My Collection of Short Horrors

The Possessed

The Possessed

“Sarah, it happened again!” Amber exclaimed, tugging her younger sister’s arm. “Did you see it?”

With their hands pressed against the window, both girls peered out across the field at the tiny barn they used to keep their horses back when their father was alive. Now, six months later, their mother had sold all those horses. The barn remained bear now, no living thing within. The back of it was still burned from the fire that night. Their mother never had it repaired.

“I told you,” Sarah said in a hushed tone. “It is haunted. This is the third time we saw the shadow pass through the window.”

“And there is never anyone there,” Amber concluded for her, running her fingers through her long auburn hair.

The whisk silence breezed through the air, as the girl’s eyes remained fixated on the barn.

“Amber!” their mother’s stern voice pierced the silence. “You should know better. It is time for bed now.”

“Sorry, Mother,” Amber muttered. She hated how she always got blamed since she was the oldest.

“I want you to go to bed now,” Mother said, pointing her stiff finger towards the girl’s bedroom.

Amber nodded and started down the hall. Sarah trotted behind her to keep up, but then turned back to their mother.

“Can I have some milk first, Mother?” Sarah asked.

When Amber turned to see what her answer would be, she saw their mother’s finger remained pointed to their bedroom.

***

The next morning Amber woke up to find herself alone. Sarah’s blankets had already been pulled up neatly as though she were never there. Amber thought this strange since Sarah usually did not bother to tidy up after herself.

She walked out to the family room to see her mother speaking with Dr. Hartman, the town doctor. He used to be good friends with the girls’ father and would often drop by to visit after his death as comfort to their mother. Amber thought he came by much too often. It did not feel right to her for her mother to have another man around so soon after her father’s death. Amber also did not care for him. He seemed to study her as though she was his project or a mere observation. It made her quite uncomfortable. Dr. Hartman never seemed to pay any attention to Sarah at all.

Amber found Sarah sitting by the side of the barn, twirling a lily in her left hand.

“Why are you out here by yourself?” Amber asked.

Sarah barely lifted her head up. “I’m not alone. My friend is playing with me. Her name is Molly. She went behind the barn.”

Amber resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew very well there was no girl behind the barn. Sarah was too old to have imaginary friends. Dr. Hartman should be studying her.

Amber’s eyes then caught sight of a dried red stain splattered against the side of the barn.

“What is that?” Amber demanded, pointing at the stain.

Sarah’s eyes remained pointed to the ground. “Oh, I think it might be blood. There’s a dead chicken over there.” She pointed towards the back of the barn.

Amber slowly stepped in the direction her sister pointed. As her eyes caught sight of the bloodied, mangled body of the slaughter chicken, she gasped, her hand flying over her mouth.

“Sarah! What happened?” Amber demanded. “It looks like someone took a knife and slashed through it!”

“I don’t know,” Sarah mumbled, now twisting the end strands of her curls.