by Amy Cross
I wait, but now the sensation is getting stronger, and I have to hold the book very firmly in order to keep hold of it at all.
I want to call out, to ask the ghost of Catherine Lannister why she's doing this, but I don't dare. I look straight ahead again, and – although I see no sign of anyone – I can't help but imagine two invisible eyes staring back at me.
I hold the book tighter still.
The sensation grows.
Why is she trying to take the book from my hands?
Why would she lead me here, seemingly so that I'd find the diary, only to then want to rip it away from me? I squeeze tighter, while still telling myself that I could be imagining the whole thing, but finally I realize that I'm not strong enough. I try for a moment longer, but the force is becoming immense and finally I can no longer hold on.
I let go of the diary.
I watch, shocked, as it simply falls from my hands and lands back down on the floor, in almost exactly the spot where it rested when I entered the room.
Did the force suddenly end at the moment I let go? That's how it felt, as if the ghost of Catherine Lannister knew exactly when I'd stop struggling. Or was I, in fact, imagining the sensation all along? I can't discount that possibility, even if it all felt so very real at the time.
I reach down to take the book again, but at the last moment I hold back.
Whatever Catherine Lannister wanted me to see, evidently I've seen it. I might not understand yet, but I've done what she wanted me to do. In this room, at least.
I look around, checking one final time that she's not here, and then I step back over to the door. The sense of her presence has fallen away, and after a few seconds I suddenly realize that I have to get back and help Josh. How could I have allowed myself to waste time down here, when Josh needs emergency medical help? It's as if, for a few minutes, I was lost in some kind of fugue, as if I was being drawn along by Catherine Lannister's spirit.
Shaken, I turn and hurry along the corridor.
III
“Doctor Carter!” I call out as I reach the old dining room and stop to listen for any sign of him. “Doctor Carter, please, where are you?”
I wait, and at first I hear only silence. I swear, it's as if Doctor Carter has abandoned us entirely. He's been acting strangely ever since we got to Lannister Hall, but right now I don't have time to figure out what's bugging him. It's not important. What's important is getting Josh to the hospital.
A few seconds later, hearing a muttering sound, I turn and hurry to the door that leads into the dining room, and sure enough I find Doctor Carter kneeling next to one of the sensors.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Leave me alone,” he replies testily. “I have to get these working properly.”
“I thought you were -”
“Leave me alone!” he snaps, turning to glare at me. He seems frantic, almost wild. “I don't have time to babysit you! The pair of you have been little more than inconveniences ever since we arrived. I don't know what's wrong with the youth of today. Aren't you capable of thinking for yourselves?”
“We have to get Josh to a hospital!”
“The young man isn't dying,” he says, as he gets back to work. “He can wait a short while. If he's whining too much, give him a sedative. You'll find some pills in my leather case.”
“Are you insane?” I ask, stepping over to him. “He doesn't need a sedative, he needs a doctor.” I wait, but he doesn't respond. “Fine,” I continue, “whatever. Give me the keys, and I can take him.”
I wait, but he doesn't reply.
“At least give me my phone!” I shout.
“That's out of the question.”
“His eyes are nailed shut!” I yell, finally losing my temper. “Whatever's going on in this house, it's more than the three of us can handle! You disturbed the girl's body, I think you pissed off the ghost, and now we really need to get out of here. What she did to Josh was probably just the start of it, she'll come for us next. She'll come for you next, Doctor Carter. Doesn't that -”
Before I can finish, a loud, anguished scream rings out through the building. Startled, I turn and look back toward the corridor. The scream has already faded, but somehow it's still echoing in my head.
“That was her,” I whisper. “That was Catherine Lannister.”
I listen, and after a moment I hear a distant bumping sound.
“She led me to her diary,” I continue, as I feel a chill run up onto my shoulders. “There's no doubt anymore, she's absolutely aware of us and she's absolutely trying to get us to do something specific. I think we have to start by putting the child's body back where we found it. You should never have moved it.”
I hear another bump, and I immediately hurry toward the doorway. I have to go back and get Josh, but then – remembering that I still don't have the key – I turn to Doctor Carter again.
“I quit,” I say firmly, “and I'm pretty sure Josh quits too. So, if you don't mind, I really need those keys.”
When he doesn't respond, I turn and see that he's still fiddling with the sensor. He seems totally absorbed by that gadget, and to be fair he's been much the same way ever since we arrived at Lannister Hall. I know I shouldn't question him, I know he's the master and I'm just one of the students, but I'm feeling more and more certain that Doctor Carter hasn't been entirely honest with us. In truth, I'm starting to think that maybe he's hiding something, and that this entire visit to Lannister Hall has been driven by something he hasn't yet revealed.
“What are we really doing here?” I say finally, before I even have time to decide whether or not it's a good idea to ask.
I wait, but he doesn't answer. I'm not even sure that he heard me.
“Doctor Carter, what are we doing here?” I ask again, stepping closer. “What exactly are all these sensors, anyway? You haven't let us look at some of them, but they don't look quite right. You've obviously made your own modifications.”
