The Girl in Chains

Chapter 4

After a while, the man lifted Molly out and laid her down on the floor. “You know what to do.” He mumbled to the men around him. A wave of body’s circled around her and pulled and tugged at her limp legs, attaching rusty shackles and handing her, upside down from the ceiling.

Thunder rumbled in court fear and Molly woke, startled and coughing up the dirty water. Molly felt sore. Most of her cuts and gashes had turned a new colour and infected by the water, most defiantly not clean.

“Ah.” said the voice. “You’re up. Literally.” Molly heard his heavy boots coming towards her. The man took out a gun from his breast pocket shooting the shackles with precision, and Molly tumbled to the floor, snapping her neck back with a painful crack.

“Now.” He said as Molly wrenched her neck back to a normal position, “You’re going to go back and kill the girl for the last time.”

*****

Lois sat in her cell alone and quiet. She had nothing to do and nobody to talk to. The judge said she would go on trial again and nobody could be sure Lois killed Will and Eve. She didn’t care what happened now. She had nothing to live for. Lois thought, I wouldn’t care less if Molly came and killed me now.

But by the time Lois saw Molly’s (sort of) face in a puddle, her mind had changed. Lois looked up and stared at the girl, dripping wet and septic, hoping it would be the last time she would have to. Lois thought she looked a bit like some sort of human scab. She looked around the room helplessly searching for something to defend her with. But there was nothing. Just the basics; an empty cell with just a bed and toilet. But what did Molly have? Nothing really apart from her rabid personality and strength. Plus the fact that she was eerie and terrifying to even the butchest of men. Surely there would be some way to kill her. Even now, without anything. Lois looked on the bright side: She cannot see and if there is nothing in the room for me to use, then there is nothing in the room for her to use.

Lois didn’t have time to think. After a childish giggle, Molly pounced at Lois. Lois was thrown against the cell wall with a thud. Lois felt dizzy but told herself she must get up, or Molly would do worse. She took back what she said before and didn’t really want to die. Lois did the cowardly thing and yelled,

“Help! Guards! Help!” the sound of steady footsteps followed and the hatch opened.

“What do you wan-” the guard stopped and ran away. Lois rolled her eyes at his cowardliness.  Molly giggled that strange laugh and she was back at her. Lois jumped up onto the bunk bed but Molly followed. Lois pushed herself to the wall, facing the ladder, shaking with fear. Molly’s head popped up from the ladder. She cocked her head and giggled.

“Stop! Stop right this instant! You have been a bad girl!” Molly giggled and took one more step up. “Listen to me Molly! You must not do this! Go to your room!” But Molly wouldn’t stop coming up the ladder. “Stop or I’ll have to hit you!” Molly giggled again and Lois realised she wasn’t getting anywhere. Molly came up another step and Lois lashed out at her, kicking her foot into her neck, and for a moment all Lois could see was the shoulders of Molly as her neck disappeared back with a revolting number of cracks and crackles. Molly lifted her head back to normal position and screeched in pain. Lois kicked again, pounding at Molly’s chest until she fell from the ladder with a thud. Lois, tired with the effort, noticed a loose bed post. Molly was coming back up the ladder and Lois used all her strength to wrench out the pole to defend her. Molly may be strong, but her actual body was weak. Molly got closer and further up the ladder. Lois could feel the bed shake as she clambered up. Lois took a deep breath and braced herself. She was going to stop this once and for all. Lois could smell the rotting flesh of Molly, getting stronger as she got nearer. Molly’s head popped up from the bed and smiled sweetly.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?”  Lois screamed as she shoved the pole into Molly’s eye socket. Molly screamed in agony and Lois, for a flicker of a moment, felt sorry for her. Lois pulled with all her might, easing out the pole, only to continue to skewer Molly’s chest. Lois could feel her pain as Molly grasped the pole, trying hard to pull it out of her chest. The silver metallic pole had turned a dirty red with blood. Molly staggered back and fell to the floor, the pole upright.

“I didn’t want to do that. You made me.” Lois said to Molly, not running into the wall to try shooting the pole out of her ribs. Molly went mad. She couldn’t control her sheer sadness anymore. She screamed in terror and pain. Molly raised her hands to her head and pulled and ripped out her hair. Lois winced at the sound of her shriek, though nobody came to her Lois’ aid. The prison was used to the everyday screams flowing in and out of cells, loud enough to make the cell walls crumble before the guards very eyes. Molly scrapped her fingers down the chalk board walls, creating a sound most grotesque. Molly’s fingers plummeted down the wall as her fingernails jolted back and landed on the cold damp floor with a tiny crack. Molly furiously banged her head onto the wall in frustration, cracking the weak cell wall.

This was Lois’ chance. The chance she had waited for. She might not get another. She didn’t want to, but she knew she had to. Not just for all the people she would kill, but for Molly herself. Lois could read Molly’s body talk that Molly couldn’t go on any longer. Lois took in a deep breath and counted to three. Lois reluctantly shoved her hands forward to the young child, smashing Molly’s head against the cell wall. Her head crumbled and only a stub of a neck remained. Lois retched at the remains of Molly’s shredded head in her red hands. Lois closed her eyes and let a tear escape. What had she just done?  Killed an innocent child. Not in a humane way though. That’s what hurt Lois the most. Of all the ways she could kill a child, she had to use a cement wall and sheer force. Lois dropped the mess and fell to her knees.

She gasped as Molly rose to her feet and wafted her hand where her head used to be. Lois feared for her life. Molly would be mad now. More mad than ever. Plus that fact that Lois couldn’t kill her. But Molly didn’t move. She just slouched and looked sad. Lois felt a shiver when she realised just what she was looking at. It chilled her, yet she found it normal now. Lois had got used to the sight of freaky children with no heads.

“You want to die don’t you?” The headless body shook forward and backwards. Seems though she didn’t have a head, Lois took this as a yes.

“I’ll find a way. I promise.” Lois said. She sat up on her knees to Molly’s height and held her hands. “It’ll be okay. Let me take care of you.