By Andy Bellatti
Adrienne Delaney felt pain move at faster-than-light speeds in her body as she pushed for her very much awaited son to be born. She squeezed a nurse's hand; the young woman occasionally glanced at Adrienne and flashed her a smile, a smile of confidence.
"Awww!" Adrienne shrieked loudly, pulling her head back as she pushed with all her inner self. She squeezed the nurse's hand harder and with lots of strength, as if she were squeezing a stress toy after being fired from her job.
Suddenly, a high-pitched cry filled the room. Adrienne slowly opened her eyes and let go of the nurse's hand. She brought her head up and saw the doctor holding a young and vulnerable Sean Delaney. It was as if nothing else mattered, as if all the light in that room and in the world was shining down upon him. Tears of joy rolled down Adrienne's cheeks and made their way into her mouth, the salty taste lingering in her mouth before she swallowed them. Sean was finally born!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The rays of the morning sun made their way into Adrienne's room, flooding the room in a soft, dim light. Adrienne slowly opened her eyes and, as always, turned her head to see the alarm clock.
"Arghhhh!" she growled in a robotic, sleepy voice when she saw it was 7:30, five minutes before the alarm clock sounded.
In a grouchy mood, she stepped off her king-size bed and slipped her slippers on. Like a zombie, she walked into the bathroom and studied herself carefully in the immaculate bathroom mirror. She just wasn't the same Adrienne Delaney who married Donald Gordon (now deceased). Her hair, a few inches above her shoulders, was increasingly losing its beautiful blonde color rapidly, being replaced by a dull dirty blonde. Crows feet were beginning to show up around her eyes, and lately she had gained a few pounds. The fact that one of her favorite pastimes is watching Jay Leno along with a pint of Haagen-Daaz explains the latter.
Things had changed after Don died.
Don. The bare mention of that name gave her goose bumps and brought horrifying images to her head. She remembered that day as if it were yesterday, although it had been 25 years since that incident. Adrienne saw the images vividly: Don's terrifying laughs and taunts as he chased her around that house. That fucking house. The house that shattered everything. More disturbing images came to her head. The unforgettable fizz sound as drain cleaner burned through part of Don's face, as well as the screams of pain emerging from Don's mouth. Adrienne's eyes were flooded and the waterfall broke loose as Adrienne remembered the last image, the one that still haunts her. There was Don, standing in front of her, his menacing eyes staring intently into hers when she pulled the lever. In a matter of seconds, Don's body jumped back as a sharp axe came down and plunged into his back. She heard Don's last gasp... a gasp of desperation, a gasp of death. Don tumbled to the floor and he was gone.
Adrienne sobbed uncontrollably. She loved Don. He was a sweet, hard working man until she had opened that god-damn box. If only she had minded her own business instead of snooping around, none of that would have happened. After years and years of psychiatric help, Adrienne just couldn't help but feel guilty.
Little did Adrienne know that soon another nightmare would occur, an even more terrorizing one.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Hello?" Sean's voice asked on the other end.
"Hi Sean, it's Mom. How's it going?"
"Same as always," Sean replied in a dull tone. "What's up?"
Adrienne sighed. "Sean, tomorrow is Daddy's 25th anniversary since his death, and um.... I was wondering if you... wanted to come with me to the Carnovasch Estate to rem..." Adrienne was cut off by Sean.
"Mom, why the hell do you wanna go back to that house? It totally screwed up your life!" Sean seemed rather angry, but he quickly calmed down. "Look, can't you just remember Dad by putting some flowers on his grave or something?" Sean inquired.
A long silence took over the conversation.
"Mom?"
Adrienne closed her eyes and kept them closed as she spoke. "Sean, it's time I tell you the truth. Dad isn't buried anywhere... he... he's somewhere in that house, and I want to see him." Adrienne words were occasionally cut off, for she was choked up.
Sean's temper flared up again. "WHAT!?! Mom, how can you keep this from me? God, why the hell... is there anything else you have to confess?"
"No." Adrienne felt like the smallest person in the world. She still couldn't believe she kept that from Sean. He didn't deserve to be lied to.
"OK, I'll go Mom."
Adrienne smiled to herself. "Thanks. I already reserved two tickets for us to go to Massachusetts tomorrow."
"Great. I'll see you there."
"Yeah, take care, Sean. Luv ya."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Wow. You guys lived here?" Sean's voice echoed off the walls of the empty and abandoned Carnovasch Estate. The front gate and the front door were both unlocked, so they invited themselves in.
Tears welled up in Adrienne's eyes as she stood in the gigantic living room. Everything looked the same, although more decrepit. The fortune-telling machine in the corner was collecting dust; Adrienne looked at it but immediately turned away as she saw the piercing eyes of the doll inside. They seemed to hold secrets, evil secrets.
