by Amy Cross
"I'll be fine," I say. The truth is, I'm not scared of being left here alone. In some strange way, I actually like the idea. The pain in my head seems to ease for a moment as I imagine what it would be like to wander through these rooms without anyone to disturb me.
"You won't be fine," Natalie adds. "You know what'll happen if you stay here alone."
"It can't do anything to me," I reply.
"It's not safe," Natalie continues. "We're not leaving you behind!"
We sit in silence for a moment. I don't know what the others are thinking, but I'm focusing on the fact that just when we're finally free to get out of here, it seems as if things are conspiring to keep us in the house. If we'd managed to get out a day earlier, we'd already be miles away, maybe even in a local town. As things stand, my leg is holding us all back. I can't shake the feeling, though, that while Elizabeth and Natalie are willing to stay here in order to look after me, I wouldn't have done the same for them. I want to be a good person, and the kind of person who'd do anything for her friends, but there's a voice in the back of my mind that's telling me to only think of myself.
"I'm willing to do it," I say eventually. "I'm terrified, but I'm willing to stay here alone while you two go and get help."
"There's another choice," Elizabeth says eventually, dabbing her eyes. "It's not something I'd choose to do, but it might work."
"What?" I ask.
She pauses for a moment. "We destroy it."
"Destroy what?" Natalie asks.
"Everything. The house. The presence. The creature. We burn this place to the ground."
"Burning it won't help," I say. "The presence -"
"Then we find another way!" she replies, raising her voice a little. "We're smart. We've got the power at our disposal. Are you seriously trying to tell me that the three of us, working together, can't put a stop to whatever's living here? I know it won't be easy, but we can do it!"
"It's powerful," I point out.
"So are we!" she says firmly. "We're getting stronger all the time, so why don't we go and find this presence and destroy it? It's somewhere in the house, so why don't we confront it? If we look into its eyes, maybe we can find a way to get rid of it forever? We'll take our anger and we use it to kill this thing. Whatever it is, it can't be human."
"How?" I ask. "It's all around us. It's in the air. It's -"
"It has to have a body," Elizabeth continues, as if she hasn't even heard my protests. "It has to have a focal point. Natalie, isn't there a part of the house where it's stronger?"
"Upstairs," Natalie replies, with a look of fear on her face. "It's definitely stronger upstairs. If it lives anywhere, it's in one of the rooms at the far end, furthest away from the top of the stairs."
"Then that's where we'll look," Elizabeth says. She's clearly scared, but she seems determined to face this presence and make sure it never hurts anyone ever again. "Between us, we can do this. We can't run, because we can't leave you, Holly, and we can't stay here and just wait for something to happen, so we have no choice. We have to find this thing and kill it. Whatever it is, it seems to hide away, using other people. That means it must be weak, or at least it has vulnerabilities. Why would something stay closeted away in a remote house, unless it's scared?"
"I don't think you can just go charging in there," I say. "It might be -"
"Maybe we're the only ones who can do this," she says firmly. "Maybe, after everything that's happened to us, we don't have a choice." She looks down at my leg. "Unless you think you can magically fix that wound and start walking properly, Holly, I think this is our only option. We have to defeat this thing."
Before I can answer, there's a loud noise from upstairs, as if something is slamming a series of doors.
"He's loose!" Elizabeth shouts, hurrying to the bottom of the stairs. Joining her, I look up just as the banging stops, but there's no sign of any movement.
"It's not him," Natalie says. "He's still chained up. It's the presence. It's angry."
"Or scared," Elizabeth suggests. "It might be terrified. It knows we've got a plan."
"Maybe," I say, feeling a dull, driving pain start to develop in the back of my head. For a moment, it's almost as if the fog is lifting and I can remember everything that happened to me up in the room, right before I was taken through to the ice bath. As quickly as it comes, however, the memory quickly dissipates, but I'm left with a twisting, grinding kind of pain.
"You okay?" Natalie asks.
I nod.
