Captured Lies

by Maggie Thom

Late day sun filtered in through the two grimy windows, highlighting the dust laden air. Cautiously, she stepped through the opening. A '70s style maroon couch, a rocking chair, a stand-alone fire place, a book shelf totally covered in dust but sparsely lined with books. The kitchen had a sturdy wooden table and six wooden chairs. Everything was neat and tidy, minus the layers of dust and mouse droppings. It looked like someone had left and planned on being back soon but that day hadn't come. It all looked foreign to her. She had hoped it would trigger more memories but she couldn't even picture herself inside, outside playing, yes, but in here, no.

  Walking across the open space, she entered one of the other rooms. A four poster double bed was pushed up against the wall. A four drawer dark mahogany, tall boy was the only other furniture in the room. She turned almost colliding with Guy. After only a moment's hesitation she side-stepped him and without more than a glance into the bathroom as she passed, which had a toilet, pedestal sink, a shower and open shelves, she headed to the kitchen. She had no idea what she was looking for but she had a strong sense that there was something there for her. In the cupboards, there was a set of china dishes, not very practical but probably very expensive at one time. There were a few pots and pans and some utensils. But that was it.

  "Bailey, come here."

  Sighing, she turned and walked back into the bedroom, where Guy had taken it upon himself to snoop through the drawers. She walked towards him and peeked over his shoulder. As her eyes riveted on one of the things in the drawer, she reached for it. Her hand shook as she got a good look at what she'd picked up. Weakly, she sank down onto the bed. Guy knelt in front of her.

  "Are you okay?"

  She couldn't answer. She just kept shaking her head, her eyes glued to what she held in her hands. It's here. She had been sure it was gone forever. At one time, she'd carried it everywhere she went. One day it just wasn't there. Her mom had told her she'd lost it.

  "She's so ugly she's beautiful. Her dress is a little worse for wear and her hair needs a good cleaning and combing." She looked at the filthy matted doll. The pug nose on Miss Piggy looked like it had been pulled on one too many times as it hung like a distorted snout poking straight out from its face.

  "This was yours."

  "Wh-what? Oh-oh yeah. I thought it was long gone." She tried to ignore that electric excitement that finding this old toy was doing to her. "What did you want to show me?"

  He reached in the drawer and pulled out a packet of papers, rifling through them before handing a small square one to her.

  "A picture? Of who?" She stared hard at the photo. "It's me. Oh my god. It's a picture of me." The girl of about four or five had long brown hair that looked like it hadn't seen a brush in days. A pink badly muddied ribbon, hung limply down the side of her face. Mud dotted her forehead and one cheek but a huge grin minus a few teeth was what grabbed her attention. She looked happy.

  "Are there more?" She sat up straight, reaching out.

  "I'm checking." He flipped through the pages but found nothing else. "Sorry. That's it."

  She slumped down.

  "What were you hoping to find here?"

  She stared at her younger face for a long time, before answering. "I don't know. I just know that I had to come here." Meeting his gaze, she held up the two items. "I can't believe that this was all there was."

  "Does anyone else know about this place?"

  "I didn't know about this place."

  He looked at her dubiously.

  "Okay, well not consciously. So I don't know. I know my mother never talked about it. Mr. Lund told me he sold it. I don't know." From her childhood there was that sense of peace, of fun and then of something dark. That same sense was very strong. Something bad was coming. She jumped to her feet, startling Guy who waddled backwards, bracing himself by putting his hands on the bureau behind him to get out of her way.

  "We have to leave. Now. Don't ask." Stuffing the picture in her back pocket, she clutched the pig in her hand as she hustled her way through the cabin. She didn't wait for him but climbed into the SUV, started it and turned around in the tight space. Guy jumped into the passenger side just as she was going forward again.

  "What's going on?"

  She hit the gas. If there had been any paint left on the side, it was soon in the process of being scraped off. They hit a rut so hard the vehicle slammed forward, only to send them flying in the next moment. She held tight to the steering wheel but still couldn't stop her head from pitching forward and hitting the top edge of it. Guy, she noted, grabbed the door and the dash as the seat belt didn't seem to be keeping him in place either. She knew it was crazy but she also knew that she had to get out of there quickly. Easing up slightly, she maneuvered through the tight, overgrown laneway. Finally they broke through the brush and were soon back on the road, spitting gravel as she gunned it. Backtracking the way they had come was no problem, for whatever reason the map of this place was as clear to her as though it was sitting in front of her.

  The only problem was that when she hit the T intersection to go right, a half ton truck was barreling down on them. Going with instinct she turned left.

  "That driver either has a very heavy foot or we've got company."

  He turned to look out the back window. "Where exactly are we going?"

  "I don't know but out of here." Slowing only slightly she turned to the left, keeping a close eye on the vehicle that was getting very close to her bumper.

