I SEE YOU

Chapter 11

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself here?" Joshua asked as he zipped his jacket. Samantha managed a smile on her face.
"Of course," She said. "I was just stressed yesterday. It's nothing a good sleep didn't solve."
Joshua gave his wife a sceptical look. The bags under her eyes did well to contradict her sentence. He shrugged it aside and glanced towards the stairs.
"Florin!" he called. "Hurry up, we don't have all day."
"Coming,dad!" Florin's voice echoed in reply, followed by footsteps. He descended down the stairs towards his father. As he passed Samantha, she spotted something strange in his eyes. And there seemed to be a faint grin on his face. She shook her head and looked at him clearer to see a blank look on his face. Was she imagining things.
"Alright, let's move," Joshua opened the door and stepped out, followed by Florin seconds later.
Samantha pulled the curtains and watched as the car drove away. With a sigh of relief, she plopped down on the sofa and wiped the bead of sweat on her forehead. The air felt hot to her, despite the air conditioner  being on at the moment.
She took a moment to think pf the whole situation. Ten years ago, she thought she had put an end to her rival. But that seemed to be the opposite. She never believed in ghosts. But what she experienced yesterday was enough cause to change her mind.
She picked up her phone and dialled a number. After he third ring, a  male voice answered.
"Seems like you forgot about me,Sam."
"Don't be like that,Derek," she replied. "You know I've been busy. Moving in and all of that."
"For almost a week?"
"Alright, I'm sorry. At least, I'm calling now. Shouldn't it count for something?"
"Fine. I really missed you,Sam."
A smile appeared on her face.
"I missed you too, love," she replied. "I wished there was a way you could come over to this town. We can work out something to-"
The line made a strange sound as if there was a break in transmission.
"Hello?" Samantha pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the screen. It was showing that the call was still on.
"Derek?"
She could hear heavy breathing on the other end. Then silence.
"Derek,are you there?" She pressed.
"Hello,Samantha!" A sickly distorted feminine voice came from the other end.
Samantha froze. Her hands begun to shake.
"I hear you." The voice cackled. "I see you!"
Samantha screamed, cutting the line and tossing the phone away.
"It's not real!" She cried. "She's not real! She's dead. Matilda's is dead."
She stood up and paced the room for about thirty minutes chanting a mantra.
"She's dead. It's all in my head. She's dead. It's all in my head." She repeated.
The television suddenly came on. Samantha paused her movements, her head turning slowly to the television and her eyes fearfully locked on it. It displayed a blank scrambled channel with the words no signal. Samantha stared at it in horror, knowing full well she did not turn the TV on. She reached for the remote but then the TV displayed something. She paused. It was a woman sitting on a rocking chair with her back to the TV. The TV volume automatically began to increase as the woman's words were heard.
"A decade of sin. Your payment draws near. You can never run from your past. Its a wilderness of terror."
The rocking chair stopped and then began to spin slowly around as the camera zoomed in to the woman's face. Her face was gray with black eyes devoid of irises. Her nose was crooked and her lips opened to show brown rotten teeth.
"Isn't that right, Samantha?" She grinned.
Samantha swiftly picked up the remote and switched off the television.
"Damn you,Matilda!" She yelled, despite her fears.
The lights above flickered, drawing her attention to it. The flickering intensified and then it stopped. The light then went off,plunging the living room into pitch darkness. Samantha stumbled and landed on the sofa.
"How's this possible?" Her voice shook.  The living room was as dark as the night, despite the fact that it was clearly daytime outside. Samantha reached for her phone frantically in the dark. She had to call Joshua and tell him the issue. This house was cursed and she had to leave.
Her hands landed on a thin bony hand and she gasped. Soft laughter was heard as the lights came on. Samantha looked at the ghoulish figure of Matilda sitting next to her. Matilda cackled and grabbed her hand.
"Get away from me!" Samantha cried and pulled her hands free.
She leapt out of the sofa and stormed out of the house.