“Do you think I’m gonna let you walk away from me? Not on your life. You're the reason I'm trapped in this hellish place and you're going to pay for what you did. In a few minutes, you can join me in this misery.”
Tina gripped Jennifer’s arm with her other hand upraised as if to knock her head completely off. Claire raced forward and clutched at her arm. “Tina, no…you can’t have her. I won’t let you take her. Not Jennifer; she can’t become one of us. Please, Tina—think about what you're doing.”
Tina punched Claire, flinging her backward out of the fray. She dug her talons into the tender flesh of Jennifer's upper arm as Claire sprang to her feet and lunged toward the struggling pair like an avenging angel’. Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound shook the ground, splitting the earth with a growing crevice, and stopping Claire in her tracks.
Jennifer and Claire’s eyes locked, shocked at the noise, and unpleasant smell that surrounded them. Claire froze, shrouded with a venomous haze from the bowels of the earth.
“Watch me, Claire,” Tina screeched while halting her from coming any closer. “You’re going to have to learn when to leave well enough alone. Today, Claire—today is the day you'll learn a valuable lesson.”
Tina wasn’t going to drop her assigned task, Jennifer realized. She was going to kill for the satisfaction, the revenge she longed for. Only the sound of their cries and the blood running like a streaming river would satisfy Tina’s and Maddie Ann's bloodlust. Tina jabbed her razor sharp nails deeper into Jennifer’s flesh.
Jennifer squirmed as the pain spread farther up her arm. She yelped for Claire as the monster's hands settled around her throat. Jennifer's eyes began to well with tears. The natural color that once glowed from her young face vanished as she turned an ashen gray. Her lips puckered and turned purple at the pressure and pain. She wailed in agony.
Then, the wind in her lungs deserted her. Jennifer went blind and gasped for breath. Panic set in. She was dying by suffocation with no strength to stop it from happening. Blackness engulfed her. Suddenly, Claire raised a large rock and bashed it against the back of Tina’s head. The creepy morph let go, yelping in pain.
Jennifer wheeled around, freeing herself and gasping for breath, when Tina's swift reaction caught hold of her shirt, jerking her against her scaly body. Now caught in a chokehold in the crook of Tina's arm, she had to depend on Claire to finish this or suffer the outcome.
“Tina, please, you’re hurting me,” Jennifer croaked, sobbing. “Killing me isn’t going to make it right. You will remain what you are—evil.”
With exaggerated wide-open mouth, Tina dipped her head and bit Jennifer's shoulder, leaving puncture marks in her skin. Jennifer screamed and writhed in pain.
Her face purple and with great effort, Claire threw off the dark paralyzing shroud. “Let go of her, Tina, or I’ll spend the rest of eternity making sure that you rot in Hell,” she said, gritting her teeth and advancing on the duo locked, in a death grip.
“Stop right there, Claire. Come any closer, and I swear I’ll do it—I’ll shred her to pieces. This is not for you to decide anymore. Jennifer is mine and I’m taking what belongs to me.” Tina grabbed her own wrist and squeezed even harder as Jennifer's eyes bulged.
Claire stepped forward. “Don’t be stupid, Tina. This is not about you anymore. This is about Jennifer’s life. Think about what you are doing—think about Maddie Ann and how furious she’ll be if you kill her. You will take away her thunder. Do you want to face Maddie Ann's wrath?”
The whites of Tina's eyes darkened to blood red. A long forked tongue snaked out to lap up Jennifer's blood oozing from her shoulder. Finally releasing her grip, she snarled and allowed Jennifer to fall to the ground. She fell in the dirt with a heavy whump sound, grabbing her throat and coughing.
Claire turned her attention to Tina, wanting to see her suffer instead of Jennifer. She stood her ground, glaring at Tina without flinching. She was about to utter words she never thought she'd say.
“Come and get me, Tina, you worthless, piece of shit. I want you to feel my fists pounding your demented skull as I mangle what is left of you. I want to hear your screams, as I torture you in the same way you tortured Jennifer and the rest of your prey,” she growled, trying to draw her ire.
