by Jake Uniacke
“Georgia!” Mick screamed. “Have you any idea what you’ve just done?!”
“I don’t give a crap, Mick!” Georgia yelled. “Now she has a small idea of the pain I’ve been feeling these past few weeks!”
“You never, ever, ever hit our child!”
Alex ran to her bedroom, horrified by her mother’s actions. She knew that the pain she felt on her face was nothing compared to what Emma must have felt as she drowned in the lake. But it was still painful regardless. She sat on her bed, holding her teddy bear, crying as she listened to her parents arguing downstairs in the dining room. Emma’s death was an accident. She couldn’t understand why her mother wouldn’t accept that. The bedroom door creaked open and Mick walked in. Alex looked up at him, her eyes red from crying. Mick sat next to his daughter and hugged her, making sure she felt safe and secure. After her mother’s actions, Alex didn’t feel safe in the house. In fact, she was petrified of her own mother; a feeling no child should ever feel about their parents.
Father and daughter sat in silence for a few minutes until Alex had calmed down a bit. Mick thought what the whole family needed was a holiday. Not anywhere too far from home, but somewhere nice enough for them all to bond again and become one again. Georgia hadn’t been the same since Emma’s death, and the way she was treating Alex was not fair at all. Mick thought a holiday could solve that. But then he heard the frightening screams coming from downstairs. Mick rushed out of the bedroom and ran down the stairs, two steps at a time.
As he entered the living room, he was greeted by the sight of Georgia throwing things across the room, smashing ornaments on the wall. All the while, Connie was sitting in her seat, crying and screaming at all the noise. Mick grabbed Georgia and dragged her out of the room. He held her tightly as she kicked and screamed, wanting to get away from her husband’s grip. But he wasn’t letting go. Something was seriously wrong with his wife, and he needed to make sure she got all the help she needed. Mick took her upstairs and sat her on the bed where she laid down and squeezed her pillow as hard as she could, trying to release all her hurt and anger.
Alex stood in the doorway, witnessing her mother’s meltdown. The meltdown that she had made happen. Mick spotted his daughter standing there, and he rushed from the room, guiding Alex down the stairs.
“Look after your sister,” said Mick.
“What’s wrong with Mum?” Alex asked.
“She’s having a tough time. She needs help and I’m going to get that for her. But I need you to be a good girl for me and look after Connie while I’m upstairs. Okay?”
Alex nodded. “Okay.”
Mick kissed his daughter’s head and then ran back upstairs to his wife. Georgia was lying on the bed, tossing and turning, crying, screaming, and hitting the bed angrily. Mick became awash with emotions. He didn’t know what to do. He thought he would be able to help, but deep down, he knew there wasn’t much he could do—not on his own, anyway. He took his phone out of his pocket and dialled 999.
“Who are you calling?” Georgia said.
“No one.” Mick put his phone in his pocket, not getting the chance to make a call. “No one. It doesn’t matter, it can wait. What’s going on, honey?”
Georgia didn’t say anything. What was the point? It’s not as if he would believe her, anyway. All of this was caused by Alex killing Emma, which then resulted in her being haunted. But Mick didn’t believe her. There was no point going through it all again. She didn’t have the energy for it.
“Doesn’t matter,” said Georgia. “I’ll be fine. I just need a nap.”
Georgia closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep. As soon as he knew it was safe, he took his phone out of his pocket, dialled 999, and went into the bathroom to make sure his wife didn’t hear the conversation.
“Ambulance please.”
Chapter 6
Half an hour later, there was a gentle knock at the front door. Alex wanted to answer it; but Mick rushed down the stairs, telling Alex to stay in the living room with Connie. He opened the front door and was greeted by two paramedics—one male and one female—and he allowed them into the house. They all went upstairs and entered the bedroom where Georgia was sleeping. Mick gently shook her awake, and she stirred, annoyed that she had been disturbed. She turned around and gradually opened her eyes, only just being able to make out the green-coloured uniforms the paramedics were wearing. She saw the bags they were holding, full of medical equipment. She saw Mick’s distraught face looking down at her.
“What’s happening?” Georgia asked.
Mick stroked her forehead with his thumb to calm her. “These paramedics are here to see you. They’re going to help.”
“Am I hurt?”
“No, no. Not physically, anyway. But mentally and emotionally, you are very hurt.”
Georgia shot up and threw herself off the bed and curled up in the corner of the room. The very thought of being taken away scared her. As the female paramedic stepped closer, Georgia tried to back away further. But she was blocked by the walls, and there was nowhere for her to go. She grabbed Mick’s razor on the bedside table and held it out in front of her, threatening the paramedic.
“Take it easy,” said the female paramedic. “My name is Jess, and this is my colleague, Ollie. We’re here to help you.”
“I don’t want your help!” Georgia screamed. “I want to look after my family!”
“We understand. Really, we do. But we just need to take a look at you. Your husband is worried for your safety, his safety, and the children’s safety.”
“I’d never hurt anyone else! No matter how much one of them might deserve it!”
Mick held back his tears, trying to be strong so not to scare Georgia even more. He watched as she buried herself in the corner of the room, still threatening the paramedics with his razor. But he couldn’t do it anymore. He walked over to his wife and tried to help her up.
