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“Yeah,” I felt my heart trip, “but I realize more each day that there are gray areas, and this is one of them.”
“Did he hurt you that night, you know, after…” She trailed off, and I cleared my throat of emotion.
“Yeah, he did.”
We both stopped as we came to a small rock wall. The old mill stood tall, dark, and abandoned as it had for nearly a lifetime now. I scanned the edge of the woods, and I was terrified to my very core. But I knew I could do this.
“Is this where?” I heard her swallow with a gulp.
“Yes.”
“My God,” her voice cracked as she took another tight grip on my arm, “do you think he’s—"
“I do.”
“Are you sure we should be doing this?”
“No,” I whispered, but just the same, I patted my cell phone in my pocket to remind myself I wasn’t alone. My location was on. “But I can’t do this anymore, and neither can you.”
“Okay, let’s see if we can find them.” We both stepped out of the protection of the woods and climbed over the small rock wall. I fought back the memories I’d been fed about this place by Ben.
My teeth chattered as I pushed open the old door and reached back to take the flashlight she pressed into my hand. The hinges squealed loudly enough to wake the entire forest from its misty sleep. The sound seemed to vibrate through my bones.
“I’ve heard about this place.” She seemed to want to talk to hold back her jitters. “Watch your step.” She pointed to some rotten wood at the entrance then followed in behind me.
I scanned the pitch-black building, unsure of what we’d find. The temperature seemed about twenty degrees colder inside. I knew this part of the mill had caught fire back when it was still in operation in the forties, and part of the roof was missing, along with some of the upper wall.
“Do you think this place is haunted?” She blew into her hands as her flashlight bounced around.
“No.”
“They say when the place caught fire, everyone got out but three young men. They got trapped in here.” She pointed around. “Can you imagine? Apparently, they called for help, but no one could go back in because the flames were too high. It was shut down after that. Eventually, the land was sold, but whenever crews moved in to clean it up, unexplained things started to happen.”
“Like?” I lifted a wooden cover and looked inside the barrel as I held my breath.
“Like whenever they’d come back to clean it up or tear it down, someone would get hurt. It didn’t take long for the mill to get the reputation for being haunted.”
“Any idea why Ben would pick this place?”
“No, other than maybe because most people would stay clear of it.” Her voice shook. “Can you tell me again what he said to you, please? I just need to understand what happened that day.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, and her flashlight went still then she pointed the light at her face. I saw her nod and took a deep breath.
“He said he knocked on your door and your mom answered.” I hesitated and felt my stomach tighten. I had already crossed a line I promised myself I never would. “She said he couldn’t come in, but he forced his way in anyway. Then he gagged her and held his hand over her mouth and nose until she passed—” My flashlight suddenly flickered and went out. Jennifer tripped and sent her flashlight across the room. “I can’t see anything.” I tried to get my eyes to adjust as my nerves took over.
“Dr. Knight?” Her panic sent a chill through me. Something above us creaked, and we craned our necks to search the floor above us. Something fell, and we both ducked and covered our heads.
“Take my hand.” I reached in the direction of where she was, and she took my hand. “I think maybe we should get back outside.” I shuffled my feet so I didn’t trip as we inched toward the door. I wobbled a bit as I tuned into her hold on me and flexed my fingers as I realized she wasn’t wearing her rings.
People talked about different levels of fear. There was seeing fear, hearing fear, and feeling fear. As my brain spun to catch up, I felt that entire cocktail flush through my veins.
“Say something,” I choked out.
“You’ve been saying enough.” Ben’s voice trapped the air in my lungs. I felt terror rip through my body. “You’ve been a bad doctor, Ivy.”
“Jennifer!” I somehow managed to scream. “Stay where you are!” He grabbed my arm, and my instincts kicked in as I desperately reached back with my free hand, my fingers felt wood. I swung it hard in his direction and hit him on the side of the head. I heard him crash into something as I raced around a half wall I’d spotted in a sliver of moonlight. I felt around for anything I could toss to make a loud enough noise to alert the guys of my exact location.
My cold hands desperately felt around shapes and surfaces for something to throw, but nothing would move. Everything was either nailed down or welded together. The fog of what was happening tried to shut me down, and it was a great challenge to not let it.
