Whisper: Whisper

 

I used to think that ghosts, the supernatural, and demons weren’t real. I thought maybe that they were made up just to scare people, but I was wrong and now my twin sister Megan goes through intensive therapy because of it.

            It was our sixteenth birthday and Megan suggested that a couple of friends of ours - including us - should go to the new High School at midnight. We heard stories of sightings of phantom children and strange whispers while that place was being built. It was a stupid idea, but for a couple of bored teenagers in a one-horse-town it was the best thing to do. Our group of four decided to split up: Megan and I went to the gym while our other two friends went to the cafeteria.

            “I don’t think this is such a great idea, Laura.” Megan said quietly as we sat down on the bleachers. She peered around cautiously as if something was watching her.

            “What are you talking about? This was your idea you know.” I reply back in a matter-of-fact way.

            “I was kidding! I can’t believe you thought I was serious.” Megan barked back instantly.

            “Well we’re here now so there’s no point in going back home. Plus this is a brand new school it can’t be haunted; it’s not even open yet.” My tone was care free and laid back. We sat there in silent darkness waiting, for what I wasn’t too sure but in any case we were there and we weren’t going home. I saw Megan fidgeting with nervousness; the silence was driving her crazy. It was like snow sucking up all sounds and the darkness grasped us with lonely arms. It was hard to see; the emergency lights provided nightlight like coverage over the large gym. I have to admit - now that I remember – it was creepy and we should have gone back that very minute. Megan stuck close to me. I was always somewhat of a leader between the two of us, though I was only five minutes older. Nonetheless she was my little sister and I didn’t do my job protecting her.

            A sudden crash shattered the deafening silence like glass. Following the crash was an eerie chill and the sound of whispers filling our ears. It quickly dispersed and Megan jumped up in fright and panted trying to catch her breath.

            “Ok it’s time to go now! We have to leave RIGHT now.” She told me with panic in her voice.

            “Calm down, it was probably just Erin and Riley trying to scare us.” I said trying to reassure her.

            “Laura, I don’t want to be here any more let’s get the others and go.” Meg was serious and I knew it, but ignored it.

            “No, come on we’ll check on the others and stick with them. Is that better?” I said as I walked to the double doors leading to the hallways.

            “I want to go home!” She yelled.

            “Stop being a baby! You always do this, you always whine! Just shut up for once,” she took on a hurt face and looked down, “Come on.” I ordered. She trailed behind me in silence as we made our way to the cafeteria. I felt bad; I wanted to apologize, but pride got in the way. Me and my stupid pride.

            “Turn back.” A quiet whisper grazed my ear. I whirled around as rage burned in my eyes.

            “What did I just tell you? We aren’t turning back!” I yelled at Megan.

            “I didn’t say anything.” Meg replied with a quiet voice.

            “Don’t play games with me ok? I’m about fed up with you.” I said as we continued to the cafeteria. We walked in and saw our friends Riley and Erin sitting at one of the tables.

            “Hey!” Riley said with a cheery voice as we walked up to them.

            “Were you guys the ones who made that noise?” I asked.

            “No, we thought that was you two.” Erin answered. Megan broke in again; she was fed up with me now and now that I think about it I don’t blame her.

            “Ok enough is enough. We’re all leaving.” This sent me over the edge. I was tired of her constant worrying.

            “You know what, Meg? Go home then if you’re so scared! No one’s stopping you just leave! I didn’t want you here anyway!” I stormed off back towards the gym and Riley and Erin started following me.

            “Wait, Laura I don’t want to go by myself!” I heard her running to catch up. I turned around and shoved her back into the cafeteria. She fell to the floor and slid a little.

            “You don’t want to be alone huh? Well to bad you can find another way out BY YOURSELF!” I slammed the doors behind me and leaned on them with my arms crossed in anger. I saw Riley and Erin look at each other with doubtful faces as Megan pounded on the doors. She yelled and hollered for me to open the doors for a good ten minutes before she went silent.

            “Don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh, Laura?” Erin asked.

            “You mean cruel?” Riley corrected her.

            “No, she always gets on my nerves and always wants to ruin my fun! She also -- ” I was cut off suddenly by another loud crash coming from inside the cafeteria. I quickly spun around and flung open the doors and hurried in. Megan was nowhere in sight I only saw her jacket on the floor.

            “Where’d she go? There are no exits in here.” Erin asked quietly.

