The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Separated at Birth
by Lynn Ruzzo

Sara knew her sister still existed somewhere. She could feel it in her bones. It had been decades since they’d been separated. She imagined what she might look like. Did they look the same? Had they been twins maybe? Sara wondered if her sister thought about her too, maybe they were thinking of one another at the same time.

Mother told her the separation had been necessary. She had regretted it, but they both would have died otherwise. Mother said losing one daughter was better than two.

Sara searched for years, trying to find her, to reconnect with the only family she had left. The agony of loneliness kept her going. But all that time led to nothing but dead ends. She needed to try something else, another method.

She took a book from the top of the shelf in her study, a very special book. This particular volume had been left untouched since her mother had passed. She knew it was only to be used in dire circumstances, that it wasn’t a typical book.

She wiped a thick layer of dust off the cover and opened it to the first page. The paper had yellowed, but the ink was still as dark as the blood it had been scrawled with. In fact, it still looked fresh. It didn’t have that rust color of old, dried blood. She was afraid that if she touched it, it would smear.

She flipped through the sections until she found the one she needed. She remembered Mother’s words, “Use this with caution, if you ever do. It’s very dangerous.”

Sara followed the text with her eyes, read aloud the strange words not in her native language. A strong gust blew through the house, the sky howled. She continued reading. With each syllable she felt a vibration travel through her body. With each line she spoke, the sensation grew stronger. The house began to shake, windows shattered, trinkets flung themselves across the room. Still, Sara kept going. She wasn’t going to stop. She wouldn’t allow fear to deter her.

A sudden, sharp pain shot up her neck. As she cried out, her flesh tore open. It split apart and unpeeled itself from her face. From the opening a growth rapidly expanded and stretched its way out of her. The formless mass traveled up above her and began to take shape. Eye sockets appeared; below them, the fleshless shape of a nose, then a mouth.

When the pain subsided and all went calm, she felt weight resting on her shoulder. “Hello, Sara.”

Sara’s heart raced. Excitement replaced the fear and pain she felt before. “Sister?”

She felt a warmth wash over her, as if she were being hugged. “Yes, it’s me.”

“It’s been so many years…” Sara sighed.

“I’ve always been here.”

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Fiction © Copyright Lynn Ruzzo
Image courtesy of Pixabay