Terminal

I stand waiting at the train station as rain speckles my forehead. I pull out my foldable jacket, grateful we’ll soon be flying somewhere sunnier. Ten minutes until the train. I start pacing, suitcase in hand. “Where is she?” I mutter to myself. Robin and I have known each other for over 10 years now. She recently got fired from her job, so I decided that booking this spontaneous trip together would be a good way to cheer her up. The station fills up. I scan for Robin’s vibrant ginger hair—no sign. I call her, and to my surprise, she answers. “Robin, where are you?”

“Almost there!” she gasps, breathless.

“We only have 2 minutes! I can see the train pulling into the station now!”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Robin hangs up.

The train pulls up to the station, and crowds of people filter off the train. As I look out of the station entrance, I can see Robin hurtling down the street. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small blonde girl staring out of the window at me. I turn to look, but she’s gone. The conductor lifts his board into the air, signalling that the train is ready to depart. “Excuse me, would it be possible to wait one more minute? My friend is almost here and we’re trying to make it to the airport in time for our flight,” I plead as I point over to Robin.

“Sorry love, no can do.” The conductor puts his whistle up to his mouth, deafening me with an unnecessarily loud blow.

I turn around and walk towards the entrance to meet Robin. Hands on her knees, gasping for air, her face almost matching the colour of her hair. “Zoe! I’m so sorry.”

“What happened?” I respond.

“I completely forgot to pack my toiletries bag, and I had to run back to get it. I thought I’d be able to make it in time.” Robin looks at me with such disappointment. I put my hand on her shoulder and reach out for a hug. To be honest, I’m trying hard to hide my frustration. Robin does this all the time. Just one minute earlier, and we would have been fine. I booked this holiday for us just to try and cheer her up; the least she could do is make the effort to be here on time. Maybe it’s my fault, maybe I should have offered to pick her up. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll just catch the next train!” I pull out my phone and check for the next train, but it’s not for another 45 minutes.

“Shit. We’re not going to be able to make it,” I say while wiping off the mix of sweat and rain from my forehead. Dark grey clouds fill the sky now, as the rain becomes much heavier. Robin and I run back under the station shelter for cover.

“Don’t worry, I’ll book us a taxi to the airport. It’s the least I can do for being late,” Robin says as she pulls out her phone.

“Robin, that will cost you a fortune!”

“It’s fine. We don’t have much choice.”

Robin calls us a taxi, which arrives around 15 minutes later. A tall lady steps out, wearing big black sunglasses—odd in this weather. “Hello ladies, where are we off to?” The taxi driver asks as she opens up the boot for us to put our suitcases in.

“To the airport please,” Robin responds.

“No trouble at all.” I start to wonder how old this lady is. The struggle she has trying to set up the sat nav suggests she’s older, however, she has darker hair, and her face doesn’t appear to show many wrinkles. She finally manages to set it up, and we set off towards the airport.

“So, are you girls going anywhere nice?” the lady asks.

“Spain!” Robin replies while doing a little dance with her hands.

The lady switches on her windscreen wipers to the slightly more vigorous setting. “I’m jealous, I bet you’ll be glad to get out of this weather!” I notice a message pop up on the lady's phone from her daughter saying, ‘Where are you?’ She quickly swipes this away.

“So, you have a daughter?” I ask, trying to make conversation.

“Yes. I’m sure you’d get on with her well. Although she doesn’t take very well to strangers,” the lady says, chuckling. “Here, I’ll put on some music to help you get in the mood.”

The lady changes the radio station. Something about this lady doesn’t feel right, but I brush it off. Robin and I dance away and take some selfies in the back to post to our Instagram, trying to ignore the rain lashing against the windows.

Half an hour passes; we must be getting close to the airport now. I peer out of the back window, expecting to see the air traffic control towers and runways, but instead, I see fields of corn for what seems like miles. “Excuse me, are we going in the right direction?” I ask.

“We’re just taking a little shortcut,” the driver says as she smiles at me through the rearview mirror.

