Chapter Text
(Erica wakes up and blinks several times. One side of her face is pressed against cool tile and she realises she’s lying on the kitchen floor of the house Kenny shares with his mother and Jade. Now he’s sharing it with her and several other residents from Colony house. Her neck aches and she sits up. Jade is sat at the kitchen table looking down at her.).
Jade: Morning.
Erica: Morning.
Jade: Comfier on the floor huh? I don’t blame yah the couch in there looks like it has things living in it.
Erica: Shut up.
(Erica stands up.).
Jade: So why are you on the floor? Wait...Do you have booze? Were you drinking?
Erica: I said shut up.
Jade: Jeez, you women.
(Kenny walks in.).
Kenny: What’s going on?
Jade: Oh nothing. Erica just decided to sleep on the floor in here.
Kenny: What?
(Tian-Chen walks in and stops looking at a small shrine of her late husband. She then looks at Erica and offers a small nod.).
Tian-Chen: Morning.
Erica: Morning.
(Tian-Chen says something in Cantonese to Kenny and he responds. The woman then turns and leaves the house.).
Jade: Where are the other squatters?
Kenny: In the basement.
Jade: Probably still asleep. Get them up we need to get going. Got loads of shit to do today. Can’t have teacup having all the fun.
Erica: Teacup?
Jade: Jim.
Erica: Right.
Kenny: Grow up.
Jade: I am grown up.
Kenny: Seriously.
Jade: Yes sir Mr Sheriff.
Kenny: Shut up.
Erica: You in charge now then?
Kenny: Yeah I guess so. Once Boyd heads out anyway.
Jade: Is he even still going? He’s been going into the woods then coming back out last couple of days.
Kenny: He’s still going. Think he’s heading out today.
Jade: Hmmm.
(Kenny moves into the kitchen and starts making breakfast.).
Kenny: Do you want anything?
Jade: I’m fine thanks. Rather not experience your cooking again.
Kenny: Like you didn’t eat all of it. I wasn’t asking you anyway.
(Kenny looks at Erica.).
Erica: I’ll just have a coffee if you’ve got it.
(She sits down at the table and stares down at the lines in the wood. She’s thinking back to last night. She hasn’t forgotten what that thing said to her. She still can’t work out how he knew to say that. He isn’t Alex, he just can’t be. Yet he knew that Alex used to say that he’s Mr sure. She knows she hasn’t told anyone about that. She wonders again if those things really can read minds and that’s how they know the things that they do. It’s a crazy thought but no crazier than this place existing or those things. It would make sense too. It would certainly explain a few things.).
Jade: Okay you are definitely hanging today.
Erica: What?
Jade: You.
Erica: I’m just tired.
Jade: Hm.
(Kenny places a cup of coffee in front of her.).
Erica: Thanks.
Jade: So why were you asleep on the kitchen floor again?
(Erica sighs. She wishes people would stop questioning her. What can she say? That she had a panic attack because the thing that she isn’t supposed to be speaking to suddenly started talking like her husband?).
Erica: I must have passed out. I didn’t eat a lot yesterday. Didn’t really drink anything either.
Jade: Right. Sure.
(She doesn’t think Jade is buying her bullshit but she doesn’t care. Let him think what he wants. Everyone else here does.).
Kenny: I’ll do you some eggs.
Erica: Thanks.
(Jade gets up.).
Jade: I’m gonna head up to Colony house. Gotta have someone up there that knows what they’re doing.
Kenny: Right.
Jade: See yah later losers.
(Jade leaves the house. Erica takes a sip of coffee still thinking about the grinning creep and what he said. She is also reminded of the fact that he took her things. More to the point he took Alex’s things. She hasn’t even got his photograph now. She supposes she still has her iPad that is until the battery dies. She lifts the mug of coffee and blows on it a few times before taking another sip. She has a headache coming on already and the days only just started.).
(It’s just after lunch when Erica walks into the diner. It’s quite busy and she doesn’t see a free table. Tian-Chen looks up at her and offers a small nod. Erica wonders if Kenny’s mother also thinks that it was her who let those things inside Colony house. She sighs and walks up to the counter but is stopped by Eliza.).
