But he knew that was childish.
Seeing his father arrive just after gave him steel. He wouldn’t let something so stupid, so childish, make his dad disappointed in him.
Like his father, science was Alex’s belief system. What he had seen was a trick of the mind, nothing more, triggered by tiredness, or stress, or some other unknown cause.
It had to be.
But at the time he had believed, without question, without any doubt, that there was someone, something, standing directly behind his sister. Looming over her shoulder.
Looking at him.
While the thing had seemed shrouded in unnatural shadow, he could clearly see it was a woman. A really, really old woman, with ashen skin pulled tight over the skull beneath. He could still see her blackened smile and wide, staring eyes.
It was the eyes that had really scared him. The way they seemed to bore into him with a manic gaze.
In that moment, in that instant, there had been no question in his mind that someone was there. But now, in the clear light of the evening, with the air on his face, reality once again took hold.
Thankfully.
It wasn’t real. He had just spooked himself, even though he thought he was above all of that kind of nonsense.
Obviously not.
Almost as bad as the fright he had given himself was the panic he’d seen on his mother’s face when she entered the room and set eyes upon him. He hated the fact that she worried about him so. Actually, no, that wasn’t right. He hated the fact that he was the cause of her worry. Everyone in the family looked out for him, it was natural, and he actually liked it, but when that turned into worry and fear—when he and his condition caused people to fret and panic—that didn’t sit well with him. It made him feel like a burden. And that was exactly how he had felt when he saw that look of fear etched on his mother’s face.
Over something so stupid.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Alex continued ambling around the rear garden, looking out over the fields beyond. He had to admit, despite the fact that the house wasn’t to his liking, the immediate surroundings were very picturesque and peaceful. Part of him could see the appeal of living somewhere like this, though relocating here wasn’t something he hoped his parents would ever consider. He liked it too much back home.
Growing bored, he turned back towards his sister to ask how much longer she thought this would take, and saw she was looking to an upstairs window, squinting. He also noticed that she had her right hand over her chest, and was holding her breath. Her mouth was ever so slightly agape.
‘Everything okay?’ he asked, causing her to jump a little. She spun her head to face him, and eventually nodded.
‘Yeah, fine,’ she said.
‘What is it?’
‘Nothing,’ she replied, a little too quickly.
‘You’re not seeing things as well, are you?’ He tried to laugh when he said it, but it came out forced.
‘Don’t be stupid,’ Leah answered with a painstakingly fake laugh of her own. ‘Come on, they should be finished soon, and the sun is starting to set. Let’s go back inside.’
Alex nodded in agreement and followed her lead. He was eager to press her on the issue, but, knowing how he felt after his own scare, decided against it.
As he walked, he glanced up at the window Leah had been staring at, slightly apprehensive about what he would find.
He saw nothing.
‘AND THAT SHOULD BE EVERYTHING,’ Mr. Goldacre said as he bundled together his papers and slotted them into a binder. Danni and Jon had been left with copies of the paperwork, and now Danni officially owned the house. Jon knew she would want it on the market as quickly as possible, but that was something they could deal with when they got back home.
First and foremost, his wife had to get through the funeral tomorrow—the funeral of a father she hadn’t seen in half her lifetime—and he wasn’t sure how she would cope with that.
They had also agreed to stay in the house while they were here, which saved on finding and booking accommodation. Danni hadn’t been keen on it, but Jon had pushed the idea, gently but firmly, believing it would help with any healing she had to go through whilst back here.
Jon had suffered difficulties in his youth as well—not to the extent that Danni had, but he found that facing up to the challenges and confronting them head-on was the only way to truly overcome them. He knew just how strong Danni was, stronger than she ever gave herself credit for. When she stopped overthinking things and just acted from the heart, she was fearless. A lioness.
He knew she was capable of getting through this.
He’d seen her show that strength before.
Many years ago, when Alex was only two years old, he had fallen and hurt himself. If Jon was completely honest, he had panicked and frozen, but Danni had reacted on instinct, getting Alex to the emergency room in a heartbeat. When the nurse behind the counter—an impatient, bordering on uncaring old woman—had said it may be a little while before Alex could be seen, Danni had slammed her hand onto the counter and stated, in a scarily calm way, that he would be seen immediately. It wasn’t a request, not even a demand, just how things were going to be, and there was no possibility of any deviation from that course of action. The nurse had tried to argue back, but Danni had unloaded on her. There had been no foul language, no threats of any kind, she had just overpowered the old woman by sheer force of will and strength of character alone. The woman, obviously used to dishing out the orders and not taking them, had fallen in line.
And Alex had been seen immediately.
The problem now was that Danni had ample time to overthink things. She was clearly dealing with memories of what had happened, and they were already weighing her down.
But she could do this. He knew she could.
Mr. Goldacre put away his things and got to his feet, shaking both of their hands. ‘We have your details, should we need anything further,’ he said, walking to the entrance hallway just as Alex and Leah entered. He smiled at them and squeezed past without stopping, which Jon found odd. The man was certainly in a rush.
‘If we are going to put this on the market straight away,’ Jon said, ‘would it be best to do it with a local estate agent?’
