Dark Winter

by John Hennessy

  * * *

  Daphne Winter started to feel very unsettled in the car. “Ron, how far to go now?”

  “Another twenty miles or so.”

  “You do think she’s alright, don’t you?”

  “Of course. She had no problems last year.” He didn’t anticipate any problems this year.

  “That’s because she was with us, and not on her own. No problems she cared to mention,” said Daphne Winter. “She’s as deep as the ocean, that girl.”

  “You can’t keep a fish on dry land forever, Daphne.” Ronald Winter wanted to retract his words, but now couldn’t.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “All little fishes…will swim out to sea one day.”

  “What, so, our daughter’s a fish now? Have you been drinking?”

  Ronald Winter laughed. “No, of course not! I’m just saying that, well, Romilly’s a grown up now. We should treat her like one.”

  “She should bloody well act like one.”

  “You’re very hard on her, Daph.”

  “I have to be, because you’re too soft on her.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “She needs to take care. Those markings on her hands, Ron-”

  “Daphne, I know,” said Ronald, interrupting her. “But she has them now, nothing will change that.”

  “Do you think Nana knew she was dying?”

  “She was pretty old, Daphne.”

  “Yes but, if she knew, and passed whatever that was onto Romilly-”

  “-then she will be fine,” said Ronald. “Look at Nan. All those years and nothing bothered her. What you’re talking about is all hocus pocus. Romilly. Is. Fine.”

  “Ron! RON!” Daphne screamed. A girl in a white dress appeared in front of them on the road.

  Ronald Winter pulled the steering wheel hard to the side to avoid the girl, but was unable to stop the car from smashing through the road barrier, and plummeted down the embankment.

  The Fifth Floor

  “Toril? Toril? TORIL?”

  Beth was screaming at Toril, trying to get her to wake. She just lay on her side, just as she was lying when the man with the cloven hooves left the house.

  Toril started to come out of it, but she felt very dizzy and unsure of what had happened.

  “Where…where is he?”

  “He’s gone,” said Jacinta, cooly. “Boy, you really gave us a fright.” Jacinta said it in such a colourless manner, that it was sometimes hard to tell if she really trusted what she was saying.

  Beth handed Toril a glass of water. “When you’ve come around, I want you to tell us exactly why you opened the door to that…whatever it was. Whatever were you thinking?”

  “Do you remember what happened to you? Why you blacked out?” asked Jacinta.

  “I-I’m not sure,” said Toril. “Two…something.”

  “Two? You mean ‘Two Will Die’, right?” said Jacinta.

  “Whatever could that mean? He’s gone now. He just vanished into thin air. I think for now…we’re safe.”

  Beth spoke ominously. “Maybe we are, but others might not be so safe, did you ever think of that?”

  Toril steadied herself, sitting up in the chair, and gulped down the water.

  “I just don’t know how we can find that out information.”

  “Do we still go to the school? That first message freaked me out,” said Beth. “You can’t deny that there is a link there. For goodness’ sake, the board spelt out Curie’s name!”

  “So what if it did?” said Toril. “Are you suggesting we march up to the school, and demand Curie let us go up to the fifth floor? He’s not going to do that, Beth.”

  “I say that he will,” said Beth. “I don’t trust him at all. But I do trust that he will let us in.”

  “Why?” said Toril.

  “Because…” said Beth, “he enjoys it. He enjoys the power he has over the school children. It’s always the case that someone is looking the other way, whenever he is up to no good. Maybe Curie, the teachers…they’re all in it together.”

  “Best be sure of that, Beth,” said Toril. “Wild accusations like that-”

  “It’s not some wild accusation!” said Beth, recounting the time she was late leaving the school one night after music practise.

  “You know what he did? He locked me in the classroom, and wouldn’t let me out for two whole hours, even though I was screaming the place down. Trust me, he enjoys it.”

  “The teachers said Curie had checked the place was empty, then went to his caretaker’s house,” said Jacinta, in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “I was there, Jacinta,” said Beth, icily. “You weren’t. You don’t know. That guy is evil. Hell, could have even been him here, earlier tonight. Sure looked similar to me.”

  “That’s not what that was, Beth,” said Toril. “That’s a whole other story, and is why we cannot go out tonight. That evil may be still out there.”

  “You’re acting like we’ve got protection from this thing! It can come in again too, right, Toril?” said Beth. “So we can stay, and be attacked again, or we can go, and maybe help save some poor boy from godknowswhat. Toril, we have to go, please.”

  Toril was usually decisive, at this moment, stood still, stumped at what to do. She didn’t believe Beth, in the sense that Curie was sure to let them in. However, she did believe that Beth believed it entirely. Beth wasn’t a girl given in to silly thoughts. And yet, it seemed all too risky.

