by Sara Clancy
“Put it on speaker phone,” she urged.
Tristan followed the instruction as if it were a natural reflex. Nina’s voice pushed back the silence and filled the room.
“Calm down,” Nina said. “I can’t understand you. What is going on?”
“We got attacked,” Tristan said, his words vibrating as they licked his lips.
“What? Who attacked you?”
His eyes flicked onto Ruby’s and his face contorted. The longer she kept her silence, the more his features twisted up. It took a few seconds more for him to remember that, whatever it was that he was trying to express, she wasn’t going to understand it. So, with a sharp huff, he thrusted the phone towards her.
“Hello? Are you still there? Tristan?” Nina said, the words leaving her in rapid succession.
“We’re here,” Ruby said.
“Who attacked you?”
“We didn’t see their faces,” Ruby said. “The fog up here is too thick and all of the outside lights are off.”
“Right. Did they say who they were?”
“No.”
“They’re trying to get in,” Tristan said. “Is the gondola working yet? We need to get out of here. Now.”
“I’m just pulling up now. It will take me a few moments for me to figure out what’s going on.”
“What’s going on is that we have creepy people crawling all over our building!” Tristan snapped his mouth closed, trying to keep in anything that might provoke questions they couldn’t answer. “We need to get out of here before they get in.”
“Okay,” Nina said. “Are all the doors locked?”
Tristan pulled his hands through his hair. “Yes.”
“That’s good. Our locks are built to withstand blizzards. They can stand up against a crazy person.”
Ruby knew that Nina was trying to be comforting, but it provoked Tristan to rage.
“All the walls are glass!”
“Yes, but they are thick and durable. They wouldn’t be able to smash them. If you keep everything locked up, there is no way they can get in.”
Tristan’s eyes flicked to Ruby’s once more as if trying to confirm this. That when she had called them ‘strong’ there had been distinct limitations. The truth was that she didn’t know exactly what they were capable of. But Tristan’s twitching had grown steadily worse and she didn’t have the skill set to deal with him if he had a complete breakdown.
“Are the lights hooked up to the same system as the heat?” she asked instead.
“Oh, crap,” Tristan mumbled. “We don’t have heat.”
“There is plenty of warm clothing in the gift shop and I think there’s a space heater in the staff lunch room,” Nina said. “Tristan, Ruby, I want you both to find a comfortable space and wait, okay? I’m calling the cops. I’m sure they’ll have a helicopter or something. Both of you, just stay safe and wait for us, okay?”
“Okay,” Tristan nodded.
With a few more reassurances and the promise to call back in half an hour, Nina hung up. They were left staring at the screen, neither completely sure what to do next.
“It climbed down the wall.”
Ruby glanced up at him, not quite sure why he felt inclined to mention it again. The nearest she could figure, he was just saying it out loud, hoping that hearing it spoken would somehow make it easier to believe. So she nodded and told him that she had seen it too. His eyes were sharp as he flicked them back up to her face.
With a lurching growl, the florescent lights flicked on. She had never noticed how loud they were. Their constant droning was almost as much of a comfort as the light that burned brightly over the ceiling.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “They’re gone. For now.”
“How could you possibly know that?” he asked quickly.
“The lights go off when they come. They flick back on when they leave.”
“So they turn them back on? That’s polite.”
“I don’t think that it’s intentional. Maybe whatever they are, they just interfere with the electric waves or something. I haven’t really been able to unravel the science behind it.”
“What else can they do?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but I can tell you that it isn’t in the stories you were reading,” she said.
Resting her forearms on the tabletop, she tapped the tip of her blade against the wood. Trying to think up the best way to express any of this left her dangling very close to a pit she would not be able to pull herself back out of. Every time she had tried to do this, it only ended badly. This time had to be different. It had to work. People don’t believe you. And then they die. The images of both men who had died in those three days flashed in her mind, and she swallowed back her rising bile.
“The first night I met them, they found me in the middle of nowhere. I was working at a dog yard that was out in the middle of a forest. They did the same thing to me then. The mind thing. Where they try and trick you into opening the door for them. If I hadn’t made an attempt to lock it beforehand, I would have let them in.”
“Did you see them?”
“By firelight,” she nodded. “The one that spoke to us looks like a little girl around seven years old. Somewhere nearby, there’ll be another girl that looks like she’s four and a boy around eleven.”
“You’re sure it’s the same ones?”
“It was their voices. The girls didn’t speak much last time. Mostly I talked to the boy. But those voices are going to haunt me until I die. It was them.” When Tristan didn’t say anything, she continued. “All of them have these bottomless black eyes. They look really close to being human but there’s just something off. Little things. Like there’s no changing shades or blushes in their skin. It’s all just this one sickly pale color. Like stone. Or porcelain. And maybe their expressions are off. It’s hard for me to pinpoint it with my condition, but it didn’t seem like they moved the way they should.”
“And they don’t come inside?”
“Not without an invitation. But once they have one, they can come and go as they please.”
