by Kat Green
‘What’s bothering me, is you sitting there looking amazing and we’re talking about a dead girl.’ Lee took hold of her hand and pulled her round to him. She sat on his knee and wrapped her arms around his neck. His lips pressed against hers, and he pulled her harder against him. Their moment was ruined when the doorbell rang.
‘Tell them to get lost,’ Lee said, only half joking. Amy laughed as she opened the door. Ella was holding a couple of bottles of wine in her hands and a carrier bag full of crisps, chocolate and other party treats. Her boyfriend Dean, carrying some beers, smiled as he followed Ella inside. Their single friend Jake arrived seconds later, like a SWAT team, loud and ready for a party.
‘Alright, you bunch of bitches,’ he shouted as he opened Amy’s fridge, frowning at the lack of space to place his beers. ‘What the fuck is with all this food taking up beer chilling space?’ Jake had always been a lively character. He’d been at school with Amy and Ella and they’d been friends ever since.
‘How rude of me to want to eat.’ Amy smiled as Jake hugged her warmly, then she introduced him to Lee.
‘Nice to meet you. I’m cool with you unless you upset my Amy. Then I’ll kick your ass.’ He was smiling but Amy knew he meant it.
Lee held his hand out and they shook hands. ‘Sounds fair.’ Lee had a great sense of humor and got on with most people.
Dean sat down with the boys and they chatted about football, the usual banter. Jake was a Manchester United fan, Dean and Lee were both Portsmouth fans.
‘Mate, you’ve sucked since Alex Ferguson retired. It must be tough,’ Lee mocked.
Jake looked over at Amy. ‘I don’t like your new boyfriend. Get rid.’ Amy stuck her tongue out in response. They carried on their banter until Lee brought up the subject of Nancy Jenkins. Jake looked intrigued as Amy filled them in.
‘It’s obviously a load of shite but we should go down to the woods,’ Jake said, eyes wide.
Amy looked at him, horrified. ‘No fucking way.’
Ella looked thoughtful. ‘Hmm, it’s not true but let’s prove it.’
Amy wasn’t comfortable with the idea, but these things were just stories. Her gran’s words played over in her mind, and that she’d promised her not to go. If she didn’t tell her it wouldn’t be a problem. Jake was already discussing the trip.
‘No, I’m not doing it,’ Amy said. She felt uneasy.
‘Amy don’t be an idiot. It’s just a bloody urban myth.’ Jake gave her his most pleading look.
‘Fine, but just once.’
‘That’s my girl,’ Jake said as he poured some shots.
They planned it for the following night, but Amy felt a knot in her stomach at the thought. She had a feeling deep inside her telling her they were making a big mistake. And yet she didn’t change her mind.
5
Amy pulled her coat around her tightly. It hadn’t been that cold before entering the woods, but the ice-cold air was now biting at her face, the temperature dropping as they got deeper into the darkness. Lee wrapped his arms round her trying to keep her warm, but it wasn’t working.
‘It’s fucking freezing, let’s just go,’ Amy suggested, hoping they’d listen. But Jake was excited and determined to prove the myth wrong. He wanted to film it for his YouTube channel. He set up his camera and they arranged themselves around the tree, then he addressed the camera.
‘Yo, thrill seekers. Tonight, we are going to do an experiment. We will debunk the urban legend of Nancy Jenkins. We are going to spend the next few hours exploring the woods.’ Then, for those who might not have been aware of the story He explained about her death, and her returning and causing the mysterious deaths of many over the past sixty years. ‘Here we go viewers. Let’s see if Nancy is as bad as people say she is.’
They had formed a perfect circle around the tree and chanted her name.
‘Nancy Jenkins.’
‘Nancy Jenkins.’
‘Nancy Jenkins.’
‘Nancy Jenkins.’
‘Nancy Jenkins.’
They stood in silence around the tree for a few seconds, listening for a sign. It was an eerie feeling knowing what had happened there. Amy didn’t want to be there, it was disrespectful. All they heard was the wind and the sound of an owl in the distance. Jake spun round with his camera, filming all the surrounding area. He called her name again, this time mocking her.
