The Ink Shall Never Fade - Part 3
There’s always a price to pay
Start with Part 1 first…
The doorbell chimed, startling Sarah awake. She couldn’t believe she had drifted off on the couch. But the trauma of the evening’s events had drained her. She was so weary.
However, her anger flared as she remembered everything that had happened to Bella. Heart pounding with rage and adrenaline, she raced to the door and threw it open. Startled, Susie moved backward, but Sarah seized her arm and dragged her inside.
The woman pulled back and tried to resist, but Sarah’s rage fueld her unnatural strength. She shoved the woman toward the couch.
“Under the blanket. Look! Look what you fucking did to her!”
“W-what? I didn’t do…”
Shrieking, Sarah interrupted her. “Just look, damn you!”
Susie gingerly pulled back the blanket to reveal Bella’s limp body. Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a big sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank god. It’s just your dog.”
Sarah dashed across the room and held a knife in front of Susie’s frightened face. “Just my dog? You miserable bitch! That… that thing! It killed her!”
The woman’s face grew cold. “Be thankful it wasn’t worse. Trust me.”
“Trust you?! We are way past that. What did you do to me? What did SHE do to me? What is that thing???”
Closing her eyes, Susie sank onto the couch. “I don’t know what it is. I really don’t. But I had no choice! This was the only way I could get free. I am so sorry, but it was the only way.”
Sarah’s heart kicked in her chest, and a chill rippled across her skin. “Get free? What the fuck do you mean by that?”
Susie looked down at her left arm, then back up at Sarah with a haunted expression. “I carried it, too. For a long time. And I lost a lot more than… some pet. I had to do something. I’m sorry it was you. I really am. But it couldn’t be a stranger. And I didn’t really have many friends here.”
Sarah stared at her in shock. “You did this to me on purpose?”
Her coworker looked down at the floor and silently nodded her head.
“Take it back! Take it back or—I swear to god—I’ll kill you.”
Susie calmly met her gaze. “It doesn’t work that way. I can’t just take it back. Believe me, I tried that when it happened to me. There’s only one way to be rid of it. You have to pass it on. The witch will help.”
“Witch? Bullshit. She’s just some crazy bitch that put this thing inside me. She can take it back out! I’ll fucking make her do it! Drive me back out there tonight.”
Susie shook her head and laughed darkly. “Witch. Demon. I don’t know what she is. But you can’t force her to do a damn thing. Don’t you think I tried that, too? I drove there every damn day for a week, but could never find her place again. Never!”
“What about going to the hospital? Why can’t a surgeon get it out?”
“It’s not like that. I tried, but it isn’t really there. It doesn’t show up on any X-ray or exam. I finally stopped after a doctor tried to have me committed.”
Sarah’s face crumpled, and tears streamed down her face. “Then what? What can I do? You took me to her. How in the hell did you find your way back?”
Susie closed her eyes and answered in a barely audible whisper, “You need to bring a new host. But it can’t be a stranger. It has to be someone you know. Someone you care about. Take them back out to that part of the forest, and you’ll be drawn to her cottage. You’ll find it, just like I did. It’s the only way. I’m sorry—so very sorry. But it’s the only option you have.”
She got up from the couch and moved toward the door. Sarah stepped in front of her, raising the knife to press the tip against her chest.
“Go ahead. Kill me. I really don’t care anymore. Trust me when I say there are worse things than losing your dog.”
Sarah hesitated, then pulled the knife away and stepped back. “Get the fuck out of my house. I never want to see you again.”
She turned away and walked to the kitchen, hearing the front door click shut behind her. The sun was rising, and glowing beams slid between the window blinds as she poured another glass of wine.
When the liquid courage kicked in, it was finally time. Shaking, she pulled the phone out of her pocket and scrolled through the favorites in her contacts.
After a few rings, a sleepy voice answered. "Hey, you. Is something wrong? You rarely call this early."
"No, nothing wrong. I just wanted to hear your voice this morning. It’s been awhile! And… I was wondering… Would you be interested in joining me for a little day trip this Saturday? I found a great new place with this wild tattoo artist. The ink… well… it never fades. Trust me, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before…"