Exhausted from the ordeal the girls endured, this place allowed them to release their anguish and fears. Jennifer giggled. Joy came over her, but the memory of the other girls tainted her liveliness. She wondered if she’d ever have another living being besides Lisa as a companion. With those thoughts in mind, she still knew this wasn’t the end of their journey.
Walking through the open valley, Jennifer spotted silhouettes dancing on the horizon. “Do you see them?” Jennifer asked, excited beyond belief.
“I do!” Lisa exclaimed.
Peaceful as a dove, the laughter of angels sang through the air. The angels’ long, white cottony hair blew in the wind, their free souls shining like a diamond’s reflection, shimmering about. The presence of Heaven with beautiful gardens and green rolling hills appeared before them. It had to be a dream, for the beauty it held could only exist in another realm.
“Isn't it beautiful, Lisa?” Jennifer said. “Wonder if there's any water in those hills.”
“It isn't real. None of this is real,” Lisa complained.
Jennifer blinked, and the land turned to cracked dirt; shriveled trees hung in the night sky as if on a nail. Flowers didn’t exist. Instead, sharp weeds sprang upward like swords. A deep orange moon glistened above, and as she cried out in shock at the disappearance of her salvation, darkened skies crept upon her and Lisa, smothering the little light they had. The fantasy valley became a cruel dream, a sickening joke at their expense. Jennifer’s imagination took over her mind, playing games, producing hallucinations she thought were real. Despair settled in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea where to go from here? Her hopes and prayers shattered like a glass hurled against a brick wall.
“I told you it wasn't real,” Lisa whispered.
“It’s pointless to go on; there is nothing else out there,” Jennifer bawled, dropping to her knees. “We’re never getting out of here.”
Lisa plunked to the ground with her knees bent, arms resting in her lap, and began chewing away at the inner part of her cheek. Bitterness etched her face. Aiming her anger toward Jennifer, she roared, “How can you be so negative? Why must you make me feel worse than I already do? I'm outta here.”
Springing to her feet, Lisa pushed Jennifer aside, and headed in the opposite direction, back the way they'd come. She stormed off in search of the unknown. Jennifer raced to catch up, and started to weep. “Talk to me,” Jennifer pleaded. “Don't leave me alone in this place.”
Lisa kept a steady pace, ignoring her as if she didn’t exist. With merely a hint of light peering down from the deep orange moon, judging the distance became difficult. The rough, water-deprived land surrounding them weakened their will to survive. If they wanted to outsmart the enemy, they needed to stay positive.
Trudging for mile after mile on top of dry cracked dirt, the world looked to be a vast wasteland, desolate for centuries. Jennifer knew something unholy deceived them. Any hope of finding civilization dwindled. Her mind weakened with fear as dark ominous clouds obscured what little moonlight she and Lisa had.
As the dark orange moonlit their path once again, she staggered a few steps further until her leg cramped, and she crumpled to the ground. A burning sensation spread through her muscles as Lisa struggled to pull her up, but she was too weak to stand. With no hope of getting any further that night, Lisa plopped down beside Jennifer to rest.
Dozing into slumber, a familiar world opened for Jennifer. Vivid images danced about in her head, so real she reached out to touch them. Her mom in the kitchen, her dad puttering in the garage, an eight-year-old Claire smiling at her, inviting her to come outside and play. She smiled back. Home. Her eyes popped open when a tiny voice laughed in her ear.
“J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R.” Standing before her was the silhouette of a child surrounded by a blinding cobalt backlight. She stepped forward as if from a jarring doorway to Hell and became whole. This was no dream.
A shaft of dread stirred through Jennifer's soul from the look on the little child’s face. She didn’t resemble a normal, modern-day child. Her eyes had a dead look to them—flat, glassy. Her shiny blonde hair hung in fat sausage curls on both sides of her head. Her teeth, although straight, wore jagged edges like a saw blade. Wearing a blue dress with white ruffles dancing around the hem, she radiated evil. She was like no other child Jennifer had ever seen. Was she dreaming all this?
