Haunted.| ✓

8

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Somewhere in the backwoods, an owl hooted. The darkness permeating around Livinggood mansion silenced even the flying bats and crickets. Although the moon was half lit; it was blanketed in a thick gray fog, diminishing its brightness.

The eerie stillness was unnoticed by a very hurt, shamed, guilty Katie who ran through the garden into the stable, cursing and chastising herself for doing the most sinful thing according to her. That was not how she was raised and thinking about the hurt and surprise Patrick showed after receiving the blow made her sob stridently.

Katie was never a girl to cry and having to cry in such a situation, physically and emotionally drained her. She was shaking like a leaf in the darkness, fumbling at the bolt outside the stable door.

"Oh what did I do?" was chanted constantly by the restless girl whose guilt shook her body in every corner. After getting her hand on the first horse she could, she slapped herself hard and ran with the horse without a sense of direction.

Her cheeks stung and burned as salt water caressed her them. Yet, she wasn't consoled in any way. Her sobs crushed everything; muting Katie from her surroundings. If she had paid attention to her surrounding for once, she would have seen the dark silhouette standing by the corner even though it was moving at an alarming rate just as the horse did. If Katie turned to her side by any chance, she could have seen the tall, floating mass of black smoke standing there looking straight at her with black hollowed eyes.

Back home, it was a frenzy of activities. Even though Em ran behind Katie, she couldn't reach the athletic figure of Katie who excelled in football who won the state champion award in high school. Even though Lucy tried, she couldn't even spot which was Emily ran in search of Katie.

Patrick was still traumatized. He was rooted to the spot where Katie left him, looking at the distance, unable to utter a word.

Everyone misunderstood the shock to be from the slap; but in fact, Patrick was paralyzed with fear as he saw a tall, lean figure with many eyes staring at him as Katie raised her hands to slap Patrick. He, in fact, saw the hand supporting Katie's wrist to slap him. And now, he couldn't even mention what was happening and Lydia was crying for Patrick and Katie.

Emily searched the stables and realized one of the old horses was gone. She whistled for rocky and he came running from the kennel. He was directed to sniff the old girl's stable and he dashed into the distance with his tongue wagging out. He loved strolling at night.

Em and Lucy mounted on black and set off behind rocky to find Katie.

Katie, on the other hand, was astonished to have reached the bridge mansion once again without her will. The old horse stood in front of the gates as if he was being commanded to do so. Katie looked at the horse and then to the house. She wanted to be distracted and she decided that she will spend her time in here, this night.

Coming here in broad daylight was different but coming here at night is completely a different story. Her heart suddenly constricted in thick waves of terror. The overgrown plants and shrubs looked like limbs protruding out.

Even though the clouds hung on the moon; the moon was adamant to keep company for Katie.

Katie walked into the depth of bridge mansion keeping her vision down. She needn't do anything to be distracted; since the sound of the slap stung her conscience and she was crying again. Her grief crushed her and she fell into a crumbled mess onto the stone staircase leading to the arched entrance.

She sat there sobbing and saying 'I am sorry, dad,' over and over again as if that will cure her aching heart. Nothing did. She knew she had to go apologies to him, but her hurt heart didn't let her do that. Even if what she did was wrong, how dare he talk about her mother like that? She wiped her tears away and slapped herself to think rationally.