That night, I was surprised we were allowed to sleep. I was told we needed to be rested for tomorrow, so I was afraid exactly what we would be doing. Whatever it was, I was ninety-nine point nine percent sure I'd rather die than do it.
Once I was pretty sure Kylie and I would be left alone, and she promised she wouldn't freak out and run or anything, I took the tape off her mouth, then her hands and legs, which I knew hurt her, since it felt like it was taking some skin, too. I also knew I'd pay for it later, since I was told not to touch it.
"What's going on?" she whispered, rubbing her lips, which were a bit swollen.
We were both huddled in Nick's bed, hoping we'd be left alone long enough to figure out some sort of plan. "Listen... I can't explain everything," I told her, "so just trust what I'm about to say, okay?"
She nodded her head. "I'll try."
"Nick isn't Nick. That's not him. There's this... this...." I wasn't sure how to explain without making the situation seem even more crazy than it was. "Remember when we investigated that asylum?" She nodded again. "Well, there was something... something dark there. It followed us home, but focused on me. That's why so much stuff has happened since then."
Her eyes got wide. "The knife thing?"
I was thankful she was catching on faster than I thought she would. "Yes, that was it, not me. I'd never cut myself or threaten you or Mom." A noise in the kitchen prompted me to hurry the story up. "Anyway, it can... take over. It possessed me and now it's got Nick."
There were tears in her eyes. "You weren't crazy."
"No, I wasn't."
"I'm sorry, I—"
I cut off her apology. "We don't have time for that now. Right now, we've got to figure out a way to get you out of here."
"Me? What about you?"
"I can't leave. I'm the only person who knows about all this. Well, except for maybe Erik, but he's... anyway, I need to figure out how to stop this once and for all."
"But you can't—"
"You said you would trust me," I interjected. "I need you to trust me." She nodded. "Okay, listen. I don't want to go to the police unless it's a last resort because they won't understand. They'll see Nick as the murderer and—"
"Murderer?"
"Shh, just listen. That thing has already forced Nick to do something really bad, so if we go to the police, Nick, who is innocent, will go to jail."
"Who cares? We've got to get out of here."
I could see her point, but I didn't agree. Not just yet. "He's my friend, Kylie. I can't do that to him. Just let me try."
"Try what? It looks like he's got the upper hand right now."
"Not he... it. It's not Nick in there," I reminded her.
"Whatever, Amber. What do you want me to do?"
I debated on my plan, wondering if it would really work. At this point, we had no other choice, and at least that way, if it did, Kylie would be safe. And hopefully my family, who I prayed would understand, would be safe, too.
I quickly told her what to do as she stretched out her arms and legs, which still must've been hurting from being taped up. "There's no way I can—"
"Yes, Kylie, you can." I grabbed her hand. "I know you can do this."
She looked doubtful, but nodded, anyway. "Okay."
"But remember what I said; no police involved unless it's absolutely necessary. Please. Nick's still in there somewhere."
"Okay." She sat up, slowly scooting off the bed. "Let's do this." I started to get up, but she stopped me. "Just please... be careful."
She hugged me, and I thought back to the last time we'd hugged each other. Either it had been a really long time, or I'd just forgotten. As she squeezed me tighter, and I squeezed her back, I knew I'd never let time come between us again... or forget.
"I will be. And you be careful, too," I whispered, hoping it wouldn't be the last words I ever spoke to her. In case it was, I made sure to add, "I love you."
"I love you, too, Amber."
I was afraid she'd start crying, so I hurried and walked out. I hadn't felt nervous about my plan until now, as I headed toward the kitchen. It was like I could feel the evil energy before I even walked in.
"Why are you up?" The words were asked before I entered the room, and when I did, it didn't bother to look up at me.
"I couldn't sleep." I sat down in a chair across the table from it. "It's kind of hard to sleep when your sister is lying beside you, taped up, barely able to breathe."
It smiled as it finally looked up at me. "I could tape you both up."
"Anyway," I replied, ignoring the comment, hoping I sounded calmer than I felt. "What are you gonna have me do tomorrow?"
"I think it'd be best if you didn't know."
"Why?"
It leaned forward so fast that it scooted the table and scared me, making me lose my composure and jump back. "Because you are in no position to be asking me questions. Got it?" I nodded. "Go back to bed or there won't be a reason to tape up your sister; she'll be dead."
"Why is she even here?"
"It's called leverage. I don't need her, but I know you do, so if you don't do as I say, I'll kill her. No," it smiled wickedly, "I'll make you do it. Now go so I can think."
I assumed I had distracted it long enough, so I did as I was told and went back to bed... alone. I felt relieved, knowing Kylie had made it out the window undetected, so at least she was safe. The hard part was now, from here on out. If it came to check on us and realized she was gone, that would be it. It might not want to kill me, since it wanted to use my body later, but I knew it wouldn't hesitate to kill my family. I'd fight the devil, literally, before I'd let that happen... especially if it tried to make me watch.
I pushed the thought out of my head as I laid in bed listening... waiting. Time seemed to go by so slow, yet way too fast, all at the same time.
