“Well glad we weren’t on the receiving end of that,” Miriam examined the door as the walked by it.
The cabin was eerily quiet now. If it weren’t for the wreckage it would have seemed as though nothing had happened.
The windows were lined with scratches. The floor was covered in glass shards and liquor. The couches lie in pieces, stuffing and upholstery strew about. It looked like a war zone. But it had been none of their doing.
It looked like the aftermath of an extremely rowdy frat party or a bad bachelor party.
“We need to get out of here.” Adam glanced around the room still feeling uneasy being in the cabin.
“I completely agree.” Will took a step towards the front door and felt a hand constrict around his throat. “Wh-what?” he stammered.
They watched in horror as Will was lifted off the ground, his hands fighting with some invisible force that was squeezing his throat. His toes barely touched the ground as he was dragged across the room and slammed into the door.
They rushed to his aid, pulling him back to the ground, and pushing against the invisible force. Will came free, gasping for breath and rubbing at his throat. He coughed as he fought to bring air back to his lungs.
“Jesus.” Will doubled over still fighting to get air back into his lungs.
“What the hell was that?” Adam, who had been the one to yank Will back, looked around. It seemed to be the question of the evening.
Sophia shook her head, eyes wide and uncertain. That was when she saw it. The figure standing among the debris on the other side of the room. She raised a shaky arm, pointing towards it.
Jeremy turned, following her line of sight. He felt the breath catch in his throat as he saw the apparition, as he recognized the woman as the one from his dreams. She was beautiful, just as she had been in his dream. And she was smiling, just as she had been when she was dying.
“I think we found our cause,” Jeremy whispered as the glass shards rose from the ground all pointed rather ominously towards them.
“I think that’s our cue to get out of here.” Sophia’s voice shook as she looked towards door. It was so close, and yet they still had several feet to cover before they got to freedom.
“I second that motion in a heartbeat,” Adam agreed taking a step towards the door.
The woman stood on the other side of the room watching them, glass shards hovering, waiting. Her eyes narrowed and her hands clenched at her sides. But the smile remained on her face. It was as though she knew what was going to happen to them. As if their fate was already sealed.
Jeremy had never liked to believe in fate, let alone the fact that his own was set in stone. He glared at the apparition of a woman. She may be beautiful, but she was clearly evil.
They turned to rush towards the door. If they were going to make their escape from this place if had to be now. It could be their only chance.
Leaving so soon?
The woman was suddenly in front of them, baring their exit. She grinned menacingly, the shards of glass hovering above her like a cloud.
I thought we were having fun.
“Like hell we were!” Miriam shouted.
The woman laughed, the sound reverberating through the halls of the cabin. The glass shards shook above her with the laughter.
Silly girl. We’ve only just begun.
Miriam went to respond, but her sputtered words were cut off by her yelp as she was yanked back by her hair. The force of it dragged her straight to the floor and the others could only watch in surprise as she was dragged clear across the room.
She struggled and pulled at her hair, trying to rip it free from the phantom grasp.
The others, finally snapping to their senses, rushed to her aid. They pulled her to her feet, despite her cries of pain. Her hair fell back down her back, the force that had pulled it leaving.
Laughter filled the room, but as they turned towards the door the woman was no longer standing there. The glass shards covered the entire ceiling. At first glance one would think it was a layer of Spackle, but they were floating, they were hovering, poised to strike at any moment.
They searched the room, eyes darting to every corner looking for the woman. Looking for any flicker of moment that might indicate she was hiding in the corner, hiding in the shadows.
It was still dark. The light over the stove offered the only illumination to the room. By their estimation dawn was still a few hours off. If light was to offer them any safety from the violence they had no time to wait for it.
Supporting Miriam, who had taken the worst of the damage from the night between the couch and the hair pulling, they made their way towards the door. Slower under the weight of their friend they stumbled towards the door.
They were almost there, mere steps away, when the laughter filled the room again. It was a menacing, cackling laughter that sent a chill up their spines and unease into their stomachs. They fought the urge to stop in their tracks. They fought the urge to look around at her again. They continued towards the door despite everything inside them that told them to freeze where they stood.
Leaving so soon?
The laughter continued as Adam reached for the door handle. The knob was as cold as it had been the first time they’d arrived at the cabin. It chilled his hand, sent a shiver up his arm. Yet he did not let go. He held his ground and he struggled to turn the knob.
I thought we were having a good time?
They heard the whiz of the glass shards before they could process what was happening.
Adam had got the door open. He’d just stepped out of it when he felt the first piece of glass cut his skin. He hit the porch at a run. The others were behind him all trying to avoid the flying glass.
The minute they got to the ground, off the porch steps, the glass dropped from the air. It fell, completely useless.
“She has no powers beyond the house.” Will pointed to the glass that was lying at their feet.
