Part 2
### Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Death resides in a house where a terrible accident occurred. Now thirty years later a group of girls struggle to survive in a house with bad memories and where the main resident is death itself...
Complete Chapters 13
Rating 4.6 ( 28 reviews ) Age Rating 16+
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Chapter 1
"Please, oh my god! Please help!" The woman stood by the window, tears streaming down her face. Her blonde hair fell across her face in an unkempt manner, and her night wear was tinged by patches of sweat. She banged on the window in desperation, "Please...anyone, help us!" Behind her the sounds of panic reverberated around the room as other people pushed and forced their way through the chaos. She continued to bang on the glass as she begged for unseen and unhearing help from the outside world.
Flames licked at the walls of the room as the fire spread across the floor. Other women struggled in vain at the door in the corridor, while others threw pieces of furniture in the direction of the window. The woman sobbed uncontrollably as her hand began to bleed under the pressure placed on the glass as she banged. Tears mixed with blood from her nose and both combined and slid down her face. "Please..." she begged desperately. One woman in the corridor screamed and clutched at her hand as the heat from the fire licked the metal handle and burnt at the door. She looked at her hand and sobbed as the flesh was burnt from her palm.
Activity on the street below broke the sound of screams as the main doors of the building were thrown open. As the cold night air invaded the building, a clutch of people dressed in plain white overalls spilled out into the night air. Three men looked up toward the upper floors of the building and hid their faces as they saw the sight from the upper echelons of the building. One of the men grabbed at a necklace around his neck, closed his eyes, made a quick prayer, and then kissed the chain before turning and making haste into the cool embrace of the night. More people spewed onto the pavement and out across the courtyard close to the grassy area by the building while two women stood watching the terror unfold before their eyes.
The younger of the two grabbed at the shoulders of the elder. "You had no right to lock those doors, there are still people trapped in the building!" desperation tinged her emotions as she pleaded toward the elderly woman.
"What I did Sister Turnbull, I did for the safety of the majority" There was a coldness to her voice as she spoke, "If the fire is contained within one area, we can save most of the patients and hopefully maybe even the hospital itself"
Sister Turnbull turned from the elderly nurse with tears in her eyes, "There were children in there" she whispered. The conversation was ended abruptly by the shrill noise of the siren produced from the wail of the approaching fire engines. As more people spilled out into the night air, three large red behemoths hurtled up the gravel path toward the hospital. The engines screamed out to the survivors to move and as they came to an abrupt stop, doors were flung open and uniformed men filed out in mindless precession.
The woman stood banging in desperation at the scene below, sobbing and begging for help. Cracks appeared on the glass and as she continued to hit the glass, the window became stained with the red smear of the blood. "God help us..." she sobbed. The woman slowly turned and leant on the locked window and slowly slid to the floor and watched in defeated silence at the scene unfolding around her. As she watched the scene, time appeared to slow down to a smoky, fiery haze. Women and children sobbed and ran from the windows to the doors. Some sat rocking in chairs, while others threw objects at the window in desperation. Flames leapt and danced their way up the walls, catching the fabric of curtains and furniture before playing wistfully across the wooden surfaces of tables and chairs. The woman was aware that the sound of sobbing was being slowly replaced by the sound of screams as fire caught hold of nightwear and the smell of burning flesh began to fill her nostrils.
Then, another noise filled the room and with it the sudden rush of air which excited not only several of the patients, but also the fire. Glass erupted outward from the building as a small chair broke the tension of the surface area of the window and flew through the night air and crashed amongst the watching party below. Both fire-fighters and patients covered their heads from the deadly shower of glass from above as the window scattered in a multitude of deadly pieces of shards. The noise of the screams and pleas for help spilled out of the upper floor and invaded the still night air. The woman watched from her sitting position as another woman climbed through the open window and jumped into the night. The figure was joined by another, then another. She was stirred into activity by the sight of a woman clutching a baby in her arms leaning from the window, "please!" she called to the throng below "Save my baby..." The woman grasped at the woman’s shoulder and was forced back by the ferocity of her glare as she held her baby out at arms lengths.
