My Girl

by Rob Shepherd

“The pair of you, get up. I want you to come and sit down and get comfortable while I decide what I am going to do with you.” Summer ordered.

  Andy attempted to stand first, Judith following, beating Andy to her feet turning to help him get fully straight by sliding her arm underneath his and pulling him up as she straightened her own back once again. The three of them slowly made their way into the lounge. Summer followed the other two, pushing them down on to the sofa, then sat down in the armchair almost opposite them.

  “Now what do we do with you two? Huh? You see, it's best that you hadn't been so damn concerned and gone sniffing around. If you hadn't been so concerned about that fucking cellar. I don't know what you did or didn't find but that's of little consequence now. You have lost trust in me. If only you had carried on as normal, like I said we wouldn't be here like this. I need to decide whether I need you now or not. Whether you are useful or just a hindrance. What do you think mum? I say dad is more of a hindrance, I think he's more of an unnecessary complication myself, what about you?

  “Summer, why are you doing this? What's going on? Please. We love you. Whatever it is, we can help you. Judith cried.

  “Oh, really. I'm doing this because I'm evil. I have a designated purpose and I am going to fulfil it. Whatever it is? This is it!

  “We can sort it out. We can help make everything better.” Judith continued.

  “Just shut up, you pathetic, miserable bitch.”

  “No, we can be a team again. Like before.” Andy spoke for the first time since being knocked out.

  “Oh, fuck off!” Summer snarled back.

  “Tell us one thing then, please.” Judith pleaded with Summer.

  “Summer, please, what happened in the laundry room? Whatever it is, this has all got to do with what is in the laundry room, isn't it? Whatever it is, it is in the cellar.” Judith carried on

  Summer pursed her lips and sighed. Just as suddenly as before, she struck out, this time she punched Judith in the side of the head. The power of the impact knocking Judith clean off the sofa, leaving her a crumpled heap on the floor. Holding her head in her hands. Summer then stood up and stepped over to Judith, kneeling down to her, gripping her hair in her hand and wrapping it around her fingers, twisting it into a tight ponytail.”

  “Guess it's death you idiots want then. Of course, it's about the 'laundry room'. That's what I said in the beginning, didn't I? You are fucking morons. There is nothing you or daddy dearest here, can do to help or do about it. There never was. So, here is what is going to happen. You are going to die, but I am going to ensure you watch daddy die horribly first. Then, you will die, but later, much, later. And not necessarily at my feet.”

  Summer downed the last of the whisky in the glass before throwing it into the fireplace, the glass smashing, Judith could feel small slithers, bounce out and pepper her head and hands which had inadvertently protected her face. The few drops of whisky that were left in the glass cause the fire to briefly roar into wild yellow-blue-green flames before dying back down again.

  “The only question left is how daddy dies. I'll think of it come the time.” Summer said quietly.

  Judith crawled across the floor on her hands and knees trying to get back to the sofa, next to Andy. Summer walked over to the sofa, picking the baseball bat back up, gripping it with both hands this time, swinging it gently, getting a feel for it. Looking down at Judith, she straightened her back, she moved about to strike.

  A large crash outside broke Summers attention, diverting her to one of the windows. She walked over to check it out. Behind Summers back, Andy hauled Judith up on to the sofa.

  “Stay there.!” Summer demanded. She walked out of the lounge and toward the front door. She unlocked it and checked outside, swing the bat around as though to threaten the world with her hate. Turning back in, she closed the door and locked it again. Summer walked back into the lounge, but her parents were missing from the room. Growling she walked back out again, the door to the dining room now clearly open. She followed their path after them.

  Andy and Judith held on to each other, rushing as fast as they could to the front door, having made their way through the kitchen and back passed the cellar door and back to the hallway, to the front door. Desperate to get there before Summer could intercept them.