The others nodded in acknowledgement.
“I don’t care, we need to get out of here.” Sophia looked down at herself, realized she was still in pajamas, and cursed. “The keys are inside.”
“What?” Miriam’s eyes went wide as her mind processed what had just been said.
“The keys are in my pants,” Sophia explained. “My pants are in the cabin. Everything is in the cabin.” She ran a hand through her hair and fought against the tears that threatened to fall. She was not going to be the first one to cry as well as the only one to throw up.
“We’ll call someone,” Adam suggested, pulling his cell phone out of his pajama pant pocket and rolling his eyes at the curious glances. “Like I wouldn’t carry it with me, really?”
He held it up, searching for a signal, and groaned when he found none. “I’ve had reception the whole time we’ve been here. And now nothing.”
They all looked towards the cabin, the building that had looked so peaceful and welcoming when they’d first arrived.
The front door slammed shut and they jolted at the noise.
“I bet you she has something to do with it.” Will pointed towards the figure that was standing in the window, watching them as they waited by the car. “Who is she anyway?”
“Like we know?” Adam grumbled, rubbing at the cuts on his arms. He was just smearing the blood and making a mess, but it provided temporary relief.
“We’ll have to find out,” Jeremy muttered watching the woman smile menacingly. “But for now we have bigger problems.”
“Well unless you know how to hijack a car, I don’t know what to suggest.” Sophia glanced at her car and could feel her heart sink. They were going to be stuck here forever.
“Well…” Jeremy smiled sheepishly. “I did read a book once.”
“Are you seriously saying you know how to hotwire a car?” Will sidled up next to his friend. “How did we not know this?”
“It never came up?” Jeremy shrugged. He looked at Sophia. “It might do a bit of damage to your car.�
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“I don’t car, just get us out of here.” Sophia opened the driver’s door and let Jeremy have at it.
Within a few minutes the car was sputtering to life. He pulled his head out from underneath the dash and smiled at them.
“I think we’re good to go.” He stood back to let Sophia take his place but she shook her head.
“You made it run, you get to drive.” She glanced everyone else. “Are you going to get in or just stand there?”
They didn’t have to be asked twice.
Chapter 8
Damsel in Distress
* * *
In the evening light it was difficult to see anything. The headlights did little to illuminate more than the road ahead of them. Jeremy drove slowly, unfamiliar with the car and with the route they were on.
It took them minutes to get back to the main road. He knew that it was a straight shot from the main road back into town. He just had to follow it until he saw streetlights again. The thought of being back among people, back in civilization again was really appealing.
“It should be smooth sailing from here,” Jeremy announced, glancing back at the passengers behind him.
“It won’t take long to get to the main road.” Sophia looked back at Miriam, her gaze sympathetic. Will’s neck was already beginning to bruise from the choking episode.
“I think we’ll all be happy to get back home,” Will chuckled. “Never thought I would be one to say that.”
“I’m sure you never thought you’d say a few things,” Jeremy glanced back at him.
“That’s true enough,” Will agreed leaning back against the seat and taking solace in the fact that they were finally free.
“Like that ghosts are – Jeremy look out!” Sophia yelled from the passenger seat.
Jeremy whipped his head around, bringing his attention back to the road. He didn’t see her at first. In the dim headlights it was hard to make her out. But as they continued to drive she came into view.
He slammed on the breaks and swerved to avoid the woman who stood in the middle of the road. He had a moment to think she looked familiar before he yanked the wheel to the side to avoid hitting her.
The others in the car screamed as the car pulled to the side and lost traction on the back road. The tires slipped in the dirt and Jeremy fought to gain control again.
He struggled with the wheel, but the car went into a spin, straight towards a tree. He braced for impact. He could sense the others around him doing the same as the car left the road and slammed into the tree trunk.
Jeremy felt the airbag deploy. He had seconds to register that Sophia’s had as well before he blacked out.
He didn’t know how long he was out for. Seconds, minutes – when he lifted his head from the air bag the world was spinning a little bit. He turned to Sophia whose head was pillowed on the airbag.
He reached over and shook her shoulder forcefully. She mumbled and blinked as she came to.
“What happened?” Her voice was weak as she looked over at him.
“Th-there was a-a woman on the road,” Jeremy stammered, running a hand through his hair. He pulled his hand away to see the blood on it.
“Is everyone okay?” Sophia glanced into the back seat to check on the status of those in the backseat.
There were groans of acknowledgement from the backseat. “Great driving, Jer. You’re supposed to stay on the road,” Will teased rubbing at his forehead, which had slammed into the back of Jeremy’s seat.
“I don’t think I’m supposed to hit pedestrians,” Jeremy countered. Glaring at Will in the rearview mirror. His eyes shifted from Will’s to see the same figure standing on the road behind them.
