by Jenna Lehne
Teddy’s arms stiffen. “How do you know?”
“I saw it happen.”
“What do you mean?” Teddy asks softly.
“I think – and I know how crazy this sounds – that they were ghosts.” I open my eyes and look up at Teddy. He doesn’t look like he doubts me. He looks terrified.
“I’m getting you out of here.” Teddy stands up and strides down the hallway. He carries me down the stairs, out the front door, and up the driveway.
“You can put me down now,” I say, even though my head is still swimming.
“You weigh less than my gym bag,” he says. “I’m not putting you down until we reach the house.”
“Okay.” I press my face into his neck and let a few hot tears fall. “How did everything get so fucked up?”
Teddy clenches his jaw. “I don’t know, Murphy, but I promise I’ll get you out of here. I promise.”
Mom always says you shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep, but now doesn’t seem like the time to tell Teddy that.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Peyton and Henry are at the house when we get there. They’re sitting in the living room with a half-empty bottle of scotch between them. Peyton’s face is covered in mascara smudges. Henry is as white as a sheet.
“We didn’t find any phones,” Henry says. “We didn’t find anything.”
Tears pool in Peyton’s eyes. She wraps her arms around her knees and rocks back and forth. “Something is wrong with those houses, guys.”
Teddy and I collapse on the nearest couch.
“We know.” I pull a blanket over our laps and pat the empty space next to me.
Peyton scrambles across the floor and onto the couch. She leans her head against my shoulder. She smells like campfire smoke.
“What happened in your houses?” Teddy asks.
Henry takes a long pull from the scotch. “The first was full of snakes. They were everywhere. In the cabinets, the sinks, they even came out of the lights. I’ve never seen so many in one place before. Not even on Nat Geo. There were literally thousands of them. We couldn’t even make it through the front door.”
“We had rats and mice.” Teddy reaches for the bottle and swallows a mouthful. “The other house looked like it’d been abandoned for years. It was full of decay and rot, but Murph’s parents were there just a few weekends ago.”
“The second house was pitch black,” Peyton whispers. “The door slammed shut behind us and we couldn’t see anything. The darkness just swallowed us up.”
“It wasn’t just dark though,” Henry says. “You know that feeling you get when you’re all alone at home and you turn off the last light? The feeling that if you don’t run to your room, it’s going to get you. Whatever is lurking in the shadows will end you. That’s what the house felt like.”
“Our house was all white,” Teddy says, his voice trembling. “Aside from the rooms covered in blood. It reminded me of an abandoned torture den you see in the movies.”
Henry takes the bottle back and takes a swig. “I see your white house and raise you clowns.”
“Clowns?” I ask.
Peyton shudders beside me. “There were clowns everywhere. Huge, life-size clowns staggered all over the house. Some were normal, with funny hair and red noses. Others had pointed teeth and bloody faces. A few of them hung from the ceiling, their feet somehow twitching. The worst part was their eyes. They followed you, no matter where you went.”
“There was music too,” Henry says. “I couldn’t find where it was coming from, but carnival music was playing. It sounded like it was coming out of a huge music box. We didn’t even look for supplies. We just ran.”
“I don’t blame you,” I say.
“The last house was filled with smoke,” Peyton says. “We couldn’t breathe or see anything.”
“I went upstairs to see if anyone was there, but it was empty.” Henry rubs his hands over his palms. They’re covered in small blisters. “It was so hot up there the doorknobs were scalding.”
“We tried to go into the basement,” Peyton says. “The entire ground was covered in white-hot coals. We couldn’t go down further than a few steps. The walls were smoking, all the furniture had melted and burned. It was like a gateway to hell.”
“What about your last house?” Henry asks.
I look up at Teddy.
He gives me a small smile before clearing his throat. “There were ghosts in it. An entire family of them. Murphy saw them all die.”
Henry snorts. “That’s not possible. Ghosts aren’t real.”
“Neither are houses full of snakes and rats. Or pitch black houses that feel like terror,” I snap back. “Nothing on this god forsaken mountain is theoretically possible, yet here we are.”