She watched in horror as the baby fell from the woman’s arms and plummeted through the air, hitting the ground below with a sickening thud. As she leant out of the window she could see the carnage beneath as fire-fighters struggled under the mass of metal and plastic as they held the hoses firmly in place, directed resolutely toward the building, whilst paramedics from the hospital attempted to clear the ever growing pile of corpses growing around their feet from desperate people attempting to escape the blaze. She gripped the edge of the window in vicious anger, shards of glass forced their way through the woman’s hand and blood flowed freely over the broken window frame. Tears dried in the heat of the fire and were replaced by distain and hatred as she watched the matron walked silently across the grass, escorted by police officers away from the hospital. Her nasal passage became invaded by the smell of burning flesh; her burning flesh, but the smell and pain subsided through her own feelings.
Water soaked and cascaded across the outside of the building and forced its way into the hospital where it began its battle against the fire inside. Several windows blow outward, forcing glass and flames to mix together in a deadly cocktail and rained down its fiery fury on the spectators beneath. Flames continued to spread up the woman’s night clothes and she could feel an intense searing heat penetrate her very soul, but remained unflinching in a silent hatred. She had no more tears to give, no more screams to scream...just pure contempt. The room behind now lay as a charred battleground, in which the fire had been triumphant. Finally the woman collapsed, her heart losing the battle against consciousness and her soul giving up against life. Like so many on that fateful night she had found an uneasy peace.
The news was filled with stories of the Cottage Hospital in Ashbridge over the following days. Stories ranging from the fire itself to the actions of the matron. Repercussions spread through the medical staff and involved discipline, court cases, finance packages and legal prosecutions over negligence, manslaughter and reduced responsibility amongst others. The hospital was never repaired, never reopened, it would stand there through the rain, snow and shine as a monument to the tragedy. The local community never attempted any work at the site, even in the early days. Tales of sobbing had warned most away from the site. Several brave enough to enter the property grounds spoke of wistful figures in the building and the gardens, or noises of screams and sobbing...but these were just old wives tales surely, designed to keep away the unwary and nosey from an unsafe structure. Over the next thirty years, through the upper floors and through empty window frames a singular female form stood by the empty glass and stared out into the countryside around the property.
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### Chapter 2: Chapter 2
The property was both impressive and imposing as the light from the sun forced its way through the beckoning chimneys. Ivy grew up the sides of the house in an attempt to wrap the property as great struts rose and soared high into the air. From her distance to the house, Amanda could see a lone figure standing in one of the windows of the upper levels, then as quickly as it appeared; it disappeared. She was aware that she was standing waving to thin air and shuffled slightly under her own embarrassment. Amanda looked once again...no...This time there was no-one at the window. She pondered in her own thoughts, surely she couldn't have been mistaken...there was someone there at the window, she was sure of it. Wasn't she? She glanced around with an uneasy feeling and seeing that she was still alone on the path she continued her walk up the path. As she walked she reflected how much she enjoy the noise that the gravel made under her feet and smiled as she remembered family holidays to Brighton as a child. Her mind was transported away to another time and another place as thoughts of her family replaced the apprehension of a new home, and a new life. University was only one smaller step on her long journey through life as she choose just one more path in her journey. She firmly believed that life was a series of paths which you decided would shape your own destiny and sometimes, the path you choose was the right one, sometimes your life would travel down the wrong path as you made wrong decisions.
Her revere was broken as she realised she made stopped dead in front of the large wooden doors of the building. The doors were sturdy and imposing and Amanda raised her hand to the old brass door-knocker and paused briefly before knocking. The noise of the ancient knocker echoed through the house as it slammed down three times. The door slowly swung open under the weight of the knocking and revealed its sanctuary to an invading world. Amanda looked up toward the upper floors of the building, once again before moving from her position on the main step. She shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun as she craned her neck to glance toward the windows above her head. The glass looked darker from her position on the doorstep and the feeling of unease remained by her side as she crossed the threshold of the house.
