Chapter Two
“Open the door. Let her out,” Mike said.
“It’s only been twenty minutes.” Thomas backed down as his friend glared at him. “Okay. Okay.” He pulled at the old wooden plank that he had used to secure the doors from the outside. He glanced at Mike.
“She’s going to be so pissed.”
“Yeah, so would I be.” Thomas pulled on the handles and the doors swung open with a metallic groan of protest.
“What is that stink?” Mike asked covering his nose with his arm.
“Oh, man that’s bad. Smells like science class.” They stood for a moment coughing and groaning.
“Sulphur.” Thomas managed to say. “Susie?”
He entered the building with a shuffling gait as the fumes were strong enough to make his eyes water. As his sight adjusted to the sun brushed dusty air he noticed something towards the back of the building. His brain was unable to recognise anything but a pile of discarded clothes, but his body knew. His heart felt too large for his chest as it pounded out a rhythm of panic.
“Mike!” He ran towards the pile of rags and stare in horror as finally, his brain recognised his sister.
Mike was beside him and bent down his hand hovering over Susie.
“What’s happened to her? She’s covered in scratches. Look at her face.” Rooted by fear and disbelief, Thomas couldn’t move. He gawked at his sister’s wounds. “Phone an ambulance. She’s unconscious.” He had to shout at Thomas again before his friend could move and take control.
The ambulance arrived minutes before the worried parents. Susie’s mom tried not to scream as she saw the extent of her daughter’s injuries. Cuts peppered her skin that were a shock of red against her pallid complexion. One eye looked wielded shut by blue and purple greasy colour as if painted across it in a mad dance of violence.
“What happened?” Thomas heard the disbelief in his mom’s voice and started to cry.
“It was a trick, mom. There was nobody else in there.”
The paramedic closed the doors of the ambulance on mom and daughter. The rest could follow behind. Mom held onto Susie’s hand. Her eyes shifted in tiny darting glances over her daughter’s body. Shock gave her a soft whispering voice as she stroked Susie’s hair.
“It’s going to be okay, baby.” Repeated over like a prayer. She noticed her daughter’s eyes flickering behind her eyelids. The good eye opened and then rolled backward. Susie lurched upward but the straps restrained her. She screamed her face a contorted mask of terror.
“I’m here darling. Mom’s here.” Susie heard nothing but cackling laughter and nails of pain. All she could see was Geraldine sitting on her chest and swiping at her like a cat would play with a mouse. The paramedic tried to keep himself as calm as he could without panicking the mother. He injected Susie with a tranquilliser. As it took effect the screaming broke down into whimpering then silence.
“What is wrong with her?”
“We’ll know more when we arrive at the hospital.”
****
Susie floated weightless in her unconscious dreams. The monster was still there, but she couldn’t hurt her inside this place. It made her angry, but Susie didn’t care, she laughed at her contorted body and silly features.
“I can wait,” Geraldine said.
Ghostly Writes Anthology 2016 Page 31
