Lana Banana

Madness Crashes

Lanie stiffened, using all her strength to turn her head towards her mother, her face ashen save the dark purple circles under the girls eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t know.. Look at me. Look at where we are!” Lanie demanded angrily. “You know I read your book.. All those awful things you said about me.. The coat hanger. You tried to kill me!” Lanie rasped, her throat felt like sand paper. “I tried to finish the job.. But someone must have found me.” She didn’t remember anything after she had stabbed herself.

“I didn’t try to kill YOU... I didn’t know you when I wrote that, I’d just been raped ... I’m sorry. I love YOU how could you have not known that? Why didn’t you come to me?”

Madness Crashes

Lanie lay still, her eyes were tick with sleep and she struggled to stay awake for long as she lay there, not quite sure where she was but she had concluded she wasn’t dead like she’d hoped. Her mother’s voice made her go rigid, the hairs prickled on her neck as she recalled what she’d read in her mother’s book, all the horrible things she thought about herself. “Get.. Out… Lana..” The young girl croaked, finding it hard to locate her voice deep inside herself, using all her strength to turn her her back to her mother.

“Get out? Honey what…”

“Did I.. stutter?” She rasped, coughing as she took a deep breath, her whole body aching. “I don’t want you here. Get away from me, Get out!” She cried, her voice breaking as she curled her body in, her face burried in her pillow. “I’ll scream if you don’t leave.” She threatened, knowing she hardly had a voice to speak let online scream. She was just so angry at her mother for the way she spoke of her in that book.

“what did I do?!”

Madness Crashes

Lanie lay still, her eyes were tick with sleep and she struggled to stay awake for long as she lay there, not quite sure where she was but she had concluded she wasn’t dead like she’d hoped. Her mother’s voice made her go rigid, the hairs prickled on her neck as she recalled what she’d read in her mother’s book, all the horrible things she thought about herself. “Get.. Out… Lana..” The young girl croaked, finding it hard to locate her voice deep inside herself, using all her strength to turn her her back to her mother.

“Get out? Honey what...”

Madness Crashes

“She’s in there Mrs. Winters.” The doctor said shortly after, having walked her down the hall and into the elevator when then down another hallway. “If she wakes and complains of pain, come and find a nurse. I’ll leave you now.” He said, glancing in on Lanie. She lay sleeping in her hospital bed, looking small and frail for a girl of sixteen. Her breathing was deep as she slept, her arm thickly banded to hide the offending word shed carved into herself.

Lana walked in and stopped dead cold, staring down at her half-dead child. She couldn't speak, the air in the room so still it’d almost stopped. “Lanie?” She asked finally.

Madness Crashes

“Yes, Ms. Winters I am although.. I’m not sure how considering how long she had been bleeding out before having been found.” He admitted. “In short, I’d call your daughter’s case a miracle. She shouldn’t be alive but she managed to withstand the surgery and has taken well to the blood transfusion, she’s very weak and will need to stay in hospital for a while but she’ll be alright.” The doctor assumed, a small smile of sympothy on his face. “Would you like me to take you to her room?” He asked, gently putting his hand on her shoulder.

Madness Crashes

“Ms. Winters.” Came the soft voice of the nurse who had approached the sobbing woman carefully. “We’ve managed to stabilize your daughter. It was very touch and go for a moment, we had to close up the tare in her stomach.. She didn’t hit any major organs when she stabbed herself , luckily. Whatever she used was quite small.. She recived a transfusion while on surgery and she’s being given another just now. I will be frank with you, Ms. Winters. Had you not found her when you did.. Your daughter wouldn’t be alive.” The doctor trailed off, a sigh escaping his lips. “It’s a miracle and is now, really. You may go to her room now if you’d like. It may be a while before she wakes, and even then she will be very weak. Why don’t you get yourself a cup of coffee. Looks as if you could use it.” He replied, giving her arm a firm pat. “This yours?” He asked, noting the little baby hat. He lifted it up and held it out to her.

“S-she’s alive? Are you telling me my baby made it?” Lana started to cry again.

Madness Crashes

“Lana! Lana don’t!” Kit called after her, he couldn’t stand the sight of his dear friend clinging to her daughter’s lifeless body, convinced she was still alive. Kit knew she was gone, had to be. She was cold and there was so much blood. Lanie didn’t stir at her mother’s call, she was indeed a heartbeat away from death and unconcous, unable to answer but not quite dead as he’d uncle kit assumed. Sirens filled the air, growing louder and stronger. Not long after two paramedics came rushing down to the lake. “Ma’m, ma’m were gonna need you to move so we can assess the body.” One man said as he attempted to pull Lana away while the other checked for a pulse.

Madness Crashes

“Damnit Lana. Lana, Lana!” Kit shook her as she began to scream, the look in her eyes reminded him of thier time in Briarcliff. He knew she had to be reliving it, seeing her daughter that way. “Hey! Lana, look at me! Look at me.. Shhhh! Shh!” He grabbed her face, pulling her away from her daughter’s body. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” He pulled her close, into a death grip hug as he tried to drag her away from the body, tears in his own eyes. The child’s pulse was so faint as she lay unconscious that kit assumed she was already gone.

“Lanie, Lanie baby I know you can hear me, I know you’re sitll there. I know it! I know it!” She cried, breaking away from Kit.

