The Second Evil (16 page)

Sean made his pouty face, but backed off.

“You got two calls,” Mrs. Barnaby told Corky, pulling her wool coat over her shoulders, adjusting her scarf. “I wrote them down. One from a Debra; one
from Ronnie someone. I told them you were still at the hospital.”

“Thanks,” Corky said wearily. “I'll call them tomorrow.”

Mrs. Barnaby said good night and headed for home.

Sean argued for a short while. Then he agreed to let Mr. Corcoran tuck him into bed. “Tomorrow I'm going to write something really stupid on your cast,” he warned Corky.

“Thanks. Can't wait,” his sister replied dryly.

“I'm going to run you a hot bath,” Mrs. Corcoran told Corky. “The doctor said it would be good for your sore muscles.”

Corky shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

I've been attacked by an ancient evil force, she thought scornfully, and Mom thinks a
bath
will help!

“You just have to be careful not to get the cast wet,” her mother warned.

“I'll try,” Corky muttered.

She followed her mother up the stairs. After entering her room, she lowered herself carefully into a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

Her ribs ached. Her arm throbbed under the cast.

I can't do anything, she thought, uttering an exasperated cry. I can't even undress myself.

She heard the rush of water in the bathtub across the hall. A few seconds later her mother appeared in the doorway, shaking water off her hand. “Let me help you change.”

Corky felt embarrassed to be undressed by her mother, but she was too weary to protest. Her mother slipped a cotton robe around Corky, then helped her
tie the belt. “This isn't going to be easy,” she told her daughter. “But we'll manage.”

Corky sighed in response and started toward the bathroom.

“Do you want me to help you get in the tub?” Mrs. Corcoran called after her. “You've got to be very careful.”

“No, thanks, I'll manage,” Corky said.

She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. The room was steamy and warm. The steam felt good against her cheeks.

She bent and turned off the water with her left hand.

“Just call me Lefty,” she said aloud.

She stared down into the deep aqua tub. The bath looked inviting. Every muscle in her body ached.

This is going to feel good, she thought.

She had started to pull off the robe when she realized that someone was standing behind her. She turned quickly.

First she saw the maroon and white cheerleader outfit.

Then she saw the girl's face.

“Kimmy!” Corky cried in surprise. “What are
you
doing here?”

T
he white steam rose up around Kimmy. Her dark eyes glowed in the misty light.

“I wanted to get rid of you forever,” she said coldly, speaking in a low, husky voice.

Corky backed up against the closed bathroom door. “Kimmy—what? What are you saying? You're
frightening
me.”

Kimmy's normally pink cheeks flushed scarlet. “I'm not Kimmy,” she announced in the strange, husky voice.

“Kimmy, listen—” Corky started. Her ribs ached. Pain throbbed down her arm. “I'm so tired. I—”

“You didn't cooperate,” Kimmy said, taking a step toward Corky. “You were supposed to die—like your sister.”

“Now,
wait!”
Corky cried. “Kimmy—”

“I'm not Kimmy!” she snarled, then let out a roar that blew away all the steam. “I am what you fear most!”

“No!” Corky tried to shriek, raising her good hand to fend off the menacing figure before her.

The puzzle is solved, she realized, feeling paralyzed by dread, unable to move, to call for help, to take her eyes off the advancing girl.

The puzzle is solved.

The evil spirit is revealed.

It's been inside Kimmy.

“Where is Kimmy?” Corky demanded, finding her voice. “What have you done with Kimmy? Did you kill her?”

At first the creature didn't respond. Her dark eyes reddened, then glowed like fire. Her hair—Kimmy's black hair—rose up around her head, flew up like dark flames.

The low, raspy voice declared, “I have been in Kimmy ever since that night. That night in the cemetery. The night
you
thought you sent me back to my grave!”

Corky stared in silent horror into the creature's eyes, glowing like coals on a fire, at the dark hair flying wildly around its face.

“You thought you were defeating me,” the evil spirit continued. “You should have known better. Ronnie was there too. And Debra was there. And Kimmy, lucky Kimmy.”

“You moved from Jennifer's body to Kimmy's,” Corky whispered, slumping weakly back against the door.

Kimmy's eyes grew even brighter, so bright Corky had to look away. “Why?” Corky asked. “Why are you
doing this? Why did you kill Chip and Jon? Why are you trying to kill me?”

“Kimmy's enemies became
my
enemies,” the voice rasped. “I paid Chip back for dumping Kimmy and for liking you. Jon was following me everywhere. He was coming too close to the truth. I knew that when I saw him with Sarah Beth.” She paused. Her dark eyes narrowed icily. “He's gone now.”

“But why kill
me?”
Corky cried in a shrill, frightened voice she didn't recognize.

