Survive the Night

8

"Positive. I'd remember."

"Well..."

There was a silence, and Bleak was still grinning.

"Well," she started anxiously. "Do you love me back?"

He held her tighter. "I haven't thought about it lately."

She frowned. "You haven't thought about it?"

"That's not what I mean, I mean with everything--"

As Wendy turned away from Bleak, the door burst open. They saw Victoria move to the fence, vibrating in fear, her eyes pale marbles of terror.

"What happened?" Wendy said, unhooking Bleak's arms from her waist.

Victoria seemed hesitant about answering. Should she tell anyone? And if so, should she wait to tell Ashley first? No, she decided, Ashley may be in danger already. And she wasn't going to let her die needlessly like Emily had. Like Icarus probably had.

She tried not to cry as she spoke. "I think Abner is here," she said. "With us."

***

Ashley sat, because she couldn't stand, while Victoria told her and the others what she'd heard. The others were gathered around the sitting room in silence while she spoke.

"I did hear some noise from my room," Winston said.

"But," Ashley stammered. "I don't remember any of it."

"Wouldn't make a difference," Geo said. "Those things can happen. And if you're asleep when it does, you wouldn't feel a thing. I mean, it's like sleep-talking, except..."

"You're saying I was possessed by a demon?" Ashley touched her forehead.

"We didn't say that," Victoria said.

"But that's what you mean," Ashley finished, her voice a ripping fabric.

"What Vicky's saying is that we should be extra careful," Kevin's deep voice loomed over the rest.

"Careful, how?"

"We'll keep a closer watch on Ashley at night. See if she acts up again."

Ashley looked down, mouth agape, tears welling up in her eyes.

Sasha spoke up. "But who's to say this...possession can only happen to Ash? We're all in danger."

"She's right," Mike said.

"Well then," Victoria stood. "We'll all be extra careful. Maybe we can sleep in shifts."

Kevin rolled his eyes--more for rebellious effect, because deep down he knew that she'd made the right call. They discussed what exactly was happening in the house. They knew about Abner Ashmore and his brother, about the girl he was driven to murder for. But other than what they'd heard through the grapevine, they had no other leads. Who knew if any of that stuff was even true? Why, for instance, were all the adults so afraid of even mentioning Abner Ashmore? Did they know something that the younger kids didn't? Victoria wondered if the house itself had hidden within it some sort of clue. It had to. She'd found that white dress earlier, so there must be other items that were left behind. Something that could help them solve this mystery.

Victoria left the room and went back upstairs. Ashley offered to accompany her, but Victoria declined. It had nothing to do with being afraid of her, she convinced herself. She just needed to do this alone. But she knew she was lying to herself. She was afraid of Ashley now. Afraid of her own best friend. Now when she looked at her, she could only see that horrible grin and the swelled-shut eyes. The malignant voice and the rolling head, veins bulging at her neck's side.