“Are you ready Raiyna?” Zahi asked as i finished putting my massive black boots on.
We took off into the meeting room as everyone stood up or sat down peering at our boss. Mr Crasanti.
He narrowed his eyes as we came to sit down on the remaining chairs.
The meeting was about the safety procedures of a fire and the basic equipment we needed even though all of us knew it all - he had to remind us.
Mr Crasanti finished with a long pause then a cold glare at everyone individually, then we were excused to leave.
Zahi quickly paced after me wrapping his massive arms around my shoulders as I chuckled at his jokes.
“So how you finding it so far?” He asked as I sighed at the timetable stuck on the wall.
“Well apart from Mr Crasanti i think ill manage..” i blurted out as Zahi laughed, removing his red curly hair from his eye. We talked for a while until we had to go our separate ways in work.
Everyone groaned at the “change paper” this tells us what has changed and if it can affect us throughout the day, of course they changed the alarm system. It was ten times louder than before as it blared our ears the first time they tested it.
After a few hours of practicing and making sure our equipment was ready, i headed to the lounge room for my lunch break meeting Zahi on the way.
He was a very close friend of mine, as kids we dreamed of this job and now we are here, Zahi has always been by my side even when the worst thing happened he was there.
His red curly hair danced on end, his brown skin tone matching mine and his light hazel eyes shining in the sun. We sat together, talked about what we should do after this shift and where we should go after that.
“Hmmm i was thinking of taking trip to the park.. you know for fresh air.” He smirked at me as i giggled at his funny face he pulled.
Then we both looked up to see Mr Crasanti. He was a cold man, never seen him smile or laugh at anything - he stood there solemnly, his massive buldging muscles and beautiful blue eyes but a vigilant tone towards his job, i mean all of us had to be like that but he never takes a break, that’s what Zahi told me..
“Raiyna. How is it so far.” Mr Crasanti questioned whilst remaining the same crossed armed position but staring at me deeply.
“It’s great! Ive met a lot of cool people and they are very helpful.” I replied back smiling but he didnt instead he turned to Zahi who sat up straight.
I paused. The muffled sound of Mr Crasanti speaking wasnt important. What was that.. i felt my heart beat faster inside of me which then jolted my body with the same pace.
Everyone stood there, i thought it was me who was going crazy.
That’s when we heard the first one.
The chilling scream engulfed the station, it wasnt just regular shriek it was far more bloodcurdling as the voice cracked in half, it was as if the victim was being crushed brutally.
Raiyna and Zahi were catatonic, it was as if they were holding their breath when they first heard the screech. No one moved, it was like everyone was preserved in time.
Just then, a few seconds past by as the sound of an alarm consumed everyone in trepidation. People were dumbfounded, no one knew exactly what was going on until they realised it was a sound of a fire.
Phones were synchronised as they rang in different tones and beats, everyone darted in many directions, finally Raiyna motioned her close friend to run and scrambled to the nearest truck and fell in.
I felt the hot sweat disappear as the piercing coldness draped around my body. The fear was still there, i was still shocked. I mean what just happened..?
The scream still echoed in my mind it was a woman’s scream. At first I couldn’t make out if it was a male or female, but after replaying it in my head i soon realised what it sounded like.
Me.
The truck bounced and trembled due to the ground being rocky. I looked at Zahi who had his hands on his lap breathing anxiously.
It was my first time handling a fire, I expected a fire to break out in a week or so but just under four hours there’s already one - for me it’s weird.
I felt wrong, it’s like ive already been here before
I glanced out the window as the truck bleated a monotonous alarm, i saw massive orange trees and houses, each of them perched up neatly - their wooden frames and golden banisters stared back at me.
The truck suddenly haulted as my body leaned forward, we were here.. i rushed out the door so did Zahi. A crowd of people were watching and screaming at the house who had red flames eating away at the wood.
Our team, i had to say was very good. We had Raymond and Neveah putting out the fire, Unis and Leah clearing the audience and helping at the same time - and Me and Zahi rescuing people and treating them medically. The rest of our crew were scattered everywhere.
I stumbled towards the house that was in flames, it looked old from the rest of the houses - the gold banisters and the colour of the house faded which was suppose to be a bright blue was now a dark shade of it.
Me and Zahi darted towards the house as our workers tugged at the hose, soon enough the entrance was clear and we went in.
Sparks from the lights buzzed above us as we walked in slowly, Zahi handed me a gas mask as we both plopped it on. There was only one working light and it came from upstairs.
Someone is here..
“Hello! If someone is here can you come down to us so we can check up on you and make sure your okay?..” Zahi bellowed cupping his hands around his mouth and standing at the bottom of the staircase.
No answer.
He beckoned me to follow him. We climbed the wooden staircase which groaned and squeaked every step we took. The smell of acrid filled the mask, as i tightened the grip on it.
“Is anyone here!!” I blurted, as my hands were shaking tremendously from the fear that deepened inside of me.
It was so quiet that i couldnt even hear the flames or the shouts outside. Zahi was infront of me, his red curly hair bounced with every step he took, i reached for the flashlight that was tucked away in my pocket, it was getting dark.
