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The AMC Eagle glided through the neighborhood, its windows splashed with the warm glow of autumn leaves. Palmer gazed out at the peaceful scenery, lost in thought. Tommy and their mother's playful banter seemed distant and far away, but their raucous laughter cut through the fog and brought her back to the present moment. Her eyes scanned ahead, and the Cove's imposing presence filled her view, drawing in kids and school buses like a gravitational force. It was a massive, black hole, devouring everything in its path.
As they approached the Cove, the Eagle began to slow down, navigating through a sea of kids and buses criss-crossing the street like ants. Yellow buses lined the road, their doors opening and disgorging students into the yard. Palmer's mother carefully guided the car through the chaos, like a ship navigating treacherous waters. Finally, a gap appeared in the traffic, and she seized her chance to unload her precious cargo.
"There ya go guys... now both of you have a wonderful day. I'll be back to pick you up after school,"
"Ya mom," Tommy muttered. His door was already open, rushing out towards his huddled minions. The car door slammed behind him, the clang and rattle of metal punctuating his exit.
Palmer sat there for a moment... The music from the Rockin' Ricky show filled her ears.
"Ms. Stillwater," she thought to herself... " Dammit, she hadn't finished that stupid assignment," the realization lighting the fire of anxiety within her. All the madness of the last couple of days, her dreams…the bus, everything, it all raced through her mind, scattering her thoughts. Her heart raced, the pace of her breathing quickened. The thought of needing that stupid homework assignment seemed like such an irrational worry, but Palmer was trying desperately to cling to normalcy, to cling to what she knew to be true, to be real. Then out of nowhere, she felt her mother's hand on hers, that gentle touch, it grounded her. That anchoring touch was followed by a soft and soothing voice.
"Palmer... Hunny…calm down, everything is going to be okay. You're stronger than you think... You've got the best parts of your Dad and me. Whatever is bothering you, you can rise above," her words resonated... cutting through her scattered thoughts, anchoring her. A mother's instinct was truly an amazing thing, she knew exactly what to say, and when to say it. Palmer reached over, placing her hand on her mother's. Everything just started to slow down.
"Thanks, Mom… I've got this," she said. Her confidence grew by the second.
"What other choice did she have?" she thought to herself.
She patted her mom's hand, sealing the silent pact that they had just made. The fact that Palmer wasn't going to give up... that she was going to get through all of this. She put her trusty headphones on, reached down and pressed play... Spellbound by Siouxsie and the Banshees filling her ears, a smile crossed Palmer's face...
"I've got this," she thought to herself.
Palmer stepped out of the wagon and she looked back at her mom while shutting the door. Palmer couldn't hear the words, but she could make them out, clear as day… "Love you!" Palmer smiled in response.
Confidently she turned away from the car, making her way confidently toward the crowds. Normally she'd be trying to evade Laurie and all the bullshit that went along with that, deep down inside she wished she’d see her, hoping for a little of that nonsense today. The funny thing, normally she'd be dodging people, making herself as small as possible, but not today, the crowd reacted and parted before her. The recent events playing through her head. Like what had happened on the School Bus, how the seat had ripped like that... there was a power inside her. She didn't need to be afraid of it, she should embrace it.
"Maybe it's a gift," Palmer thought, feeling a rush of triumph. "Somehow, someway, it must be a gift. She was different, unique, and finally special." The thought echoed through her mind, filling her with a sense of pride and purpose. "The best parts of her parents," she mused, remembering her mother's words. "Two amazing parts coming together to make something greater."
She moved through the crowd purposefully, the faces of her classmates looking back at her. There was Mikey Walsh, then Tommy and his friends... face after face. She saw Ben roughing up Lawrence Cohen, processing things in the only way his neanderthal brain would let him, through violence. Glen was trying to pull him off the poor kid, grabbing at him futilely. By chance their eyes met again, his features always mesmerized her. The way his hair swept across his face, his eyes.
"Why does he go along with Ben's bullshit..." she always wondered. Without processing the passage of time, she realized she had been staring at Glen for far too long. Palmer studied his face and at that moment he smiled at her. Her heart raced, barely able to contain herself, she hesitantly returned a shy smile. Suddenly her forward momentum halted, the force knocking her headphones free. Palmer had walked straight into someone, startled, her eyes shot forward, an apology already forming on her lips. Before her stood Laurie.
