Haunted Dreams
Chapter 8
Time went by. Nellie was now 8 months pregnant, and her mind just got worse. Some days she acted like her normal self, and then other days she would do nothing but sit in silence and stare at the wall. Sweeney knows when something is wrong with her when she's quiet. But this silence was starting to scare him. He missed her annoying chattering. She hasn't muttered a word the whole four months since she had her first "episode" after they returned from the Williams's mansion.
She woke up one morning and walked out to the beach, set a blanket down, and sat there. Just sat there in silence all day, staring at the waves.
Sweeney watched her out the window from the kitchen. Never, never as he been this worried in his life. Not even when Lucy was sick, or when Johanna almost didn't survive at birth.
He walked out to the shore to join her. She had a look of misery on her face. She's been wearing this look a lot now. A look of misery, dread, guilt, pain, and shame. What Sweeney thought was scary, is why she's never done this before. It's obvious that what they did back on Fleet Street caused this. But that was a year ago. Why is she just now showing all the pain and guilt. It must of been bundled up inside her all this time, just now finding it's way to the surface.
"Nellie?"
Nothing. She didn't look up. She didn't even seem to care that he was there. She was that lost.
Sweeney doesn't know what to say, what to do. He wants to help her, but how?
"I hate this place." She said. It was the first words she's said in months. And hearing them threw Sweeney off guard.
"I thought you loved the sea?"
"I do."
This was their first conversation in a long time. He had to make sure he wouldn't lose it again. "Then why did you say you hate it?"
"Because I don't deserve it. I don't deserve any of this!" She started getting worked up again. The tears and screaming would come next.
"What do you mean you don't deserve this? Of course you do. Everyone deserves a chance to be happy."
She chuckled. Darkly. Sweeney grabbed her hand. That didn't sound like a phrase that would usually come out of his mouth, only hers. He's starting to sound like her. Probably not a good sign.
She turned and looked at him. Her eyes only read one emotion; depression. "I thought you said everyone deserves to die."
They really were turning into each other, it was like their souls are switching places. Really not a good sign. "I never meant that. Not for the people I love."
"Well it's what I deserve. Lucy should be here with you not me. I should of just burned in that oven. That's what you wanted, that's what I deserved."
"Nellie stop it! That's not true. I want to be here with you, to start a family and a life with you. That's what I wanted, that's what I chose and that's what were doing."
"But you don't love me?"
"I care for you. I don't love you as much as I loved Lucy. But I do care for you very much, you and our child."
He stroked her knuckles gently, it was true, every word. "Now what's wrong with you? You've been like this every since we came back from the Williams's. Did the story of their dead son trigger something?"
"No, I don't know. It didn't start til we got home. And I thought you were abusing me, and I just don't know."
"Did you just get scared because I said I was going to punish you? That's probably it. I scared you and made the memories of that night come back. I wasn't going to hurt you Nell. Well, alright actually I was, but after I saw how mad you were acting I felt bad I decided not too."
"Well how thoughtful of you." There it is! Her sass. He was getting her back, slowly, but he was getting her back to her normal, chattering, self. "I hallucinated, that night. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's not the hormones. I don't know what it is!"
"Shhh! Nellie it's alright, just calm down. Everything is going to be okay."
"I'm going mad aren't I?"
"You've always been mad my pet."
She looked at him again, confused this time.
"Well, anyone who volunteers to make meat pies out of people isn't too normal and healthy in the mind, wouldn't you agree?"
"Your right. I've been insane all this time."
"Yes you have."
She laughed. Not a dark laugh but a happy, playful laugh. Her cheery smile returned to her face. "Well then you've been insane too love."
The last thing Sweeney wanted in the world right now was to see this smile fade. Keep her talking, keep her happy. Keep it playful.
"No. I'm not as insane as you are."
"Your a murder. That's not too normal and healthy in the mind either my love. Wouldn't you agree?" She said with a wink.
Oh the game was on now!
"Well. Your a demonic baker."
"And your a demonic barber."
"See. We belong together!"
He cupped her face and pulled her into a kiss. And sunk down on the blanket, sand was getting in their hair but they didn't mind. Sweeney laid there and kissed her, trying to pull out all the bad feelings in her heart.
"See." Sweeney said, while they held hands and stared at the clouds in the sky. "We're not so different, you and I. We're two twisted demons and we need to stick together. So don't say you don't deserve this life because you do."
"So your saying that we deserve to be together."
"Yes. Something like that."
She leaned up and pecked him on the lips. "And we'll be having a little demonic child soon."
"Indeed we will my pet." He replied holding her close to him and stroking her shoulder. "He'll be a demonic barber just like his daddy."
Nellie laughed, a good hearty, adorable laugh that made Sweeney want to drag her in the bed and never let go. "Come on my pet. Lets get you inside." He said as he helped her up and walked her back to the house.