The main reception area was a large wooded room. Two archways trailed off at either side of the area, while a flight of stairs reached up into the house and stretched up feeling and hugging the wall toward the rear of the room. A large counter sat inviting beneath the wooden staircase, with a boxed shelving unit behind the desk. On the top of the counter sat a large leather bound book, which upon approaching Amanda could make out a series of scribbles across the open pages. She stood at the desk and rested her case upon the floor by her legs. She flicked absently through the pages of book and scanned the series of names and signatures in the book. For such a large book there were very few names, which seemed strange to Amanda considering the size of the house and the attraction of its location to the local travel network for the university. She noted all of the names were female and most had either checked in that day or a couple of days earlier. She frowned as she noted through the pages that several girls had left shortly after checking in, and this caused her mind to wander back toward the figure at the window earlier. She shook the thoughts from her head and continued to scan the pages of the book.
A voice from behind her made her jump slightly. She made an involuntary yelp of surprise as the voice drifted through the empty reception area from the adjacent room. She shifted with embarrassment, her cheeks flushed with a slight red tinge. Leaving her case by the desk she cautiously peered through the archway and into a large communal area. A young girl lounged across the brown leather sofa in the middle of the floor. She lay with her head resting on a pillow and her feet sticking high in the air, sprawled across the back of the sofa. The voice emerged from inside the magazine draped over her head. "I...said, old Turnbull should be here any second, just ring the bell"
"Oh...okay thank you" replied Amanda to the image of the magazine wearing female. She stood in the archway for a moment and stared at the smiling faces of a group of boys on the cover. The magazine exclaimed the latest slimming fad, a brother who slept with his sister-in-law and exclusive interviews with the latest boy band sensation.
The girl threw the magazine on the floor and sat up, facing Amanda and the two girls regarded each other for a moment. The girl had a friendly chubby face, and swung her feet off the sofa and rested them on the wooden floor. Her furry slipper covered feet made no noise on the floor as they met and she wiped her hands across her blue tartan bottoms. The white plain t-shirt she wore had stains scattered across the fabric as it fought to control the girl’s bulky frame. She smiled in the direction of Amanda and held out her hand, "Tracey..." The two women stood in an awkward silence for a moment before Amanda moved forward, her spell broken and suddenly brought to life by the introduction.
"What...oh...sorry, Amanda...Amanda Price" she looked about the room as she spoke. For a university house, she supposed that she would have seen posters of pop stars and movie moguls to adorn the walls, but nothing could be seen except plain wood panelling.
"One of the rules, I'm afraid honey" said Tracey, "no posters, no running, no boys, no ball games and no posters!" she leant forward and whispered in Amanda's ear. "Still can't stop us in our rooms!" she grinned as she spoke and took Amanda's hand and led her from the lounge. As she entered the reception area she held her arms aloft over her head and yelled, "Welcome to our retreat from the world!" As she yelled her voice echoed through the house, falling on deaf ears in the reception area and snaking its way up the wooden staircase.
"Now, now, Miss Reid" came a stern voice from a small annex behind the desk. Amanda peered at the newcomer and watched in her own disbelief that she had failed to notice the small wooden door set back from the desk. Tracey flushed and turned back to the lounge calling back over her shoulder as she walked.
