by Marie Fraser
And if that required doing investigation of the disappearances in Tanuk Village, all by herself – then she would do it.
Chapter VII:
Steve:
Steve was bone-tired that night. His mind felt like a jumble of wires, squashed and broken as a screeching train trampled upon it repeatedly. His muscles ached, and he desperately needed a long ten-hour nap. But when he got home, all he could think was of the dead man and the stark resemblance between him and the girl he was madly in love. Those honeyed eyes and straight nose haunted his mind, and Steve felt his insides contort in agony.
How would he break this news to her? She deserved to know, but what would he tell her if she asked him how he’d been able to find the body? Or that who were killers?
It was unfair. So horribly unfair for a girl as sweet and caring as Agnus to suffer so much, so as to lose both her parents. It would break her, Steve knew. It was crushing to shoulder the pain of such a tragedy. She’d already been glum these past few days, and Steve had tried so hard to lapse her out of this depression. And now that he was finally successful, there was an enormous load added to the toll.
Steve was furious more than ever. As he slumped into bed, he felt the rage at the abominable killer drown all his senses. I’m gonna find that monster, Steve promised the fury scorching his very blood, and when I do – I’ll drive a blade right through his bloody eye. Watch the blood drag down his grimy teeth, pool his face, before I make him beg for my mercy. Only there will be none.
* * * * * * * * *
The next morning, Steve awoke to a sharp pain pulsating at his temple. A shaft of sunlight seared through the curtains, stabbing Steve in the eye. As he dragged his languid body across the marble floor, a gust of frosty wind slapped him hard and he began shivering terribly. The celestial fireball splashed the lowering clouds with crimson, smearing the sky with a million shades of orange. After a period of patient minutes, the intense glow from the sun washed the candy puffed clouds with a brilliant pink and a soothing feeling entered his heart.
Steve rushed towards the window, shutting them to the cold air outside. Getting into his robes, Steve headed to his bathroom for a quick shower; it was going to be a long, long day.
When Steve came to breakfast downstairs, his parents were quick to notice the grogginess in his movements. No matter how much Steve tried to get a grip of himself, and appear well-slept and fresh, it wasn’t enough.
“Stevie, you’ve been playing video games again, haven’t you?” His mother’s angry voice issued from the kitchen. “How many time have I told you to sleep early? I’ve had enough now. I’m going to send those gaming consoles of yours in the donation boxes, if you don’t stop playing them overnight. This is your last warning, Steve. Watch yourself before it’s too late,” she said, laying a hot pancake in his dish.
Steve’s mother had been threatening him since two years now. And he had learned to be patient with her anger, and to ignore her threats altogether. It was beneficial not to enter in an argument.
Steve poured maple syrup over it till it completely soaked it, and then took a large mouthful of it. The soft, buttery pancake melted in his mouth instantly. Steve loaded some more in his dish.
When his stomach was finally full, he got up and flung his bag on his shoulder.
“I’m going over to Agnus’s, Mom,” Steve said, heading outside, “I might get late, so don’t worry.”
Before Steve’s Mom could rush outside to stop him, Steve sped through the front doors, and yanked hard on his skateboard, shooting down the streets.
All the way to Agnus’s house, Steve rehearsed how he would break the news to her. He forced a coldness in his heart which would make the task a bit easier. By the time, he got to her place, Steve was confident that he could do it after all.
Steve pulled at the bell. The front door opened to reveal Agnus standing in the doorway, still attired in her morning robes. Her features looked drawn; eyes swollen, lashes heavy with exhaustion, and deep creases running across her tired face. Steve was taken back to witness her wretched state. Her reddish nose, and the watery glint in her honeyed eyes suggested that she had been…crying.
And right there, in that split second, all the confidence that Steve had gathered during the way, crumbled to pieces. But he couldn’t understand the reason behind her miserable condition – had Steve done something wrong? Was she mad at him? Or perhaps, she was merely tired and didn’t have a proper sleep…. Steve wished most desperately that that was it.
