by Candis Vargo
She couldn’t help but think about Pat’s suggestion about getting back her memories. A part of her had always wanted to—anyone would rightfully want to know about their past. She would listen to people share stories about their childhoods, right down to every detail and smell, and her heart would clench with jealousy. So many times people would say, “didn’t you ever do that as a kid?” and she would just smile and tell them that she didn’t know, that she couldn’t remember.
On the other hand, she believed that she blocked them out for a reason. The majority of her memories weren’t good ones, so she could only imagine what she couldn’t remember. Occasionally, people would make jokes, saying that her parents could have drugged her. The sad part was, she couldn’t rule that out. Her mother had suffered a pill addiction, and often had a hard time just being a mother. Hailey wouldn’t put something like drugging her only daughter past her.
Hailey didn’t know much about her father, because he was never really around. He was always at work or drunk—that much she did know. She didn’t have any memories of him doing fatherly things, or even being affectionate toward her mother. At least none that she knew of. Hailey had gone for a palm reading once, and naturally Pat was the one who had convinced her to do it. She’d held out her hands, and the first thing the reader said was that Hailey had had a horrible childhood, and despite everything she’d been through, she’d decided long ago that she wouldn’t turn out that same way. That’s why she was where she was in life, which was something she already knew.
A shuffling from upstairs caught her attention, bringing her back to reality. Hailey rolled her eyes as she headed toward the stairs.
“Hey! You’re not supposed to be up there!” She yelled.
Sasha had left just Pat, Hailey, and their helpers there for the day, and Hailey had taken it upon herself to ensure everyone stayed in line. They weren’t even close to being done hauling stuff out of the main level, so there wasn’t any reason for anyone to be hustling around upstairs. The last thing she wanted was to deal with people who’d rather snoop around than do their damn jobs.
“Hey!” She yelled again as she walked up the staircase, her hands sliding along the wooden railing.
At the top of the stairs, she reached a narrow hallway, which stretched the entire length of the house. A window stood on the other side, and eight-foot doors—all of which were closed—lined both sides of the hall. Large pictures, framed in gold, hung perfectly in-between each door frame.
The scuffling echoed down the hall.
“Come on, what the hell are you doing up here?”
She zigzagged as she walked down the hallway, going from door to door. She paused at each one, leaning her head up against it to listen for any sounds. She didn’t want to open any of them, unless she was sure someone was on the other side of it. The last thing she wanted was to be mistaken for snooping around.
She leaned her head on the third door, already annoyed. As she was about to walk away, it shook and scuffling sounded from behind it. Hailey slowly leaned her head back on it.
More scuffling.
She reached down and grabbed the cold brass doorknob. It wouldn’t budge. It was locked, like the rest.
“Hey.” She knocked on the door. “Hey, you’re not supposed to be in there. If you don’t get out here now and get to work, I swear to God you being fired will be the least of your concerns.”
She waited, expecting someone to open the door, but there was more scuffling, and the door stayed closed.
“Come on.” She pounded on the door again. She was now less concerned with someone snooping, but more with someone stealing. Though they did background checks on everyone that worked for them, it didn’t mean people weren’t good at not getting caught.
There was more movement inside of the room as the shuffling grew louder.
Hailey rolled her eyes as she bent down to look though the old keyhole. She closed one eye to help her see through it. The room seemed empty except for the couch, which was facing away from her, and if it weren’t for the noises coming from within, she wouldn’t think anyone was in there.
“Hey, open up,” she yelled again, still looking through the hole.
A woman’s head rose from the other side of the couch, the side she couldn’t see.
For a moment she wondered if Sasha had come back, but this woman’s hair was long and dark—the opposite of Sasha’s.
Hailey backed her head up, just a little bit, and opened her other eye.
She squinted as she narrowed her gaze into the room.
The woman’s head spun around in an instant, her white eyes focused on Hailey.
Hailey recognized her as the one of the women from her dream.
In one swift movement, the woman lurched off the couch, and a black mass followed her to the door.
Her heart clenched as her body tingled. She jerked backwards, fell, and hit her head off of the hard wood floor. Her vision blurred as darkness danced around the edges.
She saw the blurred outline of someone.
The woman.
Her heart began beating again at an inhuman speed. Her chest bounced with every thud of her heart.
The familiar cold breath tickled her ear.
“Two days.”
The words repeated, sounding like a dozen sick women chanting
“Two days. Remember. Two days.”
She closed her eyes, praying that whatever that was, would go away.
The voices stopped, and the hazy figure above her switched sides.
“Damn, Hailey. What the hell are you doing?”
That voice. That voice was one she recognized.
She blinked several times and rubbed her eyes. Once her vision started to clear, she saw Pat kneeling above her and her began to relax.
She shook her head and sat up.
“I’m not quite sure what I’m doing,” she said, trying to make light of the situation. Unless you count losing my freaking mind. I thought someone was up here. I could have sworn I heard someone.”
“Yeah, okay.” Pat raised his eyebrows at her, looking at her like she was crazy. “So, how the hell did you end up on the floor?”