"Now then, who do we have here?" The newcomer stood behind the desk, surveying Amanda as she spoke. In turn, Amanda let her eyes examine the woman as she spoke. The woman was thin, maybe even painfully thin and a wry smile fleeted across her face as she supposed the woman would snap in the strong wind. "Something funny Miss?" Amanda chided herself inwardly as she stood in silence. She felt like a naughty child, being sent to the headmistress and as the eyes of the older woman judged her she considered her options. Should she turn and flee or suck it up and take a room here? She would never find another place at this short notice, but the whole place spooked her. The age and atmosphere of the house was ominous and slightly intimidating. She became aware of the woman looking at her...or right through her? She was a stern looking woman, with very little happiness in her life. Her greying hair was tied tightly in a bun which sat in a neat perch on the top of her head. Glasses sat perched on her nose and green piercing eyes stared out accusingly from beneath. Her clothes witnessed an age that fashion forgot, as she wore a simple blue blazer with ankle length blue skirt. A simple white blouse fought its way from beneath the blazer giving off a bland and drab expression of her personality. She stood tapping impatiently on the desk with the end of a small black biro.
"Sorry...Amanda Price" she stammered. The woman flicked through a sheave of papers by her hand and withdrew one from the bundle.
"Ah...yes. Miss Price, I have your details here", she turned and reached for a set of keys resting within a series of pigeon holes built into the shelving unit behind the desk. She grasped them tightly as she turned back toward Amanda, speaking directly and to the point. "Room eleven, second floor" she handed over the small set of silver keys to Amanda. "Room key, bathroom key and key to the main door. Be warned Miss Price, the main doors are locked at ten O'clock sharp. I will not tolerate mess...or visitors. Now then..." she passed the keys across the counter "If you will sign the book I will show you around the property"
Amanda became aware of another set of eyes watching the scene below from the first floor landing as she stood clutching the black pen in her hand. She glanced briefly up and saw a young woman leaning on the banister at the top of the stair before refocusing on the book before her. She scribbled her signature across the page and placed the pen in the middle of the binding. The older woman moved from her position behind the desk and appeared to float across the floor toward the nearest archway. "Leave your bag there please Miss Price..." she never turned to look at the younger woman as she spoke, just continued her glide through the arch into the adjoining room. Amanda released her grip on the handle of her bag and hurried after the woman. As she rushed into the adjoining room she pondered over the dexterity and agility of the woman. She had to be in her late fifties at least...or even early sixties and she moved with such speed.
She found her standing in the lounge area, arms folded and looking straight through her. "Please try to keep up Miss Price..."she chided, "This as you have already seen is the communal area" she waved one of her arms around indicating toward the surrounding area. Amanda was struck by the sudden thought that Miss Turnbull knew she had already been in the room despite not being present during her chat with Tracey. Her thoughts were pushed out of her head as she became aware that Miss Turnbull was talking as she was pondering what could be nothing. "Please remained focused Miss Price, I will not repeat myself and I will expect you to obey the rules otherwise I shall be asking you to leave the property..."
Property not house, Amanda thought. "Is that what happened to the other girls?" the question forced its way out of her mouth before she had even realised she had said it. A look of anger flushed across the emotionless face of Miss Turnbull.
"I beg your pardon? Which girls?" the retort came across as hostile and almost accusingly toward Amanda.
She faltered and was aware that her face was flushing a deep crimson as she attempted to justify her answer. She pointed back through the archway and into the reception area as she stammered a response. "I...well...you...I...err saw the open book...and well noticed a lot of departures"
"Your one of those girls are you Miss Price"
"Doesn't know when to keep their noses out of business which does not concern them"
Amanda stammered, "I only meant..."