‘I would say so,’ Mr. Goldacre said, not slowing as he walked to his car. Jon found himself following quickly, with Danni and the kids in tow, just to keep the conversation going. ‘There are a few in town. I would always recommend Harrison’s. They’re a family-run business and should look after you,’ Mr. Goldacre said.
He pulled open the door of his car and jumped in, throwing his briefcase into the passenger seat. Jon looked to the back, and saw it was cluttered with loose papers, food wrappers, folders, and other junk.
‘Thanks,’ Jon said. ‘Appreciate the help with everything. Will you be at the funeral tomorrow?’
‘Oh no,’ Goldacre said, quickly, then caught himself. ‘I’m very busy, and we tend not to overstep our bounds attending things like that. We see them as personal affairs. People don’t want stuffy old solicitors getting in the way of their mourning.’
‘Okay,’ Jon said. ‘If we have any questions, I assume we are okay to call you?’
‘Of course,’ he said, pulling the car door shut and starting the engine. He rolled down the window. ‘Anything you need, just call.’ He pulled a smile across his face, but Jon could sense his agitation, like the conversation was holding him up. ‘You have my card.’
‘I do,’ Jon said.
‘Then take care,’ Mr. Goldacre said, before looking past him to the house. The man’s smile fell and he was silent for a moment, as if caught in a trance, or a memory. ‘Good luck with everything,’ he eventually said. ‘It was nice meeting you all, sorry it wasn’t under better circumstances. Take care.’
He waved and pulled the car forward, whizzing down to the main road, kicking up dust and dirt as he went.
‘Well,’ Leah said, ‘he was a little odd.’
<
br /> 6
THE FAMILY SPENT the rest of the day getting as settled into the house as they could. Danni had brought supplies, spare sheets, and even an inflatable air bed with them, should they be needed. The house had three bedrooms: two spare ones and the master. That one had belonged to her father—and there was no way any of them would sleep in there—so she and Jon claimed one of the spare rooms and gave the children the other. The beds were dusty and unkempt, so she had insisted on replacing the sheets with their own, a job that hadn’t taken them long. But there was only a double bed in each room, so Alex wanted to use the inflatable bed, which Danni could understand. What fourteen-year-old boy would want to share a bed with his sister?
Leah had offered, even insisted, that she use the inflatable, but Alex had won out, not taking no for an answer. He was being chivalrous, Danni knew, and it made her even more proud of the boy, if that was possible.
After getting the house in some kind of order, the next item on the list was to organise the food. They didn’t even bother to check the cupboards, or attempt to cook, and Jon had taken his phone outside—the only place to get a signal—to search for local takeaways in the area. They had all decided on pizza, and, when he found an outlet that suited, he ordered it in.
There wasn’t much to do in the house with no television or internet, and Danni tried to remember what life was like without so many gadgets taking up all of their attention. Thankfully, they had all come prepared, each with an e-reader or tablet, with entertainment pre-loaded.
In the living room, Alex and Leah took to the sofa, Alex with his Kindle, and Leah watching something on her tablet with her headphones plugged in. Jon led Danni to the chair by the window, which was really only big enough for one, and pulled her into it with him. She giggled as he let her fall into his lap, and they spent the time cuddling while waiting for their food. It was exactly what she needed right now. Sometimes, she thought her husband just might be a mind reader.
The pizza arrived and, truth be told, wasn’t great. It was serviceable, however, and by the end of the meal at least they all had full bellies. The food helped Danni feel a touch more human, though it only exacerbated her exhaustion. She felt like she could drop into a deep sleep at the snap of a finger.
Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.
They had eaten at the dining room table, all quiet except for the slurps and smacks of chewing mouths. Once done, they moved back into the living room, and Leah spoke up.
‘I’m going for a shower. I feel grubby.’
‘Is there hot water?’ Danni asked.
‘I got the heating going a little earlier,’ Jon said. ‘Seems to be working, so we should be okay for showers.’
It wasn’t until Jon mentioned it that Danni realised the room had started feeling a little warmer.
‘Okay,’ Danni said, ‘but be quick.’ She had no idea why she’d said it, or why such a warning was necessary. They were alone in this house and, despite how much Danni hated being here, they weren’t in any danger.
So why couldn’t she shake the feeling that just the opposite was true?
Leah left to take her shower and Danni heard her padding around upstairs, getting her toiletries together.
‘Do you want to shower after Leah?’ she asked Alex.
‘I’ll just wait until the morning,’ he said.
‘Okay,’ Danni said, pausing to think how to broach the next part. ‘When you do go, just remember that the bathroom isn’t set up like ours back home. It doesn’t have any handrails or anything like that. Might be better if—’
‘You aren’t washing me, Mom,’ he said, cutting her off. ‘I’ll manage. I’m capable of showering by myself.’
‘I know you are, hun,’ Danni said. ‘And at home, I wouldn’t mind, but this bathroom is old and—’
‘No,’ he said, matter-of-factly, again cutting her off. ‘I’ll be fine, Mom. If I need you, or get stuck, I’ll shout.’
