You belong to me

The Key

Her feet pounded against the rotting floor as her body pushed forward, lungs burning from dust and overuse, her heart beating so quickly that it made her dizzy but she knew she couldn't stop. Fear was the only thing her mind could focus on, the emotion gripping her in a vice that only managed to propel her body even faster. She came to a stop at the end of the hallway, eyes darting from the left and right to decide where to go, her brain quickly making a decision, right it was, but the noise that rose from behind her had her body paralyzed. The gurgling growl rose in volume as it traveled closer, and with the last bit of courage she found the will to turn around, although she wished she hadn't, what she saw behind her made even her worst nightmares seem tame in comparison, what she saw was…..was….

"Ugh!" I groaned, pushing away from the computer and rubbing my eyes for the hundredth time. How many times had I tried to write this scene? How many rewrites had I done already? Standing from my chair I stretched before heading to the coffee pot, maybe another cup would help my brain work.

Just as I finished pouring the cup my phone began to ring, tearing me from my constant thoughts of the story. I was slightly thankful for the distraction though, so I answered it.

"Hello?" 

"Elizabeth? It's mom" 

"Mom? H-Hey, what's up?" I asked, surprised by my mother calling, it wasn't like my mother and I didn't get along it was simply that she and I hadn't really talked since I moved out when I turned eighteen. 

"Sweety, it's your grandmother" she stated catching my attention, her voice cracked and I could tell she had been crying.

"What about grandma?" Leaning against the counter, already suspecting what she would say. 

"You're grandmother passed away" even though I expected it...It didn't make the words any less hard to swallow. 

"When?" I asked after a moment, I willed the tears away as I suddenly lost all appetite for the coffee beside me.

"A couple of days ago" and she was just calling me now?

"We just got back from meeting with her attorney about her will, that's why I'm calling. She left you her house"

"The one back home?" I asked, surely she didn't think I would move back home? There really wasn't anything for me there, and I knew that even though this was a hard time...She didn't want me back.

"No, my childhood home, in Derry" Derry Maine, all I knew about it was the fact that my mother never wanted to talk about it, no wonder grandma would leave it to me instead. 

"I'll message you the address, the key is in the mail...Elizabeth just...Just be safe"

"I will mom, how are you holding up?"

"I'll be ok, your father is calling so I have to go, I love you"

"Love you too mom" and with that, the line quickly went dead. I stared at the phone for a moment, the dial tone drowning out as my brain thought back to my grandmother. How long had it been since I last saw her? Seventeen years? My mother and her had a huge fight when I was around ten and that was the last time I saw her, she wrote me, secretly sending me letters and small gifts, the main ones being the pills I had to take twice a day ever since I could remember. My cell phone timer in the next room went off, signaling it was time to take one of those said pills. Heading to the bathroom I grabbed my phone on the way, silencing the timer and placing it on the counter while I opened the medicine cabinet. The bottle wasn't what you would expect, no bright orange bottle with my name on a prescription. Instead is was a dark brown color, the glass almost completely opaque, the top wrapped in brown twine, and a small cork to keep it closed. It looked more like something you would find in a Halloween shop rather than a modern medicine cabinet, but this is what grandma would always send my pills in, with only a note stating "never forget to take them". Grabbing the bottle I poured out one of the red pills, the little capsule held no identifying marks, nor could I see inside, but the contents shifted as I put the bottle back, and with a quick gulp I swallowed it, filling a nearby cup with some water and taking a drink. Some would find it odd that I never questioned what the pills were, but grandma always said it was for my safety, and she had never given me a reason to doubt her. Sighing, I closed the cabinet just as I heard the doorbell ring, looking back at myself I disregarded the dark bags and tousled hair, I had never been one to care that much, but especially lately. I made my way to the front door, only glancing through the peephole before opening it to reveal the mailman, a small box tucked under his arm.

"Morning Ms.Mills" he smiled

"Tom you know I prefer Liz" I smiled back.

"Sorry Liz, old habits, anyways this little guy's for you" he replied, handing me the little box and my normal mail.

"I'll see ya tomorrow"

"Have a nice day Tom"

"You too Liz" he smiled, and with a spring in his step he jogged off my porch and back to his truck. I closed the door but kept my eye on the package, the hurried cursive of my mother's alerted me to just what was in the box, the small rattling only confirming it. I used one of my nails to quickly slice through the tape, and upon lifting the lid I was greeted with a small key, beside it laid a note, my mother's handwriting again, simply stating the address. Picking up the key I turned it around, unsure what I was looking for, I suppose with how little my mom wished to talk about her childhood home I expected a skull, or maybe the numbers 666 crudely carved into the metal, but alas, it was simply a house key. Sitting back down in my chair I continued to stare at it, my mind playing memories of my grandmother, her reading me bedtime stories, my fifth birthday, that time I fell out of a tree and she patched me up. I smiled before feeling the tears run down my cheek, I wish I had spent more time with her after I moved out, I wish I had made more contact, so many things I wish I could have asked and done...I always thought I had more time I suppose.

'You're meant for something great Lizzie, don't ever forget that' 

Looking over at my computer screen I laughed, scary stories, was that my greatness? Was that what I was meant for? Sighing I looked back at the key.

"Guess I better start packing, looks like I'm making a trip to Maine"