"I know what you meant Miss Price, and what the likes of you infer" Miss Turnbull stood close to Amanda and leant in close to her face. "Those girls meant nothing to me Miss Price, remember that, I'm not here to babysit your every need nor to come running at your every whim. I am head of this propriety, not your personal wet-nurse. Those girls who left this establishment, left because they couldn't adhere to the rules. Rules are designed to be adhered to Miss Price and not to be broken, if you cannot adhere to the rules then I would expect you to collect your meagre possessions and find alternative accommodations"
Miss Turnbull pointed in the general direction of the front door as she barked her statement toward Amanda. The young woman shuffled awkwardly on the spot, frozen in place by the force of her words. The pair stood in the lounge in silence for several seconds before Miss Turnbull strode into the reception area. The seconds passed slowly and as Amanda followed the older woman, the air around her seemed to solidify causing her to force each footstep; one in front of the other. She found Miss Turnbull standing with her arms folded across her chest waiting for her. Amanda noted her entwined arms rising and falling beneath her small breasts and watched the silver pendant moving in time to the woman's breathing. The older woman stared accusingly in the general direction of Amanda and stood awaiting a response to the previous altercation. Amanda's gaze lowered to the floor and she mumbled a distorted apology at her behaviour. At once the atmosphere between the two woman melted and as if a switch inside the head of Miss Turnbull had been flicked, her attitude and personality altered almost immediately. Amanda was taken back slightly by the sudden change in the demeanour in her personality and considered the older woman's mental state as she watched her glide through the opposite archway. As she moved after her, Amanda glanced upward and still standing at the top of the stair; leaning over the first floor bannister stood the young woman watching the exchange between them both. Amanda smiled slightly and waved at the woman before hurrying into the other room.
At the centre of the room lay a long table with a multitude of wooden chairs sitting around its perimeter at intermittent spaces. Three vases sat proudly on the wooden surface, the glass of the containers shinning proudly as the sun forced its way into the room and warmed the rotund shape of the vase. Within each vase stood a proud bouquet of flowers. Red, blue and yellow plumage fought for prominence over their neighbours as they attempted to grab the attention of not just the sun, but also the attention of the people within the house.
"This is the dining area" stated Miss Turnbull. "Dinners are not provided, but this communal area has been devised to enhance the eating experience and productivity of all within the establishment. As you can see through that door..." Amanda's gaze followed the direction of Miss Turnbull's bony finger "is a comprehensive kitchen area, fully equipped with cooking and eating facilities" Through the open door, Amanda could make out the shadowed image of a smaller table, cooker, sink unit and fridge. She moved toward the door for a better view of the room beyond, but was ushered out of the dining area by the voice of Miss Turnbull carrying over the air from the reception area. Amanda stood dazed and wondered how the older woman had moved out of the room so quietly and without her hearing a single movement.
Amanda walked back into the reception area to discover Miss Turnbull standing by the desk and looking down at her case. "Now...if you are ready I will show you to your room". Amanda nodded and grasped the handle of her case and strained under the weight.
As she lifted her baggage she spied a small door beneath the stairs. "What’s in there?" she asked.
"That Miss Price is out of bounds..." Miss Turnbull dismissed the question almost completely, turned and strode up the stairs, still completely silently Amanda noted. She shrugged at the dismissal and placed her foot on the first step. The ancient wooden flooring creaked noisily beneath the pressure of her foot and as she followed Miss Turnbull up the stair she wondered how she was making so much noise, whilst Miss Turnbull made none. Surely she wasn't that light of foot was she? She became aware of the older woman talking as they walked and attempted to refocus her efforts from the noise of the stairs and the weight of her bag, to the voice of the woman as they climbed the wooden mountain before them. "Each floor..." continued Miss Turnbull, "has ten rooms, plus one communal bathroom and toilet area located at the end of each floor" She turned and looked Amanda up and down and peered at her through her glasses perched at the end of her nose. "Please be sure to lock the door upon entry, we don't want any unfortunate incidents do we Miss Price?"
