Out Of Hell

Graffiti Barn

Jessie left the office feeling like someone had hit her in the gut. She hated that she had to follow the rules, and hated even more that whatever was inside her bathing her brain in blood and death. She felt like if she couldn’t stop the images in her mind she was going to be going to hell for sure. She wasn’t sure how she was going to be able to stop it, but she knew she had too. As she walked from the office to the street, she decided to go to the store for food so that she could get it over with for the week. She knew what she needed so she jumped in her car and headed for the closest store to her house. Getting out of the car when she got to the store was the hardest part of the entire day. She had to talk herself into it. Going inside she was aware of the other people, she simply tried to avoid them. As she was checking out the cashier smiled at her warmly.

Did you find everything alright? Her bubbly voice sang across the conveyor belt.

Yes, thank you. Was all Jessie could manage. She was staring at the conveyor belt, it was standard like all stores had. For her though it was extremely hard to place her food on it when she could see the blood dripping from it like it had that day. The young girl had said more but Jessie didn’t hear her.

I’m sorry, I was daydreaming again. What was that miss? Jessie looked at the cashier.

It’s okay, I was just saying how nice of a day it is outside, wish I weren’t working, I’d go fishing.

Yes, it’s a very nice day for that. Jessie smiled feeling like a fraud. She never wanted to be outside, there was nothing out there for her.

Well, you have a nice day Ma’am. The cashier was kind.

Thank you, you go fishing after work honey, you deserve some fun too.

Thank you, I might just do that.

Smiling Jessie turned and left the store, she had done exactly what she was supposed to do and got the receipt to prove it. She would beat this somehow. She drove away feeling like she had accomplished something. Driving towards the interstate she decided she would take backroads home, she knew many ways but wanted to breathe some fresh country air. She chose the road that went past the graffiti barn that she loved so much. It was abandoned long ago, and nobody ever claimed it. Many teenagers used to go there for parties, and to tag it for their memories. They called it tagging, but Jessie thought it was beautiful. Graffiti can be art if done right. As she traveled the road, she felt guided by some unknown force. Continuing to drive she felt more and more like this was something she had to do. When the barn came into view it was almost as if she were called to it. In that moment she knew she had to stop, to explore the area just a little more. She had groceries in her car and didn’t want them to spoil but the urge was engulfing her senses. She figured if nothing else she could stop for a few moments and maybe return if she needed to later. As she stopped, she gazed at the beauty she saw in the art. It was like most graffiti you saw on trains, or abandoned buildings in the city. She was so glad there was a little piece of city in her countryside. She got out of the car expecting to only look for a moment, it turned into much more than that. She crossed the field to the barn walking through Black Eyed Suzie’s as she went. They were her favorite flowers, those and Orchids. Approaching the barn, she could hear something inside that made her blood run cold. It sounded like a drug deal. She decided right away to turn back and return later so that she didn’t interrupt or cause things to go bad, but it was too late. As she turned, she felt something come crashing down hard on her head, everything faded to black. Suddenly he was there again.

Hello my dear.

Fuck, what do you want?

Oh darling, I am not here for me, I come when you need me, not just because.

What happened to me? Am I dead?

No, and these two idiots couldn’t kill us if they were drawn a map.

So, what are we still doing here? Why not just leave then?

You are unconscious, you have to wake up to leave, I cannot do that for you.

What good are you then?

Trust me, you do not want to know the answer to that.

For f**k’s sake, you are no good for anything are you? She spat the words at him. He was still hidden in the dark edges of her mind, she couldn’t make out his face even yet.

I am here, I will be here, you need to wake up now.

She felt her body beginning to move, she was doing what he said. How?

As her head began to swim, she could almost make out the figures across the room. Remaining quiet she could tell they hadn’t secured her wrists or feet, damn these guys were ignorant. They were discussing what to do with her. In her mind she could see they were hoping to kill her and dispose of her body. Before they could get any further, she was going to make sure they couldn’t. As they were still planning, she investigated her surroundings, she needed a weapon. There beside her, leaning against an ugly sofa some teenager must have added for comfort, was a baseball bat. Her luck seemed to be improving. She thought for a split second before leaping to her feet and grabbing the bat. She swung at one rendering him unconscious, then the other with the same effect. She felt her blood pulsing through her veins, pounding in her ears. She knew she should run, get far away before either of them woke up. They hadn’t intended to be caught, and she hadn’t either, but now something was fast taking ahould of her. They were amid a drug deal when she stumbled on them. They were going to kill her, to save themselves. She saw the darkness once more, his smile was clearer now than ever before.

Shall we? He purred.

Her smile matched his, and she was gone.

Images flooded her mind, blood, lots of it poured like rain from above her. She could almost feel it on her skin. The heartbeat in her chest was trying to escape. Why was she seeing all these images. What could they mean?

Hello darling. Sleep well? His voice came from the corner once again. Had she been asleep? Was she waking up or finishing this nightmare? She couldn’t tell.

Why are you here now?

Please my dear, I was your dance partner tonight, we just got home. Do you want to have a nightcap before slipping into sweet dreams?

I am still asleep, you do not exist, I will wake up soon and you will be gone. So why don’t you just f**k off?

Now, now, darling. I can’t go anywhere, I am yours and yours alone.

Why? Why are you here?

You know why I am here. I am here to help you.

Help me what? Honestly all you have done is talk and be brooding in the corner. If you want to help, tell me how to get rid of these nightmares for good.