“Ms. Sinclair, you're distracting me,” he mutters, clearly irritated. “Fine, take the boy to a hospital if you must. I don't really need the pair of you here, anyway. You were basically little more than glorified bag-carriers.” He takes the keys from his pocket and tosses them at me. “Try to be back by morning, to pick me up.”
“I'm going to call the -”
Suddenly there's another scream, and I spin around to look back out toward the corridor. This time the scream seems to hang in the air for a moment longer, and I quickly realize that it came from upstairs.
“I have to get back to him,” I say, suddenly worrying about Josh being alone with only the sensor for company. “And then I'm getting him out of here.”
I wait for him to respond, but it's rapidly becoming clear that he doesn't give a damn. He's still fiddling with that infernal sensor so, finally figuring that I'm wasting my breath, I slip the keys into my pocket and head out into the hallway, determined to go and fetch Josh so that I can get him to the nearest hospital. I have no idea what I'll do after that, but I'm certain that Doctor Carter is losing his mind. And as I get to the hallway, I tell myself that Doctor Carter and his madness can wait. Right now, my only concern is -
“Josh!”
Gasping, I see that Josh is kneeling at the foot of the stairs, clutching the sensor as it beeps rapidly. And right in front of him, staring down at his face, is the ghost of Catherine Lannister.
“She's here,” Josh stammers, his voice filled with fear. “Isn't she?”
“Josh,” I say cautiously, as I desperately try to work out what to do next, “don't move.”
“I can tell even without the sensor,” he replies. The nails are still jutting out of his eyes as he looks up toward Catherine Lannister. “I can feel her. I can sense her. The air gets so cold when she's here.”
“Josh,” I continue, “I...”
My voice trails off, and for a moment I have no idea what to say. Catherine Lannister is staring down at Josh with a strangely impassive expressi
on, but there's no doubt whatsoever that she is staring at him. I watch her face, hoping to see some hint of emotion, trying to determine whether she's angry or happy or sad. She seems to be simply observing him, and finally – not knowing what else I might do – I step closer.
“Catherine Lannister?” I say, trying to keep from sounding too terrified. “My name is Katie Sinclair. This is Josh. We only want to help you.”
She doesn't reply.
She doesn't show any sign of knowing that I'm here.
“I need to get him to the hospital,” I explain. “We moved your daughter's body, and I know that was wrong. We should never have come here and interfered, this is... I get it now, this is your home. We're going to put things back how we found them, and then we're going to leave. Do you understand? Once we're out of here, we'll make sure that no-one ever comes and disturbs you again. No scientists. No probes. No nothing. Doesn't that sound good?”
I wait, hoping that she'll understand, but instead she slowly reaches out with her right hand and touches Josh's chest.
“I can feel her!” he gasps. “Katie, it's so cold!”
“Be patient,” I tell him. “I think I'm getting through to her.”
I watch Catherine's face for a moment longer. Am I right? Does she understand what I'm saying to her? Does she even hear me? Suddenly it occurs to me that maybe she can only sense one person at a time, that she can only focus on Josh right now. What if she hasn't heard a word of what I just said to her?
“Catherine, can you give me a sign that you understand?” I ask, stepping around her a little, hoping to get a better look at her face. Hoping, too, that she might look at me. “I know we've made mistakes, but we're going to set them right. And we're going to learn from them. Please, let us do that.”
“Katie,” Josh whispers, “I...”
“Just let me try this,” I say to him firmly, as I step behind him. Now I can see Catherine Lannister properly, and she's still staring down at Josh's face. “Catherine, I guess what I'm saying is... I need you to forgive us.”
“Katie,” Josh says again, as he very slowly starts turning toward me.
“Catherine, listen to me,” I continue. I'm starting to feel desperate now, but I know I have to keep trying. “My friend described you earlier as being like a mother bear, protecting her child. I get it, we came and we disturbed your daughter. Millicent. That was her name, right? We disturbed Millicent and I'm truly sorry.”
“Katie,” Josh gasps, still turning toward me, “I -”
“I'm getting through to her!” I hiss. “Just let me do this!”
“Katie,” he replies, “I'm not -”
“I know she can hear me.”
“Katie!” He continues to turn his head toward me. “I'm not -”
“Quiet!” I snap, still watching Catherine Lannister's face.
“Katie,” Josh gurgles, “I'm... not turning my head.”
I look at him, and suddenly I realize that his head had turned almost completely to look at me. This time, I notice the sound of crunching bones.
“I'm not turning my head,” he gasps again. “She is. She -”
Suddenly there's a loud snapping sound, and then a deep crunch. Josh lets out one final sigh, and then his head is turned a full hundred and eighty degrees.
“No!” I shout, but it's already too late.
His head continues to turn until the skin around his neck pulls tight, and his mouth opens slightly. And then, suddenly, his whole body slumps down and lands with a heavy, dead thud against the floor.
The sensor, still beeping, falls from his hand.
I stare down at him in shock, and then I slowly start looking up until I see Catherine Lannister's face. Finally, for the first time, she's staring straight back at me.
IV
“I'm going to fix it,” I stammer, unable to tear my gaze away as Catherine Lannister continues to stare at me. “I swear to you, I'm going to set everything right.”