No one replies. It grows so quiet I can hear the ticking of the wall clock.
Peyton is the first to break the silence. “Did anyone notice what time it is?”
Teddy looks up at the clock. The minute hand has hardly moved from when we left. “That’s not possible.”
“Again, that word doesn’t carry a lot of weight,” I say.
“If that clock is right, it means we were only at the houses for five minutes.” Henry stands up and checks the time on the stove. “Peyton and I were gone at least thirty.”
I rub my face and sigh so hard it comes out like more of a growl. “What the fuck is going on? ”
“I don’t know.” Teddy takes another drink from the bottle. His hands are still shaking. “The mountain is like one big haunted house.”
“It’s more than that,” Henry says. “It’s like something, the mountain or whatever, knows what we’re afraid of.”
“It’s not the mountain, guys,” Peyton mumbles, her voice catatonic. “It’s Korku.”
“The so-called demon of fear?” Henry scoffs and takes another mouthful of scotch.
Teddy nods. “Think about it. When did all this weird stuff start happening?”
“The second night,” I say. “When you and Peyton got locked outside during that random storm.”
Peyton claps her hands together. The idea that we’re onto something has pulled her back from the edge of hysteria. “Exactly. That was the same night we used the Ouija board.”
“But nothing happened the next night,” Teddy says.
“Not true,” I say. “Pey and I saw this weird shadow thing when you were all out looking for whatever was making the banging noise on the room. When I went to bed, I felt those hands on me. I screamed for you, remember? I thought they were just part of a bad nightmare, but now I no longer think so. Definitely not.”
“Then Oliver died up on the roof.” Teddy jumps up and starts to pace. “What did he say he was afraid of?”
“Heights, well, falling to his death,” Henry says. “And birds.”
“He fell to his death because of the birds,” I say. Fear bubbles in the stomach and fizzes through my veins. “Hayley is, uh, was afraid of water.”
“And whether she drowned or not, the water is where we found her,” Teddy says. “Maybe you’re right about Korku, Peyton.”
“Guys, stop me if I’m wrong.” Henry sways a little before righting himself. “You’re saying that the demon of fucking fear is screwing with all the houses on the mountains. And killing our friends.”
“Dude, I know it sounds crazy, but what else could it be?” Teddy takes the bottle from Henry’s hand and sets it down.
Henry points out the window. “It could be a massive gas leak. They’re notorious for causing hallucinations.”
“We’d be dead if that was the case,” I say.
“Say you are right.” Henry hiccups. “Say the big old fear demon is messing with our lives. What do we do about it?”
“We get the hell off this mountain, for starters,” I say. “We can figure the rest out later.”
“Murph’s right,” Peyton says. “We need to get Hayley and Oliver home. We can plan an exorcism for next weekend or whatever.”
&nb
sp; Teddy looks at his watch. “It’s just after four o’clock now. The gas and the cell phone company should be out here tomorrow. Let’s say they’ll show up at eight o’clock. That gives us sixteen hours to wait.”
“What do we do in the meantime?” Henry grabs the bottle and takes another drink. I’ve never seen him drink this much, then again I’ve never seen him afraid. “Just sit around and wait for a giant porcelain doll to come up and kill us? Or maybe some of those snakes will slither down and finish us off before the sun sets.”
“I thought you said it was just a gas leak?” Teddy asks.
I stand up and grab the bottle from Henry. I set it down and link my arm through his. “Let’s stop drinking, for one. We need to keep our heads straight.”
Henry snakes his arm around my waist. He leans into my ear, but he doesn’t whisper. “What if it’s one of them, Murph. What if Teddy killed Hayley and Oliver? Maybe Peyton’s just trying to cover it up. They could’ve slipped us something, mushrooms maybe. That’s why the houses were all fucky. They’re screwing with us, Murph.”
“Okay,” Peyton says. “Someone needs a nap.”
Teddy comes around Henry’s other side and gently pries his arm off me. “Let’s go downstairs, big guy.”