Jeremy drew in a shaky breath as the woman stood on the road behind them. He reached for the door handle, pushing it open despite the shouts of protest from the members of the car.
“What are you doing, Jer?” Miriam exited the car, rounding the end of it to grab him by the arm. “What is going on?”
“I have to check on her,” Jeremy’s eyes were fixated on the woman in the middle of the road. She was just standing there as if nothing had happened, as if a car had not just swerved around her.
“Help who?” Miriam followed his gaze but saw nothing but the empty road, the darkness overwhelming without the cars headlights to offer any element of illumination.
“Don’t you see her?” Jeremy pulled his arm free and began to walk towards her.
“Jer!” Miriam yelled after him, but she wouldn’t follow.
The others had exited the car and stood next to her to watch as he made his way onto the road. They huddled near the glow of the taillights as if the little bit of light they offered could protect them from whatever lurked in the darkness, whatever Jeremy was going to see.
Jeremy walked onto the road. She seemed farther away now. It was as though she was walking away from him. His eyes fixated on her so that he wouldn’t lose her in the dim evening light. Away from the car he could barely see her, but she had a faint glow about her. Something unearthly. Something familiar.
“Are you okay?!” He shouted after her.
She was walking away, limping away from him. He hurried after her but then she turned. And she smiled. And he knew who she was.
He froze in his place. The woman from the house. There was no mistaking here beauty. But she looked more like she had in his dream now. The blood streamed down her front. And her smile was menacing.
Jeremy stumbled back a step as he recognized who it was.
He tripped, crashing to the ground as the figured limped towards him, one step at a time.
He scrambled backwards, his voice freezing in his throat.
He’d pursued her. He’d wanted to ensure that she was alright. He was being the good person.
She was beyond saving. She was long gone.
He stumbled to he feet, turning on heel and running back towards his friends. What else could he do? He couldn’t help her. He wasn’t even certain that he could help himself.
They were exactly where he’d left them. Huddled next to the rear of the car, partially illuminated by the glow of the headlights. There was a collective sigh as he rejoined the group.
“Where’d you run off to, Jer?” Adam wrung his hands together as he scanned the darkness around them.
“Did none of you see her?” Jeremy searched their faces. “Sophia?”
“The girl you almost hit?” She glanced around them, her shoulders moving in a half shrug. “I guess I was just seeing things.”
Jeremy glanced back down the road. He could still see her in the distance, approaching slowly, one limping step at a time. But clearly he was the only one. The only one who could witness her tragedy, just as he’d been the only one to hear her cries earlier.
Why him? Why was he the only one to see her and hear her suffering? What kind of sick joke was this?
“Well good job wrecking the car over something imaginary,” Will chastised sending a glance at the tree they were now thoroughly a part of. “How are we supposed to get out of here now?”
“I guess we walk.” Miriam looked at the dark road skeptically. She was not thrilled at the idea, but it seemed better than hiding by the car. At least if they were walking then they were heading in the direction of home.
“It’ll take up forever to get home,” Adam whined and all but stomped his foot with the statement.
“Well you can either walk or stay here.” Miriam shrugged. “I’m going to walk. At least it’s something to do.”
Sophia nodded in agreement. “I’m with Miriam on this. Standing around in these woods doesn’t seem like a good way to end our already scary evening.”
Jeremy glanced down the road towards the woman. She was closer now, still taking one limping step at a time. He knew that if they stood there she would eventually get to them. He didn’t know what would happen if she got them again. He didn’t know if this version of her had the same power as the one they had left at the cabin.
“At this time of night?” Adam sounded skeptical, but there was a hint of hopefulness in his voice.
“You never know.”
They walked for twenty minutes before they saw headlights. According to Adam’s cell phone it was close to five in the morning now, so they stepped to the side of the road and did their best to look non-threatening.
If they’d had a mirror they would have realized what a sad bunch they made. All of them had blood somewhere on their body or clothes. They were all still in their pajamas. Only half of them were wearing shoes. And the bruises from the car accident were just beginning to darken on their faces and limbs.
Still they moved over and flagged the driver of the car down. Hoping that the early morning commuter would take pity on them and bring them back into the city.
The car pulled to the side of the road and the driver cranked down his window. “Bloody hell, what happened to you kids?”
“It’s a long story.” Sophia, always the responsible one, stepped forward with a smile on her face. “Any chance you could give a lift into town. Our car broke down.”
“The one that was in the tree back there?” He pointed back down the road.
Sophia smiled sheepishly. “That would be the one.”
He nodded. “Well get on in. I’ll drop you off at the hospital on my way to work. I suppose you can get in touch with your parents from there.”
“Yes, sir, we can manage.”
“Well, then get on in.”
Epilogue
Their visit at the hospital was short lived. After getting their minor injuries seen to their parents were called and then it was a frenzy of questions and concern of their state.
Haunted Happenings Page 9