I shuffled up the bed and leant against the headboard. “Has anyone called? Do we know anything?”
She stopped grooming her hair and stared at the brush, rolling it back and forth in her hand. “Mum called them first thing, but they wouldn’t tell us anything. We’re not family.”
“That’s stupid. We’re the ones who brought him in.”
“Maybe his parents don’t want us to know. I’ll go find them when I get there. They need to hear how much I love Courtney.”
“You love him?”
“I think so.”
“Wow.”
She shrugged. “Either way, I’m going to help him through this. I won’t abandon him.”
Sarah wasn’t the kindest person, but she seemed to mean what she said. But how would it even work? Courtney couldn’t see or hear, or speak either. What relationship did she expect to have with him? What relationships could Courtney ever hope to have with anyone ever again? It sucked so badly. He was a good guy and his life was ruined. It would probably have been better if he had died. In fact, I wished he…
No! I stopped myself. Don’t wish for anything. That’s what Thomas Quick said. Don’t wish. Don’t even think it. I had wished for a Big Mac and Sarah had wished for Courtney to be at our house. Stupid, simple wishes, but…
Had we caused this?
“Sarah,” I said, my mind buzzing with a dozen thoughts, “this’ll sound really strange, but don’t wish for anything, okay?”
She had resumed brushing her hair, but once again she stopped and looked at me. “What d’you mean?”
“The man who spoke to me at the hospital mentioned wishes. I think bad things happen when we wish for stuff.”
“What are you talking about, idiot?”
I rubbed sleep from my eyes so I could focus on her fully. “Look, Sarah, just promise me you won’t make any wishes, okay? Please?”
Her lips parted like she was going to insult me again, but instead she shrugged. “Okay, fine. I promise I won’t blow out any candles or make any wishes. Just get up, will you?”
I relaxed against the pillow. Things suddenly felt a little less dangerous. “Okay, I just need one more minute.”
“Of course, I’ve been wishing for Courtney to get better, but that doesn’t count, right?”
Lightning struck my spine and I grew light-headed. Whether fear or something supernatural, I felt one thing clearly. Dread. Like hot metal dripping on the back of my neck.
“Sarah, I don’t think you should’ve done that.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Idiot.”
I got dressed in a daze, staring at the wall the entire time. My thoughts crunched to a halt and I waited for the next bad thing to happen – because I knew it was coming.
There was a knock at the door.
Sarah opened the door to Dad. His dark skin had gone a peculiar shade of grey, and his big eyes were puffy and red. He obviously hadn’t slept a wink.
“You both ready?” he asked us, leaning against the door frame and yawning. “If we get a move on, we can go get breakfast somewhere.”
Sarah tossed the brush down on the dressing table and shuffled into her trainers. I quickly got ready, throwing on the previous night’s clothes, and then joined them both at the door.
We walked down the corridor until we reached the reception area where Mum was already sitting staring out of the window. I sat in a comfy chair beside her, glad when she noticed me and smiled. Her eyes looked sore – like she’d spent the night crying – and her shoulders were sagging lower than I’d ever seen them. It was frightening, seeing my mother so weak. Before I was born she’d been a nurse, and I knew she planned on being one again some day. She was the one who always dealt with our cut knees, bad breakups, and naughty behaviour without batting an eyelid. She was the one who kept us all safe, happy, and fed. But she had gone somewhere now, and every time I looked at her it was like a part of her was missing. It frightened me more than I wanted to admit.
Dad went to the reception desk to check us out. A sign on the wall said the Vixen had once been a coaching inn, but with its horrible blue carpets and white-painted doors, it didn’t make me think of a coaching inn at all. Behind the reception desk, a stuffed fox stood beside a photograph of the hotel staff. On duty today was a young woman with bright red lipstick and a tight ponytail, and she smiled at Dad as he leant on the desk and pulled out his wallet.
