The House of Wood (21 page)

“But how did you escape? What
happened to Justin?”

“For Christ sake, David, there
isn’t any more to tell. He died, the house burnt down. I thought
you were going to try and help me get through this. Instead, all
you’ve done is dredge up all these memories. Don’t you understand
how hard it is for me?”

“Of course I understand, I just
want to help you.”

People were beginning to look
now, their nervous faces sticking out like ghosts in the gloom,
wondering if the sudden uproar would spill over on to their tables.
But she didn’t care.

“That’s the thing though, you
don’t understand. No one has ever understood what I’ve had to go
through.” Her blood was boiling now. She could feel the surge of
anger coursing through her veins. She wanted to stop but she
couldn’t. “You weren’t there, how could you understand? I’ve lived
the same nightmare again and again for three years. I can’t sleep,
I can’t go out alone. Jesus, I can’t even come back to visit my
parents because it’s too hard to remember. That one night has taken
away my life. My only comfort, was knowing that the house no longer
stood. But now it’s back and it will never be over. I just want it
to be over.”

They sat there in silence,
Rachel sobbing into her napkin. A blonde waiter came over to ask if
everything was okay; some of the other customers were apparently
complaining about her outburst. Well screw them, she thought. The
whole damn world could go to hell for all she cared. David informed
the waiter that everything was fine, but could they have the
cheque. The guy shot off in the direction of the bar.

Embarrassment had started to
seep in; Rachel couldn’t believe that she had gone through that
entire tirade in the middle of a restaurant. She could feel her
cheeks burning, as they turned scarlet in colour. She heard David
fidget in his seat. No doubt he was as embarrassed as she was.
Everything she touched just went wrong.

“Look, I’m sorry if I pushed
you too hard.” David said, breaking the silence. “I’m used to
patients that are tough to crack.”

“Forget it,” Rachel replied. “I
just feel so trapped, David. I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m
so angry all the time.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not your fault. This was
my idea. I thought it would help to talk to someone, but I guess I
was wrong.”

“I wouldn’t say that. It’s hard
to confront our greatest fears and I think just by getting this
far, you’ve taken a huge step in dealing with it.”

She paused for a moment, not
sure what to say.

“And you’ve certainly made a
new friend,” he added, with a smile.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime. Although, maybe next
time we could just go out for a meal. No talk of houses.”

Rachel felt that familiar sense
of relief that she had only ever experienced with the man sitting
opposite her.

“I’d love to see you again, but
I don’t know when I will be leaving town.” The sooner the better,
she thought. “Maybe you could drive up to Fort Kent for a
visit?”

“That would be great. I’ve got
some vacation time due next month. I’ll come up then.”

“Excellent.”

Her heart soared. It hadn’t
been an easy night, but maybe it was worth fighting through the
pain of her memories after all. Maybe this was the turning point?
Life certainly couldn’t get any worse, she thought.

The waiter returned with the
cheque. Rachel wanted to pay her half, but David refused to take
any money.

“How are you getting home?” He
asked.

“Ummm, I was going to call a
cab to take me to the bed and breakfast.”

“I can’t let you do that. How
about I drop you off?”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.
You’ve got your new place to sort out.”

“You’re not asking, I’m
offering.” He smiled at her. “Honest it’s no trouble.”

“Well, if you’re sure?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I
wasn’t. I’ll just go and pay the bill.”

Rachel waited by the front door
of the restaurant. A sudden flash of light, followed by a low
rumble, announced the storm was picking up again. She was glad
David had offered to drive her back. The rain was coming down so
hard it looked like a waterfall coming from the sky. There was no
way she wanted to wait for a cab out in that. She heard footsteps
behind her.

“Shall we get going?” He asked,
offering her his arm.

She took it, and the two of
them walked out into the stormy night.

The rain pelted against them as
they shot across the car park towards the car. David tried to
shield them with his jacket, but the wind was blowing so hard, the
rain was lashing down sideways. As they reached the car, he swung
the passenger door open and Rachel jumped in. Within seconds he
joined her, shutting the rain out behind him.

