sink and drowns her hands with freezing water. Both palms are red. Michelle knows that there was no real damage done to her daughter's hands but wanted to be on the safe side.
Ben drops the fire extinguisher exhausted. "What... what happened?" He pants out. Michelle lowers Bianca to the floor and her eyes are widened with fear.
"Emily did it!"
"That's it!" Ben yanks his daughter by the wrist forcefully and raises his hand like he's going to strike her. Michelle grabs his forearm stopping him.
"Don't you dare hit my daughter!" She threatens her now-estranged husband. They have a small stare-down. Ben lets go of Bianca and glares at his wife with hate.
"Sign the fucking papers." He storms out of the kitchen without saying another word. Michelle kneels to her daughter's level and gives her a much needed hug. Michelle has known her husband long enough to know his thought process. He blamed Bianca for the fire. That's why he tried to hit her. He would not admit that Emily was real and she was a danger. He didn't care if he pushed his wife and daughter away. Just as long as his own beliefs weren't in jeopardy he didn't care how he made other people feel.
"Tell me what happened, honey." Michelle looks into her daughter's eyes wanting the whole story.
"Emily did it. She is mad at us. She's mad because you locked the basement door. And she's mad because you said I couldn't be friends with her anymore. She wants to hurt me Mommy." Bianca breaks down in tears and Michelle pulls her back into another hug. As a mother, she felt helpless. She was supposed to protect her daughter but there was nothing she could do.
After the fire yesterday, Michelle was fed up with this Emily terrorizing her and Bianca. Bianca was in school and Ben wouldn't be back for a few hours. She decided to go to a local church for assistance. The priest was out for the day visiting someone in the hospital so Michelle was on her own. The priest's wife gave Michelle a bible with verses highlighted and some crucifixes to cleanse the house. She explained to Michelle to walk around the entire house inside and out reading the verses and waving the cross to rid the spirit.
Michelle followed the advice and started in Bianca's room. "Listen here you little bitch. I've had enough of you terrorizing my family. Because of you my daughter can't sleep at night. She almost killed herself and you've caused my husband to file for divorce. I don't give a damn if this is your house or why you're here. I live here now and you don't belong here. You belong in the fiery pits of Hell!"
As instructed by the priest's wife, Michelle waves the cross around as she reads loudly from the scriptures. After she felt she has done enough in the room, she moves to the hallway. She slowly walks doing the same ritual. She reaches the top of the stairs passing it to go to her own bedroom. She can feel hands on the her back.
Before she can brace herself she is being thrown down the stairs head first. Her body is thrown from stair to wall and back again. Gravity has taken over and all she can do is take it. She lands with a thud at the foot of the steps in pain and dazed. She tries to move but is too beaten up. She turns her head and spots an apparition at the top of the stairs. It's Emily. Michelle can recognize her right away. Her body is misty and faded. The long dark hair and dirty white dress give it away. Emily vanishes right in front of Michelle's eyes.
Michelle blinks rapidly in confusion. Did Emily just shove her down the stairs? Emily wasn't going anywhere. Michelle knew this was clear. There was nothing Michelle could do to stop Emily. She was only growing stronger and stronger with each passing day. Not only was she scaring everyone, but she was trying to kill them. She almost made Bianca commit suicide, she caught the kitchen on fire and burned Bianca's hands, she tried to smother Michelle with a pillow and now she threw Michelle down the stairs.
Michelle writhed in pain on the cold dining room floor for what felt like hours. She could spot the bible and crucifix just feet away from her on the floor. Pages were ripped from the book and the cross was broken in half. Emily meant business and Michelle was worried the anger and aggression would only worsen.
The front door opened up as Ben waltzed in after work. He spots his wife on the floor and drops everything in his hands as he rushes to her side. His face was written with concern. Relief came over Michelle as she realized her husband did still love her. His talks of divorce were just provoked from the negative events that had been occurring. He still cared for her.
"Michelle, what happened? Are you okay?" He lifts her head into his lap and brushes strands of hair from her face. Michelle couldn't go to Ben for help. She couldn't tell him that she was trying to exorcise the house and got attacked. He wouldn't believe her. He'd just say that she was clumsy. She grunts out in pain.
