Page 113 of Shadowface 1979

Didi’s presence is everywhere—the essence of her is overwhelming.

Half-burned candles with melted wax. Books, blankets, a small radio. Honey jars and boxes of crackers. Her sweet scent amidst the stench of death.

Tommy walks into the kitchen, flashing his light around. He doesn’t enjoy being here anymore than I do and can’t stand still.

“The kitchen’s empty,” he calls out, his shadow not the only looming presence I sense among us.

A slam behind us has us both jumping as the tall, lanky form of Bax walks in.

“Fuck, Bax,” Tommy says. “You scared me.”

“Hurry, man. That creepy straw dude is waving at me. Someone’s here, I can sense it.”

Goosebumps pebble my flesh. I feel the same, like there are eyes everywhere. I sensed it as soon as we arrived.

“We’re almost done,” I mutter.

He stumbles inside and walks to where Tommy and I are huddled around the door to the first bedroom. Tommy and I make eye contact before I slowly open the door and peer inside.

It’s empty, other than a small, coiled mattress and multiple bloodstains on the floor. No amount of scrubbing from my father’s men could ever get rid of it.

I shine my light at the window to double-check if it’s open as a chilly breeze pushes through my clothes. My hair stands on end when I realize the windows are shuttered.

I curse under my breath and step toward the second bedroom, and Tommy follows me.

“Let’s grab Didi’s stuff and get the hell out of here,” I grumble.

The second bedroom is marginally better. At least this room smells like my little lamb. Tommy grabs handfuls of clothes and her textbooks, shoving them into a box we found at the front of the house. I walk over, running my hand under the mattress until my fingers find the edge, and I wrap my hands around it, pulling it out. The blade is still stained with blood.

“So, you were asking what we do now?” I ask, and Tommy pauses, glancing up from where he is neatly folding Didi’s clothes. “We have to protect them. Their flesh, their hearts, and souls. We shield them from everyone and everything, especially themselves.”

“Hey, guys…” Bax calls out, his voice shaky. He cautiously draws our attention to the dark hallway, clearly terrified. “She’s watching me, man.”

Irritation roils in my gut. I swear to god, if he goes on about that scarecrow again⁠—

“Who’s watching you?” Tommy calls out.

“The girl, man… The girl in the bedroom is watching me. She’s wearing a white nightgown, and I…I don’t think she wants us here.”

Tommy and I stare at each other briefly, and in the corner of my eye, I see the shimmer Bax is talking about.

I turn to face her, and I blink, and she’s right in my face, so close I can reach out and touch her. “Are you two seeing this?”

“I see her,” Tommy says, frozen in place. “What do you think she wants?”

My voice becomes shaky as she shimmers and appears in the corner of the room. “I don’t know.” I stand frozen, watching and waiting, and the ghost girl stands over what looks like a blood spot. I carefully step into the room.

“What are you doing?” Tommy hisses. “Let’s go.”

“One second,” I bite back. “I want to check something.” These old houses sometimes have spaces beneath the floors. This ghost girl isn’t haunting us for pleasure; her soul is in torment, and she’s trying to tell me something. If I can help her find peace, and escape this place, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I drop to my hands and knees and knock on the floor, hearing the echo from underneath. I immediately dig my nails into the space between the floorboards and yank it up. Tommy and Bax stand and stare.

“Help me, for fuck’s sakes.”

They each grab a side, and between the three of us, we are able to rip the board from the floor. It cracks and splinters into dust. Bax flashes his light into the darkness beneath, at the human remains left below.

“Damn,” Bax whispers. “This is like some intense shit.”

I lift my chin as the ghost girl shimmers over us and glances down at her body.