The House

by Eden Darry

  She was relieved to see he was breathing. “He’s alive. He’s okay.”

  Liam’s eyelids fluttered and he sighed deeply, almost as if he were asleep. “You’re okay, mate,” she whispered, stroking his face.

  Sadie knelt beside her. “The ambulance is on the way.”

  “Okay. Good.”

  They both knelt there, watching their child.

  “Once he’s okay, I want to know how you got in his room.”

  “I—”

  “Not now, Fin. Later.” Sadie didn’t look up. “You can tell me what you know about this house and haven’t told me.”

  “Yes, I will. I’ll tell you everything.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Sadie stood outside the entrance to the hospital and checked her phone. There were three missed calls from Rachel. She’d left one message, which Sadie only partially listened to. At the moment, Rachel was low on her list of priorities.

  Liam still hadn’t woken up. All his tests came back normal, and the doctors thought he must have had a fit of some sort. They said he was sleeping, and all they could do was wait for him to wake up.

  So they waited. Her parents came for a while and took Lucy with them when they left. Fin refused to leave Liam’s room. Sadie knew she felt responsible for what happened and part of Sadie couldn’t help but blame her either.

  They hadn’t yet talked about how Fin knew a way into his room—though she was grateful she did. Fin told her about Sherry escaping police custody, but she couldn’t think about that right now. All she could see was her little boy lying in a hospital bed in a sleep no one could wake him up from.

  She looked up as a woman came to stand beside her. The woman smiled kindly and offered her a packet of cigarettes.

  Sadie shook her head. “Thanks, but I don’t smoke any more. Although you have no idea how much I wish I did right now.”

  The woman grinned. “It’s a horrible habit. And actually doesn’t calm me down all that much anyway.”

  “The first time I met my wife, we stood on the balcony smoking cigarettes and drinking cheap vodka all night.”

  Sadie felt the tears come and was horrified. She hated crying in front of strangers, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.

  To her surprise, the woman dropped her cigarette and pulled Sadie into a hug. Sadie held on and started crying harder, great hiccuping sobs that shook her body.

  The woman rubbed her back and rocked her from side to side. “I’m so sorry,” Sadie managed to say when she could catch her breath.

  “Don’t be silly. Sometimes it gets to be too much.”

  Sadie laughed but it came out more as a sob, and just like that she was off again, crying into a stranger’s shoulder.

  * * *

  Lance Sherry parked the car in a lay-by near the bitch’s house. He walked from the opposite side of the property, coming at it from the field behind, where he had less chance of being seen. He didn’t have the luxury of observing their schedule as he usually did when he was planning on breaking into a house. He hoped the small group of trees would be enough to hide him while he watched their place for a while.

  By his reckoning, he had about four hours until his stepdad got home. The chances were he wouldn’t notice the car missing straight away because he really only used it at weekends. Lance had to allow for the possibility he would, though, so he’d have to be quick about this.

  From where he hid, there didn’t seem to be much going on at the house. Two cars were parked out front, so he assumed the bitch and her girlfriend were inside. He knew she had kids, and he hoped they would be at school. He didn’t fancy the idea of killing kids. He wasn’t a monster.

  From what he knew about the bitch, the kids were small, so he could probably lock them in a cupboard or something, fuck what the Man wanted him to do. He wasn’t in charge any more. Lance was getting sick of him anyway. He’d keep to his promise of leaving the other woman alone. Something told him crossing the Man would be a mistake.

  He was about to step out from the trees when a car pulled into the drive. A woman got out and went to the front door. She was all dressed up in a business suit, and Lance guessed she was one of the bitch’s friends.

  She knocked on the door and waited. She knocked again, then pulled her phone out and glanced at that. Was the bitch expecting visitors? It would put a crimp in his plans if she was.

  He backed himself to take on two of them, but three against one? Probably not.

  He waited for a bit longer, and then something interesting happened. The woman knocked on the door again, then pushed it. It opened. The bitch had left it unlocked.

  Lance smiled as the woman went inside.

  * * *

  Fin held Liam’s hand and willed him to wake up. He really did look like he was just sleeping. His eyes moved behind their lids and Fin guessed he was dreaming. “I hope they’re good ones, mate,” she whispered.

  “I think they are. He looks peaceful.”

  Fin started at Sadie’s voice behind her.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” She took the chair on the opposite side of Liam’s bed. “Has there been any change?”

  Fin shook her head. “No. He’s the same.” Fin looked at Sadie and saw her eyes were red rimmed and puffy. “He’ll be okay. All his tests were normal.”

  “I know. I wasn’t crying about just that.”

  “Oh.” Fin wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to think about the fact Sadie was leaving her.

  “I was going to talk to you today. I thought I’d wait until the children were at school.”

  “Can we not talk about it now? I know he’s asleep but he might be able to hear. I don’t want him to know we’re splitting up.”

  Sadie sighed. “Is that what we’re doing, then?”

  “You were packing your stuff earlier.”

  “I don’t want to split up, Fin. I won’t live in that house any more and I think we need therapy, but I’m not planning on leaving you.”

