Achoo, Achoo, Achoo, Achoo
That was the tenth time this morning since last night that little Carol Anne freeling had a sneezing fit plus she had a terrible headache which had been brought on by the sneezing. She hadn't been feeling well during the night with constant sneezing and coughing with her body feeling warm one minute then chilly the next. She was sitting at the dinner table with the rest of the family and the poor kid was exhausted and resting her head on her arm whilst her free one poked at the untouched breakfast in front of her and Diane realized something was wrong with her little girl when she noticed she wasn't eating.
"What's wrong sweety?" she asked, concern in her voice "you've hardly touched your breakfast."
"I can't eat my breakfast Mommy" Carol Anne replied, letting out a couple of sniffles "my throat hurts, it feels like I'm swallowing glass when I try and eat something." She then let out another handful of sneezes and Diane walked over to where the little girl was sitting and placed her hand on the daughter's forehead.
"You do feel warm baby" she said before scooping her up from the chair and laying her down on the couch in the front room "now stay here, I'm going to go and get the thermometer."
"I'll be fine mommy, I just have the sneezes and a sore throat" Carol Anne insisted.
"I know honey but I just want to be sure" Diane reassured her little daughter before heading back into the kitchen to find the thermometer. Steve and Robbie were still having breakfast. After finding the thermometer, Diane headed back into the front room where Carol Anne was curled up on the sofa, clutching her doll and looking like death warmed up.
"Okay, open your mouth" Diane told her and the little girl did so and Diane placed it in her mouth "now keep that in there for a couple of minutes, I'll be right back." Carol Anne nodded and Diane headed back into the kitchen to see she could find any cold medicine.
"How is she?" Steve asked "
"I think she has a bad cold" Diane replied "she was burning up when I felt her forehead but I'm sure she'll be fine once she gets plenty of rest and drinks lots of fluids."
"So If Carol's Anne sick, does this mean I don't have to do to the Dentist because you guys will have to stay at home to look after her" Robbie pointed out with a hopeful look on his face.
"Nice try buddy" Diane replied as a look of defeat spread across her pre-teen son's face "one of us will take you to the dentist and the other's going to stay at look after carol Anne."
"Fine, but I want Mom to come with me" Robbie replied before turning to Steve "no offence dad but the last time you took me to the dentist and I had to have that filling, you saw the needle and ended up fainting which was kind of embarrassing."
"It's just the sight of them, they make me feel uneasy" Steve replied in defence as Diane tried not to laugh "anyway, I don't mind sitting with Carol Anne, even if it does mean me catching that nasty cold she has."
"I'm so glad I married you" Diane said as she and Steve shared a kiss as Robbie complaint about them putting him off his breakfast before she headed back into the front room to check on Carol Anne's temperature and found the little girl had fallen asleep with the thermometer still in her mouth. Diane smiled at the girl as she walked towards her and shook her awake.
"Huh?" Carol Anne asked, looking confused "what happened?"
"It's okay, you fell asleep baby" Diane reassured her "its time to check your temperature." Diane took the thermometer from her mouth to check the temperature and it read 102 degrees.
"Mommy, if I'm sick, then who's taking Robbie to the dentist?" Carol Anne asked, her voice beginning to sound hoarse "because both of you can't go and leave me here alone."
"Don't worry sweety, Daddy's going to stay with you and I'm going with Robbie to the Dentist" Diane told her as she stroked her forehead which was beginning to feel damp from her high temperature.
"He might catch my cold" Carol Anne implied before having a coughing fit followed by a few sneezes and Diane took out the cold medicine and poured it onto a small teaspoon.
"Open up honey" she told her Daughter who backed nervously away from the spoon, she recognised the medicine bottle, it was the stuff that tasted bad.
"I don't like that stuff mommy, it tastes like metal" the little girl stated.
"I know but it'll make you feel better" Diane told her and reluctantly, Carol Anne allowed her mom to give her the awful tasting medicine but at least it would get rid of her cold.
"Now I want you to get plenty of rest" Diane told her as she draped a blanket over her sick Daughter who was now stroking her doll's forehead "and drink plenty of fluids, that will also help."
"Katrina's sick too" Carol Anne said as she cradled the doll in her arms "I think she has my cold."
"Well you'll have to look after each other won't you" Diane replied with a smile before planting a kiss on the little girl's forehead just as Steve walked in and sat down the edge of the sofa.
"How's my little princess today then?" he asked.
"Not too good" Carol Anne replied in a tired voice "neither is katrina, she caught my cold." Steve chuckled and stroked the little girl's cheek, asking if he had to look after her doll too but Carol Anne shook her head and said it was her job to look after her doll, even if she wasn't feeling well herself and told Steve he only had to look after.
"You get some rest now baby" Diane said to her, stroking her hair "I'm just going to have a little talk with daddy." Tired, Carol Anne nodded and drifted off to sleep whilst Diane took Steve to one side, telling him to keep a close eye on her.
"You're worrying too much Diane" Steve told his wife "she only has a cold, I'm sure she'll be as right as rain in a day or two."
"It's not that I'm worried about" Diane replied "what if she you know, get's taken again by the ghosts." Their old home had been invaded by supernatural forces and they had abducted Carol Anne through her bedroom closet into their realm and now they were haunting their new home but luckily, Carol Anne hadn't been taken again, but there was still a chance it could happen again.
