EPISODE 9 — THE THIRD DAUGHTER
1156 Words
The telephone continued ringing.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Nora stared at the screen.
CALLING FROM: 2:13 A.M. — 1999
The little girl with the red balloon was crying.
“Don’t answer it.”
Nora looked at her.
“Who is the third baby?”
The girl didn’t respond.
“Tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because she knows when people talk about her.”
The ringing stopped.
Silence.
Then the phone displayed a message.
I HEARD YOU.
Nora stepped backward.
The little girl grabbed her hand.
“We have to go.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere.”
The room suddenly became colder.
A second message appeared.
I’M COMING.
Nora’s heart pounded.
“Who?”
The little girl whispered:
“My sister.”
A loud crash came from the tunnel outside.
Nora grabbed the girl’s hand.
“Run!”
They rushed out of the room.
Behind them, something began crawling through the tunnel.
Fast.
Too fast.
Nora looked back.
She saw pale fingers gripping the walls.
“Faster!”
They reached the end of the tunnel.
A metal staircase led upward.
The little girl climbed first.
Nora followed.
Behind them came a terrible sound.
A woman laughing.
They reached a door.
Nora pushed it open.
Bright sunlight hit her face.
She stumbled outside.
The old house stood before her.
The same house.
But something was wrong.
The windows were filled with people.
Dozens of faces stared down at them.
Nora recognized some.
Her mother.
Her father.
Leah.
Her grandmother.
All of them.
The little girl whispered:
“They’re not real.”
Nora stared at her mother in the window.
“She looks real.”
“She isn’t.”
Her mother’s face smiled.
Then every face in every window smiled at the same time.
Nora’s stomach turned.
A phone rang.
She looked down.
Her phone was back in her hand.
LEAH CALLING.
She answered.
“Leah?”
Her friend whispered:
“Nor…”
Nora nearly cried with relief.
“Where are you?”
“I’m outside.”
Nora looked around.
“Where?”
“Behind you.”
Nora slowly turned.
Leah was standing across the yard.
Her clothes were torn.
Her face was pale.
Nora ran toward her.
They hugged.
“I thought you were gone.”
“So did I.”
Nora pulled away.
“What happened?”
Leah looked at the little girl.
Her face changed.
“Who is that?”
Nora turned.
The little girl was gone.
“What?”
Leah looked frightened.
“She was here.”
“Who?”
“The girl with the balloon.”
Leah shook her head.
“There is no girl.”
Nora stared at her.
“You saw her before.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Leah’s expression became confused.
“Nora, I swear I didn’t.”
A phone rang behind them.
Both turned.
The little girl stood beside the house.
Holding the red balloon.
She waved.
Then the balloon popped.
Leah screamed.
Nora grabbed her.
“Run!”
They sprinted toward the road.
But the road was gone.
In its place was a wall.
A huge concrete wall surrounding the house.
Nora stopped.
“We’re trapped.”
Leah looked around.
“There has to be another way.”
The house doors opened behind them.
One by one.
Slowly.
Nora heard footsteps.
Someone was coming outside.
Leah grabbed her hand.
“Don’t look.”
Nora whispered:
“Why?”
“Because if you see it…”
She swallowed.
“…it knows your face.”
Nora closed her eyes.
The footsteps stopped.
Right behind them.
A voice whispered:
“Nora.”
She knew that voice.
Her own.
The older version.
“Don’t turn around.”
Nora stayed still.
The voice continued.
“Listen carefully.”
“I’m listening.”
“Leah isn’t Leah.”
Nora’s heart dropped.
She opened her eyes.
Leah was staring at her.
“What did it say?”
Nora didn’t answer.
Leah’s face slowly changed.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Nor…”
Nora stepped backward.
“Don’t.”
“It’s me.”
“Prove it.”
Leah hesitated.
Nora whispered:
“What did you call me when we were ten?”
Leah smiled.
“Nor.”
Nora froze.
Only Leah knew.
But then Leah’s smile widened.
Too wide.
The thing behind her whispered:
“Good girl.”
Nora turned.
A tall figure stood behind Leah.
No face.
Only darkness where its face should have been.
It reached toward Nora.
Nora ran.
Leah screamed.
“NORA!”
Nora sprinted toward the house.
The figure followed.
The windows began shattering.
The faces disappeared.
The house shook.
Nora reached the front door.
She pulled it open.
Inside was her childhood home.
Her mother’s voice called from upstairs.
“Nora!”
She froze.
Then she heard another voice.
Her father’s.
“Don’t go upstairs.”
Nora looked toward the staircase.
Then Leah’s voice came from behind her.
“Nor, please.”
Nora slowly turned.
Leah was standing in the doorway.
Crying.
“Help me.”
Nora stared at her.
“Are you really Leah?”
Leah nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then tell me something only you would know.”
Leah whispered:
“You hate thunder.”
Nora’s eyes filled with tears.
It was true.
Leah knew.
Nora stepped toward her.
Then Leah whispered:
“And you always sleep with the light on.”
Nora stopped.
That wasn’t true.
Not anymore.
She had stopped doing that years ago.
Leah smiled.
“I know.”
Her eyes turned black.
Nora ran upstairs.
She reached her old bedroom.
The door slammed behind her.
She turned.
Nobody.
Then the closet began shaking.
Nora backed away.
A child’s voice came from inside.
“Nor…”
Nora whispered:
“Who are you?”
The closet door opened.
The little girl with the red balloon stepped out.
But this time she wasn’t smiling.
She was terrified.
“Nora…”
“What?”
“She’s here.”
“Who?”
The girl pointed at the bedroom mirror.
Nora looked.
Her reflection was standing behind her.
But Nora wasn’t.
The reflection slowly raised its hand.
And pointed toward the closet.
Then it whispered:
“The third daughter has your face.”
Nora turned toward the little girl.
The girl was gone.
The closet was empty.
Then the telephone on the bed rang.
Nora stared at it.
The screen showed:
CALL FROM: NORA
She answered.
Her own voice whispered:
“Nor…”
Nora’s hands shook.
“Who are you?”
The voice answered:
“I’m the daughter your mother chose.”
Nora’s blood ran cold.
“Why?”
A pause.
Then:
“Because she could only save two.”
The call ended.
The bedroom door slowly opened.
Leah stood outside.
But behind her stood another Leah.
Then another.
Then another.
Four identical women.
All staring at Nora.
All smiling.
And together they whispered:
“Which one of us is real?”
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