Laura Read online

  “This way!” he gasps, wrapping her arms around my waist and dragging me free of the icy pool. “We have to get out of here!”

  A rotten arm bursts from the water, grabbing my damaged ankle, but I quickly kick it away.

  “Sophie, move!”

  I turn to crawl after him, but suddenly I stop and bring up a rush of salty water that had managed to get down my throat.

  “We don't have time!” Elliot hisses, forcing me up and supporting my weight as he leads me up the steep incline that leads from the edge of the pool. “She doesn't hate you, Sophie. I think she just wants to use you to punish me! It's the only thing that makes sense!”

  “I should have gone back for her!” I gasp, feeling a sharp pain in my chest. “That night, ten years ago! I should have come with you!”

  “There'll be time for that later!” he shouts, grabbing my arm and dragging me over another of the rocks. “First, I need to -”

  Suddenly something slams into him from behind, sending him crashing across the rocks and thudding into the wall of the cave. I turn to help him, but a hand grabs my ankle and I scream as I'm pulled back down toward the pool of water. Turning, I see that Laura's rotten corpse is still trying to drown me, but this time I can't quite manage to kick her away. She reaches up and grabs my waist, digging the sharp tips of her bony fingers deep into my flesh and tearing thick wounds down to the waist of my jeans. Crying out, I try to grab hold of a rock, but my hands slip against the wet surface and I scream again as I'm pulled down into the water. Managing to reach for another rock, I'm just about able to keep my head above the surface, but a moment later Laura wraps her rotten arms around my shoulders and starts pulling again.

  “I'm sorry!” I sob, as I feel her pulling me down inch-by-inch. “Laura, I should have come to help you! It shouldn't just have been Elliot! I should -”

  My mouth dips beneath the surface. I manage to haul myself up, spitting out the foul water in the process, but Laura simply wraps her arms tighter around me and pulls with more strength. This time, my hands slip against the rocks and I feel myself slipping back down, and Laura's dead mouth lets out a faint, satisfied gasp.

  “I'm sorry!” I whimper, as I feel my strength starting to fade. I'm still clinging to the last rock, but I'm losing consciousness and I know I won't last much longer. “I'm so sorry, Laura! We all should have helped you! Please -”

  “Laura!” Elliot shouts suddenly. “Look at me!”

  Startled, I look up and see him standing high above us, staring down from one of the rocks.

  “You're only hurting Sophie to get to me,” he says breathlessly. “I finally figured it out! But why not just go straight for the one you really hate instead?”

  With that, he looks at me.

  “I'm sorry, Sophie,” he adds. “It's the only way to stop her. Please try to remember that all through this, I was only trying to protect you.”

  And then, slowly, he leans forward and falls.

  I scream as he slams against one of the rocks, and there's a heavy cracking sound as his skull shatters. Leaving a patch of blood on the rock's wet surface, he slithers down and crashes into the water, and Laura's rotten corpse immediately lets out a rasping cry of anger as she lets go of me and lunges at him. Grabbing his throat, she turns him around and then pulls him under the surface.

  “Let him go!” I shout, diving down and trying to swim after them. I can barely see a thing in the darkness, however, and when I reach out I find that all I feel is the rocks that line the pool. I keep searching, until finally I have to go back up to the surface and catch my breath.

  I dive again and again, but I never find any trace of them. I don't know where Laura took him, I don't know where she dragged his body, but finally I realize that he's been under the surface for ten minutes, maybe even a little longer. I pause for a moment, shivering violently in the freezing water, before finally accepting that I'm all alone down here.

  “Bring him back!” I shout, with tears running down my cheeks. “Please, bring him back! I know what he did was wrong, but you don't have to kill him!”

  I wait, but all I hear is the sound of water lapping against the rocks.

  “You didn't have to kill them all,” I add. “Laura, please... Why did you do this?”

