Chapter Text
October 12
I don't know why I come here every time I feel the need to get away. It's a cemetery, and not a new and well cared for one, but it's the only place they refuse to come. The names of the dead have been worn away by time. It's always chilly and dark because of the bloodwood trees surrounding the area. They bleed more often now because of the storms that have finally passed. I always feel like I'm being watched, but I blame the actaea pachypoda (doll's eyes). There's not a decent place to sit, so I keep an old towel in the hollowed out, dead tree that's a few yard
"ANNIE ANNIE!!!" Annie lurched from her writing and hastily shoved her diary in the tree she was just writing about. "Jackie, I told you not to follow me here again." "So, we both know that if I won't listen to Mom, I won't listen to you." Jackie humphed and tried to look as big and confident as her eight year old face would allow. "Still, you should at least just come with me instead of waiting 30 minutes and screaming my name loud enough to make my ears bleed."Annie said, exasperated with her sister who was half her age and acted like it.
"Fine, but can we go back home? This place gives me the creeps." Jackie requested, or more like demanded as she yanked her sister up and started dragging her back the 2-mile walk home. As the two reached their front porch, Annie saw the lumbering figure she knew as her father.
"And where have you two been? Annie, you know you're grounded, so no going out. Jackie,why did you run out of the house like that? I'm sorry that your mother and I had an argument,but that is no excuse to leave and not tell one of us where you're going." "Sorry Dad, but I was looking for Annie, she wasn't in her room." Jackie said, apologetically. I couldn't focus on my homework, so I took a walk to clear my head." Annie lied. She knew if she told her dad that she started seeing them again, she would be grounded for life. She knew she shouldn't keep this to herself, but it was so hard to tell anyone about the things she sees.
It's not schizophrenia, she had been tested. It's not a brain tumor. She gets enough sleep, and eats balanced meals. She doesn't have bipolar disorder, no one in her family has it and she's been tested. She doesn't have Parkinson's. Her family just silently agreed to never speak of or acknowledge what she sees because of how weird it is.
"Fine, but still, tell us next time. Nowboth of you go to your room until dinner" Dad said.
October 23
I don't know what to do. They have been appearing more and more. Their distorted bodies and shadowy figures are right at the edge of my peripheral vision, and every time I try to get a better look, they disappear. School has been getting worse and worse. Homework is piling up and I don't have the energy to finish it. Teachers seem to get even more cruel every year, same with my peers. There is good news, Mom and Dad have stopped fighting as much and we've been able to sit down and have dinner together several times. Jackie got into a fight, but the kid she punched was saying some very nasty things. I say he deserved it. Even so, I'm also pretty sure he was just repeating what his dad said. I made sure Jackie knew that punching someone is bad, but still fist bumped her.
-Annie
Annie put her journal away and decided to go to bed, it was 11:47pm on a Saturday. She'd get as much of her homework done as she could tomorrow.
3:46am. She was awake at 3:46am and couldn't sleep. Every time she tried something made a noise or she saw something.
A branch on her window, a creak in the house, a flickering light outside, or a shadowy figure she was trying to tell herself wasn't there. It all kept her up. The glitchy, shadowy figure started coming closer to her window. Closer. Closer. Closer. Then, raising its hand, sharp, dagger like, nails started digging into the glass and wire screen. She wanted to scream. Oh how she wanted to scream and get someone in her room or that thing away from her window, but she couldn't.
She was paralyzed, she was stuck staring at its face and she couldn't do anything about it. Then she saw something in her room, coming towards her. It was one of them! The creature crept closer and started reaching out for her. She saw its hand going toward her neck. Slowly the long, spider-like hand wrapped around her jugular, and before pressure was added, she passed out in fear.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Jackie had just run into her room and started screaming. Annie looked at the clock, 7:37am, "Why do you insist on waking me up so early in the morning? I thought you loved me and cared for my health." "Of course I love you, that's why I wake you up." "Jackie, please stop yelling at 7:40 in the morning. We love hearing your voice, but it's just too early." The girls' father said as he walked into Annie's room. "Sorry Dad'' the girls said in unison. "Now, it's Sunday. You two know what that means?" he asked jokingly. "Pancakes!" they all yelled.
October 29
Things have gone downhill, and fast. After last Sunday, Mom and Dad started fighting again. They're fighting about everything now, from cleaning to bills to regrets about meeting each other. Jackie has been sleeping over at her friend's house for the past few days. I don't blame her, if I could I would do the same. Hell, I'd probably sleep in the cemetery if I could. I've gotten detention for the first two weeks of November, and I don't even know why.
All I really know is that I fell asleep in class once and the teacher did not like that. She said, "You are a disruption of my class. You backtalk, disobey orders, and undermine my authority." Seriously? I'm sorry I fell asleep, but I think you're overreacting.
Worst of all, they have gotten more bold. Before, they would stay out of my way during the day. Dancing at the edge of my vision, taunting me, haunting me. The most they would do at night was creep into my room and stand in the shadows. Now they lurk in the corners of my classrooms, right in front of me or behind me. They stare at me, looking deep into my soul with their blank, almost nonexistent face. Except their eyes. Those eyes haunt my dreams at night and everytime I close my eyes I see them staring back. It's like the image was burned into my retinas. They've started making noises. Like bugs zipping by, or a dog whistle, or even the sound of a snake hissing. I'm worried about what it means. I wish it would all stop.