Pat stretched his hand down to Hailey and she grabbed it, letting him help her stand up.
“I don’t know,” she said as she rubbed the back of her head.
Pat puckered his lips. He didn’t believe her, and she knew it.
“All right…I tell you what,” he said as he pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket, “go wait for me in the car. Sit back, relax…I’m going give Tori a call and have her come watch the fellas. None of them are really good to look at anyway.”
“That teeny-bopper who has been stalking you for a job? You’re going to actually hire her?”
Pat laughed, “Hon, please. She will do this pro bono. It’ll be her test run. If she wants to work for us bad enough, she’ll do it.”
Hailey turned and walked away while he dialed the number.
“Yeah,” she said, “and she will put on something that doesn’t show off her pink taco too.”
“Ew. That’s disgusting, Hail. Go…go wait in the damn car.”
***
Hailey was reclined in the passenger seat of Pat’s car and rolled her eyes when the thumping of bass sounded in her ears. A small, baby blue Ford Focus parked next to her, and the petite blonde that was driving it beamed a smile at her and waved.
Shit. Hailey waved back, putting on a fake smile.
Tori hopped out of her car and started to walk toward Hailey when Pat distracted her.
Hailey breathed a sigh of relief.
Tori was eighteen, and really wasn’t a bad person. She just preferred to show off her boobs, opposed to her brain. Most girls these days didn’t realize there was a huge difference from making a guy laugh at you, and laugh with you. She was kind and energetic, but still young and immature. Hailey had a hard time dealing with teenagers. Actually, she had a hard time dealing with anyone under thirty.
She was an old soul who had had to mature faster than anyone she grew up with. When she was twelve, her mind was that of a twenty-year-old. She could have been shot up with heroin and pregnant at sixteen, and no one would have noticed except for her brother.
She watched Tori give Pat a quick hug before she danced off into Sasha’s house. Pat must have relayed her message about covering up herself, because her shorts actually fell below her ass cheeks. Hailey was all for women’s rights, but just didn’t understand why most of them dressed the way they did. A little self-respect and class could get women pretty far in the world.
Pat hopped in the car with Hailey.
“See,” he said. “Pro bono.”
“You really think she can be trusted in there alone?”
“Please, the worst she’ll do is sleep with one of the guys.”
“Pat!”
“Kidding, kidding.” He raised his hands. “I gave her an extensive list of what she’s to do, which includes making sure the guys move the stuff they’re supposed to.”
Hailey shook her head. “So, what are we doing anyway?”
“We, my dear, are going to try to get your memories back. This shit is seriously messing with your mind.”
“I’m good, really.”
“Really? Hail, you can’t even get through a day of work right now. So we’re doing this. And on the way, we’re going to figure out what to do for your birthday.” Pat started the car and drove out of the driveway.
“First of all, your idea and my idea of fun things to do for my birthday are completely different. You like to get drunk, and I’d rather stay in and watch movies with a bunch of junk food. Second of all, if I do agree to this memory stuff, what exactly are your plans? We both know how you like to do things to the extreme.”
Pat swerved along with the road. “Oh, we’re totally going out for your birthday. It falls on a Friday this year, so it’s bound to be epic. And as for your mental issues, I know you won’t do my meditation, so I’ve already called Emily. She has her friend Kris headed over to her house to help you out.”
“Woah, wait. Isn’t Kris a psychiatrist or something? I know I have issues, but none that require a psychiatrist. Seriously, Pat?”
“Yeah, but she’s a psychiatrist who does hypnotherapy, She’d doing it as a favor for a friend, so it’s pro bono.”
“Okay, well…didn’t her husband go crazy? I thought she tried to help him and he hasn’t been heard from since? If you’re that desperate to get rid of me…”
Pat sighed. “Oh, shut it. That was one guy out of everyone she’s worked with.”
“One guy, but he was the most important guy in her life!”
“And she wasn’t hypnotizing him…he was just too far gone. Do you want to be that far gone?”
Hailey groaned. “I really don’t think this is necessary.”
“No? So, humor me then. What the hell happened at Sasha’s house?”
Hailey groaned. She really didn’t want to tell him because he really would think she was crazy. But, he was her best friend, and he knew her well enough to know she wasn’t.
She was hesitant, but finally said, “I thought I heard someone upstairs, so I went to check it out. But then I thought I saw some creepy, spawn-from-hell chick like…crawling at me. She said, ‘two days.’”
Pat looked at her in awe. “You’re serious?”
Hailey narrowed her eyes. “No. I thoroughly enjoy pretending to lose my mind.”
“You are serious. Okay, you’re either losing it, or certifiably cursed. Either way, we’re getting to the bottom of your memories. I’m telling you, that’s what’s behind all of this. I could be a psychic…seriously.”
Hailey didn’t know what was going on, but she was scared shitless to get her memories back. Just the thought of it made her stomach turn and heart clench. She didn’t know why she was so scared, but she knew she blocked those memories for a reason. But then again, maybe getting them back would be able to save her—from herself, or from something else, she didn’t know.
