by C. J. Pinard
“Wow, well, it’s interesting,” I said, staring in wonder at the shelves lined with china dolls, Barbies, and stuffed animals.
She opened up the toy box and pulled out a large ship. “What about this? Do you think boys like to play with things like this?”
I nodded, touching the sails on the toy. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
She nodded. “Good. I want to make sure they’ll like it. It’s new.”
“Who would like it?”
Her hand flew up to her lips as if she’d said something wrong. “I...”
“What?” I asked.
She cleared her throat. “Nothing. Let’s go back to the library.”
“Okay,” I said, liking that idea. Her room was beginning to creep me out.
“I have a book I want you to see,” she said, closing the toy box. “It’s really beautiful.”
“Sure,” I said, turning towards the door. As I was about to walk out, a shiny glint of light caught the corner of my eye. I turned around and stared curiously. “What’s that?” I asked, pointing towards a large, black pot near her bedroom window.
“Oh,” she said, waving her hand. “Just a pot.”
It was then that I heard it.
Whispers.
“Do you hear that noise?” I asked.
Her eyes narrowed. “What?”
I took a step towards the pot and the sounds grew louder.
Shannon grabbed my arm. “Stay away from it,” she said.
The whispers stopped. “Why?”
She bit her lower lip. “You can’t touch them.”
“Touch what?” I asked, wondering why she was suddenly trembling.
She sighed and then released my arm. That’s when the whispers started again.
“Tell me you don’t hear that?”
Shannon’s eyes filled with tears.
I looked down and that’s when I noticed them.
The gold coins.
“Are these real? “ I asked, sticking my hand into the pot. I pulled out a coin and rubbed my finger over it.
“Put that down!” she hollered.
I stared at her incredulously and dropped the coin back into the pot. “Shannon, settle down.”
Her face seemed to crumple before my eyes. “You must never touch, them, Trent,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “They could get hurt.”
I touched her shoulder. “Shannon, it’s okay. They’re just coins.”
She shook her head. “No, I have to protect them.”
“Is it really gold?” I asked. There had to have been hundreds of coins.
She didn’t answer the question, instead she grabbed my wrist and squeezed. “A child should be kept closest to the heart,” she whispered, her eyes shining brightly. “Do not squander what is innocent to gratify that which is wicked.”
“What?”
She released my arm. “Go, you must go now. I’ve made a horrible mistake.”
“Shannon –”
Pushing me out of her bedroom, she said, “Quickly. We must get you out of here before he returns. If he catches you…”
I stopped in my tracks and turned back to her. “Wait, what are you so afraid of?” I asked. “Does your father hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, never. But if he catches you here, he’ll kill you.”
Chapter Five
That night I sat in my bedroom and stared out the window towards Shannon’s house. I couldn’t stop thinking about her warning. Was her father dangerous and would he actually kill someone?
“Trent?”
I turned to my mother, who was standing in the doorway. “Yeah.”
“I’m leaving for work.”
I looked at the clock, it was almost ten-thirty at night. “Okay.”
“Could you do me a favor and crush all of those cans in the garage? I forgot that I’d promised to give them to Mr. Schneider and he’s stopping by in the morning to pick them up.”
“Sure.”
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I stretched my legs out and yawned. “I’m fine, why?”
“You’ve been sitting here in the dark for the last couple of hours, staring across the street at the O’Darby house.”
I smiled. “You noticed?”
“Yeah, several times. What’s going on?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Just have some things on my mind.”
She put a hand on my shoulder. “Honey, if you ever want to talk…”
“I’m fine, mom.”
“But…”
“Seriously,” I said. “I’m fine.”
She sighed. “Okay. I’ll be home in the morning. Keep the doors locked when you’re sleeping, and if you need anything, call me.”
“Yep.”
After she left, I checked on Ben, who was sleeping. I then closed his bedroom door, grabbed my iPod, and headed out towards the garage.
“Crap,” I said, staring at the large box of cans that needed to be crushed. There had to be almost two-hundred. My mom and her diet soda.
I pulled the box closer to the can-crusher on the wall, plugged in my iPod speakers, and began crushing. After the first fifty or so, I started getting thirsty and walked over to the mini-refrigerator in the corner of the garage. As I bent down, the music stopped playing.
I groaned.
Cheap-ass speakers.
I reached for the bottle of water when I heard a loud mewling noise coming from outside. Thinking it was a cat, I walked outside and looked around.
Nothing.
Sighing, I turned to go back into the garage when I heard a choked sob, coming from across the street. I ran back into the garage and grabbed a hammer, then stepped back outside.
Only fools investigate trouble without a weapon. Not me, hell no. I wasn’t going to be a victim.
A flash of light near O’Darby’s garage caught my attention. Seconds later, Mr. O’Darby himself stepped from around the back of the garage and went inside.
