The Dark Place (#FrightFest2016 Gold Winner)

The Dark Place - Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Eight

1

Cass could see the house, one of the larger ones on the far side of town. A detached, old grey brick, Victorian building. At one of the downstairs windows she could see the girl she had heard the others call Wendy draw the thick, green curtains across the large, sash windows, allowing no light to bleed through from the room behind them. Upstairs a light glowed from one of the windows.

"I know that you're back, don't think for a second that I can't feel you inside here!" Annie's voice was calm and cold.

Cass felt a mist blur her vision and within seconds she was pulled back into the darkness.

What are you doing here, what do you want with that girl?

"I think that you already know the answer to those questions, don't you?"

I won't allow you to hurt her.

"Don't be so silly there is nothing that you can do to stop me."

There is, I'll find a way! The wave of nausea hit Cass like a thump to the stomach as she was pulled faster and faster into the murky depths.

"You should never have come back, you have no place here!" There was a hint of laughter in Annie's voice. "You can't help that girl and you can't help Tamicka. She is as good as mine now."

Cass tried to fight against the pull of the darkness but it was useless. The more she fought against it was the quicker she was sucked in. Then she felt it, a surge of light came from somewhere behind her - light so bright that it was almost blinding. It only lasted a moment, the briefest millisecond, but in that instant she noticed a change in Annie's consciousness. It was like she was frightened.

Tamicka's getting stronger and you know it!

"No she isn't!" The irritation in Annie's voice was clear to Cass. "It's almost over now anyway, as soon as the last one has gone this body will be mine. No one... nothing can stop me now."

2

Tamicka could feel Cass close by but she could also feel the other one, the bad one. Cass was trying hard but she was no match the bad one. It had taken all of Tamicka's will to bring her to the point she had reached. Fear and exhaustion made her want to stop but she knew that she had to keep going. If she could reach Cass and help her before the bad one forced her out again there was still a chance she could regain control of her body.

Cass was getting weaker. Tamicka knew that she didn't have long.

3

Annie knew that Cass was right, the girl was getting stronger by the second. She would not give up this body without a fight and Annie was not sure that she would be able to subdue her next time.

"I have not come all this way just to have you mess things up for me at the last moment. I have waited so long for this and, one way or the other, my wait ends tonight."

Not if I have anything to do with it.

The woman was stronger than she had been last time but still not quite strong enough.

"How long do you think your body will last with you here?"

Long enough! came the answer.

"Yes, but how long is long enough? Twenty, maybe thirty minutes and who knows how long you have been here already?"

Annie knew that she had hit on something. Cass was confused. Now Annie had her. It was only a matter of time before Cass' body would give up if she didn't get back to it. In that place hours could pass in minutes. It was only a matter of time.

4

It was true. Cass had no idea how long her body could hold out if she was out of it for too long. She had even less idea how long she had been there already. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She did not want to leave, not with Tamicka so close now, but she had no choice - she had to get back.

5

Just as Tamicka reached the dim light she stopped. Cass had gone and she was alone again with the bad one again.

"Don't skulk about in the shadows." The girl's voice was not far away from her now. "I'm going to give you a chance to watch the girl who troubled you earlier suffer."

Author's Note

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