“I have to pay you back for that night in the cemetery. You tried to destroy me. Now you must be destroyed.”

“No!” Corky cried. She reached for the doorknob.

But the door wouldn't budge.

“Time for your bath,” the husky voice said. “So nice of you to draw a hot, steamy tub. Now, Corky dear, you can die like your sister.”

With startling strength, Kimmy grabbed Corky by the hair, jerked her toward the tub, and started to force her head down into the hot water.

“O
hh!” Corky tried to pull back as Kimmy pushed her head down toward the steaming tub.

But Kimmy was too powerful.

The steaming water seemed to rise up to meet Corky.

I'm going to drown, she thought.

I'm going to die now.

She closed her eyes as her face met the water.

So hot. So burning hot.

She held her breath. Twisted her body. Tried to force her head up.

Kimmy pushed with inhuman strength.

Deeper. Corky felt the water fill her ears. Rise up over her hair.

I'm drowning now.

I'm dead.

Pictures whirred wildly through her mind. Faces. All of her friends. People she didn't recognize.

Her chest ached.

I can't hold my breath much longer. My lungs are going to explode.

More pictures raced through her mind. A jumble of faces. She saw her family. She saw Sean. Sad-faced Sean.

Now he won't get to sign my cast, she thought.

He'll wake up, and I'll be dead.

Dead, dead, dead.

And Sean will be alone.

No! A voice screamed in her head.

No—
I can't let this happen!
I can't let the evil win again!

As her fear turned to anger and her anger flamed to desperate rage, Corky reared up against the powerful force with all her strength—and swung the heavy cast.

“Oh!” Kimmy groaned as the elbow of the cast clubbed the back of her head.

Momentarily stunned, her fiery eyes faded to black. She stumbled forward.

And as she stumbled, Corky stood up, water pouring off her head. She grabbed Kimmy's wildly flying black hair with her left hand, jerked the head downward with all her might—and pushed Kimmy's face into the steaming hot water.

Corky turned and, still grasping Kimmy's hair with her good hand, leaned the cast on Kimmy's head. And pushed.

Down. Down.

Kimmy's head was entirely submerged.

She struggled to get up. Her arms flailed frantically. She kicked with her legs. She strained to raise her head.

Her chest heaving, the pain shooting through her body, Corky leaned all of her weight against Kimmy's head, pushing, pushing it down, bearing down with the heavy cast.

Kimmy thrashed and fought.

She pushed up with inhuman strength, pushed up, up, strained against Corky's cast, struggling to remove her head from the water.

“Drown! Drown!” Corky said without even realizing it. “Drown! Drown!”

And then Kimmy's mouth opened wide.

A raging wind poured from her mouth.

Into the water.

A wind so hot, so fierce, the water instantly began to boil and bubble.

And still Corky pressed down. Battling the force, she pushed Kimmy's head back down, submerging it so the raging wind made boiling tidal waves roll across the tub.

The tiny room filled with steam. Thick, white clouds of it rose up from the tub, scalding hot. Corky began to choke on it.

I can't see, she realized. It's thicker than any fog.

She couldn't see her own arm. Couldn't see the cast. Could no longer see the head she was holding under the water.

The white steam grew even thicker.

Corky blindly choked, gasping for air.

And hung on.

Hung on to the struggling head as the wind raged and the bathwater tossed and churned. Hung on blindly.

I'm suffocating, she thought. I can't breathe. I'm drowning in a cloud. Drowning in a thick, scalding cloud.

Suffocating … like Bobbi.

But she held on. And pushed. Pushed with her remaining strength, pushed in spite of her pain, pressed the head under the rolling hot water.

The steam cleared. Corky could see again.

Under the water Kimmy uttered a loud groan.

A disgusting green liquid poured from her mouth. The stench of it rose up from the tossing water.

Corky gagged, struggled to hold her breath, trying not to breathe.

The thick green liquid oozed out of Kimmy's mouth. Took shape. Formed a long snakelike figure.

Longer, longer.

It coiled around the bottom of the tub. More. More rolled out of Kimmy's open mouth.

“Drown! Drown! Drown! Please—drown!” Corky screamed.

Leaning on Kimmy's head with the cast, she reached down and pulled open the drain.

She heard a gurgling sound.

And stared in disbelief as the foul-smelling, green liquid snake was sucked down the drain.

A
s it oozed down the drain, the thick green liquid made a disgusting sucking sound that grew louder and louder, echoing in Gorky's head, vibrating, vibrating until the walls appeared to shake.

Still holding Kimmy's head down even though the water had been drained, Corky held her breath, trying to avoid the putrid odor that invaded her nostrils.

The white steam, rising from the tub, rolled over her, wrapped her up like a hot, wet blanket.

The last of the undulating green gunk gurgled into the drain.