Henry shoves Teddy away. “I don’t need a goddamn nap. Just stay away from me, all of you.” He grabs the nearly empty bottle of scotch and stumbles down the stairs toward his room.
“Good thing he didn’t freak out,” Peyton says under her breath.
“So now what?” Teddy asks.
“I don’t know,” I say. “Do we barricade the doors and lock ourselves in?”
“I don’t think locks really matter. If it is something supernatural, a lock isn’t going to help.” Teddy says. “I think we just need to stick together and if more weird shit happens, we’ll deal with it then. Maybe Henry’s right and this whole thing is just one big gas-fueled mind fuck.”
A throaty scream rises from the basement followed by the sound of shattering glass.
“Henry!” I jump to my feet and run down the stairs just in time to see Henry lunge through his and Peyton’s bedroom door. In his hand is one of the only things in the world Henry is afraid of. In his hand hangs an antique porcelain doll.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Who the fuck put this in my room?” Henry shoves the doll in my face. The scent of dust and mold waft toward my face.
“No one did,” I say. “Henry, you have to believe us. Whether it’s Korku or not, something is messing with us.”
“You can’t honestly believe that bullshit,” Henry says. He throws the doll so hard the glass head shatters against the log wall.
I shrug helplessly. I’m not used to being the brave one with Henry. “What am I supposed to believe, Henry?”
Henry stumbles toward me and grabs my wrists. His breath is hot in my face. “I already told you, Murph. It’s all Teddy and Peyton. I bet they killed Hayley when we were on the roof with Olly. I bet they’re going to kill us too.”
I try to pull my wrists away but Henry’s grip only tightens. “Let go of me please.”
“I can’t. I need to keep you safe,” he says. He smells so strongly of scotch that it burns my eyes. “I promised Sam I’d keep you safe.”
Cautious footsteps come down the stairs. Teddy and Peyton walk slowly into the rec room.
“Is everything okay?” Teddy’s eyes dart between Henry’s hands and my face.
“Yeah, it’s fine. There’s a doll in Henry’s room and it freaked him out a little.” I paste a smile on my face. “He’s going to come back upstairs. I was just telling him how important it is that we all stick together.”
Henry lets go of me and reaches inside the bedroom. He grabs the scotch bottle and finishes it off. “I’m not going anywhere with them, and neither are you.”
“Shut up, Henry,” Peyton says. “You sound like a crazy person. Just come upstairs. We only have one more night to get through.”
Henry shakes his head violently. “I don’t have to listen to you anymore, Pey. Murphy, come in the room with me.”
Teddy steps forward and holds his hnd out for me. “Do you want to go upstairs?”
I nod and take Teddy’s hand and reach for Henry with my other. “Come with us.”
Henry’s eyes dart around wildly before he takes a deep breath. He lets it out and nods a little. Then he smashes the scotch bottle against the doorframe and yanks me into the room. I stumble into the room and land on my hands and knees.
“She’s staying with me,” Henry growls. “If either of you try to come in, I’ll kill you.”
Peyton’s face crumples. “Why are you acting like this?”
Henry jabs the jagged bottleneck in her direction. “I need to keep her safe from you two. Now get upstairs. We’ll see you guys in the morning if you don’t kill each other first.”
“Dude, I’m not letting you lock my girl up.” Teddy holds his hands up and slowly approaches Henry and me.
“Dude,” Henry snarls. “She’s not your girl. You don’t even know whose girl she was.”
“I’m out of here.” Peyton turns and runs up the stairs.
“Henry,” Teddy says evenly. “All I care about is Murphy, but you’re scaring her, man. Just let her go and we’ll forget all about this.”
“I’m sorry, Ted, but that’s not going to happen.” Henry jumps backward and slams the door. Teddy is banging on it seconds later, but it’s too late. Henry already has the solid wooden door locked shut.
I sit up slowly and flex my wrists. The floors down here are all hardwood, but luckily something broke my fall. I look down and choke on a gasp. The ground is covered in mangled, gothic porcelain dolls.
Henry backs away from the door, his heels crunching porcelain.
