The Dark Place (#FrightFest2016 Gold Winner)

The Dark Place - Chapter Eighteen.

Chapter Eighteen

1

Tamicka wanted to sleep but she couldn't, not while the strange woman's words still rang loud in her ears. Don't trust her Tamicka. Don't listen to the lies she tells. How had she known her name? And those words; weren't they the same words she had heard in her nightmare that first night in Munford house?

A thunderbolt lit up the room and when the roll of thunder came she felt its power shake her form inside. Her father was downstairs in the study working on his book. How she wished that he had stayed with her until she fell asleep, the way he used to when she had been very young. All she'd had to do was ask and she knew that he wouldn't have refused her, but she hadn't. If only he was there with her now, to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be all right.

"But he isn't, is he?" The hissed echo of a voice came from all around her. "Oh well, not to worry. At least you still have me."

Suddenly it all came back to her. She was there with her again. The nightmare child had returned. The smell of rotting cloth and damp earth filled the air around her, making her dizzy with its heady odour.

"What do you want from me?" Tamicka forced the words out from her parched throat, which had become more painful as the girl's presence grew stronger.

"Don't be silly, you know what I want."

The room grew colder until even Tamicka's thick quilt seemed to give her no protection. She tied to think, to focus her mind on what was happening. It was just another dream. It had to be. It was hard to concentrate. Her head spun and her vision – limited as it was in the darkness – was blurred. Her stomach churned and she felt nauseas as she breathed in more rotten air.

Please, just leave me alone. She tried to say the words but they would not leave her.

It didn't matter; the girl seemed to hear her thoughts. "You said that you would help me, you promised." There was fear in the voice. "You can't go back on your word now."

Tamicka moved her head in the direction of the two large windows at the far end of the room. At first she couldn't see anything but then she noticed that the shadows in the room started to spread out making it darker until every bit of dim light was extinguished.

I'm frightened.

"But what do you have to be frightened of, not me surly?" The direction of the voice became clearer now.

Why won't you let me speak?

"But you can speak; I'm not the one who's stopping you. I'm not doing anything to you; I'm just here."

Why won't you show yourself?

"I'm here," said the voice, "you just don't want to see me."

Please don't make me go back to that place again.

"There won't be any need for me to do that now, will there?"

Tamicka felt something at the end of the bed by her feet. There was no weight to it but there was a definite presence, as if someone was sitting there. Cold and fear caused a chill to pass through her.

No, she answered in her head, but I still don't know what you want me to do.

"I need you Tamicka."

Yes, but what must I do?

"I need to be you..."

What?

"I need to become you; to get inside you."

No! Tamicka felt a fresh wave of fear rush through her as realisation dawned on her. The girl wanted to control her; to take over her body.

"Please Tamicka, you must, you promised." The voice pleaded.

No!

"But it will only be for a little while."

No!

"No more than a few hours, if that."

But what will happen to me? Where will I go, what will I do?

"We will both be inside you silly." The voice didn't sound mean. It was calm and friendly. "I just want to see things again; to hear and touch and smell. I want to be alive again, just for a little while, can you understand?"

But I'm too frightened.

"Of course you are. I would be too if our roles were reversed." The voice answered. "I promise that I won't harm you. You won't even know that I'm there if that's what you want."

But what if you like being me so much that you don't want to leave? What will I do then?

"I don't want you to worry about that, because it won't happen." Said the calm voice.

But how do you know?

"You'll just have to trust me. I'll keep my word."

I don't know that I can trust you. I don't even know if any of this is real.

"I thought that we were friends." The voice became more menacing now. "I trusted you, didn't I?"

What do you mean?

"I said that I could give you your daddy back and in return you promised me that you would help me, remember?"

I remember, but...

"Would you prefer that he went back to the way he was before? I can make that happen too and you know it's true."

"No!" shouted Tamicka. The word felt like needles stabbing into her windpipe. She coughed uncontrollably, making it even worse.

"Well then you know what you have to do, don't you?"

But I can't. Tears welled up in Tamicka's eyes.

"Can't?" The voice was angry. "You mean you won't!"

An unseen force pushed down on Tamicka. Her arms were held down by her sides by frozen, invisible hands and as she breathed out the mist of her breath formed into the girl's face again. Tamicka tried to look away from menacing face but she couldn't.

"After all that I've done for you, you owe it to me."

But you can't make me do it. You can't force me.

"Oh can't I? Shall we put that to the test?"

Tamicka found it hard to breathe. The stench of rot was more than she could take and she could feel the bile moving up from her stomach.

Please, just leave me alone, she begged.

"Leave you alone? Is that what you really want?"

Yes!

"Are you sure?"

Yes!

"All right, if that's the way you want it..."

Without another word the vision evaporated along with odour. Tamicka felt the pressure release her and she was alone again, but now she knew for sure that it had been no dream; the girl was very real.

Author's Note

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