  “Jay, what do you think?”

  “I don’t think we should go, but if there’s even a chance Beth could be right, I’m not sure I could live with that.”

  Beth was taken aback by Jacinta’s words. She really wasn’t expecting that admission from her.

  Toril shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “We go then. You’re right Beth, these spirits can come and go as they like. Actually, I’d prefer going out to waiting for that – whatever it was – to return.”

  “So let’s do it,” said Beth. “Let’s go.”

  Toril grabbed her keys, yanked the door open and ran down the street, with Beth and Jacinta close behind. The street lamps made a pinging sound as one bulb, after another, they exploded from light into darkness. Whatever had visited them that night, was out there in the darkness with them.

  Two will die. Two will die. Two will die.

  As she ran, Beth couldn’t get the words out of her head. Jacinta, the slowest of the three girls, screamed as a street lamp crashed down on top of her.

  Toril had never felt so panicked in her life. She fumbled for her phone, which fell out of her bag and clattered onto the wet pavement. She grabbed it and found no signal waiting. She ran towards the fallen Jacinta as fast as she could, with Beth closing in from behind.

  “Jay! Jay!” Toril screamed. “Are you alright?”

  “No,” said Jacinta limply, who had part of the lamp appendage trapping her legs. “I’m far from alright.” The colour was draining from her face.

  Toril looked at Beth. “I think her leg’s broken, Beth.” Turning back to Jacinta, she said, “I’m going to get help, Jay, okay?”

  Beth felt something was trying to stop her from getting to the school. At the same time, she didn’t want to leave Toril and the stricken Jacinta. But Toril sensed what she was thinking.

  “It’s okay, Beth. Maybe it was just a freak accident, you know? If you need to go, you go. Jacinta and me…we’ll be okay.”

  Toril was just saying that to make Beth feel better, which it didn’t. Also, Beth really didn’t want to leave the girls, much less go to the school on her own. But she knew that go, she must.

  “Alright,” said Beth. “Just take care of her and yourself, and find anything you can to barricade that door.”

  “Sure. I’ll call an ambulance. You know Gorswood Hospital? Most likely we’ll be there when you get back. Now go!”

  Beth turned on her heels and ran. She hated the rain, she hated the dark, and most of all, she hated herself for being involved i
n Toril’s damn oujia game. She ran, hard, without stopping, through the dark roads. She could feel the evil following her, and waiting for her in the school. In one way, she hoped Curie would be there. In another, she hoped that the old devil had taken the night off. Even so, going around the dark corridors of the school would be frightening enough.

  Plans were formed, then unformed, in her head, as she closed in on the school gates.

  Just what am I supposed to do once I get there?

  No answers were forthcoming.

  If I turn back, my God, just what will I run into?

  One answer formed. There was no turning back.

  Trying to stop her hands from trembling, she unlatched the hook on the school gate.

  Beth walked slowly on the school pathway, cursing the sound her footsteps made.

  Click-clack, click-a-clack.

  The sound was sure to give her away. She strained her neck to see if there was a light on at Curie’s house, which was bolted onto the school.

  No light.

  Beth didn’t know whether or not to be relieved. No light on meant he could be in the school, or…or he could be in the woods. He had an old wood-cabin too, but school children had seen him in it, even in the winter.

  That - was two long years ago. Two boys had gone missing, and were found, dead, in the western most point of the woods, near to the house. Frozen in the snow, black eyes staring into the night sky. No matter for Curie, who had been questioned, purely as part of the police investigation, and released without any charge. No charges had been brought against anyone else for that matter, either.

  But I know he did it, thought Beth. I know. Her heart pounded hard, not from the running she had done, no…it was the fact she was scared. Very scared indeed. But she had to keep calm.

  If there is no-one trapped on the fifth floor, that’s fine. But if there is-

  Beads of sweat clotted Beth’s brow.

  Click-clack, click-a-clack.

  Beth knew she was making enough sound as it was. She found shelter near the entrance to the school hallway, and, removing a hairpin, shoved it into the lock until she heard a satisfying click. Sometimes, it was good to have a jailbird in the family. Uncle Mickey had taught her how to pick locks. Fortunately Beth stayed away from robbing places.

  But that won’t wash if you’re caught, Beth. You’ll be joining Uncle Mickey in the cells.

  Beth knew she couldn’t let that happen. Flashbacks of the evening started to flood her mind, but she tried her best to concentrate. She could not worry about the fate of Toril and Jacinta. She just hoped Jay had gotten to the hospital, and Toril, though probably in the bad books with her parents, would at least be with some family members, and Jacinta would be getting the medical attention required. It would all be okay.

  It will be okay so long as that thing that played ouija with you tonight, doesn’t find you.

