The Haunting Within (19 page)

59

Debbie woke at six-thirty from a bad dream. She dreamed her father was still alive and well and he had called her to his study. He told her neither she nor the children would ever be allowed to leave. He told Debbie that they must all stay with him so he could teach them all how to behave correctly. They needed to be severely punished for their sins and he was the right person to do it. She sat on the end of the bed with her head in her hands and her hair dripping from sweat caused by the nightmare. Her hands were clammy and her back was wet too. Although her father was dead, she really had seen him, and he really did assault her in the cellar. She was just as terrified of him now as she was when he was alive, if not more so now he had become so violent. He was very real to her and that meant he
was
real, she wasn’t imagining this, even if Lisa and Aiden didn’t believe her. That maddened her, the fact that they didn’t believe their own mother. Just because they were lucky enough to not have seen him yet. But she was sure they would. It was only a matter of time before he appeared to them.

She was roused from her thoughts by the familiar daunting voice booming up the stairs. Her father was shouting her name, demanding she went down stairs at once. She feared he would wake Lisa and Aiden so she got out of bed and dressed as fast as she could and rushed down stairs to him.

Lisa woke up around an hour later and was worried by the fact that her mother’s side of the bed was empty. She again had to shake her brother awake and they hurried downstairs, dreading what they would find today. Aiden was thinking it was like the movie Groundhog Day where the main character woke up over and over again on the same day. His sister would say it was deja-vu. He was certain that their mum would be making breakfast for them when they got into the kitchen. She probably couldn’t sleep because she was excited they were leaving today he hoped to himself as they walked down the winding staircase.

Sure enough, there she was in the kitchen just dishing up breakfast; two fried eggs, fried bacon, fried bread, plum tomatoes, baked beans, sausages, mushrooms, butter beans, the whole works. They were foods that Lisa had seen in the larder the day before but thought they wouldn’t do for tea, there wasn’t enough to fill their empty stomachs, plus she didn’t know how long they had all been there. Sure, she could have had a sniff of the bacon and she would have been able to tell straight away from the smell if the eggs were off or not, but she decided against it for a late meal. Even so, everything smelt delicious and she was incredibly hungry so she would certainly tuck in with pleasure. Only Debbie didn’t acknowledge them when they entered the kitchen. They assumed she was just in a world of her own thinking about the money.

“Mm! Something smells nice mum.” Aiden sat down at the table waiting for his breakfast.

Debbie didn’t answer him.

“How are you this morning mum?” Lisa asked sitting opposite her brother at the kitchen table.

Still Debbie didn’t speak. She brought the plate of food over to the table and put it at the opposite end of the table to which either of them where sitting.

“Would you like a cup of tea, father?” Debbie spoke to the empty seat. “Yes, we do have coffee.” Debbie said as if answering a silent question. “If that is what you would prefer, I will make you a cup of coffee.”

She turned and walked to the boiling kettle and proceeded to make a cup of steaming hot coffee. She walked back to the table, completely ignoring Lisa and Aiden and she placed the cup down next to the plate of food. Lisa and Aiden were sat watching her, completely gob smacked by her actions. They were becoming increasingly alarmed now as she began talking to her “father” again.

“I am sorry Father; I forgot you take two sugars in your coffee. It will not happen again, I can assure you that. I will put the sugar in for you right away.”

Debbie turned as if to walk back to the side, but she turned back before taking a step.

“What do you mean you don’t want it Father? I can make you a fresh one if you prefer? Oh, Father please don’t! I’m begging you, I said I’m sorry! I’ll make you another. Father, please! Father!” Lisa and Aiden watched in horror and disbelief as she picked up the cup of steaming hot coffee and held it above her head and began to pour it over her face all the while screaming at her father to stop.

They felt physically sick as they watched her; they were both too shocked to move so all they could do was watch. They could see the steam rising from her face as the coffee washed over her like a stream of brown water. Almost straight away the blisters began to appear, bubbling away on her once smooth unblemished skin. Lisa finally found the strength in her weak, trembling legs to run to her mother and take the cup from her. She had to literally prise open her fingers to get the cup because Debbie had curled her fingers tightly as the coffee burned her face. Lisa struggled to take the coffee away from her unstable mother. All the time Aiden just sat there, not able to move through pure fear and shock. Debbie was crying, still pleading with her father not to harm her anymore. Lisa didn’t know what to do so she rushed to the sink and filled the closest thing to her; an enamel jug, with cold water. She ran back to her mum who was now on her knees holding her face in her shaking hands and still screaming and Lisa threw the water over her.