We head upstairs, with Elizabeth leading the way until we reach the room where the cattle-prod guy is still chained to the wall. He looks to be unconscious, and it's clear that he wasn't the one who made all the noise just now. Chained and bloodied, he looks pathetic. We feared him for so long, but now we can see him for what he really is: just another victim of the forces that lurk in this house.
"You know what to do," says a voice behind me. "There's no point delaying the inevitable."
Turning, I see that there's no-one there. Still, the voice was familiar, even if I can't quite work out where I've heard it before. For a moment, I'm reminded of my time in the room last night, when I met... something. My mind is still too foggy and confused, and the pain is still too strong, for me to be able to remember exactly what happened.
"Holly?" Elizabeth says, having noticed my confusion.
"I'm fine," I say. "Let's just get on with this." I glance over at the cattle-prod guy and suddenly I'm overcome by a feeling of absolute confidence: I know exactly what we have to do, and how we have to do it, and I know which room we have to go to in order to find the presence. "It's over there," I say, pointing at a door over by the far wall. "It's in there. Whatever it is, that's where we'll find it."
"We need to get ready," Elizabeth says, her voice filled with tension. "We need to take a moment to make sure our powers are aligned. If we're not in perfect harmony, we won't be able to use the power to its maximum effect."
"I'll be there in a moment," I tell her, trying not to show any sign of the pain that's getting worse and worse. It's as if someone is flashing a bright light just behind my eyes. "Just give me a moment with this guy first."
"What for?" Elizabeth asks.
"I want to try talking to him again. I want to hear his voice. Maybe he'll only speak to me when you're not around. That's what happened last time."
"There's no -"
"Just let me do it!" I say, raising my voice almost to the point of shouting. With this agony in my skull, I can't handle an argument right now. "Just let me. Please. After everything we've been through, I want to ask him some things. I think he'll open up to me."
Elizabeth eyes me suspiciously for a moment. "Fine. We'll be out here. Don't take too long."
Once she and Natalie are out of the room, I walk over to the cattle-prod guy and stare into his ravaged face. He always seemed so bulky and strong before, but now there's an undeniable sense of weakness about his body. As he stirs and opens his eyes to look at me, I try to understand what could possibly be going through his mind. Does he remember how his life used to be, before he came to this house and became a toy for the presence that lurks in the shadows? Does he remember what he did to Elizabeth, and to Natalie, and to me?
"You saved my life," I say quietly, keen to ensure that the others can't hear me. "Why did you do that? Were you told to look after me?"
He doesn't reply. Instead, he just stares straight into my eyes with a kind of vacant expression.
"When I had the heart attack," I say, "you helped me. You could have let me die, but you helped me. Why?"
Silence.
"You've been very useful to him," I continue. "You've served him for ten years, and you've done your job well. That cattle-prod was a nice touch, but I guess you had to use whatever was at hand." I pause for a moment, waiting for some sign of recognition in his eyes.
"It's you now," he whispers, his voice weak and frail.
"What's me?" I ask.
"You'l
l find out."
"Tell me," I say. It's strange, but as the pain in my head gets stronger, it almost feels as if there's another voice competing with my thoughts. "It's over now," I say after a moment, almost as if someone else is speaking with my voice. I want to stop it, but at the same time it seems to be mixed in with my own thoughts, invading my mind. "It's not your fault. No-one could have kept the three of us locked up. A mistake was made, but it's going to be rectified. He wants me to let you know that he's grateful for your help, and that he appreciates all the sacrifices you've made for him. He knows his gratitude wasn't your primary motivation, but he's offering it nonetheless."
"Do it," he whispers, barely able to get the words out.
"Did it hurt?" I ask. "All those years, giving us the ice baths. Did you have this pain in your head the whole time?"
"I knew what I was doing," he replies, "but I didn't have the power to stop it. Now it's your turn."
"And the pain never went away?"
"It's gone now. Finally, after all these years. I only came here to write. It's been so long now. I swear to God, I couldn't stop myself. The house was guiding me." He pauses for a moment. "You want to know why I helped you? It's because I knew he was going to leave my body and enter yours. He likes weak people. He can get deep into their minds."
