Mindf**k by Fanie Viljoen

covered in blood.
    What would Kerbs have done with Sky’s body?
    â€˜Where are you going?’ my mom asked when I stepped out the front door.
    â€˜To town,’ I said. ‘I’m taking the bus.’
    She continued talking but I wasn’t listening. It couldn’t be important anyway. And if it was, I just didn’t care.
    The security gate slid open. I quickly stepped through.
    â€˜I was wondering when you would come,’ someone said behind me.
    It was Sky.

TRACK 28
How do you tell someone that he is supposed to be dead?
    My heart missed a beat. My whole body turned cold. I stood there unmoving, saying nothing. Feeling dead inside.
    ‘You look as if you’ve seen a ghost,’ said Sky. His voice sounded different. Normally he would laugh, but his face was solemn, expressionless. This frightened me even more.
    He approached. I stepped back.
    ‘But you …’ The words vanished on my tongue. How do you tell someone that he is supposed to be dead? ‘What are you doing here, Sky?’
    Again he approached, again I stepped back, blinking my eyes. Perhaps he’d disappear. I tried thinking clearly. Tried figuring out what the hell was going on.
    But Sky still remained in front of me. The living dead, or something like that.
    ‘Has Kerbs been here yet?’ asked Sky.
    I nodded. ‘What are you doing here?’ I repeated.
    ‘What did Kerbs say, Burns?’
    I swallowed heavily. ‘He said that you were dead …’
    ‘Dead?’ The old Sky would have smiled if I’d told him that. But not now. His expression stayed fixed like a TV newsreader’s.
    ‘Does it look like I’m dead?’
    Fuck, yeah, I thought. Or perhaps not, I couldn’t really tell. I didn’t answer.
    ‘I’m not dead, Burns.’
    ‘Kerbs said he killed you because you wanted to run to the pigs. Wanted to tell them …’
    ‘He told you a bunch of crap. You know him by now, don’t you Burns?’
    I still didn’t know if I could believe him. He just looked so weird.
    ‘Come take my hand, then you’ll know.’
    He held his hand out to me. I expected blood to come trickling down his sleeve any second, flesh falling away in his hand, leaving the bones exposed. Yellow white.
    But that didn’t happen.
    I carefully reached out my hand. My heart started beating faster. Faster.
    I touched him …
    And my hand went right through his!
    ‘Fuck!’ I screamed and almost crashed to the floor.
    ‘And now?’ asked Sky. ‘Why are you scared? This isn’t anything new for you, is it?’
    ‘Are you shitting me? Who are you?’
    ‘Sky. You know that.’
    ‘No.’
    ‘Come on, Burns, we’re buddies.’
    ‘No.’ I tried catching my breath. My eyes were glued to Sky. ‘What do you want?’
    ‘I came to warn you,’ said Sky. ‘One last time.’
    ‘Warn? Against what? Do you still have those damn visions even though you’re dead?’
    ‘All the time, Burns. It’s like a bad rash that won’t go away.’
    ‘Then what is it? Tell me so you can fuck off.’
    ‘He’s going to kill you.’
    ‘Who? Kerbs?’
    Sky nodded.
    I stared at him. I didn’t know if I should believe him.
    ‘He’s afraid that you’re gonna tell. You already went back to Aldam. He didn’t like that. The warning lights in his head already went off, Burns. He’s got a plan for you. He knows how he’s going to do it, where he’s going to do it. Maybe he’ll chop you up into little pieces. Maybe he’ll feed you to the dogs, bit by bit.”
    ‘No, shut up, I don’t want to know. Shit, why are you telling me all this? It’s crap and you know it.’
    ‘Have I ever been wrong, Burns?’
    I kept quiet.
    ‘You’ve got to get away, Burns. Far away. And you can’t come back. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. Kerbs will find out and he’ll come for you and he will kill you. Even if you try hiding in the darkest alley in Hillbrow, he’ll find you.’
    I felt numb with despair. ‘Where should I go?’ My voice sounded weird to myself.
    ‘Anywhere. But you have