‘The Girl’ by Olamide O
"Oh come on eli, it's time to go to bed now" I said loudly at the little girl squirming in my arms, " it's 8 0'clock, its your bedtime." She huffed, staring up at me with big brown chocolate eyes, before sitting firmly on the ground, arms crossed against her chest. I sighed, reaching to pick her up, wincing as she squirmed, kicking me in the stomach.
I knew that out if the whole babysitting buisness, this time of day would be the worst. We ld had an amazing time so far, playing games, cooking her a lunch of frozen pizza and we ld watched a movie that had ended a few minutes ago. I had honestly thought that her parents would be back home from the wedding they were attending but they had just texted me that they would be a little late.
Snapping back to reality, i walked up the stairs to eli ls bedroom, the little girl clutched in my arms. I looked around, to my right there was a corridor with a bathroom at the end. Good to know. There was nothing else on the corridor. Where do her parents sleep, I thought to myself before shrugging the thought off. Opening her door I gasped in surprise. This was the room of childhood dreams. Lacy princess curtains, a bed filled with plushies, and a lamp on her bedside table that had hello kitty painted on the side.
I turned around to tuck eli in bed but froze at the site of her face. She looked completely terrified, craddling her pillows to her chest and rocking forwards and backwards. "1 1 m scared" she said quietly, pushing her face into the pillow. "Don't make me go to sleep." My heart twisted in chest when tears began to roll down her
cheeks, dissolving into her pillow. "Okay, how bout we compromise then. You still have to go to sleep but 1 / 1 1 stay with you, I promise" She looked at me with her big brown eyes and nodded slowly, holding my hand tightly as I made myself comfortable next to her. I felt the tension in her body relax as I tucked myself under the blankets and I whispered to her "What are you afraid of anyway?" She whispered back, her voice a tiny whisper, barely audible "The other little girl
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. The rhythmic beat of the clock pounded in my ear, jolting me awake. I opened an eye and surveyed the room. Yup, it was still the same, pink curtains, love hearts on the walls and a lamp on the table. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. Wait, a lamp. Fumbling to sit up I clicked on the low light setting I looked for eli. She wasn't there. I sighed, getting to my feet. She was probably in the toilet, right? Opening her door I walked into the hallway. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. Darkness swept into her flooded, coating her bedroom in an inky black except for the lamp on the table. I felt around blindly, aiming for the toilet at the end of the hallway. Tick tock,tick tock,tick tock. I stumbled, tripping on a toy on the plush rug. The door to the toilet was in my hand and I pushed it open hoping to find eli inside.
She wasn't there.
I groaned, this meant I had to search the whole house now to find her and it was soo dark and late at night. Looking at the clock, I took in the time -2:45- it was nearly 3 in the morning. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. Shouldn't her parents be home by now. No matter, I really needed to look for
eli. That was the main priority anyways. I turned to leave but realised that I might as well use the toilet whilst I was there. Sitting down I did my business, then stood to wash my hands looking in the mirror.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. My undereyes were puffy and red and I had marks on my face from the plushies I'd slept on. I looked at my reflection staring back at me and felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Tick tock tock tock. In the mirrors reflection I could see something. Tick tock tick tock. There was something behind me. Tick tock tick to-. The clock died. There was something behind me. I whipped around, a scream building in my throat to see a little girl. A little girl clothed in pink pajamas holding a pillow rightly in her arms. It was eli. My body relaxed and blood rushed through my head. "You scared me eli, gosh, where have you been" I said rushing. She was silent, looking at the floor. "Eli, eli what's wrong?" I whispered reassuringly, kneeling to her height. "1 1 m scared" she said, pushing her face into the pillow, "don't make me go to sleep." I held out my hand and she gripped onto it tightly holding it in an iron grip.
