Purgatech: Jess' Horror

Chapter Nineteen

Jess ran for the front door. She'd only managed to get a quick glimpse of Dylan before it slammed shut between them, the same way the door upstairs had closed between her and Erica. She flung herself against it, pounding her fists, screaming for Dylan, but the door wouldn’t budge. She could hear him calling her name on the other side of the door but it wasn’t much help to her now.

Grace was off to one side, but she wasn't sobbing or cowering the way she had been through most of the craziness. She just stood there, practically comatose, her eyes wide and her mouth hung open at the chaos swirling around him.

The man who had come in came towards Jess and tried to shove her out of the way.

"Move out of my way!" he shouted, but before he could even lay a hand on her, he went flying across the room the same way Rob had earlier.

He fell onto the floor, hyperventilating. Jess spun around. He didn't look like any of the other staff that Jess had met throughout her stay here. He was dressed in a fancy suit with his hair slicked back and an expensive watch on one wrist.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he said, wide-eyed, cowering away from Jess.

"That wasn't me!"

"Bullshit! You've gone crazy in here, you all have!" he said, scrambling to get up.

"You really think that was me? Take a look around, whoever the hell you are! In case you haven't noticed, there’s something else in here with us and it sure as hell doesn't want us getting out."

"You're crazy!"

He backed away from Jess, spinning around in circles, looking for something on the floor. Jess spotted it. He’d dropped a walkie-talkie on the tile. Just as he made a move, Rob went lunging for it. The man dove to the floor, but Rob snatched it up for he could get to it. Rob lifted it to his mouth.

"Hello! Is anyone listening?"

There is a brief pause of static before Dylan's voice came through.

"Marshall! Is that you?"

"It's me, Rob!"

"Here! Gimme that thing you i***t!"

Marshall lunged for Rob and the two started wrestling over the walkie-talkie. As they struggled, the whole house began to shake. Framed photos rattled against the walls before they fell to the floor in a shatter of glass. An intense tornado of energy swirled around them. It took every ounce of strength Jess had left to keep herself upright. Somehow, she mustered up the strength to move to where they were. As they continued to struggle, the walkie-talkie flew out of Rob's hands and went skidding across the floor. Jess pounced on it, snatching it up and moving away from the two is they continued shoving and swinging at one another.

"Dylan! It's me!" She said into the walkie-talkie. “Can you hear me?”

The walkie-talkie crackled in her hand.

"Jess! Jess, are you okay?"

"I am! I’m okay! But there’s something going on in here. Something's trying to keep us in here. You have to get us out!"

"We’re working on it! Just try to stay safe, okay?"

Jess nodded. She pressed the button on the walkie-talkie again. "What you said earlier about Erica? Is it true?"

There was a brief pause before Dylan's voice came through on the walkie-talkie. "I… I'm afraid so."

Jess squeezed her eyes close and shook her head. "Are you sure? I mean, how do you know when you're out there and she is upstairs?"

"There's been no activity up there from her in the last hour. And the messages we've been getting back in the control room. They indicate that it's her. She's the one who's trying to lead you out of that house."

It didn’t seem real. It couldn’t be real. Erica gone? She’d already lost Gram. And Kyle. Now Erica too?

"Why can't we get out?" Jess shouted into the speaker.

Marshall started cackling behind her. Jess spun around and looked at him accusingly.

"Suddenly you find this funny?"

"Not funny. Remarkable! It’s not just your friend communicating with you. It Sarah. Sarah Ridgely. She's the one trying to keep you in here."

"Why the hell would she do that?" Jess asked.

“Bullcrap!” Rob said. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

When Marshall kept cackling, Rob grabbed him by the collar and shook him a few times. "Tell me right now or I swear I'm gonna beat the crap out of you!"

Marshall's eyes bugged out. He wasn't as tough as he seemed. In fact, he looked scared shitless, which kind of gave Jess a tiny bit of satisfaction.

It's everything I ever hoped for. Everything ever wanted when I started this whole project years ago when now it's all paying off."

Jess narrowed her eyes at him. "You… You’re the guy running this whole bullshit experiment? You the one who's kept us in here all this time knowing that it was going to be dangerous?"

"Sometimes you have to break a few eggs," he said.

The force in the room picked up, whirring through the halls the same way the wind had outside the house. Some unseen force and taken over. If Marshall was to be believed, then it was Sarah Ridgely.

Jess stomped towards him. "Answer him! Why the hell would Sarah Ridgely want to keep us all in here?"

"You think I know?"

"Jess! Dylan's voice came through on the walkie-talkie.

She held the device to her mouth. "Dylan, is it true! Is it Sarah Ridgely?"

"We think so."

"But why? Why would she try to hurt us? Were only here to observe, I told her only here so she would have a voice."

