Fade: Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen1

“...So . . . are you really Melissa Thatcher?” Deborah suddenly asked as she tossed the contents of the dresser onto the floor.2

“I...No.” I said firmly, turning my head and looking outside the curtained window. “No. My name is Melissa Harvey. Not Thatcher. Harvey.” I turned back and looked Deborah in her conflicted eyes.3

“...Harvey.” She muttered to herself. “It’s odd . . . ” She said out loud as she stood up. “But . . . not as odd as other things.” Looking down at the mangled body of the dog.4

“So . . . you didn’t find anything?” I asked, trying to change the subject.5

“Not anything of interest. You?”  I shook my head. “This room seems empty for the most part, it’s clean and looks like it is the only part of the house in use.”6

“Just like the verse.” I said. “This is the place, the ‘home’ of ‘evil spirits’.”7

“...This house, or is it...” Deborah muttered. She shook her head. “I need to find my partner. If we find Jefferys we may be able to find your friend, Maggie. Either way, we need to get out of here.”8

I looked at Deborah and nodded. “But...even if we get out, where are we going to go? I thought for sure that Nathan or Maggie would be in here.” I said.9

“Where else? You say you’re Melissa Harvey. Well then, the Harvey’s lived one house down. We’ll go there.”10

“...The doors are locked.” I said plainly.11

“And? I broke down that door once, I can do it again.” Deborah said, regaining some confidence. I stared at her for a moment, wondering what she meant by that, but then I just watched her as she tried to pry open the bedroom window.12

The room echoed with nostalgia, memories that shouldn’t have been, bubbled up to the surface, and grim remembrances seemed to come out of thin air. I shook them off, and diverted my attention to Deborah, who had managed to pry open the window.13

“All right.” She said calmly. “It really isn’t that far up, we can probably jump from here and land down on the roof of the living room below, from there it’s only six or so feet to the ground.” 14

I nodded, unsure and nervous, but not nervous enough to back out of the chance to escape the house. Deborah took a deep breath. “I’ll go first, follow after me.” She said as she crouched in the window frame and glanced down below, the dim light of day shown down on her face like a flashlight in a darkened tent. Suddenly, she leaped forward, and flung herself down below. It was only a few seconds until I head her land with a thud against the roof.15

“Alright, now be careful!” Deborah called, looking up at me as I mounted the window sill. It was high up, not too high from the living room...but a couple dozen feet from the ground, which was where I’d end up if I missed. I took a deep breath and jumped forward, I had no longer closed my eyes that I made impact with the roof, and fell to my knees. Perhaps I was a little bumped up–but I was alright, I thought.16

“Alright.” Deborah said. “Now, once more and we’re almost home free.” She leaped off the roof again, seeming to be infinitely agile. I loomed over the eaves of the house and took a deep breath. I looked down at Deborah, who motioned me to jump, and for a split second I thought I saw her head twitch like the Deborah Yates that drove herself to a fiery death.17

I jumped, and felt the wind ruffling through my hair and shirt. I hit the ground with substantial force, but didn’t fall to my knees that time, Deborah smiled and nodded. “Good.” She said. “If you really are Melissa, you’ve changed from the sickly child I knew.” She added.18

“How do you know...”19

“Ok, let’s go now. I’m certain my partner is in there...perhaps your sis–Maggie too.” Deborah said as she turned around and started for my house. So many questions abounded, but nothing in the way of answers. The ranch-tone house in front of us, my home, it would hold those answers I hoped.20

Deborah and I passed the end table, and I noticed that the badge that had been there earlier was gone. I didn’t say anything, but I thought perhaps Nathan had taken it, perhaps he was here...and I also thought, perhaps I didn’t see it, perhaps it wasn’t there.21

“Strange...” Deborah said, gaining my attention. “I thought you said the door was locked?” She asked, as the door in front of us seemed not only unlocked...but open as well. 22

“...When I came here earlier...It was. I swear it.” I said, defending myself somehow? I didn’t know.23

“Well either way, it’s open now.” Deborah said, as she slowly removed her gun from it’s holster. “Jefferys...you better be alive.” She mumbled, taking the lead into my house.24

Floral printed furniture. New, floral printed furniture. I thought as we took a few steps inside. A few book cases, a light unlit, and a kitchen to the right. I shook my head. It can’t be. I muttered to myself. “This isn’t my house...”25

“What are you talking about?” Deborah asked, turning to face me.26

“You must be joking.” I said, panicking. “You have to see it.” I shook my head.27

“See...what?” Deborah asked, looking around as if I was talking about another rabid dog, or something. 28

“Don’t you see!? You have to!” I yelled. “This isn’t my house!”29

Deborah took a deep breath, but held her gun tightly as if she was frightened...by me. “Just calm down.” She said. “This is your house.”30

“No. No.” I mumbled, glancing over at the letters on the kitchen table and the sound of a dog barking out back. “No. This is not my house...not my...not my house.” I fell to my knees and cried. “This is not my house!” I screaming, burying my face into my hands.31

Deborah shook her head and dropped to her knees near me. “Please...calm down.”32

“I...This isn’t my house.” I repeated. “I am Melissa Harvey. Harvey. This...can’t be my house...we just left it. We just..this is...the Thatcher’s.”33

“...Melissa...” Deborah shook her head. “You have got to pull yourself together. I don’t know what you see...but this is your house. If you are who you say you are, then you have nothing to worry about. Please, just pull yourself together until we find my partner–and Maggie.”34

I looked up at the dark haired policewoman, and I rubbed the tears from my eyes. “What. Do. You. Know.” I said coldly, staring her in the face. “Tell me.”35

“...I’m sorry.” Deborah said as she stood up and took a deep breath. “I’m not sure what I know anymore.” She hesitated for a moment, but then put out her hand, offering to help me up. I took a deep breath and got up on my own, and brushed off my knees. “I don’t know...what is real anymore.” Deborah said, glancing over at the stairway. “But I do know that my partner, and your friend are trapped in this...place just like us. If we don’t look for them, no one will.”36

I took a deep breath. Friend. How could this ‘Maggie’ be my friend. If anything...she was...the one causing this all. I had to find her, I thought, to end it all...to get home.37

“Alright.” I said, pushing my hair out of my face. “Let’s go.”38

Deborah nodded, smiling almost at me. I think she was relieved that I wasn’t some creature, or perhaps she was relieved simply because we were beginning our search again. Either way, we headed to the staircase and began to the climb the seemingly-new, non-dusty steps.39