Have you ever noticed how harsh the world looks on a cold December night?

Kai sat there in the ally amongst all the boxes staring at his shoe laces, the tips of his fingers were numb from the cold and his hair had become a black mop because of the rain. He looked up at the Christmas decorations, the bright lights, tinsel and the fake snow.
“They won’t need that for long” he said to himself.
“Kai!” his manager called from the inside of the restaurant “Kai its dead in here, once you do the dishes you can clock off early”  
“Sure Mike!” Kai opened the red door in the ally and stepped back into the hot kitchen, normally the place would be a mess of people running every which way to get orders out, but tonight they were lighting the tree and no one wanted to come to a curry house on Christmas eve.

The dishes hadn’t taken him long - twenty minutes or so - and Kai was rounding the corner to the park where the tree was, like he’d said to Mike earlier the rain had turned to sleet and in the night Kai’s jacket did little to warm him up, his shoulders were collecting the sleet just like his hair.
The contrast between Christmas this year and last was something to really think about and this was the first time it had really hit him, Ashley was gone. She was really gone. Last year he’d gotten time of work to watch them light the tree and he’d spent the entire Christmas period with her, they had been inseparable.
Kai dropped to his knees in the slush. Cupping his head in his hands he let everything out. Memories washed over him, her face, her smile, her laugh, the way she ate and how peaceful she looked in her sleep.
   Her coffin.
He wept, he felt so tiny so useless, just like he had then.
“she only had five pounds on her Damn it!” punching the grass he screamed “you killed her for five quid” The sound of the gun rang in his ears, her muffled scream. The way her body had fallen do lifelessly.
  That one line of blood that matched her lips on her face.
Kai’s weeping had now become silent sobs, he held out his arms like he was cradling her, staring into the middle space where she was in his mind.
  “Oh God, Ashley, I’m so, so sorry” Kai curled into a ball holding that empty space praying she would be there or just walk out from behind the tree and tell him the last six mouths had been a dream. But she didn’t. she wasn’t behind the tree or in his arms, her beauty was six feet under, rotting. To the rest of the world she didn’t exist, his world had stopped why hadn’t theirs, why was he the only one crying tonight, why was he the only one in this much pain.
“Ashley”
Kai heard laughing from behind him. It sent a shiver down his spine and filled him with rage.
“you can’t see her again” he spun round “I don’t know why you think emptying your heart will change that”
No one was there.
Kai whipped the tears from his eyes and struggled up to his feet, he was now aware of just how cold it was and that the sleet had stopped.
“You really are pathetic you know that”  
The voice sounded so harsh and it spoke with such venom that Kai flinched. “oh no she’s gone” the voice was now coming from another direction “Ashley Ashley” it was a poor version of his voice “no Ashley stay with me the ambulance will be here soon, I’ll wait with you please, please don’t leave me Ash I don’t know what I’d do” a venomous laughter ripped through the night. It stabbed at him.
  “what the hell do you want!” The same laugh again, but now it sounded like it was above him.
“what do I want… I don’t want anything I’m just doing this for fun” the lights from the tree prevented Kai from seeing the owner of the voice but from the silhouette it looked like a huge bird.
“Fun?!” he couldn’t believe his ears or eyes. “how is this fun, what did I ever do to you?!” the voice chuckled.
“Nothing” the word just seemed to float there, not really registering.
Its all in your head Kai thought clasping his ears with his hands, no ones there you’ve just been working too hard or not eating enough, yeah that’s it.
“Kai” the voice sounded like Ashley’s and he looked up “that got your attention didn’t it” the voice had a certain amount of satisfaction to it “Kai, its dark here I’m scared” the voice’s laughter tormented Kai with her last words and tainted the night air.
“Enough you wretched creature! Leave me alone go back to the pit you came from!” his voice cracked, he wanted to wake up, for this meeting to end.
“if you want me to leave then make me” the voice replied. Kai took the bait, he ran towards the enormous tree and started to frantically climb.
The voice let out its mocking laughter again, Kai was half way up the tree and covered in pine needles, when he saw the shadowy black figure fly passed him, he lunged.
  “damn you” tears filled his eyes as he clasped his leg, Kai could feel the hot blood poor over his hand and on his face. The voice chuckled from the top of a lamp post, the shadowy black figure gazed down at him.
“humans really are pathetic”
Kai forced himself up and ran towards the black figure. With a flap of its black dusty wings it took off into the road “catch me if you can Kai” it took a sharp left and Kai followed, still bleeding.

He followed it straight in front of a speeding car. The crack on impact was something to behold, Kai almost flew over the windshield, spinning in the air as he hit the concrete with a horrific thump, his arms facing one way his legs facing the other.
  He could see the cloudy sky and he could hear the voices of the driver and his passengers. His head felt wet and sticky, he couldn’t feel anything from the waist down and now he was losing feeling in his arms.
“don’t worry Kai, I’ll wait with you”
Darkness gripped him, he could feel something clawing at his throat, the black silhouette loomed over him with glittering cruel eyes.
                               “I’ll wait with you”  Quoth the raven.