by Jeff McDargh
lungs burned like hell and I was pretty sure if the college had been any farther away I would have died before I was able to make it to Molly.
The fact she wasn’t back yet meant something was wrong.
I wasn’t sure what that thing was that had followed her out of the hospital room but I knew it wasn’t good and if it had followed her home…
I pushed the thought out of my mind, I had to, I had to get to Molly.
I sped thought town sliding around the corners praying for Molly’s safety and a little for my own. My hands where wet on the steering wheel and with my lungs still burning I cursed the renewed rainfall of the storm as I turned on the windshield wipers.
I arrived at the cabin skidding up the driveway and threw the car in park before coming to a stop.
I ran full speed up the steps two at a time but stopped short at the door, it was standing wide open and the house was dark.
I reach my hand through the doorway and flipped the light switch, nothing happen.
I slowly and warily made my way into the house and waited for my eyes to adjust. The house had the same look as the hospital like someone opened up a tornado in a can in the middle of the living room.
A scream came from the back yard.
“Molly!”
I tried to run through the house towards the back door but apparently the previous tornado wasn’t done, it and the house came back to life. The wind pushed me back as our destroyed belongings independently started to lift up and fly around the room.
“Molly...Molly!” The air was heavy and acrid.
The darkness in the house seemed to be growing until I could distinguish dark spider like forms emerging from the darkened corners of the room even though the flying debris.
I eventually made it out of the living room and through the kitchen and out the back door full of cuts and bruises. It might have only taken seconds but it felt like an eternity.
I could still hear Molly screaming somewhere towards the lake.
I ran down the steps and was quickly caught up by the wind driven rain and ushered me down the sloping tree lined path.
“Molly!”
The lightning briefly illuminated the path and surrounding area, something moved in the trees following me, no racing.
"Molly!" My throat felt ragged but I still kept screaming her name.
I broke through the tree line; I’d finally reached the edge of the lake and the dock.
Lightning lit the sky again, a dark form was lying on the dock face down and away from me but I knew in an instant who it was.
"Molly!"
It was just like the dream or nightmare.
The pale orange light of a dying flashlight lay next to her guiding my way to her as I ran down the old wooden dock my feet thudding abnormally loud with each step.
I knelt down next to Molly and reached out with trembling hands to turn her over. It was with me now, on the deck, I could feel it's presence behind me cold and hateful. The air had taken on that now familiar change.
The night sky lit up once more, the next thing I remember was waking up on the shore the dock was ablaze and Molly was gone.
Nurse Tina Brooks finished her rounds and headed to the break room for a few minutes of well-deserved R & R.
Doctor Marlowe was sitting at one of the small tables.
"Hi Doc what are you reading?" Tina asked with an impish smile.
"Our screamers written confession, the detective just dropped it off. Who gave him the flashlight?"
"Nurse Jean."
"I don't know that I like that." He mused.
"It stopped him from screaming for a little while."
"Yeah, still don't think I like it. I'll talk to her later about it."
"She said it was worth the write up to not hear him call us sneaky britches."
Doctor Marlowe stopped reading and look at the young nurse for almost a second before they both started laughing.
"Ok, fair enough."
"What's in the big envelop Doc?"
"I don't know a book I think. The detective dropped it off too."
The lights flickered.