Flowers For McGee

20 - You'll Be Sorry

Rose and Johnny run up the stairs just as the door opens and Rose puts the chest behind her back.

"Johnny, Rose, I'm home. We, uh, have guests," Maggie says to the twins. They turn to face their mother and she stands there with Mr. MGwire and Cameron. "Why do you have a crowbar?" Maggie eyes them and then looks to the basement door with a livid look, but she stays silent.

Johnny looks down at the dirty tool and then puts it behind his back with a smile. "We have a small pest problem. Are they just visiting or staying for dinner?" He asks and he and Rose stand beside each completely identical other than hair length and height.

"I'd love to stay," Cameron says and walks over to the twins. "We have to talk." He says to Rose in a whisper and she nods.

There is pounding from inside the dining room and everyone turns to the closes doors. Rose felt an ache in her chest.

"This old house creaks all the time, come on." Maggie says and dismisses the sound easily.

They all sat at the dinner table and Rose was scared. She could tell she wasn't the only one.

It was Mr. McGwire across from Maggie. Cameron across from Rose. Johnny across from Gwen. McGee across from Rosaline. Anne across from Geraldine. Doug Across from Calvin.

Maggie and Mr. McGwire were oblivious to the fear radiating off the three teens at the table with them.

"So, I want to know how you are finding the home?" Mr. McGwire asks Johny and he struggles to drag his eyes up.

"Um, it's okay." He says and Rose reaches over and takes his hand with hers under the table.

"Be calm, Johnathan. You are fine." McGee says and laughing comes from all the dead except Gwen and McGee. Gwen stares at Rose with wide, dead eyes and is dragging her long, jagged nails over the table.

"How about you, Miss Carson?" He asks and she looks at him.

"Its nice," Rose says. "I'm not scared." She says and tries to keep a straight face as Mr. McGwire frowns.

"That's nice, I suppose." He says and frowms, not fully understanding her response.

"Tell me a story, Mr. McGwire. What do you know about the original residents of the home? You are a historian, too, right?" She asks him and he nods.

Rosaline places her fists on the table and cocks her to the side as she looks at Rose with her dead eyes. Years of decay settle in her and Rose hss to fight the urge to throw up.

The Rosaline she faced now looked nothing like the one in the portrait. She had a bullet wound taking up half her face and jagged marks across her flesh. The others looked normal and completely unaware, but Rosaline was in control.

"Oh, yes, that would be so cool." Maggie says and smiles, unaware of what is happening.

"Well, Geraldine was the mother of three children-" Mr. McGwire says and Rose interrupts him.

"Mother of four." She says and the ghosts around the table all pound their fists on the table once, even McGee and Gwen, who looked petrified to not be in control of themselves.

"Excuse me?" Mr. McGwire asks and frowns in confusion.
"Four children? No, I don't recall." He says and shakes his head. The pounding sounds twice on the table and Rose looks at Rosaline.

Rosaline stood on her feet and had a crooked stance as she glared at Rose. The room grew darker and darker and Rose grew braver and and braver.

"Geraldine had four in her care, three of her own." Rose stands and places the chest in the table, knocking aside the dinner plate and piles of dirt falls on the table as it rattles.

"How would you know this?" The old man asks as he stares at thr dirty bix in disgust.

"Rose, what is that?" Maggie asks.

Rose takes the butter knife at her side and easily used it to break the rusted, two-hundred years old lock and pries open the box.

The contents were what she was from a secret father expecting. It was bits of money, a few legal papers, and a small photo of a baby and McGee. Rose reaches inide the box and holds uo thr picture so she can see it clearly.

"I just do. Rosalinda tried to shut him our because he wasn't actually her son," Rose looks back to the furious girl. Never ending pounding rings in the room. "Isn't that right? You were jealous." Rose says to her in a taunting tone and the girl begins shrieking.

"Rosanna, what has gotten into you? There is no ine there" Maggie asks in horror and then Johnny goes limp, his head falling and slamming into the table. The table rumbles viscously under his head and Maggie and Mr. McGwire gasp and stand, backing away.

Johnny slowly sits up, his eyes cloudy and he looks at Rose with an evil snarl. "You'll pay for that." He says, but the voice isn't his. It sounds like the static a radio and a little girl.

Johnny screams and crawls over the table and Rose takes the box and runs out the dining room as the lights flicker and objects fly.

Rose runs to the hallway and the door all slams shut. "Screw it." Rose says and turns toward a big window in the hall and sprint towars the glass  She turns her shoulder into it and slams through. She lands on the ground with a sharp gasp as searching pain shoots through her arm and she tries not to scream.

Cameron jumps through thr window after her and crouches down. "Come on, Rose, get up." He pulls her to her feet and they speed off.

Rose could feel something warm dripping down her arm and she tries to focus on the ground in front of her. She grips the chest with all her might and she sees someone darting in front of them. "Gwen." She whispers and runs faster.
-
"Where are we?" Cameron asks and stops, looking around at the trees and Rose catches a small glimpse of water. She bumps into him, trying to keep him moving.

"Don't stop, we have to keep going," Rose says. "This is a setup, go." She nudges him with her good shoulder but he doesn't move.

"Cameron..." She hears behind them and she almost loses it as Cameron looks around to find the voice.

"Ignore it and come on, are you stupid! We can't stop here!" She pleads him to follows her and then she hears splashing. She sees the lump moving out of the lake and she sends a silent pray to whoever was listening that Cameron would follow her.

Cameron finally takes her advice and they turn to leave, but as they do. They are both knocked backwards and Rose gasps at the pain in her arm. 

Rose looks up and the moonlight illuminates her brother's face and the silver object he has in his hand. She fights with him, trying to avoid being stuck with the butter knife in his hand. "Johnny, Johnny stop." She yells as it sticks in the ground beside her face. He quickly thrusts down again and it sticks in her shoulder and she screams loudly.

A branch hits him in the head and he falls back and doesn't move. Rose grass the knife and yanks it out and she cries at the pain. "Rose, go." Cameron says. holding the branch and he stands over Johnny and he faces the glowering corpse of his own brother. "I said to leave, go!" He yells at her and she scrambles to her feet, running through the trees.