“You bitch! I hoped you were dead, Claire. After all this time, you’re still walking around without a scratch on you. How is that? Look at me—do you think that’s fair, CLAIRE? I think not,” Tina, scolded. Tina's eerie laugh echoed through the trees as she encircled her next victim.
Claire knew this body was only temporary, here for them to see but not the rest of the world. She wondered briefly if Tina were able to kill her, would her real body back at the farmhouse die? Regardless, her twenty-four hour reprieve would end all too soon. If she lost this battle, she hoped her death happened fast, avoiding a slow, painful ordeal.
Tina raised her hand to strike at Claire.
“NO,” Jennifer shouted, leaping at Tina. The swing from her hand blocked the blow to Claire’s head. Tina spun around, latching hold of Jennifer once again and locking her in place with an iron grip.
“I knew it wouldn’t take long to get you back in my arms. Now I'll rip your guts out—Maddie Ann, be damned.” Shoving Claire to her backside on the ground, Tina, pulled out a dagger and aimed it right at Jennifer’s stomach. A sick, violent feeling came over Claire. Jennifer twisted to loosen the hold of the demon's arms around her.
Jennifer cried out, “Please, Claire, help me! Make her stop, please—make—her—stop!”
Claire got up on her hands and knees and crawled toward them, desperate to stop this. She yanked Jennifer’s foot out from under her. She fell on her back with a giant “Oof,” and Claire rolled deftly on top of her, shielding her from Tina.
“Oh, look at this. What do you think you're doing, Claire? You’re so pathetic, trying to save her. She can’t be that important now, can she? You told me barely a week ago that Jennifer was driving you crazy with her whining and complaining all the time. You were thinking of dumping her. Some friend you are,” she sneered.
That was it. Claire refused to swallow further insults or threats from her. This had to end—now. “Tina…you said that, not me. I’m not afraid of you. Come on, take me, but this will be the last time. If I go, you go. I know where I'm going. Do you?” She stood on her feet, and faced this monstrous obsession crouched like a linebacker.
Tina scoffed. She bowed her hideous head, accepting the challenge. Claire gazed into her black eyes. A single tear fell. A demonic smile danced at the corners of Tina’s mouth. Her sadness coursed through Claire, but she also knew the evil that controlled her. Calmness washed over her. For a moment, Claire thought Tina wanted to surrender and let them go free, but when she cocked her head, something else in those evil eyes surfaced. Determination.
“You-u ca-an’t hur-urt me—I’m de-ead,” Tina sing-songed. She lowered her chin. “You can’t kill someone who’s already dead.” A foul smoke drifted from her nostrils, and Claire gagged.
She lunged at her, grabbed the last of her stringy black hair, slammed her on the ground, and knocked her head against a dull stump. The fiend barely hesitated, unaffected by the blow. Arms entangled in combat, the punches became vile. Claire wiggled from Tina's death grip and stood, drenched in sweat from the struggle.
She slumped over to catch her breath, feverish frenzy ravishing her body. When she glanced upward, her head spun. Had the unholy poisoned her? She staggered back in a drunken state. Trying her best to keep her balance, she stumbled forward and gained her equilibrium. Her fists clenched, she angrily blinked away the sweat and stench burning her eyes. Tina became a blur, but it didn’t stop Claire from charging like a bull enraged at the matador.
Tina easily brushed her aside. “What are you doing Claire? You can’t even stand up, and still you want to fight me,” she scoffed.
“I’m fine,” Claire, breathed. “Let’s end this.” She shook her head to clear the fog.
Expecting the worst, she closed her eyes, hearing Claire whisper, “It’s fine, Jennifer, I have this under control.” She blinked, and became riveted to the life-and-death struggle.
Acting with confidence that nothing could stop her, Claire turned to face Tina. One swift whirl from Tina, and Claire's eyes fluttered. Her mouth gaped open, and she jerked, grasping her stomach. She glanced down and saw her flesh. Tina had plunged the foot-long dagger into her abdomen, clear through to her back. Claire slumped to her knees, then hesitated and fell backward. She looked shocked, as if it hurt more than she expected, and then she gripped the grisly weapon with gory hands.