            “Meg! Stop joking around and come out I know you’re hiding,” I said into the silence of the cafeteria and nothing replied back, “Fine be like that! We’ll just leave you here then!”

            “Don’t leave her.” A swirl of silent voices told us simultaneously and separately. They came from all over the room and echoed. It reminded me of surround sound theatre speakers placed all around us.

            “Ok so seriously guys, I’m not sticking around here.” Riley said as he slowly backed up to the doors.

            “Yeah, Laura something’s going on here and I really don’t want to stay.” Erin added.

            “But we can’t leave without Megan.” I said to them but even that didn’t convince them to stay.

            “You can find her on her own. We’re leaving.” Riley grabbed Erin and ran off.

            “Jerks.” I said under my breath and went into the halls to start checking the classrooms. Each room was empty I couldn’t find her anywhere. I was starting to think that I was never going to find her. That’s when I saw them. I saw a group of children barley over the age of eight. They all looked very sickly, skinny, and generally they looked like death. Each of them suddenly lifted their hands and pointed to a door that they were crowded around. Cautiously, I made my way through the small group; they were looking at me with sorrowful eyes on their ashy gray faces. I turned the doorknob and walked in. The children had disappeared but that was the least of my worries. I saw Megan in the corner sitting, trembling, and staring at the ground. Her clothes looked old though they were they same ones she was wearing just twenty minutes ago. They were torn and dirty. Her hair was disheveled and she had dirt smudges on her face. There was a bandage wrapped around her neck. She had small cuts all over her if I didn’t know any better I’d say that she had been cut off from reality for days. I ran to her side and she looked up at me like she hadn’t seen me in years.

            “Laura, why’d you leave me? He found me and he locked me up and he kept me there for months and he’d hurt me and he’d starve me and...”  She was going on so much that she ran out of breath. Her voice was barley over a whisper. It seemed like that was the loudest she could speak.

            “What are you talking about? You were only gone for twenty minutes. Who is this guy you’re talking about?” A chill crawled up my spine as gust of whispers alerted me to His presence.

            “He’s coming.” The whispers said. Megan suddenly started backing up into the corner even more she took in deep breaths. Whatever this was she didn’t want to see it again. A loud crash broke the silence once more.

            “That’s the door. That sound is the door to the room he kept me in. Don’t let him get me again.” She said as she tried to scramble to her feet. That was when I realized her leg was broken. I helped her up and rushed out in to the hallway where I saw the children lining the halls and standing against the lockers pointing to the exit.

            “Hurry. He’ll hurt you.” The whispers of the children filled the hallways. The voices drowned out the sound of my own footsteps. The halls went quiet at the drop of a dime as I saw all the children’s faces turn behind me and look down the hall. Their faces took on a look of fright. I followed their stares and saw a silhouette of a man down the hall. Megan gripped onto my shoulder as she saw it too.

            “We have to go now, Laura.” Meg said quietly. I turned and rushed down the hall to the front exit as the whispers grew again they were almost screaming at me for me to leave. I reached the door with Meg leaning on me for balance. I pushed and tugged on the door but it wouldn’t budge. I turned and saw the shadowy figure move with an unnatural speed and inhuman movements. He ended up just feet in front of me. His body looked severely burned and smoke was smoldering off of him. His clothes were melted to his skin. The smell of smoke and ash was heavy in the air.

            “You’re mine.” Were his only words in his raspy dying voice. He extended his skeleton like hand and reached for my neck as Meg began to weep. I clenched my eyes shut and leaned on the door hoping with all my might that this was all a dream. I felt his steely fingers creeping on my neck as my heart pounded in my throat. Suddenly Megan and I both fell back as the double doors gave way. We fell on our backs and we saw Riley and Erin looking down at us.

            “We couldn’t leave you here.” Erin said as Riley looked down in to the empty hall.

It wasn’t until later that I found out that fifty years ago an orphanage burned down with the kids and owner inside. The owner was a middle-aged man who would lock the children up in a basement and torture them. He’d make them drink a sort of acid that would burn their voice boxes leaving them with only whispers to talk with. He burned it down once he was suspected of the murder of children. The high school was built right over the same ground the orphanage was located. Megan had stopped talking all together after the ordeal and now I stand looking through a window and watch her with her therapist. I want her to talk to me again laugh, yell, or maybe just whisper.