16. The Fall

James looked on as Jenny approached the bed. She stared into its deep blues eyes and slowly, but surely, everything began to fit into place. The person on the bed had summoned the creatures here, it had been watching all the time. It was their master. Jenny stopped at the side of the bed, it stared up at her with its dazzling blue eyes and reached out a withered hand and slowly caressed her face.

"What the…?" James was confused, yet intrigued by what he was witnessing.

Jenny stared deep into its eyes, seeing her own blood-splattered reflection in its pupils. With split second timing, Jenny raised the axe into the air and slammed it into its decrepit face. A jet of black fluid spurted onto Jenny's face. She let go of the axe, still leaving it implanted in the creature's face. She wiped away the liquid (Which was quite obviously its blood) from around her eyes and watched as it rived in the pain. Jenny turned away from it and walked back toward James,

"Let's go" She said calmly. The master then let out a hellish shriek and a crack formed in the ceiling, then another, and another. Jenny and James looked on as pieces of the ceiling began to shatter and fall all around them, causing small cracks in the floorboards.

"What's happening?" James cried, Jenny didn't answer she just watched as half of the ceiling fragmented and large chunks of the roof fell onto the master. When the dust settled, Jenny could see four withered fingers poking out from the rubble.

James grabbed Jenny by the hand and dragged her to the ladder. Both of them hastily climbed down and ran down the broken hallway. They reached the top of the stairs and a watched as the front doors to the manor imploded, sending a shower of splinters all over the hall. A gust of wind forced its way through the door, bringing millions of snowdrops with it. The two of them rushed down the stairs, as soon as their feet touched the bottom step, a loud crash and a blinding red light filled the room. Jenny looked behind her and shielded her eyes with her arm. The doors to the Red Room had been thrown from its hinges. Several pairs of arms then slithered out from the light and edged toward James. He was dazzled by the lights and couldn't see the hands as they circled his ankles. Two arms then shot up and the hand gripped James' wrists, the other two seized his ankles. They lifted him into the air and slowly pulled him toward the light.

"Jenny! Help me!" He screamed. Jenny tried to ascend the stairs but something was pushing her back, some invisible force preventing her from rescuing him.

"James!" She shrieked. She had no choice but to watch on as the love of her life was slowly dragged into the unknown.

The arms picked up speed as they reached the top of stairs,

"Jenny!" James cried, but before Jenny had a chance to reply, he was viciously pulled into the light. Jenny fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. The light faded away to reveal a plain brick wall where the doors once were. Jenny stared at the wall as cracks began to appear in the staircase. With a sudden burst of energy, she got to her feet and charged at the wall. She rammed her fists into the brick, slicing her knuckles and smearing blood over the fine brick-work. The tears came heavier and the sorrow gripped her heart tighter by each moment. The house was crumbling all around her, but she didn't care, she had been through so much and all she had to show was a few scars and a broken-heart.

Jenny looked up and watched as a section of the ceiling above her gave way. She wanted it to fall on her and kill her. Maybe in the after-life she would be reunited with James, with all the supernatural goings-on that she had been involved with, she was sure there was some kind of life after death.

The section of the ceiling was a meter above Jenny's head when a figure rushed out of the darkness and dived on Jenny, knocking her out of harm's way. Jenny looked up and saw the wrinkled face of Doug staring back at her. He got to his feet and steadied himself before taking Jenny's hand, lifting her up and rushing down the stairs, pulling her behind him.

The two then exited the house and Jenny fell down in the snow, crying her eyes out, wanting some signs that she would see James again. The house behind her then erupted in green and black flames. Doug watched on as the place fell into ruins. After a moment or so, he went over to Jenny and picked her up. Her carried her to James' car and placed her on the back seat. Doug took his place in the driver's seat and slowly drove off, watching the house burn and crumble in the rear-view mirror. Every now and then he would glance back at Jenny, who remained silent on the backseat, letting the tears trickle down her face.

The image of James being dragged away into the red light kept replaying in her head, she still refused to believe it, how could someone be taken from her so quickly. One final tear fell into her lap and she sighed. Perhaps she would see James again, maybe it would be in the after-life, and maybe it would be in her dreams. There was still one thing that puzzled her, who really was the person on the bed?