“Wow, this storm is wild,” he
said, shaking the loose drops out of his hair.

“I know. I’ve never known a
storm like this before. I hope Nathan and Becky are okay.”

“I’m sure they’re fine.”

It went quiet in the confined
space of the vehicle, as Rachel buckled her seatbelt. She still
felt guilty for blowing her top in the restaurant. There was one
thing that had been bugging her all night.

“What is it with you and
Nathan? He really seems to have a problem with you.”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to
ask him.”

She sat back and stared out of
the window. “There must be a reason. Come on, tell me. I told you
all of my secrets.”

David stopped fiddling with his
seat and looked at her. “I can’t. Sorry.”

Rachel was disappointed and a
little annoyed. “You don’t trust me.”

“It’s not that, it’s-”

“Then tell me.”

David sighed, gripping the
steering wheel tight. “Okay, but you’ll have to promise me you
won’t say anything.”

“I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah okay, I promise.”

He fidgeted in his seat and
adjusted the rear view mirror. “Nathan was one of my first
patients.”

“Oh my God, why? What was wrong
with him?”

“There was a huge shoot out
over on route fifty. He saw several good men get shot and die that
day. He was sent to me with P.T.S.D.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s post-traumatic stress
disorder. A lot of soldiers, or people in any stressful situations
can suffer from it.”

Rachel was shocked. Nathan was
one of her best friends and had been since they were children. She
hated to think of him suffering. It did explain a lot about his
behaviour though, she thought. It was another thing that she had to
feel guilty for. Maybe if she had been here, then she could have
helped him through it. It seemed as though she wasn’t the only
person that had changed since she left.

“Anyway,” David continued.
“When he came to me he was showing extreme signs. Bouts of violence
and uncontrollable anger, insomnia and anxiety were all present.
There were complaints about his drinking. I tried to help him as
best I could, but…” he let the sentence trail off. He cleared his
throat. “It’s getting late, but is it too late for a coffee?”

“Erm.” She was taken aback by
the sudden change of subject. “I don’t think there will be anywhere
open at this time of night.”

“You could come back to my new
place. It might be nice to have some company, as it’s my first
night there.”

Was there a hint of something
else in his voice? She wondered. In a way she hoped there was, but
she wasn’t ready for anything like that yet. Although she doubted
Becky would be home very early. She didn’t want to be alone with
only the ghosts of her past to keep her occupied.

“Just coffee.” It was more of a
statement than a question.

“Of course.”

“Okay then that would be
lovely.”

As she got herself comfy in the
passenger seat, David turned the key in the ignition. The engine
hummed to life, as the wheels drifted forward across the car park
towards the main road.

Rachel’s mind was racing with
jumbled thoughts of the past. And Nathan. David had been a perfect
gentleman all evening and she felt bad that she hadn’t been as
honest with him, as he had been with her. Nathan was in a mess, by
all accounts, and she didn’t want to end up in the same
predicament.

“Do you think I have P.T.S.D?”
She asked, not taking her eyes off the open fields speeding past in
the window.

“It’s a possibility. You
certainly went through a traumatic experience. From what you’ve
told me, you’ve been exhibiting some of the text book
symptoms.”

The car filled with silence
again. Oppressive. It was as if there was something growing in
between them.

“I wasn’t being completely
honest with you earlier.”

“Oh?”

Rachel took a deep breath.
“There’s a bit more to the story than I told you.”

David kept his eyes firmly on
the road. “Go on.”

“I’m not sure I can.” Her heart
was beginning to race, the beat matching the tapping of the
windscreen wipers swishing backwards and forwards to clear the
rain. “It’s never really been clear to me, as if I’ve shut it
away.”

“Maybe if you closed your eyes,
it would help.”

“I don’t know.”

“Try it. You’re safe here.”

It was time she let go. She
closed her eyes.