  Just as they got to the door, they heard a clatter and Andy's feet fumbled beneath him and he tripped over himself crashing to the ground. Judith looked down at him, lying there with him was the baseball bat, Judith reached up and began unlocking the door, but unfortunately for her, Summer was too fast and there were too many locks on this door.

  Picking the bat back up Summer yanked Judith away from the front door using her top and leverage. Judith slid on her back for a second on the wooden floorboards. Summer spun the bat in her hand then gripping with both hands, aimed at Judith's head. Judith closed her eyes as she reached out with her arms to protect herself, knowing it was a futile gesture. Just as Summer began to swing, she felt her arms pulling behind her in the opposite direction. At risk of losing grip on the bat, Summer spun around to see what was going on. She saw Andy's face staring back at her. His hands on the end of the bat. With an instant, the bat was out of her hands and flying across the floor. Her eyes followed the bat in some disbelief before returning, furious, at Andy. Only for her to be greeted by Andy's leg already raised and his foot in the air retracting into his body. Within a split second after that Summer experienced the force of Andy's foot as he kicked her full force into the gut with the sole of his foot. It forced her backwards off her feet, falling backwards Summer tumbled over Judith, who was still on the floor in a sitting position and crashed to the ground with a thump.

  Andy got to Judith and pulled her back up once again. The two of them realising that they couldn't leave out the front door, maybe they could get out through the back, back they had to get through Summer, at this point the thought seemingly occurred to both of the simultaneously that this was not just an escape and get Summer the help she needs, this, quite simply, was a fight for survival.

  The pair raced to the kitchen and toward the back door, but they had to avoid Summer yet again, who by now had returned to her feet and was right behind them wielding the bat once more. Summer swung the bat around wildly, causing it to bounce of walls, door frames, smashing shelves and any contents once contained upon them. The two adults scrambled to get to the rear of the kitchen to the back door, just as Summer swung the bat more wildly and vicious than ever. Missing even more wildly and leaving herself exposed. Andy took the opportunity before he even needed to think about it, clenching his fist and throwing all his weight behind it, in her direction. He struck Summer hard in the face. The blow breaking her orbital bone on the left side of her face, along with two of his own fingers. Her eye immediately began to swell from the injury, and she reeled backwards in pain. The realisation of what he was and had done began to set in and the guilt of having punched and kicked his own daughter so hard made him feel nauseous. Watching his daughter reel in pain, remembering the feel and sound of her eye socket break with that awful crack, made him sick and he turned away to vomit.

  Andy, distracted by vomiting was bent over double, retching hard. In between retches, Andy saw a second shadow cast on the floor, loom over him. Summer raged even now. Wielding the bat still, she held it height in her hands, readying herself to crash it down upon his spine. Ending his life there end then. Just as she began to swing her arms down to meet Andy's spine, she felt herself shift violently away from Andy and found herself hurtling backwards, her mind took a second to process what was happening and how, by that time her own spine made hard contact with a door behind her, it was the cellar door. The door duly gave way, the latch breaking as it snapped from its housing which sent tiny splinters to shower everywhere. For a moment there was a beautiful silence. Nobody and nothing made a single noise. Pure silence. Finally, Summer's brain kicked in and realised what had just happened and more importantly where she now was exact
ly. Her body was still moving and feeling herself topple even further, but this time dropping, rather than going backwards she flung her arms outwards, dropping the baseball bat as she desperately tried to grasp a hold of something solid to catch her, but without success.

  As she realised what was happening, she looked up, her eyes wild and frightened for the first time in days, weeks maybe. There they contacted Judith’s' and the pair stared at each other for maybe a half second, even though to Summer this sensation seemed to last for eternity. Time had seemed to stop just for this moment, then it caught up with them all and Summer was yanked violently down the stairs, tumbling in an uncontrollable decent, the sound of bone and wood both cracking, breaking, dust being flung into the air as her body crash over and over and the awful, bloody sound of bones snapping with gut wrenching efficiency and horrific finality. The sound made Judith’s' skin crawl and she turned her head momentarily until she heard no more sound, except Adam's own breathing as he stood back up straight. The pair peered down the stairs to see Summer's body lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom, the velocity of her fall carrying her body away from the steps and a little bit further into the room. Now it was Judith’s' turn to vomit both at the sight of her daughters prone, broken body and her own guilt at the fact that she had done this to her.

