it the Agimat’s fault?
The ax landed at the girl’s legs, severing one of them. Her
eyes shot open as the man raised the ax again. Steven saw blood begin to soak
the white sheets. No! he thought, but he knew he couldn’t stop it. It
wasn’t really happening. He couldn’t stop something that happened many years
ago, something that had been repeating in the house over and over, thousands of
times.
The girl opened her mouth to scream and her father brought
the ax down into her chest, silencing her before she could emit any sound. Steven
heard a sickening crunch as the ax pierced through her ribs. It looked huge,
buried in her small body. He looked up at the man – same wild smile, a complete
lack of reality behind his eyes, convinced he was doing the right thing.
He yanked the ax out of the girl and raised it again, but as
he watched the final moments of the girl’s life, he seemed satisfied and turned.
He walked to one of the other beds where another girl, this one barely older
than the first, lay in bed, sound asleep, completely unaware of the horror that
just occurred not more than ten feet away, and the murderer above her, about to
commit her to the grave.
Steven saw the death from behind, the man’s body mercifully
blocking the view. It was over within an instant, this time going straight for
the child’s heart. After a moment, he raised the ax from the girl’s chest and
was moving to the third bed.
Steven tried to wake himself from the dream, or the vision,
or whatever he was witnessing. I’m asleep, he thought. The ghost is
replaying the events while I sleep. When I’m in the River, I can control
things, where I go, what I see. But this is a dream – as much as I want to, I
can’t control this.
The ax man raised his weapon once again, and Steven tried to
close his eyes as the ax fell and entered the third girl, but he couldn’t. He
didn’t have control over his eyes. He’s making me look, Steven thought. He’s
forcing me to see it, to be part of it!
The man raised his head from the grisly death he’d committed
and turned to look at Steven. He smiled, as though he agreed with Steven’s
assessment – he wanted Steven to be part of it. This time through the loop, Steven
was a real witness, sharing in the man’s deluded fever. Steven would watch the
resurrection and testify of the man’s faith to others.
The ax came up, out of the girl. The window behind
illuminated the dark liquid that dripped from the blade. The man looked around
the room at his handiwork. Steven looked too. Forced to look, he
thought. He’s forcing me to look.
The man turned and walked around the beds, past Steven and
into the hallway. Now Steven felt a greater sense of alarm than before,
something new, something more frightening than even the horrific deaths he’d
just been forced to witness.
He felt his legs move, following the man into the hallway. He
walked to the next bedroom on the right. The door was cracked open a half inch, just as I left it earlier, Steven thought.
The man walked up to one of the beds. A boy, maybe twelve,
was lying in the bed on his side. He had his hand up, covering part of his face
as he slept. No! Steven thought. Don’t make me watch this!
The ax man brought the blade down squarely in the boy’s
torso, nearly severing him in half. Blood fanned up on the walls. Steven
thought he was going to pass out. God, let me black out and end this, he
thought. Let this stop! I can’t watch anymore!
But he felt himself turning to face the other bed. The bed
where Jason slept.
The man raised the ax above Jason. He turned to look at
Steven before he brought it down, as though he was asking permission to kill
him. Then he stopped. He lowered the ax to his side. He looked at Steven again,
his freakish smile twisting in the moonlight. He handed the ax to Steven.
Steven’s arm went up, taking the ax from him.
What the fuck am I doing? Steven thought. He tried to drop the ax, but he
couldn’t.
The
The ax landed at the girl’s legs, severing one of them. Her
eyes shot open as the man raised the ax again. Steven saw blood begin to soak
the white sheets. No! he thought, but he knew he couldn’t stop it. It
wasn’t really happening. He couldn’t stop something that happened many years
ago, something that had been repeating in the house over and over, thousands of
times.
The girl opened her mouth to scream and her father brought
the ax down into her chest, silencing her before she could emit any sound. Steven
heard a sickening crunch as the ax pierced through her ribs. It looked huge,
buried in her small body. He looked up at the man – same wild smile, a complete
lack of reality behind his eyes, convinced he was doing the right thing.
He yanked the ax out of the girl and raised it again, but as
he watched the final moments of the girl’s life, he seemed satisfied and turned.
He walked to one of the other beds where another girl, this one barely older
than the first, lay in bed, sound asleep, completely unaware of the horror that
just occurred not more than ten feet away, and the murderer above her, about to
commit her to the grave.
Steven saw the death from behind, the man’s body mercifully
blocking the view. It was over within an instant, this time going straight for
the child’s heart. After a moment, he raised the ax from the girl’s chest and
was moving to the third bed.
Steven tried to wake himself from the dream, or the vision,
or whatever he was witnessing. I’m asleep, he thought. The ghost is
replaying the events while I sleep. When I’m in the River, I can control
things, where I go, what I see. But this is a dream – as much as I want to, I
can’t control this.
The ax man raised his weapon once again, and Steven tried to
close his eyes as the ax fell and entered the third girl, but he couldn’t. He
didn’t have control over his eyes. He’s making me look, Steven thought. He’s
forcing me to see it, to be part of it!
The man raised his head from the grisly death he’d committed
and turned to look at Steven. He smiled, as though he agreed with Steven’s
assessment – he wanted Steven to be part of it. This time through the loop, Steven
was a real witness, sharing in the man’s deluded fever. Steven would watch the
resurrection and testify of the man’s faith to others.
The ax came up, out of the girl. The window behind
illuminated the dark liquid that dripped from the blade. The man looked around
the room at his handiwork. Steven looked too. Forced to look, he
thought. He’s forcing me to look.
The man turned and walked around the beds, past Steven and
into the hallway. Now Steven felt a greater sense of alarm than before,
something new, something more frightening than even the horrific deaths he’d
just been forced to witness.
He felt his legs move, following the man into the hallway. He
walked to the next bedroom on the right. The door was cracked open a half inch, just as I left it earlier, Steven thought.
The man walked up to one of the beds. A boy, maybe twelve,
was lying in the bed on his side. He had his hand up, covering part of his face
as he slept. No! Steven thought. Don’t make me watch this!
The ax man brought the blade down squarely in the boy’s
torso, nearly severing him in half. Blood fanned up on the walls. Steven
thought he was going to pass out. God, let me black out and end this, he
thought. Let this stop! I can’t watch anymore!
But he felt himself turning to face the other bed. The bed
where Jason slept.
The man raised the ax above Jason. He turned to look at
Steven before he brought it down, as though he was asking permission to kill
him. Then he stopped. He lowered the ax to his side. He looked at Steven again,
his freakish smile twisting in the moonlight. He handed the ax to Steven.
Steven’s arm went up, taking the ax from him.
What the fuck am I doing? Steven thought. He tried to drop the ax, but he
couldn’t.
The
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