Dead Wrong

In Jack’s arms I was able to get back to sleep, or at least for the rest of the night. The next morning I awoke later, after Jack had left for work.
I pulled my feet out of bed, still a bit shaken from the dream and down the dimly lit hallway to the guest room. James lay asleep there, the picture of innocents and tranquility. I was over thinking things; he was just a little boy. Maybe a bit disturbed but that wasn’t to blame for.
“Mm, Lilly?” his sleepy voice asked. I flipped on the lights, flashing him a warm smile.

“Good morning James”
“Good morning, did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Sort of” I said, not offering a reason. He didn’t need to know. No sense in overwhelming him. I felt a prick in my side like something was poking me with a sharp knife.

“Ow” I whined holding the place on my side.
”What’s wrong Lilly?” James asked hopping out of bed and walking over to me with worried eyes.

“Nothing I think something bit me” I said lifting up my tank top and inspecting the place.

A small drop of blood ran down my hip. What the hell? I thought wiping it away. There was a sing scratch no bigger than if a cat had accidentally scraped me.
“What’s wrong?” James repeated himself.

“Aw, it’s nothing” I said covering it back up. It was just a bite or something I reminded myself. But it didn’t look like one it looks like someone had clawed me with a sharp nail. I suddenly wished Jack was here. I know it was stupid but I couldn’t help but feel that Addabon was getting closer like he knew where I was.

“James would you like something to eat?” I asked, trying to hide my concern.

“Yeah, can I have cereal?” he asked, his mood lighting. I nodded my head putting an arm around him. At least I have him around. Not that a little boy would be much help against a blood thirsty demon, but it did help a bit.

I poured the sugary cereal in a clean bowel before pouring some milk in it and handing it to James who was busy watching cartoons. I sat down on the couch next to him.

“James...”
“Yes Lilly?” he asked turning his head.

“Do you ever feel anything weird being in this house?” I asked without thinking. Great, now I’m goanna scare the poor kid.

“Like what?”
”I don’t know just weird things I guess”
“You mean like a ghost! Oh I wanna investigate!” he said bouncing up and down. So much for him being scared.

“Haha I don’t know if you’d say that but sure” James put a finger to his lips thinking hard about something.

“No not really; It’s an old house so maybe there is a ghost” he said smiling again. What’s with this kid, when I was his age I would have been prettified by the thought of a ghost in my house? Well first off I would have known if there was because of that whole empathy thing.

Yet still, I wouldn’t have wanted there to have been one.
”Oh please let’s go investigate!” James said begging.

“Okay” It was at least something to do to keep him happy for a while. I never thought entertaining a kid would be this hard. James squealed and jumped up off the couch darting through the living room.

“Wait for me!” I called after him jumping up and running after the little psycho. I found him staring up at the ceiling pointing at a string.

“What’s up there?”
“Must be the attic”
“Let’s go up there!”
“No, I don’t know if it’s even safe and besides there is nothing up there”
“Please” he whined.

I sighed giving in and tugging on the string. The wooden stairs unfolded forming a stairway up to the top. James began to climb them; they creaked at the presents of a human after not being used since god knows how long.

“Lilly come on up” he called from up top switching on a light. I took a deep breath and hoped that the flimsy stairs could stand to be held up once again. I climbed the first few steps without much trouble but as I drew closer to the last step a cracking noise startled me.

My foot slipped as I lost my tracking. James grabbed my hand helping me steady my balance and get up the rest of the stairs. I climbed up the remainder of the stairs and up into the attic with him.
“Wow” James said in awe as he looked around the room; in one corner there was a chair that was lined with red velvet and a heavy coating of dust, in another was an old book case filled with decaying books with yellow pages.

Mounds of boxes filled the space between them each labeled with different names; all of which were unfamiliar to me.
“Let’s investigate” James said with a huge grin on his face.
”Be careful okay?” I warned him before letting him open one of the boxes. He lifted a cracked mirror from it marveling at his reflection, and then setting it aside before picking up what looked to be an old bracelet.

“Lilly you have to play investigator too!” he said pushing a box towards me. I smiled before lifting the dust covered lid. Inside were old black and white photos; some were past being able to identify anything in them.

“What the?” I uttered under my breath picking up the top photo. It was of a young woman standing by what looked to be the house; but from a time where it was much newer then it was now. What struck me as odd was the set of scratches over both her eyes. They looked like someone had taken a finger nail and completely gored them out.

I picked up another photo, with the same thing over a man’s eyes. Shuffling through the rest of them; they all bore the same markings. What the hell?
“What’s wrong Lilly?” James asked scooting over to me before picking up the picture I was holding.

“T-the pictures!”
“There’s nothing wrong with them” he said shoving the picture back in my face. I looked at it hard; where’d the marks go? This was the same picture but you could clearly see the woman’s eyes, same with the man’s and the rest of the pictures.

“I-I could have sworn James”
”Sworn what?” he asked.

“I-it’s nothing” I said before shoving the photos back in the box and returning it to its place in the stacks.

“James I think we should go down stairs now” I said taking his hand. He whined before switching off the light and going down the stairs. This time I was more careful with my decent and managed to make it down softly before folding up the stairs and closing it.

James ran down the stairs to the living room switching on the old TV and watching those damn cartoons again. I slowly paced down the stairs, my head starting to hurt. With each step it seemed to intensify. And by the time I’d made it down them; it was almost unbearable.

Damn it; migraines. I hadn’t had one in what seemed like ages, but here I stood crippled in pain. I braced myself up against the railing of the stairs clutching my head in pain unable to move any farther.
“J-James!” I called out; which only made me fall to the floor in agonizing pain. A few seconds later James appeared in the doorway.

“What’s wrong Lilly you don’t look to good?” he asked timidly walking over to me and bending down to my level.

“M-my head” I whispered.
“G-get the phone” I said lying down on the hard wood floor. James nodded before running back into the kitchen and returning with the phone. I dialed Jack’s work number waited for it to pick up.

“Hello this is Jack can I help you?” Jack’s voice said from the other line.
“Jack..” I moaned.

“LILLY?”
”Jack, c-can you g-get home?” I asked almost unable to talk.
“B-baby what’s wrong?”
”M-my head please” I begged tears falling down my face.
“Sweetie I’ll be there in five minutes okay?” he said before hanging up. I dropped the phone.

“Lilly are you goanna be okay?” James asked nervously.
“I-I’ll be fine, just-just go watch TV okay?” I said giving him a pained smile. He bit his lip before nodding and going back into the living room.

My stomach lurched forwards; the light becoming unbearable. Thank God I was near the small hallway bathroom, and was able to crawl up by the toilet. I leaned over it getting violently ill.

I laid back down on the ground holding my head.
“Lilly, did you really think you could block me out forever?” a crackly voice echoed in my head. The same one from my dream.

“N-no” I whispered. I-I could block this thing! But I was too weak, and this was no human.

“Stupid boy” it laughed before disappearing just as Jack busted through the front door.
“Lilly?” he called franticly.
“I-In here Jack” I called.

“Oh my poor baby” he said embracing me. I had to push him away though feeling another bout of nausea hit me. He held my hair back as I got sick again.
“Sweetheart, do you need anything?” he asked wiping my lips with a damn towel.
“I-I don’t have any of my migraine meds anymore”
“Well can I get you a pain killer or something?”
“I-I can’t keep anything down right now”
“Okay we’ll come on I’ll help you upstairs and you can go to bed” he said before scooping me up in his arms and carrying me up the stairs.

“Jack stay here with me please” I said as he put me down on the bed. He smiled before responding “Of course” and lying down next to me.