The Watcher

by Heather Kindt

  The backroom sat empty except for the tattered chair and the cage. His mother crept through the room where she helped him escape only weeks before. She’d known. She’d always known. But it still bothered him that she would strategically place him in a book to destroy a Weaver. The floorboard creaked when he stepped in front of the entrance to the metal cage. He froze.

  The door to the front room burst open. The older Weaver clasped a large rifle to his chest. Seeing the Wanderer, the man raised it to his shoulder. But before he could shoot, She took the man’s face in both of her hands, a bright light lit up the room, and he was gone.

  “At least he’ll have a rifle to defend himself… for a short while.” There was no empathy in the her eyes. No compassion.

  He did recognize hatred because his heart held it before. It was an emotion he knew well. “What type of stories does that Weaver write?” Jonas backed against the wall in the short hallway between the two rooms.

  “Horror.” Her lips twisted in an unnatural smile. “The deed might already be done before I pick up the pen.”

  Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. This was not the mother he remembered. This was a person pushed over the edge until there was no return. He’d been there, too, but for some reason, Delaney found it in her heart to entertain the idea of forgiveness. Jonas felt claustrophobic, standing in this hallway of no return. If he helped his mother rid the world of the Golden Recluse, there’d be no redemption from the evil path he’d chosen, but maybe he’d already gone too far.

  The Wanderer peeked through the crack in the door. The older Weaver must’ve been on guard duty in the small hallway. The others hadn’t heard the scuffle.

  “There are three more. The two young ones are lounging on the couch watching television, and the older woman is reading a book in the armchair.” She checked the room again. “I’ll go for the teenagers; you hold the woman.”

  Panic swelled in his throat as he struggled to breathe. Damp patches developed under his arms. He faced the wall and leaned his head against it. What would happen if he bolted? She couldn’t send him anywhere because he no longer had a ring. But to leave the unsuspecting Weavers to be picked off might be the coward’s way out.

  “You’re not flaking out on me, are you?” She grabbed his shoulder and spun him to face her. “We’re in this together. You’ve always made me so proud. Imagine what life will be like without any of this. No Weavers. No Watchers. No Gate Keepers. No Enders. We’ll be free to live our lives how we want to live them.”

  He stood there, blankly staring at her—stone silent.

  “This is not what we’re destined for, Jonas. We need to control everything.” She leaned into him, curling her claws into his shirt. “I could have a new and improved Robert. You could have any woman you’ve ever dreamed of.”

  His stomach clenched, but he hid it from her. Casualties were necessary to win the war. “Let’s do this.”

  The Wanderer smiled, peeking through the door one last time. She seemed relieved that her delusional plan continued to play out.

  The moments that followed were a blur in his mind, from rushing the room, holding down the older woman who pleaded for her life, to the screams silenced by the ungodly light of the Gate Keeper ring.

  The boy remained on the couch—eyes wide.

  “Why aren’t you gone?” His mother yelled at the boy. Her hair took on a life of it’s own in the chaos. Flames licking up the last remnants of life in the room.

  The scene was surreal. Jonas collapsed in the same armchair that previously held his victim. The boy jumped up and bolted for the door but was met halfway by Jonas’s hysterical mother, who tossed the young Weaver like a ragdoll. He hit his head against the coffee table and was reduced to an unconscious lump on the floor.

  “The books. Their current books.” She threw open drawers, searching for manuscripts.

  Their current books were probably saved on a computer somewhere, but it wasn’t information Jonas was ready to share. He let her rip out drawers and upturn furniture in her desperate search.

  “Don’t just sit there. Help me.”

  Jogging along the wooded path behind the gym to campus, Laney explained the Wanderer’s plan to Brian. Now with all four stones of the codex, she’d send the Weavers into their stories and write their doomed endings. The Golden Recluse was probably her first target.

  “With the codex, she’ll be able to take over everything. She’ll be my boss.” Brian stated the fact as they passed the rusty chain.