Eliza: You’re not welcome here.
Erica: Well I can’t leave so...
(She shrugs. Eliza glares at her.).
Eliza: Don’t get smart stupid bitch.
Erica: Okay you seriously need to leave me the fuck alone. Haven’t you all got better things to do apart from sitting around gossiping and spreading rumours? Isn’t it bad enough that we are stuck here with no reason why and we have to keep burying our friends without turning on each other?
Eliza: Shut up. You are the reason I buried my friends.
Erica: No. I’m not. I never knew what Whitney’s problem was and I don’t know what yours is either. But I didn’t let those fucking things into the house! I’m sick of being the enemy here when I haven’t done anything wrong!
Eliza: Bullshit! Whitney always said she heard you talking to them at your window! Why would she lie?
Erica: I don’t know. I spoke to one of those things a few times when I first arrived. I was trying to figure out what the fuck is going on here. What they are.
Eliza: Like they’re going to tell you.
Erica: I never thought they would. But I had to try so I did. It was no secret. Boyd knew about it and so did Kenny. I stopped talking to them when it became apparent I wasn’t going to learn anything. All they wanted was to try and talk me into letting them in but I didn’t. Whitney was a bitch. I don’t know if she was jealous of me or just wanted to make someone else feel shit to make herself feel better! Your just like her. I guess some people just aren’t happy unless they are causing trouble. Make you feel better does it?
(Erica glares at Eliza then turns and leaves the diner. She stands in the street and sighs pinching the bridge of her nose. She fucking hates this place. She goes back to Kenny’s house and is relieved to find it empty. She sits down on the sofa and opens her bag taking out her iPad. She switches it on and opens the photos. She sits there scrolling through photos of her and Alex. She gazes at his smiling face trying to remember what he felt like, what he smelled like. Tears fill her eyes and she switches the iPad off shoving it back into her bag. She takes out Alex’s jumper and holds it to her nose. She thinks back to last night again. The grinning creep taunting her with Alex’s necklace. Why did he even take it? He must have taken her photograph too. She suddenly feels angry. She shoves the jumper back into her bag and goes upstairs. She uses the loo and washes her hands and face before looking at herself in the mirror. She looks tired and she sighs. She goes back downstairs and rummages in her bag taking out her hunting knife. She straps it to her thigh and hunts around for the torch. She finds it and switches it on to check it’s still working. It is. She switches it off again and leaves the house. She receives several looks from people passing but she doesn’t care anymore. Let them think what the fuck they want. She leaves the tarmac and the buildings behind as she heads for the woods.).
(Erica looks around scanning the trees and sighs. She was sure she was going the right way but she hasn’t been able to locate the entrance to the tunnels yet. She turns and walks for several minutes in the other direction. She then sees something that looks familiar. It’s a low wall and she remembers seeing it before. This is near where she came out last time. She looks around for the rock kern but doesn’t see it. She is sure it was here but after another minute of searching she still hasn’t found it. She frowns. Someone moved it? She doesn’t think it likely. As far as she knows no one else has been out here except maybe those things. She looks around again searching for the trapdoor that she used to escape those tunnels last time she came out here. She walks on scanning the ground then she sees it. She walks over and reaches down running her fingers over the trapdoor set into the forest floor. She doesn’t see a handle and instead digs her fingers around the outside of the wood. She can’t open it and she smacks it several times in frustration before standing up again. She just wants her husband’s photograph. It’s all she has left. The image of his smiling face, his bright blue eyes, like the ocean. Tears sting her eyes again. His necklace with the ring she bought him. That grinning creep knowing something that Alex used to say to her all the time. She needs answers. How did he know to say that? She doesn’t think she’s going to find out by going down there again. He’s hardly going to tell her he enjoys messing with her too much. She stomps on the trapdoor and lets out a yell wiping her eyes. She then watches bewildered as the trapdoor opens and an arm appears. She rips her hunting knife from its sheath and grips it tightly in her hand. Maybe those things do come out during the day after all.).