My heart started pounding when I thought of the way he’d glared at me the other night, through his daughter’s window. The malevolence in those eerie eyes still gave me the chills. And the way they’d glowed, what was up with that?
I needed to watch this guy. Shannon had basically admitted he was dangerous. Was it possible that he really was responsible for those missing children and that Ben was right? Crap, what if he was right?
Trying to stay calm, I moved towards the shadow of the bushes in our yard, which actually gave me a better view of O’Darby’s garage, and crouched down. After a short time, Mr. O’Darby stepped out of the garage, mumbling to himself, clearly upset.
“Fools,” he growled, pacing back and forth.
Fools?
After walking back and forth several times, he disappeared into his garage once more. This time I noticed flashes of light coming from his garage.
What in the heck was he doing in there?
There were windows on the other side of his garage, away from the door. If I could get to those windows before he stepped back out of the garage, I could see inside.
Before I could work up enough courage, he stepped back outside of the garage, this time struggling with a large army-green duffel bag.
It was bigger than he was and I imagined him to be four-and-a-half feet tall.
After a few more seconds of struggling, he set it down and began dragging it towards the house. When he reached the steps to the porch and began pulling it up, I heard a strangled cry.
Shit, it was coming from the bag!
O’Darby ignored the sound and disappeared into the house with the duffel bag. I stood up and raced into the house to call the police.
***
“We checked the entire house,” said Matt, my mother’s boyfriend. “There was nothing, Trent.”
“Did you find the duffel bag?” I asked, frustrated.
“Yes, he showed it to us. The only thing in the duffel bag was camping gear.”
“I heard someone
crying,” I said. “I swear to God, Matt.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” he said. “We couldn’t find anything at all.”
“Did you check out the library?”
“Of course. We checked the basement cellar, the kitchen, all of the bedrooms. There was absolutely nothing.”
I sat down at the kitchen table and put my head in my hands. “I don’t understand. What about the garage?” I asked, lifting my head.
Matt sat down across from me. “Yes, of course.”
“This is bullshit. He’s hiding something.”
Our phone started ringing and Matt answered it. “Yes, everyone’s fine, Mira,” he said into the phone. “False alarm.”
I frowned. It wasn’t a false alarm. The crazy old man got rid of the body.
Matt smiled and nodded. “It’s okay, babe. The guy was a little weird. Not a child-slayer, obviously, but strange. Okay, love you, too.”
“Is she mad?” I asked, when he hung up.
He shrugged. “A little. She says you and Ben have been a little spooked lately. I don’t blame you, though. Not with those missing kids.”
I sighed.
“Well, I got to go,” he said. “Do me a favor, will you?”
“What?”
“Stay away from O’Darby. He may not be a killer, but he’s pissed off as all hell that you’ve been sniffing around his daughter and spying on him.”
I folded my arms across my chest and sat back. “Is that what he said?”
“Pretty much.”
“He’s crazy,” I said. “He doesn’t let her go anywhere, not even outside.”
Matt raised his eyebrows.
“Seriously,” I said.
He patted my shoulder. “I spoke to her and she seemed pretty well-adjusted. Listen, get some sleep, now. I’ll see you on Sunday. Mira’s invited me for dinner.”
“Okay.”
After he left, I checked all of the locks and went upstairs to get ready for bed. I kept my light out and went to the window, to shut the blinds. As I reached for the cord, my eyes were once again, drawn to O’Darby’s house.
My heart stopped.
Standing on the lawn, in the darkness, stood O’Darby, staring up at me, his eyes glowing brightly and a dark smile spread across his pale face.
“Oh crap,’ I gasped, backing away from the window.
Suddenly, something slammed against the window and I almost expected to see O’Darby hovering in the darkness, trying to break the glass. But instead, there was something that scared the hell out of me. Glowing brightly on the outside of the window was a clear message that chilled me to the bone –
Ben
Gripped with fear, I rushed out of my bedroom and down the hallway to my little brother’s bed, relieved to find him still sleeping soundly. I stared at the way his thick eyelashes fanned across his cheek and clenched my fists. He could not have my brother.
No way.
I grabbed one of his pillows, slid to the floor and stayed awake for the next three hours until exhaustion finally consumed me and I fell asleep.
Chapter Six
“That’s crazy,” said my mother. “In fact, I went over and spoke to Mr. O’Darby myself and apologized profusely for your actions, Trent.”
I’d just relayed the previous night’s activities to my mother the next morning but she refused to believe that he was a murderer and had basically threatened Ben’s life.
“He’s after Ben,” I protested. “You shouldn’t be apologizing to that guy, mom. He’s a lunatic.”
She pointed to me. “You should be the one apologizing to him.”
I stared at her incredulously. “No way. Even Shannon said he was dangerous. I’m not talking to him.”
“That’s another thing,” she said. “Mr. O’Darby asked that you stay away from Shannon.”
