Written for EnglishPoet18's fear challenge. Figured if I'm going out of my comfort zone then I'm going to also use a pairing that I usually stay away from writing to really challenge myself. Let me know what you think :)
Mirror, Mirror
Carol stood in the driveway just staring at the house. She couldn't see the crack in the window pane in the bottom left corner or the few shingles that were missing from the roof. She didn't think about it only having one closet sized bathroom or the fact that the stove didn't work. The lawn was overgrown and the driveway was merely loose stone but she smiled nonetheless because it was theirs. She could just imagine Daryl rolling his eyes and shaking his head at her for standing out in the rain but this was a feeling she didn't want to ever forget. Against all odds they had gotten out of the town that held any nightmare they could have ever imagined and were starting anew.
Daryl had gone down to the shop for orientation which he had grumbled about the whole morning, muttering under his breath what the fuck he needed to be orientated to since he was pretty sure that an engine would look the same four towns over as it had in his old garage. Two cups of coffee and three cigarettes later the truck was rumbling to life as he backed out of the driveway leaving Carol to decorate as she pleased.
She hadn't realized how much the two of them actually had until the boxes were littering the floors just waiting to be unpacked. There was a moment of wondering where she should start before she picked the one closest to her and got to work. Halfway through the pile in the living room she found their old radio and plugged it in, happy to drown out the silence that had been surrounding her for the better part of the day.
When she came across a box of random items she decided to put it in the basement to go through it at another time though if she was being honest at this point she would have been quite content to never have to see another box again. She pulled the wooden door open and pawed at the wall in search of the switch. She flicked it a few times and sighed when the light hadn't turned on. Setting the box down in the hallway, she grabbed the flashlight that she had found and clicked it on. She stood at the top of the stairs wondering if she should just wait until Daryl got home but then chastised herself for such a ridiculous idea. She was a grown ass woman that wasn't going to be afraid of the dark, unfinished, basement.
Carol swept the flashlight in front of her as she descended the stairs with the box tucked under one arm when she spotted a light bulb hanging from a single wire in the middle of the room. She tapped it a few times, figuring the connection was bad before unscrewing it, the distinct sound of the filaments rattling around inside. A blown bulb they could deal with and she breathed out a breath in relief that it wasn't something more serious. She set the box on the floor and noticed another one off in the corner.
She was certain Daryl hadn't brought any down there but curiosity got the best of her as she opened the dusty flaps. There were a few pictures inside of a little girl with pin straight raven hair, always in the same white dress and never a smile on her face, along with a few porcelain dolls and a stained ribbon. Carol shivered as she felt the temperature drop in the basement and she put the items back where she found them before climbing the stairs.
She couldn't get the pictures off of her mind. She couldn't imagine why such a beautiful little girl would have looked as if the life had been sucked out of her. She went back to unpacking until she heard a tapping noise. She glanced around the living room trying to decide where it came from but then it was gone. The radio station turned to static and the lights flickered but she figured it was from the storm. She put herself on the mission of finding the box of candles before they completely lost power when the tapping was heard again.
Carol opened the door and stuck her head out, scanning the porch and then further out into their yard but there wasn't anything there. While standing in the open doorway she heard the tapping again followed by a giggle that sent a shiver of fear up her spine.
"Hello?" She called out, shutting the door and straining to hear any other noises that would let her know if someone else was there. She didn't necessarily expect to get a response and truth be told she wasn't sure what she would do if she got one.
The lights flickered again and she turned off the radio, the static only grating her nerves at this point, but it still made noise until she unplugged it from the wall. There was another giggle, this time louder than the last, followed by more tapping. It sounded as if something was hitting against glass but the rain had about stopped at this point. She wasn't naïve enough to walk through the house in search of an intruder unarmed but with most of their things still in boxes she didn't have much to choose from. She found a large wrench in the kitchen, leaning against the cabinet as a reminder for Daryl to fix the sink, and she carried it like a baseball bat as she moved further down the hallway.
Come play with me.
The words washed over Carol like a whispered shadow and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The voice was coming from the bathroom and she regripped the wrench as she stared at the door for a second. She really had to stop reading the murder mysteries, she thought to herself as she stood there deciding what to do.
Come play with me.
Carol opened the bathroom door with the wrench raised ready to attack whoever was in there but she found the room empty. She cautiously glanced around the shower curtain and even peeked behind the door just to be sure. She was about to worry she had a few screws loose in her head when out of the corner of her eyes she caught a reflection in the mirror. There was the little girl from the pictures staring back at her, a drop of blood rolling down her cheek like a tear.
Come play with me.
Carol felt a flash of pain behind her eyes that went beyond that of a migraine. The wrench clanked to the tiled floor as she clutched her head in agony. Blood dripped out of her tear ducts as the little girl giggled. She wasn't sure how much more pain she could take and did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed the wrench and swung it at the mirror as hard as she could. Pieces of glass shattered to the floor and through a gasp of air the pain vanished as quickly as the image of the little girl.
X-X-X
The steam from the shower filled the room as Daryl washed away the stress from the day. It was nothing like before in fact it was the most relaxed he had been in years. He rolled his head from side to side, stretching out his muscles, and made a mental note to add plumbing to the never ending list of things that needed to be fixed in the house. The sounds of a soft giggle met his ears and he wiped the curtain open expecting to see Carol sneaking in the shower with him but the smirk left his face when he was met with an empty bathroom. He must have been more exhausted than he realized.
Daryl cut the water off, barely drying himself off with the fluffy towel Carol had unpacked earlier, and noticed for the first time that the mirror had been taken off the wall. The house still had a chill in it and he wrapped the towel around his waist until he could grab a pair of sleep pants. The wooden floor creaked even beneath his muted steps as if the house itself was complaining of its age. Carol was propped up against the headboard with a book in her hands, the soft glow from the lamp accentuating the few freckles across the bridge of her nose.
"You take the mirror down?" He questioned, letting the towel fall to the floor as he rummaged through the few boxes they had yet to unpack in search of pants.
Carol froze for a moment, remembering her ordeal from earlier, and then shook her head. She let the murder mystery she had been reading get into her head and that's all it was. "Yeah, is that okay?"
He had been going through the wrong box and he held up a bright red thong on his finger with an eyebrow raised. He let out a bark of a laugh as her face turned the same color. Shoving them back in the box, he moved to the next. "Don't have to ask, Carol. It's your house too."
Her cheeks were still flushed in embarrassment as she set her book on the bedside table. "Hey, there wasn't a little girl that used to live here, right?"
"Dunno," he shrugged, finally giving up his search for clothes and deciding to just sleep naked. It was then he truly noticed the off expression on her face. "Why?"
She chewed her bottom lip for a minute, contemplating where she should even begin telling him about her day, and let out a long breath. "Just curious. Found some old toys in the basement." Daryl hummed a response in the back of his throat as he stared up at the ceiling. "I think I'll get rid of them in the morning."
Come play with me.
Carol's eyes scanned the room and her heart about beat out of her chest. She nudged Daryl and whispered, "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"