"I tripped." She lies with bitterness.
Bianca was in school and Ben was at work. Instead of going to the gym like she normally would Michelle decided to visit her local library. The fall down the stairs has left her entire body sore and aching. There was no way she could work out like this. She needed to get to the bottom of this whole Emily thing. What was wrong with her house? And why did the neighbors ask about it? Who was this Emily? And why is she trying to harm her daughter? Why does Emily want Michelle dead? And why did Emily want to protect the sandbox?
Michelle approaches the librarian wanting to know exactly what kind of books she'd need to look at. The librarian greets her with a friendly smile.
"Excuse me, could I ask you for some help?" Michelle mumbles out nervously.
"Sure. What would you like help with?" The courteous senior asked.
Michelle fiddles with her fingers. "Well, some weird things have been happening at my house. And I wanted to find out where I could find the history of it. I need some answers."
"What would be the address?" The librarian asks as she directs her attention to the computer.
"Um... 219 Fence street." Michelle replies. The librarian types the address into the computer and a second later looks back up at Michelle.
"It should be in the third aisle to the left. Look for the book City Directives."
"Thank-you." Michelle smiles politely before heading off to find the book. The book that held all the answers to her questions. Michelle finds it with ease and takes a seat at a desk to have a look. The book is organized by address. Michelle stops for a second to look at a random address. It listed all the previous owners, and the year they lived there. Michelle flips the pages to find the page for 'F'. She strains her eyes searching for Fence street. Nothing.
She flips the page and this page is nothing but 'G'. She flips back to the previous page and searches once more. Still nothing. She glances at the top of the page to the page number. 677. She flips to the 'G' page. 679.
'That's odd.' she thought. Someone must have ripped 678 out. Why would they do this? Was there something about her house that she needed to know? Was someone trying to cover it up?
A woman leans over Michelle's shoulder and places a hand on the table. Michelle turns to face the woman. Her eyes appeared huge due to her thick glasses.
"You're looking for 219 Fence street, aren't you?" The woman asked with a raspy voice.
"Yeah." Michelle managed to stammer out.
"Do you own this house?" The strange woman asked. Michelle nodded.
"Well, I have some news for you. You won't be finding anything about that house in here. All of those records were stolen." The old woman states matter-of-factly.
"Stolen? Why? By who? And who are you?" Michelle questions with a puzzled look.
"Gertrude. I'm a historian. I'm the woman who will give you the truth" The woman states as she takes a seat next to Michelle. Michelle can already tell that this was a story she probably wouldn't like.
Ben opens the front door of the house. It's been a long day at work for him and he was just exhausted. He didn't see Michelle's car in the drive way and knew that she wasn't home. He was relieved. It's been awkward around her ever since he filed for divorce.
A loud bang in the basement draws him from his thought
s. "Who's there?" He calls out. There is no reply. The banging continues. He likens it to the sound of a chain clinking against a metal pipe. He strolls into the kitchen expecting Michelle to be there. He's surprised to find that he was all alone. The padlock on the basement hasn't been disturbed. Who could be making that noise?
"Hello?" He shouts at the basement door and once more nothing but the clanking noise. It's followed by a shattering noise. 'Someone is down there.' Ben thought. He kicks the basement door in and runs down the stairs to catch the culprit. It's dark and damp.
He reaches in his pocket and pulls out his cell phone. He turns the back light up so he can see clearly. He uses his make shift flashlight to find the light switch. He pulls the string causing the dim bulb to fade slowly on.
He puts his cell phone back into his pocket to have a look around the musty basement. Cob webs and dust intrude his personal space. A black shadow darts across the room. "Who's down here?" He asks. He was sure there was someone down here. 'Probably a squatter.' he thought. He didn't care who it was. He wasn't going to let someone live in his basement.
As he tours the basement looking for the intruder he stumbles over something on the floor. His eyes strain to adjust to the lighting. A huge block of wood blocks his path. "What the...?" He stares down at the chunk unsure of what to make of it.
