Dream Child

Chapter Seventeen

Eric exited the car and went around to Amanda and helped her out. He opened the back door and reached out and extracted Anastasia and her car seat. Amanda grabbed her diaper bag and Eric told her he would get the bags later.

Together they walked into the house to start their new book of life with Anastasia.

Amanda led Eric to the baby's bedroom and placed her diaper bag on the changing station, and Eric removed Anastasia from her car seat. Once he had her carefully and gently placed in his arms, together they gave her a tour of her room.

"This is your bed, and here's where momma is going to change your bottom," he told her.

Amanda laughed and swatted at him, "And where Daddy is going to change your poopies," she told Anastasia.

"This is your closet, and where all your clothes are. You have so many clothes that you probably won't wear half of them," he said.

"Just like your momma," he added.

Amanda laughed and nodded, "It never hurts to have too many baby girl," she told her daughter.

She turned to grab a stuffed bunny off a shelf and nearly fainted.

In the doorway stood Jenny, eyes black and evil stared into her soul.

"E- Eric," she gasped.

He turned to look at her and saw her face was pale and she looked like she was about to pass out.

"What's wrong babe?" he asked alarmed.

Amanda pointed at the doorway and he slowly turned to follow.

There he saw what he could not believe was real.

Jenny stood there, hair wet and plastered to her head. She was white, and her eyes were void of color, blackness filling them from corner to corner.

Her clothes were clinging to her body and water dropped onto the floor.

"I see it," he whispered, reaching out to grasp her elbow and pull them back towards the crib.

"I told you... I told she was here!" she hissed.

Eric nodded and continued to drag them backwards.

Jenny didn't enter the room but instead looked up at where the mixture was placed on the top of the doorway, looking furious.

"How dare you!" they heard fill the room. Jenny's mouth didn't move but instead stared into them with her mouth contorted.

"You replaced me with another girl... But she will not live long," the voice continued. "She will kill her," and the apparition of Jenny pointed her finger at Amanda.

Tears dropping from her eyes, Amanda shook her head and crowded closer to Eric.

"You do not belong here!" Amanda screamed.

"You are dead, you are dead, YOU ARE DEAD!!" she screamed.

"Because of you...." Her voice bouncing around the room.

Shaking her head venomously she backed to protect Anastasia and screamed at her dead daughter.

"I had NOTHING to do with your death! I tried to save you... I WANTED TO DIE WITH YOU!!!"

Jenny, or what was supposedly her daughter, began to blink in and out rapidly, like a television screen that was breaking up.

"Lies...." The voice lowered and then both the voice and apparition disappeared.

Her legs buckled from under her, and she allowed her body to settle down onto the ground.

Eric let out a trembling sigh and he carefully sat down beside her.

"What is happening?" he whispered.

She leaned against Eric and placed her arm over him and her daughter.

"I don't know. I don't know why I never hurt her. I only tried to save her," she whispered, crying still.

Eric let out a shuddered breath and leaned his head back against the nursery wall and looked up at the line of protection that he had placed and prayed that it would be enough to keep her out.

How did they even know that it would work for a long time... was she trapped in the hallway? How did she even get into the house?

"She must have been trapped into the house when you put the stuff on the doors and windows," Amanda said out loud, as though she could hear his thoughts.

"How can we protect the house if she's trapped in the house?" she asked.

He shook his head and didn't answer, his own mind racing.

"We have to get out of the room," she said.

He nodded, and then slowly stood up from the floor and crept to the door. He handed over Anastasia to Amanda, and headed out of the room first, pulling Amanda behind him.

They made it to their room without her appearing again, and Amanda laid Anastasia in between two pillows and paced the room.

"I told you babe, I told you that I wasn't crazy. She's been haunting me, she's been blaming me for death, but I never did anything but love her.... I don't understand!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I believe you, Amanda, I believed you from the last experience you had. That's why I tried to safeguard the house, but I fucked up. I did something wrong," he assured her.

She sighed and ran her hands through her hair and laid on the bed next to the baby.

She stared down at their new daughter and knew that she would do whatever she had to do to protect Anastasia.