Chapter Eleven

I heard Jonathan running up the stairs towards Bella's room after he heard my scream from downstairs. I was pinned beneath Bella, everything about my daughter was awfully scary, her eyes were pure black; no white visible in them, on her face was a twisted unnatural smile that makes me sick to the stomach, she possesses an unnatural strength to be able to pin me down without actually breaking a sweat.

Jonathan burst into the room, looking at the sight in front of him with absolute disbelieve. He was shocked to say the least; it took him a moment to compose himself then ran towards us. His grip on our daughter was firm but even he struggled to pull her away from me.

Bella's weight was rock-like on me, her grip on my neck was vice-like, pressing on my throat and crushing my windpipe. I kicked and pushed while Jonathan pulled with all his might but she won't even budge.

"Listen to me baby, I know you are in there somewhere…. please baby fight this. This isn't you, please". I heard Jonathan trying to reason with our little girl.

Bella did not seem even distracted by Jonathan 's plea. My vision began to blur and tears burn the back of my eyes. 'Is this how am going to die? At the hands of my own daughter nonetheless?' I thought.

It was rather ironic that the one I gave life to would be the one to extinguish mine. Just as I began to drift into nothingness, I was pulled back by the violent rush of air into my lungs. The weight above me was abruptly lifted giving me enough room to move back.

When my vision began to clear I saw Jonathan being flung to the wall adjacent to me. I crawled to him just as he moved to a sitting position reeling over the impact.

"we should have kept an open mind. I warned you." I said with a hoarse voice.

"C'MON! this not the time for 'I told you so'."

"Bella baby this isn't you... please fight this." He added. His voice weak making him seem vulnerable.

Though the message seemed to reach through to Bella, because her eyes came back to their normal sky blue color for a few seconds before turning pitch black again. She gave a hideous side lipped smile then turn towards the room window. Crouching down on all four, she took off running for the window like some animal.

Before we could wrap our heads around the situation she jumped through the closed window. I screamed through my still sore lungs and we both ran as fast as our aching bodies could allow us to the now broken window and watched as her fragile body landed gracefully on the hard ground below, then continued running to the woods. We watched from the room window on the second floor as she disappeared from view into the tree line.

We momentarily looked at each other then simultaneously bolted out the room then down the stairs and out the back door towards the woods.

Although I tried pushing through the ache all over my body, I could only force my legs to run but I was mentally tired as well. I could not think straight; my vision was blurred by unshed tears. First my boy went missing and now only God knows what is possessing my little girl.

Before I knew it we burst out from the woods and the lake shone with the reflection from the moon's silver rays. Jonathan and I stood in the clearing looking around for any clue to give us a lead to where Bella might have gone. The woods was big enough to slow our search, not to mention how dark it was with only the moon as a source of light.

A ripple in the lake caught my attention. I touched my husband to draw his attention as well, I walked to the bank and squinted my eyes to see through the dark to what disturbed the peaceful water. I gasp once I recognized the violet colored sweater Bella was wearing earlier, Jonathan must have recognized it as well because he jumped into the lake before I could have reacted further. I clamped my right hand on my mouth to stop the squeal from escaping my lips and I put my left hand on top my abdomen as if to stop my body from the violent shake that is building up with each cry forming in the back of my throat.

About a minute later, Jonathan emerge from the dark waters holding an unconscious Bella and swarm to the bank. I kneeled down in the dirt to collect Bella as he came closer. Her skin was already pale but still a bit warm considering the cold temperature freakishly drop at night time.

Jonathan rushed to where I laid her on the ground a bit far from the lake. He crossed his palms on her chest and started administering CPR on her. After series of pressing and blowing air into her mouth she coughed out the water taking residence in her lungs, the color returned to her skin and she took in huge gulped of fresh air. I was quick to snatch her from Jonathan's lap where he kept her head just as she started coughing out water, I held her tight in an embrace while Jonathan hugged us both and I let out the sobs I had been desperately keeping abay.

Back in the house, I sat on the three seater sofa while Bella slept close to me cuddled with thick layers of blankets with her head on my lap and Jonathan sat next to us on the two seater wearing a pair of dry clothes and a thick green cardigan with the picture of a snowman knitted on it. Immediately after we walked into the house we headed upstairs, Jonathan and Bella had a hot bath then changed into dry clothes to avoid catching cold while I changed into clean and comfy clothes. We headed downstairs to talk about what's really happening.

Although we needed to talk about it but none of us knows where to start. It was Jonathan who first broke the silence.

"I don't understand what's going on!"

"You've seen it with your own eyes... What's there not to understand!"

We remind silent for a moment. My mind racing back to the first day in this house when Junior was first attacked. Just thinking about him brought fresh pain to my heart, knowing he's out there somewhere, scared to death at the moment.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you or the kids... This is all my fault"

"Hey! Its nobody's fault. Even I didn't want to believe at first, and besides this is bound to happen"

"Yes, but if I had kept an open mind about the whole situation and not acted as a complete skeptical arse things would have been a lot different. Junior wouldn't be missing and Bella won't have been possessed in the first place."

At the mention of Junior I felt my own guilt crashing down on me, but I tried to reassure him and in the process, myself, that it wasn't our fault. That we were completely powerless to situations like this, only if to lessen the growing guilt.

"I hope he's okay" I said after a moment of silence.

"wherever he is am sure he's fine" Jonathan assured.

Despite my reluctance, sleep was inevitable. The whole ordeal earlier left us sore and drained. We all couldn't help but let sleep steal us away into sweet nothingness. I realized I had fallen asleep when I was awoken by a strange sound in the middle of the night. Immediately the realization hit me so did my guilt. How could I fall asleep when Junior was still missing? How could I sleep when I don't know how he's doing? What kind of a mother am I?

I hated myself at that very moment. I seated straight and turned towards Jonathan who was snoring quietly then to Bella sleeping peacefully by my side.

Poor thing, can't even imagine what she must have gone through today.

I was brought out of my thought by the strange sound that had woke me up. I faced the direction of the kitchen where the sound came from, my heart jumped to my throat and fear gripped me making my sweat glands to become active. I didn't move, I couldn't move, my whole body went stiff and rigid.

I listened quietly and attentively to the sound. At first it was just meaningless noise, then as it grew a bit louder it sounded much like someone shouting. I swallowed hard and tried to decipher the sound.

"MOM HELP ME!!!"

My heart stopped. I lost all ability to breathe. I couldn't believe my ears; it was Junior's voice I heard.

I tried careening my ear to hear better, but for some seconds it was quiet. My mind started coming up with different thoughts as to why I just heard Junior.

"MOM PLEASE HELP ME"

It came again and I jumped up to my feet. I really did hear him calling for me.

"MOM PLEASE!"

I followed the voice and it seemed to be coming from upstairs. I literarily tripped on Jonathan's foot in my haste to head upstairs to Junior. I couldn't think straight, other than to get to my little boy and hold him in my arms till it's safe. I ran up the stairs to the upper floor where I could hear Junior's cry echoing through the walls, I could not discern where it was actually coming from so I resolved to checking each room, starting from his own room.

I fearfully opened the door to his room, not knowing what awaits me behind the door, but no one was there and the sound of him crying still echoes from the walls. As I closed the door and turned to move to the next room I bumped into something solid behind me.