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The girl sighed in frustration as the other side of the banner fell from the ceiling. She’d been trying for thirty minutes to get it to stick to the tile, but the tape was too weak and every time she hung one side, the other would fall. “Tell me again why we volunteered to do this.” Brooke muttered, looking up at her girlfriend, who was trying to keep steady on a very high stool as she tried to hang the bright, sparkly orange HAPPY HALLOWEEN banner that the guests would see right when they entered the room.
Emma kept her eyes steady on the banner, careful to not let it slip out of her grasp. “Because it’s a good thing to do.” She answered, her voice muffled by the tape on the edge of her lips. She’d volunteered all of her friends to help decorate the children’s hospital a few miles out of Lakewood, saying that it would do them some good. After the hellish year and a half, she needed to do something and try to forget the bastard who nearly ruined her life. The others went along for the ride, understanding her reasoning, though some were more enthusiastic than others.
Brooke looked over at the dirty blonde, her expression blank. “We’re in a hospital on Mischief Night.” She deadpanned, thinking that there were a million and one things she’d rather be doing than hanging decorations in a hospital cafeteria on a night that was supposed to be full of fun. But despite her internal bitching, she would be there for Emma. She knew Emma needed to do this, so she supported her without a doubt. That, and because Emma volunteered her, too, and she couldn’t back out last minute. Well, she could, but that would have been low even for her.
Ignoring the subject, Emma held her hand down to Brooke and asked, “Will you please hand me the tacks?” She was going to get the damn banner to stick one way or another. Without a word, Brooke placed the container of tacks in Emma’s palm. “Anyway, it’s for the children.” Emma said, returning to the previous topic, adding a little cheer at the end of her sentence as she finally got the banner tacked to the ceiling.
When Brooke didn’t respond, Emma looked down at her expectantly, her brows raised. With a heavy sigh, Brooke muttered, “Fine. For the children.” Then she picked up some ghost and bat shaped decorations and began sticking them to the wall beside her
The girl hopped off the stool and placed a pleased kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek. “Thank you.” She smiled, eyes alight with gratitude.
Brooke rolled her eyes playfully as she turned to her girlfriend, leaning in and nuzzling her cheek against Emma’s. “I’d do anything for you.” She whispered sincerely, returning the cheek kiss, although her lips lingered far longer than necessary, but neither of them minded.
Before the blonde could pull away completely, Emma grabbed her face and pulled her in for a proper kiss. But it was short lived, because Audrey called to them from across the room, “Hey, Em,” The two girls frowned as they pulled a part, giving their friend dirty looks. Audrey just smiled cheekily. “Sorry to break a part your little love fest, but can you go get some more streamers from the utility closet?” She asked, going back and forth with helping Noah piece together a plastic skeleton, Stavo put together goodie bags, and Gina string together paper bats.
“Yeah, where is it?” Emma asked, already heading towards the door.
“Down the hall, take a left, down another hall, take another left, then it’s on the right.” Audrey instructed.
“Be right back.” Emma called over her shoulder as she left the cafeteria, the door swinging shut behind her. The hallway was brightly lit with florescent lights, causing her to squint. All the patient doors were closed, and the nurse’s station was vacant, which Emma thought was odd because wasn’t there supposed to be at least one nurse at the station at all times in case of emergencies? She shook her head as she continued to walk, figuring that maybe they went to get something to eat or drink.
When Emma reached the end of the hall, she took the first left. The lights were duller on this hallway, eerily so that it caused a chill to run down Emma’s spine. The doors were open on this hall, though she couldn’t see if the rooms were occupied because the lights were off inside of them.
Clank.
She froze, her heart skipping a beat.
Clank.
She gulped and turned around.
Clank.
Nothing was behind her, but it sounded as if someone was dropping metal on the floor.
Clank.
The lights began to flicker and that’s when Emma ran. She got to the end of the hallway and took the second left. She continued running until she spotted a door that said ‘utility closet’ in bold white letters on the front. She pushed open the door, slammed it shut behind her, leaned her back against it and squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to catch her breath and calm down.