‘Hun…’
‘Mom,’ Alex said. He was smiling, but Danni knew he was being as assertive as he could be. ‘I’m doing it on my own. I’ll be fine.’
Danni wanted to press the issue, but knew she would get nowhere. Alex’s pride was front and centre again, and evidently her approach had failed. Maybe it was something she should broach again in the morning. She heard the faint sound of the shower come on from the floor above.
‘Fine,’ she said, and rose to her feet. She walked over to her son and playfully tussled his hair.
‘Mom,’ he said to her, looking up from his e-reader. ‘I’m sorry if I freaked you out earlier.’
‘What do you mean?’ Danni asked.
‘You know, upstairs. I’m sorry about that.’
‘Oh,’ Danni said. ‘It’s okay.’
‘I’m not sure what happened to you here, but I get the impression that being back isn’t easy for you. And I know you’re going to be sad, especially tomorrow, so I don’t want to make things any worse for you.’
Danni smiled, feeling her heart twinge. She hadn’t told her children about her past, not yet—they were too young for that and didn’t need to know. Whenever they’d asked about her parents, she had just told them that her mother had died many years ago, and she didn’t speak with her father. They sometimes pressed the issue, and she told them he just wasn’t a nice person. They soon got the message: that it wasn’t a topic to be pushed. ‘Honestly, Alex, it’s fine. You don’t need to be sorry.’
‘Well, I am. I don’t want to make you feel bad. I never want that. And I kind of feel like I did.’
Danni bent down and hugged Alex tight.
‘I appreciate that,’ she said. ‘It’s very sweet of you to say. But I’m made of tough stuff. I’m fine. Honestly.’
‘Good,’ he said, and hugged her back. It was rare Danni ever got to hug him like this anymore. He was becoming a young man, and as such, hugs from Mom were seen as less and less cool, and more and more embarrassing. She savoured the moment and wanted it to last as long as it could, feeling the first pangs of happiness she’d had since her arrival in this town.
Before she could enjoy it any further, she heard Leah’s terrified screams from above.
7
THE WATER in the shower was warm, thankfully.
Leah had half expected it to be freezing. Or, worse, for the old showerhead to kick out dull, dirty water. To her surprise, though, the water looked clear, and the pressure was strong.
It felt good.
The bathroom itself was small for a house this size. The shower was an over-bath type, with fully tiled walls to one end of the bath, complete with a shower screen. The tiles were faintly streaked with dirt, and the glass folding screen had black mould growing at its corners. The bath itself wasn’t the cleanest, either, and Leah had to force herself to get in. It was worth it, though, as she could feel the hot water blast away some of her aches and pains from a long day’s travel. She stood motionless, letting the water hit the back of her neck and cascade down her. Steam soon filled the room.
Remembering her mother’s instructions not to stay up here too long, Leah began to wash, pouring shampoo onto her scalp and massaging it in.
Leah didn’t like this house and guessed that none of the family did, either. It was old, uncared for, not very homely, and gave off an ominous vibe. A dirty and withering place.
And it absolutely creeped her out.
And not just because of the state it was in, either. After she had taken Alex outside earlier, after his scare, a strong and distinct feeling had crept over her. A feeling like she was being watched.
It was like nothing she had ever felt before. The hairs on the back of her arms and neck had stood to attention, and she’d instinctively turned to look up to a first-floor window.
There was dirty netting to the inside, with curtains framing it, so her view wasn’t clear, but Leah was almost certain she had seen something: the shadowy outline of a person standing just behind the netting, looking out at them.
> Perfectly still and unmoving.
At first she thought she was mistaken, but the more she looked, the more she was sure.
Then Alex had asked if she was okay, drawing her attention, and when she had looked back, everything had seemed normal.
Whatever she had seen, or thought she had seen, was gone.
Of course, she soon realised there never had been anything there at all. No shadowy figure watching over them. But at the time, it had seemed so real.
And ominous.
Just thinking about it now caused a sensation of unease to course through her, starting at the small of her back and working its way up to her shoulders, making the warm water actually feel cold.
Leah was creeping herself out, she knew that—her mind was getting carried away with itself. It was stupid, but even so, she decided she’d been up here alone long enough. She let the suds rinse from her hair and opened her eyes.
Something was wrong.
Through the steamed glass of the shower screen, she could see the door to the bathroom. It was open a little.
But she was certain she had closed it when entering the room.
Hadn’t she?
Obviously not. She ran a hand down the screen, wiping away some of the steam in order to see more clearly. It was definitely open, just a crack, and there was something else too.
It took a moment for it to register, for her brain to make sense of what she was seeing. If indeed such a thing could be made sense of.
The pale skin of a torso, a male torso.
She held her breath and looked up farther, to the top of the door.
She saw the face.
Looking at her.
Its eyes were wide and full of hateful lust. Its mouth was agape, dropping unnaturally low, almost elongated.
And its tongue lolled loosely, like that of a dog.
She heard it moan—a pained sound, but one that belied a sinister urge.
Bestial.
Carnal.
Watching her as she showered.
The Demonic: A Supernatural Horror Novel Page 4