“You’re sure?” he said.
The back of Ruby’s throat burned with the vomit she forced back as she pulled the knife closer to her chest. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and she struggled to keep them from falling.
“The first night I met them, I refused to let them in. I told them to go to the nearest neighbor. He let them in. And they killed him. I found the body.” The rest of her words were broken into a stifled sob. Swallowing thickly, she forced herself to continue. “The last night, they chased me into my neighbor’s house. They followed me in.”
“How did you get away?”
“I set the building on fire,” she said. “They don’t burn. They melt. Like plastic dolls. I really thought I had killed them. Maybe they can’t be killed. I mean, I did stab one of them and it did nothing. The thing only slumped for a few moments before it popped back up.”
“But,” Tristan said, “most of this area is open to the public. Why would they ask permission to come in at all?”
“I don’t know. Things are different this time. By the third night, the boy had dropped the pretenses and was just trying to lure me out into the open. I don’t know why they’re going back to the ‘lost kids’ trick. It’s like someone’s hit reset and I’m right back at the beginning.”
Tristan snorted. “Maybe it’s the little girl’s turn.”
Her brow furrowed and Tristan rolled his eyes.
“You know, like they played by the boy’s rules the first time and they failed. So now it’s her turn to take a shot at you. Like it’s a game. You know, having to explain my smartass comments kind of ruins it for me.”
Ruby opened her mouth to respond, but the words didn’t come out. Her mind was too consumed with his theory. What if he’s right? What if all of this is just a sick game they play? Is that why they didn’t come in at first? Because they all have to start the same? Or are they alr
eady playing with the little girl’s rules?
The lights above them continued to hum, a near solid sound that served as the backdrop of what Tristan said next.
“Why did they pick you?”
“I don’t know. The town had kind of a history of people going missing. Some of them murdered. Some just vanished. Nobody warned me about severed heads.” A sharp, bitter chuckle left her. She couldn’t pinpoint anything that was funny about all of this, but for the longest time, she couldn’t stop her laughter. Guilt slipped through her as the sound eventually died down. “My best guess is that I just stumbled into their hunting ground.”
“Guess they’re still hunting you, huh?” he said.
She tried to smirk. “Messing with me, actually.” Her attempt at levity didn’t really work and she soon let her smile fade. “I never wanted to bring anyone into this. I thought they were dead and I’ve never gone out at night since then.”
Tristan waved one hand, his body jolting when he noticed the bandage wrapped around his palm.
“I’m not blaming you. I’m just trying to understand. To learn.”
She laughed again. “You’re not going to learn anything about yourself that you’d want to know. They look so much like kids. I never knew I could do the things I did to something that looked like a child. You have no idea how that twists your head.”
“Might be why they look like them.”
“What?”
“Psychological warfare,” he said with a wave of his hand.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. They used an injured dog to try and lure me into a trap once. They scared me. Terrorized me,” she said. “Even if they get the gondola working, I don’t know if I can stand to go out there. Not with them lurking about.”
“But we’ll know when they’re gone, right?” He said. “The power will come back on. That’s what you said.”
“This isn’t an exact science. I don’t know why the power goes off. What if they try and trick us? Besides, the gondolas are open to the public. What if that counts as an invitation?”
The color drained from his face, and she furrowed her brow.
“They can go into public areas?” he asked.
“I suppose so. They ran around the dog yard without me allowing them to.” At her words, his twitching only got worse. “What?”
“Ruby, they were in the gondola launch area. A public area.”
“I remember,” she said before it clicked. “If that counts, they can get into the hallway. The gift shop.” Meeting his eyes, her heart stammered. “They could come in here.”
“We need to get to the back office.”
They shot to their feet and quickly gathered up the candles. Hot wax sloshed over her hands and her fingertips burned. Grabbing everything, they only got two steps from the table when the lights clicked off. Once more, they were reduced to the murky glow of the candlelight. Slowly at first but with more increasing insistence, a sharp long squeak broke the stillness. It took Ruby a split second to realize that it was the sound of a hand slowly being dragged over glass.
Chapter 10
The candles died when they hit the ground. Ruby couldn’t bring herself to look back as she sprinted for the kitchen, the pain in her leg forgotten under a rush of adrenaline. The swinging door didn’t allow enough room for her and Tristan to pass through shoulder to shoulder, and they once again found themselves colliding into each other. They battled for space, their panicked need wedging them in all the more. The weapons still clenched within their hands nicked at each other’s skin. Behind them, the glass began to rattle like it was hit a thousand times at once. The sound raced back and forth. Growing faster. Louder. Tristan hissed something. Even though he was right next to her, she couldn’t hear it over the sound behind them. With a sharp blast, one of the windows shattered. Glass spewed out over the floor, the shards pushed forward with enough force to bring the clattering against their feet.