  “What?” William stopped and spun around to face him.

  Brian held his hands up. “There won’t be anything I can do. All the Gate Keepers will answer to her. You, too.” He nodded at William.

  “That will never happen. I’ll dispose of my pendant if it comes down to it.”

  “Richard said last year that your ways were neutral, but you’ve helped us, and Silas helped the Wanderer. Who do you answer to right now?” She had considered this before but never had the chance to ask Brian.

  “The Librarian.” He flipped open a cellphone and scrolled through his contacts. He held up a picture of a decrepit man wearing thick-rimmed glasses. “He’s also called the Keeper of the Books. He’s already on my case about helping you and Grady. But, I don’t think he has it in him to reprimand me. Some say he’s on his deathbed. I wouldn’t put it past the Wanderer to overthrow him.”

  “Not on my watch.” William unlatched a helmet from the motorcycle.

  Laney pulled on her own helmet and climbed on the motorcycle behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist. It felt right to share the bike with him again. He reached back and placed his hand on her thigh.

  “I’ll get to the Recluse cabin as soon as I can. I’m in good with Missy again, so I’m sure I can get a set of keys out of her.” Brian winked at Laney. “And don’t worry too much about what I told you about the Librarian. I’ve always been a rule-breaker.”

  The cold air bit her on the ride to Rockport and her teeth chattered. She bit down on her lip, trying to control them. When William drove into the parking lot of the wharf, she didn’t know if she could spend another minute on the bike. Once off the bike, she rubbed her hands up and down her arms and bounced on the soles of her feet, trying to regain feeling in her numb toes.

  William removed his helmet and produced two beanies out of his pocket. He placed a maroon one on Laney’s head and pulled it down over her ears before leaning forward to kiss her lips. He weaved his arms around her, holding her close.

  She rested her head on his chest. “I don’t want you to be the hero in there. If anything happens to you, I’m not sure I could go on. When you were stabbed, I thought…” The rest of the sentence stuck in her throat.

  He held her to his chest again, and she listened to his breathing. “You made me. I can’t help who I am. Perhaps you should have created me a coward so you could ensure my safety.”

  The shack rocked gently on the dock above the waves. Were they too late? It felt indulgent to have this conversation when her friends were in danger. But there was one more thing he had to know before another possible separation. She reached her hand up and ran it through the hair that encircled his face. “There’s something else I have to tell you.”

  “What’s wrong?” His hand caressed her back under her coat.

  “When Jonas helped you and Nick escape, I distracted the Wanderer outside. She told me something that’s a little difficult to take or even understand.” She dropped her hand to his chest before swallowing. “Jonas is my brother.” The words came out as a choked whisper. “Please don’t hurt him.”

  His hand stopped on her back. “But how?”

  “My older brother died as an infant. At least that’s what my parents told me.” A lump rose in her throat. “The Wanderer said she kidnapped him out of his crib. If he’s been alive all these years…”

  The warmth of William’s other hand enveloped hers. “We need to stop her.” Anger creased his face. “To treat him
like a puppet when he should’ve grown up with you. If anyone had done that to Sarah, I’d…” His eyes set on the shack. “She has to pay.”

  “Do you think he’s helping her?” Her heart gave a silent pang with the thought of losing him to that evil woman.

  “I don’t know what Jonas is capable of now. I do know that you’re the bravest woman I know.” He traced her face along the hairline before wrapping her in his arms again. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Her body warmed in the heat of his arms.

  “Do you trust me?” A light flashed through his green eyes.

  She wasn’t sure what he was getting at. “Of course.”

  “Give me your pendant.” His voice was firm, possibly expecting the impending argument.

  “Why?” In a strange way, she believed that the pendant had protected her the past year and a half.

  “If she touches either of us, we’ll be sent into the book world,” His voice caught. “You know I can’t be separated from you again.”