Sarah joined me and Mum by the window, but she didn’t speak. It was nice to sit quietly in the morning sunlight cast through the windows and I was in no hurry to leave. I really didn’t want to visit the hospital again, but I knew I had to. Courtney was there because of us.
Dad returned, stuffing his wallet back into his jeans. He was about to say something but the phone rang at reception and interrupted him, so instead of speaking, he just smiled and nodded to the doors. Let’s go.
We got up and started to head out, and when the receptionist called after us, none of us registered it. It wasn’t until she butchered Dad’s surname that we paused and turned around.
“It’s pronounced Ad-a-mal-e,” said Dad with a chuckle. It happened too often for him to get upset.
The receptionist blushed, then wiggled the phone in her hand. “Somebody’s asking to speak to you.”
Mum glanced at Sarah. “I left the hotel number with the hospital. It must be them.”
Sarah reached out and grabbed Mum’s arm like she might fall, while Dad took the phone from the red-lipped receptionist and placed it to his ear. “Hello, this is Mr Ademale.”
A short conversation ensued that I couldn’t decode, hearing only my dad’s grunts and short replies. We were forced to wait until he put down the phone and faced us.
“What is it?” Sarah begged. “What is it?”
“The police. They’ve asked us to go back to the hospital immediately. That’s all they would say.”
For a moment, I assumed Courtney had died, but then I changed my mind and decided it would be something much worse.
I was right.
15
Sarah sobbed in the car, obviously assuming, as I first had, that Courtney was dead. I wondered if it might be true. His face had been mutilated, sure, but that wouldn’t kill a person, right? Being blind and deaf wasn’t fatal. The more I considered it, the more I decided the police hadn’t called because Courtney had died. No, it was something else. Sarah had made a careless wish and now something bad would happen. That’s what Thomas Quick had warned me about. As much as the stranger scared me, I desperately wanted to talk to him again. I wanted to talk with anyone who could explain what was happening to my family.
The previous night, Dad had sped us to the hospital with Courtney in the car, but that morning he drove sedately, almost like he was trying to put off arriving. We all knew that as soon as we entered the hospital the next part of our nightmare would begin, and so when Dad pulled up in the car park, I clutched my seatbelt for dear life.
“I don’t want to go in,” I said. “It’s going to be bad.”
Sarah sobbed.
“The police want to speak to us all,” said Dad.
I shook my head. “I don’t feel good. I want to stay in the car.”
Mum reached back and held my knee. She couldn’t look at me directly around the seat, but I saw the edges of her sympathetic smile. “Honey, it’ll be okay. Let’s just get it over with. Then we can do something fun afterwards.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Bowling, perhaps.”
I wasn’t a massive fan of bowling, but at least it would delay us having to go back to the house. “Okay, fine, I’ll come.”
Dad smiled at me. “Thanks, buddy. Just let me do the talking and we’ll be fine, okay?”
I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car, slamming the door and marching ahead. Now that I had decided this was happening, I wanted to deal with it quickly. The anticipation of what came next was unbearable.
“Hold on, Martin,” Dad s
houted. “I don’t want you wandering off by yourself.”
I stopped and waited for them, but I tapped my foot to show my irritation. I wanted them to hurry up, and it was an eternity before we reached the hospital’s front desk.
A nurse acknowledged us. “Ah, yes, Mr Ademale, we’ve been told to expect you. Officer Dorrens is waiting for you in the staff area. I’ll have someone escort you.”
Mum and Dad looked at each other. Probably a bad sign that the police were waiting for us in a private area of the hospital. They clearly had lots to talk about. Maybe they would arrest us as soon as we stepped into the room. A sting, or whatever they called it.
A man in a white uniform arrived to take us. He must have been from the same part of Africa as Dad’s family, because they started chatting in Shona, the other language he knew besides English. The conversation ended with a laugh and the man patted Dad on the back.
Mum frowned. “Made a new friend?”
“He’s from a village less than ten miles from where my parents grew up. Small world, huh?”
Sarah tutted. “Can we go find out about Courtney now, please?”
“Sure, sorry, come on.”
We continued following the hospital employee as he led us through a corridor full of nurses who eyeballed us as we passed. Finally, he led us inside a room with a large table and chairs. A projector sat on top of the table but it wasn’t switched on. PC Dorrens was sitting at the end, sorting through a stack of papers. He looked up and frowned when we entered. “Sit down, all of you. There are questions I want to ask.”
“How is Courtney?” Sarah blurted. “Is he okay?”
The officer turned his paperwork face down and leant back in his chair. “That’s why I asked you here. It appears some kind elaborate joke has been played that even the doctors can’t make sense off. Now is the time to come clean before things get very serious.”
Dad shook his head in confusion. “We have no idea what you’re talking about. What joke?”
PC Dorrens sat forward and laced his fingers together on the desk. He seemed to study my dad for a moment. “Courtney has made a miraculous recovery. His eyes are fine. His hearing has returned. He’s even spoken a little. It’s as though Jesus himself walked in and healed him.”
Sarah pulled out a chair and collapsed into it. I thought she would wail with relief, but she just stared at the wall in silence. Mum and Dad remained standing, but my legs ached, so I collapsed into the chair beside Sarah. I leaned into her and whispered, “You wished for this. You wished for Courtney to be okay.”
She glanced at me, and from the way her eyes widened, I could tell she wasn’t immediately dismissing my words. I had warned her not to make a wish, but she did so anyway. Now it had come true and there would be a price to pay. Thomas Quick had spoken of debts.
Mum folded her arms and slowly shook her head. “Courtney is really okay? How is that possible?”
“He was obviously fine to begin with,” said PC Dorrens. “His wounds must have been prosthetics or make-up; nobody is quite sure. If he’s practising to be a magician, he’s well on his way to becoming a very good one. That doesn’t mean he’s going to get away with this. He’s guilty of wasting hospital resources and police time. Christ, even his poor parents were duped. I stayed up half the night with them. His mother needed to be sedated. Whatever this is, it’s sick and criminal. I want answers.”
“We don’t have any,” said Dad. “I swear to you.”
I flinched as the police officer suddenly turned his attention to me. “Answer me truthfully, Martin. You said you found Courtney at your front door. Was that a lie?”
I shook my head vigorously. “It’s the truth. He was a mess, I swear. If this is all a joke, then Courtney played it on us too.”
PC Dorrens turned to my sister next, but she continued staring at the wall. “I would ask you, Sarah, if you knew anything about this, but from the state you appear to be in, I would say not. Unless you’re as a good an actress as Courtney is a magician.”
Sarah turned her head just enough to look at the officer. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
PC Dorrens let out a grunt. “Ten years on the force and I’ve never seen anything like this. If any of you is involved, I promise you’ll answer for it. Now, I can’t question you kids alone, and quite frankly I don’t want to. Mum and Dad, however, I will be interviewing you both separately, starting with you, Mr Ademale.”
Mum and Dad glanced at each other. Were they thinking Courtney had actually tricked them? Or were they trying to figure out exactly how he had miraculously healed? I knew the answer even if they didn’t.
The room granted wishes.
But not for free.
I wondered when our next payment was due.
16
Courtney’s family didn’t want us seeing him, but Sarah had been beside herself to a point that they eventually relented. They seemed like nice people. Younger than my own parents, they both had the same straight blonde hair as Courtney. They made small talk with my family for a while but eventually drifted to the other side of the waiting room. They seemed angry with us, but they didn’t say so. They had gone through a nightmare only to have it revealed to be a false alarm. Their heads must have been a mess. Courtney’s mum appeared half-asleep.
The nurse told us we couldn’t see Courtney until the doctor confirmed it, which led to us waiting for nearly an hour. Then, when she finally gave us the okay, we were informed that only two of us were allowed in.
Dad waved a hand at Sarah. “You and Martin go.”