  "It looks like that truck that was at the motel." He turned to look at her but she was too busy concentrating on what she was doing.

  "Did you ask questions about northern B.C.?"

  Guy's silence was telling.

  She slowed enough to let the truck get within six inches and then gunned it. Not quite soon enough but it was enough to change the impact to that of a glancing blow. It caused them to slam forward and then back while the vehicle fishtailed slightly. Before they could much more than straighten out, he rammed them a second time. The seatbelt cut into her shoulder as she flew forward after slamming back against the seat. She shook off the sick feeling that was crawling its way up her throat. Her hands gripped the wheel tightly as she cranked it, trying to straighten out their wildly flailing vehicle. The rear end snapped from side to side. It took all her skill and strength, to keep it from rolling or from spinning in the middle of the road.

  "He's coming again, Bailey."

  She had to make a move. Glancing in the mirror she noted that her 'friend' was moving towards them fast.

  "Hold on." Going with the natural swing of the vehicle she turned the wheel to the left, just as the rear end hit the far right of its skid. As they entered the ditch she hit the gas. Between that and the snow sucking the tires into a path, the SUV straightened out. They bounced down through the ditch and entered the narrow passage between the Black Spruce. Branches slapped and scraped them sometimes giving such a high pitched sound, it grated on her nerves.

  Too busy to see how Guy was handling the ride, she was glad that he wasn't giving her instructions or yelling at her. She hoped that meant he wasn't knocked out cold.

  Turning sharply to the left the rear end slid sideways, wiping out two young trees. In the rear view mirror she could see the half ton was no longer behind them but making its own path, coming up on their left side. She focused on zigzagging through the trees, driving through spaces that looked like a Smart car wouldn't have fit.

  "Look out!"

  The snow was no longer their friend. She cramped the wheel but not in time and the SUV slid sideways, smacking into a large tree. She flinched but didn't stop, instead she hit the gas.

  "Duck."

  She did and slammed on the brakes at the same time, which was all that saved her. The half ton zoomed past, jerking the aim of the gun. The shot went high, just skipping off the top of the vehicle. Cramping her wheel to the right, she gunned it. The tail-end slid way around to the left, slamming into another tree, stopping them. The wheels spun but they w
eren't going anywhere. Looking around frantically, she saw that her company had run into much the same problem. He was shoving his truck into drive and then reverse, rocking to try to get unstuck.

  "Dammit. Let us go." Bailey slammed her hand on the steering wheel, as she did the exact same driving actions he was doing, again and again. A mixture of snow, dirt and grass flew up behind them.

  "Stop. STOP!" As soon as she lifted her foot off the gas, Guy jumped out of the vehicle.

  "What the hell are you doing?"

  "Getting us some traction."

  She watched as he grabbed some branches on the evergreens and proceeded to break them off. She had a moment of guilt about the damage they'd done. Shaking that off, she turned to see where the man was. The grill of his truck was aimed right at them. And coming fast.

  "Guy!"

  "Go." He dove in, yanking the door closed behind him.

  She hit reverse. They spun. She slammed it in forward. They got enough traction to move a few inches. She hit reverse and then drive again. She glanced sideways. The emblem on the grill was very clear and getting closer. It was the evil smile beyond it that scared her senseless. Shoving into low gear, she hit the gas. The tires caught, shooting them forward like a sling shot. But it wasn't quite quick enough. He hit the rear left corner, sending the SUV into a spin and then into a tree. The jolt of the sudden stop sent Bailey slamming backwards and then forwards. She checked to see where he was. The crash had sent him sliding down a knoll. It was the break they needed.

  Bailey stomped on the gas and they surged forward, grinding and scraping as they pulled away. The SUV gained speed as they went. A quick look in the mirror showed that the truck wasn't moving. He was stuck. Ahead, the road peeked at them between the branches. With her foot hard on the pedal, she headed straight for it. It was so close. She never saw the mound but she sure felt it. The Ford Escape went up the slight incline and kept going. Her breath caught in her throat as the vehicle shot through the air narrowly making it between two poplars that had to have been stripped bare. The landing slammed them down hard. Each of them bouncing around like rag dolls. Once she gained control again she didn't waste any time in getting out of there. The tires spun, spitting snow, dirt and grass as they bounced out of the ditch.

  Guy turned to face forward. "That should slow him down."

  "What?" She didn't take her eyes off the road.

  "He tried to follow us but he went a bit sideways and hit an evergreen, head on."

  Going on instinct and what she hoped was a good sense of direction, she zig-zagged down roads until she found the one that hopefully lost him but took her to the main highway. She turned left.

  "Back to Jasper?"

  "No."

  She wasn't clear at all where they were going but knew that she had to listen to what her gut was telling her. She had to follow her past.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX