9: Review

It was near midnight when I got to the station, with the person on duty shocked to see me as he watched me walked into the office. It was as if he saw a ghost. I just gave him a smile and went my way, I was a man on a mission. As I walked past my desk, something caught my eye, an envelope was again sitting on my table. Honestly, with my recent stabbing incident, the sight of an envelope had made me very wary. I carefully peered on the writing, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was just the analysis for the evidence I had tested. I took the envelope with me and went straight to the evidence locker, signed a few documents, and carried my evidence box out of the office. I sat inside my car for a few moments and was about to start the car when -Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

I couldn't stop myself from screaming, there was somebody sitting on my backseat and she smiled. The hairs on my back were on their ends, again I let out another scream. A cold hand then touched my shoulder as the owner moved her face to my head. I suddenly realized I was crying and sweating at the same time while my heart and head was racing. Closer she came towards my face, and when she was so just inches away from me..."I'm sorry if I had to cut our date short", I heard her whisper and like the wind she was gone. Thankfully, I'm alone once more. The trip back home was difficult for I was on edge, my encounters with Annie and her demonic alter-ego had been too many and too deadly that I can't help but worry that the next encounter would really cost me my life. Upon returning home, I immediately locked myself inside the house, shut the windows and unplugged the phones, and as a final desperate precautionary measure I poured salt on my window sill and on the door. Not a soul will be able to reach me, literally.

I began to go through my evidence box again, and just like the first time there wasn't much to see. The files and the knife were the only things there while the records show that no sightings not even calls to inform the family of a ransom or the recovery of a body was made. I knew that nobody would call since the girl was as I surmised "possessed" and demented. But why the hell is she haunting me and didn't bother doing the same thing to my grandfather. Why me of all people? I continue to flip through the files and near the end saw a profile that I overlooked, the profile of Dr. Ian Sobreviga, my psychologist. According to the file he has been the family doctor of the Villafuertes for a long time, and had been the only medical practitioner present in the family household after the little girl was sent home due to the accident. I was silent as I pondered on the two decades worth of facts that laid before me. It was common knowledge that the moment the doctors sent Annie Villafuerte home they had already condemned her to death, but why in a span of only three days from the date of discharge was she able to recover as if nothing has happened? There were no details on any procedure done on the girl, only that she had undergone series of intensive post traumatic psychological therapies, the last recorded therapy being done the day before the disappearance. I still had so many questions and I couldn't find an answer. This was starting to frustrate me. I went on re-reading the contents of the reports. Starting on the interviews with the family members, none of them stand out except again for Bethany. According to her, that night, she and her sister were playing in their room, she had a new Polaroid camera, and they were taking pictures of each other, when all of a sudden Annie went silent and went outside the room. She asked Annie where she was going but her sister didn't answer. Bethany thought that she was just going to the bathroom but when she came back Annie suddenly went berserk, she wasn't even sure how she got the knife for the girl was gone for no more than five minutes. Five minutes is such little time to get to the kitchen for a knife, I thought. I continued reading, but after the regale of the time before Annie went insane, nothing on the file was useful, it seems like none of the family was able to provide any kind of information after the disappearance. I put aside the interviews and took the new evidence that I got back from the lab, I read the results, a perfect match. The blood on the crucifix was a perfect match to that of Annie Villafuerte. I stared at my small new piece of evidence and before I knew it I was standing on the shoreline again. It was cool and breezy, the smell of the ocean was calming. I felt my head tilt to the left, and my mouth curved to a smile as I brushed back my hair blowing with the wind, they were soft and my hands felt every strand that passed through my palm, it was soothing. I looked at my hands, they were small, like that of a child, same goes for my feet, I was small. Again looked to my left, I was shocked with who I saw, but just felt myself smile since I knew that I didn't have any control over my own body again. However, I felt confused at the sight of the person to my left, but I tried to control my breathing, because the one I saw was Dr. Ian. He was walking towards me with a worried look on his face, I felt it - my body just gave him another smile. What in God's name is happening? My whole being was shaking with fear, even if I was just a spectator. I couldn't do anything, and just as I was succumbing to my fear I heard a voice, a voice of a man, it was Dr. Ian.

"Does it feel good to be a grown-up Annie? " he said in a worried tone.

I felt my body nod.

"You must help him end this insanity. He's on the edge, he'll be driven to insanity before he could even save you if you keep on putting him in too much close calls with that thing". The doctor shook his head in disappointment. Then I felt my mouth move and a voice, a very angelic voice came out - I was in the body of a child.

"I know. But this body is no longer mine. I am but a prisoner in my own mind. He spreads havoc around the world with this form and I am powerless against him. Robin, must face him and kill him to end this chain of misery that he has created using me. I'm tired doctor. I just want to rest." I felt warm tears roll down my cheeks. I was inside Annie Villafuerte, yet again. I felt my chest tighten, she is a caged bird. I blinked, and just like that I was back, sitting in my study table at home.