Terrible Tales of Horror: The Enemy Within, Part 9

Is it almost over???

Chapter 28: Welcome to Hell

Dawn was sitting with Jenni in the living room at Jenni’s house.

“Things have gotten really out of hand,” Jenni said. [And how many people are dead now?] “Do you think Gracie killed them Dawn?”

“Not Chloe. Gracie couldn’t have killed Chloe. There’s no way possible. I was talking to her while Chloe was being murdered.” [She’s pretty nonchalant about the whole thing considering her sister JUST died a few days ago.]

“Yeah. But what bout the other four.” [Don’t you mean five? Poor Savannah. Nobody remembers her.]

“I don’t know Jen. I wish I did know. But I don’t.”

“Hey Dawn,” Jenni said after a few moments of silence.”

“What?”

“I was wondering, do you think you could come with me to my parents cabin up north. My parents said I could go there because of all the murders lately. But I really don’t feel like going alone.” [Yes. Go to a secluded cabin in the woods with a girl who’s body is being inhabited by your mother in another life who’s on a psychotic rampage to kill innocent people. Sounds like fun!]

“I’d like to, but Sela’s at my house, and my parents wouldn’t let me go if I didn’t bring her with me.”

“Sure, she could come. You know what they say, the more the merrier.”

“It’ll be a blast.” [How can she possibly think it will be any fun? Seriously.]

It’ll be a blast. It was just a simple everyday phrase. Dawn knew that. Jenni knew that. AS did Gracie and Lauren.

But that one phrase, “It’ll be a blast.” Dawn had though that this was gonna be fun! But she had no way of knowing of the hell that lay before her.

Chapter 29: Justin’s back. . . And looking for Lauren

That night Dawn was having another dream. [Oh God no!!! No more!!! No more!!!] Or rather, another nightmare.

Dawn was in the cemetery.

At Chloe’s grave.

There was howling sound coming from the grave.

Chloe, Dawn thought.

She quickly started to dig up Chloe’s grave. My sister’s alive, she thought. Chloe didn’t really die. That was all just a dream. When I wake up, Chloe will be there.

Whe was about to give up, when she saw the casket. It was black. [That was some pretty quick digging.]

As black as night.

Dawn unlatched the casket and opet it up. [Always a good idea.]

And there lay Jenni. What as a ghost.

She heard someone coming up behind her.

“Debbie!” she said to the image of her deceased friend.

“One bright day on a sunny night two dead boys stood up to fight back to back. They face each other, pulled out their swords, and shot each other. The deaf police man heard the noise, ran right over, and shot the dead boys. If you don’t believe my lie is true, than ask the blind man, he saw it too.” [That makes three.]

Then Debbie’s image disappeared. And replaced with her mother’s. [Gracie...or Mrs. Sullivan?]

“Mother--”

Her mother pushed her into the grave before she could finish her sentence. [Oh. Gracie.]

And then Dawn wok up.

Screaming.

* * * * *

“Are we almost there yet,” Dawn asked the driver of the car. [Is Jenni rich? Why does she have her own driver?]

“Yes Miss Sullivan. We’re almost there.

“Can you hurry it up a little,” Sela said. “My tan is fading.” [Lauren needs to die for using that joke.]

Dawn and Jenni laughed at her remark.

Dawn was in a good mood until she saw a cemetery. Then a frightening image of her dream floated into her head. She shook it away. Dawn didn’t want to think about that. It frightened her. Very much so.

When they finally got there, they went inside and had hot chocolate.

“So what have you been up to lately, Sela,” Jenni asked Sela casually. [Oh nothing, just tormenting the other person living inside you.]

“Nothing much. I’ve jusbe been going places. Doing things. Just normal boring everyday things.”

* * * * *

For me anyway, Lauren thought. This is perfect. I’ve got everybody fooled. They have no idea that I’m Sela. Well, Gracie does. [How would she know that? The last contact you had with her was hinting that her daughter was in this world.] But that’s it. I need to talk to her. Badley. She really needs to know who Dawn is. [Has Lauren had a change of heart? Maybe she couldn’t live with the guilt if Gracie unknowingly killed her own daughter?]

“We’re here,” Lauren heard the driver call from the front.

Dawn, Jenni, and Lauren stepped out of the cab. The driver got their things out of the trunk and threw it at their feet. “Enjoy,” he said. And with that, he left down the winding road. [Nice guy.]

“We’ll we’re here,” Dawn said. “We might as well get settled.”

“I agree with you completely,” Jenni said.

“Yeah, me to.” Lauren said. I hate this, she thought. I hate having to act like a perky little bitch who can’t pull he own weight, so she gets everyone else to do everything for her. I hate being Sela Sullivan. [Um, okay. She doesn’t seem to be acting particularly perky.]

After this, the body goes.

* * * * *

Later that night, Dawn, Jenni, and Sela were sitting by the fire place. I’m really having fun, Dawn thought. I just hope I can keep having a good time.

Then that poem popped into her head.

That damned poem. It just wouldn’t leave her alone. That Poem. One bright day, on a sunny night, two dead boys stood up to fight back to back. They faced each other, pulled out their swords, and shot each other. The deaf police man heard the noise, ran right over, and shot the dead boys. If you don’t believe my lie is true, then ask the blind man, he saw it too. [Four!]

