The Death of Addie Gray Read online

  The creature immediately lets out another roar. Addie flinches and pulls back, but I keep hold of her and wait as she hesitates. After a moment, she finally steps closer to me.

  “We're going to go and show it that we're not scared,” I tell her. “If we do that, then it'll back down. It'll go away, and it won't bother you again because it'll think you're too tough, okay? You just have to be brave.” I wait for her to reply, but her eyes are filled with fear. “It's a game,” I continue, forcing a smile. “We're playing a game, and the idea of the game is to seem big and tough and strong even if that's not how you feel inside. Can you manage that?”

  She doesn't reply, but when I turn and take another step toward the creature, she follows.

  “We're not scared,” I say firmly, trying to keep myself from trembling with fear. “Whatever this thing is, we're not scared of it.”

  The creature remains in place, watching us as we approach. I'm terrified, of course, but somehow I'm managing to keep going, and Addie's right behind me, gripping my hand but still staying close.

  Suddenly the creature roars again, louder than ever. The barn trembles and a broken beam crashes down behind us, but I stand my ground. If anything, that petulant display of anger only seems to prove that this approach will work, so I force Addie to take another step forward.

  Just a couple of meters ahead of us now, the creature tilts its head. It's clearly trying to understand us, but after a few seconds it seems to give up and – instead – lets out another ear-piecing roar.

  “Stay firm!” I hiss, as Addie tries to pull back. I grip her hand tighter. “Trust me. This thing can shout and rant and stomp its feet as much as it wants, but as long as we don't seem scared, it'll hold back.”

  I pause for a moment, before starting to lead Addie around the creature, leading her toward the barn's exit. The creature turns, watching us, but I was right: it doesn't actually try to attack us. Still, now that we're this close, I can see rainwater dribbling down across its charred features. Whatever this thing is, it looks like it was horrifically burned a long time ago, and parts of its head is definitely missing, as if it took a shotgun blast at close-range.

  The creature lets out a low, rumbling growl, but I keep my eyes fixed on its face as we make our way past.

  “You're not getting her,” I tell him, somehow managing to keep my voice from trembling. There'll be time for that later, but right now I have to hold myself together so I can get Addie out of here. “You might as well go back to where you came from, because you're not getting my daughter.”

  He opens his torn mouth, and after a moment I hear a faint gurgling sound.

  “You're not -”

  Suddenly he steps toward us and snarls. I flinch but manage to hold my ground, even as Addie hides behind me.

  “You're not getting her,” I say firmly.

  He leans closer, as if he's searching for the fear in my eyes.

  “You're not getting her,” I tell him again.

  He tilts his head slightly. He's just a few inches from my face now, and I can smell burned flesh. After a moment, he lets out another low growl.

  “You can do that all you want,” I reply, “but you're not getting your hands on her. We're not scared of you.”

  He snarls, leaning closer. Instinctively, I gasp and take a step back, while protecting Addie.

  I wait, my heart pounding, as I start to realize that maybe I just let him see that I was bluffing.

  “Come on,” I continue, still holding Addie's hand as I lead her around the creature. “He's just -”

  “Joe!”

  He hands slips from mine. Turning, I see that she's staring up at the creature's face with wide, shocked eyes.

  “Come on!” I hiss, grabbing her hand again.

  “It's Joe,” she stammers. “When he recognized me in the other place, it wasn't because it's Jesophat, it's because...” She pauses. “It's Joe! It's my brother!”

  “Addie, no,” I continue, “please -”

  Suddenly he lunges at me, knocking me aside and sending me slamming into the nearest wall. I hear Addie scream, and when I turn and look back I see that she's ducked down behind another set of machinery as the creature steps toward her. Before I can react, he rips the machinery away, sending it crashing into the corner and leaving Addie exposed on the floor, cowering and trembling.

  “No!” I shout, racing toward them. As the creature reaches down to grab Addie, I throw myself in the way, blocking her with my body. I turn, looking up at the creature's dark face.