  Tears prickled Fin’s eyes. She felt huge relief. She hadn’t completely fucked things up then.

  “You’re right, though. Here isn’t the place to talk about it all. I’m going to stay at my parents’ with the children. When Liam wakes up, I’ll finish getting our stuff from the house. I’m not living there again, though, so you need to decide which you want more—us or that bloody house.”

  As if it was even a question. “You, of course. We’ll lose money on it, though.”

  “I don’t care. It’s not right. Everything that’s gone on there…it’s got a bad energy.”

  Fin smiled for the first time in ages. “You sound like Rose’s girlfriend.”

  “Janey had a point.”

  “She does. I need to talk to you about the house—but not now. He might be able to hear.” Fin angled her head at Liam. “Please don’t leave me,” she blurted out.

  Sadie stood up and walked around the bed. Fin stood as well, and for the first time in ages, they hugged.

  “I love you, Sadie.”

  “I know. I love you. You’re nicer away from that house too.”

  Fin stayed quiet because she had a feeling it might be true. She didn’t feel as tired as she had for ages. Her head was clearer and the resentment she seemed to hold against Sadie also went away. The house was wrong—she knew that now. They needed to get away.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Lance Sherry waited. The woman had been in there for about five minutes, and there was no sign of her coming back out yet. It was possible the bitch was in there and they were having a good old natter. He was starting to worry. He couldn’t hang around forever. There was a ferry out of England tonight, and he needed to be on it.

  Lance was on the verge of giving up when he saw something move in one of the top floor windows. It was the Man. It was him. Dressed in his weird Victorian clothes. He looked down and waved at Lance, and that was strange because with the distance and the angle of the sun the Man shouldn’t be able
to see him so clearly—if at all.

  Lance grinned and waved back. The Man beckoned him as if he was saying Come on inside. That was when Lance knew he would be able to get the bitch after all. The Man in the window was a sign. He’d come through for Lance. As a thank you, Lance decided he would kill the kids, like the Man wanted. It was the least he could do.

  Lance stood and brushed the grass off his trousers. He walked confidently towards the house.

  * * *

  When Liam opened his eyes, the first thing he said was that he didn’t want to go back to the house. Sadie told him he wouldn’t have to.

  The doctors ran more tests and scans and declared him fine and healthy. When Sadie told Fin she wanted to drop him at her parents’, then go back for her things and car, Fin didn’t object. She was almost back to her old self, and Sadie realized just how different she was at the house. It was like every one of Fin’s bad qualities was magnified tenfold. Sadie hadn’t escaped the house’s touch either. She thought about the way she spoke to Fin there and the language she used in front of the children and felt ashamed of herself.

  She hoped Fin would come back to her parents’ with her. She didn’t know how she would manage alone in that house. It worried Sadie. Still, this would be the last time she stepped foot in the place. And the children were never going back in there.

  * * *

  Lance Sherry crept into the house. He waited just inside the door, listening. He moved forward carefully and glanced into the kitchen. Empty. Although it looked like the table had taken a battering.

  Back in the hall, he crossed over to the living room and saw no one was in there either.

  The woman must have gone upstairs. Who wandered around someone’s house uninvited? Lance almost laughed.

  He ascended the stairs as quietly as possible, and at the top, he heard a thump. It was coming from down the hall. Someone was banging on a door.

  He moved in the direction of the noise and could hear someone’s muffled pleas. That nosy woman must have gotten herself locked in one of the rooms.

  Lance thought about his options. He could let her out and kill her, but that might give the game away if someone was home—although he doubted it. Or he could leave her in there. Maybe drag something against the door just to make sure she couldn’t get out. If the bitch came home and heard her banging, it would draw her upstairs where Lance would be waiting.

  He made a choice. Lance walked quietly to the room the woman was trapped in. The sounds were still so muffled that he thought there must be some kind of soundproofing in there. He turned the door handle.

  * * *

  When they pulled up in the drive, Sadie groaned inwardly.

  “Why’s Rachel here?” Fin gave voice to Sadie’s thoughts.

  “I’m not sure.”

  They got out and walked to the front door. Dread settled in Sadie’s stomach, and not just because of Rachel. The house seemed to loom large over her, casting its heavy shadow over them and their lives. Fin was speaking and Sadie wasn’t listening. “Sorry, what did you say?”

  “I said, the door’s unlocked.” Fin looked at her accusingly. “Honestly, Sadie. We aren’t insured if someone’s broken in.”

  “I was in a bit of a rush, Fin,” she snapped back.

  Inside, she called out for Rachel but there was no response.

  “Where is she?” Fin asked, sounding irritated. “It’s not really on to just wander around someone’s house when they aren’t in.”

  This didn’t feel right. Sadie knew Rachel, and she wouldn’t stay in their house when she realized they weren’t home.

  It was the house. It was this bloody house. Her phone rang.

  She looked at the caller display and saw it was DC Helen Lyle. “Hello?”

  “Sadie. Where are you?” She sounded concerned.

  “At the house. I’m collecting a few things—”

  “Okay. You need to get out now.”