Debbie stopped crying immediately from the shock of cold water on her red hot skin. Aiden didn’t know if he had imagined it, but he was almost sure he heard the hiss of the cold water as it made contact with the sizzling skin. He felt sick to his stomach. Debbie looked up at Lisa for the first time that morning and Lisa saw the ugly bright red blisters forming on her beautiful face. She knelt down next to her mum and took her into her arms, careful not to touch her raw skin, and she held her for what seemed like an eternity before Debbie spoke.

“I don’t know why he did this to me Lisa, I said I would make him another cup of coffee, I didn’t mind.” Pulling herself up from the floor she looked at the plate of uneaten food on the table. “He hasn’t even eaten his breakfast” she said shaking her head.

“Come on mum; let’s get your face seen to.” Lisa said gently as she steered her mother to the kitchen sink.

“We’ll have to hurry up then so I can get the washing-up done before he sees them left there.”

Lisa looked over at Aiden who was still sat at the table and she gave him such a sad look that at that moment, his heart felt like it had actually broken.

Standing on shaking legs, Aiden picked up the plate of food and hurled it at the kitchen wall. “This is not his food! Do you hear me mum?! He’s DEAD! Stop talking to him for fucks sake! Stop talking about him! I’m fucking sick of it! I don’t know what to do mum, I’m trying but I don’t know what else to do! He’s dead! He’s dead…” he fell to his knee’s on the cold stone floor and with his head in his hands he wept. He wept for his mum, he wept for all of them. “Please stop talking about him mum.” he said in a small pleading voice. He didn’t have the energy left to shout. He didn’t have the energy to be mad. He didn’t have the energy left to protect his lovely mum. He didn’t know what to do anymore. He had a feeling of dread, that everything he loved would be lost. He felt completely helpless. What was happening to them?

Lisa, who had watched this with a mixture of fright and complete understanding, left Debbie standing at the kitchen sink as she went to her baby brother who was very much in need of some love and affection. Dropping to the floor beside him she took him gently in her arms and cradled him as though he was her baby. Not for the first time since they had been at the house, he returned the hug. They cried together, wrapped in one another’s embrace. Looking to the sink Lisa saw her mother washing her hands as if nothing had happened, as if her baby was not crying out for her. A brief look of contempt flashed in her eyes for her mum, before she turned to her brother again. She didn’t hate her mum, she loved her with all of her heart, but why was she doing this? The explanation that came to her was terrifying. It was him. It had to be. Their mum wasn’t crazy. Jesus, would they ever be able to get back to normal? Right now “normal” seemed as impossible as them getting out of this god-forsaken house.

60

It had taken Lisa about thirty minutes to bathe her mother’s blisters. She had to stop and turn away while she retched at the swollen, pus-filled skin that kept sticking to the cotton pads. When she had done all she could do for her, including giving her some painkillers to make her as comfortable as possible, she led her into the lounge and got her comfy on the settee with a nice warm cup of tea - she had purposefully left the tea to cool for a while before handing it over to her, as you would do if you were giving a child a drink of tea, for fear of a repeat performance with someone unseen by her and Aiden. Once Aiden, who had calmed down after getting it out of his system, was in the room with her, Lisa set about washing the pots up while she shed silent tears.

When the kitchen was cleared she went back into the lounge and asked her mum and brother if they wanted any breakfast. She already knew the answer. How could they want to eat after what had happened? Even Aiden who could normally eat like a horse said he wasn’t hungry. Lisa sat next to her mum who was staring vacantly at the wall.

“When we get home we’ll let you have a nice long rest.” She talked soothingly, all the time gently brushing away her wet fringe from her forehead where it was catching on the broken skin. “You won’t have to worry about anything; me and Aiden will take care of everything for you.” She placed her hand on top of her mothers who pulled away from her touch.

“What do you mean “when we get home”? We are home.” Debbie replied in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

“This isn’t our home mum. We’re going home this morning. Do you remember what we decided last night?” Lisa answered not wanting to raise her voice, but finding it very difficult not to.             

“Of course I remember what we talked about last night! I’m not fucking stupid you know! Don’t talk to me like I am!” Debbie snapped back. “
This
is our home now.”

Stunned at the venom in her mums words Lisa tried to keep calm and not panic. “No it isn’t. We have our own home and I am definitely
not
staying here for a minute longer than I have to! We’re going home this morning mum. We’re selling this house, we got it all sorted out yesterday.” Lisa felt like she was talking to an impossible child who refused to listen to reason.

“I’m not selling this house now. I shall phone the estate agents later and tell him I want it taken off the market!”

