Secrets

07| Escape

"Jade," Ruth squeaks. "You're h-hurting...me."

She gasps for breath as she fights against Jade's strong hands wrapped around her neck.

"Jade, please. Snap out of it!" she manages to croak.

"I know your secrets."

Ruth's blood runs cold at this moment. Not only because of Jade's words, but the strange voice that she said them with. She did see Jade's mouth forming the words, but that voice did not belong to her best friend despite coming from her throat. It sounded like an older woman.

"What...do y-you mean?" Ruth manages to say while pulling at Jade's arms.

Jade leans even closer to her and whispers with that strange voice, "I've been with you for so long. I've seen everything. I know all of your secrets."

As Jade's hold tightens around her neck, Ruth feels dizzy and her lungs start to hurt from the lack of oxygen. She squeezes her eyes shut not wanting to look into those eyes any longer.

And suddenly, Jade's hands leave her throat and she drops to the floor gasping for air.

"What the f- Ruth? What the fuck is happening?!" Jade shrieks, and kneels down in front of her. "Are you okay?"

Ruth touches her neck and Jade's eyes follow. "Oh my God!" Jade whispers. "What is that red mark? I-I strangled you, didn't I? Why did I do that?!"

"I don't know." Ruth shakes her head, starting to cry once again. "I woke up and you were acting so weird...you were turning the light off and on again and again-"

"Oh God." Jade breathes out. "The last thing I remember is sleeping next to you. And then I'm suddenly strangling you, oh God!"

"Jade," Ruth says wiping her tears away. "This means whatever's been happening in this house was not in my head. It's not the split personality thing or sleep paralysis or any other logical excuse we can come up with. The mirror, the shadows...it was all real."

Jade nods. "Whatever that was, must be the same thing that controlled Owen too...and made you kill Ori, and write those words on the door. We're not staying here a second longer. Let's go!"

"Where?" Ruth asks as Jade pulls her up from the floor.

"We're going to my house, get changed."

"At 2:00 in the morning? Won't your parents be mad?" Ruth asks as Jade quickly changes into her own clothes.

"They prefer that over me staying out all night anyway," Jade mutters looking for her shoes. "Why aren't you dressed yet?!"

"But how will we get there? Can we call a cab at this hour-"

"Ruth!" Jade yells at her. "Are you fucking crazy? Do you wanna stay here after what happened? I will walk all the way to my house if I have to! But if you don't move now I swear to God I'll leave you here."

Ruth nods and quickly grabs a pair of jeans and a hoodie from her closet before changing into it. They grab their phones and run out of there without wasting a second.

"You're never coming back here again, you hear me?" Jade says as they walk out of the old building and step on to the street.

"Wasn't planning on it," Ruth mutters and the sound of lightning makes them both jump.

"Shit, it's gonna rain." Jade starts to walk faster.

A few cars are speeding past them but they make no move to stop one. Who can they trust at this hour?

Ruth wraps her hands around herself as the rain beats down on them without mercy.

About thirty minutes later, they arrive at Jade's house soaking wet from head to toe. After banging on the door for ten long minutes, nothing happens except for the light switching on inside the house.

"They're probably freaking out," Jade says pulling her phone out and calling her mom. After explaining to her that she's the one banging on their door at this hour, her mom hangs up and her dad quickly swings the door open.

"What in the world is going on?" he questions Jade with a frown, and her mom comes from behind him.

"Girls!" She gasps at the sight in front of her. "What happened to you?"

"Let us in first." Jade grabs Ruth's hand and pulls her inside, passing by her parents to get to the stairs.

"Explain!" Her mom yells at them, and Jade turns around in annoyance.

"Mom, for the love of God just let us catch our breathes first."

"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. I wasn't feeling well and I asked her to spend the night with me and then-" Ruth shuts up as she feels Jade's hand squeezing hers.

They haven't come up with an excuse on the way here, and telling the truth isn't a good idea now that she thinks about it.

"We'll explain everything tomorrow. We're both okay and that's what matters right? Sorry we disturbed you but Ruth's really tired and she's not feeling well so let's all go to sleep now." Jade pulls Ruth's hand and they hurriedly make their way upstairs.

They shut Jade's bedroom door behind them and change into dry clothes before collapsing onto the bed. "I still can't believe this happened to us," Jade mutters as they stare up at the ceiling.

"Me neither," Ruth says running a hand through her damp hair. "It all feels like a long...scary nightmare."

They lie down in silence for a few moments before Ruth speaks up.

"Are you gonna tell your parents the truth?"

"Will they believe us?" Jade snorts which quickly turns into a dry laugh. "Will anyone believe us?"

They both know the answer to that. Every one will think they're crazy just like they themselves first thought Ruth has gone mad.

"You still haven't told me what happened in detail," Jade says turning her head to look at her. "Did I just...start strangling you all of the sudden?"

Ruth gulps as she recalls the memory. "Yeah, you switched off the lamp so I went to the door to turn on the main light. And when I turned around you were standing right behind me."

"Jeez, I can't imagine how scared you were...I was pretty shaken up too finding myself in that situation."

"But wait, there's something I forgot to tell you." Ruth sits up as she suddenly remembers those words. "You said- you said some pretty weird things too."

"I did?" Jade sits up too and frowns. "What did I say?"

"Something like...'I've been with you for a long time and I know your secrets...' Also, your voice was so different and your face looked so creepy too..."

"Woah," Jade's frown deepens at Ruth's explanation. "That's what was written on the bathroom door too, right? 'I know your secrets.' What does it mean by that?"

"It?"

"What else shall I call it then? It's some kind of...spirit isn't it?"

"I don't know..." Ruth sighs and falls back onto the bed. "I've never believed in that kinda stuff."

"Me neither," Jade says. "But I don't think we have a choice anymore after experiencing it first hand."

***

As Ruth opens her eyes in the morning, the first thing that she sees is her alarm clock. 8:30 AM. As last night's events replay in her mind, she gasps and sits up, looking at her surroundings in shock and confusion.

What the hell?

She's back in her apartment and she doesn't even remember how.