  Again I wait, but it's clear that she's gone. Finally, I dive down a couple more times, just to check in case I can find Elliot, and then I realize I have to get out of here. I'm in agony, and I feel as if I don't have the strength to climb out of the cave, but I know I have to at least try. And somehow, despite my aching limbs and what feels like a set of cracked ribs, I manage to push against the pain and haul myself up toward the light, until eventually I collapse gasping and spluttering just a couple of hundred feet from the exit. I can see the light up ahead, so I start dragging myself forward toward the cold morning breeze and the sound of screeching seagulls. The pain in my ribs is getting stronger and finally I have to stop for a moment to get my breath back.

  I'm nearly out of here.

  I hesitate for a few seconds, and then I reach forward, grabbing another wet rock and dragging myself forward.

  Suddenly a hand rests on my shoulder from behind, and I feel bony fingers gripping me tight.

  “And where,” Laura's voice whispers into my ear, “do you think you're going?”

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Six months later

  Suddenly he walks right past me on the Old Kent Road. I turn and look at him, convinced that I have to be wrong, but deep down I know instantly that it was really him. I watch as he walks away, and then I start following, waiting to see where he's going. Finally, I catch up to him and tap his shoulder.

  “Elliot?”

  He turns to me, and I immediately see a flash of recognition on his face.

  “Sophie,” he says, with a faint smile. “Wow. What are you doing here?”

  “What am I doing here?” Staring at me, I can't help noticing how well he looks. How healthy and vibrant and happy. “Elliot,” I stammer, “what the hell are...”

  People continue to bustle past, bumping against me, but I stand my ground in the crowd and wait for Elliot to disappear. I mean, he has to disappear. He can't be here.

  “You look confused,” he says after a moment. “Is something wrong?”

  “Elliot, you're...”

  “I'm what?”

  I take a step back, worried that maybe I'm having some kind of seizure.

  “Elliot,” I continue, “you... I mean, I... At the beach, I saw you... I went to your...”

  For a moment, I think back to the sight of him falling in the cave, and then to the image of his body far below with blood splattered against the rocks. And then I remember how I...

  There's something else, but my head is starting to feel a little fuzzy now.

  “Sophie?” he says, placing a hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”

  “Where were you going?” I ask, trying to settle my thoughts a little. “When I just stopped you, I mean. Where were you headed?”

  “Where were you going?” he replies, still holding my arm. “Sophie, don't take this the wrong way, but you seem a little... out of it.”

  “You're dead!” I say firmly, pulling away. “I saw you die, Elliot! It was in the cave, when we went down to look for Laura!”

  I wait for a reply, but he's simply staring at me.

  “Where were you going just now?” I continue, turning and looking along the road, seeing nothing but the busy, noisy crowd. When I turn back to Elliot, I realize that he's watching me with a hint of confusion in his eyes. “Elliot, what are you doing here?” I stammer. “You died! I saw you die! What are you doing here, on this road, just...”

  “I was just waiting for someone.”

  “That doesn't make any sense,” I tell him. “I know what happened in that cave! You died!”

  “What happened to you in the cave?” he asks.

  “I made it out! I crawled out, I got all the way to the exit and then..
.”

  My voice trails off as I remember the touch of a hand on my shoulder, and the whisper of a rasping dead voice in my ear.

  “And then...”

  “And how long have you been here?” he asks. “On this road, I mean. How long have you been wandering through the crowd?”

  “A while,” I stammer defensively. “Just...”

  For a moment, I remember walking along the road a few times now. I walked in one direction, hurrying through the crowd, and then I walked the other way, always rushing and trying to get somewhere, but I'm not sure where I was going. I try to force myself to think, but now I'm starting to feel a little dizzy, and finally Elliot touches my arm again. This time, I'm glad to be dragged back to reality.

  “I was at a cafe,” I whisper, even though I'm not sure I remember too much. “I think I was at a cafe just now...”

