Creep Book 1, Charlie-Charlie

CHAPTER 9

Chapter 9

"Hey, don't zone out on me now." I turned his face toward mine. I could tell he was terrified for Nina.

"I'm not ... I'll never," He lingered there; his eyes searching mine.

"Doctor?" The snippy cherry gum cow interrupted the moment with her irritating voice.

"Ahem, yes." Cooper answered uncomfortably.

"Miss Vance is done with her meal, should we continue with her regular dosage?"

"Oh, n-no, no. I think Miss Vance is well enough to be released. Could you see if you can find another pair of scrubs in Miss Vance's size?" She stood around glaring the words off Cooper's T-shirt-shirt that I was wearing. I had half a mind to stick my tongue out at her, or punch her in the face, it's not like the bitch didn't have it coming.

"Wait you're discharging Nina?" I was surprised that he let her go so soon.

"She's well enough I think, and besides she's the only one that's going to get anything out of Candice. Don't you agree?"

"I agree, and I don't think it would be a good idea to leave Nina here alone anyway. Also if Candice knows anything about getting rid of our not so welcomed friend, then we're going to have to move fast." I explained hoping Nina would not hear.

I helped Nina get dressed, while Cooper sighed all the necessary documents for her release. She was still weak, but eager to leave. We followed Nina's directions to the edge of the town where Candy lived with her grandmother in an old abandoned trailer park. I feared what we would find once we arrived. If two of the people who played the game were already dead and the third was being pushed to follow in their footsteps, then I could just imagine what trouble Candice could be in.

"CANDICE?" Cooper shouted as he banged on the door.

"CANDICE IT'S DOCTOR AMELL A-AND SAMANTHA AND NINA VANCE."

"Candy, it's me. It's N-Nina, please open the door? Candy p-pleas I-I need your help." Nina stepped in when Cooper made no headway.

"Candy ple-please," Nina sobbed.

"Candice," I took over, "Candice, please Nina's in real trouble here. Look we know you're scared, but," The words scarcely left my lips before the door shot open.

"We're all in trouble," She spoke from somewhere inside. A stocky old woman with two braids met us at the door, moving aside to allow us entry. The smell of burning sage hung about the clouded cabin. Candice silently sat in the corner until she saw Nina's face then she burst out in tears.

"I-I'm so s-sorry. I-I didn't mean to-to leave you Nina." Nina and Candice sat holding each other crying a river of tears.

Cooper introduced himself to Candy's grandmother explaining why we needed to talk to her granddaughter and to his surprise she was more up-to-date than any of us.

"I told my granddaughter what she must do to rid this world of this evil." She said pointing to Candice.

"So there is a way? You know how to get rid of him?" I asked almost giddy.

She nodded, "Carlitos, will only leave once he has been found." She said.

"I'm sorry ma' am I don't understand." I felt like an idiot asking for more detail when the old woman had enough trouble explaining in English.

"My grandmother means ... we need to find where Charlie is hiding and finish the game before, before our time is up." Candice's version made even less sense and fortunately this time it was Nina that needed clarification.

"B-But how? We don't even know who he is, what he wants and why he is doing this to all of us."

"Charlie is a demonic force that took over the spirit of a little kid who suffocated to death when he and the other orphans played his favorite game hide and seek. He was hiding in an abandoned fridge on the nearby dump where the kids played. When it got dark the other's returned home and forgot Charlie. He was found after 4 days, which is why we only have 4 days to find him. Every day that goes by he get closer to finding us." The story seemed outrages, yet none of us could stop listening.

"Charlie's spirit roamed the earth unclaimed and after a while his purity had attracted something not of this world, something evil. After it attached itself to him strange things started happening. The first was the orphanage burning down; the children and staff all locked inside. The town's people and the local church preformed a ritual setting all the spirits free, hoping it would bring an end to all the misery. Unbeknownst to them, they also set the evil free."

"So Charlie or Carlitos was trapped there and they set him free." Nina asked.

"Yes,"

"Okay, so how do we get rid of him, how does this whole thing work?"

"We can't,"

"What?" I snapped, "Your gran just said,"

"I know, but it takes 4 to play the game and with Lee and Jamie gone we," Cooper and I simultaneously look at Nina.

"Gone? What do you mean they're gone?" Candice smiled supportively her expression enough to explain Lee and Jamie's fate.

"What do we do now? You said you'd fix this, but if Lee and Jamie are," I felt my heart break.

"We'll play," Cooper blurted out, before I could say anything.

"What?"

"You-You can't. Candy, tell him." Nina was insistent that we did not get pulled into it.

"Well, there aren't any rules that say they can't play, and we do need 4 to play."

"Good then it's settled we ... Sam and I will be the other two." I was astonished by his verve, but one thing was for sure I was not going to let him or my sister go through this alone.

"Cooper's right we'll go home, seeing as it started there and we'll sit down and finish this game without losing anyone else. Now before we go what else do we need to know? I'm not going into this blind. If we're going to do this we're going to do it right and prepared."