The Watertown Nightmare

How It All Started

There was a flash of light as the sky exploded into rumbles of thunder one after the other, as the storm brewed with thick dark clouds that shrouded the sky and the sun. The trees along waved in a frenzy as the wind made its entry into the town, taking the leaves with it and rattling the windows. Jamie looked outside and watched as their neighbors hurriedly made their preparations for the oncoming storm. Her brilliant blue eyes kept watching them as they have for hours, unloving.

It had been some time since they moved here from their old house back in Watertown but she could remember it like it was yesterday and her memories would never allow her to forget what happened back there. Five years before, the Clarkson family moved from the northern shores apartment because David, their dad got a new job. Jamie, her little brother Kevin and big brother Johann all sat in the back of the back of the eight-seated minivan. Johann at age nine had his headphones, tuning out everything around him. Kevin was up to no good as usual and Jamie was busy watching the colors whoosh by as they drove out from the city to Watertown. “What kind of name is Watertown anyway?” she had asked Kate, her new mom. “It sounds stupid”. “Yeah, stupid”. Kevin copied, his little voice mispronouncing his sister’s words. “It’s a beautiful place, with lots of fresh air and trees”. Kate chimed excitedly while Jamie stared daggers at the back of her head. She didn’t like her “new mommy” as her dad had called her and when she asked about hers and Johann's mom, he told her that she didn’t want to be with them anymore and she moved away. Johann said that they got a divorce. “You’re going to love it there sweetheart”. David said from his place behind the wheel. He craned his neck up and look at her from the rearview mirror and from her expression he could tell that she wasn’t her usual happy self. They will have to get adjusted to a new environment and make new friends; it was hard enough that they had just been through a nasty divorce a few months back and then Kate became a part of their lives and now they had to move because the company needed his skills in this place they were about to live in. He was asking for a lot from this family, so he couldn’t blame her for being mad at him right now.

David’s eyes caught something in front of the car and he had to swerve out of the way as to not hit it; it came out of nowhere. Kate looked at him questionably. “You OK? Why did you swerve in the road like that?” “Something was in the middle of the road, didn’t you see it?” He asked his wife without looking away from the road. “David, there was nothing there and I was paying attention to the road”. She stated. “Maybe I should take over the driving when we make the next stop at a gas station, you look tired.” David agreed but there was something there, he knew what he saw it though he didn’t know what it was. Little did he know that he wasn’t the only one that saw it. They arrived at the new house at midday and man! What a house it was. Three stories with big bright windows and tons of space. The kids ran to the back of the house to discover that their back yard was filled with a forest of trees, lush green with tops that reached for the skies. Jamie craned her neck trying to see the tree tops, her hand shaded her eyes from the sun and in that moment she got a glance at something at the corner of the house, it gleamed in the daylight. She moved towards the object and picked it up. It was a piece of glass, pretty with colors or summer and snow. “Ouch”. She exclaimed and drop the glass. Her thumb had a bit of blood on it. “Jamie, Johann, Kevin”. David shouted from around the front of the house. “Come see your rooms” “OK” the kid's chorus and ran off.

It was the evening in a few hours and time for dinner. “Jamie, pass the salt please”. David asked and then he notices the Band-Aid on her left thumb. “Sweetheart what happened to your finger”. “It’s nothing”. She continued to eat her dinner. “You sure?” Kate asked and Jamie only looked at her for a moment then resumed eating. David throws his wife a reassuring smile. “Tomorrow we’ll look at your new schools and starting next week you’ll start to make new friends”. He said in an effort to fill in the silence. “May I be excused?” Johann asked. “Why Johann, are you feeling OK?” Kate asked, “I’m just not hungry”. “OK, sure.” Kate allowed. Jamie took the opportunity to get up from the table as well. “Jamie? Where are you going?” her dad asked. But again she only looks at him and then ran off to her room. David sighed. “She’s mad at me”. “Yeah, she mad at me too”. Kate stated. “But she’ll get over it. Just give her some time”. Two weeks passed and school was an adjustment she would have to make. She missed her old school and her old friends. Her best friend was at her old school, they had been best friends since kindergarten and now as she looked out in front of her, all she could see were strangers. She didn’t want to be here.

“Class, this is Jamie and she is our new transfer student.” The teacher introduced her. She sat at a window seat overlooking the school gardens. They never had gardens at her old school. Watertown was beautiful but it felt empty. The boy she sat next to kept looking at her in a weird way. Her first bully. When the teacher’s back was turned, she would show her a note that read ‘you don’t belong here’. She didn’t need him to tell her what she already knew. The days settled into a routine and the Clarkson family started to blend into Watertown's lifestyle. Johann was in a class above her and for the most part they avoided each other at school, she wouldn't want to mar his image that he trying to build as his whiny little sister. So she would walk home alone after school. She would miss the bus on purpose because of the bullies on it. They seemed to have multiplied like bacteria after her first day. First, it started with just teasing and name calling then it started to get physical as they shoved her around. Today, they locked her in the dark storage room. She cried and screamed for what seemed like hours as they laughed and jeered her. She was claustrophobic. The gym teacher came and unlock the door and let her out. As she walked, the bus passed and a container of what smelled like spoiled milk landed on her. It was the straw that broke her self-esteem as her tears started to flow and she cried and ran. She wasn’t even sure where she was going, all she wanted to do was get away from here. She thought about learning karate like had watched in the movies, who was she kidding, she was a klutz even in gym class; so she cried and ran, tripping a few times until she was in the forest surrounded by nothing but tree and greenery. Jamie let it out, everything. Screaming and crying in the dead of the silence, her frustrations were so many for a girl her age as they echoed through the forest. She hugged her knees and put her face between when she throat started to feel sore. “Why do you cry, child?” a whisper of a voice asked from somewhere around her and Jamie’s head snapped up. Someone else must have heard her as she was screaming but as she looking around there was no one. Maybe it was her imagination. The voice was so small when it spoke.

“Are you lost, child?” the voice spoke again but there was no one there at least not that she could see but someone was here, she was sure of it. Jamie wondered if she should answer the voice since her dad had always told her not to talk to strangers. “Who are you?” she asked before she knew that she would. “You didn’t answer my questions.” The voice said then repeated itself, saying the first two questions again in the same whisper. Jamie told the voice the reason why she cried with all the honesty of the child she was. When she was finished, she waited but the voice didn’t speak again. Somehow, she felt better talking to the voice of the forest; she decided that to call it as she walked back home.

The school bell rang and the kids exited the grounds, entering the buses. It was a rainy afternoon and Jamie had forgotten to bring an umbrella. One day, Johann found out that she had been walking from school instead of taking the bus and threatened her that he would tell their dad if she didn’t stop it. She had no choice. As she entered she notice her bullies and the way they all stared at her. “Look who decided to take the bus.” One of them said. She tried to take a seat but everyone kept telling her that the seat was taken until she was back and just as she was about to move to it someone tripped her. The entire bus erupted into laughter and jeers. Even Johann but he was only doing it to fit in with his new friends. “Do you hate them?” it was the same voice she had heard in the forest that day and just like before she looked around but she saw nothing out of the ordinary, everyone was still laughing at her. And just like before she whispered back an answer to the voice. Jamie felt a finger under her chin willing her head to look up. He sat on the seat that she intended, his body was ghostly and faded, his eyes were as green as the forest and he looked no older than Johann but he seemed taller. He said no more words then only smiled beautifully at her and offered her his hand; she should be paralyzed with fear seeing a ghost in front of her, it's only human to. But instead, she took it without a second thought. It was the only kind gesture she had received since she got here.

He pulled her onto the seat with him and suddenly there was only quiet, though she could still see everyone on the bus, their lips were moving but there was no sound. It was as if she had entered into a different space in time. “I’ve seen you before, when we were moving here, we passed you on the highway.” Jamie whispered trying hard not to move her lips too much, she didn’t want anyone to think that she was crazy too, she already had enough to deal with. “You’re so kind Jamie, to remember a fraction in time like that.” His voice was like music, warm and inviting. Jamie’s brows furrowed. “Are you a boy? You don’t speak like a boy”. “I am a boy but I have been a boy for a very long time”. He smiled. “What’s your name?” “Ciel”. She had forgotten about what was happening around her, her attention snatched up by this creature beside her so she completes caught off guard when Ciel pulled her head out the way as an empty bottle was hurled at her from one of the bullies. “Do you hate him?” “Yes” “Hey freak, I told you that you didn’t belong here”. He came closer to her seat. “You should just walk home like you always do. Who said you could take the bus?” The kids on the bus could only see Jamie as she sat there looking at this boy, twice her size and no one would mess with him. “Hey I am talking to you!” the boy screamed at her. “What are you so scared that you can’t even say anything?” Ciel glared at the boy as he did, and before she knew what she was doing Jamie started to mirror his actions. “What the hell are you looking you at? The boy asked as he reached out to grab her hair. The other kids only watched as Jamie grabbed the boy’s hand and bent his fingers over. The boy cried out in pain and in retaliation tried to grab her other hand. Jamie felt her hand bend his fingers more to the point where the joints of his fingers felt like they were rubbing against her palm; she knew that she didn’t have the strength to do this.

It was then she notice Ciel’s faded arm above hers. His body and hers were intersected. The boy’s face was contorted with pain and now there were tears running down his cheek, and either he was apologizing or cursing, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was the exciting feeling seeing him in pain, on his knees in front of her, it made her face split into a creepy grin. A crowd of the boy’s friends, some other kids, and even Johann stepped in, trying to pull the boy away from her. The more they pulled the more she bent his fingers, enjoying the screams he made. “Jamie let go of him!” Johann shouted at his sister and Jamie’s face slowly turned to acknowledge him. “Who are you?” Her face serious as her head tilted to the side. “Should I know you?” “This isn’t funny, Jamie! You’re going to break his fingers”. Jamie looked back at the boy and he seemed to realize what was coming next as the creepy grin returned on her face. “That’s exactly what I am going to do.” She answered her brother. There was a sickening sound as the boy’s joints snapped; and the action caused screams and cries from everyone present to the point where the bus driver had to stop the bus, recognizing that something was no right. When he went to the back, what he saw caused his lunch made its reappearance. The boy had passed out due to the pain, his fingers were snapped back to the skin on the back of his palm. The kids were so frightened, it didn’t occur to any of them to get out of there. Jamie took up her school back and walked slowly toward the exit only stopping to turn to her brother. “Aren’t you coming, this is our stop isn’t it?” then continued walking. To say that the incident caused a stir in Watertown would be a major understatement. David and Kate had telephone calls coming in from all over from the boy’s parents and the rest of the parent of the children on the bus, the school principal had called and now the press, who were now waiting outside trying to get some answers. They had tried to talk to Jamie but she refused to respond their questions, she just sat there looking out the window to the activity going on below. There was a knock on the door and David went to answered it while Kate stayed in the room with her. She sat on the side of the bed with her hands folded in her lap; she waited a few moments before she spoke. “You’ve had quite an interesting day, huh, Jamie?” She started in a small voice. “I heard from Johann that the boy was one of the bullies at school and he was picking on you; so in a sense, I guess…” she hesitated. “You retaliated…..strongly. I still can’t believe you were able to break his fingers”. That caused Jamie to turn away from windows and looked at the mother she had never acknowledge. She watched her, waiting for her to speak again. Kate’s hopes lifted with the small gesture and decided to edge closer to her.

David was downstairs talking to the person who he had called before when he heard the scream and the both of them bolted up the stairs. ‘What's going on?!” David asked soon as he came through the door. Kate stood in the corner, screaming as she stared at Jamie. To David, it seemed like his wife had gone crazy but what Kate was looking at a dark figure standing behind Jamie, its fang-like teeth gleamed and its arms were wrapped around little Jamie’s neck in what seem like a protective possessive manner. David took hold of Kate’s shoulders and shook her until she finally stopped screaming and her eyes were looking at him. “What’s the matter?” he asked concern. “That’s not Jamie” she whispered, “What are talking about?” David asked confused he looked over to his little girl who was staring out the window as if nothing had happened. “Of course that’s our Jamie, baby what was saying?” he asked with eyes that held fear and concern.

“That’s not her!” Kate screamed and David stepped back appalled by what his wife was saying. Maybe she was just overwhelmed by what happened and the move. There had been so many changes. His mind ran the commentary through his head in an attempt to calm himself down. The man who had walked in with David watched the little girl from where he stood. David had called him over for some guidance on a project that they need to get done together. Through that was his profession, he also had another. He slowly walked over to the little girl. “Come no further, Priest.” Jamie’s lips said and the man known as father John, stopped in his tracks. David also turned around. This was the first time Jamie would have met the man so how would she know about his title. “Who are you?” father John asked . “Father what are you saying?” David asked though in the back of his head he was wondering about Jamie’s strange behavior. Jamie sighed. “And if I were to answer that question, what will you do if the answer is not one you are satisfied with?" Her throat giggled a bit. But what she said next removed all doubt from David’s mind that who he was looking at was not his Jamie. “Humans are always looking for answers to questions when they are never prepared for them.” “What have you done to my daughter?” David was fearful and angry at the same time. Jamie’s lips smiled an evil grin. “Do your eyes deceive you, human? Is it not Jamie that speaks to you now?” Father John immediately reached for his bible and started to chant. “Dad, Kate”. Johann whimpered from behind and the all turned around. “Oh my God!” Kate and David both exclaimed. Johann's hand was trembling as he held the knife at his little brother’s throat, the child covered with cuts and bruises from his brother and he was crying at first then he started to giggle. “We’re playing a game, mommy” then Kevin started to cry again. “It hurts mommy, make it stop.” “Jamie please stop!” Johann cried. “I don’t want to do this!” he pleaded. “I can’t stop myself”. “No, of course, you don’t. You never want to anything, even as they bullied your own sister you would rather watch for the sake of you popularity than doing anything.” “I am sorry! I…. so sorry Jamie”. Father John was still busy chanting, not allowing himself to be distracted, that’s what the demon wanted and he would not allow him to have this child.

Suddenly there was a loud noise from outside. The reports she was watching were now fighting each other, there was chaos everywhere. In the next minute, David's finger dug into the throat. It was as if he could see himself doing it but he couldn't stop. He was like a puppet and though he cried in protest to stop his body was no longer his to command. “Priest you’re wasting your time.” Jamie’s lips said. Father John needed something to hold the demon's spirit, the chant and the cross were effective but if he only had something like a personal belonging or a name. Screaming erupted outside and Jamie’s body used the distraction to crawl on all fours backward up the wall and out the door, her brothers followed suit. And as soon as they left David’s hold was released on Kate's neck and she passed out. Father John followed the children and when he arrived, he found them on the roof of the three-story house. “Do you remember Ciel, when we came up here to play in the summer?” Kevin’s lips asked. “Yes, I will never forget.” They looked down at the huge yard swarming with reports and police and firemen. They were calling to them. “Shall we join them?” Johann's lips spoke. “I believe we would be rude not to”. Jamie’s lips said. All three children jumped off the roof at the same time landing in a contorted manner with their head facing the opposite direction. Piercing screams echoed through the neighborhood.

It was every parent's nightmare as David and Kate watched Jamie’s body get up from it’s contorted position then followed by her brother. Slowly their head turned around to face the frightened crowd. Then she turned to her parents. David heard a whisper and then the sickening feeling came back again, his body had begun its puppet dance again as he moved to towards the crowd. “No! No! No please!” He cried as his hands picked up a blunt weapon and headed after one of the reporters Kate appeared behind the wheel of a police car, she started driving down anyone in her view. There were screams and mayhem and all the while Jamie’s body stood back and watched. “Priest, I say it before and I will say it again. You are wasting your time.” Jamie’s voice split into three different tones. The priest continued his chanting in Latin. Frustrated at his disobedience, he pinned the priest to the nearest wall. The pressure for the force was like gravity pressing down on him, his lungs felt like they were being crushed but in the final moments of his life he finished the chant and yelled with all he had left in him the demon’s name. “Be gone, Ciel!!!!” Jamie’s and her brothers’ throat let out a piercing shriek that caused everyone to cover their ears, the glass windows cracked and shattered. All who were under Ciel’s control, blood ran from their eyes and ears. They would later describe the feeling as something begin uprooted from inside of them.

It’s been five years since that incident happened. They had to move out of Watertown the next few days afterward. One of the reporters uploaded a video of what happened that night and it went viral on YouTube. News spread and the little town of Watertown wasn’t so little anymore. The Clarkson family was no longer the Clarkson family, neither in name or life. Kate and David barely spoke to each other though they were still together. Kate huddles in the corner whenever Jamie enters the room. Kevin hasn’t spoken at all since that night and Johann had been addicted to insomnia. He does things to keep himself awake as each time he closes his eyes he can still see everything that happened. Jamie sat looking out the window, her eye fixed and unloving as she watched the kids in their new neighborhood. She looked at the window and saw her reflection, pale and ghostly. A creepy grin split her face from ear to ear. “You’re so kind to remember that fraction in time, Jamie”. Her lips said on their own. Green eyes looked back at her from the reflection in the mirror.