No one’s there. No one’s there. It’s just your imagination. You’re fine. She tried to calm herself, but her anxiety was high and her nerves were shot. Because lingering in the back of her mind was the thought that maybe someone was out there and maybe it was him and maybe he was waiting to finish the job he and Piper started.
But that was crazy.
That was impossible.
Kieran was locked up and he would never get out. Not even the devil themself could release Killer Kieran from his chains. Emma was pretty sure they wouldn’t want to in the first place.
“Get it together, Duval.” She muttered to herself, grabbed the streamers Audrey had sent her to get, took a deep breath, and exited the closet.
The first thing she noticed was that everything was dark. It was as if she’d walked right into a black hole. The second thing she noticed was that it was cold. Freezing, actually, like the hospital had suddenly turned into Antarctica.
Time to go. She got her phone out, switched on the flashlight, and began running back the way she came. As she turned onto the second hallway, she instantly heard the clanking again, which only made her run faster. She turned onto the last hallway. This time the lights were on but the clanking didn’t cease. Just a few more steps and she would be back at the cafeteria. Just a few more steps and she’d be okay.
“Oh, shit!” Emma gasped, jumping back as the cafeteria door opened, nearly hitting her in the face. Audrey stood in the threshold, her eyebrows raised and a concerned look on her face.
“You okay?” She questioned. Emma exhaled, nodding and walking into the room, pulling Audrey with her.
“Fine. Here’s your streamers.” She held them out to the brunette, waving them impatiently when Audrey didn’t take them right away.
Audrey continued to study Emma, trying to figure out what she wasn’t saying. “Alright.” She gave up after a few seconds and took the streamers, shaking her head as she went to the other side of the room where Noah, Stavo, and Gina were waiting for her.
Emma walked back up to the door, standing on her toes and peering out the little square window into the hallway. The lights were on, as bright as ever and unwavering. Down the hall she could see a nurse coming out of the elevator and taking a seat behind the nurse’s station. Everything was normal.
“You okay?” Brooke asked, walking up to Emma with her hands on her hips and her brows furrowed.
She nodded stiffly. “Fine. Just got a little freaked out.”
“By what?” Emma could see the slight panic glaze over Brooke’s eyes.
The girl shrugged it off, smiling at her girlfriend in hopes to will her uneasiness away. “I heard a weird clanking sound but nothing was there. Then the lights turned off.” She explained nonchalantly, though the little voice in the back of her head told her to be more cautious, to be more alert. She tried to ignore it because Kieran was locked up and ghosts weren’t real.
“Maybe some of the kids are playing a prank on you.” Brooke suggested, her worry ebbing away. She shrugged and added, “It is Mischief Night, after all.”
Emma considered this, nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that’s probably what it is.”
Brooke smiled up at her girlfriend and put her hands on her shoulders in attempt to soothe her. “Just relax. We’ll be done soon.”
“Yeah.” Emma let Brooke guide her back to the refreshment table she’d been setting up before she walked in. She pushed the paranoid thoughts out of her mind and she got back to work.
When she exited the hospital an hour and a half later with her friends, Emma heard the clanking again. She turned back towards the entrance doors, her heart picking up speed. None of the others paid it any attention, which was odd because didn’t they hear that, too?
Emma walked back to the doors, her brows furrowed in confusion and her palms sweaty. She reached for the door handle but stopped midway when Brooke called behind her, “Em, what are you doing?”
“I, uh, nothing.” She mumbled, turning back to her friends and jogging to catch up with them. She shook her head and ran her hands through her hair, trying to play it off. “I thought I forgot something but I didn’t.”
“Okay,” Brooke looped her arm threw her girlfriend’s and led her towards her car. “Let’s get out of here.” Emma couldn’t argue with that.
But later that night, when she was alone in the dark of her room, Emma heard the faint echo of something clanking.