  “It took me a while too,” he says, “but now I know which way I'm going.” He nods toward the far end of the road, toward the brighter part of the sky. “Do you want to walk with me?”

  “Where to?” I ask, still feeling as if something's wrong.

  “That's not really the right question,” he replies. “Come with me. It sure as hell beats wandering aimlessly all day.” He pauses for a moment. “I've been looking for you, Sophie. I don't know how long for, but I've been searching for a while now. I spotted you in the crowd a couple of times, but I never managed to catch up to you. I guess you were moving too fast.”

  “I was at a cafe.”

  “Were you? Are you sure?”

  I look down at his hand, still resting on my arm.

  “We can keep wandering for a while if you prefer,” he tells me, “but I think eventually...”

  His voice trails off.

  I open my mouth to tell him that I still don't understand, that I know he's dead, but then suddenly I realize that maybe I should go with him, at least for a while. After all, that seems like the only way I can really find out where he's going. And along the way, I should be able to figure out the rest of what's happening. This fuzzy sense of confusion has to pass eventually.

  “So you remember the cave?” he asks as we start making our way through the crowd.

  I nod. “Right up until I was almost out.”

  “I remember going in,” he replies, “but after that... I don't know why, but it's all kind of a blur.”

  “Do you remember when I was down in the water with Laura?”

  “I think so. Maybe.” He hesitates for a moment. “I remember you arriving and seeing her body.”

  “I remember you falling, Elliot. You were high above me, and then you fell.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I'm very sure. And then I tried to find you. I tried diving under the water, over and over, but she'd already dragged you away.”

  We walk in silence for a short while.

  “I don't remember any of that,” he says finally.

  “Where are we going?” I ask, feeling a rush of panic as I stop and look over my shoulder. The crowd is so huge, and I'm starting to think that I should be walking the other way instead.

  “Sophie -”

  “Why can't I remember?” I continue, trying to stay calm. “What's wrong with me? Why does my head feel so muddled?”

  “I don't know,” he replies, with a hand still resting on my arm, “but I feel the same. I really don't think there's any point staying here, not unless...”

  I turn to him. “Not unless what?”

  “Well, not unless you've got anything else you need to do here.” He hesitates. “Do you have anything else you need to do here, Sophie?”

  “No,” I reply, feeling a ripple of fear in my chest. “No, I don't think I do. I think I was at a cafe, but I'm not sure where I was supposed to go next.”

  “Because if there's somewhere else you want to go, or someone you need to see, then I'm not stopping you.”

  “No,” I tell him again. “There's nothing.”

  “Then I'm pretty sure we need to go this way,” he continues, once more leading me along the road. “In fact, I might be crazy, but I think I'm starting to realize where we have to go. I think some people are waiting for us.”

  ***

  “No, I was downstairs in the kitchen,” Elliot says, interrupting Jonathan, “and the rest of you were all upstairs, or at least that's what I thought. And then I heard this huge crashing sound from the garden, and I found Nick out there hanging upside down from the trellis on the wall, somehow with his cigarette still dangling from his lips even though he'd passed out!”

  Nick smiles, although he has his right hand raised slightly, as if he's missing a cigarette even now. He looks much more gaunt than before, with dark rings under his eyes.

  “And then you started snoring,” Elliot adds, “which was when we decided to haul you down. I know you had a habit of getting drunk at uni, but seriously, that night was one of your best. It was this perfect picture of debauchery, like you were in some kind of renaissance painting. God, it's a good job for all of us that camera-phones weren't so common back then. Think of the dirt we'd have on each other.”

  Nick tries to argue, insisting that he was never that drunk, although Lynn quickly puts him in his place by reminding him of a whole series of times he got wasted. Turning to look at her, I can't help noticing that one side of her body has been split open, revealing glistening meat and chunks of bone. She seems happy enough, though, as she talks about the good old days, even though she – like Nick – seems pale and gaunt and thin.

