The laughter continued from both the old woman and what appeared to be Alex’s grandfather. They were both still motionless, but the tall man with the open wounds covering his body continued to stumble towards them.
Alex felt himself pulled sideways as his mother dragged both he and Leah around the banister and onto the stairs. As Alex passed before the grinning old man he felt an intense cold, like a blast from a refrigerator.
‘Come on,’ his mother urged, shoving them both up the stairs as quickly as they could go. But they were moving too fast, and Alex’s legs began to ache.
‘Mom,’ he said, trying to get his breath as they turned at the landing and thundered along the hallway.
‘Keep going,’ she said, guiding them to the spare bedroom which was directly above the living room.
‘I’m scared,’ Leah said, openly crying now. She squatted down and wrapped her arms around herself.
‘No,’ their mother said, pulling Leah back to her feet. ‘We need to keep moving.’
‘Where?’ Alex asked, wanting to break down in tears himself. His mother had already moved over to the window and was fighting with the handle.
She had to be kidding.
The window’s bottom section swung outwards, enough for them to fit through. ‘Come on,’ his mother urged, frantic.
‘Out the window?’ Alex asked. ‘It’s too high.’
‘It’s not,’ she replied. ‘The bay window to the living room is right below us. It’s not that far down, we just drop onto the roof of the window and then down to the ground.’
‘What if we fall?’
‘We won’t fall,’ she said, her voice rising. ‘Now come on, both of you, we need to move.’
Neither Alex nor his sister reacted, so Danni stomped over and pulled Leah to the window.
‘I can’t,’ Leah cried.
‘You can.’
Leah wanted to argue more, but was pushed, as carefully as possible, to the window frame. Alex watched as his sister leaned her head out and looked down. She immediately drew it back in.
‘It’s too high,’ she said.
‘It’s not. You need to do this, Leah, we can’t stay here. Now come on, honey, just be brave for me.’
‘I’m scared.’
‘I know you are, but you know we have to go. We can’t stay here. It’ll all be fine, sweetie, I promise. Alex and I will be right behind you.’
Alex walked over to the window as well and looked out at the drop.
Leah, still crying, seemed to heed her mother’s words. She began to move, painfully slowly, and stepped up onto the window sill, holding onto the jamb for dear life. She swung a leg outside.
‘Now lower yourself down, Leah. Just be careful.’
Leah did as instructed. Grasping the sill, she let her body lower until she was hanging from the window. Looking out, Alex could see her dangling feet were still a foot from the flat roof of the bay window below.
‘I can’t let go, Mom,’ Leah said.
‘Yes you can, Leah. Yes you can. Just be careful.’
Alex could see the hesitation in Leah’s face. But, she closed her eyes and let go.
Alex held his breath as he watched his sister drop. Her feet made contact with the roof below, and for a moment tipped to one side, desperately pinwheeling her arms to regain her balance.
Thankfully, she succeeded.
‘Now wait there, don’t fall,’ Danni shouted and turned to Alex. ‘Now you.’
He shook his head, but his mother didn’t hesitate. She grabbed him and pulled him towards the opening.
‘Let go of your crutches, Alex. We’ll bring them down afterwards.’
‘I don’t think I—’
‘No,’ she said, cutting him off. ‘We don’t have time. You can do this, I know you can. Your sister is right below you, and she’ll catch you. Now climb out, just like she did. I’ll help you.’
Alex was resistant. He wanted a moment to get used to the idea that he was about to jump from a first-floor window, but that opportunity was not given to him. His mother forcefully guided him through the opening, and he felt the cool air from outside on his face. He gazed down and instantly felt dizzy. It looked so high from up here.
‘Now lower yourself down, just like your sister did.’
His body shook, and he feared his bodyweight would be too much for his arms to bear. But he lowered himself down, feeling his mother’s supporting hands from above helping to lessen his weight.
‘Leah, grab hold of your brother’s legs and help lower him down.’
As Alex dangled helplessly, he felt his sister grab his ankles.
‘I’ve got you,’ she said.
‘Now drop,’ his mother said. Alex closed his eyes as his sister had, took a breath, and let go.
He felt himself drop, weightless, until his legs made contact with the roof. He felt a flash of pain run up his shins, and he cried out, toppling backwards. Leah tried to hold him, but he stumbled into her, knocking Leah backwards as well.
They both fell, clutching one another, over the edge of the roof.
‘No!’ he heard his mother scream from above as the world around him spun. The pain from his legs was eclipsed when both Alex and Leah landed hard onto the concrete footpath below.
Alex hit his head, and pinpricks of light danced before his eyes. He rolled onto his back and exhaled as he felt his sister untangle herself from him.
‘Alex, are you okay?’ he heard her say. He looked past her to see the horrified face of his mother above as she leaned from the open window.
‘Mom!’ he yelled back, terrified.
The grinning old man was standing directly behind her.
18
JON HADN’T PHONED in a pizza.
Instead, he'd simply put on a show, as he knew his family would be listening.
