Buried Truth

by Caleb Whitaker

  Chapter 24: Reality Check

   

  I wake up to the sound of booming thunder. There is darkness all around me, forcing my head into mass confusion. What happened? Where am I?

  My mind slowly sifts through the wave of information making the confusion and panic fall away like sand in between my fingertips. Does this mean none of it ever happen? It seemed so real. No! It… It had already happened. But maybe not all of it. I don’t know.

  A flash of lightning illuminates my surroundings, but something covering my head prevents me from seeing. The feeling instantly reminds me of what I thought was a dream from a couple nights ago. For once, things start to make a little bit of sense. I was hit in the head earlier inside the mansion. My mind must have sent me into some kind of journey through my subconscious for answers. Except, the search through my dream world wasn’t like any dream or memory I have ever had before. What did I know before the mansion, and what couldn’t I remember before I was hit? It’s all mashed together with no way of knowing what was real.

  Still, all I’m missing is the actual murder of my parents. I blocked it out for a reason, and it’s probably best I can’t remember it. Now, how do I get this thing off my head? Hopefully this will be only minor setback to the plan because getting knocked out couldn’t have been part of it.

  The unmistakable sound of a creaking door, opening and closing, calls out for my undivided attention. My hands are bound behind my back, and I’m lying on my side. One of my ears rubs against the floor, preventing me from hearing well, but allowing me to feel the vibrations of footsteps approaching me. The footsteps mix with the sounds of something dragging across the wooden floor in a rough manner. The sound of muffled screams gets closer as the shuffling footsteps draw near.

  It sounds like Ryleigh, but I can’t be sure. Her voice mumbles in a way that suggests something is covering her mouth. The footsteps stop and with a big thump something bangs against the floor next to me. The patterned footsteps slowly start walking back out the room without the added dragging and shuffling.

  I don’t have to wait long until someone lifts off the bag that is covering my head. It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room, but once they do, I become aware of Ryleigh staring back at me. Another lightning bolt sends a wave of light and energy into the room illuminating Ryleigh’s face. She has a minor gash just below her bottom lip, and her face caked in dirt looks pitiful, but other than the obvious signs, she appears to be in ok condition.

  “Ryleigh.” I can’t say anything else but her name. My mouth is dry, and my tongue is thick and uncontrollable.

  She answers, “Yeah, it's me.”

  Trying to create some moisture, I lick my lips, “Where are we?”

  She replies, “We are in a room somewhere upstairs. Please tell me you really do know where the fortune was hidden. He won’t hesitate to kill us if you don’t give him the true location.”

  “I need something to drink. I can barely talk.”

  She limps over to the door and yells out in a screechy voice for some water. At first, it seems as if her pleas fall on deaf ears, but after a little door banging and more screaming, the door creaks slightly open. Flickering light springs forth from outside our isolated room while our captor throws two water bottles violently in our direction. Ryleigh picks up the bottles and returns to my side.

  The bottle’s top has been damaged by its collision with the floor. She unscrews the top and water spews out of the condensed bottle. She has to put the bottle to my lips because my hands are still tied together behind my back. The water cools my throat and softens my thick dry tongue. Since my body is almost completely dehydrated, the effect of the water literally brings life to me.

  Regrettably, the water disappears far too quickly, leaving me only thirsting for more. Ryleigh sits down beside me and asks, “Do you know where it is, or at least have a plan… anything?”

  “Do have anything that can cut the restraints off my hands? They are cutting the circulation.”

  “No, he was keeping me in another room until he threw me in here with you. I don’t have anything. But here let me see if I can untie them.”

  She pulls on the rope like material around my wrists. The more she fiddles with it the tighter it gnaws at my skin. My wrists writhe in pain as the friction and pressure dig into and across my skin in a quick jagged motion. I have to get her to stop. I can’t bear it anymore.

  Before I can verbalize my thought, she stops on her own. “I can’t get it. The only way to get it off is to cut the rope. Now no more stalling. Do you know where James Gate hid the money?”

