Washington Manor | An exceptionally horror experience

Seventeen

The next morning, the house seems heavier than ever. The air was dense and cold, just like the exchanges between Lizzie and Chloe. Matthew sat at the kitchen table, a cup of tea in his cold hands and his laptop open in front him. He hadn't slept well - again. The whispering in his room has grown louder and even more persistent than it has ever had before. He sighs, running a hand over his tired face as he returns to his google search for therapists that treat young children, hoping to find someone who can help Chloe.

Lizzie sighs as she joins Matthew in the kitchen, her face is pale and eyes shadowed with exhaustion. She does not even attempt to fake a smile at Matthew as she makes herself from fresh coffee. "Morning honey." She sighs, before sitting with Matthew at the table, waiting for her coffee to brew.

"What are you looking at?" She asks softly, worry etched on her face.

"Therapists for Chloe..." Matthew sighs. "Although I don't th-" He is cut off by the loud bang of a door being opened so aggressively that it hits the wall. Lizzie and Matthew look around quickly and see Chloe standing in the doorway, Clarrisa in her hand and a look of aggression in her eyes.

"Stop. Talking. About. Me." She says firmly, her voice is deeper than it normally is, and almost seems like someone is talking through her, instead of her. "I can hear you." She adds. Lizzie rises from the table and approaches Chloe, leaning down in front of her slowly. Lizzie knelt slowly, forcing herself to meet Chloe's eyes.

Her heart pounded as she searched for any trace of her daughter's usual warmth in her eyes or smile, but there was none. Her eyes seemed as if they were not her own, and as Lizzie meets her eyes, she realises that she's not looking at her baby girl anymore.

"Honey, we need to talk to you." Lizzie says softly, her voice trembling despite her attempt to sound calm. Chloe does not do, or say anything, she just stares at her mother and waits for her to continue her train of thought.

"I understand that you might not enjoy the idea," Lizzie smiles, talking softly, although her voice and her hands are shaking. "But we just want to help you." She adds softly. Chloe's lips curled into a thin, unnatural smile before she let out a soft chuckle.

"Help? For what mummy?" She asks, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly.

"Your behaviour sweetie...You're worrying us." Lizzie says softly, her voice full of both love and fear for her daughter. Chloe lets out another chuckle and then scoffs at her mother in disapproval.

"You can't help me mummy...." She smiles again, wider this time...unnaturally wider... "Only she can help me..." She adds.

"Who....Who is 'she' honey?" Lizzie asks desperately.

"Clarrissa." Lizzie takes a deep breath, but she's not sure if that answer causes her more, or less worry.

"Clarrissa? Your doll?" Lizzie asks, probing her for more information.

"She's not a dolly mummy...She's my friend...and she's going to help us all..."

Matthew's chair scrapes across the floor as he stands up quickly, angry and concerned over Chloe's recent behaviour. He exchanges a look of concern with Lizzie before the tension in the room grows. Chloe's grip on Clarissa tightened, her knuckles turning white as if the doll was an anchor keeping her rooted.

"Chloe. Put that...thing down, and come upstairs with me and mum, now please." Matthew says firmly, taking a small step toward her, hoping to approach her without triggering her new found anger. Chloe's expression darkened as she gritted her teeth, as if she's trying to hold back a deep seeded anger.

She takes a step back, clutching the doll even tighter than ever. Even the shadows in the room felt like they were beginning to shift, as an unnatural chill settled over them. Without warning, Chloe's head snapped up, and she glared at Matthew, her eyes almost black with anger suddenly.

"Stay. Away." She hissed, her eyes flickering with darkness.

Lizzie takes a step toward Chloe, hoping to pry the doll off her, or outright take it from her. "STAY AWAY!" She screamed desperately, with a deep voice wrapped within her own. Lizzie's heart clenched, she had never heard Chloe shout before, and that voice, although it came from Chloe, it definitely was not her.

"Chloe, please sweetheart, it's just for a few minutes and you can have her right back...." Lizzie says softly, trying to bargain. She reached out for the doll, but before she could touch Chloe, or even get close to her doll, Chloe bolted, as fast as anyone had ever seen her run before in the opposite direction.

Her bare feet slam heavily on the wooden floors as she ran down the hallway and disappeared. The thudding of her footsteps moved to above them as they realised that Chloe clearly retreated back to her bedroom.

The silence that followed was suffocating. Lizzie stood frozen, her hand still outstretched, her breath coming in short gasps. Matthew's mind was racing faster than ever before.

He can't help but think back to the photo album discovery, and the shadow that he could see but his mother couldn't, the whispers that had grown louder, and louder every night, the thumping of the rocking chair in the attic and now, Chloe's sudden behaviour changes.

He has no idea what is happening to his home, or his little sister, but he knows one thing for sure, is that something extremely sinister is happening here, and that this is more than a phase...or some sort of behaviour problem.

"Mum?" Matthew asks softly as Lizzie remains silent, her eyes filling up with tears as she stays still.

"I don't know what to do Matthew...I feel like I've failed as a mother..."

"No you haven't mum.." Matthew says immediately. "I promise that you haven't...This is...not your fault, I promise. I'm gonna figure this out, I promise." Matthew says, trying to convince his mother, although he has no idea if he, himself is even convinced of this.