The Haunting

Seventeen

My eyes shot wide and my jaw uncontrollably dropped

"It...it is?" My voice cracked as I endeavored to form an understandable sentence. I couldn't stop the shock from spreading all over my face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Look, Quinn, I honestly had no clue at first," April started, sighing before she continued. "But when I found the corpse head, I realized."

My eyes seemed to grow even larger as the words caught in my mouth. "It...it was...hers?"

My voice quivered in fear as I barely uttered the sentence. April seemed to share the same amount of apprehension as me, mixed with alertness as she circumspectly inspected her surroundings. "Yes."

The lights began flickering slightly, which made my heart drop. I immediately assumed it is her, as I could feel a bizarre negative energy replenishing the atmosphere. I started to breathe faster as I gazed at April helplessly. She looked as scared but tried to maintain her courageous posture. As April peered at the floor for a few seconds, I could notice her eyes growing wider.

"Judy," she muttered before she got up and began trotting up the stairs. I ran after her, worry consuming me at the thought of Laura hurting or killing Judy.

"Wait! Where are you going? What's going on? April!" I continued to shout as I followed her up the stairs. When she reached the top of the staircase, her running came to a sudden halt. She gestured for me to stop moving too, and I did as told, knowing that it was for a reason.

April

As we both stood outside Judy's room, the voices didn't stop reverberating in my head.

"Help me, help me, help me,"

A pleading voice kept saying the same two words repeatedly, and I, weirdly, recognized it as Judy's voice. It was her original voice; her voice was drenched in pure terror and helplessness. She was whispering, as if she feared the possibility of someone overhearing her. The whispering came to a halt, and silence settled until it was interrupted by an outcry. I jumped in shock as an unfamiliar, ghostly voice groaned menacingly. The obnoxious sound of a glass breaking followed, alarming me. I shut my eyes and vivid images began flowing through my head.

It was Judy.

She stood before the window, sobbing quietly. I could see her reluctantly grab the windowsill, therefore pushing herself up to stand on it. The window was wide-open, and had its glass broken, and the curtains were floating viciously with the blowing air. Then I noticed that she wasn't alone, but was accompanied by a mysterious girl that stood behind her, looking as if encouraging her to jump from the window. My breathing accelerated as the scene kept playing in my head like a movie. My heart almost stopped when I could see Judy's body laying on the bed, and then I realized.

The one standing on the windowsill is her spirit.

Suddenly, the images stopped flowing through my head and my vision was clear once again. I looked around and realized I was still standing in front of Judy's room, holding the doorknob tightly. Quinn was shaking my shoulder furiously, calling my name in worry. I muttered an "I'm okay" before I twisted the doorknob. Pushing the door slightly, the room was revealed. To my surprise, nothing was going on and Judy was sleeping peacefully. I realized that this vivid visualization was a warning, and it have to be taken seriously.

***

Morning

Quinn