  Beth unhooked the straps on her shoes and walked slowly silently, up the steps, knowing that the fifth floor was still quite some distance.

  A BOY is TRAPPED on the FIFTH FLOOR in the GIRLS TOILETS by CURIE.

  Yes, yes, Beth knew all that. None of those words disconcerted her more than the last.

  But that’s why you’re here, isn’t it Beth? You want to find Curie, holding that boy hostage, don’t you?

  Beth really hoped Curie wasn’t there. Maybe it was all a mistake, and the ouija had just messed with her mind.

  TWO WILL DIE.

  “Jesus,” whispered Beth, as panic started to overcome her. First floor, second floor, third – there was no sound in the school, except for Beth O’Neill, climbing the steps as quietly as she could.

  Then she heard the words loud and plain in her head.

  Two will die, Beth.

  “Oh, no,” whimpered Beth.

  Fourth floor. The streetlamps surrounding the school made shapes on the school walls and given life by her eyes. First, the images were playful, innocent. A swan. A fish. A girl and boy holding hands.

  Second, they were contorted, disturbing. A wall with dried blood. A wall with wet blood, and bits of hair and the scalp of someone’s head.

  Thirdly, prophetic? A man….a man with an axe.

  Get a hold of yourself, Beth. Get a HOLD of yourself.

  Fifth floor. Beth panted a little, but she was fit, fitter than most her age. Having finally arrived at the fifth floor, Beth became hesitant.

  Fifth floor. Fifth floor. Fifth floor. Where a boy lay with his stomach cut open. A girl called Beth would soon join him. Her head, having been seperated from her body, bounced unevenly on the floor before coming to a stop.

  You know you have to open the door, Beth.

  “I know,” she said to herself.

  But you have to know, don’t you? You have to know if you were right, even if you are wrong.

  “Yes.”

  He might be in there you know. Old Man Curie. The man who killed your parents and got away with it, right Beth?

  “I know.” Beth’s heart was pounding harder than ever before. Surely Curie could hear her heart banging like some wild, crazy rocker, beating down the drums with his sticks.

  Or maybe, it’s the school caretaker, beating some poor child’s brains in with his fists because you, Beth O’Neill, were too pussy to open the door.

  Splat. The sound made Beth jump, but it was just a pigeon that had thumped against the small school window behind her.

  Open the door, or go back. After all, Curie might be questioned, and then released. No big deal. Have a nice life, Beth. I’m sure the boy’s dying screams will stop ringing in your head, eventually.

  Beth’s hands were trembling like Toril’s were earlier in the evening. Grabbing her right hand with her left, she squeezed hard to steady the trembling.

  “Okay, you old gawbeen, here I come.”

  Beth didn’t like swearing, but it seemed like by saying it, she could feel a little but more in control of the situation.

  The door made a really loud screeching sound, but Beth pulled it anyway. It slammed hard behind her, but what was done, was done.

  Curie, I really, really hope that you are not here.

  Deep down, Beth didn’t know what to hope for. Suppose she opens the girls toilets, only to find a boy there, tied up, petrified. What does she do then? Untie him, and waltz on out into the night?

  That’s not what you believe though Beth. You know who will be there. The ouija predicted it. Two will die.

  Beth realised that an irrational panic was overcoming her, but couldn’t escape the creeping sense of dread.

  Two will die? Which two? What did it mean? Do I have to kill him, or something? Is that boy already dead?

  Damn Toril Withers and that stupid ouija board.

  Beth continued on unsteady legs towards the toilets. One for boys, one for girls.

  She was sure she could see something, even before she opened the door. There was a light on. The rays gleamed, alien-like, underneath the door. Her hands trembled violently and her shoes dropped from their grasp.

  The sound reverberated around the entire floor.

  “Sweet Jesus, save me.” Beth clasped the crucifix around her neck tightly.

  Another sound, not of Beth’s making, now filled the entire floor. It was a scraping sound, like….like something metallic. Something like…an axe.

  “Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Jes-“ said Beth under her breath.

  A dark figure started to make its way towards Beth. She turned around just in time for the figure to knock her to the ground.

  Standing over her limp body, it said gruffly, “Silly girls. You were told that two will die. Nobody ever listens.”

  * * *

  When Beth came to, her hands were bound. Curie, the caretaker, was crouched on the floor in front of her, burning a glare into her eyes.

  “Arrrgh!!!!” Beth screamed with everything in her lungs, and Curie lunged at her, clamping his hand over her mouth.

  “Quiet, girl!” he hissed.


  Beth’s eyes flamed wildly, as she could see the axe in the corner of the toilets, propped up by one of the cubicles. The scabby taste of his skin made her want to vomit.

  “Calm down, or I’ll have you calmed down. Beth O’Neill, isn’t it?”

  Beth couldn’t speak.