Her face was ashen, her eyes vacant and lifeless, devoid of any spark or animation. The vitality that had once defined her had been snuffed out, like a flame in the wind. All that remained were dying embers, barely perceptible in the darkness. Her lips parted, and a guttural sound emanated from deep within her, as if struggling to break free from the confines of death. Palmer stood frozen, unable to move or speak, as the corpse continued to groan and wheeze, its icy breath chilling her to the bone. The groaning grew louder and more intense, until it became a piercing, soul-rending wail, like that of a banshee.
"YOU LET ME DIE," the corpse screeched. The scream, so loud, so awful.
Palmer tried to fight, tried to move, but all she could do was shut her eyes. And just like that, as quickly as it had erupted, the banshee's wail was gone. She could move again, her eyes opened cautiously, peering through the tiniest of slits to ensure the coast was clear. She was standing alone in the sea of people. Palmer felt a hand on her shoulder, terror took hold of her again… “What do you want?” She screamed.
“I just wanna make sure you’re okay…” She found Glen standing beside her, his comforting hand on her shoulder. They just stood there, eyes locked.
BBBBBDDDDDDDDDRRRRRRIIIIINGGGGG
The first-period bell rang out across the yard. Conversations halted, bags retrieved from wherever they had been thrown, the crowd started to shamble toward the stairs.
"Are you… okay?" Glen asked, his voice sure and strong, between the vowels was a heavy dose of concern.
Palmer stammered, unable to form words, the best she could manage at that moment was a shy smile. She touched his hand and moved away. Not sure what to say, not even sure what had just happened. She returned her headphones to their rightful station, the baseline of Halloween by Siouxsie and the Banshees strumming in her ears. The music helped her to regain her composure. She looked forward, eyes raising to the monstrous maw of the school, standing amidst the crowd was Laurie again. A patiently waiting wraith. Palmer marched forward, convinced she was just another strange manifestation of whatever was changing within her, or just an effigy of the guilt she felt. Closer and closer she moved towards the specter, she clenched her fists, knuckles turned white around the straps of her backpack… Bracing herself, she moved confidently forward, right past the apparition, her eyes locked with Laurie's soulless orbs. Palmer took a few more strides and looked back over her shoulder, the empty faces of her schoolmates stared blankly at her. The shade was gone.
"Well isn’t this… isn’t this is just awesome," she thought to herself.
The great hall opened before her, she headed to her first period. The PA system chirped to life, a hollow voice droned on about the day's planned events with a special message tacked onto the end. “The faculty earnestly reminded any students who needed to talk, that Mr. Shoop will be ready and available,” Everyone loved Mr. Shoop, so his office would definitely be packed today, for those who actually needed him, and for those just looking to duck outta class.
Palmer's next few periods moved forward uneventfully, everyone seemed a little laid back, the normal chaos of the school day was muted. There had been no official statement about Laurie and what had happened, but her empty seat was all the statement they needed, a deafening declaration.
Lunch had arrived and Palmer blindly walked the halls, she found herself near Laurie's locker, a crowd had gathered. The whole hallway was packed, she even saw her little brother a ways down, all had gathered to witness the scene. The locker was covered in notes, she imagined they consisted of well wishes, vain attempts by many to curry favor in case of Laurie's miraculous return. As Palmer passed she made no attempt to add her own message, Laurie's friends eyed her hard, muttering and scheming amongst themselves.
Stolen novel; please report.
"If looks could kill," she thought to herself… “I’d be dead where I stand,”
As she moved further down the hall, she heard the word "BITCH!" ring out behind her, but it didn't faze her. Yesterday it might have, but today, she had bigger fish to fry. Speaking of bigger fish, Ben Trammer came lumbering around the corner in front of her, pushing through the crowd, his eyes locked onto Tommy, who was blissfully unaware of what was coming. Palmer sensed danger; the theme from Jaws played in her head as she watched him push through the waves of kids. Instinctively, she moved to intercept. Ben shoved Tommy hard, and he slid across the floor, his books flying in all directions. Palmer bent over to help him up, looking lovingly at his round little face. With a nod, he assured her he was fine, and she shot up to face Ben.
Her heart was racing, but she stood her ground, unflinching as Ben's hulking frame towered over her. She could feel his hot breath on her face as he leaned in, his eyes narrowed to slits. She didn't back down, staring him down with a fierce determination that surprised even herself. For a moment, they stood there in silence, locked in a tense standoff.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing Ben," Palmer exploded, her voice had never roared like that before.
Ben stared at her for a moment, clearly confused and shocked by her aggression. He looked over at his cronies, laughing.