  Chapter 9

  “We should call the police. We need to call the police.” Judith said, standing back up and wiping the last of the vomit from her mouth with her sleeve.

  “And tell them what?” That our teenage daughter has been possessed or something and has been trying to kill us all day, maybe even weeks, so we pushed her through the cellar door and down the stairs?” Andy replied with no little amount of resigned sarcasm at the situation. “Look, we both know what happened here. We both know who, or what-ever that is down there is not our Summer. At least not the Summer we knew. But no-one else is going to believe that. How can they, to everyone else she is normal. And the only evidence, has us all over it” Andy continued.

  “Well we need to do something. Like it or not, believe it or not, but that is the only thing we have left of our daughter. And she needs a doctor. She needs our help.” Judith reasoned.

  Andy nodded, giving up his half-hearted removal of any connection to the body of the young girl down the bottom of the steps.

  Judith stood up once again and made her way to grab her phone. After calling she returns to Andy who is waiting at the door to the cellar, though now he has stopped looking and has lit a cigarette. “Judith looked at him with suspicion. He hadn't smoked for ages, years even. Found them on the top step. Must have come out of her pocket. Never seen them before. Taste alright though. He handed the packet to Judith, who, given her profession, was unimpressed but more importantly given what had just happened, sighed and took one herself and lit it.

  “That was not our daughter, Jude.” Andy followed up simply.

  Judith nodded. “Police are on their way.”

  The pair stood smoking in silence for a few moments, not daring to look down at the body anymore. Until Judith finally broke the silence.

  “We need to check, Andy. We have to know.”

  “About what. Our daughter or what it actually is?” Andy asked.

  “Partly, yes. But we also need to check and find out what it was that she was after. What started all of this? Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know what happened down here. Because something godawful took place down here and I have to find out before the police turn this place over.”

  Andy agreed and the pair of them gingerly walked down the steps into the dark cellar-come laundry room. Judith clicked the light switch, but nothing happened. “I should've guessed” Judith spoke behind Andy. The pair of them began to look around despite the lack of a light bulb, it was still relatively light in there, for a cellar. After a moment or two she noticed Andy stop and just stand there on the spot.

  “Andy? What is it? What's the matter? What's happened?” The questions came out in a short barrage. Andy turned his head to look at her, his eyes wide and terrified.

  “Look” Was the only thing he could say in response. Judith followed where Andy was pointing and couldn't see anything. Andy began to walk slowly forward; Summer's body lay still and untouched and unchecked. Whatever Andy had seen, was keeping his gaze and even the body of his own daughter lying still could not take him away. Judith followed Andy in the direction of where he was heading toward. Looking down she noticed how old Summer's body looked. This was enough to make her want to look away again and leave it to the police and Ambulance. She was dead, they all knew that, or would come to.

  Judith reached behind him and held on to him, the pair of them could clearly see a patch of ground in front of a small, niche like space in the far end wall, in the darkest area of the cellar. Rather than be cement, this patch of ground looked more like fresh dirt and limestone powder. The pair fell to their knees before the area, simply looking at each other, confused and terrified.

  Judith noticed a small glint in the peripheral vision. Looking toward the shining object, she notices it is a skull. Her stomach drops and churns. Her heart begins to start racing, thumping against her chest. She reaches out and grabs the skull. Polished, smooth, except for decorative runes carved into it. She rolled it around in her hands inspecting the runes. Pentagrams and other pagan symbols seem to adorn the forehead and temples. Others decorate the back of the skull. Each rune and symbol are carved deep into the skull. A red paint seems to decorate the inside of the cared symbols. The more Judith inspected it, the more she began to feel lightheaded. There was something about this skull and this had something to do with everything with Summer. They had lived here for several years now and had never seen this here any other time. The skull seemed to want to hold her gaze. The more she gazed at it, the darker, the deeper and the more enticing those empty eye sockets seemed to become. Drawing her in ever deeper.