‘Jake, stop it. It’s not funny,’ Ella snapped at his insensitive behaviour. ‘The girl was murdered.’ Ella shivered and even started to agree with Amy that this was not a good idea. The guys wouldn’t give it up and charged through the trees like kids pulling pranks on each other. Jake filmed the whole evening, convinced there was no truth to any of it.
‘See, told you it was a load of old bollocks,’ Jake said, roaring with laughter at the camera.
‘Can we go now, you’ve had your fun,’ Ella asked shivering with the cold. ‘I think my feet might be turning to ice.’
Amy turned and began walking back towards civilization. ‘I’m with Ella, let’s go,’ she called over her shoulder. The boys laughed and jogged along behind them. Jake lagged behind with his camera, having decided to film their walk back.
‘Enough with the camera, Jake,’ Ella said when she spotted it.
‘Live a little, Ella.’
Ella stuck two fingers up at him and stomped off in front of the group. Amy followed wanting nothing more than to be as far away as possible. A few minutes into their walk back Amy heard something. It sounded like a faint voice. She looked back and listened. There it was again. It sounded like, ‘Don’t leave’, but it was a distant whisper. Her mind was playing tricks she told herself and walked faster. They headed back to Jake’s and huddled around in the living room trying to warm up. Thankfully his house mates were out for the night and they could relax without the feeling of being in the way. It was a student share and it could be crowded at times, but that night they had the place to themselves. They wasted no time in making themselves at home.
‘Jesus, it got really cold. We nearly caught our deaths.’ Dean rubbed his hands together to try and warm up.
‘But at least we’ve proved that Nancy isn’t terrorizing people from the grave,’ Jake chipped in looking smugly at his friends. ‘I knew it.’
They played cards and put the legend of Nancy Jenkins to the back of their minds, finally warm and relaxed, laughing until their faces hurt. Amy felt less scared as she realized she’d been paranoid, and it must have been the wind she had heard.
*****
The fox sniffed around the tree, its ears pricked up. The cries echoed as the birds abandoned the trees. The fox backed away, slowly at first and then it ran, it ran so fast in terror until it was part of the night. Then the sounds of footsteps and cracking bones were all that could be heard throughout the woods. Not a sound from any animal as they cowered, hiding from the smell, a rotten stench that could only be described as hell.
6
Dean emptied the fridge of the last bottles of beer, returned to the living room and banged them down on the table. ‘We are dry after this lot.’ His speech was slurred, and he swayed before slumping down on his seat.
‘I think you’ve had enough, babe.’ Ella laughed, although she wasn’t far off being in the same state. They drunkenly finished their final game of cards, no longer caring who won, and called it a night.
Jake stumbled to bed telling them to stay if they wanted. ‘Just sleep wherever,’ he said falling into the wall and giggling all the way to his bed. Amy and Lee curled up on one sofa, Ella and Dean on the other. It wasn’t long before they were all asleep in an alcohol-fueled coma. The house was silent as they slept, nobody aware of the glare that was aimed at them.
Sometime later Ella woke needing to use the bathroom and stumbled her way along the hall. Once she’d relieved herself, she washed her hands. A noise from the hall alerted her, footsteps and dragging feet.
‘If someone else needs a wee form an orderly queue,’ she j
oked as she opened the door then gagged at the rotten smell that hit her. ‘That’s disgusting.’ As she walked out into the hall she was knocked backwards, ending up on the bathroom floor.
‘Not funny guys,’ she said irritated. ‘Lame, and who stinks? God that’s awful.’ She cursed before getting up. When she got back to the sofa, everyone was still there, fast asleep. Ella sighed knowing it was Jake. ‘Vile human,’ she mumbled as the smell faded away, then curled up next to Dean. The room was much colder now, and she pulled the thin blanket around her.
The next morning nobody would admit to the prank. Amy shook her head. ‘Nice try, Jake,’ she said and laughed.
‘I swear to god, I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ Jake argued.
Ella was adamant that Jake had tried to scare her. ‘Give it up,’ Ella said. ‘I thought it was Dean, so I ignored it at first. But it wasn’t him. The only person it could have been is you.’ She pointed at Jake. ‘You have rotting guts. You should see a doctor.’