  He leans closer.

  “Leave her alone!” I yell, putting my hands on his burned chest and shoving him back. “Do what you want to me, but leave her alone!”

  He roars, but I push him back again.

  “Run, Addie!” I shout breathlessly. “Get as far away from here as you can!”

  The creature steps closer, but again I push him back. I know this is crazy, but all I can think about is the fact that I have to get Addie out of here.

  “Leave her alone!” I shout again, shoving the creature back even further. “Addie, run!”

  “He's insane!” she sobs. “He'll never leave me alone, not while I'm here! He hates me because Jesophat and I killed him!”

  “Just run!” I scream. The creature lunges at me, but once again I shove him back.

  “I'm going to go,” she continues, “but I'm going to take him with me, and we're not leaving through that door.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, pushing the creature away yet again. “Addie, just run! You have to -”

  Suddenly the creature grabs me again, squeezing my neck with burned, brittle hands. I let out a gasp, and as he leans closer to me, I realize I can see lines of blood and flesh between the cracked black plates of his face. When he opens his mouth to snarl at me again, I spot a wet, bloodied space at the top of his throat, with a few remaining teeth gleaming white as they poke through his burned gums..

  “Run!” I gasp, as the creature pushes me against the wall and leans even closer. “Addie, run...”

  Before I can finish, I'm turned around and slammed face-first into the wall. A moment later, I feel something sharp slicing into the back of my neck, as if he's trying to bite through to the base of my skull. I scream, but I'm too weak to fight back as he tears a strip of flesh away and then bites again, this time digging his teeth deeper and scraping against bone before ripping away even more of my meat. I can taste blood in the back of my throat now, and I'm powerless to resist as he bites again, this time a little further up. His teeth twist through my flesh, as if he's trying to grind through to my skull, but I feel a rush of relief as I realize that at least he's leaving Addie alone. At least she should be running by now, at least she -

  “Stop!” Addie's voice screams.

  Suddenly I feel the creature pulling away, and I drop to my knees. I turn just in time to see him stumbling toward Addie, who's staring up at him with pure hatred in her eyes.

  “No!” I gasp, reaching out toward her. “Let him take me... You have to run...”

  “Goodbye, Erica,” she adds, with tears in her voice. “I'm going to tear Joe away and take him back to the other place, and I'm going to get him so lost there, he'll never find his way out again. I'm just sorry Addie can't take her body back once I'm gone, but she was dead long before I arrived. I think her soul left when the accident happened. It's my fault Joe found his way back to the world and I'm damn sure I'm gonna put that right.”

  With that, her eyes roll back in their sockets and she stiffens, as if she's about to collapse. The creature roars, reaching down and grabbing her throat, but her whole body is shuddering now.

  “Come with me,” she gasps. “It's me you want, Joe. You hate me, and I don't blame you, but if you want me, you're gonna have to follow me back to the other place. What do you want more? To live again, or to make me pay? Come on, Joe, we've always hated each other! You know you can't resist the chance to hurt me again! Don't you think I deserve another kicking?
”

  The creature roars again, pulling her closer.

  “Leave her alone!” I shout, reaching out and grabbing his arm, but unable to pull him away. I can feel blood pouring down the back of my neck, but I don't have time to worry about that now. I just have to save my little girl.

  “He's resisting,” Addie stammers. “He's too strong... I can't... I can't pull him all the way back through...”

  “Stay with me!” I tell her, crawling around the creature and then putting a hand on Addie's shoulder. “Please don't go anywhere! I got you back once, I can't lose you again! Addie, you -”

  Suddenly I feel a sharp pain in the back of my neck. The scratching sensation has returned, and this time it's overwhelmingly strong. Falling back, I clutch my throat as I feel something bursting through into my mind. At the same time, my own thoughts are being pushed aside, as if some kind of force is trying to toss me out of my own head. I try to fight back, but I can already feel myself ebbing away, as if I'm draining out through the hole at the base of my skull and falling into darkness.

