He wasn’t certain why they should be concerned. He thought it over as he got dressed. He tucked the invitation into his pocket before he left the room and was sure to lock the door behind him. He wasn’t certain why he did it. He knew that Grace would have a key to the room, but for whatever reason, he felt the need to secure his belongings in there.
He let out a heavy sigh as he walked away and headed down the stairs. He needed coffee if he was going to make it through the rest of the day. He needed food. And then he needed to decide what he was going to do about Crystal Hill.
The village that seemed to grow ever stranger with every moment he spent in it.
Chapter 8
A Decoy
* * *
Aaron’s day revealed no leads. He learned a bit more about how the village worked and how it ran on its own. But no one was talking about Luke Allen. He was beginning to seriously question his abilities as a police officer. He was beginning to seriously consider that career in woodworking, which was looking more and more promising by the second.
Darkness was imminent when he made his way back to the inn. He was feeling fairly done with the day although he knew that he wasn’t even close to being done with the day.
Elder Walford had cornered him about halfway through the day to make sure that he would attend the bonfire. She was adamant about it.
He had tried to talk his way out of it. He had tried to insist that he had work to do. But she had insisted. He was the guest of honour. He had to attend. It didn’t matter how much he tried to weasel his way out of it, she kept persisting.
So now he was wandering back into the inn after a long day of accomplishing nothing at all, and he had to go back out in a half an hour for the bonfire. It was such a ridiculous concept in his mind.
No one cared about this lost boy, it seemed. No one cared about anything at all! Everyone in this town, with the exception of Elder Walford, was an unfeeling robot. They all sported the same vague expressions. They all stared at him as though he didn’t know what he was saying when he asked about Luke Allen. It was as though they didn’t remember that the boy even existed.
Aaron glanced at Grace Allen as he walked into the restaurant. She sat at the counter, knitting as she had on the first day he’d shown up. Her face was a blank mask and her hands moved as though making that sweater was her sole purpose in life. The restaurant was otherwise empty, but still she sat at the counter rather than retreating to the privacy of her apartment.
It was as though somewhere, underneath the vagueness and mind control, she was still waiting for her son to come back to do the dishes. It was as though she was still the woman who broke down crying in front of him over the memory of finding her son’s clothing strewn around the lake.
He knew that she was hiding somewhere beneath that mask, but he had no way of reaching her. He had no way of reaching any of them. And his biggest fear was that he would leave Crystal Hill with little more than that which he had arrived. Simply because the people of the town had already moved on.
He wondered if that was why his Sergeant had given him this job, because he knew that it was impossible. Perhaps it was some sick joke within the department. He would get back and they would all have a good laugh at his expense because he wasted his time in Crystal Hill. He wasted his time with the crazies when everyone else had already written them off as a lost cause.
Well to hell with the department. He cared about this missing boy, even if the people of the town didn’t seem to care anymore. And he wasn’t going to leave until he found Luke Allen. He would promise himself that much, at least.
He made his way up to his room with his head down and his mind on the case. When his hand touched the doorknob, he was shocked at how cold the metal was. He flexed his fingers around it as he dug the key out of his pocket. Perhaps this was common at the inn, he thought as he opened the door.
It immediately slammed closed behind him as he was thrown against it. The wind rushed out of his lungs as he was lifted off the ground and held against the door. His hands clenched into fists at his side instinctively, as he searched the room for whoever or whatever was doing this to him.
His gaze fell on the woman who had approached him last night. So it wasn’t a dream, he thought as he fought to regain his breath. He was still floating a good foot above the ground but he could breathe now. There was that at least.
You need to leave, Aaron. You need to leave NOW!
He felt his feet slam to the floor and he fell to his hands and knees. He looked up at the woman and could feel the fear coil in his stomach. He could taste it in his throat. And yet he was not afraid of the woman. He was afraid of what she was saying.
Leave now, before it is too late. Leave before your fate is sealed.
He stared up at her in awe as she flew across the room and exploded in a wave of mist against the wall. He felt the chill wash over him and then he began to shake.
What had she meant? What fate was he destined for if he stayed? What was there to be feared about Crystal Hill?
He didn’t know, but for the first time since his arrival, he felt that fear again. He felt that need to turn tail and run away. He didn’t care about Luke Allen. He didn’t know the child. And no one else seemed to care, so why should he?
The thoughts raced through his mind and he shook his head to clear it.
No! He couldn’t simply run away. That was not how this worked. He had an obligation and he had to see it through.
He pushed himself to his feet and straightened out his shirt. He would go to the bonfire. He would celebrate with the people of Crystal Hill. He would be the honoured guest. And then he would find Luke Allen.
He looked around his room. He had returned there for a reason, but now he couldn’t remember it for the life of him. He thought for another moment and then gave a shrug. He turned his back on the small room and pulled the door open, registering that the knob was still very cold.
He had a moment to register that Grace stood on the other side of the door and then the world went black.