“Do you see what I mean?” He gestures wildly around the room. “They’re trying to get inside my head. They’re trying to scare me. We could have went into a different room if Teddy wasn’t here, but he fucked it up. He fucked it all up.”
I stand up and look around the room. Dolls are everywhere. On the dressers, tucked underneath the blankets, some even spill out of the drawers. I can’t take a step in any direction without hitting a doll. ‘Where did these come from?”
“Peyton and Tedy must have had them hidden somewhere. In the loft with Hayley and Olly maybe. They knew we wouldn’t go up there….especially now. Hayley and Olly are going to start to stink soon.” Henry’s eyes are wide and unfocused. He looks like a junkie on a bender.
“Don’t talk about them like that,” I say. “Not Hayley and Oliver, not Teddy or Peyton either. No one is trying to hurt us. No one human, anyway.”
Henry aimlessly pokes the bottle into the palm of his hand. Blood pools out of tiny scrapes and stains the glass pink. “Did you see their eyes?”
“Whose eyes?” I kick a few dolls away from me and back myself into the corner.
“Let me in!” Teddy’s voice is muffled. The door crashes, most likely from his shoulder, but it doesn’t give.
“The dolls.” Henry starts to pace. He transfers the bottle to his bloody hand and tugs on his hair with the other. “Don’t you feel like they’re watching you?”
I bend down and pick up a doll. It’s a little girl doll, wearing a green dress and straw hat. Red braids poke out from underneath the brim. Her eyes are blue and wide, but still. I toss it onto the ground. “They’re not moving, Henry.”
Henry grabs one and stares into its face. His eyes grow wider until tears form. He throws the doll against the dresser mirror. Glass rains down in razor-sharp drops. “They’re all staring at me, Murphy.”
“Then lets get out of here, Henry.” I plead. “The dolls are scaring me.”
Teddy thumps against the door again. A splintering sound fills the air. The doorframe is starting to give way.
Henry shakes his head. “No, no, no, no, we have to stay here. It’s safe here. I can protect you from them. Just get the dolls to stop looking at me.”<
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“I can’t,” I say gently. “Let’s go upstairs. They can’t follow us up there.”
“Yes, they can,” Henry whimpers. Tears are streaming down his face. “Everything will be okay. Just make them stop. Please, Murphy, make them stop.”
“I’ll try,” I say. I start grabbing the dolls and turning their faces away from Henry. I push their tiny heads against the wall or lay them down on their stomachs.
Henry cries harder. “It isn’t working.”
I move to dresser and cram the dolls into the drawers. I cover the larger ones with t-shirts and sweaters. I pile them in the corners and cover them with blankets.
“Oh, God,” Henry bawls. He stomps on the dolls around his feel, obliterating their delicate heads into dust. “They’re still looking.”
I turn around to see what Henry’s crying over. The dolls, the exact ones I turned away, are facing Henry again. I grab Henry’s hand and pull him to the door.
Teddy slams his body into it again. “Murphy! Are you okay?”
“We’re going. Now.” I reach for the lock but Henry stops me. He grabs a fistful of my hair and throws me against the wall.
“Let me keep you safe,” Henry snarls through his tears.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a doll move. It’s one of the biggest ones, a blonde girl with a bonnet tied around her hair. She’s wearing a black, wool dress. I laid her on her stomach. Now, in small, jerky movements, she starts to rise from the ground. She moves like there’s an invisible wire attached to the back of her head that’s slowly yanking her upward. Once the doll is on her feet, she slowly swivels toward Henry.
Fear immobilizes me. The horror of what I’m seeing freezes my muscles, making it impossible to move.
Teddy smashes the door again. This time, it opens. Only a few inches, but it’s enough for him to look in. “I’m coming, Murph. Stay away from the door. Henry, what are you doing?”
Henry is staring longingly at the broken bottle in his hand. He looks up at me. “You can’t stop them.” His eyes are heartbroken and tearful. His lower lip quivers. “If you can’t make them stop looking at me, then I need to stop looking at them.”