  What do I say? I can’t tell her that I lied and have no idea where Gate hid the stolen money. That could ruin any chance of actually having the upper hand against this guy. He could have the place bugged or even be standing right outside the door listening to our conversation. I can’t risk it. There are too many uncontrollable variables. I’m the only one that can know the truth.

  “Yes, I found the location. I’m going to tell him where it is after he releases you. Then hopefully once he finds it, he will release me too.”

  “Well… where did he hide it?”

  My face contorts as I gaze confusingly at her. I scoot myself closer to her by using my tied hands against the worn wooden floor beneath me. In a low, soft voice I say, “Ryleigh? Come on… We actually have an advantage for the first time that we can use against the guy. I know something he doesn’t. It would be stupid to say something now that he could overhear. That would jeopardize both are safeties.”

  She stares down at the floor, avoiding eye contact with me. “I understand. I just want to know how the story ends. After all, he has put us through; I need to know how this ends.”

  “Hopefully it ends with your safety. That’s all you should be worried about.”

  The storm outside relentlessly pounds against the mansion. The thunder shakes the foundation while the wind blows the tree limbs against the wood creating a repetitive scratching noise. The lightening continues to flash revealing the room every few seconds.

  There is nothing in the room except the two of us and dust. I stare out the only window in the room, contemplating how fool proof my whimsical plan could possibly be. I’m concentrating on the rhythmic pelting of the raindrops hitting the window when the door creaks open. My head swings around as abundant flickering light from outside the room flows inward, dimly lighting our dungeon. Blinded by the unexpected change from darkness to light, I bury my head against the floor.

  Standing in the doorway is the blacked out blurry image of a man. The image slowly moves closer as my eyes become acquainted with the light. He is about fifteen feet away from me when my full vision returns, allowing me to see him for the first time in unmitigated detail. The man is wearing a black polo shirt that highlights his broad chest and taunt arm muscles. Merging his lower half to his torso is a pair of black sweat pants that perfectly match the polo shirt. He’s probably six feet tall, and despite the muscle mass is moderately built. His face is covered with a black mask that reveals only his beady eyes and sinister grin. He could be almost anyone that in decent shape and is obsessed with black. I’m not sure what to think or how to react. Should I be scared? Nervous? Mad?

  I don’t really feel any emotion other than a little agitation from the rough knot tied around my wrists. The man stops about five feet from me. I can see him, but I’m not directly facing him because I’m still facing the wall. My head is turned to the left towards the door, putting me at a distinct disadvantage. He turns his head from side to side, gloating at his handy work, until he walks behind me out of sight.

  Ryleigh has slid all the way to the window on my right as far away from the guy as she can get. After a few seconds behind me, the guy circles around, cutting in between Ryleigh and me. He comes to a halt directly in front of me. There is an extended stare down between him and me in which neither of us make a sound. We size each other up in a very literal sense. I have
no doubts that if given a chance I could take him in a brawl.

  The tension in the room builds as more thunder and lightning bombards the plantation outside. Now that my eyes have adjusted to the light, the room doesn’t seem so bright. In reality, it's only halfway lit by what resembles the light from many fire lit candles. The flickering is bright enough to clearly make out every detail of the room, but it still keeps the room dark enough that the flashes of lighting reflect my frosty gaze off the man’s dark eyes. If only we had guns, we could settle this like the days of old.

  The man crouches down and with a vile grin says, “Well, Mr. Ryan Johnson we meet again. Am I to understand you have the location of the mysterious Gate’s Fortune? I have been searching and planning for this moment for such a long time that I can hardly delay this discussion any longer.”

  The man’s voice puts me on immediate edge. There is a definite connection between the two of us. The voice doesn’t sound familiar in any real sense, but intuitively I know we have crossed paths. And ultimately, he was the guy that I watched kill my parents a few days ago.