“Who are you and why are you doing this?” Jennifer dared to ask, “What's your name?”
Grimacing down at Jennifer lying in the dirt, she replied, “I told you before and I won’t repeat myself. Soon you’ll know all about me and what I can do.”
Jennifer couldn’t hold her tongue as fury took hold of her. “Stop playing games with me, little girl. Now, who are you,” she demanded. “And what do you want?”
The little girl scoffed, tilting back her head. Her mouth looked like a piranha's. “Why don’t you like me J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R? I want people to like me, and play with me, but instead they shun me. I had to take your friends. Loneliness isn't any fun.”
Jennifer was suddenly wide-awake. Trying to recall the events that happened the night they strolled through the cemetery, Jennifer remembered the child that stopped their escape at the gates. “It’s you, isn't it? You're Maddie Ann! Your grave made us puke with your stench,” she yelled. “I can still smell your evil.”
Anger strummed her heart as Jennifer thought about her dear friends dying at the hands of this wicked creature. “You're not real. You're dead. What right do you have taking their innocent lives and keeping their souls like treasured possessions?” No matter the cause, this little girl rose from Hell, and with the power she now held, she took charge over every breathing soul trapped in her web.
“I demand you to tell me where my friends are,” Jennifer screeched.
Pacing back and forth, with her tiny arms behind her back, the little girl leaned down. “Let’s just say they are behind the scenes right now, but someday, J-E-N-N-Y, you might get your wish and bump into them.”
Obviously, the child wasn’t about to unveil anything about her world or the mysteries it contained. The secret would remain confident forever, behind the lips of a demon. Sprawled on the hard–packed surface, she quivered from the evil looks of this little girl. In the back of her mind, Jennifer knew she had to do something to save Lisa. Struggling to move, she opened her eyes to find the ghost straddling her body.
With a devious grin dancing in the corners of her mouth, Jennifer rolled out of the way, enough to give herself some standing room. She took a stance, fists raised. Her eyes bored into the disturbed, unholy being who wished to kill them all. Without taking her eyes off her, she nudged at Lisa to wake her, but didn’t get a response. Frightened for her life, she wanted to run, but her feet stood still, tacked to the earth.
Looking at her horrendous face, Jennifer heard the little girl speak with such hatred, “J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R-, why do you make me torture you like this?”
She trembled at the threat, and prayed for escape. Fight her, she heard in her head. Jennifer lunged for the little girl’s throat; instead, she spun through the air, sprawling across the clearing.
With throbbing pain shooting up her spine, Jennifer watched as the little girl sashayed to her side. Stomping a dainty Mary Jane on her chest, she glared at Jennifer. “You will never defeat me Jenny, no matter how hard you try,” she whispered. Tears streamed down Jennifer's dirty face. Demented laughter wavered in her ear as the little girl disappeared. Determined to fight for what she believed in, Jennifer crawled on her knees to go after her.
“You leave us alone, you demonic witch. Go back to your Hellhole.”
Dear God, give me strength to get through this, she prayed. Pulling her weak body from the ground, Jennifer stood again, determined to fight back. The child turned from her aura-door and instantly appeared in front of her. Her razor-sharp teeth sunk into her bottom lip. Raising her hand to strike at her, Jennifer hesitated. How could she hit a child?
Jennifer
's hesitation was her undoing. The child grabbed her arm, swinging her bodily to the ground. The bone about to snap in half, Jennifer pounded on her leg. Struggling to break from the child's heavy grip, the fiend said as if from faraway, “Your friends fought to stay alive, like you, but I did them all a favor. I ended it quickly.”
