"My precious cookie, can you hear me? I am waiting for you."
Connor sat in respectful silence as Ingrid explained everything. His eyes darted between Andrew and Jodie, searching their faces for any kind of reaction. Jodie still held onto the armchair as if she were on a fast moving roller coaster, but there were no obvious changes in her expression. The whole time she looked utterly terrified. Andrew, however, had a whole assortment of looks on his face. As Ingrid described what Connor had told her about Mike and the lady at the corner shop, his eyes widened with shock, and he glanced at Connor once or twice, as if asking for confirmation that what he was hearing was true. For the most part he looked like an infant being told a story - the glint of childish wonder was prevalent in his eyes. But as Ingrid mentioned Carrie's final words: "I will come to collect my price,", his face fell and the weight of the whole situation seemed to hit him like a tonne of bricks.
"She's been out there the whole time? And you think she's the one messing with these people? Taking pieces of them?" he asked, cutting off Ingrid.
"Yes. And that's why we need your help. Not just for Jodie, but for everyone else. We can't let Carrie continue with this!" exclaimed Connor, speaking up for the first time.
Ingrid glanced at him, nodding in approval. She looked back at Andrew.
"One thing that I've noticed with all of the cases is that they all said that they'd recently gotten back from some kind of trip. Mike and Mr Cartman both said that they had just got back from their holidays. That's what makes me think that it's the same with Jodie. She was away seeing family, right?"
"Yeah..." replied Andrew.
He turned to Jodie questioningly, and she flinched at his gaze. There was a moment of silence.
"What do you want me to say?" she asked shakily.
"Tell us about your trip, Jodie. It might give us an idea of what happened to you," urged Andrew, leaning forward in his chair.
"Then we can find a way to help you," added Ingrid with a reassuring smile.
This seemed to calm Jodie's nerves a little, and she lessened her grip on the chair.
"I remember staying at my parents house for a few days. They asked me about stuff, like, how I was, what my job was. Casual things, you know? I didn't answer their questions, though. I couldn't bare to talk to them about it all. I just wanted to forget. But then... there was a knock at the door and... and..."
Tears welled in Jodie's eyes and she choked up, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Come on, Jodie. Please. You can do it," urged Ingrid.
With a deep breath, Jodie wiped her eyes and opened her mouth to speak again.
"My mum opened the door, and she called me saying that someone was there to see me. I assumed it was Andrew or something. But when I went to see, it was... her. I wanted to scream for help, but I couldn't. She... grabbed my mind and took me. Then, all I remember is black, and lots of pain all over my body."
Connor's heart lurched at that last sentence.
"Was it like syringes?" he asked.
Ingrid and Andrew stared at him, taken aback by his question. But Jodie's eyes locked with his. Slowly tears began to form again and roll down her cheeks. She nodded.
"Just... pain," she murmured.
As Connor stared into Jodie's eyes, he was faced with a mirror. In her he could see himself and how afraid he had felt. It made him want to cry, the anguish on her face. How had their lives come to this? What had they done do deserve this? He might not know the answer to that question, but there was one thing he was certain of. He stood up, sweeping his gaze across his friends' faces. They were all void of hope, as he had been once. But now he was going to take a stand.
"We need to go back to Dark Sunshine," he announced.
"What? But, we don't have a plan yet!" cried Andrew, terror lacing his tone.
He started to protest again, but Connor would have none of it. He was filled with a new determination, and he wasn't going to let doubt cloud his mind. Not this time.
"I don't care if we don't have a plan! Sitting here, trying to come up with one, it won't work. Not with all the time in the world! Carrie needs to be stopped once and for all! I don't know why, but I just have a feeling that this is what we have to do. It's like she's calling me, daring me to come and find her. And if I don't, then it'll just get worse. I understand if you are all too afraid to go with me. I-"
Ingrid jumped to her feet, grabbing his hands in hers and pulling him towards her. She stared, unblinking at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
"If you think for one second that I'm just going to sit here and let you go back into that hellhole alone, then you're even more stupid than I thought! We're in this together, Connor. That's not going to change."
Before even a word could escape Connor's mouth, Ingrid's lips were pressed against his.
As they parted, Andrew got up as well.
"Never thought I'd say this to you, but, you're right, Connor. I'm with you all the way," he said with a sly smile.
"Me too."
Jodie got to her feet slowly, taking Andrew's hand in hers. He looked at her, a mixture of confusion and relief plastered on his face.
"Andrew, I won't lie to you. Whatever Carrie did to me, it's made me lose my love for you. But, I haven't lost the memories. I can see what we meant to each other, and for your sake, I want to get that back," she confessed, forcing a smile.
Connor stared in wonder at her. She was resisting Carrie's power, and that gave him a sense of hope. Carrie was only human, so she had flaws. And that meant that she could be defeated.
"Jodie, will you drive?" he asked.
YOU ARE READING
The Memory Machine 2
Horror*Sequel to The Memory Machine***** It has been months since Connor regained his memory, and it seems like Carrie's threats were nothing but a bluff. But as the days go by, Connor can't help but notice that something isn't right. His friends act like...