  “But what if it’s you?” She imagined the possibilities that hadn’t even crossed her mind. All they had to do was rescue her friends—not worry about their own well being.

  “Do you think it’s safe to hide them?” William unclasped his pendant and held the chain.

  “Here.” Laney took his pendant, answering his question. A large snowdrift ran halfway up a nearby building. She glanced around the docks, but they remained deserted. “Keep watch.”

  Using her free hand, she dug a small hole in the snow up to her elbow. She dropped William’s necklace into the hole before removing her own. Laney replaced the snow, fluffing it around the top to make it appear natural.

  “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 23

  Laney slowed her pace when she reached the end of the dock. Packed snow left a slippery hazard where the it curved toward the shack. She reached out and took William’s hand as they entered through the rear door.

  The small room was a wreck, and at the moment, only contained three living beings—the Wanderer, Jonas, and David. Were they too late?

  The Wanderer stared at them like a large cat ready to pounce on its prey. Her hair was a knotted mess, and mascara trickled down her cheeks in tiny polluted streams. The woman growled before lunging at Laney. The woman’s hands closed around Laney’s neck for mere seconds before William flung the Wanderer to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, backing to the opposite wall.

  “Why isn’t it working?” Her eyes turned to David, then back to Laney. “I have the Gate Keeper ring on my finger. You’re supposed to be gone.” Her hysterical state intensified.

  “They don’t have their pendants on, Mother.” Jonas lounged in the chair, picking at a tooth with his nail. “They’re intelligent, after all.”

  She screamed and grabbed an armload of books off the table. “It’s time to leave. We have work to do.”

  William blocked the door to the back room, and Laney crossed the floor to guard the front entrance.

  “Not so fast.” William held his arms across the door. “Did you send the other Weavers into their books?”

  David stirred. A small trickle of blood ran down his forehead. Laney could literally see the stars above his head. The Wanderer bent down and removed his Weaver pendant from beneath his shirt.

  “Why didn’t you disappear? Why aren’t you in your book?” She addressed David, but her face searched the other people in the room.

  “Maybe he wants to keep his secret from you.” Laney kept her arms and legs stretched across the front exit. “Your intention’s to kill him.”

  “You still haven’t answered my question, witch.” William’s voice increased in volume. Laney stared at him with admiration. His presence filled the room as much as her brother’s.

  The Wanderer stood up and walked over to him. Her demeanor went from hysterical to calm in a matter of seconds. “Your young, brave Watcher.” An evil gleam entered her mascara-laden eyes. “We had quite the tryst alone in that cabin in the woods—just you and I, William. But, I think you’ve changed your feelings for me. Isn’t it obvious that they went through the gate?” She ran a red fingernail across his chest.

  “Take your hands off of me.” He took a step back into the hallway. “And don’t think for a second we won’t save the Weavers—each and every one of them. Robert chose to abuse his power, but you can’t blame every Weaver for his actions.”

  The Wanderer gritted her teeth and yelled over her shoulder. “Let’s go, Jonas.”

  “You’re not going anywhere.” Laney couldn’t let this woman escape with the power the Weaver pendant gave her.

  A loud crash sounded in the rear of the cabin, and the Wanderer shoved Laney to the ground. She fell to the floor, and the woman was gone. Jonas skirted around her body and left through the open door into the cold night.

  Huge tentacles rose above William’s head, slithering their way through the hallway.

  “Look out!” Laney scrambled to her feet to grab his hand.

  David recovered quickly enough to pick up a baseball bat to swing at the giant sea creature. He got one good hit in that sent one of the tentacles retreating. Something smashed onto the roof of the structure. Another tentacle? The cabin rocked back and forth on the dock’s pilings.

  “We have to get out of here.” William leaped up, running to the front door. When he flung it open, a large man with a captain’s hat and a pipe filled the doorway. His lips twisted into a smile that Laney could only describe as sinister. “Is Mark here?”