“Hello, Agnus,” he said, managing a weak smile.
“Hello, Steve,” Agnus said, responding with a rueful smile. She held the door open for him. “Please, come on in.”
He walked inside, his hands in his pockets. Agnus followed after him. They entered the familiar living room once again, settling themselves in a sofa across each other. Agnus helped herself to some biscuits, inviting him to follow.
“So,” she said finally, “what brings you here so early in the day?”
“Your beautiful self,” Steve said coyly, trying to cheer her up, but she showed no acknowledgment of her humor, and Steve regretted his careless attempt at banter. “Did you have a very broken sleep last night?” He asked, his eyes dripping with concern, and his voice all seriousness.
Agnus nodded, but didn’t say anything. They sat in silence for some moments, but then Steve grew uneasy and finally said,
“Agnus, I have something to tell you.” As soon as those words escaped his lips, Steve observed her attention rise sharply, as she fixed her eyes at him, waiting for him to go on.
“Last night, one of my friends who lives near the docks, called me. He found a dead man near his house. When I reached there, we ID-ied the man – and, and it was your Dad’s body, Agnus.”
Agnus began sobbing, and Steve took her in his arms, caressing her hair as she wept on his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, Agnus. I wish I could do something about it.”
At that, Agnus withdrew her head from his shoulder and looked him deeply in the eye. “You can,” she said finally.
“What?” Steve asked absently.
“I said you can do something about it.”
“Uh-” Steve looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Steve, I know,” she said, pursing her lips. “I know about what happened last night.”
“Agnus, I’ve no clue whatsoever of what you’re talking about.”
Agnus looked away. The sadness in her gaze stabbed Steve’s heart. He wanted to comfort her, but by telling what exactly? If Steve revealed his true identity to her, he wasn’t really sure that he would stay. Or that any of his friends would, for that matter.
But under some wild possibility, even if she did believe him and accept his true self, what could he offer her in return? Under the damned curse, he was spell-bound and not permitted to take certain steps. He couldn’t offer her anything. So, despite the fact how depressing the current situation was, it was still better than what would ensue if Steve told her everything.
“Steve,” Agnus said, after a while, her head still turned away from his sight. At the sound of her voice, Steve snapped out of his reverie. “I followed you to the docks last night. And – and I saw you and your men near the – the body. And-”
Steve couldn’t believe his ears. It was impossible. He was furious at Agnus’s reckless move.
“-Agnus, are you out of your mind? Do you know how much potential danger you put yourself in by daring so far into the night? There are dangerous men out there, Agnus, for god’s sake!” Steve pulled at the ends of his hair. He was too enraged, too horrified by her stupid mistake. “Had you been discovered by men, you would have been killed on sight! The secrecy of our existence has to be maintained at all times. God, Agnus.” Steve shook his head.
“Steve, I’m sorry, believe me, I didn’t mean to do it, initially. But you’ve been acting so strangely these past few days, I couldn’t stand it. And so, I drove to the docks – and the
-there was Dad’s body,” Agnus’s voice quaked, as bulbous tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said in between sobs, and Steve felt as an utter jerk for being mad at her.
Heck, she was already in grief.
“Hey, hey,” Steve gently pushed her head onto his shoulder. She curled her body in his lap, arms gripping his neck, and sobbing. Steve stroked her hair. Agnus’s pitiful state had awakened a wild rage in his blood. He was going to kill those loathsome bastards who had done wrong to so many people.
Her sobbing subsided overtime and Steve brought her some water. “Who’s B,” she asked.
“I’m not exactly sure myself,” Steve began, careful not to slip anything odd, “I have a small hunch but I still need to confirm.”
Agnus sipped some water, and then set the glass aside. “Why are they killing all these men, and boys, anyways? You know, I agree with Terry, there’s definitely some correlation between the murders and disappearances. We should check out Tanuk Village today-”
Steve choked on air. We? Was she insane?