Sean was amazed. His eyes wandered all over and his jaw slightly dropped down.
"Mom, why did you two buy this humongous place?" Sean asked as he ran his hand along the spiral stair's wooden banister.
Adrienne shook her head, trying to rid her brain of the disturbing memories that gnawed at her brain like a couple of squirrels who discovered an acorn after starving for days. "Sean, I don't feel comfortable here. I think I know... I think I know where Dad is. I just want to see him and get out of here."
Adrienne walked towards the theater cautiously, as if a hideous beast were to jump out from the floor any second. She slowly turned the knob, the door protesting with an annoying screech as it opened. A musty smell invaded Adrienne's nostrils, making her cringe. Adrienne looked around and froze when she saw it. The chair. The chair that had killed Don.
She remembered how Don plunged down that wooden floor to some unknown place. Adrienne ran to the chair as if Don would disappear if she waited another second. The hole in the floor was still there. She looked down and saw nothing but emptiness. A deep, black hole that seemed to go on for eternity.
"Just like my soul... black and empty" she whispered sadly.
Sean came up from behind, startling her. "What's up Mom?"
"I'm looking down the hole that sucked your father." She licked her dry lips and didn't take her eye off the hole. "He's somewhere down there."
"I-I'm not feeling too well, Mom. I'm getting out of this room," Sean said.
Adrienne noticed that Sean was looking quite pale. She saw him staggering to the living room, occasionally bending over and holding his stomach.
Suddenly, a loud crash broke the heavy silence. Curious, Adrienne walked to the living room.
"Sean?" she called out.
Silence.
Adrienne scanned the room and gasped when she saw the horrific turn of events occurring in the dining room. One by one, the windows were breaking for no reason. A crucifix that was near one of those windows turned in a 90 degree angle, seemingly controlled by satanic forces.
Adrienne was getting scared. Her breathing became heavier and perspiration abounded on her forehead. "Sean?!" she called out nervously.
A chair levitated in the air and immediately crashed into a wall, shattering it into many pieces. There was Sean, sitting in a corner of the room, having severe convulsions. As she walked to the corner, she felt something warm on her back. Looking up, she noticed the roof was dripping blood, warm and fresh human blood.
"No!" Adrienne yelled between sobs.
She grabbed Sean's hand, wanting to get out of that fucking hellhole.
"Leave me alone, bitch!" Sean screamed fiercely.
He then pushed her back with tremendous force. Adrienne's head hit hard against the wall. She heard the hard thud and then felt the pain racing up and down her spine. She fell to the floor with a splitting headache.
Sean stood up and stared at Adrienne as if he wanted to rip her in two.
"Sean? Sean, what's wrong?"
With no explanation, Sean pulled from Adrienne's arm, making her stand up abruptly. He pulled her towards the theater, the room Adrienne hated most from the mansion.
Adrienne desperately tried to pull away from Sean's strong grasp. She scratched him mercilessly, but nothing could do. Sean kept walking towards the stage robotically.
He then grabbed Adrienne and sat her down on the chair.
"Sean, Sean no!!! GET ME OUT OF HERE!! Get me out..." Adrienne broke into tears, tears of frustration, tears of fear.
As if he were deaf, Sean reached down and began to strap her to the chair. Adrienne futilely tried to break loose, but she was pulled back.
"No! Please, Sean.... stop it! I'm your mother! I love you! I alwa----"
Sean stood up and pulled her hair back, as if trying to pull out her roots. "Shut up, you worthless tramp. Now, how should we begin?" Sean laughed like a maniac, just like Don had 25 years ago in this same room. "How should we start, Mom? Should I poke your eyes with a pin first? Nah, I'll break your teeth with a sledgehammer, that should make you SCREAM! Oh, no... now I got it! I'll cover you in leeches and cockroaches so they can eat off your insides!!"
Adrienne sobbed harder. "Please, Sean! I love you."
Sean kept ignoring her. His dilated pupils had a psychotic look, and his laugh was uncontrollable. Sean was downright enjoying all this.
"Sean!" Adrienne screamed.
"I AM NOT SEAN! My name is Don and YOU killed me, you bitch! My spirit is still alive and it's hungry for revenge!" Sean spoke the words angrily; his veins seemed as if they were going to pop out at any time.
"Don?"
Sean spoke again, in Don's voice. "Yeah, honey... it's me! I've been in this huge mansion for years and as soon as I saw Sean... well, his soul was so vulnerable. I decided to take over him to pay you back for all you did to me."
Sean walked over to the chair and smiled at Adrienne.
"See you in hell," he whispered.
Sean pulled the lever in one sudden move. The axe came down...
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