Purgatech: Aaron's Terrible Realization

Chapter 15

As the door swung silently open, I switched on the flashlight of my phone. Jada and I both hurried in and closed the door behind us.

She flipped on the light switch but nothing happened. That was a little strange. I walked to the bathroom and tried again. That one worked. The light in the main room must have blown somehow.

The light from the bathroom cast a sickly yellow glow on the bunkroom. Everything was the same. The credenza was where I'd seen it last, the bunks arranged opposite each other. It was different somehow, though. The last time that I'd been in Mary's room, it had just been a place to sleep. Now it seemed to hold some ominous quality. I could feel the secrets in the air. Yeah, that sounds stupid but it's the thought that came to me in those first few moments.

If the room itself was ominous, the closet door was outright intimidating. It seemed to leer from its place on the wall. I heard Jada's breath quicken and knew that she must feel the same.

"What now?" I asked.

"What else did we come here for?" she said, lowering her purgoogles into place. I nodded in agreement and opened the Purgatech app on my phone.

Usually, in any given space, the app would reveal many different orbs. They would vary in size and shade of blue, but there were always multiple examples present. In this room, however, there was one.

And it was red.

Jada gasped as she switched on her glasses. I could only imagine what she was seeing.

"Aaron, it's..."

"I know."

The orb was huge. It floated in front of the closet door at about the same height as the doorknob. It was so large that it almost stretched over the molding around the door. The glowing red color reminded me strangely of those backlit exit signs you see in dark staircases.

"What do we do?" Jada asked.

I didn't want to tell her that I honestly had no idea. We'd been told never to mess with ghosts if there was anything red involved in the situation. This example of red was about as involved as you could get. It was a little late to be too concerned about that, though.

Without warning, the temperature in the room began to drop.

"What the hell?" I said.

"This only happens when we bring them through. Aaron, what's going on?" She sounded close to hysterics.

"I don't know, but I think it's too late to turn back now." Standing where we were, mostly in the bathroom, I felt cornered. Like the ghost had us backed up with no option to flee. I found myself strangely comforted by this, though. It was a little reassuring to know that the only option was to face the orb in the closet.

"We will do what we have always done." I switched my phone to the etherchip program. Before I could type anything, Jada touched my shoulder.

"Why can't I see her?"

"What do you mean, I see her, right in front of the closet."

"Yeah, but I can't see a person. She is just an orb for me too. What does that mean?"

"I don't know." There seemed to be no end to the things I couldn't answer right then. I set my jaw and began to type.

"Hello." Lame, I know, but I didn't know where else to start. Of course, there was no response. I tried again.

"Mary are you there?" Nothing.

"Please," I typed, "we need to ask you some questions." Still nothing. I looked over to Jada.

"Maybe you should try," I said.

"You know that I can't use your app." Judging by the tremble in her voice, I had a feeling that the app’s restrictions weren't the only thing holding her back.

"Yeah, but it worked when we first needed to talk to Anna. She liked you better for whatever reason." I had a sudden flashback. Jada in the closet, red eyes glowing and banshee screams pouring from her mouth. I still didn't know what that dream meant but the mental picture of it didn't make me feel any better.

"Fine," she said, "I'll give it a go." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a few moments of silence, she said, "Mary, is that you?"

Before I could even begin to type a response, the bathroom door slammed shut, shoving us out of the little room as it went. We fell sprawling on the floor.

"I guess that's her," Jada said. Her voice was a little more even now for some reason.

I looked down at my phone. The text editor held a message that said, "Come near." Jada read it over my shoulder.

"Oh, god," she said. We looked at each other. Silently, we agreed that we had no other choice. I swallowed and began to approach the closet, Jada close behind.

Looking through the orb camera on my phone, I saw that the red sphere was still on the door. It didn't move at all. I thought of the evil eye from those hobbit books and almost chuckled before I remember where I was and clenched my teeth together, horrified.

We came within two feet of the door. Nothing happened.

"Do you see anything in the goggles?" I asked Jada.

"No, nothing new."

I switched back to the text editor. There was a message waiting for us there. "Hold hands"

"Uh... What?" I said.

"I don't know, just do it. We aren't really in a position to argue, if you haven't noticed." She had a point. We were standing within reach of the ghost of an insane woman. I took Jada's hand. We both looked to my phone for further instructions.

"Touch the door"

We both reached out, very cautiously. Out of nowhere, an arch of what looked like red electricity jumped from the door to my hand. I didn't even need the orb camera to see it. It buzzed up my entire arm and I jerked it back, but there wasn't really any pain.

"What the hell?" I said.

"Shh! Watch your mouth," Jada hissed. It seemed like a strange thing to say but I didn't argue. I looked at my phone instead.

"Her," It read.

"I guess she just wants you to touch?"

"No s**t, Sherlock." Jada took another deep breath and then reached her hand out.

The moment the tip of her middle finger made contact with the gnarled wood, her entire hand was snatched against the door, palm flat.

"Aaron?" Jada shrieked. "What's...?" Then her hair began to blow about in a wind that wasn't there and her eyes rolled back in her head. The hand holding mine clamped down like a vice and suddenly I couldn't see the room we were in. Instead, there came a flood of images.

I saw...

A young couple. They were working in a garden. I recognized the young man as Henry Slade.

"Toss the trowel over, Mary," he said.

A beautiful young woman obliged and giggled when he fumbled the catch. He began laughing with her and soon they were rolling about in the dirt, locked in an embrace. Just as their affection began to take a turn I was uncomfortable watching, the scene faded to black.

I saw...

Mary standing over a stove. She slid eggs from a pan onto two plates. She carried them carefully over to a small wooden table and filled a juice glass that sat next to each.

"Good morning, dear," said Henry as he bustled into the room, fixing his tie.