Aaron came to slowly and he was aware of two things. One, he was very definitely no longer in the inn, and two, he was tied up. He pulled against the bonds that held his hands behind his back but it was no use. The rope that bound his hands was thick and strong. He wouldn’t be able to wiggle his way out of them and he definitely wouldn’t be able to break them.
He scanned the space around him. It seemed that he was in a barn. Where in the village he was, he couldn’t be certain but he knew that he wasn’t alone.
Opposite him was a small figure also seated with hands similarly bound. It lay on its side and appeared to be asleep, but the minute that Aaron stirred, it moved as well.
“Hello?” he called over to the figure. He was glad that he hadn’t been gagged or blind folded, only restrained. He still had his senses about him. “Who are you?”
“Luke,” the figure replied, his voice raspy. He shifted forward a bit closer so that Aaron could see him better.
The small boy was clothed in what looked like a burlap sack. His hands were tied behind his back. He had dried blood on his face. But as a whole, he looked fine. He looked well fed and adequately kept by whoever was holding them here.
“This isn’t very reassuring, but I came here to find you,” Aaron said, his voice filled with disappointment in himself. He’d let someone get the jump on him. For all the attempts to remember, he could only think that it might have been Grace who had done it.
But that didn’t make any sense. Why would Grace hit him and abduct him? Why would she put him in the same location as her son? Did she know where her son was? Had she known this whole time?
Luke chuckled a little at that. “I wasn’t meant to be found,” he replied, his voice sad. He looked around the room at where they were. “They all knew exactly where I was.”
Aaron’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? What do you mean they knew?” He could feel the panic rising inside him. What had he gotten hi
mself into? What kind of trap was this? What kind of place was this?
Luke sighed and lay back down on the loose hay. He would be happy when this was all over and he could go back to his bed. He missed sleeping in a bed. He missed his clothes. But everyone had a part to play, and it was his turn to play it.
He understood how things worked. He had been raised in Crystal Hill. He knew what needed to be done. That didn’t mean he wasn’t grumpy about having to sleep in a barn for three days. It didn’t mean he wasn’t grumpy about having to eat Mr. Grupper’s cooking. He would rather die than eat that for another day.
He missed his mother’s cooking. He missed his mother. He was still young enough to admit that. And, as he looked at the man across from him, all he could think was that he would be able to all the things he wanted to do soon enough. It was already almost over.
“What do you mean, Luke?” Aaron demanded, his voice echoing the desperation that he felt building up inside of him. The panic that had been creeping up on him since he first stepped onto the main street of Crystal Hill, had now grabbed him by the throat and was making it hard for him to breathe.
Luke gave him a bored look in the dull light of the barn. “I was never lost, sir. I was simply a decoy.” He smiled slightly at the word. There was an honour associated with it. There was a history associated with it. “You were always the prize. It’s you who needs to be saved.”
Chapter 9
A Tradition
* * *
Aaron fought against his bonds but accomplished nothing. He tore the skin at his wrists and felt the blood drip down onto his hands, but he was no closer to being free. Luke chuckled at his struggles, but ultimately settled down on the hay to relax until it was time. There was no sense in making a ruckus. They would come when it was time.
The door to the barn opened an hour later. Aaron had thoroughly damaged his wrists by then and he was well on his way to exhaustion. But he was no closer to being free.
He struggled against the two robed figures who grabbed him by the arms and hauled him to his feet. They wore masks so he couldn’t see their faces. He wanted to memorize their faces. He wanted to know everyone who was responsible so that he could bring them all to justice. He would see that all of Crystal Hill paid for their actions. They would not get away with this.
As he was led out of the barn, he saw all those who were gathered. He could hear the low murmur of their chanting voices as he was led through the crowd and, as the people parted, he saw the platform around which they were gathered.
It was a stake, with piles of wood at its base. He’d seen similar images, but not outside of history books. They intended to burn him at the stake? To what end? Why were they doing this? What did they want?
The individual standing at the base of the platform, although masked, was clearly Elder Walford. No other person would take up such a place of honour in front of all of the people of the town. And he could sense that smile of hers beneath the mask, and it made his stomach churn.
“Tie him to the stake,” she instructed, her voice firm and filled with authority.
The men who were pulling him along, led him up onto the platform and set to work securing him to the stake.
“Why bother with the masks?” Aaron demanded, and heard the gasp from the crowd. It seemed that it was not common for the victims to speak. Well he was not about to go quietly. “I have seen all your faces. I know who you are.”
“We do not baulk on tradition just to appease the needs of an outsider,” Elder Walford chastised.
He wondered if she was sneering under that mask. There was definitely a sneer in her condescending tone. “Tradition. You have a long history of burning people alive?”
“Not always burning people alive,” Elder Walford said, her voice carrying as much concern over the matter as though she were talking about the weather. “We sacrifice however is convenient at the time and however our lord commands. Tonight he demands fire and so we shall give him fire.”
“Your lord?” This was just getting better and better. He continued to fight against the bonds.
The chanting in the crowd had recommenced and at the edge of the crowd, where the darkness began, he could see the wispy figures like the one that had appeared in his room.
But there was not just one figure now. There were dozens. Men, women, and children circled the outskirts of the gathered village people. They roped them in and they looked on with sombre expressions.
It was then that it occurred to Aaron where he had seen the woman before: In the photos of the victims of the mass suicide. She had been one of the many to die in the village that year and, as he looked at the other ghosts waiting at the edge of the crowd to observe his fate, he concluded that they were also victims of the tradition of Crystal Hill. And they had come to watch him join their ranks.
His heart was pounding in his chest and the sweat was pouring down his brow. He knew, beneath the fear, that he wasn’t going to get out of this. But that didn’t mean he was about to give up. He would not go down without a fight. He would not be compliant.
“Who is your lord?” He demanded, as he sensed the attention of Elder Walford drifting away from their conversation and back towards the crowd. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He needed answers. He needed them for his own sanity, even if he knew that he would never be able to tell anyone what had happened here. He would never be able to save anyone from this fate. He still needed to know.
“The lord gives us many things. He keeps us safe. He keeps us happy. He keeps us fed.” She chuckled a bit at that. “And all he demands is that we give him things in return. It is so little to ask for, given all that he provides.”
“And who is this grand lord that gives you so much? What is his name?” Aaron’s voice shook with fear and anger. He wished he had left when he’d been told. He wished he had left when he’d arrived. But it was too late for wishes now. He had to accept what fate he was handed.
“We know him by many names, but you would know him by Satan, I suppose. It’s not one of his more flattering titles. We try not to use it,” she explained, and sounded genuinely put off by the name and the fact that she’d even had to speak it.
“Well we wouldn’t want to offend your lord, now would we,” he chided and felt the air sucked out of his lungs.
“You watch your tongue, boy. Or I’ll suffocate you before you have a chance to breathe in the smoke.” Her voice was filled with rage and offence. Her hand had shot out in a claw-like gesture just as the air had been sucked out of his lungs. And as she lowered her hand, he was able to breathe again.
“It would be so easy to kill you now. It is always so easy to rush things. But it is important that we stick to tradition. Tradition is half the battle.” She drew in a deep breath and forced herself to relax. She would enjoy this. She always enjoyed this.
Elder Walford turned to face the crowd. She could not see those gathered at the edge of the crowd as Aaron could, but she could sense their presence. They always came out to watch. They always came out to see the others suffer as they had. She would never understand it, it was simply how it was.
“People of Crystal Hill. My people, my children, my family – we have been through so much over the years. We have seen so many hardships. We have dealt with so many obstacles. And who has always seen you through these dark times?”
“You have,” the crowd answered in unison. It sent a bolt of fear down Aaron’s spine.
“And we have been prosperous with our new lord. We have been successful with our new lord. We have been safe with our new lord. Is that right?”
“Yes, Elder Walford,” they all replied as one.
Aaron’s eyes looked over the crowd. He had been right to assume that they were a cult. Looking at them now in their robes and their mask, the spectacle irrevocably screamed cult.
He had so many regrets at the moment. There was so much he would never get to do. There was so much he’d never get to see. But mostly he regretted not trustin
g his instincts on this one. If he had just listened to his gut and trusted his instinct, he doubted that he would now be in this situation. But there he was.
“We must do certain things to appease our lord. We must make certain sacrifices. He does not demand those who are members of this village. He would not ask for one of our own. He only wants those who come here willingly. Those who seek out Crystal Hill.”
Elder Walford glanced back towards Aaron. “As the years have passed, we’ve had to get more creative with how we attract those visitors. People do not see the appeal of our quaint village the same way they used to. But no matter. We will endure, as we always have. We will continue, as we always have.”
“Yes, Elder Walford,” they chanted.
“Bring forward the torches. We will light the pyre and we will begin our ritual.”
The two men who had carried him up onto the platform now brought forth two flaming torches and laid them upon the tinder at his feet. He could feel the heat almost immediately, and the smoke began to rise around him.
From the crowd, he could hear the chanting. It was no longer murmured but shouted to the heavens. The voices rang loud and clear into the night as the bodies swayed in unison, guided by some unseen force.
It was all very unnerving, but he knew there would be little time left for him to worry about that. There would be little time left for him to worry about any of it.
As the smoke closed in around him, he saw Luke and his mother walk out of the barn together, beside the pyre. Luke smiled up at him with a devilish smile. And then the smoke obscured them from view.
Aaron coughed as the smoke filled his lungs. He knew that he would die from smoke inhalation long before he felt the flames burn his flesh. He almost wanted to breathe in the smoke in order to avoid feeling the flames. He didn’t want to know what it felt like to be burned alive.
Haunted Happenings Page 36