The Haunting of Emily Stone (21 page)

“I've spent half my life hooking women up to machines,” he replied. “Maybe I have a problem, huh?”

“I'm serious.”

“We were both younger then,” he pointed out. “We've both learned things.”

“I'm sorry I lied.”

“I'm sorry I didn't do a better job of getting to the truth,” he told her. “Still, we're here now and I'm convinced this is going to work. You just have to trust me.”

She paused again. “I do,” she said finally, reaching out and clicking the cuffs shut around her left wrist. “Just don't lose the key, okay?”

“I won't,” he replied with a smile, as he closed the other set of handcuffs around her right wrist. “Jenna, Doug and I are going to be here the whole time. We've got multiple plans worked out, depending on the various possibilities, and I wouldn't be putting you through this if I thought there was any substantial danger. I mean, being a pioneer in any field is always going to carry a certain risk, but I'm confident. We'll keep Lizzie safe too.”

“But if it gets to the point where you have no other options,” she whispered, keen to ensure that Lizzie didn't hear, “and if there's any sign that my daughter's in danger... Just let me go.”

“It won't come to that.”

“But if it does...”

He paused, sensing the earnestness in her voice. “Fine,” he muttered. “You have my word.”

“She's all that matters,” Emily continued. “She's the only good thing that's ever come from my life.”

“You'll need this,” he replied, fixing a sensor to her chest, just below her collarbone. “It's an all-in-one, we'll have more than enough data. Would you like a thumb-tack to stick in your shoe?”

Smiling, she shook her head. “Good luck,” she told him. “You'll get your big break after all.”

“Good luck to you too,” he replied, taking a step back, “and remember, this is uncharted territory. I think we're really going to make history tonight, but it's not about big breaks. That's not what's important.”

She held out her hand for him to shake. “I guess we're finishing something we started a long time ago.”

“I guess we are,” he replied, shaking her hand before turning and heading over to the desk where Jenna was working on one of the laptops. “Did I just say that? My big break isn't important?” He smiled. “If only the twenty-something me could hear the fifty-something me. He'd be shitting bricks.”

“Language,” Jenna replied, nodding toward Lizzie, who was standing nearby.

“You know what I mean,” he muttered, checking the instruments and seeing that all the readings were in order. “If you'd told me even a few days ago that I'd end up back in the same room with Emily Stone, I'd never have believed you. I'd have -”

“Small increase in v-wave pressure,” she pointed out, tapping one of the screens.

“What do you think it means?”

“Nothing. Something. I'll keep an eye on it. It seems to be localized just a few feet from Emily, though.”

“Seems a bit early for anything to happen,” he replied, checking his watch. “It's still a few hours until midnight. Still, maybe it takes a while to build up.” He watched for a moment as Jenna made some adjustments to one of the machines. “Sorry,” he added finally.

“For what?”

“For being a drunken ass twenty-four years ago.”

She turned to him.

“And ever since,” he added. “Oh, and also for driving you into the arms of a man as wet and boring as Tim or Tom or whatever his name is. The guy's an idiot. He doesn't deserve you.”

“Her heart-rate's steady,” she replied, clearly preferring to steer the conversation back to more practical matters. “Blood pressure's a little high, but that's not exactly a shock. All other vital signs are fine.”

“The calm before the storm,” Douglas suggested from nearby.

“Is she going to be okay?” Lizzie asked, watching as her mother waited in the chair.

“She's going to be fine, honey,” Jenna replied, smiling at her. “We'll take good care of her, I promise.”

“That v-wave pressure's still rising,” Douglas pointed out. “Slow but steady. What do you think it means?”

“It means we need to keep an eye on her,” Robert replied, watching Emily with caution. “No fuck-ups, people.”

Jenna nudged him.

“I mean, no mistakes,” he added, turning to Lizzie and smiling.

For the next few hours, all they could do was wait. Jenna split her time between the laptops and Lizzie, while Robert kept his eyes fixed on Emily, watching for any sign of a disturbance. He glanced regularly at the nearby monitor, noting what seemed to be a consistent rise in some of the numbers, and once or twice he exchanged a nervous glance with Douglas. They both knew that the events of the previous night had erupted suddenly, and that they were unlikely to get much warning. As midnight rolled around, they were all becoming more tense, while Lizzie had fallen asleep in a chair over by the door.

“Maybe the ghost is shy,” Jenna said as she checked the readings for the thousandth time. “Or spirit, or demon, or... whatever this thing is.”

“Are you okay over there?” Robert called out, glancing at Emily.

“I'm fine.” She sounded tense. “How's Lizzie doing?”

He turned to look at the sleeping girl. “She's taking a nap. I think she -”

Before he could finish, the overhead lights started flickering for a moment before finally dying. He turned, just as the rest of the lights in the room blinked off, and a moment later some of the computer terminals went black.

“Power cut?” Jenna suggested, with obvious concern in her voice.

“I'll check the supply,” Douglas muttered, heading across the room.

“Is something wrong?” Emily asked.

Looking over at her, Robert realized he could barely make her out in the glow from the few remaining laptops that were running on battery power.

“No,” he said cautiously, “it's fine, we just -”

Suddenly the laptops shut down, leaving them all standing in pitch darkness.

A moment later, Douglas could be heard tripping over something on the far side of the room.

“You okay?” Jenna called out.

“Fine,” he muttered, “just caught a chair leg.” He paused. “My goddamn phone isn't working.”

“Guys?” Emily said nervously. “Is every electrical device off?”

