HOLLY

It was a week today. 

Nothing had changed. I was still under my covers crying out whatever tears I had left. There was no one yelling at me to go to school or making sure I had breakfast. Nothing. Just dead silence. This is what two deaths does to a family of three. One is left to pick up the pieces.

I must admit today was my first official day alone. Holly had spent the past week with me. Tonight I’d be spending my first night of many completely alone. I sat up on my bed and stared at all I had left of my parents; pictures. They wouldn’t talk to me, comfort me or even order me around, but it was all I had, all they had left me with.

I was broken out of my bubble when the door bell rang. I climbed out of my bed and got to the top of the stairs before the door slammed and locked behind me. It seemed to have a domino effect, as each door following did the same. Panicking, I raced to the front door and let out a sigh of relief when I saw Holly’s deep dyed red hair being pushed around by the wind. 

“Kitchen now. You need to eat”, she said the minute her foot hit the floor. She sat me down and made me spaghetti Bolognese as it was the only thing she wouldn’t burn. Once the plate touched the table the lights began to flicker on and off. Holly looked terrified and I grabbed her hand. The lights stopped flickering and the only light we had was the glow from the TV which had strangely turned on. The DVD player began to load and colours flashed onto the screen. I knew where this film was meant to be set, but what happened next I wasn’t expecting.

Our car is driving down towards Bowman’s corner when a black figure appears. Dad swears to avoid it but ends up with the car wrapped around a tree. The figure glides as if it is hovering towards the camera before vanishing. There’s a scream and the video ends. Right then the TV bursts into flames.

When I finally come back to my senses half the kitchen is on fire and Holly is gone. I run to the hall but it’s empty. I hear footsteps but no one’s coming. My name is being called out all over the house. It gets louder and more aggressive with every call. The footsteps are getting closer. I move back until I’ve no more space left. I’m cornered and pinned up against the door. My heart beats so fast I almost relax, thinking I might be lucky enough and die before this thing gets me. The lights are off but I can see everything from the heavy glow of the fire. The smoke begins to fill my lungs and breathing is getting harder and harder.

“You won’t get away that easy,” is the last thing I hear before the fire completely stops and I’m left in the dark not knowing the wall from the floor. I begin to remember I was looking for Holly. Is she still alive?

“What did you do to Holly?” I shout only to get a laugh in return. There’s something about the laugh that bothers me as if I’ve somehow heard it before. I stare into the darkness until I see what looks like a candle light being carried towards me. 

“Lucy you aren’t meant to be here. You were meant to die in that car crash with your parents,” it sings when it’s close enough I can smell its breath. The candle is almost touching my nose and I can feel my skin sizzling. “But I guess you can just go now,” it laughs and this time it hits me. I do know that laugh.

“Holly?” - Lucy Fitzgerald. Written in 1993

“Oh my god! This was written 22 years ago and they’ve found nothing of her since,” Fía shivered. She hadn’t understood how nothing could be found of her. She wondered if the diary was even real. She looked at her friend who was no longer there and began to panic. This was the exact same house the girl from the diary wrote about. The attic door slammed and locked. Fía felt her heart beating so fast she understood what Lucy meant. The smell of smoke hit her nose though there was no fire. Fía found it hard to breath.

The candle light appeared. Fía feared she was close to finding out what had happened to Lucy Fitzgerald all those years ago. The candle got close but it was blown out and the light was turned on.

“Well well well if it isn’t little miss Fía Fitz. You Fitz’s have so much to learn about living in this house. You’re making my job too easy,” it said. Fía noticed the figure only had burned skin and eyes left as a face. It laughed. Fía froze. She knew that laugh.

“Holly?”  

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Agh I'm finally writing again after like 6 months now i think. I'm so sorry school took over and then i lost all my chapters I had written. This is just a short story i wrote for a competition in my English class so i hope you enjoy it. For anyone who has read my other stories and is still here thank you so much.I will update the life of the blessed today or tomorrow hopefully. Again i am so sorry but i will talk to you guys next time xx

-A