"Diane, I'm not even going to leave her side" Steve reassured her "now you go take Robbie to the dentist and I'll take care of our little girl." After Diane and Robbie left the house, Steve sat on the end of the sofa where Carol Anne was sleeping and picked up a cross word puzzle that was laying on the coffee table just as the little girl began stirring.
"Hey sweetpea" Steve said as Carol Anne opened her eyes by a small fraction.
"Where's mommy?" Carol Anne asked with a confused expression and looking around for her "mommy?." Realising that she was probably delirious, Steve held both her hands and told her that she had taken Robbie to the dentist.
"I thought that was yesterday" she replied with the same confused expression.
"No she went about half an hour ago" Steve told her "you're probably delirious. How you feeling anyway?."
"I'm a little thirsty, can I have a glass of water please" Carol Anne asked "and I think I still have that awful taste of that medicine that mommy gave me." She began to cough again and Steve went into the kitchen to get the child a glass of water. He could still here her coughing followed by a soft whimpering before she began coughing again before she stopped. After filling the small glass up, Steve headed back into the front room and gave Carol Anne her glass of water.
"That cough isn't sounding very good at all" he said, stroking her hair as she took a few small sips of water before setting it down on the coffee table "how's your throat pumpkin?."
"Feels like it's on fire" the little girl moaned "I don't like being sick daddy, it's no fun."
"I know darling" Steve reassured her as he pulled the little girl onto his knee who was now sobbing silently and he could feel how warm her body felt through her Pyjamas. Her face was deathly pale and strands of her hair was sticking to her sweaty forehead "but don't worry, you'll feel better soon."
"Daddy?" Carol Anne said, looking up at him "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Steve asked, wiping away the tears that were falling down the girl's pale cheeks.
"It's because of me that all the bad things are happening" she replied "maybe if I had been born in a hospital instead of in our old house, then the spirits won't be coming after me."
"Now you listen to me sweetpea" Steve reassured her, turning her face towards his "you have got nothing to be sorry about, you hear me?" the little girl nodded slowly and he pulled her into a hug, stroking her back "that's my girl." The girl began to sneeze again and Steve picked up the box of tissues, handing them to Carol Anne.
"Thanks daddy" she replied as she pulled one from the box and blew her nose before scrunching it up in her little hands and putting it in the pocket of her dressing gown which lay on the arm of the sofa.
"You know, I think we might have something that will ease that sore throat of yours" Steve suggested in an effort to cheer the little girl up "fancy some ice cream, I think there's some in the freezer down in the basement."
"Do you think it'll help?" Carol Anne asked.
"Sure, I used to eat ice cream whenever I had a sore throat" he told her.
"Well in that case I'll take two scoops, one for me and one for Katrina, her throat hurts too" the little girl told him before letting out another coughing fit followed by a few sniffles.
"Very well, two scoops it is" Steve chuckled before planting a kiss on her forehead "now stay put, I'll be right back." Carol Anne nodded and snuggled back down on the couch, huddling the blanket round her as Steve went down to the basement to look in the freezer to see if there was any ice cream in the freezer . Just as he was about to open the freezer lid, the door suddenly slammed shut like it had been blown by a strong gust of wind and in a panic, he raced up the basement stairs and tried to open the door but it appeared to be locked from the outside.
"Shit" he muttered as he attempted to force the door open, he knew that carol Anne couldn't have done it because she was too small to reach the lock. Realising what was obviously going on, he furiously began banging on the door "Carol Anne! whatever's happening, stay calm." Suddenly, an invisible force sent Steve flying down the stairs, causing him to hit his head on the floor and knocking himself unconscious whilst upstairs, things around the house where flying around, E Buzz was barking furiously and Carol Anne was sitting terrified on the sofa, Knees pulled up to her chin.
"Daddy" she tried to call out but her sore throat was making it impossible for her to scream loud enough so she hid under blanket and protectively hugged Katrina, hoping that the Poltergeist activity that was happing would stop soon "it's going to be okay Katrina, daddy will come safe us." After what seemed like an eternity, everything seemed to have calmed down and the little girl slowly climbed out from underneath the blanket, shaking and she could see that a huge mess had been made but that was the last thing on her mind, Steve had been gone an awfully long time.
"Daddy?" Carol Anne attempted to call out before having yet another coughing fit "where is he?" Slowly, she stood up from the sofa with the blanket still wrapped around her. A huge wave of nausea wavered over her and she almost collapsed back onto the sofa but she wanted to find out what was going on and see if Steve was okay, the little girl had this feeling that something bad had happened to him. She was about to cross the front room but she felt a huge wave of dizziness and her legs were refusing to move so she collapsed back onto the sofa, putting her hand to her head and coughed just as E buzz began barking again furiously.
"E buzz" Carol Anne groaned "don't be so loud, my head hurts." She turned to where E Buzz was standing and gasped before backing up against the end of the sofa because there in the window stood the very person who had haunted her every waking nightmare. He was staring right at her, a sinister grin swept across his ghostly features and knowing that she was alone and unprotected.
"Hi" he said through the glass window, not taking his eyes of the terrified little girl who was staring at him with a look of pure terror on her face "little Angel."