"I'm not weak," I reply.
"He chose you," he continues. "He could have chosen one of the others and entered their bodies, but he chose you. Haven't you asked yourself why?" Finally, he smiles. "He's been waiting for someone like you for a long time."
"It's okay," I say, placing my hand on his torn chest, directly over his heart. "He doesn't need you anymore. He's got me. You're wrong when you say I'm weak. He chose me because I'm the strongest one. He's done with you." With that, I focus on his heart, and soon I feel a powerful vibration beneath his ribs. Moments later, he starts to gasp and blood begins to flow from his mouth, and he makes a brief attempt to get free from his chains before finally he falls still. I press my fingers through his skin and muscle, pushing his ribs out of the way, until finally I wrap my hand around his hot, wet heart. There's still a hint of life in his body, but not for much longer. Smiling, I tug down hard on the heart and I feel it come loose from the rest of his body, and then I carefully take it out and stare at it in my hands. This feels wrong but, at the same time, it's as if I can't stop myself; some other mind is controlling my body, pushing me to do these things.
Finally, I hold the heart up and take a bite from the side, chewing the slimy, thick muscle before finally swallowing. It's a disgusting feeling, but at the same time there's a part of me that savors the taste. It takes me a couple of minutes to finish the entire organ, and then I wipe my lips and look at his dead face. There are tears drying on his cheeks, but his soul is long gone. He's done his work, but he's been replaced. I'm in charge now, and as the pain gets sharper and sharper in my head, I can't help but smile even as part of my mind is screaming. Who needs the power of three? The power of one is more than enough.
Ben Lawler
Today
"What must be me?" I ask, still struggling to get up from the cold concrete floor.
"The ice bath," Elizabeth replies.
Turning, I look up to see Holly still standing at the top of the steps, holding what appears to be a cattle-prod. There's something very different about the look in her eyes, as if she's focused on one thing and one thing only: she wants us to obey her. I've read a lot about the events that happened at the house all those years ago, and it's clear that Holly has assumed the role that was previously played by the man who held the women captive for all those years. I don't fully understand whatever sick game is being played with us, but some kind of entity is obviously controlling things behind the scenes, and right now it's using Holly as a puppet.
"I'm not going up there," I say.
"You have no choice," Elizabeth replies quietly.
"She'll kill you," Natalie says weakly as she sits up. The house never wanted men down here. If you go up there, you'll be dead. I can sense it. She'll drown you in that thing."
"What will she do if I refuse?" I ask, desperately trying to think of a way out of this situation.
"She'll hurt you," Natalie replies.
"I'm not doing it," I say, grabbing the block of wood and getting to my feet. "I'm not coming up there!" I shout. "If you want me, you'll have to come down!" With that, I throw the block of wood and it hits her leg before dropping harmlessly to the floor. "Come on! You've got nothing to be scared of, have you? You're the one with the weapon and the power! Come down here and make me follow you!"
Holly stays where she is, staring down at me from the top of the steps. It's almost as if, faced with rebellion, she doesn't know what to do. I guess she just assumed that she could use fear alone to control our every action.
"What are you scared of?" I shout. "I'm right here!"
"You're making the most terrible mistake," Elizabeth says, with a hint of fear in her voice. "You're going to make her angry, and then the house will be angry, and then -"
Suddenly Holly takes a step back, and seconds later the metal door swings shut.
"Okay," I say, turning to the others. "I guess she's not so brave after all."
"She'll be back," Natalie says darkly.
"Of course she will," Elizabeth adds. "All you've done is make her angry. Do you think she'll just give up? Of course not. She'll be back and next time she won't let you refuse. The creature always gets its way, Ben. Eventually you'll learn that it's best not to put up a fight."
"I want her to be angry," I say, looking up at the ceiling as I hear Holly's footsteps overhead. "I want this whole house to be angry. I want to force them into a mistake!"
"That's just not how it works," Elizabeth replies.
"Listen," I say, hearing the footsteps get fainter and fainter. "Where's she going?"