"I don't think she cares. Think about it. You know the history. She was locked in there for knows how long now she still locked up in there. And to have countless people traipsing through her house, for all we know it made it seem like we're making a joke out of what she's gone through. To have such a lonesome end, one can only assume that over time her spirit became angry, restless, and now to have the energy of so many people going through her house, she has she only became more violent and vengeful."

"So, what do we do? How do we communicate with her to convince her that were not here to hurt her but to help set her free?"

"Maybe it's just as easy as talking to her."

"I tried to do that! Both Erica and I did and you saw what happened to her!" Jess cried.

"Try again! Make her listen make her understand. That might be the only way to get you guys out of there."

Jess tilted her head back, closed her eyes and screamed. Why did it have to be up to her? Why did she have to be the one to do this? She hadn't hurt Sarah Ridgely. Sarah was the one who hurt Erica. The one who had taken Erica from her forever. Why should Jess be the one to negotiate with her? The last thing she wanted she was communicate with the spirit who killed her friend.

Jess opened her eyes, still looking up at the ceiling. "Gram, if you can hear me I could really use your help right now."

When nothing happened, Jess could do nothing else but laugh. She had to. It was only way to keep herself Sane.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Rob called over to her.

She turned to him, still laughing. “This! All of this! It’s just…crazy! You're crazy! Grace has lost it! And somehow we all have to talk to a freaking ghost if we want to get out of here.”

Rob looked at her. “I thought you believed in this crap?”

“I do. But negotiating? How the hell do we negotiate with a spirit?”

As though responding to Jess’ question, the walls stared to shake again. The wallpaper started peeling and plaster started falling from the ceiling, showering them with dust and debris.

“I don’t freaking know but if you’re going to do it,” Rob shouted, covering his head with his hands. “You better do it quick!”

Jess shook her head and threw her hands out to either side.

She spun around the room, tilting her head back and looking up to the ceiling.

“Sarah! Sarah Ridgely!” she shouted. “We hear you! We know you’re angry! But we mean you no harm!”

You really think that’s going to work?” Marshall shouted to her.

“You got a better idea?” Jess yelled. When he didn’t respond, she continued. “Then shut the hell up!

The moment he spoke, the house groaned and the wood floors started creaking underfoot. Jess had to reach for the wall to keep her balance. It was as though the very sound of Marshall’s voice set Sarah’s ghost it off.

“Well, that didn’t work!” Marshall yelled.

He was right. It wasn’t working. It was only making things worse. If only she could listen to what Sarah had to say. If only she knew what it was she wanted.

“Wait!” Jess said. She pushed past Marshall and went to the entryway to the kitchen where she’d dumped her pack earlier.

She rummaged through it and pulled out every piece of gear Purgatech had given her. She clipped the Purgawear amplifier to her hoodie and then slipped the Purgatory Doorway glasses, propping them on top of her head.

“What are you doing?” Marshall asked.

Jess looked up at Rob. “The only way we’ve been able to see her so far is with these.”

Rob nodded, peeling off his pack and pulling out the various Purgatech gadgets he had on him. Marshall, obviously not going to be of much help, stood clinging to the wall. Jess couldn’t help but smirk. Grace was handling this better than he was.

“You really think playing with these is going to help?” he said.

Jess snorted. “You’re the one who made these toys. I figured you’d have more faith in them than this.”

She shoved him aside then went over to where Grace sat against the wall, practically comatose. Jess checked to make sure her amplifier was working, then took the cellphone she had clutched in her hand and made sure she was logged into the Purgavision app.

“Fire up every freaking device you have. Maybe we can harness them all to get Sarah to talk to us.”

Once she had Grace’s gear set up, she took the pair of Purgoggles from her pack and tossed them to Marshall. He held them out from him, turning them over and regarded them with a look like they were a piece of alien technology.

“What do you want me to do with these?”

“Are you kidding me?” Rob said. “You do know how to work them, don't you?”

Marshall didn’t respond.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me.” Jess pushed herself up as she propped the Purgatory Doorway glasses on top of her head. “You send us in here with this technology that you have no idea how the hell to operate? But I’m sure you’re looking forward to raking up the cash from all those poor suckers who buy them, aren’t you?”

“You know what, I don’t have time for this.”

Marshall stood up, brushing the dust from his suit and started toward the door. But as Jess watched him move, she saw something.

He paused, frowning at her. “What?”

She shook her head. What she saw didn’t make sense. At first it looked like a shadow, but Marshall was standing still. It moved across in front of him, just as he clutched both hands around himself, shivering.

Jess’ heartbeat quickened. The shadow figure she’d seen upstairs looked similar. Was this Sarah Ridgely?

All at once, each one of their Purgawear amplifiers went nuts, hissing and sputtering in unison. It reminded Jess of the snow on the television when the cable used to go out.

She quickly slid the augmented reality glasses over her eyes. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat. There was a black mass directly in front of Marshall. It hovered there, making it look like another person was standing between she and Marshall but she knew; there was no one else there.

“Jesus,” Marshall said, his teeth chattering now. “The temperature just plummeted.”

Jess nodded. “There’s a reason for that.”

As she breathed in and out, the air felt thick, heavy, but it was ice cold. Each inhalation made it feel like she was swallowing a thousand tiny razor blades.

“Are you going to share with the rest of the group?” Marshall said.

“Holy smokes!” Rob said. “This thing’s goin’ nuts!”

He held up his phone, sweeping it out in front of him, stopping when he got to Marshall.

“What is it?” Marshall shouted, the terror in his voice ratcheting up. “What does it say?”

Before Jess could respond, Marshall went flying back against the door. When his body slammed against it and he gasped, the air forced from his lungs.

Jess watched through the glasses as the black mass swirled around him, whistling like a winter storm. It swelled, rising up like a massive ocean wave, pressing Marshall against the door.

He cried out, but he could make nothing more than a pathetic wheezing sound.

“What the hell do we do?” Rob yelled over the torrent of wind.

“I don’t know!” Jess tried to brush away her hair, but it was of no use. It whipped her cheeks, stinging with every surge of air.

“Sarah!” Jess shouted. “Sarah Ridgely!”

The black mass spun toward her, towering over her like a mountain. Jess staggered back, but Rob caught her by the arm before she could fall.

All at once, their Purgawear amplifiers let out a pulse of static. Jess looked down at the gadget clipped to her hoodie. The lights on the front blazed bright red. She turned quickly toward Rob.

“They work better when we’re together! Watch!”

She pulled away from him. The amplifiers lost their strength, the sound dropping to a dull whisper. When she grabbed his hand again, they hissed together in unison.

“Grace! Grace! Get over here!” Jess shouted.

This whole time, Grace had been standing at the stairwell, practically catatonic, but now, as the tempest continued to swirl around them, she took one step toward Jess, then another, and another until Jess was close enough to clamp her hand onto Grace’s.

As she did, the mass surged. It stood over them like a sentry keeping guard over the front door. It wasn’t going to let them go anywhere, not until it got what it wanted.

“Say something!” Jess shouted to Marshall.

But he stood with his back pressed to the door, his mouth hung open and his wide, shaking his head.

“Say something to her, Marshall! Or we’re never getting out of here!”

“What the hell do you expect me to say?” he cried.

Hearing his voice, the mass shifted, materializing into the shape of a woman. Jess gasped, watching as it shifted and pulled itself together. She couldn’t believe it. It didn’t seem real, but somehow, some way, Sarah Ridgely stood in front of them.

She didn’t move, never spoke, but simply stared at them, her eyes dark, accusatory.

“Jesus!” Marshall said.

All at once, Sarah spun around and then surged toward him, flinging him against the door. The sound of something splintering made Jess cringe. She opened her eyes, seeing that Marshall had crumpled to the floor. She gasped, thinking Sarah had broken every bone in his body but instead, he fell to his knees and sat whimpering there like a child.

“I’m sorry, alright?” he shouted, looking up to the ceiling and gesturing with both arms outstretched. “I’m sorry!”

Sarah’s form hovered over him, unmoving. He sat there, looking up at her, whimpering like a baby, pleading with both hands out in front of him.

Jess shook her head slowly, watching as Sarah turned her head and looked toward the group.

“We see you, Sarah,” Jess said. “We haven’t forgotten about you.”

Jess’ words hung in the air like an unanswered question. Just as she tried to summon up some sort of atonement for everything Sarah Ridgely had been through, she started to fade away.

“You’re free now, Sarah.”

All at once, Sarah’s form started whirling around, her visage spreading out into a wispy cloud of glimmering particles. In a surge of energy, it spun and rushed at the group, sending all three of them flying backward. The last thing Jess remembered was crashing down on her back. Then everything went black.

It was cold. Dark. Still.

No voices. No sound. Nothing.

Jess wasn’t sure how much time passed, but when she blinked a few times and then opened her eyes, she was laying flat on her back staring up at the ceiling. Her ears felt cottony, like she’d been listening to loud music for too long. She was aware of something, some sound, but she couldn’t make it out.

A distant thump-thump-thumping and then something crashed beside her and she felt a cold blast of wind wash over her. He squeezed her eyes closed, certain it was the ghost of Sarah Ridgely, come to finish her off once and for all. But when nothing happened, she braced herself and then opened her eyes.

It took her a few moments to realize someone was beside her. For the briefest moment, the vision was fuzzy, and she swore she saw Erica.

Was it all a dream? Could it really be—

“Jess?”

The vision dissolved and Jess realize she was staring up into Dylan’s face. He hovered over her, his eyes wide, his forehead etched with concern.

She blinked a few times, certain she was dreaming this too. But when he reached for her hand and took it in his, Jess finally broke down.

She sobbed, letting the tears flow down the sides of her face. She didn’t care what Rob thought, she didn’t care about taking care of Grace any more. She only cared that when she turned her head to the side, she saw the glorious site of the world outside the Ridgely House.