  “No, but we need to go,” William panted. “We’re a little busy.”

  “I think the creature is an Ender from one of Mark’s books.” Laney linked her arm around William’s but kept her attention on the sea captain. “Don’t you see the creature?”

  “Of course, I see the creature.” The man laughed from somewhere deep in his gut. “He’s mine.”

  “Can you call him off?” William ducked as one of the tentacles swiped at the roof again, causing parts of the ceiling to collapse. “He’s about to ruin the place.”

  “No.” The captain chuckled again. “No, I can’t call him off. The creature’s got a bone to pick with Mark. If he can’t satisfy his thirst for blood with the author, I suppose the three of you will have to do.”

  David rushed forward as the entire ceiling of the cabin’s living room came crashing down into the center of the floor. The building rocked violently, and Laney’s heart beat out of her chest, as she feared it would soon be on the bottom of the harbor.

  “You need to move.” David pointed a gun at the captain’s head. “Too many people have died tonight.”

  The captain’s huge grin intensified beneath his white, wiry whiskers. “Go ahead.” He held up his hands.

  Three tentacles shot through the back hallway, aiming directly for them. Laney shook as she steadied herself against the wall. Did David have it in him to shoot this man to give them a way out? William picked up David’s bat, knocking the tentacles back.

  The gun sounded.

  The captain dematerialized like a ghost in front of them, opening their escape.

  The teenager spun around and shot at the tentacles behind him, but they were too strong. Wedged behind the bookshelf, he cocked the barrel and shook his head. He lifted a bag near the shelf and slammed it on the table.

  “Take this.” He shoved the bag into Laney’s hands. “Please save them.” The pain in his face revealed his plan.

  “No. We’re not leaving you.” She took his hand. “We can all get out of here.”

  The three tentacles retreated through the back of the cabin, providing a moment of peace. Was it the calm before the storm?

  “Now’s our chance.” William bolted for the door.

  A crack echoed throughout the structure from deep beneath the floorboards. They raced out to the dock, taking in the size of the creature beneath the sea. The giant eye of the squid rested above the waves. Laney never described a look from an animal as ev
il before, but that was exactly how she’d describe the intent of this creature. The dock jerked back and forth as the tentacles removed the supports from the structure one by one.

  “Run!” David aimed and shot at the tentacle beneath the water. The water exploded into the air where the bullet pierced the waves.

  Laney slipped along the icy boards with her breath visible in front of her face. She spun around, hearing a giant crash behind her. The cabin sank into the depths below, engulfed in the creature’s tentacles.

  “Keep running. Don’t stop.” David yelled at her from the end of the dock. He aimed the gun at the squid’s giant eye.

  William took her hand and dragged her past the fisherman shacks. “He’s giving us a chance. He knows what he’s doing.”

  “But we can’t leave him.” Laney struggled to catch her breath in the frigid night air. She tried to slow William’s forward motion by pulling back on his hand.

  “We have to live. Too many people depend on us.” He led her into a narrow alley between two of the shacks. “He’s giving his life for Natalie. Just like I’d give my life for you. Don’t deny him that. If we go out there to save him and die, then it was for nothing.”

  Tears ran down Laney’s face. She sucked in the icy air but struggled to catch her breath. A scream pierced the air around them.

  “Don’t look.” He held her face between his hands. “His death can’t be in vain. Jason’s death shouldn’t be in vain. We need to save the Weavers and stop the Wanderer. If not, all’s lost in our world.”

  Sobs escaped Laney’s chest as the pain came crashing down on her from all sides, but she kept her eyes on William—on her purpose.

  Moments later, the only sound was the crash of the waves lapping on the pier. Fishermen gathered on the dock, scratching their heads and looking at the spot where the cabin and dock used to be. One of them was already on his phone.

  “This way,” William whispered in her ear and led her down the alley to the other end. It opened into the parking lot where they left the bike.