  “I'm not strong enough,” Addie's voice gasps. “I can't drag him away...”

  “Run,” I stammer, letting my head drop as I feel an immense, angry force pulsing through my mind. I try to fight back, to take control of my thoughts again, but the other presence is far too powerful. I can feel him throbbing in my brain, exploring his new home as I continue to fade away. I'm starting to feel dizzy, too, as if somehow I'm suddenly high up, teetering on the edge of a precipice.

  “Someone else is here,” Addie whispers suddenly, as the creature screams. “Someone's helping me, it's...”

  I feel the presence starting to lift from my mind, as if something is finally pulling it back.

  “It's Addie!” a voice gasps. “The real Addie's here, from the other side! I don't know how she found us, but -”

  In a flash, the other presence vanishes. I slump forward, feeling a sharp pain bursting through my thoughts, but my mind is my own again and I no longer feel as if I'm being forced out. Rolling onto my side, I gasp as I feel the pain of torn flesh on the back of my neck, but that's the only pain now. Everything else – the sensation of someone else taking control of my mind, and the feeling that I was fading to nothingness – is gone.

  “Addie,” I whisper, starting to sit up.

  For a moment, I feel completely disorientated. Touching the back of my neck, I feel a ragged patch of flesh, as if something really did try to bite through.

  Looking across the dark barn, I'm just about able to make out Addie standing a few meters away, with her eyes closed. A fraction of a second later, she lets out a gasp and starts to collapse.

  “No!” I scream, rushing toward her and catching her just before she hits the cold concrete floor. She feels completely limp in my arms, but after a moment I turn and see that the creature has already vanished. Looking back down at Addie's face, I pat her cheeks in an attempt to wake her. “Come back!” I shout, filled with panic at the thought that she's gone again. “If you can hear my voice, use it to find your way back.”

  All around us, the only sound now comes from the storm as it continues to howl and rage outside the barn.

  I press two fingers against the side of Addie's neck, but there's no pulse.

  “Please no,” I stammer, “not again. I can't lose you again.”

  Setting her flat on the ground, I climb on top of her and push down several times on her chest, trying to get her heart restarted. Sobbing, I lean down and give her the kiss of life, before trying her chest again and again. I don't even know if I'm doing it right, but I have to keep trying. After a couple of minutes, however, I check her pulse again and there's still no sign of life.

  “Come back!” I scream, cradling her in my arms again. Leaning close to her ear, I feel tears streaming down my face, but I know I can't give up, not yet. I got her back once, and I can do it again. “If you can hear me,” I continue, “then you have to follow my voice. Wherever you are, however far away and however scared, just follow my voice back to your body. You did it once and you can do it this time. Come on, I know you can hear me.”

  I wait, but she feels so limp and lifeless in my arms.

  “Focus on my voice,” I tell her, before hauling her up and hugging her tight. “Let my voice guide you. I don't care how far away you are, I know you'll be able to hear me and -” I pause for a moment, before the sobs overtake me and I start crying. “Serriah,” I continue. “If you can hear me, please try to help Addie back. If there's any chance at all...”

  I try to talk to her again, but I'm trembling too much to say a word and for the next few minutes all I can manage is to hold her body close to mine.

  And then, slowly, I realize that someone is watching me.

  I pause, not daring to believe that it could be true, before slowly lowering Addie until I can see her face.

  Her eyes are open wide, and she's staring back at me.

  “Addie?” I stammer, feeling a rush of hope in my chest. “Is that you?”

  I wait.

  She blinks.

  Erica

  “Is my daughter coming back up yet?” I ask, grabbing the nurse's arm. “They said she'd only be five minutes!”

  “It's okay, Mrs. Gray,” she replies with a smile, “there was just a bit of a wait in the X-ray department. She'll be here real soon.”

