Billy: A Tale Of Unrelenting Terror (10 page)

The room was moderately comfortable, actually very comfortable compared to the rest of the facility. The floor was covered with a medium gray carpet and the walls were painted a light brown pastel color. Soft, indirect lighting made the room almost too dark, but relaxing. The only sound heard was the faint rustling of the air blowing out of the vent overhead. A comfortable, softly-cushioned chair sat in the center of the room facing two wooden chairs and a one-way mirror that hid a tripod and video camera. Doctor Newsome gave some last-minute instructions to his assistants and re-emphasized the importance of keeping things calm and low-key during the interview.

"The last time we addressed what happened out there, poor Margaret became hysterical," Dr. Newsome explained. "After that, she withdrew into an almost catatonic state. Let’s try not to let that happen again, Detective."

Nick nodded and waited for the arrival of their guest.

Margaret appeared at the doorway, escorted by one of the nurses and trailed by two orderlies, just in case. The girl barely displayed any knowledge of where she was or who was around her. She sat in the chair provided and stared straight ahead without making a sound. Dr. Newsome sat in the chair directly in front of the girl, and Nick sat in the chair at his side. Between them, perched on a small, round table sat an object that Nick guessed had something to do with the procedure. The doctor glanced toward the mirror on the wall, and then nodded to the nurse, who nodded back before leaving the room. Nick knew that the girl had been injected with a mild sedative prior to her arrival and figured that the nurse’s nod confirmed this to the doctor.

The lights dimmed even further, apparently controlled by the assistants in the other room, and Dr. Newsome reached over and carefully flicked a switch on the back of the object that sat on the table in the middle of the dark room. A strange, rotating strobe light flickered on and off in quick succession, accompanied by the light clicking sound of a metronome. A center disk spiraled in a counter-clockwise motion, drawing one’s gaze into a center that had no end. The apparatus oddly reminded Nick of the satellite images he watched on the news months before – those unforgettable pictures of a vast, swirling cloud of destruction descending on his state, his city, his home. He choked back the tears that suddenly welled up in his eyes, thinking how weirdly appropriate it was for the ghost of Katrina to draw the broken girl closer to her darkest fears. Moments later, the doctor began.

"Margaret, do you hear me?"

The girl blinked at the sound of her name, spoken to her for the first time in months. Her lips pursed as if she were about to say something, but she withdrew again into the nether reaches of her mind.

"Margaret, I want you to listen to me. I want you to focus on the shiny object in front of you."

For a few moments, there was no reaction from the girl. Nick’s heart began to sink as the girl showed no sign of understanding. Then, Margaret’s eyes moved to the object in front of her. Her gaze fixated on the flashing light, her head almost imperceptibly nodding in time to the clicking noise.

"Good," Dr. Newsome continued. "Watch the flashing light closely. You can feel it as it draws you in. You see nothing else, feel nothing else, see only the light, hear only my voice."

Silence enveloped the room. Margaret’s eyes stared intently at the circle of light until they began to close.

"Now, you are getting sleepy. Your eyelids are growing heavy. It’s okay, allow them to close. You see the light in your mind. You are sleeping, but still awake. You see the flashing light; you hear my voice. You are asleep, but still awake. You see the flashing light; you hear my voice. You are asleep."

A moment of silence passed, only the sound of the clicking metronome and air vent overhead could be heard.

The doctor continued, "What is your name?"

"Margaret," the girl whispered.

"Margaret, you are with your friends. You are in a boat, heading out to rescue the poor people stranded by the storm. Tell me where you are"

"I’m sitting next to Ash, Jerry’s up front."

"Who else is there?"

"Corey. He’s driving the boat. It’s hot outside, but, thank God, there’s a breeze. The water stinks."

"Where are you going?"

"We’re on a small river. I don’t know where we’re heading, but Corey says he knows."

The doctor paused for a moment, allowing the girl’s memory to guide her.

"How long have you been on the river now?"

"The river’s gone. We’re on some canal. It’s hard to tell where we are. It all looks the same. Jerry says we’re lost. I think Ash is scared; she’s squeezing my hand. It’s sticky. There’s bugs everywhere."

Dr. Newsome paused again before taking a deep breath and continuing the questioning with a soothing, comforting tone.