I shone the flashlight at the frames on the wall which displayed countless pictures of a family, all of them resembled one another. A man stood there holding his wife, they glared back at me with a cold glance the one that Mr Crasanti gives everyone. There was no emotion in any of the pictures. They had thick black hair, and pale skin - eyes looking into or above the camera, it drooped as if there was no muscle to hold it up. Each picture displayed the large man and his wife getting married then she is now pregnant and the last picture showed something.. weird.
I felt sick, i couldnt look away from the picture. Zahi noticed that i wasnt behind him anymore, he rushed down the steps his footsteps banging like my heart in my chest wanting to get out.
Wanting to get out.
Someone was screaming my name, i wanted to say yes or what but i was too busy saying the same sentence.
Wanting to get out
Wanting to get out
Get out
Get out
Out
Out
That’s when we heard it.
The same chilling scream. This time. Me and Zahi can locate where it was coming from.
Upstairs.
It didnt sound like me, infact it sounded like a group of people, and i know who those people are.
Zahi grabbed my hand making me move and i instantly snapped out of it. Whatever that was i didnt like it one bit but that was irrelevant… right?
We reached the top of the spiral staircase and looked around for any sign of someone in extreme amount of pain. That was how the scream sounded like.
There was many rooms even though it was a small family, the doors were slightly open, Me and Zahi were hesitant. Something is inside that room.. the faint orange glow came from underneath the door.
It was bright before but now it was fading. We acted on instinct and burst the wooden door down, the room wasnt on fire.
“HELLO!! IS ANYONE HERE!!!” Zahi screamed as i came next to him, something was off.
The room was massive, i assumed it was bigger than the rest. There was fairy stickers, crayons on the side, pink and blue wallpaper wrapped around the room. The house was dull but this room..? This room is the only one with colour.
Squeak. Groan. Groan. Squeak.
We paused. I noticed we were holding our breaths and digging our hands in one another, Zahi slowly backed away from out of the room as i stood there.
“Zahi where are you going come on..” i whispered, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward.
Squeak. Groan. Groan. Squeak.
“Hey is okay to b-be scared just come on out…” i said edging closer into the room, i noticed there was stuffed animals but they were ripped in half, the teddies had their faces taken apart and someone had structured a new one with cotton threads the ones you sew your socks or anything if they have a hole in it.
Squeak. Groan. Groan. Squeak.
The noise echoed all around the room, Me and Zahi moved about trying to locate where this noise was actually coming from.
Squeak. Groan. Groan. Squeak.
..
It got louder
Squeak. Groan. Groan. Squeak.
The bed. The bed. The bed.
The pink fluffy covers were all scruffed up as well as the pillows, the sound progressively got louder as it came from…
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Underneath.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The bed.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
I couldnt take it anymore, i rushed towards the bed, adrenaline pumping through my body as i crouched down and looked around under the bed to see anything.
What…? There’s nothing…
I got up carefully and…
The.. girl.. in the picture.
She stood there, her hands wrapped around Zahi’s throat, her long straight black hair, pale skin and… and.. her face…
She had eyes, but her mouth looked like someone had sewn it into a gruesome smile. I felt like ive seen her before. Me and Zahi have seen her before.
She was a child but for some reason she had a long bony arm that was different from any child’s arm ive seen before.
That’s when we heard the first one.
The chilling scream
That’s when we heard this one.
The chilling scream
The one that reminded us where we were
The girl let go of Zahi as he fell to the floor gasping for air, red lines appeared on his throat as i gasped and looked back at the girl who bend her neck sideways.
I felt something in my hand. Glaring down i noticed a scrunched up paper.
As i was opening it Zahi backed away from this thing, it was standing there waiting for me to read this paper.
Mei Reece. Eight years old. Born on. 12 March 1968. Went Missing in 1976. Cause, the forest.
Wait… the forest..?!
I looked up quickly to find the girl in her bed, it looked more neater than before as well as the toys. Everything was where they should be, then suddenly the glass broke from her window and she was gone..
Squeak. Groan. Groan. Squeak.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
she was gone..
The girl was gone, Me and Zahi were left speechless, unable to move. A crash came from downstairs but we didnt dare to get up. Soon enough we found ourselves outside, police cars and ambulances stirred around us.
I stared at the family hoping to see the little girl but there was no sign of her. The parents were old, gray hairs and wrinkles on every part of their body. The one thing that freaked me out was that they were holding what looked like the same stuffed animal with the stiches across its mouth.
We asked them questions about their daughter
“What happened to her..?” I asked the strange man as i put a plaster on the wife’s hand.
“Happened to who..?”
“What happened to Mei Reece”
“Oh that was tragic, she was apparently hunted down by something, everyone was superstitious about it.” The man let out a deep laugh, a kind of sinister one. A chill ran down my spine as i sat up to look at him.
“Hunted by what…?”
“Ohhh we dont wanna get onto that, she came to my house i didnt want her there-“
“She’s your daughter what are you talking about !?..” I demanded.
“Mei Reece is not my daughter, she banged on my door asking for help, what would i do? She looked a state - then a handsome chap came to the door apologising about his daughter, then they went their separate ways then i found out she went missing.”
“Didnt she have blood on h-her did you even bother to look for M-Mei Reece!?”
“No one looks for Mei Reece that’s 40’s Hendry golden rule - dont look for missing people.”
“W-what…”
“They wanted the kids of 40 Hendry so i got some, including Mei, and the older ones… like you.”