Madness Crashes

“She.. She can’t hear you Lana…” Kit shook his head, certain that if the kid wasn’t dead she soon would be, she was so cold when he touched her, and her skin had a grey tinge to it. “Lana you don’t need to see.. Trust me, please.” He said, trying to kept her held in place. How could he let her see her girl like that, she’d only blame herself. For just behind kid Lanie laid on her side, her white nightgown drenched in her own blood, most of it sticky and half dry, it seemed to be everywhere, pooling out of her from where she’d driven something into her stomach, torn bits of Lanas book surrounded her, and in her right hand she held a page crumpled between her fingers that read ‘Chapter 13, The cost hanger.’ But kit hasn’t noticed that, for on her other arm she’d written a single word with her fingers in her own blood. ABOMINATION.

“Oh omg omg!!” Lana exclaimed starting to scream.

Madness Crashes

Thomas jogged past his aunt Lana, barely missing her as he did as his father told and hurried back up towards the house to ring an ambulance. Kit, meanwhile had been knelt down near Lanie’s body, his hand on her neck trying fo find a pulse, his hand putting pressure on the large wound in the girls stomach. “Damnit!” He swore when he heard Lana’s voice. “Shit, shit shit.” He rose up, breaking into a run. “Lana! Lana don’t come any closer!” He shouted. “I’ve… We found her, but you can’t go down there Lana. You can’t go.” Kit said, a look of terror in his eyes as he grabbed her by the shoulders in an attempt to keep her from seeing thr girls bloodied hand poking out, she didn’t need to see the child we she was, it was something out of Briarcliff. “I sent Thomas to call an ambulance, Lana. You need to go back up to the house.”

“No! No I have to see her, Lanie!”

Madness Crashes

“That’s my girl.” He winked at Leah, giving her a quick kiss. “Julia you look after her!” He called as he went to the door with Thomas following behind him. “We’re gonna find her Lana. Don’t worry..” Kit whispered, giving his friend a quick hug before he set off with his son. “Lanie!” Kit called. “Lanie! Lanie you out here?” Little Thomas called, the two of them trasping down through thier back yard and into the big woods. That continued to look, and all for her for over an hour. “Lanie!” Kit shouted once more, his voice hoarse as they stepped through the brush path that led them out to thier large secluded lake. Kit signed, looking out at the sun shining on the lake as he took a moment to rest, to breathe. “Dad.. Dad what’s that?” Thomas pointed out, causing kit to look over at the little old row boat or theirs, it had fallen appart years ago and had trees growing through its cracks. “Oh my god!” Kit took off in a sprint towards the boat, a small bloody hand peeking out from the over growth. “Thomas! Go to the house! Call an ambulance! Now son! Run!”

“Kit!” Lana called, out of breath when she saw him running. “I  looked everywhere, she’s nowhere!”

Madness Crashes

“Hey, nothing. Nothing’s going on.” Kit replied, kneeling in front of the little girl. “Your sister just went out last night and hasn’t come back for breakfast so we want do make sure she didn’t get lost. That’s all, honey. So we’re just gonna go see if we can find her and bring her back so she can have her breakfast, okay?"kit lied, motioning for Lana to go on while Thomas hurried and dressed himself. "Shh, don’t cry little bit, she’ll be okay. We’ll find her, your mum wouldn’t let anything happen to Lanie, or you. Now I need you to help me, okay? I need you to stay here with Julia in case Lanie comes back so she won’t think we all left her okay?”

Madness Crashes

“Yea… Okay.” Kit nodded. “Hey kids, finish up your breakfasts! Julia, Thomas, I need you to get dressed, we’re gonna go out back and look for your cousin Lanie okay?” He called out to them. “Thomas you come with me, Julia you stay here with Leah in case she comes back. Lana you should ring the police, let them know in case she’s gone into town..” Or been hurt and taken to the hospital, but he didn’t want to say it.. Thomas and I will look out back.“

Madness Crashes

“They same the smartest people are a little bit crazy, don’t they?” He smiled, laying his hand on her shoulder. “I dunno, what do you wanna do? See if she turns during breakfast?” He suggested. “I hate to break it to ya Lana, but we probably need to call the police. Let em’ know she’s missing.. And then start looking. Me and the kids could split up and see if she’s close by? What do you want us to do Lana? She’s your kid.”

“Lets look: now.”

Madness Crashes

“I gotta give it to ya Lana, you managed to keep it from her a lot longer than I ever imagined you could, what with your popularly. I was sure she would have heard before. Not by kids from her school.” He sighed, combing his hand through his hair. “It was never gonna be easy, telling her what happened to us in that shit hole of a place, you knew that when you wrote it… We’re lucky to have an inch of sanity left, somedays I’m not sure I do.. It’s not your fault. You wanted to protect your kid I get it believe me.”

“I’m not sane, not for  second. Now where the hell is my kid?”

Madness Crashes

Kit smiled at Leah as he stood in the next room with Lana, his hand holding his weight as he leaned on the doorframe. “She’s your kid alright, she’s got your stubbornness and your looks but when did ya ever have her around him??” He knew Lana was grateful she didn’t look much like Oliver. “Don’t even joke about the havoic you know where your curiosity landed you.” Ke cautioned. “Those kids sounded like assholes and you never did tell Lanie much about her father, and I understand why.. But that book of yours isn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows. It’s not what its not one I’d recommend a fifteen year old.” He sighed. “I’m sorry this happened, that this old news for brought up now.. I know it’s hard for you and it can’t be easy for Lanie, finding out what her farther did to ya and all..”

Lana let out a deep breath. “I wasn’t going to tell her... not till college. How stupid could I’ve been... with my stature...that book of course she was going to find otu before I told her...”