“A shortcut? But we’re nowhere near the airport,” Robin shouts, pointing towards the satnav. “Turn around now or we’re going to miss our plane!”

The taxi driver brakes sharply, as both Robin and I are flung from our seats. “Will you just both sit there quietly while I keep driving, then no one needs to get hurt.”

Robin and I grab onto each other’s hands, giving each other a look of terror, as Robin huddles into me.

“Excuse me? Where are you taking us? Tell us, now!” I demand.

“I’m bringing you home,” the lady responds. She starts the car up again and continues the journey.

As tears creep down her rosy cheeks, Robin asks, “What do you mean you’re taking us home?”

“I’m taking you home. My daughter’s lonely, and two lovely friends like you are just what she needs.”

I squeeze Robin’s hand as tightly as I can, before letting go and passing her my phone so that she can try and call the police. Since the driver is wearing sunglasses, it’s hard to see where she’s looking, but I’m hoping that as Robin is sitting behind her, she won’t be able to see.

“So, where do you live?” I ask, trying to distract the lady; however, she doesn’t seem to be in the mood for conversation. “You’ll see soon enough.”

I can see Robin’s entire body shaking, and I had to admit mine was starting to do the same. My heart is beating out of my chest.

I suddenly notice the taxi driver reaching into the glove compartment.

“BANG.”

I cover my hands over my head and duck behind the front passenger seat. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you! Give me your phone right now! In fact, give me both of your phones,” the driver demands. She’s got a gun, and she’s shot a hole through the side of the passenger door.

“Stay silent for the rest of this car journey if you want to keep your lives, otherwise, my daughter will have 2 new dolls to join the rest of her collection.”

I fight tears, trying to stay strong for Robin. Robin is sitting with her legs up on the seat, covering her hands over her head, rocking backwards and forwards. I place my arm on her back, trying my best to comfort her. As the rain begins to slow, I see a huge house coming up on our right hand side, surrounded by miles of bare land.

Robin is still sitting in the same position as we pull up into the driveway of the house. “If either of you decides to try and run, I’ll shoot you both dead. If either of you tries any funny business at all, I’ll shoot you. Get it?” Both of us sit there in silence. “Good, now get out of the car,” the lady says. We both oblige and leave out of the same door together, holding each other’s hands.

“Let go of each other. From now on, you call me Mother. Clear?” she growls.

“Yes.” We both respond at the same time.

“Yes, who?” she asks.

“Yes, mother.”

As we walk up the driveway towards the house, I notice a girl standing by the window. Something doesn’t look right about her. She’s extremely pale, with long knotted hair, and seems to be wearing ripped clothing. She’s pointing at the flowerbed beneath her with a devious look on her face.

The wooden house is cracked and broken-windowed, eerily silent except for its bright flowerbeds.

The lady blabbers on about house rules as we’re heading towards the door, but I wasn’t listening. I need to try and see what’s in that flowerbed. We get closer and I see she was pointing at an iron candlestick. This girl must have known the woman was going to try and bring someone else back and is ready for us to fight back.

Lightheaded, my heart hammering, I know I only have one chance to save us. I have to get this candlestick.

“Hey, what’s that barn over there used for? Do you have live animals here? I love animals, mother.”

As she turns to face the barn with Robin and talks about how we’re not to go anywhere near it, I quickly bend down to grab the candlestick and tuck it into my skirt behind my back, hoping that it doesn’t slide out.

“Hey, what are you looking at down there?” She scowls at me.

“Sorry, mother, I’m also an admirer of nature. Your plants are beautiful.” I look up at the window to see if the girl is still standing there, but she’s gone.

Luckily, she appears to brush over the matter. “Ah, I’m glad to hear you like my pansies.”

Robin, silent until now, shoots me a look: ‘What the hell are you doing?’

“Right, let's go inside and meet my daughter, shall we?” the lady cackles.

She pulls a key out of her pocket, putting it into the door. My hands are shaking, but I take the opportunity to strike, smashing the candlestick across the back of her head. The impact knocks off her sunglasses, revealing a diagonal scar across her right eye. She falls to the ground. As she lets out a gasp, Robin grabs the gun that had fallen out of her hand and runs back towards the car.