  Forcing myself to stop panicking, I lean back on the bed. After everything that happened last night in the barn, I never even realized I'd broken several ribs, not until we finally managed to get to a hospital. I guess pure adrenalin kept me going, keeping me from stopping and thinking too much about everything that was happening around me. All I could think about, during those final moments in the barn, was that I had to keep my daughter safe. It's only now that I have a chance to make sense of it all, or at least to try.

  So far, I'm not doing very well.

  “And how are we doing in here?”

  Turning, I see Detective Brabham hobbling through on crutches.

  “Are you supposed to be up and about?” I ask, feeling a flash of pain rippling through my chest.

  “It's twenty feet from my room to yours,” he replies, stopping next to the bed. “I think I can manage twenty feet. How are you and Addie doing in here?”

  “She's getting checked out right now,” I tell her, “but so far...” I pause, barely able to believe what I'm about to say. “So far, they say there's nothing wrong with her. Not a cracked bone, not a fracture, barely even a bruise. She seems shell-shocked, like she doesn't quite understand everything that's going on, but apart from that she seems to have somehow made it through.”

  “That's more than I can say about myself,” Brabham replies, wincing a little. “Still, while the body heals, the mind races on.” He pauses for a moment. “Did you get a good look at it, Mrs. Gray?”

  “A good look at what?” I ask, unsure as to how much he really knows.

  “The thing, the...” He pauses. “I've waited my whole life to come face-to-face with something like that, and what happens? I suffer a cardiac event that knocks me out. The irony would be amusing, if it weren't so frustrating. I'm afraid I only remember glimpses of the encounter, Mrs. Gray, so I'm going to have to rely heavily on your testimony to fill in the gaps.”

  I open my mouth to answer, but at the same time I make the mistake of trying to sit up a little. The result is a slicing pain in my chest, and Brabham has to help me settle down against the bed.

  “Hold on there,” he says calmly. “It looks like you need to slow down. You need bed-rest, and that's good, it'll give you time to put your thoughts down on paper. You can't spare any of the details. Even include sketches if you can. We have to build an exhaustive case file covering this entire incident, and then I can begin to cross-reference with similar files from the past. It won't be quick and it won't be easy, and we'll have to face a great deal of skepticism, but I honestly believe this is the start of something very big. Mrs. Gray, together we can ex
pose the truth about what happened to your daughter, and then we can show the world that there truly is something beyond this reality.”

  “I don't know,” I tell him, feeling a little uncomfortable. “I haven't really had time to think about it. I'm just focused on making sure Addie's okay.”

  “Of course. You should rest for a little while first. I can come back after lunch and we can talk some -”

  “I don't think so.”

  He stares at me for a moment. “I'm sorry?”

  “We're not telling the world anything,” I continue. “I'm sure the police will want to ask me some questions after what happened to Officer Murphy, and they'll want to speak to Addie too, but apart from that... I don't know whether I can really help that much.”

  “But your daughter,” he replies, seeming flustered by my response. “She needs to be tested and analyzed, and examined for residual -”

  “No, absolutely not.”

  “She's the key to this. We saw things out there in the field, Mrs. Gray. You and I both saw Officer Murphy's head turning like -”

  “It was dark,” I point out, “and I honestly don't know what I saw.”

  “No,” he replies, “it was very clear. We saw a paranormal manifestation right in front of us. We saw something controlling Officer Murphy, and then we encountered a force in the barn. You know we did.”

  “Did we?” I ask. “That seems a little... dramatic. What will federal investigators think if you start making that sort of claim?” I wait a moment for my words to sink in, and I'm more certain than ever that I can't let anyone start poking about and trying to explain what happened to Addie. It's all in the past now. “You'll look crazy,” I point out. “Especially if you don't have anyone to back you up.”

  “Are you saying you'd deny it happened?” he asks cautiously. “Why? Just to protect your daughter?”

  “I'm saying that I need to focus on making sure that she's okay,” I reply, trying to hide the fact that I just want him to leave me alone. “Addie's absolutely fine, and -”

  “You don't even know that it is Addie!”