Opening the toilet door, I stepped out into the hallway, eli trailing behind. Her grip on my hand tightened as we walked up to her door. "She must be really scared" i thought as we walked, my pace quickening. I looked down at her, but her face reflected no fear. It was blank,completely blank, like a fresh coat of paint had been plastered over her skin on her face. Pain struck through my body, as i realised eli was squeezing my hand hard enough for my bones to creak. "Eli please let go!" I said, groaning in pain as my fingers squeezed together. She squeezed tighter, her grip an iron fist in my hand. I screamed in pain and fell to the floor as my thumb twisted, popping out of its socket. My other hand gripped her wrist trying to pry her fingers from my hand. The second I touched her, the iron grip loosened and she let go. I backed away from her slowly, crawling backwards.What the hell!, I thought as I looked at my bruised dislocated thumb. Slowly, I stood up and gingerly touched my hand. Pain shot through and I screamed my thumb popped back into place. Panting, I looked at eli, no child should have that type of strength. That crazy, impossible even. "Come on, let's go to your room. You need to go back to bed." This time I didn't offer her my hand I just walked hoping that she would follow. She did and I breathed a sigh of relief. I didnt want to have to carry her again, i didnt want ti have to touch her at all.
I opened the door to her room and paused. Something felt strange. Different. It felt wrong. Ushering her into the room, I looked at the lamp. It was off, completely dead. I
swore I turned it on, I did, didn't I? She sat on her bed and closed her eyes, barely touching her pillows or asking me to stay. Something was wrong really wrong. The hair on the back of my neck prickled and I realised that the sound of the clock had stopped. Looking at It realise it was dead. Completing turned off. Fear flashed through my mind. This whole thing was wrong. The lamp, the clock, the toy in the hallway, the way eli squeezed my hand. Trembling, I looked at the little girl, and her head tilted up and to the side as she stared at me. Blood pounded through my ears, my heart thumping loudly as I backed away into the corridor and the lamp flickered... once.... twice, the shadows reaching for me as if to pull me back into the bedroom. "Eli?" I said, my voice barely adible. "You need to go to bed... please." A little laugh echoed from the bedroom, a gurgling, choking noise. Like something was trying to copy the happiness of a little girl. But couldnt...
The world went still.
I turned sprinting down the stairs, towards the living room where i knew my phone was on the couch. My slippers were caught on the hardwood floor as I grabbed my phone, bolting towards the front door. There was a pitter patter of small feet behind me, walking fast.
A voice called, "1m scared, you promised to stay with me." I didn't fall for it this time. I turned on my phone flashlight as the lights downstairs turned off completely and I
swung round to face eli. Or what used to be her.
Her eyes were wide, black as coal, her skin a sickly gray, looking as if it had been spread over bones that weren't hers. The pink pajamas she ld been wearing were shredded and turned a deeper red. Blood.
It was blood.
My phone dropped and I snatched it up, the flashlight catching images of the girls arms, legs and head crawling across the wall in a distorted figure. I screamed and backed away bolting as its voice called again. "Please don't go, I just want to play with you." Reaching the front door, I fumbled with the handle before throwing it open. Icy wind battered my face. I was
free. I was free. I was-
Something grabbed my ankle, pulling, pulling, pulling me backwards. I twisted desperately trying my best to break free of the grip. It's nails bit into my skin and I felt blood drain from my leg. With a final kick I broke free, falling out onto the porch under the dim light of the porch light. Eli stood in the doorway, smiling with blood stained teeth, pajamas soaked in blood. I stumbled backwards, taking a final step into the street below, phone clutched in my hand, already calling 999. It laughs softly at me. It's dead eyes leaking blood onto tge ground. "You can't leave. Your part of the game now."
Prologue: 9 years later
They say that the hospital corridors are quiet, but I hear it always. The tick tock, tick tock in my ear, buzzing behind my brain, always at the edge of my consciousness. The nurses say I have trauma, the doctors say 1 1 m plain crazy. I know better.
I remember the house, the clocks, the lights. The pink bedroom and the mirror in tge bathroom. The little girl that I was looking after. I remember the way I ran, across the corridor, down the stairs and through the door. Little footsteps running,running faster than they should have been capable off, as the little girls voice stretched into a laugh,a horrible sound that wasn't a child at all.
I got out. I made it. 1 1 m safe now. They are always telling me that 1 1 m safe now.
But at night, when the clocks hit 3 am and the ticking returns. When the lights flicker and the shadows start to move. I know. I know the truth.
I didn't outrun it. I never did.
It's just waiting.