  Sadie’s blood ran cold. It was funny—she’d always thought that was a stupid phrase. Now she understood what it meant. She trembled. “My friend Rachel is here.”

  “Lance Sherry’s stepfather called us. His car is missing. We put out an ANPR and the vehicle was spotted heading along the M11 about an hour ago. It took the turn-off for your place.”

  “Okay. But my friend—”

  “We’re sending a car. You need to leave now.”

  Sadie hung up and turned to face Fin. “It was Helen Lyle. Lance Sherry might be here. We need to leave.”

  Fin nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Upstairs a door slammed. Someone screamed.

  “That was Rachel.” Sadie took off towards the stairs. She could hear Fin shouting after her but she didn’t stop. She took them two at a time and didn’t pause at the top but continued towards Liam’s bedroom. The door was shut, and just like earlier, it wouldn’t open.

  “Sadie! What are you doing?”

  Sadie kicked at the door. “Rachel’s in there.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Didn’t you hear her scream?”

  Fin drew back her leg and kicked at the door. It still wouldn’t budge.

  “I think he’s in there with her. Please, Fin, we can’t just leave her.”

  Fin put her ear against the door. “I can’t hear anything. Are you sure you heard Rachel?”

  “Yes.”

  “It might be him. Fucking around and trying to get us to go in there.”

  Sadie shook her head. “It’s Rachel. We have to help her.”

  Fin nodded. “I’ll go the same way as before.”

  Sadie watched as she disappeared into Lucy’s room.

  Behind her, she heard a click as the door to the spare bedroom opened.

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Fin approached the secret door cautiously. She took a step and almost slipped on the wet floor.

  This was a bad idea. But if Sadie was right and Rachel was trapped in Liam’s room with that madman Lance Sherry, they couldn’t just leave her.

  Fin got to the door and put her ear against it. It was quiet on the other side. They could be in there. Maybe Sherry was threatening her to be quiet—or maybe he’d already killed her. And what could Fin do anyway against him?

  She counted to three, then pushed open the door.

  It was empty. She stepped inside and looked around. It looked the same as this morning, completely undisturbed.

  Fin walked across the carpet and turned the door handle. The door opened easily. Sadie wasn’t waiting on the other side.

  Fin felt sick. Was this all a ruse just to get her up here? Did Lance Sherry have Sadie now?

  Fin hurried down the hall to the spare room and tried the door. Locked. Distantly, she heard sirens, but they would be too late.

  Fin hurried back down the hall and into Liam’s room again, intending to go back through the passage to the spare room. If Sadie was in there, and she wasn’t too late. She prayed she wasn’t too late.

  As soon as she stepped inside she realized her mistake. It wasn’t water she’d stepped in in the passage. It was blood. Perfect red footprints marked her progress through the room.

  Fin ran back through the door and along the passage. She turned the corner and hit her shoulder against one wall, making a thump, but she didn’t care. She needed to get to the spare room.

  This one was also wallpapered up, but it didn’t slow her down as she burst through. The smell of gas hit her immediately.

  She gagged and felt dizzy. Lying in the middle of the room was Sadie. Fin pulled her shirt up over her face—not that it would help—and hurried to where she lay. Still breathing. Just.

  She tried the door, but this one wouldn’t open. The steady hiss of gas came through the vent and continued to fill the room.

  Fin took Sadie’s arms and began to drag her backward into the passage. She was feeling sick now and dark spots were beginning to dance in front of her eyes.

  Back in the passage, Fin dragged her all the w
ay to the stairs. She hefted her in a fireman’s carry and went carefully downward.

  At the bottom, she put her down gently and looked around. The basement was the same as the last time she’d seen it, except for one thing. The door which she’d previously left unopened was now ajar.

  She approached quietly and peeked her head around. Where the basement had been empty before, now the kitchen table sat in the centre. Two lumps lay on top covered by sheets. The furnace in the corner was burning brightly, obviously busy poisoning the rooms upstairs with gas. She didn’t have time to think about how the system was working when it really shouldn’t be.

  Fin didn’t want to look under the sheets, but she needed to. She had to know.

  Her hand shook as she lifted the first sheet, spotted in some places and saturated in others with blood. Underneath lay Rachel. Fin choked off a sob. She was dead.

  Fin moved across to the other sheet and lifted it.

  Beneath it were old sheets and several stained pillows where she was expecting to find Lance Sherry.

  Behind her, someone laughed. Fin looked up to see him standing there.

  She’d seen a photograph of him before and was once again struck by how handsome he was. Tall with light brown hair and a baby face. He looked harmless. The knife in his hand said differently.

  “He kept his word,” Lance Sherry said, shaking his head with amused disbelief. “I honestly thought I was going mad, but it’s real and he kept his word.”

  “You killed Rachel,” Fin said stupidly.

  Lance Sherry rolled his eyes as if she was simple. “No shit. Where’s the bitch?”

  “The what?”

  “Sadie. Where’s Sadie?”

  So he hadn’t seen her bring Sadie downstairs. Fin prayed she would wake up and creep back up the stairs.

  “None of your business, you prick. Come on, you’ve got your knife, why don’t you come and kill me?”