#26 - Jenny (Part 2)

I clicked the phone's power switch. Nothing happened.

“Dead battery,” I said, again to myself, “I'm going to go use the house phone. I'll be right back.”

I walked over and shrugged a pair of sandals on my feet. Although my back was facing her, I still felt her eyes. The sound coming from her never silenced, as if she didn't need to pause for a breath.

“I'll be right back,” I said once again while forcing myself to look back into those vapid, dead eyes, “I love you.”

I made my way for the exit, pausing only to wretch the door open and close it behind me. I felt my way through the soupy darkness before finding the light switch. I walked through the main hallway quickly as it opened into the living room. I grabbed at the phone placed upon the center table and dialed the number from memory. As the receiver softly hummed with ringing, my eyes fell upon the large wall clock that hung above the television. 3:14 AM; much too early to be calling about anything short of an emergency. I had hoped that this qualified.

“Hello?” came the groggy, sloth-like voice of Jenny's mother.

“Hello? Hi, Trish?” I said in rushed tone as my vision rested at the entrance to the living room, “It's Paul.”

“Is everything all right Paul?” she responded, her voice now tainted with worry.

“I'm not too sure,” I answered after a few moments of intent listening.

Distant footsteps rang from the bedroom.

“I need to take Jenny to the hospital,” I stated while trying to keep my free ear pricked, “She's not acting right.”

“What do you mean?” she replied.

I was going to respond, but a sudden booming sound caused me to jump and drop the phone. It fell to the floor and instantly shot out it's battery pack upon contact with the hardwood ground. I bent down and scooped up the contents of the receiver with trembling hands as another, similar sound tore through the house. I stood and stepped to the entrance of the living room, granting me sight to the closed door leading to the bedroom. A third, deafening boom sounded from the door, as if Jenny was throwing herself at it.

“Jenny, stop!” I called out, my voice uneven and shaky, “You're going to hurt yourself!”

The resulting action sent hairs spiking upward upon my neck. That same guttural noise became extremely clear and loud. I briefly imagined her pressing her lips to the crack of the door's hinge and breathing through it to accomplish such a feat.

“This shit has gone on long enough!” I shouted while slipping the battery back into the phone, “I'm calling 9-1-1.”

A kind of slow scraping began sourcing from the door, followed by the unmistakable noise of splintering wood. I cursed to myself again and again as I struggled to calm my shaking fingers to dial the three numbers.

“9-1-1, what's your emergency?” the droning voice of a woman met my ear.

“I'm not really sure what's going on,” I tried to explain as the sounds of door being peeled away echoed from the hallway, “My fiance isn't acting herself, and I need an ambulance.”

“Can I have your address, sir?” she went on to say.

I paused for a brief moment. The noises had ceased from the bedroom.

“Yeah,” I replied, my voice sounding unnaturally loud in the sudden silence, “1-1-5 Greenway Drive.”

I've sent a dispatch officer out to your residence. Is anyone-”

The rest of her sentence went unheard as a loud, retching scream came from the bedroom. A moment later, a strong force rhythmically slammed at the weakened door. I watched in disbelief and horror as the center of the wood began splintering outward.