Amanda shook her head as she walked in the woman's footsteps, still slightly concerned at the lack of noise from the older woman's steps. As she came to the first floor landing, Amanda came face to face with her quiet audience. The girl looked barely old enough to be living within this communal property, let alone at University. She smiled at the girl and whispered "Hi" in her direction. The girl blushed violently as though not used to the attention given to her by Amanda and brushed her long black hair behind her ear and smiled back. Her hand raised to waist height and produced a very slight wave in Amanda's direction. Amanda considered the girl for a second and noted her youthful pretty face partially hidden beneath her long black hair. Her elfin features gave off the air of innocence and her smile flashed a set of pure white teeth. She stood clutching a small brown bear, slightly stained with dirty black marks, the same of which were stained across her pink t-shirt. A small Dalmatian sat across her chest on the fabric holding a red ball staring balefully out of her shirt and the spots of the dog matched the spots on her shorts. Amanda became aware of a conversation behind her and turned to see Miss Turnbull fervently waving her hands in the direction of Tracey. She turned back to face the young girl, only to find she had disappeared from the bannister. She looked about confused for a moment and wondered where she had ran off to. A couple of doors were close to where she stood and she surmised the girl had ran into one of these rooms.
"That is highly inappropriate behaviour Miss Reid, and I would expect better" came the voice of Miss Turnbull from the corridor behind, the conversation caused Amanda to move closer to the pair as they talked. She could she a look of amusement flit across Tracey's face as she was rebuked by Miss Turnbull, who in turn had turned a deep shade of violet as she spoke. "We have a new guest and I would appreciate you keep that kind of talk to yourself..." Miss Turnbull turned back to Amanda before she could get any nearer to discover the source of the conversation. "Now then, Miss Price..." she indicated to the next set of stairs, "if we could continue"
Amanda noted Tracey winking in her direction and smiled back at the woman. Before moving off, Tracey pointed at her wrist, then held aloft eight fingers in Amanda's direction. Amanda in turn nodded her understanding and followed Miss Turnbull up the second flight of stairs. Standing on the second landing, she cast her gaze down the flight of stairs before moving into the corridor toward her room. Once again the young girl in the pink t-shirt stood watching, this time joined by Tracey. Neither of the women spoke or even acknowledged the other, just stood looking up the stairs at the disappearing sight of the pair as they entered the corridor.
"Your room..." said Miss Turnbull suddenly. They had stopped in front of a simple plain white door with the brass plaque hanging from the painted exterior. Amanda held her keys out and fumbled with the lock. The keys jingled and rattled in the lock, before the door swung open revealing its secrets beyond. The room was plain and simple and a complete contrast to the wood lined room of the lower floors of the house. A single bed lay on the floor close to the window, with one small table and chair and a large plain fashioned wardrobe. "As you can see Miss Price the rooms are simple and minimalistic"
Amanda grinned inwardly and thought to herself, "You’re not kidding". The walls were a plain white colouring and standing in one corner stood a plain wooden shelving unit.
"Enjoy your stay Miss Price" said Miss Turnbull, and with that the older woman pulled the door shut and moved away down the corridor. Amanda stood by the door with her ear pressed firmly to the wooden structure and listened in vain to any sounds of the older woman leaving. She opened the door convinced that the older woman would still be standing there...but nothing. Nothing at all. How could she be so quiet? Amanda stepped from the room, and the floor squeaked in protest beneath her foot. Amanda gazed down the corridor, shook her head and entered her room. She threw her case upon the bed, walked to the window and looked out into the gardens beyond.
She stood watching the movement in the trees, lost in the moment as they swayed and danced in the breeze. Light from the sun cast shadows across the neatly cut lawn, which twisted and stretched across the grass reaching for the house. Amanda stood lost in a moment revelling in the majesty of the scene broadcast before her bedroom window. She crossed the room, grabbing her case as she walked and threw open the doors of her wardrobe and sighing at the empty space within Amanda forced her case into the wooden structure and lent heavily on the doors. Leaning with her back against the cold wood of the wardrobe she gazed out across the room and her eyes were drawn to the bed. She took several steps toward the inviting duvet and jumped onto the top of the bed allowing herself to fall victim to the embrace of sleep.
Authors can write and upload their manuscripts on Inkit for free and writers retain 100% of their copyrights while writing on Inkitt
Readers can read all books for free, without any ads and give the authors feedback.
Books that perform well based on their reader engagement are published on our Galatea app.
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