“Get off me!”
Georgia swung the razor, slashing Mick’s wrists. Blood leaked from his veins and dripped to the floor. Ollie, the other paramedic, rushed to help Mick and sat him on the bed while Jess tried to help Georgia. No matter how hard Jess tried to convince Georgia to at least sit on the bed, nothing seemed to work. Georgia was refusing to do anything, and the threat of being injured with the razor was still there. After Ollie had dealt with Mick, the two paramedics stepped out of the room and spoke to one another. They both decided they had no other option but to call the police. Mick tried to protest their decision, but they insisted it was the right thing to do.
“She is vulnerable,” said Jess. “She’s vulnerable, and she is a danger not only to herself, but to you, us, and your children. The police were called in by our operator, and they need to get involved now. We’re getting them in for assistance. Your wife needs serious help, sir.”
“I know she does,” Mick cried. “I just think getting the police involved will scare her even more and make her think she’s done something wrong.”
“Sir, she assaulted you with a razor.”
“She was scared! And maybe I was a bit too full on trying to help her up off the floor when she was in such a state. She didn’t assault me; she was doing what she had to do to protect herself.”
Ollie shook his head. “And what if next time, one of your children gets hurt?”
Mick fell silent. He looked into the bedroom and saw Georgia pulling at her hair. As much as he hated the idea of so many people getting involved, he eventually agreed to it and Jess called in for police backup.
“Would it be okay if I go downstairs and see my children?” Mick asked.
“Of course. We will keep talking to your wife and reassuring her everything is okay,” Jess said.
Mick went downstairs and entered the living room, where he saw Alex crying on the floor next to Connie. The fear was written all over her face.
“Mummy is going to get help,” Mick said, taking hold of his daughter. “She will be okay; it will just take some time. Los
ing your sister has had an awfully bad effect on her.”
“It’s all my fault,” Alex cried. “If I hadn’t pushed Emma into that lake, then she would still be here, and Mummy would be okay!”
“Emma’s death was a complete accident. I know it was. I know you didn’t mean to push her into the lake.”
“But I still did it!”
Mick hugged Alex tight, hating the fact she felt so guilty and there was nothing he could do to help change the way she felt. The sound of his wife screaming upstairs echoed around the house. Connie began bursting into tears, and soon, the entire house was buzzing with noise.
“Right,” said Mick. “I want you to put Connie to bed, and then I want you to go to your room. Put your earphones in and do not come out.”
Alex nodded and took Connie upstairs. Mick followed to make sure that she didn’t go into the bedroom where Georgia was having a breakdown. The paramedics were struggling to control Georgia, and the entire scene was frightening for everyone. Jess admitted to Mick that she had never seen anything like this before. Ollie said the exact same thing. He had witnessed meltdowns, but nothing to this extent. Blue lights flashed through the windows and Mick looked out. The police had arrived.
“What’s happening?” asked Georgia.
“Help is coming,” said Mick. “You need help, my love.”
There was a gentle knock on the front door, followed by a ring of the doorbell. Mick made his way back downstairs to open the door, allowing the police officer to enter.
“She’s just upstairs,” said Mick.
He closed the door and followed the police officer upstairs and showed them to the bedroom where Georgia was still cowering in the corner, fear rushing through her. The police officer slowly walked over to her and crouched down to her height.
“Hello Georgia,” said one policeman. “I’m PC Granger. I hear that you’ve been causing a bit of trouble.”
Georgia shook her head. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
PC Granger nodded, knowing that she wasn’t lying. Mick’s injury was an accident. But he knew that Georgia was a danger to herself, her husband, and her children. He needed to get her out of there quickly.
In her bedroom, Alex was scratching her head, anxiously. She desperately wanted everything to be okay; but deep down, she knew that it would take a long time for everything to go back to normal. She didn’t understand her mother’s mental health, but she did understand that she was upset and traumatised by Emma’s death. All the noise from the bedroom—the screaming, the shouting, the crying—was freaking her out. She placed her hands over her ears, an attempt to block out the noise. But it still sneaked its way through, and she could hear her mother crying in fear.
“No! Don’t take me away!” Georgia screamed. “Mick, please help me! Don’t let them take me!”
Alex threw herself onto her bed and pushed her head under the pillow. The screaming eventually drowned out.
Alex.
The little girl froze. Who said that?
Alex, I’m over here.
Alex slid out from under the pillow and looked around the room. She scrunched her face up and furrowed her brow. She was sure someone was saying her name.
Look, Alex. I’m over here.