  Then Jonathan piles on, adding a slew of other stories, and Nick finally has to admit that he might have been a heavy drinker back in the old days. He insists that he cleaned up once we finished uni, but everyone knows that's a lie. It's not the first time we've all had this conversation, and I'm sure it won't be the last. In fact, I can't shake the feeling that we've been sitting here at the dinner table for so long now, we must have started repeating ourselves. My thoughts are still so fuzzy and unclear.

  “Speaking of the best,” Lynn says suddenly, interrupting the others, her voice mangled slightly thanks to her damaged jaw, “perhaps we should raise a toast to our host.” She looks at each of us in turn. I think she's trying to smile. “It's hard to believe that we've managed to stay friends for all this time. Despite everything that's happened over the years.”

  “Absolutely,” Victoria says, raising her glass to meet Lynn's. “We always said we'd be friends forever, didn't we?”

  I open my mouth to reply, but my gaze is suddenly drawn to the empty table at the table's far end. I watch the space for a moment, and I can't help thinking that someone else is going to join us soon.

  “Sophie?”

  I turn and see that the others are all looking at me.

  “Are you okay?” Elliot continues.

  I nod, but in truth I'm still feeling groggy and confused.

  “To friendship,” Elliot adds, clinking his glass against all the others. “Through all the ups and downs.”

  “More downs than ups for some of us,” Lynn adds.

  For a moment, all the laughter dies away and we're left sitting in silence. I keep expecting one of the others to say something, to break the silence and tell another dumb story about our old drunken antics. Instead, however, they all seem to be staring at me as if they're expecting me to say something.

  “What?” I ask, looking first at Lynn, then at Nick, and then at Victoria. “What is it?”

  I wait, but nobody speaks.

  I turn to Jonathan, and then to Elliot.

  “It's cold in here, isn't it?” I continue, trying to force a smile but not really managing. “This place always used to be so hot and stuffy. Now it's freezing.”

  “Is it?” Victoria asks, her voice sounding so calm and hollow. “I hadn't noticed.”

  “Maybe you could turn the temperature up a little?” I suggest.

  “Maybe,” she replies.

  I wait, but they're still all staring at me.

>   “What is it?” I ask again, feeling a faint shudder pass through my chest. “Why are -”

  Before I can finish, I hear footsteps behind me, and suddenly the others all turn and look past me. At first, the far end of the apartment appears completely dark, but after a moment I spot a figure coming closer and finally Laura steps into view. Stopping behind the chair at the end of the table, she turns to me and smiles.

  “Sophie,” she says calmly, “how good of you to finally join the rest of us. We were waiting so long. Well, some of us longer than others. We almost -”

  Getting to my feet, I push the chair away and take a step back.

  “What's wrong?” Laura asks. “Won't you sit with us? We're all friends here.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” I stammer, before turning to the others. “What's happening here?”

  I wait for an answer, but now they've all fallen silent. It's almost as if none of them will even look at me. They're staring down at the table, at the plates that were piled high with food just a moment ago. As I stare at them, I can't help noticing their injuries. Nick's eyes are bulging, almost coming out of their sockets, while Lynn's body has been horribly twisted and sliced open on one side, with her jaw partially hanging loose. Jonathan has a thick, matted patch of blood on one side of his face, where the flesh appears to have been ripped away. Next to him, Victoria's throat is glistening with at thick red cut, while Elliot has a crack on one side of his forehead, exposing a section of fractured skull.

  “You're all...”

  I take another step back from the table. My heart is pounding and I'm certain that there has to be some kind of mistake.

  “You're... You all...”

  “Come on, Sophie,” Laura continues. “You've been to plenty of dinner parties before.”

  Turning to her, I see that there's a faint smile on her lips. Wet, matted hair hangs down over one side of her face, mostly covering the patches of bone that are showing through, although I can still just about make out the cavernous empty socket of her right eye. She has a little more flesh than I remember from the cave.