The Strange Case of the Jackson Building

Chapter 26 - Solitude

Chapter Twenty-Six

Solitude

After her conversation with Harry, Petra was quick to return home. She couldn't stand being in that place anymore. She locked herself in her room, though perfectly aware that it wasn't safe. Her bag had disappeared, but she barely cared for it anymore, and Natasha was nowhere to be found.

Petra paced back and forth, her mind about to explode. She was crying frantically and unable to stop it. Images of blood and corpses were mercilessly running through her mind, feeding her pain and panic.

The worst part was her certainty of doom. The weight of her solitude. The notion that she was either crazy or in mortal danger.

For the first time ever, Petra wished, with every cell in her body, that she was completely insane and this was all a horrible, psychotic break. She prayed she was mentally ill. At least that would mean Kyle and Eli weren't dead.

She felt so alone, so fragile and weak and her sobs made it impossible for her to breathe normally. Harry's words still stung, engraved in her soul, filling her with unbearable fear.

Petra didn't want to die, she didn't want to suffer. It was agony, imagining the pain she would endure, her body being torn apart limb by limb, being eaten alive.

No one should ever be faced with their own death, especially one as violent and gory as the one expecting her. And she was alone. No one was there to help her, to come to her rescue, to hear her scream or simply comfort her, hold her before the end.

No, Petra had no one. She only had herself.

Maybe Harry had a point. Maybe she should kill herself. It would be easier, it would be her choice, her terms. And it would definitely be less painful. It could even be peaceful. And then it would all be over, no more pain, no more fear, no more doubts. She could finally sleep... forever. No more dreams, no more nightmares.

The easy way out.

Her heart broke, thinking of her parents. She wasn't sure it would be easier on them. Yes, they would have closure, if the creature spared her body that is, but wouldn't she be hurting them a lot more if they thought she'd taken her own life? Wouldn't that be the ultimate betrayal?

Suicide would be easier, but it wouldn't be right.

She wasn't a coward. She wasn't weak. And that thing, that building, that curse, they wouldn't turn her into one. They wouldn't win. She wasn't going to give up that easily.

She would fight. She would face the monster, give it her all. And even if she lost, she'd go down fighting back. And she was determined to make it as difficult as possible.

In anyway, her first priority would be to escape before anything else happened. Petra focused on running away and went to the door. She opened it and tried to light up the dark hall. Nothing happened. Immediately after realizing the light switch had randomly decided to malfunction out of the blue, Petra knew it was beginning.

In the distance, she could hear it. The most threatening sound in the world.

Footsteps.

Those footsteps.

Petra could feel them coming out of the attic. It was coming. Coming for her.

Part of her trembled in fear. Her heart raced, adrenaline pumping furiously through her veins. Another part of her felt more alive than ever, ready to fight, ready to survive, determined to give it her all.

"It's coming."

Petra turned around at the sound of Natasha's voice. She was standing at their doorway, an expression of doom in her face.

"Run!" she whispered, before closing the door on Petra's face.

She didn't need to be told twice. Petra ran to the closest elevator, opened its door and froze when she saw Mr. Creepy inside. He looked at her with the same dead, bored face he had the first and only time they met.

"You are making a mistake," he told her, just like he had before.

"Fuck that," she whispered, closing the door and heading for the stairs.

Petra ran down the five floors, the haunting footsteps always behind her, calm and murderous as always. She managed to arrive at the ground floor and ran towards the entrance door.

If she managed to get outside she'd be safe, she'd be free. She would win.

When she tried to open the door though, she found it locked. She tried again and again, failing each and every time.

And then it hit her. She was trapped, like a defenseless animal, just waiting for slaughter.

How was she going to get away? How was she going to survive? The floor beneath her was escaping. At the sound of the footsteps getting closer and louder her blood froze, she was livid. Petra pushed and kicked but the door wouldn't budge.

On the other side of the door, Naima watched her despair and horror with twisted pleasure. She grinned and that's when Petra lost it. She unleashed all her anger and hate on the door, trying to get to the sadistic woman. She punched and kicked the glass until her body was sore, she screamed and cried but there was no one to listen - it was night, the streets were empty, the only witness to her ordeal was the evil witch.

Finally, realizing it was futile and a waste of precious time and energy, Petra gave up. It was clear the door was meant to keep her inside.

Her hands flew to her head, her breathing out of control, as she turned around to think of a solution. There was no way she would lose so close to the exit, she wouldn't give Naima the pleasure of watching her die.

The footsteps were getting closer, the sound developing her terror and preventing her from thinking clearly. Her thoughts were in a whirlwind.

What could she do? She was out of options. Where could she run?

She couldn't, Petra realized, there was nowhere to run. She could only hide.

Panicked, she ran towards the only door available, the maintenance one, and thanked the Heavens that it wasn't locked. She closed the door behind her and waited in the darkness.

In her heart, she knew it was in vain. It would find her. Petra cried and sobbed as quietly as she could, the sound of footsteps closer and closer.

And then, she felt it, a presence.

She wasn't alone. Someone else was in there.