The bedroom was empty. Maybe she was dreaming. Maybe all the screaming from the other room was getting to her and it made her brain think there were more people and more voices. She rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, hoping a good night’s sleep would make everything go away and she could start afresh tomorrow.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Alex jumped up from her bed and looked at the window. The knocking sounded like it came from outside. She threw the curtains open, but there was nothing there. All she could see outside was the flashing blue lights and a crowd of people forming in the streets, obviously being nosy and trying to find out what was going on.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Alex turned around quickly, hurting her shoulder. She stared at the wardrobe. Narrowing her eyes, Alex took a closer look before trudging over to it. Her heart raced, the beats growing louder and stronger. Sweat dripped from her forehead. She felt as though her pink walls were closing in on her, turning a charcoal black. The pounding of her heart echoed throughout her body. Everything else around her just became white noise.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Slowly and ever so carefully, Alex turned the knob on her wardrobe, and it clicked open. She pulled the door open. All she could see was the darkness. So, she swung it open the rest of the way. The wardrobe was empty. Just my imagination. Suddenly, a girl jumped out of the wardrobe and grabbed Alex’s face, tearing it to shreds. The blood poured from her face. Her blood-curdling screams could be heard all through the house, and Mick and the paramedics raced into the bedroom, along with PC Granger.
Mick ran to Alex as he found his daughter lying on the floor, almost unconscious. Jess opened her medical bag and took out all the things she needed to help Alex and to clean her face. She crouched down to Alex and began dabbing her face with a wet cloth to clear some of the blood. Alex cringed in pain and tears trickled down her face.
“What happened?” Mick asked.
“It was Emma,” cried Alex. “She jumped out of the wardrobe and attacked me.”
Mick looked up at the paramedics and the police officer. He wasn’t sure what to think. But what he did know was that Georgia had been having similar experiences. At first, he assumed it was all in Georgia’s imagination. But now, for some strange reason, he started to believe that maybe some of what Georgia had been saying was true.
Mick held his daughter. “It’s okay. I’m here. Everything will be okay.”
Chapter 7
Mick and Alex sat on the mud-brown sofa. It was 8pm, and they were both becoming increasingly worried about Georgia. Alex kept blaming herself, no matter how much Mick tried to convince her that none of it was her fault.
“I killed Emma,” said Alex. “That’s what has upset Mummy. It’s my fault she is poorly.”
Mick held his daughter tightly. “Stop blaming yourself, sweetheart. Mummy is poorly because she is grieving Emma. Just like we all are, except she has been affected differently by it. She will get better.”
Alex buried her head into Mick’s chest and tears streamed down her face like a waterfall. The guilt was building up further within her, and by this point, no one could change the way she felt. I deserve to go to prison. She knew she was too young to understand what her mother was going through, but she was definitely old enough to understand her actions and the consequences that she deserved.
“It’s been a tough day,” Mick said. “Maybe we should get an early night. You’ve been in hospital all afternoon; you must be tired.”
“I don’t want to go to bed,” Alex cried. “What if Emma attacks me again?”
“Listen, I don’t know what happened to you. I don’t know who did it or what did it. But it wasn’t Emma. She’s dead. Are you sure you didn’t just imagine her and then fall and hit your face?”
“No! It was definitely Emma!”
Hearing what his daughter was saying, Mick started to convince himself that maybe Georgia was right about some of the things she was saying these past couple of weeks. It was definitely a possibility, especially now that his daughter was experiencing it too.
“Do you want to stay with your grandmother for a few days?” Mick asked.
“No, I want to stay here with you,” said Alex. “I want to be at home.”
“Well, in that case, you are having mine and Mummy’s bed. I’ll have your bed. I’ll make sure that your room is safe and there are no monsters.”
Alex jumped up from the sofa and raced upstairs to her parents’ bedroom. She threw herself onto the bed and pulled the duvet over her. Mick came in and laughed.
“Don’t get too comfortable just yet,” he said. “You’ve still got to brush your teeth and wash your face.”
“Oh!” cried Alex. “Can’t I have
a night off from that?”
“No, come on. The quicker you do it, the quicker you can get back into the bed.”
Alex groaned and got out of the bed and trudged to the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her face was still red from when she had been crying. She was scared to go into her own room. Just looking at the door frightened her and made her shiver. It was almost like Emma hated her. Maybe her mum was right. Maybe Emma had been speaking to her and telling her that she hates Alex. Once she had brushed her teeth and washed her face, Alex went back into the double bed and star-fished, spreading herself across the entire bed and making herself as comfortable as possible. Mick smiled as he stood in the doorway, watching his daughter settle down for the night. He switched the light off and closed the door. He had to protect Alex. He had to protect Connie. And he had to protect Georgia.
***
The psych ward was quiet. There were very few patients in there, which allowed Georgia to feel safer. With fewer people around, she felt there was less chance of anyone hurting her. But she was still petrified of the thought of Emma coming back to hurt her. She curled up on the bed and stared at the plain wall; her back facing the door. Right now, all she wanted was to be left alone.
There was a gentle knock at the door, and a doctor walked in. “Hello, I’m Doctor Michaels. I’m going to be helping you while you are here.”
Georgia ignored him. She didn’t want to talk to anyone, all she wanted was to sleep. But she guaranteed that the doctor would keep pestering her until she spoke. She allowed her stubbornness to take over. She would not reveal anything. Her feelings, her thoughts, and all that came between would be kept secret. She had to keep it to herself. Otherwise, they would keep her here forever. All she wanted was to be left alone. She was too tired to speak to anyone. The fear of Emma hurting her for revealing anything raced through her body. She would not tell the doctor anything.