“Agnus, I can’t take you along. I already told you it’s too dangerous. But I promise to you, I’ll avenge your father’s death, Agnus, I’ll-”
“-No,” Agnus’s voice was firm, “I’m going to go along with you, Steve. If you don’t let me accompany you, I’ll go by myself, like last night. But no matter what, I will go Steve. It’s my father.” She looked at him in agony. “How can you be so insensitive to my tragedy?”
“I’m not-”
“God forbid, but what if you lost someone you dearly loved too? Keep yourself in my position, Steve, would you have stayed?”
Steve gulped. No, I would’ve slit that monster’s throat and cut his body to pieces.
Steve finally gave in to her. He knew it was impossible to convince her stubborn little self anyways.
“Alright,” he said, and Agnus gave a sharp nodded. Steve noticed the coldness that washed her eyes now; that sense of purpose, he had never seen before. “We’ll travel by day, and try to return before dark. Also, you need to be properly armed.” He unzipped his bag, and pulled out two sharp blades. “Ever used blades before, Agnus?” He shot her a nasty look, and Agnus shook her head.
Steve rose to his feet, to put up a demonstration. He stood in position, and instructed Agnus to copy his stance. Surprisingly, she was quick at grasping his instructions. When he was satisfied that in emergency moments she would at least be able to defend herself to a decent extent, Steve said,
“Come on, go change and have some breakfast. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”
* * * * * * *
It was a very long drive, and Steve would occasionally throw a glance towards Agnus to check on her. But this time, she seemed strangely different. Her eyes reflected a wild fury, and a resolute energy radiated off her gaze. During the way, she kept her eyes on the road, in an attempt to perhaps save the continuous twists and turns to memory.
The Tanuk Village was a fairly small, but incredibly crowded place. The streets were cobbled and the houses small and in a ragged condition. The people were mainly farmers with pens and vegetable fields. Steve couldn’t exactly understand why the killers would kidnap the boys of these poor farmers. But then realization began to dawn upon him…
The Tanuk Village was situated at the edge of the county, near the countryside, where only the poor lived. It was easier to kidnap the boys of these villages as the disappearances wouldn’t be noticed at first. No one really cared about this tiny village anyways.
Steve parked the car at the side of the road, and together with Agnus, he walked over to the village. As soon as they got near, however, they noticed a large group of people clustered together in front of a house. People were talking in loud voices; something was definitely up. Both of them ran ahead to the house.
There was a woman standing at the threshold of the house, her eyes swollen with incessant crying. She was gripping a Polaroid in one hand. Now and again, she would steal a glance of it and subsequently, cry even harder.
“Why is she crying?” Steve asked an old man near him. “Has something happened?”
“Her seventeen year old boy was kidnapped last night, son. This is the sixteenth disappearance in a row. God knows, what is happening to this town.”
Steve and Agnus exchanged horrified looks. Steve walked over to the woman. People had begun dispersing about them, everyone returning to their daily chores.
“Miss, can you show me that picture?” Steve asked, and the woman handed it to him. Steve surveyed it closely, while Agnus consoled the woman.
The boy in the picture was a healthy individual – red cheeks and muscular body; a typical farm boy. Steve was about to hand the photo back to the sobbing woman, when he noticed a green slime at its back. Steve’s eyes screwed, as realization began to settle in.
“Was this always there?” Steve asked the woman, showing her the strange stain on the photo. The woman shook her head.
“You’re saying that you found this stain fresh, and wet today?”
“Yes –yes,” the woman’s voice was muffled by the tears, “there is a lot of it in the house. The green slime, all over the floor!” She scowled.
Steve rushed past her into the house. And fair enough, like she said, there was a lot of slime on the floor. Steve bent on his knees, and ran the tip of his blade through the disgusting sludge. He brought it close to his nose, and smelled hard.