"Time has passed. Where are you now?"

"I don’t know. We’re lost. Jerry and Corey started to argue and then Ashley began screaming. Now, everyone is quiet. We’re going somewhere, I don’t know where."

The doctor glanced toward Nick, who shook his head in dismay. The two thought the same thing. What had possessed the youngsters to go out into the swamp without a guide in the first place?

"Did you find something?"

"There’s a house, a house on sticks. It’s quiet. It was loud awhile ago; now it’s quiet. I’m scared. I want to go home."

"Did you go into the house?"

"Jerry and Corey did; they had to. It’s why we came."

"Is there anyone in the house?"

"Jerry went in with Corey to look. Jerry’s painting something on the wall out front. He looks pale. Corey’s coming out now. He’s talking with Jerry. They’re coming back to the boat."

"Go on."

"Corey said there were no survivors. He said there were people inside, but they must’ve drowned. Jerry said it was hard to tell; the animals must’ve gotten to them. Ashley asked if anyone went into the attic."

"Did they?"

"Corey says no. Jerry said he couldn’t understand it. They would’ve lived if they’d gone up there, but they didn’t go. He asked Corey what was up there. Corey said there was nothing up there. He’s not talking much about it, which is weird. Corey likes to talk. Ash says something’s wrong. Why didn’t they go into the attic?"

The doctor looked over at the detective with a questionable look on his face. Nick looked back and shrugged. Why didn’t they go into the attic? Ashley had been right; something was definitely wrong.

"Where are you going next?"

"It’s starting to drizzle. We need to get out of the rain, but no one wants to go inside the house. It’s creepy. We’re trying to find some shelter. We’re lost. I’m scared."

"It’s okay, Margaret. Where are you going now?"

"We’re lost. Jerry is arguing with Corey. He says that we’re just going further into the swamp. The rain is getting heavier, the water is getting rough. Ash is crying."

"Did you find somewhere to get out of the rain?"

"We had to. I didn’t want to get out of the boat, but the water’s getting rough. It’s windy, and the rain is coming down hard now. There’s an island. There’s some rocks we can tie the boat to. The island is overgrown with cypress and oak trees. They’re covered with moss. We find a dry spot underneath some tall trees. Oh my God!"

"What is it? What do you see?"

"They’re not trees. Not all of them are trees. They’re pillars. There’s an old staircase, an old fireplace. We’re at an old plantation. It’s starting to get dark. I’m scared."

"Shhhh, it’s okay Margaret, it’s okay. What are y’all doing now?"

"Corey went to get some firewood. He didn’t come back. Where is he? Why didn’t he come back? Jerry wants to go look for him, but Ash is getting hysterical. Where’s Corey? It’s starting to thunder. I want to go home."

"Did Corey return?"

"No. Jerry said he’d go look real quick and he’d be right back. He just left. Oh no!"

"What’s happening now?"

"Oh no, oh no," Margaret began to cry.

Dr. Newsome paused for a moment, not sure if they should proceed or stop right there. He glanced over toward Nick, who was staring intently at the girl, hanging on to every word.

"Did Jerry come back?" Nick asked.

"No. He screamed; I know I heard it. I told Ash it was just the thunder, but I know it was Jerry. He’s not coming back, he’s not coming back."

"So now, it’s just you and Ashley?" Nick continued, much to the doctor’s displeasure. He could see things were starting to spin out of control, but he knew the detective wasn’t going to stop now.

"Yes, I mean, no. No, there’s someone else, something else there. I’m scared. Ash is crying. I can’t get her to stop. She has to stop. The thing will hear us."

"What thing?" asked Nick.

"It’s coming. Shut up, Ash, its coming. I see it. It’s standing in the rain, when the lightning flashes, I can see it. It’s looking right at us. Oh my God! It sees us. It has red eyes; red eyes staring right at us. Shut up, Ash, shut up for God’s sake!"

"What’s happening now?" Nick asked.

"I don’t see it. It’s gone. No, it’s not. I know it’s here. Oh my God! It’s here! Ash screamed at it. She told it to go away. She told the monster to go away. I think it’s mad. It screamed back at us. A loud roar. Ash’s running away. No! Oh no, oh no, oh no! The thing got Ash. Oh no!"