“Do you believe that there are more than one dimension in this universe?” Sela asked suddenly.

That was an odd thing to say, Dawn thought. How would she know anything about that?

“Well, do you?” Sela said. She was getting impatient.

“Why do you want to know Sela?” Jenni asked.

“Because I’m curious. That’s why.”

“Why are you so curious then?” There was a slight change in Jennie’s voice, so that meant only one thing.

Gracie!

She was back. [Oh goody.]

Jus then there was a knock at the door.

It slammed open.

A drop dead georgeous guy with black hair, and brown eyes. [It’s Justin!]

Dawn looked over at Sela. She looked like she was in shock. Did she know this very handsome young stranger? Probably. The look on her face was so much more than being mesmerized by his gorgeous looks.

Gracie opened her mouth as if she was about to say something. But then closed it.

Then Sela jumped up. “I need to talk to you,” she paused at the door waiting for him to follow her. “Out there.” She pointed outside.

Then Sela left. And the stranger followed her.

* * * * *

“Justin, what are you doing her?” [Called it!]

“Well Lauren, I’ve never seen you look so good. And how did you know it was me baby?” He pulled her close to him. [Isn’t he a prince. Weird thought, but the question’s begging to be asked. How many different bodies do you think they’ve had sex with each other in?]

“I know you’re style,” she pulled away from him. “And you haven’t answered my question yet. What are you doing here?”

“I tracked you down Lauren. What’s your name now? You know. Just so I know what to call you?”

“It’s Sela. Sela Sullivan.”

“Nice.” He paused. “Who were those two broads with you?”

“They’re Gracie and her daughter Julie.”

“Gracie has a daughter?”

“Yep.” She paused. “But you have to act like you don’t know. Because Gracie only knows that I’m Sela, Julie only knows that Gracie is Jenni, and I know that Gracie’s Jenni, Julie’s Dawn, and I’m me.” [Glad we have that cleared up.]

“Wonderful.”

“Yeah. Just act like you’re my boyfriend from Oregon.” [Seriously, what was it with me and Oregon? Personally, I think I just played way too much Oregon Trail.]

“Great.”

Chapter 30: A dream

[Groan]

That night Dawn had yet another dream. Though this one was not like the others it had that familiar sence of awaiting hell.

“Dawn. . . . . Dawn. . . . .”

“Chloe? Chloe? Is that you?”

Then the wind really started to pick up. It was blowing in the direction Dawn was coming from. It started to push her back, like it didn’t want her there. But she had to go there. It was calling her. It knew her. It had always known her. Since the day she was born on that cold morning on January 2, 1745. [WTF?]

When she died for the first time it took here there. It wanted her there. Her spirit. Her life force. Even though she was long dead her life force was strong.

She remembered that when she first died she went to a place. A place that sort of reminded her of hell. She didn’t stay there long. Only for a few minutes at the most. Then she came back to this earth in a body that was not hers.

Then, to her surprise, Dawn was in a room. A room with one dim light. The light seemed to have come out of no where. For it was just there, with no end, and no beginning. [Seems I was getting a smidgent philosophical.]

Suddenly, a door appeared, with someone knocking on it. Knocking harder and harder.

“Who’s there,” she yelled.

“You know Julie, you have always known.”

And it was true. She did. And she always had.

Chapter 31: My Julie

That night Sela--better known as Lauren--and Jenni--also known as Gracie--were sitting by the fire.

“Gracie, there’s something that I think you should known.”

“What Lauren?” [When the hell did Gracie figure out Sela was Lauren? And why are they sitting together by the fire without one trying to shove the other in it? That would make this story a hell of a lot more interesting.]

“It’s about Dawn.”

“What about Dawn?”

“Dawn’s. . . . .”

“Dawn’s what?”

“Dawn’s Julie.”

“Julie?” she gasped in surprise. “My Julie. My daughter.”

“Yeah,” Lauren said plainly. [Really, what brought on this change of heart? I thought she was going to torment Gracie some more.]

“Oh my god,” Gracie began to get up. But Lauren grabbed her wrist.

“No.” She made Gracie sit back down. “You can’t let her known.”

“Why not Lauren? I already lost her once because of you. I simply refuse to lose her again.” [And what makes you think she wants anything to do with you? You killed all her friends, for God‘s sake!]

“But you can’t let her know, it would be too much for the poor girl to absorb.” [Seriously, was Lauren abducted by aliens and replaced with a pod person?]

“What do you mean?”

“I mean. . . . . . [She has no idea…] think about it, if you were her, do you think that you’d be able to deal with this. I’m not even sure she knows what she is.”

“Do you think she knows she’s an alien?” [They're all aliens!!]

“I’d say it’s possible. But I wouldn’t bet on it.”

[I wrote this over the course of four months, from December 1996 to April 1997. At this precise point I stopped writing it for two months after having slaved over it constantly. I came back to finish it without reading over previous chapters, different handwriting, more of a flair for the dramatic, and--thank you merciful God--I finally starting writing in pen and now I don’t have to deal with trying to make out smeared pencil from twelve years ago! I wrote the rest of this in one day when I stayed home “sick” from school.]

“Are you sure?”

“Damn sure.”

“My baby, my Julie.” Then Gracie collapsed into Lauren’s arms, crying.