The Strangeness

This story is by Jordan Raikes and was part of our 2018 Fall Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

Just one more night. –

James lay on his bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. The “strangeness,” they had called it, started years ago. Furniture moved when they weren’t home. Strange voices chattered in the darkness. Once, a window shattered unprovoked and sliced his arm so badly he nearly passed out from the blood loss. He tried to explain it away but it was worsening each day. Now, James feared for his family and knew it was time to get out. He put in for a transfer at work and spent every last dime they had on the moving truck, otherwise they’d be at a hotel. In the morning, they’d be gone.-

One more night in this God forsaken house. –

From the corner of his eye, he saw something like one of Mary’s toys, sitting across the barren room. –

I thought we got all of her toys packed up. –

James got up quietly so as to not disturb Liz and went to investigate. As he approached the small box, a soft melody began to play. James tilted his head as he strained to hear and a familiar childhood tune came to mind. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that it was a Jack-in-the-Box. –

“We never bought one of these,” he said quietly. It droned on out of tune and at a grudging pace. –

“All around the mulberry bush,

the monkey chased the weasel…” –

A shiver ran down his spine as James touched the box. The tune halted on “weasel” and the Jack sprung out, startling him. In its hand, the puppet was holding a small piece of paper. He took the note and unfolded it to read a hastily scrawled poem: –

“Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow…?” –

Just then, through the door to the hallway, James heard Mary giggle, followed by a splash. –

“She’s supposed to be asleep!” James growled. He set down the toy and quietly headed down the hallway towards the bathroom, closing the bedroom door behind him. –

As he walked, his foot sunk into something cool, wet and sticky. He stepped backward and found the carpet soaking wet. Frustrated and confused, James marched to see what Mary was doing that had caused such a mess. He only made it a few paces before a low, rumbling laughter filled his mind. –

James stopped, looked around and shuddered. One more night… –

From where he stood, he clearly saw the bathroom, the light on and liquid gradually making its way down the hall from the crack underneath the door. –

“What is she doing!” James muttered angrily under his breath. About to rush into the bathroom, a figure appeared in the hallway just beyond the bathroom door. It’s features were obscured by shadow, but James clearly saw a jagged, yellowing smile with an unnerving yellow gaze. Though its lips’ never moved, James clearly heard a low, raspy voice say, –

“and pretty maids…all…in…a…row…”-

The creature’s eyes flared and with a flash of heat, the door to the bathroom flung open. James saw Mary drenched from head to toe in sticky clear liquid, holding her rubber duck. She looked up at him, smiling wide. –

“Daddy, look who I found!” She said as she held up her toys. –

“The tub was already full so I played for a little while. Do you want to join m…” –

Before she finished her sentence, the bathtub erupted in flame. In less than a second, the entire bathroom was engulfed in white-hot fire. Anything coated with the thick, viscous liquid was instantly incinerated. James stood in horror as his daughter’s smile was masked by searing flames. The metal braces strapped to her knee and ankle to help her walk turned from their usual polished silver to a bright red-white. Mary’s mouth, still open from speaking, looked as though it were an abyss of gnarled stalactites and volcanic runoff. Momentarily, James was struck that she looked utterly demonic. Within a breath, the floor leading out to the hallway shifted into a runway of fire, charging viciously towards him. –

His body maneuvered instinctively, throwing him off the soaked carpet and towards the door of the master bedroom. Stunned, he cried out, “MARY! MARY!” Moments later, the entire hallway was completely engulfed in flames.-

Liz bolted upright, startled by the cries of her husband. Within seconds, she was up and moving. She threw open the door to the hall and covered her face from a blast of heat. Before her, the entire hallway completely immersed in flame. She ran to James and helped him up.-

“Where is Mary, James? What happened?” She said frantically.-

“She… Liz, we have to save her.” James said coughing and pointing down the hall.

Terror swept over Liz and she went pale. James, back on his feet now, ran into the bedroom, grabbed one of the thick blankets from their bed and dashed back into the hall.-

“Call the fire department! Then get out. I’ll find her Liz!” He barked at his wife.-

Stunned, Liz stared at him in a dumbfounded stupor.-

“Liz!” James yelled as he shook her slightly. –

“GO!” he cried as he wrapped himself in the blanket and dashed into the inferno. –

Fire licked at the blanket, begging to taste flesh. He darted around to avoid the flames and lunged into the bathroom.-

His heart sank as James beheld his daughter. Mary’s arms and shoulders had completely disintegrated to charred ash where the clear goo had covered her. Her legs were contorted into an unnatural position and her braces had completely melted to her legs. The faint remnant of her smile was now burned into her blackened features. Her bright red hair, which James treasured so dearly, was nothing more than small smoldering stubble now. The figure now staring up at the stunned James was a wretched shell of someone he once loved; her expression plastered in a toothy grin while the flesh of her face wilted off like slivers of paper in the wind. James couldn’t move. Any visage of hope he clung to moments earlier had evaporated. Tears rolled down his cheeks as James watched the fire disperse from Mary’s body, nothing left to consume. –

Fire danced around the room and the blanket burned through to his shoulders, forcing James to leave. His back screamed in pain as heat blisters began forming over his skin. Clearing the hallway, he hastily discarded the blanket and then hurried downstairs to find Liz. –

Tears blurred his vision and his lungs began to burn as the thick smoke settled deep in his chest. As he descended the stairs, he saw the black figure from before in front of the den, obscured by the shadows and smoke, laughing a sinister cackle.-

“You can never truly leave us, James,” it hissed gutturally.-

Consumed by rage, James charged the figure. Instantly, the creature disappeared and instead, James ran headlong into the door to the den. With a resounding crack, the door flung open and a rope snapped.-

For James, time seemed to slow as he looked up to see the broken rope fall limp on one end and zip toward the other where the ceiling fan had been used as a fulcrum. With a horrific pop, he saw Liz’s body fall limp as her neck snapped, a noose drawn tightly around the soft skin just below her jaw. Her body swung gently from the rotating ceiling fan and her eyes stared blankly ahead with each rotation, the life behind them now vacant. –

James breath caught in his throat. His lungs still burned. His eyes, wide with shock, filled with smoke and tears. His stomach churned. His entire body hurt, but he fell to his knees, sobbing and convulsing, unable to control himself any longer. He rocked back and forth and heard himself whimpering in bursts and fits between sobs. He never heard the sirens blaring or the emergency response teams as they broke through the front door. –

Firemen flooded in and went to contain the raging fire. Others came to James and began prompting him to get him out of the house. Lips moved, men in uniforms spoke, but James heard nothing. His eyes were locked on the slow rotating form of his wife. Unblinking, James was pulled out and Liz was cut down, her limp body carried out behind him. The firemen placed James and Liz in the back of an ambulance and several paramedics began treating his burns. As the scene went on frantically about him, James slowly sank into the dark reprieve of unconsciousness. Right before falling under, however, James saw through his bloodshot eyes a small box, sitting atop one of the medical cabinets in the ambulance, a small box that he had seen for the first time only ten minutes prior. –

Panic seized him and his blood pressure spiked, sending James into convulsions more violent than before. The only thing clear in his mind any longer was a quiet, terrifying childhood tune and a sinister laugh…