The kitchen before her was a bottomless pit. All she could see was whatever the thin beam of the flashlight wildly fell upon. Anything could be lurking within the depths. But whatever might be hiding within had to be better than what was closing in behind her. Footsteps crashed against the ground, racing towards them. Placing a hand on the back of her head, Tristan gave her a hard shove and sent her toppling across the threshold.
They dropped down onto the kitchen floor in a mass of tangled limbs, the stray knives seeking out new flesh to cut into and scraping against the tiles. After smacking against the wall, the door swung back and became lodged against Tristan’s side. From only inches away, lost within the darkness, the shards of glass crunched under the soles of phantom shoes. Ruby gripped the flashlight and flopped over onto her back. The sudden movement left her fumbling with the handle. It made the beam of light dance across the midnight walls, allowing her only glimpses of what was standing at her feet. Hyperventilating, she grabbed the bulky flashlight with both hands and focused the beam on the open doorway.
She choked on her breath as the light fell upon eyes of polished onyx.
It was the older of the two girls that she could remember. By appearance, the girl couldn’t have been more than ten. It was hard to judge as most of the girls’ features were hidden underneath a pristine hooded sweater. What she could see of her perfect little face was completely devoid of emotion as she blankly stared at her. Beside her, Tristan breathed a curse. Ruby wanted to look at him, but she couldn’t bring herself to move her eyes from the figure before them. It didn’t matter that the child looked like any other lost little girl. Ruby could feel the evil washing over her, grinding down with a bone crushing force.
“Ruby,” the girl whispered. The name came out like a song, but her lips barely moved. “We’re lost and cold. Help us, Ruby.”
With a trembling hand, Ruby focused the beam around the edges of the child, searching the dark recesses behind her. It didn’t matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find the other two. A cry almost left her when the light suddenly reflected back to her, glistening off of something slick. Their eyes, she thought as she shifted her gaze to either side of the girl. There are two pairs. They’re all here. They all came.
“We’re lost and cold,” the girl said again in her unnerving monotone. “Let us in.”
Tristan opened his mouth, a straggled gasp leaving his lips.
“No!” Ruby shouted.
Snapping out of his daze, he blinked rapidly and shook his head.
“Let us in!”
A few shards slashed at her palms as she forced herself to her feet. Refusing to let go of either her flashlight or her weapon, she struggled to get a decent hold on Tristan’s shirt. With her slipping grip, she tugged savagely, forcing him up. He was heavy in her arms, a dead weight that nearly dragged her down more than once. The moment he moved away, the door swung shut with a soft swoosh. Neither it nor the distance they created as they lumbered down the short hallway could stop the child’s voice from following them. It sounded as if it were right beside them, screaming into their ears. Once more, Tristan pushed her through the door and into the staff room, staggering in after her. The room was smothered by a complete, impenetrable darkness. It filled every space, the shadows barley relenting to the glow of her flashlight beam. Tristan slammed the door closed behind them. They both searched for a chair to shove under the handle. Between them, their panicked movements somehow managed to accomplish this.
It didn’t keep out the voice. The words ghosted across her ear, a puff of air rushing across his neck. Ruby screamed and whirled around. She searched the area, flashlight trembling and knife ready. But the light was too thin to be of any help. She couldn’t see much of anything.
Then it was behind her again. And again. With each attack, the sensation grew worse, the feelings solidifying, becoming as real as anything her senses had ever encountered. It was always right behind her, but she could never turn fast enough to see the speaker. Tristan grabbed her shoulders and brought her to a stop. She was dizzy from sp
inning so fast for so long, and she barely kept her knife from slashing across her arm.
“It’s not real,” he said.
The voice whispered in her ear and she screamed, flinching away, trying to turn. He shook her with force, hard enough to make her head rattle on her neck.
“It’s not really here,” he shouted.
Ruby didn’t know if he was saying it for her benefit or his own. Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. She fought against the hold but wasn’t strong enough to break free. The arms dragged her across the room until the solid wall pressed against her side, the cold lingering to it bleeding into her flesh. Tristan’s hands shifted, changing their grip to force her down onto her knees. The voices never stopped screaming. Demanding. Pleading.
Together, Tristan and Ruby cowered into the corner, pressing tight to one another, seeking out some comfort in the other’s warmth. When barley any space was left to separate them, Tristan dropped his knife and clamped his hands over her ears. It muffled the noise slightly but didn’t stop it. As he pressed harder, her racing heartbeat seemed louder. She focused on it, fixing her attention onto the rhythm, allowing it to anchor her into something real. The flashlight and knife clattered from her hands as she returned the favor to him. But it wasn’t only to offer some merciful relief. Whenever the demands, the voices, the shrieking grew to be too much to take, they would use their grip on the other to center them again. It took more as the time passed and the constant barrage of the senses drove them to the edge. Took them to moments when giving in and accepting death seemed worth it just to make it stop. In those moments, when they couldn’t be strong for themselves, the clawing grip was a reminder that they weren’t alone. But there was nothing to stop the pain. Ruby pressed her head against her knees and squeezed her eyes shut as her tears soaked the material of her jeans.