The girl broke down, sobbing loudly, tears running down her pale cheeks. Just when Dr. Newsome was going to stop the whole procedure, Margaret composed herself. She began to speak again, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I’m alone. I don’t want to die. I have to get to the boat."

"Where are you?" the doctor asked.

"I’m trying to find the boat. I see the rocks. The boat is by the rocks."

"Are you by the rocks?" Nick asked.

"I hear it. It’s coming. I’m hiding behind one of the rocks. The ground is loose; I’m sinking in the mud. I’m too scared to look over the rock. Oh my God! There’s a name on the rock. It’s a tombstone; I’m lying on a grave. I don’t want to die! I’m running to the boat. It’s gone, the boat’s gone. The thing is right behind me. I’m turning around."

"What do you see?" asked the detective.

"It’s a monster. Its red eyes are staring at me. It’s covered in blood. Oh no, it’s Jerry’s blood, its Corey’s blood, oh Ash. It has claws, big sharp claws. I’m falling to my knees. It’s going to kill and eat me. Sharp teeth, flesh hanging off the teeth. I have to throw up, but I’m too scared. I’m crying. I look at its face once again. I can’t look away. It’s just staring at me. I plead with it, don’t kill me, please. Don’t kill me. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee."

The girl’s voice trailed off, a blank expression returned to her face. Slowly, her mouth began to move. She was trying to say something. The two men craned their necks and listened intently, trying to make out what the girl was saying.

"Margaret, what do you see?" Nick quietly asked.

"It’s just staring at me. Oh no, oh no, oh no. It’s smiling at me," she whispered. "He’s smiling at me!" Margaret shouted. "He’s smiling at me! He’s smiling at me! He’s smiling at me!"

Margaret was hysterical. She jumped out of the chair and flung herself at the wall before being caught by Dr. Newsome. Two orderlies came abruptly into the room and helped the distraught woman back into the chair, where she collapsed in tears.

"What are you doing now?" asked Nick before the doctor could stop him.

"Running; I’m running. I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here," Margaret sobbed. "I have to get out of here," she cried once more, her voice barely a whisper.

"When I snap my fingers, you will awaken. You will remember nothing. Everything will be as it was. Do you understand me, Margaret?" Dr. Newsome said.

Margaret was no longer listening. She reverted back to her catatonic state. Dr. Newsome kept trying in vain to awaken her from her trance to no avail.

Nick showed himself out, quite certain that he was no longer a welcome guest at St. Elizabeth’s. It was true the doctor had warned him about opening up doors that could never be closed. No matter, thought Nick. He had to do what he had to do.

Within days, the girl’s family swooped in and had her transferred back to Iowa just as the doctor predicted. The competent staff of the Des Moines Institute of Mental Health worked with their new patient for years. Unfortunately, just like the doctor before them, they were unable to help the girl awaken from her terrible nightmare and the frightening image of the smiling monster that she was forever trying to run away from.

In the end, Nick didn’t get much he could use from the hysterical woman. He knew better than to believe in ghosts and monsters. He shared no illusions that he would discover the ruins of a haunted plantation buried deep in the swamp. No, the only thing he found useful was what he determined to be the true source of the girl’s nightmares. He knew that’s where he was going to start his search – the empty house built on sticks that became a family’s tomb. Nick knew the name of that family all too well, the St. Pierres. He knew where he would find them, a place hidden deep amid the cypress trees – a place called
Bayou Noir
.

Chapter Sixteen

Boo Marie

W
hen Nicholas got back to his desk, he was called into the sheriff’s office immediately.

"The good doctor called me up as soon as you left," the sheriff stated. "He went on pissing and moaning about you disturbing the mentally ill. I would’ve told him to go fuck himself, but I figured you’d done enough damage for one day. Before you even start, let me tell you, I don’t give a shit about whatever went down over there, as long as you get results. Tell me. Was it worth your while?"

"Yes, sir, I believe so," Nick replied.

"Personally, I don’t know what kind of useful information you’re gonna get from some nut locked up in the loony-bin, but you’re the one who claims to be the expert, and it’s your ass on the line."

"Yeah, I get your point, Sheriff. Unfortunately, the girl locked up over there is the only known survivor of that lost search party. As muddled as her memory is, it’s the only thing we have to go on."