  Judith felt herself becoming more and more lost into this thing. To the point where she began to fear she would stop existing all together and simply become nothing. Andy looked over at her, narrowing his eyes as he tried tom focus on what it was that she was looking at. He wondered what she was looking at. He watched for a few more seconds before realisation set in that something was very wrong. Judith had been staring at that thing for far too long. Getting to his feet, Andy walked over cautiously and saw Judith sitting there with the decorated skull in her open hands. Her expression not changing, her eyes never blinking, just fixed and silent.

  “Jude? Are you OK?” Andy spoke to her. “Jude.” Still nothing. The skull was giving him the creeps. Whatever use this was designed for, it didn't belong here. Why it was here was a mystery, but one he wanted shot of immediately. Whatever this skull was, it was bad news. Reach out, Andy grabbed it out of Judith’s' hands and tossed across the room. Eventually finding a wall it made hard contact and smashed, fragments from it littering the cellar with little tinkling sounds as each one landed on the hard floor.

  Slowly becoming aware once more, Judith blinked deeply, repeatedly and shook her head as though coming out of a daydream or hypnosis. The clarity returning to her head gradually. Finally, her eyes returning their gaze back at Andy's. She reached out and hugged Andy tight. The two embraced for momentarily before their gaze returned to the spot of loose ground.

  “Are you alright?” Andy asked.

  “Yes, I'll be fine now. I think.” Judith replied, uncertain, with her head still swirling with faint memories of horrific visions given to her from somewhere that she could remember either.

  Their gaze returned yet again to the space of loose ground. The more that they looked at it, the more it seemed to resemble a shallow grave.

  “Oh my god, it looks like a...” Judith held her hand to her mouth, covering it as though to catch the rest of the sentence before it left her mouth.

  Andy felt his gut sink to the floor. He nodded a response to Judith, without the power to speak himself. It was as though his saying anyt
hing would make it a reality, when it was all just an illusion. It had to be.

  Composing herself, Judith spoke once again. “We have to find out, once and for all. I have to know.” Andy continued remaining silent. The silence itself giving Judith the agreement she seemed to need. Judith saying all that didn't make it any more appealing though. Without any tools, they would have to dig at it with their bare hands.

  They had hardly begun when they began to expose some fabric. They both looked at each other and carried on with a certain amount of trepidation until they exposed a complete area of a t-shirt, the body clearly still in it. The two fell backwards in shock, landing on their backsides. Both immediately scrambling to get to their feet to either return to the grave or run away and never return. Taking a deep breath and doing their best not to think of anything else other than this was a corpse that may have been there longer than they knew or maybe the result of their daughter’s changes in character.

  Gripping the shirt, Andy pulled back forth several times, until finally continuing to pull with all the strength he could find. The broken cement, soil, limestone mix slid off the body, filling the gaps opening either side as the body started to become free. Finally, the head broke free entirely of the grave followed by the rest of the body, Andy's pulling at the torso, causing the body to sit up with a lurch, to silently greet Andy and Judith. Andy shouted wi9th a horrified yelp of alarm. The corpse of their beautiful daughter sat there upright, half buried from the waist down, looking at them with white, lifeless eyes. Her face pale & gaunt. All colour long since left her once unblemished skin, which was now beginning to puff up and bloat a little.

  The reality that neither of them had even wanted to entertain, yet knew deep down was possible, had now just become horrific fact, undeniable reality. The couple so shocked, frightened and devastated, that neither of them could even manage to make even the smallest sound. Silence being the only apt response, grief enveloping them as their dearest friend. And they gave themselves, falling into to its nurture.