Chapter 8

      The hallowed night spread before me as I made my way behind Kay’s small house. Inch by inch I crept, always in expectation of Kay. Her wicked smile haunted me all the time now. Every time I blinked, she was there; I knew she killed Mimi, and all I had to do was prove it. I found the garden and kept my flashlight low as I looked around for loose earth. I fell to the cold ground, using a small trough to dig through the dirt with confidence. I dug for what seemed to be an eternity before coming into contact with something other than earth. Smiling to myself, I took another look around and then pulled up the uniform. Yes! Exactly what I needed! But wait, this color is a little…

      I shined the flashlight toward the dress and saw reflected colors dissimilar to our school’s uniform. It's dirty as all get out, but is clearly more green in color. A small tag decorated the chest and read “Glifford.” Where had I seen that name before?

      I chose to dig a little further until the sound of my tools met metal. I tensed and took a careful look around me again. Seeing no one around me, I kept digging, more quickly and even more quietly than I had been. When I finally see something protruding from the soil, I pull on it. With some effort, it dislodges and I shine the flashlight over it, gasping. Is that really a bone? Okay, yes, it’s a bone, but it’s an animal bone, right? Surely it can’t be human… But little by little, bone by bone, the urge to vomit increases, and I can no longer choke it back when my eyes rest upon a human skull. I screamed, and then I ran.

      Returning home, I took a freezing shower to calm myself. Scrubbing the dirt from under my nails, I pause and realize that “Glifford” was the name on the front of Kay’s house. Does that mean she killed a woman and took her house?

 ***

      By the morning, my queasy stomach had not improved. I didn’t go to school. I didn't go downstairs, opting to sneak out my window. I returned to Kay’s house. The area was completely undisturbed, as if I had never been there. Digging turned up nothing further. What was happening? There absolutely was a body here. There’s no way Kay could have taken it all out.

      A rustling behind me makes me jump to my feet, and an overbearing scent of rust floods the air as a darkness tickles my neck. I couldn't turn around. I knew she was there. Closing my eyes for even a moment showed her to me… those lips that dripped venom which each movement.

      A gentle hand caressed my shoulder and I burst forward with all my strength, leaping over the hedges. Darting into an alley, I ran and ran trying to escape the incoming storm. The thudding pressure is never far behind me until I've come upon my own home.

      I pulled the door open and hurried to the kitchen. Turning on the lights, I kept my eyes shut. Peeking through one, I see everything is as normal as can be. I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding and slumped to the floor - perhaps it was foolish to have expected something so vile.

      My nerves were on edge and realized my parents might have had the right idea to send me to a therapist. Making my way upstairs, I flipped the light switch in my room. My eyes lit up at the sight before me. My walls, colored in terrible colors from when I was a child, were decorated in pictures of me from every conceivable angle. My own room had become a sanctuary dedicated to myself.

      There were pictures of me eating with others and eating alone or with Kay. There were shots of me in the shower and pictures of me in the bathroom. Many of the pictures weren’t even new. Some of them clearly went back years, captures of various Christmas parties, Halloween bashes, and Valentine’s Day dates jumped out amongst the clutter.

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      I grabbed my hair and pulled with all my strength. Some clumps coming out by the root. I turned and made my way to my parents’ room. Slamming the door open, I had planned to barricade myself in and call the police. The ghastly sight before me made me discharge my body’s weight worth of vomit.

      There before me lay my parents sprawled on the bed caked in dry, crusty blood. Their eyes were lifeless and twisted as if they witnessed creatures from the beyond in their final moments. My father had a slit throat and dozens of stab wounds. My mother’s hand gripped his, disconnected from the rest. Her arms were deliberately crossed on her chest and her jaw hung open in a silent screen. Maggots crawled out of her mouth and danced across her face. It was clear the couple had been dead for more than just a couple of hours.

      Stumbling outside, I tripped down the stairs. I had wanted nothing more than for my life to end, but when I heard footsteps beside me, my body moved on instinct. I was on my feet faster than I ever imagined I could move and found myself staring straight at the monster before me. Her lips touched her temples in a curled, mangled form of delight.

      “Rose. You look terrible. What were you doing on the ground?”

      “W-What are you d-d-d-doing here Kay? How did you know I would be here?”

      “It’s your home. You missed school. I have your homework.” She gestures to her backpack and takes a step toward me.

      “Stay away.”

      “Rose, I love you. Calm down. Let’s go inside.”

      I tried to take a step back, yet it isn’t enough. She descended upon me immediately and wrapped me in an embrace. “Come now. There’s no one to get between us.” Tears spilled forth and beckoned a question.

      “Why would you do this?”

      “This?” She looked towards my house. “I just want to be together with you, Rose. Why do you have to make things so difficult?”

      I shove her away. It’s in the middle of the day, but no one is around. What can I do? I can’t just take the time to call the police.

      “Come now, Rose. Please? I don’t want to hurt you.”

      I stumble backwards and run from her twisted form. No neighbor answered. All the houses were empty. It’s ludicrous that no one was home--time of day be damned. She couldn’t have killed them all. She couldn’t have. However, I could never stay in one place for long, for she was always right behind me. She walked at speeds that kept her at pace with me. I ran with all that I could and made it to the roof of the school. By the time I got there, the sun winked out to the twinkle of night, the stars high above me. My skin was freezing from a mix of sweat and sunburn from an entire day of dodging death, but I had done it. I hadn’t seen Kay for hours now. I approached the edge barrier of the rooftop and admired the stars. I lamented what my life had become.

      I would stay here until the morning, and then I would tell the school what happened. I don’t know when I lost my phone, but I can’t risk going back out and finding it. Every house on the way here had been empty, and the closest police station was in the next town. I was safe here. I had lost everyone to that hellish girl, but I am free now. I can finally cry in peace over everyone dear to me being taken away.

      I let the gems free from my eyes and watched as the cool autumn night carried them away. I spread my arms wide to take hold of the stars. A small laugh broke free from my lips at the thought of how insane everything had become. Just then, a gentle hand lowered itself onto my back and a bit of force was exerted over me.

      The stars spun around and the ground became the sky. With a sickening thud, I landed as before, yet no bushes were there for me. Through bloodied, hazy eyes, I could gather just enough strength to look up as a figure strolled up beside me. A bloody, gnarled hook of a hand stroked across my cheek. Sweet nothings were spoken to me as I gave in, realizing nothing but the end remained. A tiny, quiet jingle danced its way to me.

      “I love you, Rose. We’ll always be together.”