They didn’t know what to do. It was like their mum had disappeared and they were left with an irrational, irresponsible person who didn’t even look like their mum in a lot of ways. Most things seemed the same, the hair - except for the bald patches, the frame, although slightly smaller and more hunched than usual like she carried an enormous weight on her narrow shoulders, and the face – if you could look passed the bruises and the horrendous looking blisters. It was the eye’s that were different. They looked cold and unloving, not at all like her eye’s normally looked. They had lost all their sparkle and radiance, all their life and vitality. They now just looked like empty shells that once were so full and kind. They were scared of the thought that they were losing her to this house, just like their grandmother had lost their grandfather to it all those years ago. They knew they had to get her out, but they couldn’t very well drag her kicking and screaming could they? She was the only one of them who could drive, they needed her to leave the house of her own free will and drive them home. They realised how serious the dilemma was that they faced. They had to make her see sense before they lost her completely. If not they would have to phone a taxi. And what? Leave her there alone? Lisa couldn’t do that. Besides, a taxi would be too expensive to get it all the way back home; even though they stood to inherit so much, they didn’t have the money on them to pay for a five-and-a-half hour journey home.

“Mum, we have to get your burns seen to.” Lisa said gently, trying to coax her mum into leaving the house. She thought if she could just get her out of there, she would be okay and see sense. Her mum sat and stared right through her like she wasn’t even there.

She wanted to go home and get back to college. She was missing everyone, but especially Tom. Tom was a lad in her class at college and she had found him very attractive right from the first moment she set eyes on him. He was twenty-one and about six foot one. He had the most gorgeous green eye’s she had ever seen and a mischievous smile. With his dark hair and toned muscles that strained beneath the tight shirts he wore she thought he looked just like a model. They had become quite good friends over the course of three years. Once they had started talking she realised it was more than lust she felt for him. He made her laugh all the time and he was so considerate. He had his own bunch of mates that he hung out with that were on the course and she had noticed loads of people talking and acknowledging him around college, especially the girls, but in class she was the only girl he would sit and chat with, much to the envy of all the others. One of his friends had told her last week that he really liked her. She blushed as she recalled this thought. She thought he was going to ask her out on a date anytime soon. Although she pretended to not know what his friend was talking about, she secretly knew he liked her, had done all along, she had just never had the bottle to ask
him
out. Thinking about Thomas made her even more desperate and determined to go home. She had missed him so much. She felt like she
needed
to see him soon or she would die! Lisa had never had feelings like this before, sure she’d had crushes and boyfriends, but she never felt
anything
like this for any of them. She thought she was in love with him, she
knew
she was. Oh god, she had to get home to him! It seemed like she would suffocate in her undisclosed feelings for him if she didn’t get back to him and soon to tell him how she felt. All this had made her realise she couldn’t waste any more time hiding her feelings for him. Even if nothing came of it, even if she had read him wrong, she still had to tell him and at least then she would know for sure. It was too important to not say anything to him.

She turned back to her mum again. “Mum, listen to me. We have to go home. Our lives aren’t here.”

“Don’t you understand? He won’t let us leave! He won’t let us sell the house!” Debbie started to become increasingly agitated.

“That’s bullshit!” roared Aiden. “Have you heard yourself mum? You’re talking a load of bollocks!”

Oh god, thought Lisa, the last thing she needed now was for Aiden to lose his temper. She tried to diffuse the situation. “Mum, he’s dead, okay! He can’t stop us from leaving. He can’t hurt us.” Lisa reasoned.

“So how do you explain this then?” Debbie said pointing an accusing finger at her face.

“You did it mum! You did it to yourself! We stood there and watched you! It was your hand that poured the coffee over you, it was your hands that ripped your hair out, and it was your hands that punched your face! Don’t you get it? It was you, not him! He can’t hurt you because he’s dead!” Lisa sighed and slumped back, frustrated at her mum, at the whole situation.

Debbie sat there in silence, glaring at her children. She was so irate now. She wanted to lunge at Lisa and hurt her daughter like
he
had hurt her, but something inside was holding her back, stopping her from doing it. Instead Debbie rose from the settee and walked from the room, turning only when she reached the living room door to say “I can’t be anywhere near either of you right now. You both disgust me.” They sat there and watched her go, utter disbelief in their eyes at how she had just spoken to them, but neither of them wanting to stop her. She hardly ever even raised her voice to them, let alone spoke to them with such hatred spitting out of her words. They decided to let her go and calm down. They couldn’t talk any sense into her while she was behaving like this anyway.