Danni was desperate to leave, that much was clear. And with her stupidly falling down the stairs, there had been talk about calling an ambulance.
Why couldn’t they just see the truth?
They were all scared of nothing. Spooked by shadows.
If he got them to stay and face their fears, then they would see that he was right. There was nothing to be afraid of.
But running away would solve nothing, so he had to stop that from happening. And to do that, he needed time to think.
The night was drawing in rapidly, and though the temperature was dropping outside, the sting of the cold was refreshing. The air itself seemed different in this part of the world; cleaner, more pure.
He liked it.
Better than the smog-infested pollution that they all had to breathe in London on a daily basis. Maybe they would be better off relocating here?
After making the fake telephone call, he had looked over to the mill and noticed the door was open.
The building intrigued him and he realised that, despite having been here for a day and a half, he hadn’t even looked inside.
His curiosity was piqued, and he decided to investigate it now. He didn’t want to go back inside just yet, and the privacy would give him time to think.
As he walked over to the mill he noticed something in the doorway.
Something unimaginable.
Hideous.
Not of this world.
Something demonic and evil.
He laughed to himself and kept on going.
Maybe the wild imagination of his family was contagious. He knew there was nothing there—it was all in his head, and he would not be scared by make-believe.
It beckoned him with a long, boney finger and as he approached the door, it backed off, giving him space to enter.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t scared. Part of him was terrified. And, somewhere inside of him, he heard a weak and frightened voice urging him to run. That voice was, thankfully, drowned out by reason.
There was nothing to be scared of and certainly no need to run.
He stepped inside and the door closed behind him, clicking into place and cutting off all
light, save for a sliver around the edges of the door.
Strange that it had closed on its own, but no matter.
Despite the cold and dark, Jon felt oddly at peace in here. The place had a calming effect and was an escape from the constant nagging and insanity of his family. A place to quiet his mind.
He heard a voice.
It was a horrible sound, like glass scrapping down a chalkboard.
He knew the thing he’d seen in the doorway was speaking. His imagination again. However, the vile demon seemed to speak sense.
So he listened.
It told him that if his family left this place, they would never understand what it was to stand up for themselves. His children would inherit their mother’s failings and forever run from adversity.
They would be weak.
Like her.
It said that they needed to stay here so they could learn a valuable lesson. At least for the night, if not longer.
The more it spoke, the more Jon understood. Danni now owned this house, so why sell it? It was a much better place to raise a family than a city. It was secluded, private, with plenty of land surrounding it, and here they had room to grow, to breath, instead of being crammed shoulder to shoulder with strangers like they were back home.
It all made sense.
But would his family see it that way?
That was the question.
The thing gave him his answer, and it was so blindingly obvious he felt a little embarrassed at not realising it himself.
They would not see it his way. Of course they wouldn’t.
So, he would have to get them to understand. To see it his way.
And, if they still resisted, he would make them stay.
It was for their own good.
It was for the best.
They would come to see that he knew what was best for them.
That he was right.
Jon heard a commotion outside, voices from the house. He turned and held out his hand, fumbling for the door. Something gripped his wrist, ice-cold to the touch, and guided his reach to the door handle.
Run!
The voice was his own, inside of himself, but he shrugged it off. Nothing to be scared of. He grasped the handle, and the cold hand released him. He opened the door.
It did not resist.
Jon stepped outside and jogged to the front of the house. Once there, he surveyed the scene.
‘Mom,’ Alex yelled. The boy was lying on the ground, his sister beside him, both seemed to be in pain. Jon glanced up and saw Danni looking out of an open, upstairs window.
An old man was standing behind her with a menacing smile on his face. Another trick of the mind, no doubt.
Nothing to worry about.
Nothing at all.
What he did have to worry about, however, was the fact that his family seemed to be up to something. Acting without his approval.
Without his say-so.
And that could not stand.
19
PLEASE DON’T BE HURT.
Danni witnessed both of her children plunge from the top of the bay window to the hard ground below. It was a drop of only about seven feet, but enough to do some damage, especially to Alex.
And it was her fault.
In her desperation, she had pushed them into doing something they clearly didn’t want to do. She hadn’t seen an alternative, considering the unbelievable situation they were in, but that didn’t change the fact that she had caused this.
However, they did seem to be moving. Leah was getting to her feet and had Alex rolled to his back.
He cried out to her.
But, Danni noticed, he didn’t seem to be crying out for help, more in warning. As he did, Danni saw Jon run into view from around the corner of the house.
And, instead of seeming concerned over what was going on, he looked furious.
Something was wrong with him, she knew that. The story from the diary, of her mother and father and how they had changed, was fresh in her mind.
Had something similar happened to Jon?
A feeling of intense cold fell over her from behind. One that overpowered even the chilly night air from outside.
She heard that laughter again, and her body froze.
Her father was behind her. She knew it, but she was too terrified to turn around. She then felt, and could smell, his rancid breath on the back of her neck. Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt him press against her from behind.
It made her skin crawl.
‘Hello… darling,’ an echoey, raspy voice said. It seemed to strain with every word, as if the act of talking was an effort. Painful, even.