Just then loud knocking started.
Dean jumped back and glanced to his left. ‘Who’s there?’ He disappeared for a moment then returned looking confused. ‘Nothing out there or in the house.’ He glanced at Jake who held his hands up.
‘I would love to take credit but this time, not guilty,’ he said.
Lee rubbed his eyes, still sleepy from the late night, then yawned dramatically. ‘Can I go back to bed now?’ He wasn’t getting into this childish shit. He had better things to do, like sleep or eat.
‘I was unconscious so whatever you think happened wasn’t me,’ Jake said again, as he pulled a bottle of water from the fridge.
Ella sighed and thought about the night’s events. ‘Maybe I did just imagine it or dreamt it.’ She shrugged and let it go. Nobody seemed to believe her, and she was beginning to doubt it herself. Her hangover was kicking in and she didn’t have the energy to fight her case. ‘Whatever,’ she said curling up on the sofa and going back to sleep.
7
The snow floated down and began to form a white blanket over the pavement. Amy pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. She walked towards her car in the university car park and looked forward to a few weeks off. Plenty of Christmas parties to attend which meant she needed to go shopping for outfits. Once in her car, waiting for the heater to warm up, she made plans with Ella. The weeks had flown by since their night in the woods and they’d put it far from their minds. It was a complete hoax and Amy had been relieved.
‘See you later,’ Ella replied, and Amy started the car. The music blared, and she sang out loud while planning her shopping trip. They’d also eat out and have some drinks. All she had to do was go home and change. The roads were busy with Christmas shoppers and Amy began to feel the spirit of the holiday season creep in. As she turned off the busy main road onto the side street towards her home something caught her eye. It was a split second, but it looked like someone dressed up. In the darkness it was hard to see but no sooner had it flicked in her view than it was gone.
Amy felt uneasy. Whoever had been standing in the darkness hadn’t fit the happy, sparkly mood of the street. Houses lit up with the usual Christmas decorations cheered you up. Whatever she had seen had been more from Halloween. Had someone decided to evil up their party outfit?
She shrugged and continued with her drive. As she checked her rearview mirror she felt a chill in her veins. Standing in the middle of the road watching her was the figure she’d seen. A girl, long curly hair, empty eye sockets, blood dripping down her face. Amy screamed and hit the brake, narrowly avoiding crashing into a parked car. Her heart raced, her breath caught in her throat and it took a few seconds to compose herself. The fear in her stomach felt like lead. She couldn’t look behind her, and shook as she knew who she’d seen. The myth was real. Nancy Jenkins was real. Tears streamed down her face, and she knew they had all made a grave mistake. She should have listened to her instinct, gone with her gut feeling.
The sound of scratching circled the car and then the smell made her gag. Amy closed her eyes tight, unable to look, and held her breath. It sounded as if the car was being sliced open. After the sound had circled the car five times it stopped suddenly.
When Amy finally opened her eyes all that could be seen was the beautifully lit street. Not wanting to hang around she started the car and drove home a little too fast. She jumped out and ran to her door, dropping her keys more than once. Once inside she made sure every door was locked, all windows secured, and curtains closed.
Suddenly her home didn’t feel safe, in fact she feared for her life completely. The others needed to be warned. Her hands shook violently as she dialed Ella’s number.
‘Hey.’ Ella sounded excited.
‘Ella, get over here now. It was real, it was real,’ Amy screamed down the phone.
‘What was real? Amy, what’s happened?’
‘I saw her, she’s here.’
‘Who?’ Ella said sounding impatient.
‘Nancy Jenkins.’
Ella didn’t take long to arrive at Amy’s. Hearing her so distressed had worried her. She was well wrapped up in several layers – she was constantly cold even during warmer months. As she peeled off the layers Amy made sure her heating was on high.
‘Talk me through what happened,’ Ella said, clearly thinking this would be easy to explain.
Amy explained and once she’d finished Ella thought for a while. She smiled and clapped her hands. ‘I bet it’s Jake, the little sod.’
‘I don’t think Jake could have pulled that off. It was real,’ Amy argued. Her gut feeling told her Ella was wrong.
