The Haunting

Sixteen

My breath got caught in my throat as Judy sprinted towards me and wrapped her hands around my neck.

As she lifted me up dramatically slowly, I began kicking my legs, attempting to free myself. I could see Alex as he was running up the basement's staircase, but then the door shut itself before he could come out. All the doors simultaneously shut themselves, therefore generating a loud thud. One door was left open, and it was the door Judy came out of.

"I will kill you, Quinn."

Judy's grip on my neck tightened and I could feel myself slowly being suffocated. I used up all the strength in my body to battle against Judy, but it was completely useless and ineffective. My rapid heartbeats began to slow down, and my vision commenced to become blurry. I could barely see what was happening, but I knew that someone has came out of the pitch-black room.

"Put her down!"

April's fierce voice rang throughout the half-empty house, causing Judy to let out an ear-splitting shriek. Her grip loosened, then she completely let go of me. I fell to the ground, subconscious, gasping for air. My throat felt stuffy, and whenever I inhaled, it felt like the air wasn't getting in. Clearing my cloudy vision my blinking, I could finally see what was happening, which made my eyes grow wider.

April was holding a corpse's head.

"Is this what you wanted?"

Judy began screaming hysterically as her body slowly rose in the air. Her voice was so unspeakable; so deep, ghostly, and sinister. Her arm started to twist itself, and I was terrified that it would break. I instinctively got up and galloped towards Judy, tears streaming endlessly down my face. I endeavored to hold her arm but I was pushed back to the wall. Judy's hysterical shrieking stopped suddenly and she was dropped to the floor, completely motionless. All the doors were re-opened simultaneously. I crawled to her, sobbing quietly.

"Judy, Judy please," I whispered with my voice quivering terribly that my words were almost incomprehensible. I lifted her chin to look at her pale face. Her skin has turned into a pale yellowish color and her lips were becoming blue. I feared that she was dead, but when I saw her chest heaving up and down slowly, I relaxed. More tears eluded from my eyes as I hugged Judy's stiff body. I wanted nothing but my sister to come back. I miss the moments we used to joke and laugh and tease each other oftentimes. It is all gone.

"Quinn, we need to talk," April said as she approached me. Mom and dad ran to Judy and began checking her, as Lisa and Doris stood still, utterly flabbergasted.

***

As me and April got seated in the living room, I nodded, urging her to start talking.

"Laura was your sister," April started, as simple as possible. She sighed and then continued. "She had a personality disorder, which made her have multiple personalities. She was Laura, but considered herself Vicky. Vicky was her old best friend that died, and after her death, Laura couldn't let go of her, making her fall into an incurable depressed state. She considered herself Vicky, and lived as two characters; Vicky and Laura. She ran away and never came back, that's why you wouldn't remember her precisely. She was being bullied in school because the students noticed her making deep conversations with herself. She hated everyone, so that was why she isolated herself in an apartment. I don't know why I killed her, and I can't remember. But I'm pretty sure that I killed her for no logical reason, and that's why she's seeking revenge until this day."

My jaw dropped as I gazed at April's disheartened face. Guilt was written all over her face and her eyes were watery. Remorse and guilt stabbed me in the heart as I realized that I assisted in murdering my own sister. I stared at my feet as I began to tap them nervously.

"But, there's more," April said, making me lift my head to glance at her in curiosity and interest. Her eyes were wide as she scanned her surroundings cautiously.

"This house... Is the house we murdered her in."