  My grisly voice calls out, “I know where it is, but I have to have certain assurances before I relay the lost whereabouts of my family’s fortune.”

  He mockingly cackles as he springs himself back into an upright position. “There were so many misstatements in that one little response that I can’t help but wonder how it is you ever got named to a position such as a professor. Really… a respected professor would never ignore basic logic and probability.”

  He walks over to Ryleigh, grabs her by the hair and pulls her over in front of me. I struggle to free my wrists so that I can maneuver over to her, but with every twist, the rope digs deeper into my skin. He pulls out a knife and points it at me with one hand while holding her with the other. “Un-huh, don’t you dare move! First, I’ll give you one assurance, but you aren’t going to like it.”

  A sick grin forms on his face as he looks at Ryleigh’s petrified face. “If you don’t tell me where the GATE’S Fortune is then I’ll slice her up until you do tell me. Let’s say that your admiration for dear ole Ryleigh here isn’t quite on the level that I once had for her, and you let her DIE.” He turns in my direction, his dark eyes glowing with hatred and disgust. “Maybe I’ll find your sister next or perhaps I’ll just move straight on to you. You know… I haven’t thought about who I would kill after her because I thought you would be smart enough just to give me what I want before I had to kill again.”

  A lightning bolt strikes near the house sending the monstrous sound of thunder throughout the room as the flash momentarily blinds me. As my eyes refocus on the knife, he continues, “Now I know… before you try to rationalize your decision. I’ll leave you with one more, fine piece of evidence that should scream to your heart just give him what he wants. The last time someone chose to keep the information hidden from me, I did kill them. And we all know who those two people were.”

  The animosity within me peaks like nothing I have ever experienced before in my life. I am fighting the urge to shout out at him in disdain for everything the filthy vermin has done to my family. And all of it for what? Some measly money that might not even exist. I want to tell him to go to hell and a whole other list of obscenities, but I know that would only feed his wicked disposition. The man is a psychopath. You don’t give a psychopath what he wants because what he wants more than anything is to watch me suffer. If I gave him a reason, he would kill us just to watch the life leave our bodies.

  He twirls the knife in one hand, “I’m waiting. Or should I go ahead and take a slice.”

  I have to double down and push the limits. I have no choice. “Let her go, or I’ll make sure you never get the location of the fortune.”

  “Ah, so much fire just like your dad. Do you remember all the details of that night yet? Well, if you don’t I’ll enlighten you on one detail. Your dad said the same thing about your mother before I…” He rubs the knife against the portion of the mask covering his neck.

  I scream, “You're lying.” He has to be or I’m dead! I have nothing else to hold against him.

  He once again mocks me while he points the knife back at himself in reference as he says. “Am I? Hmm, I don’t know. Oh wait, I do know what happened that night.” He points the knife in my direction as he jests me by saying, “You’re the one that doesn’t know—doesn’t remember.”

  How does he know so much? He must have had me bugged or something. He is downright playing with me. I’m going to kill him. “Let her go!”

  He twirls the knife with fingers, and then looks at Ryleigh. He says in her direction, “I think not.” He pulls her close and holds her arm out grazing the knife about two or three inches across her arm, but it does not appear to be very deep.

  Ryleigh screams while small amounts of blood start to seep out of the wound. It is only a minor wound near the surface of the skin, but many minor wounds can kill. I scream, “Let her GO!”

  His dark eyes stare into mine as another lightning bolt strikes off in the distance. He loosens his grip on Ryleigh. “You know what? I admire your confidence and passion. After everything you have been through, almost anyone else would have cracked by now. I’m going to return to you the same confidence and passion you have shown me. I’m going to tell you the truth. Shed the darkness as it were and bring you into the light. I normally would keep you in the dark. But after all your hard-nosed determination, you deserve some truth. Don’t get me wrong, this probably means you will die tonight, but at least you will know why destruction has been set upon you and by whom has carried it out. Because you never had a chance, and don’t you want to finally know the truth?”