What was a big piece of wood like this doing in a basement? It's aged and appears to have been here for at least a few decades. A crack in the floor catches Ben's attention. What's under there? He pushes the wood just an inch to see the crack better. A soft sound of water emits from the gap. Ben knew there was something under this block of wood and he was going to find out what.
He struggles to push the wood and he finally gets it to budge a few feet. He stares down the rounded hole in the ground. 'A well? Is this a well? In a basement? What the hell is this doing under a house?' His questions matching those of Michelle. Ben towers over the hole examining it.
It appears to be a few feet deep. He leans over to have a better look. Something stained, and round floats to the top. It slowly bobs around and Ben's eyes widen when he realizes what it was. "A human skull!" He shrieks.
"A woman named Florida Renice lived in your house 30 years ago. She had a husband named Henry and two daughters. Emily was the daughter of another man named Frank. Emily came up missing and her body was never recovered. Besides, Emily, they had another daughter Bianca. She was the daughter of Henry. According to records, Bianca was taken away after her sister came up missing. It was reported that Bianca was treated like a princess while Emily was abused by both her mother and step-father. She never knew her real father, Frank. Frank came up missing right around the time Florida started to see Henry. People think that Florida and Henry killed him." Gertrude explains the horrific story to Michelle as if she'd told it a dozen times. Michelle listens intently.
"Emily tried to kill her sister numerous times out of jealousy. Police were called to that residence almost on a weekly basis. Bianca was eventually adopted and moved with her new family to Europe. Emily still hasn't been found. I studied the history of that house for years until the files came up missing. It's rumored that somehow Emily knew what her mother and step-father had done to her real father and threatened to expose them. This would result in years long torment and torture for Emily until she was eventually murdered. Supposedly by her own mother." Michelle shudders at the thought. How could a mother kill her own daughter? Michelle would never think of harming her daughter. Then Michelle thought about what Bianca had told her in the bath tub weeks ago. 'Emily was hurt by her mommy in the bath tub'. Michelle covered her mouth in shock. Florida drowned Emily to keep her shut. Poor Emily. She was abused and then murdered just because she wasn't biologically Henry's daughter.
"There is a well on the property. A well that holds the secrets of your house. People say that Emily is in that well. The crime happened in the early 80's. Forensics weren't that good back then as I'm sure you know. Tons of evidence was over looked and that's why to this day Emily's body hasn't been found. The same goes for the well. If you can find the well, you'll find Emily."
Michelle stares back with a pale face. She can't believe what she was hearing. Florida? Didn't that old woman across the street say her name was Ida? Flor-Ida. It all makes sense now. No wonder that woman was curious. She was wondering if Michelle and Ben found Emily's body in the well. That old woman was Emily's mother and she shortened her real name to just Ida to avoid suspicion. Emily haunted the property because she is buried somewhere there. Emily wants Michelle's daughter dead because her name is Bianca. Just like her sister. She still resents that she was murdered and her sister is living a great life. That would explain the fire in the kitchen and talking Bianca into playing with gun.
Michelle remembers the incident with the sandbox. 'Of course!' she thought. Frank is buried under there and Emily doesn't want anyone in the sandbox because that's his resting spot. But what does the basement have to do with all of this? Why did Emily want Bianca down there so badly? Michelle's face grows even more white. The well is in the basement! Emily's body is down there! That's where the well is. No wonder Emily lashed out and became violent. She wanted her body to be discovered in the well. Michelle banned Bianca from the basement. Emily wasn't an evil girl. She just wanted justice to be served. Without stopping to thank the woman for the information, Michelle rushes back home.
Ben stumbles back in a state of panic. 'Who's head is that?' he thought as he tried to catch his footing. He spins around to run back up the stairs but his exit is blocked by a woman. She stands at the foot of the stairs staring back at Ben.
"I see you found my daughter." The woman says. Ben's mind scrambles itself. It takes longer than usual to realize who this woman was. She was the neighbor he spotted talking to Michelle when they first moved in.
