The Cursed Town

[02] HELP

Jane pulled on her pyjamas, her favourite pyjamas. She had no matching pairs of them. Her pyjamas were just random t-shirts and random bottoms.

Tonight she is wearing a beige pyjama top, which is quite baggy, and a pair Of checkered green bottoms.

Sometimes she wondered where she got her pyjamas from because she was sure some of them were not hers. She had wondered recently if any of the t-shirts were her father's. If they were, they'd be thrown out.

She had just taken a shower, a well-deserved one. She texted Y/N and asked if she should order a pizza for tonight. She did not need to ask him, she and Y/N loved pizza.

Y/N replied almost instantly with a question mark. Jane replied with the laughing emoji, then sent a separate message,

"I didnt need to ask, did I"

Y/N replied with a 'no', and asked what time she wanted him over, Jane said anytime was good, whenever you're ready.

She plopped onto the couch and wondered if it was worth putting the TV on. What was on? Crap movies, TV shows she has already watched, and the news.

Her father's face was bound to be all over the news, maybe they would mention her again, but they would show her mother's injuries, She did not need to see that again.

It started back in the Summer, 8th June, Jane's sister had called her. She was worried, Jane could tell by the tone in her voice. She said she needed a babysitter for the next day as she planned to go back to work from maternity leave and needed to have a meeting with her boss.

She told Jane that neither of their parents had been answering their phones, Jane told her that maybe they're just busy but Helen said she had been trying for a few hours. Jane agreed to go with her sister to her parent's apartment. Helen said she'd pick her up as she had to drive past Jane's apartment building on the way.

Helen knocked on the door. "Mom? Dad?" She called but there was no answer.

Jane looked down the hall, Their parents had only one neighbour who lived on the top floor, unfortunately he was on vacation, Jane tried to remember, she thought that he said he was backpacking Asia.

If he had been home, she could have asked him if they had seen them leave the apartment.

But Helen and Sally Banner were close, they always told each other where they were going because it was likely that the other wanted to come along, or they would ask each other to pick something up for them.

"And they didn't say they were going anywhere?" Jane asked.

Helen shook her head, 'No' She replied, she quickly looked at her phone, no messages or missed calls from either of them.

Jane fiddled for her Spare key attached to her other keys and she tried it in the lock, but something was stopping it.

Jane pulled the key out and knocked on the door, but no answer. Then she knocked again, but a bit louder.

"Did you hear that?" Jane asked.

Helen shook her head, "No, hear what?"

Jane listened again, and she heard footsteps on the other side of the door, so she knocked again and the footsteps stopped.

Then they heard a voice, "Help..." it said.

The sisters exchanged looks, "Mom?" Helen called now banging on the door.

Jane pushed her sister to the side, before kicking the door and it swung open, breaking the door handle, the lock and part of the door frame.

"Mom!" Helen exclaimed. They both looked at their mother, she had a gash across her forehead, cuts on her arms and some bruises too, black and blue ones.