Even Dead Roses Have Thorns

Rose was dead. To say she was dead furious about the matter was an understatement. Attending her own funeral felt weird, though no one could see her of course, being a spirit.

It broke her heart to see the distress written on the faces of her family. Rose’s fiancé, Jack, stood alone, staring miserably towards the church where they’d planned to be married, until her former friend, Charlotte, approached. Rose’s anger boiled to see Charlotte fawning over Jack. Had she done this because she wanted Jack for herself?

In retrospect, she should have seen the warning signs, but one doesn’t expect your best friend to murder you.

The bones in the soup Charlotte made – Charlotte forgetting Rose’s allergy to peanuts – the handbrake that failed – and many other suspicious incidents. Eventually, Charlotte had gotten desperate and pushed Rose onto the train tracks. Rose knew it was Charlotte, seeing her face inside the black hoodie moments before death struck.

Rose kicked at a bed of dog roses, startling the bees who took flight, buzzing angrily. She stopped, thinking. Charlotte had an extreme allergy to bee stings and she rarely remembered her EpiPen. Could she do it? Should she? The idea of Charlotte taking over the life she should have had with Jack burned. She’d been far too nice in life; it was time to show her thorns.

Without further thought, Rose spun through the cemetery, hitting the dog roses, kicking through beds of pansies and peonies, driving the bees into a frenzy. As she reached her freshly-dug grave, she noticed her attendees backing away from the approaching swarm of angry bees but Charlotte froze in place, flapping her hands about. She shrieked, swatting at one as it stung her arm, then another on her neck, both of which came up in great welts. Charlotte gasped as her throat constricted, reacting to the bee toxins. Gulping for air, she staggered, toppling forward into the grave. Rose watched dispassionately as Charlotte writhed, then stilled. By the time they pulled her out, she was dead.

Rose felt no remorse as she turned and walked away.