"What are you doing in my house?" Ben asks in a threatening tone. There was no way he was going to let some old lady try and intimidate him.
"Your wife just doesn't rest, does she? I knew my secret would be revealed the moment I saw your family. Your wife just doesn't know how to mind her own business, now does she? " Florida asks as she takes a step towards Ben.
"What are you talking about?" He replies taking a step back.
"She knows everything. And it's only a matter of minutes before she tells you. I can't let that happen. You already know too much." She takes another step towards Ben. He takes another step back out of instinct and habit. His heels hover over the edge of the well. The woman takes another step again towards Ben.
"You need to stay back. You're crazy." Ben sounds almost as if he's pleading with her. His doubts start to creep in. What if Michelle was right all along? What if this woman has something to do with this Emily? Was he too harsh on Michelle? He even went as far as to file for a divorce. He was questioning his judgment now. Maybe he was wrong the whole time. 'God, Michelle must hate me' he regrets as his heels delicately balance over the edge.
The woman inches towards him. He has nowhere left to go but down. Her eyes are locked on him. She wanted to do harm to him; he could tell. She slithers towards him until her hot breath can be felt on his chest. With nothing left to do, Ben prepares himself to do the only thing he could. Defend himself.
He cocks his fist and swings. Nothing but air. His gut burns with pain. The ceiling comes into view and in a mere matter of nanoseconds he is over come with freezing water. The pain in his abdomen worsens. He struggles for air and finally is able to get his head above water. Bones surround him and he feels squeamish. Ben grabs the aching part of his torso and feels a small hole. He glances down to spot blood mixing in with the water.
He peeks up to spot a knife in Florida's hand. Ben is horrified to know that she actually stabbed him. The old woman laughs evilly before her face twists and contorts to her heinous look once more. "You'll never get the chance to divorce your wife now. You'll be leaving her a widow." Florida leans against the wooden block trying to
push it back over the well. Ben tries to climb out of the well but he is too wounded and weak. Blood seeps out of his stomach staining the bones a crimson making him the delicacy of a human soup.
"Leave my husband alone you bitch!" Michelle's voice echoes down the contorted steps. Ben is thrilled to see his wife has come to his rescue. Florida spins around not looking so surprised. She expected Michelle to come. She knew Michelle was at the library researching the history of the house. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together and figure out what horrors have occurred in this house. After all, Florida had been spying on them all along. She was the cause of the mysterious noises outside. Michelle had figured this out the second she learned Florida was a murderer.
Michelle looks determined and pissed. Florida stands her ground not letting Michelle intimidate her. "I'm guessing you spoke with Gertrude. That woman just can't mind her own business. Well, in that case, I'll need to kill you. You know too much." Florida threatens Michelle with narrowed eyes. Florida turns the knife around in her hand. Michelle puts her fists up not willing to back down. She was sore after the fall down the stairs yesterday but she wasn't going down without a fight. Bruised or not, Michelle was willing to take herself out if it meant taking Florida along with her.
"You fool! I'll kill you and your husband. And when I'm done with you, I'll be coming for that little brat of yours!" Florida raises the knife and without fear Michelle charges her. Michelle didn't care if her life was threatened by a knife. Florida was not going to threaten her child. The inner Mama Bear fills Michelle's usually-kind-heart with hatred and purpose. She was taking Florida out. Before they make contact the ground shakes and a crack grows on the floor. It stretches the entire length of the room separating the women.
A black mass grows from the crack and floats above the ground before manifesting itself. It's Emily. Michelle recognizes her immediately from the picture Bianca drew. Ben's eyes open in shock. 'My God, it's her. She's real.' He thinks as he grips his wound in pain. Emily's apparition floats feet above the ground just as Bianca had drawn her.
"Emily! You're... You're here!" Florida yells out excitedly. Her smile reaches ear to ear. "My baby is back. Listen, I..."
"Silence!" Emily's voice is deep and demonic in nature. Definitely not matching the voice a little girl should have. Florida jumps back offended at her daughter's nature.
"Don't talk to your mother like that. I don't care how long you've been dead. I..." Florida starts lashing