"Anything I want," he shot back. "Who the FUCK is going to stop me? You? You're just a stupid - little - slut," he grabbed her hard by the arms. She groaned in protest. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Glen's reaction... he moved to intervene, but unsure of how without upsetting the balance. Ben pulled her close and went to lick her face again.
"NEVER GAIN," Palmer screamed. She kneed him as hard as she could, right square in the balls. Her knee landed hard and destructively accurate. Funny enough, she didn't feel much there... Ben collapsed, instead of retreating she stood over him, stunned for a moment by what she had just done. "Maybe the rumors were true…" she thought to herself, chuckling uncontrollably.
As Ben lifted her off her heels, Palmer's body trembled with fear and adrenaline. The sudden shove propelled her backward, and she flew through the air, crashing down onto the hard tile floor. The impact jolted through her, pain radiating up her spine as she slid across the slick surface. But it was her anger that burned the brightest, fueled by years of torment and humiliation at the hands of bullies like Ben.
Glen appeared between them, trying to reason with Ben, but Palmer's rage consumed her. She could feel the floor vibrating under her, and the anger that had been simmering inside her all these years exploded from her palms. The tiles cracked and shattered, and her power reached down into the very foundation of the school.
At that moment, Palmer was done taking it. She was done feeling small and powerless. She would no longer be a victim of their abuse and shame. With a fierce determination, she rose to her feet, her eyes blazing with a newfound strength.
Ben and his cronies had given her a reason to fight, and now they would face the consequences of their actions. Even luck couldn't save them from her power. They would learn that there was a price to pay for their cruelty, and Palmer was more than willing to make them pay it.
She shot up, crossing the distance in a heartbeat. Glen stood between them, bracing Ben from moving any closer to Palmer. She could see the shock in Ben's eyes, she'd never stood up for herself before, the odd snarky insult, but he could see she was done with it all, that she had had enough. A slimy smile returned to his face, he had to take control of the situation again and in his tiny mind the best he could muster was another tiny insult.
"What are you going to do little girl? Look at the two of you, Glen’s here to protect you," his voice made her angrier.
"I don't need anyone to protect me," Palmer shot back.
She grabbed Glen's shoulder, the moment she touched him, she could sense the concern he had for her. She was aware of what he was feeling deep down, briefly they were connected. Glen turned and looked at her, the look in his eyes told her he could feel her as well. That hesitation gave Ben his opening to push past Glen, he grabbed a hold of her again, bearing down on her like a monster. This time something was different, there was a strength there that had never been before. Palmer grounded herself, just as she did while she was sliding across the linoleum, Ben couldn't move her, try as he might, she wasn't moving, she was done moving.
Ben stood there, dumbfounded, confusion etched all over his face. He looked back, trying desperately to make sense of the situation and see if Glen was holding him. His thoughts mixed with Palmer's, and she could feel his anger, his confusion, she could see into his mind, his memories of Laurie, deep dark secrets, each one open to her, his mind laid bare. Beneath all his bravado, there was fear, a deep-seated fear that he always kept hidden. And she was going to take advantage of it.
Palmer started to assault his mind, preying on his weaknesses, rooting through his memories to find what made him feel small, the images of his deadbeat father and the abuse he endured. She grew in power, overpowering him, and could see the dread in his eyes. However, she suddenly heard a voice in her head, and it was Laurie. The sound of it softened her assault, causing her to pause and reconsider her actions.
"He's just sad and confused, he feels guilty for letting me go, for not being there for me," the spectral voice echoed in Palmer's mind.
Palmer's anger started to wane, she could see it in Ben, she could see the last time he saw Laurie from Ben's perspective, her small form standing in front of him, her eyes begging him not to let her go alone. Palmer could feel the shame filling him.
Palmer could see the specter of Laurie standing beside them, her cold skin, dead eyes. “Palmer let Ben go,” the connection severed instantly. As her rage subsided, her thoughts scattered again, self-doubt crawled back, questions muddied her emotions… It was too hard to focus.
"What the hell is happening," she thought, the potential answer to that question no longer frightening. Admittedly she couldn't deny that she liked it, and was growing fond of finally feeling powerful.
"Look who's the bully now, look how much you enjoyed that, you wanted to destroy him? Didn’t you?" The croaking words of Laurie's corpse filled her mind.
The shame and reality of the deceased's statement shook her. Palmer braced herself, expelling the voice from her mind.
"You're dead, you're not real, get out of my head!"