I can’t, it would defeat the purpose of our little partnership.

Right, we are partners, and I am the pope. Get the f**k out of my house.

I am not going anywhere, you need to get used to it. He said as the darkness grew around her. His eyes and smile were the last to be engulfed, as he disappeared in the darkness it surrounded her filling her lungs once again causing the same coughing spell as before, waking her fully from her sleep. Looking around she saw her room normal once more. Her body was exhausted and her mind a blur, feeling relieved she was alone she slumped back onto the bed sleep caressing her mind until she was deep in the sleep she desperately needed. The images came one after another. Blood surrounded her, in front of her she saw the two guys that hit her. They were strapped to trees one was tied in a praying position, the other was gazing at the skies. As if begging for mercy. Looking closer she saw they were tied with barbed wire. The man who looked as though he was searching for heaven had barbed wire laced between his jaws cutting his face into a permanent smile. Her heart quickened, causing her a twinge of excitement. As she crept closer, she saw his eyes had been plucked out. The dangled unevenly from his face making her giggle softly. Around his waist there was a stretched piece of fabric covering his torso. She could see it might have once been his shirt. Touching it she noticed it was wet and slick with blood. She gently tugged the cloth aside only for his bowels and intestines to fall sloppily at her feet. He had been eviscerated. She was certain he was still alive when it happened, how she wasn’t sure, but she knew it was true. Glancing at the other guy she was curious what horrors he had endured. She sauntered to him thinking since it was just a dream, she had all the time in the world to investigate the possibilities. As she approached, she saw his arms had been snapped right above the elbow, and his palms were threaded together in a praying motion with barbed wire holding them in place. She laughed out loud at this. He must have been praying for mercy by the time it was his turn. Somehow, she felt he was second, and he had to watch his friend die first. Her blood was running hard and fast at this thought. She couldn’t imagine why such a bloody mess was making her giddy with joy. As she took in the view, she could see a picture in her mind of what happened to him. His Throat had been torn out from the barbed wire strung tightly around his neck, secured there to ensure he would have to watch. It looked as though he ripped it open screaming. He had almost beheaded himself it appeared. There weren’t any signs of evisceration, therefore she felt like he watched himself to death. The body was almost completely untouched other than his hands and neck. She wondered if he was simply forced to watch until he couldn’t take it anymore. Did he try to escape? That sounded right, and the signs pointed to it as well. He was forced to watch as their attacker tortured his friend. Curiosity got the best of her as she went to each corpse removing their wallets. They had the same last name, googlie eyes and praying mantis, were brothers it seemed. Robert and Richard Stanley, Robert was the younger googlie eyed man and Richard was the voyeur. She was heady from all the discoveries she made. Sitting down between the two trees she could see both in the way they were intended to be viewed. Had they begged for one another’s lives? She was almost certain of it. As she took in the full view, she saw it. Rising just beyond the trees, about a hundred yards, there stood the bridge. It was beautiful, standing in stark contrast to the skyline. It wasn’t big, just a wooden structure over a small creek with a metal guardrail someone installed due to accidents. It was the same structure she saw Marianne dangling from her feet from. Her throat was slit as she hung there in the other nightmare. Jessie remembered in detail how she had walked over to where her therapist hung, in shallow water. She had to go to it, to see it, if only to confirm it was the same place. As she stood up, she felt slightly dizzy. Had she been sitting long, why did she feel like she wasn’t real anymore? Slowly she lifted her head to see the bridge, but it had gone fuzzy. What was going on here? Why did her feet feel like weights? Again, she glanced towards the bridge, it was almost completely gone now. Fog had drifted in closing the image off in her mind. As she drifted away with the soft breeze, she began feeling whole again. What was happening? Wait, her body felt solid again, she could feel her pulse racing as she slowly opened her eyes. Oh god, it was a dream, nothing but a dream. She was laying in her bed again, safe within the comfort of her satin sheets. She could feel the cool satin touching her skin. In a way she felt cheated out of seeing it, of being able to validate what she was seeing. How did that bridge get into another nightmare, one in which she stumbled upon two more dead bodies? What was the connection? As she stretched, she looked at the clock on her phone, it was five thirty in the morning, she was awake long before normal. Had she brought her groceries inside? She didn’t even remember the drive home from the graffiti barn. Her head was pounding from the blow to the head. She couldn’t remember getting away, but maybe she had hit them with the bat, and ran away. She must have, otherwise how could she possibly be home? As she thought through things, she wasn’t sure what was real or not. She figured she would turn the television on and see if anything popped up on the news. She flipped it on turning it up so she could hear it from the kitchen. She was hungry so she could see if the groceries made it inside while she ate a sandwich. As she made food and inspected the refrigerator for her groceries, noting that she had brought them in and put them away. Why couldn’t she remember, had the blow to the head been that hard? She hadn’t initially thought so, reaching for the point on her head that hurt she felt for the trauma. The news was still on showing the young cashier she had met the day before at the store. She felt the small, raised bump on her skull, it wasn’t that bad honestly. Turning her attention to the news she realized it was a missing persons statement. The cashier had said she was supposed to meet her brothers to go fishing after work, but they had never showed up, the next part made Jessie think twice about how long she had been sleeping. The cashier had said three days ago, wait, three days ago? Had Jessie been sleeping that long? She looked at her phone again, there were four missed calls from the therapist and her lawyer, she had met with her therapist on Tuesday, and today according to her phone was Friday. How in the hell did she not wake up?