‘Seriously, this has Jake’s name all over it.’
Ella laughed, grabbed her phone and hit Jake’s number. He didn’t answer, so she left a message.
‘Jake, call me back. What you did to Amy earlier was cruel, dude. Clever, but a shitty thing to do. Amy is freaked out.’
Amy hoped that Jake would respond with his usual smugness at pulling off another prank, but something told her this was not a prank. Ella switched on the kettle and arranged two mugs, ready for hot chocolate.
‘Does this mean our shopping trip’s been put on hold,’ Ella asked sounding disappointed.
‘Sorry, not in the mood now.’
‘Fine, pick a movie and I’ll bring in the drinks. Let’s just chill and eat lots of bad food.’
Amy flicked through the menu of movies but couldn’t decide on anything. Horror was a definite no, so a comedy it would have to be. Ella joined her with the drinks and a packet of biscuits. Before she had a chance to get comfy Jake called.
‘Ah the great prankster,’ she joked down the phone. Her eyes expressed exasperation at whatever he was saying. ‘Don’t lie, we know it was you.’
Amy could hear Jake’s protests and grabbed the phone. ‘Jake, if it wasn’t you then we have a serious problem. Please tell me if it was. I won’t be mad.’ Her throat tightened as Jake swore on his life he had no idea what they were talking about.
‘Get over here, now!’ Amy ordered. The girls looked at each other, concern in their eyes, and suddenly Ella wasn’t so sure.
‘If it wasn’t Jake, then…’ Ella began to say.
‘Nancy is real,’ Amy finished. ‘We need to warn the others.
Dean thought they were paranoid but agreed to come over. Lee had sounded odd when Amy had called him He didn’t laugh or try to brush it off. Less than an hour later they had all arrived.
‘I swear if this is a set up I’m never talking to you again,’ Dean smirked.
‘It’s not. I saw her,’ Amy confirmed.
Lee was pale as he sat down next to her and held her hand. ‘I believe you. I thought I was being stupid, but a few days after we went to the wood I saw her too. She was at the foot of my bed.’
They all looked at him, stunned. ‘You didn’t think to warn us?’ Ella hissed at him.
‘I didn’t know if it was a dream or not. I thought you’d think I was mental.’
Amy put her hand on his knee. ‘It’s OK.’ Only two of them had seen anything, but did that mean only they were in danger or was there more to come?
‘What do we do now?’ Jake asked.
Nobody knew the answer, but Lee hadn’t seen her since. Amy hadn’t seen anything since being home, and it was hard to know if what they had seen was real.
‘Maybe, we only see her once,’ Ella said, more hopeful than convinced.
‘I haven’t seen her again, and that was weeks ago,’ Lee added. ‘If it was that bad surely more would have happened.’
Jake nodded and stood up. ‘Yep, must be that.’ He headed to the kitchen to grab more drinks and snacks. As the others chatted between themselves, the minutes ticked by. The sound from the kitchen made them jump, and Jake screamed. He rushed into the living room, his face drained of any colour. He backed against the wall his eyes focused on the door. Sweat dripped from his forehead and he pointed at the door, sheer terror in his eyes.
‘You see her?’
The doorway was empty, but Jake was clearly seeing something. He pressed further into the wall. The girl with the missing eyes, blood-stained face and rotting skin slowly walked forward, a smile forming on her face but a smile with no warmth in it. It was dark, evil and her tongue flicked out. Black and rotting. A sound emanated from her throat like a rattlesnake. Then it stopped suddenly, and her voice was like rusty nails. ‘You killed me.’
Jake looked at his friends and back to the girl, fear stripping him of any fight. ‘No, no, it wasn’t me.’
Her hand whipped to the side and caught his face with her rotting nails, taking a chunk of his cheek. ‘You all killed me.’
He gripped his face as blood poured from the wound and then she was gone.
‘Jake,’ Amy cried as she ran forward seeing the wound appear. Lee rushed for towels to hold against his face.
‘Fuck! Nancy is real.’
‘I don’t think we can ignore this anymore. She’s coming for us,’ Jake said. ‘She thinks we killed her.’
