead wife really alive?