Her grip on Jennifer's arm deepened, and the pleasure in the little girl’s face increased as Jennifer's pain intensified. “Suffering is part of the game, Jenny. You have to want it to fade, otherwise it lingers, and the pain grows stronger the longer you fight it. But after you’re free from the shell you live in, you can soar to great heights and go wherever your heart wishes. I’ve discovered over the decades that if I inflict pain on others, my own pain disappears. It feels good to hurt you.”
Jennifer sensed the compassion the child had for death, like a sickness in the mind. With rage blazing from within her black soul, she'd stop at nothing until her twisted vengeance satisfied her.
With Jennifer confined by her tiny hand, the little child whispered, “Claire is out there somewhere, and when I find her, she will play with me.”
Horrified by the wickedness, Jennifer’s will to end this fiendish charade festered. She went mad, twisting out of the strong grip that held her bound. She flung the child off and whirled, seeing the little girl’s body lying on the ground. “I'll destroy you!”
Lunging for her like a hungry wolf, Jennifer dug into her flesh, using her razor sharp nails and teeth. While gouging chunks of meat away from the ribs in her torso, the blood sprayed freely, landing in her hair and face. Jennifer ripped out the demon's throat with her bare hands. She stomped and crushed the little body. As her foot struck the rib cage, the sound of each bone snapping echoed in her ears.
Bashing the little demon's head on the ground, a faint faraway cry called for her to stop. Suddenly looking at the face she held in her hands, she fell backwards with fresh, dripping blood covering her palms. Jennifer screamed when she saw it was Lisa she’d attacked. From behind her, cold hands pressed into her shoulders. She uttered a piercing cry for her friend who lay bloody, battered and dead on the ground. “LISA. Nooooo!” Jennifer balled her hands and pounded the ground over and again in her agony. “I'm so sorry, Lisa. Maddie Ann did it.”
The child's eerie laughter haunted Jennifer’s mind. Maddie Ann leaned in and whispered into her ear. “You did this, and I watched.” Her face creased with glee, Maddie Ann ran her finger over her lips. “You’re the lucky one who will live among the living, as the legend goes. There’s only one left to leave, J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R, and you’re the chosen one.”
Without warning, Jennifer gripped the bars with bloody hands, peering through the rusted gates that enclosed the cemetery. On the outside, looking in. “Noooo,” she yowled. “Don’t do this.” As the child promised, she spared her life, but her friends remained in the hellish world. Weeping, Jennifer shook the gates until they rattled. Confused and shocked, she cried out for her childhood friends. “Claire-Kari-Liz-please hear me….”
Jennifer dropped to her back, sobbing and kicking at the iron bars. Her backside pressed against the ground with her fists clutching handfuls of scruffy weeds. Even forcefully kicking with her athletic legs wouldn't budge the gate. With the chain and old padlock holding it together, her return to the real world was official the moment she gripped the bars.
Jennifer crawled down the dusty hill to the gravel road. She stood, swaying in darkness, feeling around for Claire’s car. It wasn’t there. Someone must have towed it away, she thought. The authorities knew we were in there, but why didn’t they find us? Confused and full of questions, Jennifer stumbled down the road toward home.
Chapter Six
At dawn, staggering down her street, Jennifer managed to find her way home. She’d walked the entire way, determined to see her family one more time before she died. She could have stopped at any number of convenience stores and businesses but didn't. Her driving force became her mantra. Mommy. Home.
Tightly gripping the doorframe, she rang the bell over and over. The door opened suddenly, and she collapsed in the entryway. Her mother flicked on the lights coming down the steps and Jennifer breathed, “Mommy,” before she sank into oblivion.
Cindy's shriek startled the entire household. “Oh my God, Steven, it’s Jennifer!” Scrambling noises coming from the top floor grew louder as her dad raced for the stairs.
Her mother gingerly took her in her arms and held her against her chest. Stroking her filthy hair back away from her face, Cindy placed a soft kiss on her cheek. She sat in the entryway and pulled Jennifer’s head close to her. “Oh my baby, my baby. You're going to be fine, I promise. You're home now.”
