The Legend - Watty Awards 2012

Chapter Eighteen

Michelle stood behind a tree and watched the small crowd sobbing as the coffin was lowered into the ground. She saw Jenna standing right in front, crying her heart out. Tyler and Paul stood on either side of her. Tyler’s parents stood just behind them and Pat stood slightly away from the rest.

Six people and a priest.

                Just six people to mourn the death of Richard.

She noticed Pat turn and walk away.

Five people.

She looked at the group one last time and then turned and walked away.

                                                              *

Jenna sat under a tree in her backyard. She pulled her blanket tighter around her and took a sip of cocoa. The burning hot liquid provided no respite from the chill that she felt within her. It had been four days since the funeral. Four days since Richard had been buried deep below, never to be seen again. Four days since she had last seen her mother.

Pat had made an appearance at the funeral, quiet and disconnected. She had refused to speak with anyone and had rushed home half way through. At home, she had locked herself inside her room and hadn’t come out ever since. Jenna had tried speaking with her several times, banging at the door, only to be answered by silence. Sometimes at night when all was quiet, Jenna would hear muffled shrieks and sobs coming from the room. Every morning when she woke up, she would find food kept for her on the table. That was the only sign that she had that told her that her mom still cared and knew of her presence.

The wind rustled the leaves of the trees causing an eerie sound to break the silence around her. She looked at her watch and saw that it was half past six. The sun was beginning to set and the air seemed to be getting colder. Jenna picked herself of the ground and bent to pick up her mug when through the corner of her eye, she felt that she noticed some movement near a window.

She looked up and saw her mom staring at her through her bedroom window. She looked deathly pale and haggard. Jenna started to call out to her when flames began licking the edges of the curtain.

“Mom!” she screamed, “Get out of there!” and she began running towards the house.

Pat continued staring, oblivious to what was happening around her.

Jenna rushed to her mom’s room and began frantically banging on the door. She yelled loudly but got no response. She suddenly heard a loud thump followed by a scraping sound as if something was being dragged across the floor. Frightened, she tried opening the door once more and then ran towards the back of the house to the window. When she got there, there was no sign of any fire. The window was shut tight and the curtain firmly drawn across. She started hammering hysterically at the window and then fell down crying.

Pat sat on her bedroom floor with her back against the wall. She could hear Jenna cry and call out to her but she couldn’t do anything. That THING was controlling her again. It was as if she was seeing through her own eyes and understanding with her own mind but doing things that someone else made her do and moving to places that someone else told her to go to.

It had all begun that night in the car. She had noticed the white woman in the backseat even before Richard had. She tried screaming but instead started falling asleep. The more she tried to scream, the deeper into sleep she fell until she was no longer conscious of her surroundings. The next thing she knew, she was in her room fallen on the floor.

She immediately knew something was wrong. She could feel something inside her. Something cold seeping through her body.. Something hot burning at her throat. There were times when the THING was in complete control of her. Those times she didn’t know what was happening. There were times when it was only partially in control – like right now. Those were the worst times. She could see, feel and hear everything. She could feel the THING hurt her insides, she could see and hear the pain it caused Jenna but she was helpless. And that killed her more than anything else. And then there were times when the THING slept. That usually happened in the wee hours of the morning. At those times, Pat would sneak out and cook food for Jenna. She would then go stand near Jenna’s door and watch her sleep, too afraid to go close to her, lest the THING woke up and hurt Jenna.

Pat felt her fingers start to twitch. She looked down at her hands fearfully and saw small bubbles below her skin. The bubbles started growing bigger and started moving up her arms. She tried to scream but no sound came out. The nails of her toes started bleeding. And one by one each nail seemed to be ripped off her skin by some invisible hand. The pain was excruciating.

Suddenly, Pat felt herself being dragged across the floor right to the centre of the room. Her arms were forcefully stretched out on either side and they felt like they were being tied by ropes of fire that burned into her skin. Her legs were then jerked apart and slowly her clothes were torn off her body.

Pat was terrified. The THING seemed much stronger than usual and she had no idea what it was doing. She realised that she was stark naked. Suddenly she felt a forceful hit on her stomach that made her cough out blood. . Looking down, she saw a gaping hole in her stomach and blood started flowing out of it, trickling down both her legs.

She tried screaming again but the blood in her mouth choked her and she ended up vomiting all over herself. Pat dropped her head back and closed her eyes, hoping that she would just die. A sharp pain on her inner thighs made her gasp and jerk her head back up. She noticed two large cuts on either thigh that went deep into each leg. Another stabbing pain and two more cuts appeared above her knees.

Over the silence of the room, music started to play. Soft, gentle music like at the carnival. She then heard a child’s happy laughter in the background. Her body no longer hurt. She felt light. Pat smiled to herself thinking that she was finally dead and this was what heaven must be like. The child’s laughter became louder and louder until it sounded like a deep growl.

Frightened, Pat opened her eyes and saw the pale white woman in front of her. The woman stared at her with sunken eyes and mouth open.  The woman’s gaze swept hungrily over her body. Pat was petrified.

The woman stuck a green, long tongue out and licked her lips. She ran a sickly finger down Pat’s body and shuddered with glee.

“The more you resist me, the more I enjoy it,” she cackled, “the more I enjoy it, the more I hurt you and the more you hurt, the stronger I grow.”

Before Pat could comprehend what the woman had just said, she stuck her head into the hole in Pat’s stomach and began drinking her blood.

The pain intensified to levels that she had never felt before. She felt the woman’s tongue running all over her body, digging deeper into every cut. It made Pat feel sick and she threw up all over herself once again.

The woman just laughed louder and drank with more fervour. Finally, she seemed to have her fill. She stopped, looked Pat straight in the and then just disappeared.

Her arms and legs no longer felt bound. Slowly Pat tried to get up and her body screamed with pain. Crying, she dragged herself towards the wall and forced her hand into the hole in her stomach.

She pulled out a blood soaked fist and started writing on the wall.

H

E

L

........

And she dropped down still onto the floor.

A/N: Horribly exhausting day. Writing this chapter was a perfect stress buster for me! Hope you guys enjoy it! Don't forget to comment and Vote! Vote! VOTEE!!!!