“Fine,” I said. “Whatever.”
She sighed. “I know you’re worried about your brother, especially after those children have disappeared, but you can’t start accusing people because they’re a little weird.”
I raised my chin. “That reminds me, have there been any more missing children?”
She stared at me but didn’t say anything.
“There was, wasn’t there?” I said. “Last night.”
“Yes, twenty miles from here.”
“Was it like the other ones?”
She nodded.
“It was him! He did it! Why don’t you believe me?”
“Did what?” asked Ben, walking into the kitchen.
“Don’t worry about it,” said mom, warning me with her eyes.
“Is it about dad?” he asked, frowning. “Did he cancel?”
She smiled. “No, honey. He hasn’t canceled. In fact, I spoke to him again and everything is all set. He’s picking you up right after school and you’re going to spend the entire weekend with him.”
Ben’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
She pulled him into her arms. “Really.”
“Awesome,” he said. “I can’t wait.”
I could though. Something told me that O’Darby wouldn’t care where Ben was. He’d find him and kidnap him on his tenth birthday.
But not if I could help it.
***
Monday after school, I rushed over to O’Darby’s to talk to Shannon.
“You shouldn’t be here,” said Shannon, through the screen door. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Shannon,” I pleaded. “He’s threatening to take my brother. You have to help me stop him.”
“I can’t stop him,” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. “Nobody can.”
“Is he the one taking all of the kids?” I asked.
She stared at me but didn’t say anything.
“Shannon,” I pleaded. “Tell me, is he stealing the kids?”
She let out a ragged breath and shook her head. “No. He’s not stealing anyone.”
“I don’t understand. He has to be responsible for the missing children. I can just feel it.”
“He’s not stealing the children, but he does take them.”
“I don’t understand.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Tell me what’s happening. Please! It’s my little brother. I can’t let him take Ben.”
“They’ve been offered to him.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“He’s collecting on payments that are due, on the child’s tenth birthday.”
“Are you serious?”
It sounded insane. Who would offer a child for payment? And for what?
Her eyes grew large. “He’s coming, I feel it. You have to go!” she cried, slamming the door in my face.
I backed away and turned around, only to find Mr. O’Darby standing at the bottom of the steps.
A smile spread across his ruddy face. “Foolish boy. You just don’t learn, do you?”
Before I could answer, he raised his hand and a ball of green light began to form. As I stared in horrific wonder, he pulled his hand back and thrust it at me.
***
I shot up in my bed, gasping for breath.
“Trent! Thank God!” cried my brother, throwing his arms around me.
“Wha…what happened?” I asked when he pulled away.
His eyes were red and puffy, as if he’d been crying. “I found you outside, passed out on the front lawn. I shook you until you stood up and then walked inside. I was so freaked out because you wouldn’t talk to me, Trent. You just ignored me.”
“What?”
He nodded. “Yeah, you reminded me of a zombie, except you weren’t bloody or missing body parts.”
My heart began to race as the memories came back. Mr. O’Darby had hit me with some kind of magical light!
But he hadn’t killed me.
Odd.
“Did you see Mr. O’Darby outside?” I asked.
“No, thank God.”
I stood up, moved to the window, and looked outside. It w
as still daylight. “What time is it?”
“It’s six-fifteen,” he said. “I’m hungry. Can you make me something to eat?”
I stared at Shannon’s house and noticed she had curtains on her window now. “Yeah,” I said, turning back to Ben. “Let’s go downstairs.”
***
“That was really weird,” said Ben, finishing his milk. “The way you passed out.”
I finished chewing the rest of my macaroni-and-cheese. “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I probably just needed some food.” No way was I going to tell him what really happened.
“Oh.”
“Listen, I want you to do me a favor. When you’re at your dad’s, call me if you need anything. I don’t care what time of the day it is. I mean it.”
“Okay,” he said.
I reached over and ruffled his hair. “You’re a good brother.”
He smiled. “You too.”
Chapter Seven
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, but I didn’t take my eyes off of Ben when school was out. I even slept on the floor of his bedroom at night.
“Why are you doing that?” he asked after the second night I’d set up camp.
I shrugged. “I just think we should spend more time together. Pretty soon I’ll be going off to college, you know.”
He smiled. “Oh, yeah.”
Mom didn’t notice at all because she was on third shift the entire week.
“I’m going to miss you this weekend,” she said to Ben before leaving for work Thursday night. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without seeing your beautiful blue eyes.”
“It’s only one weekend mom, sheesh.”
She kissed the top of his head. “To me it’s going to feel like a lifetime.”
Those words gave me the chills.
He smiled. “I’ll call you every night.”
“And I’ll call you every day,” she said, hugging him.
After she left for work, I stared out the window, towards the O’Darby’s house, wondering when he’d try taking Ben. I wasn’t sure, but I knew one thing, I wouldn’t be too far.