I wait, but she doesn't respond.
The sensor on the ground continues to beep in her presence.
“I'm going to make everything better,” I continue, “and then -”
Suddenly she takes a step toward me.
Instinctively, I step back and raise my hands in some kind of helpless, futile defense.
“I'm going to fix it!” I shout. “You have to understand, I can put it all back to how it's supposed to be! And then we'll leave! Please, try to listen to me!”
She steps forward again.
I turn and start scrambling up the stairs, and then as I reach halfway I stop and turn to see that she's still staring up at me. The sensor is beeping a little less regularly, now that Catherine has moved away from where it fell.
“I'm going to do it right now,” I continue. “You can watch. I'm going to put Millicent back where she was and -”
Before I can finish, Catherine Lannister starts coming up the stairs toward me.
Panicking, I turn and hurry to the top, scrambling on all fours until I reach the landing and turn to look at her. As I do so, the sensor at the bottom of the stairs falls silent, and to my shock I see that there's no sign of the ghost at all.
She's here.
She has to be here somewhere.
I look around, but I still don't see her. My very limited understanding of ghosts suggests that they do indeed tend to phase in an out of sight at times, and I've read papers suggesting that they turn invisible when they need to recharge, when they're getting weak. I pull away from the top of the stairs and look along the corridor, but I still don't see her. I know she must be somewhere close, however, and I'm sure she can still see me. I have to stick to my word and put the little girl back where we found her.
Suddenly one of the sensors, located at the top of the stairs, starts to beep.
She must be right in front of me.
Turning, I hurry along the corridor, desperate to get back to the room where the body is laid out. I can't help glancing over my shoulder, but there's still no sign of the ghost. As I reach the room and look down at the withered corpse, I'm suddenly overcome by a profound sense of sadness, and for a moment I can only look at the little girl's face.
In the distance, the sensor stops beeping.
“I'm so sorry we moved you,” I whisper. “I don't understand everything that's going on here, but I'm going to -”
Before I can finish, I hear another sensor starting to beep, this time out in the corridor. I turn and look toward the doorway, and I realize in a heartbeat that Catherine Lannister is getting closer. Sure enough, the sensor falls silent after just a couple of seconds, only for yet another – closer – sensor to immediately activate.
Dropping to my knees, I try to work out how I'm going to get Millicent Lannister's body back into the small space where she was found. After a moment, I get to my feet and rush over to the bed, and I quickly pull off the old sheets. As I carry the sheets back over to the corpse, I hear another sensor starting to beep, this time just beyond the open door.
I get back down onto the floor and start gently wrapping the little girl's body in the bed sheets. I know this might not be perfect, but right now it's the only way I can move her without the risk of damage. I take a moment to support her head, and then I roll her fully onto the sheets and reach under, getting ready to lift her. I hesitate, making absolutely sure that I'm not going to drop her, and then I very carefully start getting to my feet with the dead girl in my arms.
Suddenly the sensor right behind me starts beeping, and I freeze.
Catherine Lannister must be in the room now.
I'm trembling with fear as I slowly turn and look over my shoulder. There's no sign of her, but the sensor is beeping frantically, which means she must be right in the doorway. If she's not visible, that might mean that she was weakened when she killed Josh, or it might mean that she's gathering her strength in readiness for...
Another attack.
“I'm putting her back,” I explain, and now my voi
ce is trembling with fear. “See? I'm putting her back where we found her.”
I look down for a moment at the dead girl, and then I turn and carry her over to the gap in the wall. I'm desperately trying to remember the exact position in which we found her, but I quickly realize that it's going to be impossible to replicate the situation precisely. Instead, I start to very carefully maneuver the girl through the gap, starting with her feet.
Behind me, the sensor at the door is beeping less frantically.
Suddenly another sensor is activated, right on the floor near my foot. I hadn't even noticed that one, but when I turn to look over my shoulder I still can't see Catherine Lannister.
I can feel her, though.
The air is getting cold all around me, and somehow I can tell that she's close. Josh said the same thing earlier, and I quickly turn and slide Millicent's body fully into the gap. As I do so, however, I suddenly feel something touch the back of my neck.
I start to turn, and to my horror I find that Catherine Lannister is standing right behind me. Her dead eyes are staring directly at me, and for a moment I'm utterly mesmerized by the sight. I'm still holding Millicent's head, and I know I need to finish putting her in place, but right now I can only stare at Catherine Lannister's face as I feel a sense of pure hatred filling the air all around us.
And then, slowly, the ghostly face twists into an expression of anger.
She screams and lunges at me, but in that moment I turn and push Millicent all the way into the gap. Then I pull back, tripping against the sensor and tumbling down until I land hard on the floorboards. I see Catherine Lannister's ghost rush into the gap in the wall, her scream still ringing out, but then she's gone and the sensor falls silent, and I'm left gasping for breath on the floor.
Part Nine
Catherine Lannister
I
I had always supposed that heartbreak happened quickly, that a heart in such a state would simply shatter. That the initial pain, at least, would be over almost instantly. Yet now, as I look down upon Millicent's body, I find that the opposite is true.