After what felt like several hours, I heard footsteps coming towards the door and knew this was it. There was no way I'd be forgiven for the fact that I'd let Kylie go. One way or another, I was going to be punished. Wanting to put it off for as long as possible, I acted like I was asleep, snuggling up to the fake Kylie that laid next to me.
I almost held my breath as the footsteps stopped near the end of the bed, but knew people didn't sleep like that. So, I faked a small, snorty breath and started breathing slow and deep, sounding just like Kylie did when she slept. Then a thought occurred to me... Kylie wasn't making any noise at all, since it was nothing but pillows.
I heard a faint laugh and felt the bed slightly move. "I should've known."
Suddenly, I was engulfed in heat and unable to move. When I opened my eyes, nothing had changed—the room was still dark, I was still lying in the same spot, and no fire was spreading across the bed like it felt like it had—but I was completely paralyzed. The only thing I seemed to be able to do was breath and blink.
"Apparently, I underestimate you." Nick's voice became higher, raspier, and when it spoke again, it didn't sound like it was using Nick's voice at all. It sounded all too familiar, and I probably would've shivered if I could've. "And obviously you underestimate me, as well. Maybe you need to be reminded...."
The fire subsided, but I still couldn't move, not even a finger. I was suddenly flipped onto my back, and the fact that I was immobile sent a new fear through me. I'd been wrong before, about fighting; you can't fight when you can't move.
I felt something crawling around my legs, but I wasn't able to move my head to see what it was. Maybe that was for the best, anyway. When whatever was crawling around me became several things crawling around me—up my arms, around my head, and across my face—I wanted to scream, having an idea as to what it was, but I couldn't even do that.
"Fear is something that you take for granted until you're filled with it." It laughed a high-pitched laugh that I thought and hoped I'd never hear again. "I guess you forgot who I am, didn't you? Forgot what I can do? I'm your worst fears, Amber! Maybe I should make it so you don't forget that."
To say that I was panicking was an understatement. As the rats' nails scratched my skin as they clawed across my paralyzed body, I wanted to smack them off. I felt a few of them gnawing on my right arm and my hair, but there was nothing I could do about it. I didn't think it could get much worse... till it did.
The rats were replaced by bugs.
When I was turned over, my mouth had opened slightly, and as much as I fought to close it, afraid one of the bugs would go in it, I couldn't. I opened my eyes, looking straight into Nick's, who wasn't there anymore, begging for it to stop, but it just smiled down on me, seeming to enjoy the fact that I was freaking out inside.
"Cockroaches are your favorites, right?" It reached down and made me nod my head. "I thought so."
It laughed again, but there were so many bugs over my ears and scratching around that I barely heard it. When I felt one go inside my ear, I screamed, but it was silent. Tears streamed down my temples and into my hair, but it didn't seem to faze them any. As they scurried across my lips, I was waiting on one to go inside my mouth, and, of course, I didn't have to wait long.
I then felt myself start to gag and realized the monster standing over me was pulling out my next fear, each one being worse than the last. No, not this one. I can't die like this!
I once had a friend who had to have his jaw wired shut and they'd given him pliers to cut them in the event he ever got sick. I'd always thought about how bad that be, having to puke and your mouth be wired shut, vowing to never have that done. I can barely make it to the bathroom when I'm sick, let alone be able to cut wires out of my mouth. And here I was, about to get sick, unable to move or open my mouth. I'd choke on it, just like I'd always feared.
I felt it rising in my throat, higher and higher, and then it was all gone as quickly as it came. Well, everything aside from the paralysis, since I tried to run and still couldn't. I looked up at it to see what was next, and it smiled, climbing on top of me.
"Remember the first time?" it asked, knowing I couldn't answer. "You know, when that man broke into your house and... well, you know what he did. Or at least you thought you did. You've obviously realized, by now, that I can make you see things. Well, I can also make you not see things."
My vision went black, even though I knew my eyes were still open. I blinked just to make sure, and felt them blinking, but still couldn't see anything.
Great. Now I'm paralyzed from head to toe and blind.
"I can also make you feel things." It grabbed my thighs, spreading them apart. "I know what Nick wants to do to you." It laughed. "Personally, you aren't my type. Even so, he makes me—" I felt a finger slide across my cheek "—want you, too." I felt its weight press down on me. "I could make him, you know. While you lay here, unable to fight him off. He wouldn't want to, of course, so it'd be like a double whammy for me; two in one."
Suddenly, Nick's body collapsed on me, his head falling to the bed beside mine. "Amb...er." The last part of my name sounded like nothing more than a breath... Nick's breath.
I wanted to say his name, ask if it was really him, but I still couldn't move. Then it sounded like he was crying, which sounded foreign coming from him. I doubt Nick barely even cried when he was a baby, let alone as a grown man. "Nooo...." His voice was a whisper, but it was his voice—Nick's. I would've smiled if I could.
I felt his hand cover my breast as he continued to cry, and my heart sank. Surely it wouldn't make him do this. Surely. As his hand slid down my side and started to tug on the waistband of the PJs I was still wearing, I knew that it surely would.
This was not how my plan was supposed to go.