"Upstairs," Natalie says. "She probably has to go and talk to the creature. They'll come up with some other plan. We've bought some time, but probably not much."
"She'll be back down here eventually, then," I reply. "That's our chance. Our only chance. The next time that door opens, we have to be ready for her. I know I'm not like the rest of you, but there's still three of us against just one of her."
"You're making a mistake," Elizabeth says.
"I'm in," Natalie says suddenly. "I spent five years in here without fighting back. I was terrified then, and I'm terrified now, but at least this time I'm going to do something about it."
"Natalie," Elizabeth says, "you have to -"
"Don't tell me what to do!" Natalie shouts. "You always tell me what to do! Look at us! We're back where we started!"
"Are you with us?" I ask Elizabeth.
She stares at me, and I can see that she doesn't know what to do.
"I'd rather die fighting," I tell her, "that live a whole lifetime down here."
"Me too," Natalie says, and for the first time since I met her she actually sounds confident.
Above us, there's the sound of something breaking in the house, almost as if part of the structure itself is being torn apart.
"See?" Elizabeth says. "I told you this would happen. You've made her angry. You've made the whole house angry, and now it's going to make us suffer."
Holly
15 years ago
"He's in there," Natalie says as we stand facing the door. "Can't you sense him? He's in there right now, waiting for us. I think he's..." She pauses for a moment. "It's weird, but it's like he wants us to come inside, but at the same time he wants us to stay outside."
"He's scared," Elizabeth says firmly, as if she's trying to persuade herself that it's true.
"You don't know that," Natalie replies.
"It's the only thing that makes sense," Elizabeth continues. "He's hiding away in this house. Why else do people hide?"
"Maybe he's toying with us," Natalie suggests. "Maybe he likes messing with our heads."
"Let's just get this ov
er with," I say, staring at the door. The pain in my head has become steady, but it's still making it hard for me to think. Since I killed the cattle-prod guy and ate his heart, I've been struggling to maintain my thought processes. It's almost as if something else is in my head, pushing me in certain directions, and my conscious mind is being dragged along.
"Follow my lead," Elizabeth says.
"Who put you in charge?" I ask.
"This isn't the time for another argument."
"You're still not the boss," I reply. "Maybe Natalie lets you push her around, but you can't tell me what to do." I pause for a moment, as the pain in my head gets worse and worse.
"I have experience with this kind of thing," Elizabeth says, with the same tone of voice you'd use to admonish a talkative child. "I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with either of you. Natalie, long before you came down to the basement, there was someone else. Her name was Catherine and she taught me a few things about the power. She had some old bones that belonged to a child she'd had while she was down in the basement. The child didn't survive. When Catherine died, I was scared. I didn't want anything more to do with it, so I pushed it away until..." She glances over at me. "Thank you, Holly. If you hadn't arrived, Natalie and I might have been locked down there forever."
"Let's just get on with it," I say firmly.
Stepping forward, Elizabeth reaches out for the door handle. For some strange reason, there's a part of me that wants to stop her; in fact, I almost feel as if I'm protective of the room and its contents. After all, until today, Elizabeth didn't even know that there was anything up here, whereas I've actually been into the room and met the creature. The headache gets worse as I try to remember what happened in there exactly, and when I glance over at Natalie, I can see that she's worried about me.
"I'm fine," I say quietly, even though the pain is making it hard for me to think. It's almost as if there's another mind in my head, pushing my consciousness out of the way. "Stop looking at me."
Slowly, Elizabeth pushes the door open to reveal the darkness within. So far, there's nothing to indicate that anything's alive in there, although I know for a fact that this is where the creature lives. I watch as Elizabeth steps through the door, and I half expect her to immediately be attacked by the same creature that ran its hands over my body. Reaching up, I feel a slight pain in my left arm once again, but it's nothing compared to the pounding sensation in my head. I just want to turn and run, but I can barely even walk. Right now, it's taking all my energy just to stand, and I swear I can feel the flesh of my leg starting to swell and distend as a cold sweat develops on my brow.