Chapter 6
They arrived at Emily’s, and Hailey expected to be attacked by her nephews when she walked in. They were young boys who were always full of fire. When she walked in the door, Emily was there with a broad smile on her face and stomach stretching through her shirt, begging to be freed.
“Hey, Em,” Pat and Hailey said together. Pat walked over to Emily and rubbed her stomach.
“Where are the boys?” Hailey asked. Not only did she not get attacked by them, but the house was abnormally quiet.
“Alex got home from work an hour ago.” Emily leaned in and gave them both a hug. “So he took them to the park to play ball.”
“We’re all set up,” a new voice said.
Hailey looked at the living room to her left. A small brunette wearing jeans and a loose red t-shirt walked in.
Emily smiled. “Pat, Hailey, this is Kris. Kris, meet Pat and Hailey.”
They each shook hands. Hailey couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
“Hey, sorry about all of this,” she said.
“Oh, nonsense,” Kris replied. “It’s one of the best perks of my job.”
Pat strutted his way through the girls. “Okay, enough of this. Let’s get down to the dirty deets.”
“Sorry about that too.” Hailey laughed and gestured toward Pat.
“Sweetie, please. Life would be boring without me, and you know it.”
“Come on,” Emily laughed. “Let’s go get settled.”
The girls gathered into the living room with Pat, leaving the couch for Hailey.
Hailey popped a pillow under her head as she lay down on the plush brown couch. The microfiber fabric felt warm under her skin. Pat and Emily sat on the love seat, which sat opposite of the couch, and Kris sat down on the coffee table next to a rocking pendulum. Hailey’s palms grew sweaty as she tried not to let her nervousness get the best of her.
“So.” Hailey paused, trying to still her voice. “What exactly is going to happen? Am I like, going to be completely out of it and just engulfed in my past or something?”
Kris laughed. Her hazel eyes locked on Hailey’s. “No. You’ll still be aware of your surroundings, you’ll just be more receptive of my suggestions. Think of it like you’re reading a really good book. You get so deep into that book, the words you’re reading make it like you’re living in that world. You’re still aware of your surroundings and where you are…you just aren’t realizing every little thing that’s happening around you. Instead, your mind is in the words.”
“Mmhmm,” Pat chimed in as be bobbed his head from side to side. “Meditation, bitch.”
“Shut it,” Hailey said as Emily elbowed him. They looked like two children fighting.
“Yes, like meditation. And we,” Kris said as she nodded toward Emily, “shut off all of the electronics so there’s no interference. I’m going to ask that you guys do the same with your cell phones. I’m going to need everyone to be quiet.”
Hailey lifted herself up and pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket. She shut it off and set it on the table next to Kris before getting herself as comfortable as possible. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself as Kris pulled back on the pendulum needle. Once she released it, a slight knocking noise sounded from it.
“All right, here we go.”
Hailey took a deep breath, readying herself to be open to whatever might happen.
Kris spoke, her voice captivating. “Listen to my voice, and only my voice. Become aware of your breathing. Take deep, relaxing breaths.” Kris paused for a few moments. “Now, become aware of your feet. Let them relax, and sink deep within the couch. Once you’re ready, move up to your abdomen. Relax it, just like you did with your feet.” She paused for a few more moments. “Feel your chest rise and fall with each breath you take. It relaxes you further, bringing you deeper into your subconscious.”
Kris continued speaking, and Hailey began losing herself into her subconscious.
When she finally began to relaxing her head, Kris instructed her to go deeper into her subconscious, to go back to her childhood.
And that’s exactly what she did.
***
It was dark and she was outside, playing Ghost in the Graveyard with her brother.
“Nine o’clock, ten o’clock, eleven o’clock,” Alex chanted. “Midnight! Hope I don’t see a ghost out tonight!”
She was the ghost and hiding underneath an old pine tree, in perfect view of the back yard. She watched Alex as he walked around the back deck and toward the front of the house. She would wait until he got closer. She giggled excitedly at the thought of jumping out and scaring him. A few minutes later, she heard a shuffling from behind and knew it was Alex. As the sound grew closer, she perched up on her hands and feet, getting ready to turn around and pounce on him.
In a swift movement, she jumped out from underneath the tree and turned around, hands out ready to tag her brother.
It wasn’t him.
It was a group of women, all crouched down on the ground.
The lower halves of their bodies were missing—it was nothing but darkness from their waist down.
Hailey’s eyes widened as she stared at them. She stood still, not quite sure what to do.
Her heart raced, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
One of the women crawled closer toward her; the darkness that was attached to it slithered right along with her.
The figure reached its long, bony arm out toward her. Extending its fingers, it nearly scratched her with its sharp fingernails. Gently, it rubbed two fingers down Hailey’s arm.
“Haaaaaileeeey.” Its voice was hoarse.
Hailey screamed, and in an instant her mother was there, picking her up and cradling her. She looked behind her mother’s shoulder as her mother ran to the house with her. There were more women now. Their heads were twitching as they crawled and slithered after them.
They reached the door, and her mother slammed it shut behind them and locked it.