"Breakfast is ready, whichever plate you like." Henry eyed the table and gave his wife a sheepish grin.

"No time, my dear," he said. "I'm afraid there has been a breakdown at the mill. They need me straight away." He picked up one of the juice glasses and guzzled it down.

"Oh," was all Mary said. She tried to smile but I could see the hurt behind her eyes. Henry seemed not to notice. He grabbed a piece of toast and kissed his wife on the cheek.

"I love you," he said as he ran out the door.

"I love you too," she answered. She sat for a moment at the table and pushed her eggs around. Then she picked up both plates and dumped their contents into the trashcan. The scene faded.

I saw...

A lavish Christmas party. Henry was standing in the midst of a crowd of well dressed business types. I couldn't hear exactly what he said at first but it must have been some sort of punch line. All of those gathered around dissolved into polite laughter.

Mary appeared from the crowd. She looked pale and there were pinpricks of sweat on her brow. She caught her husband’s elbow and whispered in his ear. Somehow, I was able to hear her perfectly, even from across the room.

"Henry, please, I'm not well. Something is..."

"Dear, do you not see that I am in the middle of entertaining our guests?"

"I'm sorry I just..." And then, without warning, Mary collapsed into her husband’s arms.

"Oh, good lord, this again?" said Henry. He looked around and then hailed a man in a tuxedo carrying a tray of champagne. "William, will you see my wife up to her room? Thank you." He handed Mary off to the man and then turned back to his friends. "Where were we?" The scene faded.

I saw...

Henry seated behind a massive desk in an office with a view of the mill and river. There was a nock at the door.

"What is it?" said Henry, not looking up from the papers on his desk. The door opened and Mary walked in. Her eyes were puffy and her makeup disheveled.

"Mary," said Henry, "what on earth is the matter?" He stood up from his desk and walked to meet her. She was trembling all over and he lead her to a leather sofa in one corner.

"It's Fluffy," Mary said, dissolving in tears. Henry straightened up and frowned.

"Fluffy?" he said.

"Yes," Mary wailed. "He was in the garden and I heard a dog barking and then he was screaming and I found him and he was all chewed up. There was blood, Henry, it was so awful." Her words were hard to make out, she was so upset.

"You've come here because a dog ate that damned cat?"

"Henry, please..." was all she said.

"Mary, this is a place of business. I've work to do. If your mother dies, please, come interrupt me. You can bore me with other trivialities when I get home."

Mary said nothing. She looked as though she had been slapped in the face. She took a moment to compose herself, wiping the fresh tears from her eyes. Rather than cleaning up her face, though, she smeared black makeup back from the corner of her eye. It made her look almost feline herself.

She stood and walked out of the door, closing it quietly behind herself. The scene faded.

I saw...

Mary walking down a crowded street. She was carrying a bag and a large basket that were filled with various food items.

She had stopped at the window of a bakery and appeared to be studying a platter of danishes when a ball came out of nowhere and bounced off of the back of her head. It couldn't have hurt, having hit the bun of hair she wore, but she was startled and dropped her shopping.

"Sorry, Mrs. Slade," said a cheerful boy with a patched jacket on. "Let me help you with your stuff."

He bent in front of her and began picking up spilled apples. Mary reached down and took him by the ear. The boy gasped, clearly startled. As soon as Mary had lifted his head far enough up that they made eye contact, she drew back her and hand hit him across the face, hard.

There was silence for a moment. The crowd around Mary had frozen. The boy stared, wide eyed, even as tears welled up and blood began pouring from his nostrils. Then he began to cry.

"What?" Mary said to the people around her. "I just... He... I..." Then she put her mittened hands to her mouth and began to cry herself. The scene faded.

I saw...

Henry conferring privately with a doctor on one side of Mary's bedroom. She laid in bed, looking pale and feverish, a nurse at her side.

"The lady needs rest," the doctor said. "A simple case of nerves. She is too stimulated. Keep her here for a few weeks. Don't allow her to overdue it. Reading and needlework are acceptable but she should stay in bed." The scene faded.

I saw...

"My previous diagnosis seems to have been a bit mild," said the same doctor. Henry sat at the foot of his wife's bed. He was twisting his hat in his hand. I noticed with a chill that there were padded leather straps attached to Mary's wrists and ankles.

"This really is for the best. I've seen it work wonders for many men and women. Trust me." He turned a knob on the machine next to him in and there was a strange whistling, beeping sort of noise as the electronic box fired up. The doctor leaned over Mary with a forked metal probe. The ends of the forks were wrapped in thick layers of gauze. He touched the end of each fork to one of Mary's temples as she murmured under her breath. The doctor nodded to the nurse who flipped a switch on the machine. Mary's body lurched toward the ceiling. The scene faded.

I saw...

Mary, lying in bed. The restraint had been taken off of one of her wrists and the nurse was attempting to change her clothing. Mary suddenly snatched a pencil from the dresser next to her. She drove it into the nurse’s eye. The woman screamed and writhed on the floor. Mary stared at the ceiling, not a hint of expression on her face. The scene faded.

I saw...

The doctor carrying Mary into the closet. Henry stood just outside the door.

"Don't worry," said the doctor, "the drugs will wear off and she will wake up soon."

"You're sure this is for the best?" asked Henry. He was watching the doctor fasten a heavy chain about Mary's waist.

"Oh yes. As I've been telling you, she is simply over stimulated. Here, she will be as tucked away from the stimulation as possible. We will feed her and change her bedpan daily but other than that, she will be alone and at peace. It may take some time but everyone will come to find this the best."

He double checked the lock and then handed the key to Henry. "Keep this safe," he advised.

Henry stood and watched his wife breathing on the floor of the closet for a long moment. Then he closed the door, put the key in his pocket, and walked out of the room. The scene faded.