“Who’s the tough one now, Claire? It surely isn’t you. You can’t mess with me; I told you that. How does it feel to die, Claire?” Tina snarled. “And now I'm bored. I'll leave you to your death.” She faded deep into the darkness, leaving Claire and Jennifer alone.
Jennifer stood paralyzed. Her legs felt heavy, immovable as tree trunks. Grimly, she blocked out the forest noises surrounding her, until she heard a soft voice whisper, “Help me, Jennifer, I’m dying.” Jennifer's eyes narrowed. She tried to concentrate, but everything blurred. She couldn’t speak, only mouthed, like a dying fish.
“Jennifer, help me,” she heard again.
Claire needed her—she begged and pleaded her to release her from this agony. Jennifer blinked and the shock lifted. “Don’t worry, I'm here,” she said, rushing to Claire's side.
Claire lay on her back with the hilt sticking out of her gut. She coughed, spraying blood out of her mouth. “My lungs are on fire. Please Jennifer, you’ve got to pull out the knife.”
Raising her arm with great effort, she took hold of Jennifer’s hand, placing it around the dagger. Jennifer recoiled as if burned. She wiped the tears from her eyes, and crabbed backwards. “No. Claire, please, I can’t do it…I can’t,” she wept.
“You…you have to,” Claire gasped.
Jennifer crawled forward again, and Claire grabbed at her one last time. Jennifer wrapped her trembling fingers around the slick object, but couldn’t grip it tight enough to take it out. She pulled harder, but as the blood soaked her hand, a sticky glob of Claire’s insides squished between Jennifer’s fingers. Despite how sick it made her, Jennifer pulled even harder and the dagger finally broke loose and slipped out.
“Claire…oh, God...,” she shrieked. “You’re bleeding badly. What should I do?”
Jennifer leaned back on the heel of her shoes, wiping her bloody hands on the ground. Her face paled and her stomach rumbled in protest.
“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Jennifer wiped the saliva from her mouth. Tears streaked her face, leaving trails through the dirt on her cheeks.
Claire turned her weak head to look at Jennifer and breathed, “I love you, Jennifer. Never forget me.”
A cold chill ascended Jennifer’s spine as she heard the desperate words seep from Claire’s mouth. She reached her trembling hand around the back of Claire’s head, lifting her surprisingly weightless form against her chest. Jennifer hugged her, soaking herself in Claire's lifeblood. Tears streamed down her face, dripping on Claire's pale cheeks. Jennifer stroked her hair back and wiped the dirt from her forehead. “My sweet Claire, please don’t leave me. I need you. I've been so lost without you,” she whispered.
Claire's face felt frigid, and Jennifer knew it wouldn’t be long now. Claire mumbled something, and Jennifer had to lean down to hear what she said. “I don’t want to die, Jennifer. Hold my hand; I’m scared. I don't know where I'm going from here.” Her face was a picture of agony, then it changed, as if her pain evaporated. She smiled softly. “I’m sorry I did this to you. Promise me this, you’ll never return here. Stay away from here, Jennifer, or you'll face my fate,” Claire whispered, then coughed more blood from her throat.
Jennifer nodded, but knew she’d never keep that promise. She couldn’t. She had to find a way to destroy Maddie Ann and the black souls. In a desperate effort to save her friend, she placed her hand on Claire’s wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Warm blood seeped through Jennifer’s fingers and trickled across her wrists. “This isn't your fault, Claire, it's mine. You can’t die. I'll get help. Hang on—I'll get help. PLEASE.”
Claire struggled to breathe. She grabbed Jennifer’s hand and with her eyes glassy and mouth wide open, she emitted a long, slow death rattle. Jennifer looked down at Claire’s soft delicate skin, restored in death. She watched one tear slip slowly down Claire's cheek. As her spirit drifted from her body, the strong grip that held Jennifer’s hand lost its strength. It fell to the ground, landing beside her in the blood-soaked earth.