Steve gagged. It was a foul smell of rotten flesh. He was deeply puzzled now. Where had the slime come from in the first place? Had the killer tried to poison the boy using it, and some of it had been spilled in the ensuing brawl?
“You should take a sample of it,” Agnus said, appearing beside him. “We can get it examined back home.”
Steve nodded, and then a brilliant idea came in his mind. He shot her a nasty smile. Agnus look at him in confusion. “Or…,” he said, “we could take it to the witch of Dasia.”
Agnus looked at him blankly. “Take it to who?” She said after a moment.
Steve pursed his lips, and looked away, as if in thought. After a short while, he said, “I’ll drop you home now, Agnus. I’ve something to attend to.” He rose to his feet but Agnus stood in his way, her hands in the air to stop him from getting away,
“No – way,” she said. “Steve, we’ve already been over this. Anything that you do that is related to the investigation of these murders and disappearances will also involve me. You can’t leave me out of it, Steve.” But Steve remained unconvinced to let her in this. And, she said, “Come on, please. The witch can’t do anything to me. Besides, you’ll be there to watch out for me, right?” She made that pitiful face, and Steve groaned, as he gave in to her – again.
Agnus smiled gleefully.
“But,” Steve said, his voice serious and hard, “listen very carefully to me now. The witch of Dasia is incredibly smart and deceitful. She’ll try to lure you into traps and trick you into making dangerous deals with her. So, it is important that you do not say anything in her absence, you hear me? Just let me deal with her myself, okay?”
Agnus nodded. “Come on, you’re just exaggerating everything, Steve. It’ll be alright, don’t worry.”
“No, you don’t understand. That’s the thing, I’m not bluffing. You don’t know her like I do. She’s very manipulative. Don’t ask her any questions, anything about herself or her powers – just don’t show any particular interest her.”
“Understood, Steve,” Agnus said, and giving him a light pat on the back, she headed outside.
Steve couldn’t believe himself. Why in the world was he taking her along? Had he really lost his mind?
God, this was such a stupid idea.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Are we driving out of Sauk?” Agnus asked, and Steve nodded.
Darkness was settling in now. The sky had turned a rich shade of livid, and clouds sailed across it in thick numbers. The orange sun dipped into the horizon, and soon the
last streaks of red dissolved, as a wan moon surfaced into view. Steve caught Agnus looking dearly at it.
“Which one is it?” Steve asked, and Agnus blinked her eyes in puzzlement.
“What?” She asked, and Steve looked at her curiously.
“Which one do you like more? Moon or the stars?”
Agnus fixed her eyes ahead on the road, the engines in her mind grating.
“Definitely the stars,” she said, after a while.
“And why may that be, mistress of the night?” Steve chuckled, and caught a smile gather at Agnus’s lips.
“When there’s a storm, or just a cloudy night, the moon hides between the crevices of the sky. It flees in moments of darkness and evil. But the stars – those tiny blots of hope – they glimmer all through the night. Whether you’re feeling low or happy, the stars will always be there; ever-shining and ever-present.”
Steve smiled. “Have you ever been to Vilas? The sky is brimming with stars there. I’ll take you along some day, and then we’ll star-gaze all through the night.”
Agnus’s eyes filled with happiness and she grinned. “That’d be wonderful.”
“Agnus,” Steve said, sometime later, “tell me, if there’d be one thing in the world that you covet to have, experience or see the most, what would that be?”
“Oh,” Agnus said instantly, “it’s an easy one. Aurora Borealis – the northern lights, I’ve been dying to see them ever since I was a little kid. One day, I tell myself every day.”
“You never stop surprising me, Agnus,” Steve said.
She was so strange. So different than all the other girls Steve had met. Her thoughts and perception of the world around her was too deep and wise. And every time, Steve conversed with her, he felt a window in his chest slide open. Like everything was more soothing and peaceful now.
“Why is the place called Dasia?” She asked, in her ever-curious tone.
“It doesn’t mean anything. It is said that long time back the witch named it herself. But please don’t ask her about it.”