Danni felt cold hands grasp her arms, and her body began to tremble.
This can’t be happening.
Only a day ago, Danni felt like she had unfinished business. Things to say to him that she would never have the chance to again. And now here he was. Right behind her.
Tormenting her again in death, just as he had in life.
‘Please,’ she said, softly. ‘Please just leave me alone. Let me go.’
The mocking laughter returned.
‘I… will… never… leave… you… alone… again.’
Danni began to weep. Through her tears, she saw Jon move below, dragging the children to their feet. He pointed towards the front door of the house, ordering them back inside.
‘Your… family… is… ours… now. And… we… all… belong… to… it.’
No.
She couldn’t allow that.
She wouldn’t just stand by and let her family be taken by whatever the hell was behind all this. As her father started to tighten his ice-cold grip on her, Danni launched herself forward, managing to break free from the phantom hold, and leapt through the opening, bouncing off the window frame as she did.
Danni flapped her arms uselessly as she fell, trying to aim her body towards the bay window roof, the same one that Alex and Leah had dropped onto, but her momentum was too much. Her feet managed to catch the edge, taking some of the speed from her fall, but the impact was hard, and she felt a new flash of pain in her already injured ankle. In the same motion, she toppled forward and fell all the way to the ground.
She hit side-first, and the wind rushed from her body. Her head bounced off of the ground, just at the point where grass met the concrete footpath. Even though the grass was softer, her head still erupted with pain.
She wanted to let out a cry, but she didn’t have the breath in her to do so. Instead, a low moan escaped her.
‘Mom!’ Danni heard Leah call out.
‘What the fuck are you doing?’
That was Jon, not a trace of concern, only anger.
‘We need to help her.’
Alex this time. Danni opened her eyes, but her vision was blurred and everything seemed to be spinning. She felt nauseous.
‘Come on,’ Jon said angrily. ‘Get in the house. Now. I’ll deal with your mother.’
‘What’s wrong with you?’ Leah said. ‘She’s hurt. We need to help her.’
‘And I will, just get inside.’
‘No,’ Leah argued, ‘we’re leaving. We need to take her to a hospital. Stop being so fucking weird, Dad.’
Danni’s vision was slowly coming into focus, and she could make out enough to see her husband raise his hand and strike their daughter hard across the face. There was an audible, stinging slap, and Leah let out a cry before falling to her side.
‘Now, back inside!’ Jon screamed.
He sounded insane.
No, Danni knew, not insane.
Possessed.
She knew now that it was time to stop regarding what was clearly taking place as being impossible. If they were going to survive, she had to accept that it was real—all of it. Danni didn’t understand how or why, but she didn’t need to.
All she needed to do was to get her family out of here.
To safety.
As much as it hurt to do so and made her bod
y scream in angry protest, Danni managed to get to her feet.
‘Jon,’ she said, trying to keep her balance as her head still spun. She hurt all over and had no idea what injuries the fall had actually caused. She was running on pure adrenaline.
‘Stay out of it, Danni,’ he said, pointing a threatening finger at her. ‘It’s your fault this shit is happening.’
‘Jon,’ she said again, ‘just listen to yourself. Think about what you just did to your daughter.’
Leah was on the floor holding her face, looking absolutely terrified of her father. He turned his head to look at her and studied her expression. Danni saw a moment’s doubt, but it was quickly thrown off when Jon shook his head.
‘Stop trying to confuse me,’ he said. ‘We need to toughen these kids up, Danni. They need to grow up to be strong. But you? You just enable their fear, pushing your own insecurities on them. Well, I won’t have it. So we are all going to go back in the fucking house. And what’s more, we may even need to extend our stay here. It’s a much better environment to bring Leah and Alex up in. And there are going to be some changes, understand?’
‘This isn’t you talking,’ Danni said. ‘It isn’t. Think about what you’re saying, what you’re doing. It’s absurd.’
‘There you go again,’ Jon said, taking a step towards Danni. ‘Always arguing and trying to run away. If you’d just do as you’re told, then you wouldn’t be in this mess. But you always try to disobey, always want to run. Happy to live like a coward. Well, no more. I won’t allow it. There will be no more running!’ He was screaming now, and Danni could see a bulging vein on his forehead even from this distance.
‘Please,’ Danni pleaded, begging him, hoping he would realise what was really happening. ‘You’re scaring the children. And you’ve hit Leah. You’ve never hit our children before.’
‘Because we were too lenient,’ Jon said. ‘And it clearly hasn’t worked. So we need to change things. Instill a bit of discipline. No more namby-pamby, tip-toeing around things. I’m getting tired of saying this, so I’m going to give you all one last chance. Get back in the fucking house.’
‘And if we don’t?’
Jon laughed. It was an utterly humourless one. ‘Then I’ll drag each of you back in myself. It’s your choice.’
Danni gave up, he was too far gone to be reasoned with. As scared, horrified, and sad as that made her, all that mattered right now was her children. And Danni knew that Jon, the real Jon, the one lost to them right now, would agree.
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