Steve barreled down the stairs to see what the ruckus was all about. He went weak in the knees, overwhelmed by the sight of his child lying lifeless on the parquet floor. The fear startled him as relief washed over him. His daughter returned home, alive. They'd been searching for her for days. Cuts and bruises were obvious, covering the entire surface of her arms and legs. Her clothes were mere rags, barely covering her battered body. Her blood-drenched hair matted to her head, while the crust under her broken fingernails suggested she fought hard. Shocked at her condition, he headed for the phone to dial 911.
The sirens came blaring down the street. People from the neighborhood came out of their homes, staring into the Cravens' yard. Steve watched eagerly as one paramedic worked diligently to find a vein to place the IV, while the other readied the paddles if needed.
The two paramedics stabilized her, the best they could, then placed Jennifer’s unconscious body onto a stretcher, and wheeled her to the ambulance. As they lifted her in the back, her blood pressure plummeted and she crashed.
“Can I get some help here? We’re losing her…,” the senior paramedic shouted over the noisy crowd. “Back up. Give us some room.” He injected Jennifer's IV with a large hypodermic needle as they shoved her inside the ambulance.
Pulling a drawer open fastened to the wall, the paramedic reached for a long tube, inserting it gently into Jennifer’s windpipe and pumping oxygen into her collapsed lungs. Pressing his stethoscope to her chest, he shook his head, motioning for the paddles.
The shock lifted her body off the stretcher. The paramedic listened again. Another shock. Finally, he heard Jennifer's heart begin beating. Her blood pressure rose. The second paramedic securely fastened the back hatch of the ambulance, smacked the doors, and took off toward the hospital, sirens blaring.
Steve and Cindy quickly threw on yesterday's clothes as the paramedics worked on their daughter. Fumbling for his keys, Steven and Cindy trailed in the car, trying not to lose sight of the flashing red lights. They couldn't catch the ambulance after hitting one red light after another. Neither one said a word until the emergency room doors came into view. On arrival, they rushed in to see what was going on with their daughter.
“Where did they take her…my daughter, where is she?” Cindy shouted, banging on the counter of the nurses station. In her grief, she paid no attention to the spaghetti stains on the front of her white tee shirt. “WHERE IS JENNIFER?”
A nurse about the size of a Mac truck came barreling around the corner toward the front desk. “Calm down, ma’am. What's the name again?” she asked, frowning and grabbing for a chart.
Steve motioned her toward the side of the counter. “My name is Steve Cravens, and they just brought in our daughter, Jennifer,” he told her quietly.
Flipping through the paperwork, the nurse glanced up and replied, “She’s in room 101, but you’re not allowed back there yet. The doctor is examining her, and it looks like they’re taking her to the ICU, so you’ll need to take a seat and be patient. When she's ready for visitors, we'll call you back.”
Cindy flew madly about, bashing her fist against the wall. “I'm not a visitor. I'm her mother. I want to see her NOW.” She paced excitedly back and forth on the sickly green linoleum of the hospital waiting room.
Steve grabbed her by t
he arm, forcing her to sit in a gray plastic chair. “They won’t let you see her right now. If you don’t calm down, they’ll kick us out of here. Now stop,” he whispered in her ear as he held her shoulders. “She's with the doctors. We have to wait.”
Cindy whimpered but obeyed her husband. Her shoulders sank in resignation.
An hour went by, then two, and finally a nurse peered around a corner, calling for the Cravens. Calmly, insides fluttering, they made their way back to a cold and desolate room in the intensive care unit. Taking one glimpse at Jennifer hooked to machines threw Cindy over the edge. “My baby, what happened to my baby?” she sobbed. She threw herself on the bed, close to dislodging a tube in Jennifer's arm. “Oh, Jennifer, where have you been? Who did this to you?”
Steven tugged at her arm pulling her back away from the bed. As he seated her firmly in a chair, the doctor walked in the room.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Collins.” He greeted them with a gentle smile.
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