OCCULT ⟶ The Haunting of Hill House [HOLD]

episode two

NELL IS DEAD

Hannah Crain
Albany, NY
Now, 2:57 am

"Steve?" Jennifer's voice asked, clear like she wasn't tired. It was her voice that Hannah woke to, not because of it and anyway, she loved Jennifer's voice. She couldn't hear Steve if he replied, she figured he must have called. "Are you sure?" Jennifer's voice dropped, but it did nothing - Hannah could still hear her. "Positive? Steve you have to be sure. This will wreck her."

Forcing herself to sit up, Hannah noticed that while Jennifer wasn't next to her, she was still on the living room sofa, wrapped in a white blanket with gold trimmings. Jennifer was facing away, back towards her, talking on the house phone attached to the wall. Hannah wondered why Steve had called on the house phone instead of their mobiles.

"She's been asleep for almost 24 hours. She had an episode yesterday, about Nell." She paused when she noticed her voice getting louder. "Are you okay?" She asked after a while. Hannah threw the blanket off of her legs, stepping barefoot as light as possible across the wooden floor, but she was sure her steps made a noise anyway. Jennifer turned her head just as she reached her, wrapping her arms around her waist and leaning her cheek into the space between her shoulder blades.

"Steve called?" Hannah mumbled into her back, she wasn't really sure why she asked when she knew it was Steve, but it came from her lips anyway. Jennifer responded with an agreeing hum.

"No, it was to Han, she's awake now."

Hannah felt like she knew why Steve had called. Her bad dream had come true. Now all that was left was for Steve to tell her, right?

"Yeah, I-I'll hand you over."

Hannah slackened her hold on Jennifer's waist so the Korean woman could turn around. Their positions seemed to switch, Jennifer held her fiancé in her arms, wrapping them around her hips and pulling her into her chest. Hannah has taken the phone from her but she kept her free hand wrapped around Jennifer's body, she lent her head against the taller woman's collar as she lifted the phone to her ear.

"Hey Steve." She spoke out, her voice full of sleep as it cracked while she tried to get it above a whisper.

"Hey Hannah." Steve's voice wasn't much clearer.

"It's Nell isn't it." Hannah asked though her tone didn't indicate much of a question.

"Yeah."

"She's dead isn't she."

"Yeah."

It took a few minutes of silence between everyone before Hannah decided to break it.

"Does everyone know?" Tears were welling up in her tear ducts, she had to bite down on her lip to stop the loud sob that threatened to spill as well.