Haunted Escape | ONC 2022

.11.

Chapter 11

It's a few days later when I see the woman again.

I see the noose tied around her next, I see the sickening drop of her body, I hear the crack of her neck echoing through my head well into the night. I also feel the helplessness. The deep guilt in my gut as I watch her fall the few inches to her death right before I try to reach out and stop her. I thought it was gone. Now it's back.

I spend the next day working at Silverstones. It's a Saturday, the busiest day of the week, and the constant flow of customers keeps my mind and body occupied. But before I know it, Sadia's closing the shop for an hour so we can have a lunch break.

Sighing, I realise that now would be a good time to make the call.

I've had Sandy Harrington's number stored away on my phone ever since I began caring for her father, in case of any emergency. I've been debating whether or not to delete it ever since the funeral and I still haven't entirely decided, but I need to ask her something I'm desperate to know the answer to. I've learnt from a young age that if you need something done, you should do it yourself.

Stepping outside, I wrap an arm around myself and press the phone to my ear. The phone rings for enough time for the breeze to tease at the skin on my hands and face until she finally picks up.

"Sandra Harrington, who's this?"

Her name is Sandra? I had no idea.

"Uh, hi Sandy," I say, my mind going blank. "This is Ember. I was at your father's funeral a few weeks ago."

"Oh, Ember," she says. Her tone has dropped from cheery and welcoming to bored and agitated in a matter of seconds. I try not to let it bother me. "How can I help you?"

I struggle for a moment, biting down hard on my bottom lip. Something tells me she's going to hate me even more than she does now as soon as I ask this question. "Look, uh, this might sound absolutely crazy, but I've been wondering if anyone has died in Windchime Manor over the years?"

The other line is very quiet, until, "why?"

"I've... heard rumours," I tell her. There's no way I can be honest about what I've seen.

"What kind of rumours?" Sandy asks. It sounds like she's speaking through gritted teeth.

"Oh, you know," I say, stalling slightly as I work out what to say. "It's a big empty house. People have been saying stuff about ghosts and... whatever. I was just wondering if--"

"No," Sandy interrupts. "I am not having this conversation with you."

Shit. "Oh, but I..."

"There's nothing wrong with that house, Ember," she continues. "You're living there alone, I get that you'd be scared sometimes. It creeped me out as a child, too. But don't you dare come to me and ask about what happened in that house. Stop digging and we won't have a problem."

She abruptly ends the call before I can say anything else. Sighing in defeat, I stuff my phone into my pocket and step back into the bookshop. I can't eat lunch as Sandy's clipped voice and harsh words run through my head on repeat, so instead I get straight back to work. It doesn't fully succeed in taking my mind off things, but at least it's something.

I try to drag out the last few hours as much as possible but eventually my shift comes to an end. I do offer to work a few more extra hours to close shop but Sadia insists I get home and have something to eat. So I leave.

The streets are dark as I slowly walk back up to the house, illuminated by a few streetlights decorated with flowers hanging from baskets, but in a village like this I feel entirely safe. I'm honestly more worried about getting back to the house. That's where the real demons hide.