The thought blasted the specter apart, shattering into pieces like sand. As its form dissipated, Glen's face came into focus, standing before her. Palmer could see Ben retreating down the hall, shoving kids as he went, desperately trying to regain control and dominance. He yelled for Glen, beckoning for his number two to come to his aid.
"Are you okay?" she heard Glen's voice call to her. Again she felt his reassuring touch on her arm.
"Yeah, yeah... I'm good!" Palmer noticed their connection was gone. She couldn't feel anything more than the soft warmth of his touch. But what she felt, what they felt lingered between them, it was palpable.
"GLEN," Ben yelled down the hall.
Glen looked back, she could see the hesitation. She could see the conflict in him, but there was an expectation, a hierarchy, he'd risked it by helping her, he'd upset the balance.
"I - I really gotta go," he said quietly. He gently squeezed her arms. His subtle way of saying “sorry,” Spinning, he raced down the hall.
"Tommy," Palmer thought to herself.
She looked around and saw him down the hall with his friends. "He's clearly alright," she thought to herself. As she was looking at him, he turned and smiled at her. It made her feel better that he was alright. She reached down and collected her things, the stares of the crowd still lingered, the gossip had already started, the hushed tone of whispers had already started to travel, mutating, and changing with each retelling.
Palmer started down the hallway to her next class, her mind wandered, losing herself once more in thought. Palmer could feel something scratching at her, she could feel Laurie's voice growing inside her mind again. She resisted, pushed it down and away. But it pushed back, refusing to be silenced. Palmer could feel the scratching, the clawing, the whisper growing, the croaking moan of the corpse. It was deep inside her, and it wanted out.
The whisper turned into a scream… a scream that threatened to fracture her mind.
"I'm a part of you now," the words were cold, they infected her.
Palmer turned the corner, staring down the next hallway she stood frozen in terror, her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to move, but her legs wouldn't budge. The lights flickered and went out one by one, and the sound of electricity crackling filled the air. It was as if time itself had stopped, and everything was trapped in an endless moment of darkness.
Suddenly, a cold, sticky liquid dripped onto her hand, and she recoiled in disgust. More droplets followed, splashing onto her cheek, her arm, and her clothes. The liquid was thick and heavy, and it smelled like iron.
As the last seconds of the clock ticked away, the darkness engulfed the hallway, and Palmer was plunged into a void of blackness. It was a darkness so complete, so absolute, that she could feel it wrapping around her like a suffocating blanket. And then, slowly, the darkness began to give way to a sickly red glow. The light was dim and murky, casting eerie shadows on the walls and the floor.
It was then that she noticed the rain of blood. The liquid was falling all around her, coating everything in a thick layer of crimson. The walls, the floor, and even the frozen students were all covered in the sticky, red substance.
"Blood… it was fucking blood!" she cried aloud.
The walls appeared to be pulsating with the blood raining down upon them, as if the entire world had turned into a throbbing, living, breathing organism. The sound of the croaking, the crackling, grew louder as Laurie, twisted and contorted by the pain of being trapped between worlds, shuffled towards Palmer. The crimson rain seemed to avoid her, as if it was repulsed by her undead form. With each step, her bones creaked and cracked, the sound like splintering wood. Palmer was unable to move, transfixed by the horror before her. The corpse flickered in and out of existence, as if it was caught between two dimensions, until it stood before her, its icy grip clasping her face. Palmer could feel its cold seeping into her, infecting her mind with its putrid thoughts.
"You - and I - we are one now, the whole world will be covered in blood if we don't stop him," Laurie’s dead voice filled her mind.
"You can't get rid of me... I can't move on until he is stopped. I'm trapped… what's left of me is inside you now, help me… help us all," the voice pleaded with Palmer.
The specter vanished and all the students were staring at her, mouths unnaturally agape, fingers crooked and broken pointing towards her.
"HELP US ALL!" they roared in unison.
Tiiiiccck… tiicck.. tick. The second hand was moving again. The hallway bustled with activity once more, the students broke free of the dream that had held them. But Palmer still stood there, shaken.
"It was all a figment of her imagination, a daydream" she started to reason with herself. She instantly spun around, not wanting anything to do with what's down that way.
Laurie's lamenting face stopped her dead in her tracks.
"This isn't a dream," the words blasted in Palmer's head.
She collapsed to the floor, her world went black.
Palmer's eyes opened, she was back in the hallway but this time it was different. The walls were covered in the faint flickering darkness, the floor, covered in a frigid shadowy mist. The cold all around pulled at her, stealing her light, her warmth.. little by little, swallowing her.