“The fire was everywhere. The
thick smoke filled my lungs, making me choke. I knew if I didn’t
get out, I would die…”

***

It was as if the house was
trying to join the fight. The flames licked at my flesh, searing
the skin. Beams began to crack and splinter. But they held. I
didn't know how long it would be before they started falling. I ran
straight to the window in the upstairs bedroom. It was getting
darker in the confined space. I couldn't see anything. My eyes were
streaming with tears, a mixture of sweat and acrid smoke. I had no
idea where Justin was. As far as I knew, he was still sprawled out
on the landing where I left him.

As I reached the window, my
only thought was to try and jump; I knew at that kind of height, my
legs would probably break, but broken bones could be mended. Death
is forever.

I unhooked the latch and went
to push the glass upwards. It didn’t budge, not even an inch. I
tried again. Still nothing. Panic started to seep in, as the fire
licked at my heels. Years of dirt and grime had jammed it shut. I
was trapped. The only other way out of the house was to go
downstairs and back out the window I had broken earlier, but the
fire was worse down there. The living room no longer existed and
the kitchen was slowly being consumed. The whole house was made of
wood. It wouldn't take long for the rest to go up in flames.

I tried to stem the panic
rising in me by taking deep breaths, but I couldn't breathe. The
smoke was too thick. My knees buckled beneath me and I fell to the
floor, my head banging on the wood. The blow didn't knock me out,
but I wish it had. I can't really explain what happened next. All I
remember is the horror.

At first I thought I had passed
out, drifting through some hellish nightmare of my own creation.
Coming towards me, their arms outstretched, were the dolls. I
watched them as some dragged their hideous bodies closer, their
fingers scratching along the floor. It was the most terrifying
thing I'd ever seen in my life. I still see them now, on nights
when it's cold and dark. I see them in the shadows and in my dreams
when I sleep. I don’t think I'll ever forget them.

Scratching to my right made my
ears prick up. I turned my head. Standing right beside me was the
one with its face half smashed in, the fire reflecting off its
single eye. In its hand the knife hung over my head, poised to end
my life.

I rolled away from the blade,
as it slashed down towards my face. The red hot sting of the edge
biting into my cheek, as the full force of it missed. I tried to
scramble to my feet, but I lost my footing. My back slammed into
the dresser with a loud crash. The doll came straight for me,
lunging for my throat. Shooting my legs out like pistons, I sent it
howling across the room. Within seconds the others were on me,
their grisly fingers scratching and pulling at me.

I fought for my life in that
bedroom. They were like the Devil's rejects spat from hell. The
shrieking rose louder as they attacked. If the fire didn’t get me,
the dolls would.

My legs and arms seemed to work
on their own, kicking and punching out at my attackers. Their limbs
snapped and twisted, but still they came at me. One by one I fought
them down, smashing their hideous bodies to pieces. Then the leader
was back. It snarled at me. The knife glinted in the flames.

“You fucking slut, you’re not
going anywhere.”

Something in me snapped. I
don’t know how and I don’t know if it was my imagination, but there
was something in the voice, something familiar. For a split second,
it sounded like Justin. Whatever it was, it turned my heart to
stone.

“Come and get me, bitch.”

We flew at each other like
wraiths. The doll slashed at me with the knife, but I swung my leg
as hard as I could. It dodged my kick and came at me harder. I
grabbed the deformed body, dashing it against the wall. I’ll never
forget the screaming. It tore through my soul to my very core. And
then it was silent, only the roaring of the flames could be heard.
The blade sat lifeless on the floor. I ran.

The hallway was engulfed in
flames, as the house was beginning to collapse in on itself. There
was no way out. The stairs had gone, eaten away by the
all-consuming flames.

I felt something grab at my
ankle. My instincts caused me to kick out, thinking it was the doll
back for revenge.

“Rachel, please help me.”

I couldn’t move. Justin had a
hold of my leg, clawing at me. I don’t know whether it was insanity
or fear in his eyes.