Excerpt: Cherty Hall

Sister Agnes made her way to the West wing as she reached the top of the stairs she could hear whispering in some of the girls’ rooms. She was about to raise her voice a scold them again but thought better of it. She had so much on her mind this was the least of her worries. The girls were going to gossip about the row between herself and Sister Helen so they might as well do it now than tomorrow. She knew it would be talked about for several days and she would be looked at by the girls every time she and Sister Helen met each other around the school.

She paused at the entrance to the secret rooms. A chill ran through her as if she was being watched. She did not see the pair of eyes watching every move from the shadows. She looked around her but could see nothing untoward. Slipping into the ante room she mounted the stairs. A sliver of lights shone from below the door. A shadow passed near the door.
Sister Agnes took out a key and placed it in the lock. The shadow retreated from the door, the light went out. She had no torch with her and she cursed but she knew where the switch was even in the dark. The lock groaned as the key turned the door creaked on its hinges as it opened. Sister Agnes could sense the presence of another person. A steady panting sound could be heard coming from the far end of the room. The person wouldn’t attack it would wait for Sister Agnes to enter. It was afraid of her.
With a flick of the rusty switch the room was illuminated by a pale bulb battling to reach the far corners of the room. The stench almost made Sister Agnes gag for air. Hiding in the far corner curled up in the foetal position was something that resembled a human.
‘Your time is almost up. Do you want to die?’
The figure mumbled something but the words were unclear. The rags it wore revealed the sores and welts on an emaciated body. The body began shaking as Sister Agnes slowly approached it. The hands were clawing at the floor boards. It’s face turned towards her and it was one of utter terror.
‘If you dare to show your face at the window one more time I shall forget to bring food and water to you . You will starve to death.’ The figure responded with pitiful whimpers like a small puppy being kicked. Sister Agnes just laughed. She enjoyed inflicting misery on this creature.
‘No one knows you are here. So if anything happens to me it could be weeks , months or years before you are discovered. Just remember that!’
Sister Agnes looked down on this figure and smiled. The figure tried to make itself even smaller. You could now smell the fear emanating from the creature. Sister Agnes walked slowly towards the door and just before she was about to switch off the light she turned ‘Remember what I have just said. No one will find you.’ The room returned to darkness. The door closed and the lock was turned. Sister Agnes waited outside the door to hear small sobs coming from within. She felt pleased her point had got home.
She moved along the corridor to the sitting room, poured herself a drink and sat down. She had to be very careful over the next few days. She would spend sometime working on her story so that it was watertight before the police came to see her tomorrow.
Her light was on until very late when she did rise and retire to her bedroom she was pleased that all would be well. She was so wrapped up in her schemes she had not heard the movement in front of the hall. If she had looked out of her window she would have seen two figures prowling around outside.