“Come on, Zoe, grab her car keys and let’s get out of here!”

“I can’t leave the girl, she’s trapped, I have to get her.”

“What girl?” Robin asks.

“Just stay here and keep hold of that gun! I won’t be long.”

I step over the lady’s now limp body. The back of her head is bleeding, but she’s still breathing. I need to be quick. I push open the door. What I see inside leaves me in shock. The house is spotless, although there is a weird smell. A giant chandelier hangs from the ceiling of the entrance hall. The walls are painted green, with several paintings of trees scattered across the walls. “Hello, is anybody here?” I call out, but no response. The door slams behind me. I can hear rustling behind a door towards the back of the entrance hall. I start to make my way over to the door, until I hear a gunshot from outdoors. “ROBIN!” I scream. I bolt over to the front door. The handle is a bit stiff, but I turn it aggressively, and it eventually opens.

“Stand the fuck back from me, or I’ll blow your brains out!” Robin is standing by the car with the gun, screaming at the lady who’s now got the candlestick in her hands.

“Robin, shoot her!” I yell.

The lady charges towards Robin with the candlestick. Robin hesitates, but shoots a bullet into the lady’s stomach.

“You little bitch,” she says, holding onto her stomach where the bullet had struck her.

Robin drops the gun in disbelief. “I can’t believe I shot someone.”

“Robin, no, the gun,” I shout, but it’s too late. The lady picks up the gun and takes a shot at Robin. Robin collapses into the car door, dropping to the floor. "ROBIN!" I scream.

Before I even think about running over there, somebody comes charging past me out of the driveway. It’s the girl from the window, and she’s holding a very large kitchen knife.

Without saying a word, the girl plunges the knife into the mother’s back. The lady lets out a huge yell, and turns around. “My daughter, how could you do this to me?”

She pulls out the knife and strikes it again into her mother’s stomach. Again, and again, and again. After pulling out the knife for a final time, a slight tear falls down the mother’s cheek. “I did… everything… for… you,” were her final words, before she’s gone. The daughter drops to her knees, her ripped dress falling off her shoulder, hands covered in blood.

I run straight past the girl and over to Robin. “Robin, are you okay? Can you hear me? Where’s my phone?” I panic and look around for my phone, realising that the mother had taken it from me earlier. Apprehensively, I reach into her pockets, grab my phone, and call for an ambulance.

I take Robin’s hand and place mine over it, putting pressure on the gunshot wound. Robin has been struck in the chest and is losing a lot of blood.

“We need to keep pressure on this until the ambulance arrives,” I say desperately.

“You’re a good friend, Zoe,” she says, her eyes beginning to shut.

“Stay awake, Robin, stay with me until the ambulance arrives,” I plead. “Think of that sunny holiday we can go on when you’ve recovered.”

Robin lets out a little laugh but grits her teeth at the same time. “We are never booking a spontaneous holiday, ever, again...”

Tears start to well up in my eyes as Robin begins to cough up some blood. I grab my jacket and try to wipe it away from her mouth.

“Robin, please, stay awake. I love you. Don’t leave me now.”

“I love you, too, Zoe.”

Robin squeezes my hand, and within a few seconds, she’s gone. I gently hold her face, crying hysterically. My best friend in the whole world is gone. I wrap her in my arms. “Robin, I can’t lose you. Please, come back. Please…”

That’s when I feel something plunge into my back. “Mother promised me you’d stay.”

I fall forward onto Robin. I struggle to fight for air, as the knife plunges into my back once more. I let out a grunt as I lay there, helpless. If only Robin had made the train. If only we hadn’t called that taxi. I look towards her face, knowing I don’t want my last moments spent in anger. My best friend in the world, we went through everything together. I could have done more to support Robin, I should have. I hear a gunshot behind me, but I don’t have the strength to turn and see what’s happened. The sound of sirens is the last thing I can hear before I drift off into a forever sleep…