Sarah rolled her eyes at me. “Can’t he stay out here?”
I probably should have left Sarah alone with her boyfriend, but I was as upset about everything as she was. I needed to see Courtney too.
The nurse led us into a dimly lit room that smelled of bleach. Courtney was lying in a high bed, and when we entered he turned his head. His staring eyes sent a shudder down my neck. How had they healed? Had they just reappeared inside the sockets? Or had they grown back piece by piece, blood vessels kitting together like magic?
I didn’t know what I’d expected, but Courtney didn’t seem okay. ‘Empty’ was the word I would have used to describe him. He blinked and stared, blinked and stared, dreaming with his eyes open. His face lacked any expression – a doll’s face.
Sarah galloped to the side of the bed and threw her arms around him. “Thank God you’re okay. I’m so sorry this happened, but it’s over now, babe. You’re okay.”
“S-Sarah?”
Sarah eased back. “Yes, I’m here for you, Courtney.”
He nodded, but didn’t smile. “I-I remember.”
“Of course you do. Baby, I love you.”
“Flesh screaming,” he muttered, his voice weak. “Hooks in my eyes. Pulling me apart.”
Sarah stepped away from the bed. “C-Courtney, what are you…?”
Courtney glanced in our direction, but it was like he barely knew we were there. “I counted the seconds,” he said. “I counted them and they went on forever. The hooks took me away, chunk by chunk, until I was all gone. Now I’m back.”
Sarah stepped forward again and grabbed Courtney by the arms. “Yes, you’re back. Everything is okay, babe, I promise.”
Courtney blinked rapidly as if his mind suddenly zapped back into his head. He then looked at Sarah and seemed to finally see her properly. “Why am I here?” he begged. “Why did I come back?”
“Babe… I…”
“You wished him back,” I whispered to my sister, “but we have no idea where he was while he was gone. We don’t know where the room took him.”
“Shut up, Martin! Just shut up, you idiot.”
Courtney shoved an arm out and almost hit Sarah in the face. “Why am I here?” he yelled. “Why did I come back? Why am I here? Why did I come back?” He kept saying the same thing over and over again, his voice increasing in volume until he was shouting at the top of his lungs.
Sarah went stiff
as a board, barely moving at all. Courtney screamed right at her, his expression one of absolute madness. I worried he might hurt her.
“Sarah, get away from him.” I reached out and grabbed her just as Courtney took a swing. He missed and tumbled out the bed, hitting the tiles hard, which caused Sarah to scream. She moved to help him, but I kept her back. Courtney thrashed on the ground, his teeth chomping at the air.
A nurse burst into the room behind us. “What is going on here?” She then saw Courtney on the ground and hurried over to help him. Grabbing him beneath the arms, she dragged him to his feet as if he weighed nothing at all. Once Courtney was upright, she placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “Everything is okay now, sweetie. Let’s get you back into bed, shall we?”
Courtney blinked, over and over, then suddenly stopped. His head tilted and a smile grew on his face. If ever there was an expression of pure madness, this was it.
Nobody said anything, and I couldn’t stand it.
“Courtney, please calm down,” I said.
Courtney exploded into action, clawing at the nurse’s face with both hands. The nurse screamed, first in shock, then in agony as he shoved his thumbs deep into her eyes. She collapsed to the ground, a wailing mess.
I’m not sure how I kept from being sick.
I reached out for my sister, wanting to get her away from the deranged monster that had once given me half a pack of Rolos, but she wouldn’t come. She was a statue, only her eyes moving, which were fixated on Courtney.
Thankfully, he didn’t move to hurt her. Instead, he turned to me, his eyes like those of a wild animal. I put my hands up, like I was being robbed by a gunman. “Please, don’t hurt us, Courtney.”
“L-Little man?”
I smiled with great effort, worried I was about to wet myself. “Yeah, it’s little man, your friend. I want to help you.”
Courtney shook his head. “No one can help me.”
The Room Upstairs: A Novel Page 9