“Looks like it,” Robert replied, glancing around and realizing he couldn't see a thing. The main laboratory only had one set of windows, up at the top of the far wall, but the blinds were down. “I'm gonna get some light in here,” he continued, feeling his way past the workbench and starting to make his way over to where he knew he'd find the pulleys that operated the blinds. “Even if it's just from above, it might help. I doubt this thing can turn the goddamn moon off. Everyone just stay calm.”

Walking carefully across the dark, quiet room, he held his hands out so that he wouldn't go straight into the wall.

“It's getting kind of cold in here, don't you think?” Jenna called out.

“Maybe,” he muttered, finally reaching the wall and starting to feel his way along. “Let's just focus on -”

“Something's happening,” Emily said suddenly.

Stopping, Robert turned and looked across the darkness, but he still couldn't see her. “What?” he asked. He waited for a moment. “Emily? What is it?”

“I don't know, but...” She paused. “I can feel something. It's inside me.”

“Describe it.” He took a step toward her voice.

“I don't know, but it's really uncomfortable,” she continued. She could be heard shifting in the chair, as if she was trying to get free. “Can you get me out of here? It's like something's -”

Her voice trailed off, and a moment later she let out a faint gasp.

Robert took a few steps forward. “It's like something's what?” he asked.

“Mummy?” Lizzie could be heard saying from the other side of the room.

“Emily?” Robert continued, edging closer through the darkness, still unable to see anything. “Talk to me, Emily. What's happening?”

“It's -” She let out another gasp. “It's like hands in my chest. Cold hands.”

“What do you mean by that? What kind of hands?”

“Somebody get some light in here!” Jenna shouted. “Open the blinds! Let's see if we can get some moonlight!”

“It doesn't hurt,” Emily continued, “it's more -” She paused, before letting out a sudden, breathless cry. “It's like they're filling me, reaching up to my -”

“Keep talking,” Robert hissed, as he pulled his phone from his pocket and tried to get some light from the screen, only to find that it was dead. Edging closer to where he thought he'd find Emily's chair, he reached out. “Tell me what you're feeling. I need to hear your voice so I can find you.”

“Hands,” she whispered, “in -”

He waited.

“Emily? Are you -”

Suddenly she let out another cry of pain.

“Is anyone getting the blinds?” Jenna called out.

“Emily, talk to me!” Robert shouted, reaching out in an attempt to find her. Stumbling forward, he turned as he realized he must have gone too far. For a moment, he felt as disorientated and lost as he'd felt on all those drunk, late-night sessions on the campus. “Emily!”

She cried out again.

“Mummy!” Lizzie shouted. “Where are you?”

“It's okay,” Robert continued, trying to follow the sound of Emily's sobs. With his arms outstretched, he waited to find her in the darkness. “Emily, talk to me!”

“Hands,” she gasped, before letting out a sudden scream.

“Hang on,” he told her, stepping forward until finally he felt the chair's wooden frame. Reaching down to her hands, he felt the handcuffs and realized she was gripping the armrest. “You're going to be fine,” he added, running his hands onto her torso, “I'm just -”

Stopping suddenly, he realized that her whole body was tense and that there was something shifting and churning in her chest.

“Emily, talk to me,” he continued, as he felt a distinct shape pressing up from beneath her flesh. After a moment, he realized it was almost as if a hands was trying to break through. “Jesus Christ,” he shouted, “can someone get some light in here?”

“Please,” Emily whispered, “just look after Lizzie...”

“This isn't over,” he told her, as he felt her body starting to shudder. “Emily, stay with me! You have to -”

Before he could finish, he heard the blinds being opened, and a moment later a patch of moonlight fell across the room. As soon as he saw Emily, he took a step back, shocked by the sight of large shapes pushing out through her belly and chest. Her head was tilted back and her mouth was open as she let out a series of slow, regular grunts.

“Mummy!” Lizzie screamed. She ran forward, before Jenna grabbed her from behind and held her back.

“It's okay,” Robert continued, trying to stay calm as he watched Emily's convulsing body. “Emily, try to stay with me. Try to focus on the sound of my voice.” He looked down at her wrists and saw that the handcuffs had begun to dig deep into her skin, causing blood to trickle down onto the chair.

“What the hell is happening to her?” Douglas asked as he edged closer.

“I think something's trying to take her,” he replied, “but the handcuffs are working, they're holding her here.” Looking down at the floor, he saw that the legs of the chair were shuddering, as if something was trying to pull them loose from the bolts.

“What are you doing to her?” Lizzie shouted. “Leave her alone!”

Reaching down, Robert lifted the front of Emily's shirt until he could see her bare belly, at which point he realized that something was definitely in there. He thought back to the description in the Myrkia of human souls stitched into a vast wall, and that was exactly what it looked like: hands grabbing at the inside of Emily's body, trying to pull her through. After a moment, he realized he could hear faint snapping sounds from inside, as if her ribs were being broken one by one. Looking at her face, he saw that blood was running from one corner of her mouth.

“Stay with me!” he told her.

“We need to get help!” Jenna shouted.

“Wait!” he replied, moving around to the back of the chair and looking down at Emily's face. He tried to force her eyes open, only to find that her eyeballs had rolled back, leaving just the whites showing.

“Mummy!” Lizzie shouted. “Why aren't you helping her?”

“I -”

Before he could finish, Robert realized the air all around him was getting colder. He looked across the moonlit room and saw Jenna still holding Lizzie tight, and then he turned back to Emily just as he heard a loud ripping sound. A blinding shaft of blue-and-white light broke through from the space just behind the chair, forcing him to cover his eyes and take a step back.

“What the hell is that?” Jenna shouted.

“I have no idea,” he replied, staring into the crack as it grew and grew, as if the air itself was splitting open. “There's something in there,” he added, as her saw a dark shape moving on the other side of the crack.

“Is she dead?” Douglas asked, still holding back a few meters.