Drenched in her blood, Jennifer sat watching as Claire's spirit rose to the stars, with bold, bright radiance streaming beneath her. At that moment, Jennifer knew she'd gone to Heaven, far from Maddie Ann's grasp. She smiled through her sorrowful tears in relief and happiness for her best friend.
Chapter Thirteen
Jennifer sat in the darkness with her dead friend for a long time. She looked for the flashlight, but found it smashed and broken against a rock. Shrugging, she snatched her backpack and headed toward home. She didn't care if she lived or died. Without Claire by her side to laugh and talk with, what good was living? As she walked down the dark, desolate road, she wished for Claire's presence right there beside her.
Rushing past the dark gloomy woods as fast as her battered, bloodstained body allowed, the lights from the houses off in the distance, appeared miles away. The sounds of small creatures rustling in the underbrush and the wind in the trees met her ears with every step she took. Shaken from the carnage she'd witnessed, she couldn’t tell at that moment where she was or what she was. Her breathing labored. Soaked with sweat from the exertion, gooseflesh erupted on her cold clammy skin. She swiveled her head at every sound, taking small breaths in and out so no one could hear her. She began to run down the beaten path, scratching her face and legs on the low branches and brush that obstructed her headlong flight.
Jennifer made it to the blacktop road. A car sped by, and she stuck out her thumb, but it passed without slowing. Suddenly, a shove on the back made her fly into the field bordering the road. She stumbled forward, but was unable to keep herself from falling. She stood and brushed herself off. Goose-stepping over the high weeds, a shadow mimicked her steps and she turned to look over her shoulder. “Who’s there,” she asked, whirling, her heart racing inside her chest.
Her breath escaped her lungs as a cloud of cold air zoomed past her face, sailing off into the midnight sky. Jennifer hoped it was Claire watching out for her. She slogged across the field and stumbled into the backyard of someone’s house. Tiptoeing around to the side, Jennifer noticed a pole with the name of the street on it. She dragged her bag behind her, far too weak to carry it on her shoulder. “Claire, help me…,” she whimpered. “I don't know where I am.” She stopped to catch her breath.
She doubled over holding on to the metal street sign. A drizzle began to fall from the lowering clouds. The stitch in her side eased. The rain felt good on her feverish skin. Jennifer took a moment to survey her surroundings. It finally dawned on her. She was on the outskirts of town. She’d have to walk another three miles to get to the park. Dreading the long walk, she sighed and trudged up the dark hill in the cold November rain.
Flashes of Claire’s death lingered in her mind. Jennifer tried holding back the tears, but they rolled down her cheeks regardless. She staggered like a crash victim as blinding fatigue struck her. She held out her arms, struggling for balance. The further she walked, the heavier the rain fell, plastering her hair to her head. “Claire, I don’t know if you can hear me, but please give me strength,” she begged.
A cold hand pressed against the middle of Jennifer’s back, pushing her forward. She whirled, frightened, and a dimly lit s
ilhouette appeared in front of her. Grimacing, she jumped backward to get away from it.
Tired of fear, she didn’t want to deal with spirits anymore. As it started to come toward her, calling, the spirit vanished like smoke from a fired gun. Shivering from panic, Jennifer took off running. She raced through the familiar streets, as if her feet grew wings. She ran and ran. Soon the park was ahead and she darted toward it. Dashing through the parking lot, hoping a cop wouldn’t spot her before she had a chance to get to The Rock, she stumbled over a curb and fell, gashing open her knee. “Shit, owwww, that hurt,” she blurted. Warm blood gushed down her shin.
Hobbling around the lake to The Rock, Jennifer took in her surroundings. She’d never seen the park this late at night, and found it spooky and chilling. Stillness, everywhere she looked. The rain had quit, the wind didn’t blow, the birds didn’t chirp, and the merry-go-round didn’t squeak. The park looked dead, creepy with a light fog hanging around her feet. She walked until she rounded the lake and stopped short. Jennifer recalled the man in the lake staring back at her and wondered if he had anything to do with her current misfortune. She'd hoped she’d never lay eyes on him again, but chills told her he lurked about, watching her from the shadows.
Maddie Ann s Playground Page 16