-Annie
Annie sighed, she was tired. So, so tired. Tired of arguments, tired of not having any friends, tired of teachers, tired of bullies, tired of school in general. She was tired of not being able to sleep, tired of the only place she felt safe being a creepy cemetery two miles away from her house. Most of all she was tired of whatever the fuck she's seeing and hearing every time she turns around. She was ready to head out either to the cemetery or to try and find a corner in the library to curl up in and try to escape into some fantasy world. "At least Halloween is almost here" she mumbled as she walked out the door. "A day off school to either get high on sugar or to hide and hope to not get pranked."
She knew what her plans for Halloween were: hide in her room, take Jackie trick-or-treating, and hide in the cemetery for as long as she could to avoid them.
October 31
Today is Halloween. Jackie has been bouncing off the walls all day, but who can blame her. She's so excited to show off her costume; she's dressed as Chucky from Child's Play. I'm going to be one of Chucky's victims. I should probably start working on the makeup, but I really don't want to. At least Dad has agreed to let me stay out later, even though he thinks I'm going to be hanging out with friends and not sitting alone in a cemetery. Hope this all goes well.
-Annie
She groaned as she got up, starting to put on the fake wound tattoos. She knows how much it means to Jackie that they're doing these costumes so she's going to do her best to make these look real. It's going to be quite the process though, but fake blood can fix anything. She hopes at least.
"You two look terrifying" Mom said. "Thanks, Annie put the staples on me," Jackie said. "Well, we better get going," Annie said. She was already ready to take all of the makeup off and try to go to sleep. They went around the whole neighborhood and got more candy then they knew what to do with.
"I can't believe that one guy gave us Capri Suns and like twenty Airheads. Also, can I have your gummies? I'll give you all my Reese's, Milk Duds, and Milkyways." Jackie rambled on. "Sure, but I want to keep the Sour Patch Kids and change the Milk Duds to Twix and you've got yourself a deal, I'll even give you three Airheads to sweeten the pot." Annie counter-offered. "Deal."
"We should start heading home. It's almost 9:30 and your curfew is 10:00. I'll drop you off then I'm heading out again."Annie said. "Promise me nothing will happen when you go back there. There's something wrong with that place." Jackie demanded, but Annie understood her worry. "I promise nothing bad will happen in the cemetery. I'm just going to sit there and clear my head. I've got some pepper spray on me and you know I can swing a large stick or even a rock at anyone who tries something. Remember this too, you're not the only one who has a mean left hook." Annie joked, trying to make her little sister feel better. "Fine." Jackie said begrudgingly. "Now, let's head home."
October 31
Everything has gone fine so far, and I hope I didn't jinx myself by writing that. I put on costume, Jackie and I got a butt load of candy, I dropped her off at home, and now I'm Sitting here alone. It's about 11:50 right now, meaning I have about two hours to get home.I've already eaten all my candy and I wish I
She whipped her head up as she heard a branch break. "Please be a fox, please be a deer, please be an animal," Annie whispered to herself. It wasn't an animal. They have surrounded her, three of them. They were standing as a barricade to the only good path that leads to the road, and they were mad. Hissing and screeching, roaring and wailing. They were making so many sounds and she didn't want to hear them anymore. Then, they started saying her name.
"Annie. Annie. Annie. Please, don't you love us? Please, come home." Their jumbled,overlapping, warbling voices screeched. What was happening? She scrambled to her feet, grabbing the nearest branch she could find. One started shambling forward, asking, "Why didn't you tell us? Why do you come out here?" She didn't know what else to do, it was reaching for her.
She swung the branch. The thing toppled over, crashing to the ground, screaming in agony.The branch had broken, but there were more at her feet. The other two rushed forward, reaching for her. "What are you doing?" one of them howled. "Stay back!" Annie shouted. They didn't listen. One went towards their fallen comrade, who was oozing black goop from its head. The other darted towards her. She grabbed a rock, a piece of gravestone, and bashed in the creature's head. It fell to the ground, gurgling noises coming from the back of its throat.
"Why, Annie? You said you loved us." It said dismally. "How could you?''the only standing one bellowed. It scampered towards her, ready to kill. She punched it, just as she told Jackie she would. Its head snapped to the side, but it just kept on trying to scratch her.Trying to draw blood, to hurt her in any way possible. She punched, and punched, and punched. Until the thing stopped moving. Once it stilled, she grabbed its head and snapped its neck as hard as she could. Then, she went over to the other two and curb stomped them, fracturing their skulls and ending them for good.
She gathered her things, ready to leave the cemetery for good. "I hope you burn." she said to the corpses, and left to go home.
November 5
Annie Sparrow was arrested at 3:12am, November 1, on three counts of first degree murder. She has received a diagnosis for tinnitus, Charles Bonnet Syndrome, and Schizoaffective Disorder. It appears, after looking at her records, that she has shown signs of all three for years but was looked after by an unqualified doctor. She has confessed to killing three"things" as she puts it. When it was explained that those "things" were her family, she broke down crying. She is now being transferred to the nearest qualified psychiatric ward for further care and treatment.
Mary Stoker, Chief of Police