What Waits Beyond Death's Door

Chapter 3

"What are you doing here?" Edith was shaking with rage and fear as the dark figure stepped forward, out of the shadows.

They menacingly laughed and took a few steps toward the frantic Edith. "Oh darling Edith you shouldn't have come back. This isn't your home."

Edith stood frozen in her spot as Lucille came face to face with her. Lucille's once stunning face was now replaced with just an empty skull, her eye sockets seemed to go on for forever, like a cave. And her hands, instead of being porcelain white, were now bony and sharp. She reached out and stroked Edith's soft cold cheek. "What do you want you...you, monster." She spat out.

Lucille snickered then put her skeletal hand around Edith's small neck and squeezed with such force Edith thought her neck would snap. "I want you dead." She whispered in Edith's ear. She went to hit Lucille with the wrench she had managed to keep hidden behind her this whole time. But, Lucille easily smacked it from Edith's fading grip causing it to fall to the ground with a loud thud. As Edith's vision began to blur she tried to plead with Lucille, scared for the little life inside her.

"P-please Lucille d-don't. Don't d-do this." Edith begged and Lucille loosened her grip just a tad and pulled Edith's face to hers. 

"And why shouldn't I? You killed me? Is this not fair?" She tightened her grip again and Edith tried to cry out but couldn't. Her hand went to her stomach as she cried. Lucille's grip loosened considerably this time and she staggered back as she looked at Edith's stomach. "Your with child?" Tears were in Lucille's eyes as she picked up the wrench that had fallen to the floor.

"Lucille please no. Could you really kill Thomas's child?" Lucille stopped for only a split second but raised her arm above her head none the less. "Lucille!" Edith screamed and took a few steps back, trying to put some distance between her and the enraged ghost but she tripped on something. And as her legs gave out she waited to feel the rusted wrench crack against her head. 

But the blow never came. Edith slowly opened her teary eyes to see an old frail woman gripping Lucille's forearm, her nails digging into what little flesh she had left. "Being a naughty girl again I see. I'll just have to punish you extra this time. Maybe i'll even let your father do it." Edith saw for the first time real fear in Lucille's eyes at the mention of her abusive father.

Edith took a few steps back toward the door and watched as the woman forced the wrench out of Lucille's death grip and threw it on the table. "But mother that...THING inside her womb must be killed. It's an abomination. It doesn't deserve to be born." Lucille spat the words out with so much venom that Edith's hand instinctively flew to where her unborn child rested.

"No my child. Your's was an abomination. Fornicating with your brother? How disgraceful and immodest of you. You're coming with me and we'll see to it that you learn a very important lesson." Then they were both gone.

The door suddenly burst open and smacked against the wall, causing Edith to jump. "Edith what's wrong?!" Alan yelled as he searched around the room for her. Why hadn't he come in before she had almost been choked to death? She thought to herself as she straightened her dress and covered her neck, in case there were bruises.

"I'm fine. I thought I saw a rat and fell." Edith lied. She knew that if she told the truth about what just happened with Lucille and her mother he would haul her out of the house over his shoulder. Alan gave her a look of disbelief. "Really Alan I'm fine. I think I just need to take a bath and relax for a while. I'm still really tired from everything." She added her best fake yawn she could manage and he gave her a look of suspicion but  nodded at her anyway. As they went to leave Alan stopped at the little table in the middle of the room.