by Ariana Kenny
***
I went to the café half an hour early and started pacing out the front. When I started getting glances I took a table inside with my back to the TV hanging behind the counter, and facing the window so I could spot her as she approached. By 12:30 I had already had 3 cups of coffee and ordered wedges. Rachael was a no show. By the time the 1:00 O’clock news update was on, I was paying my bill and readying to leave when the news story caught my attention.
“A school ablaze, with no known causalities, but one missing boy, a child recently caught up in two other recent tragedies. A witness reported seeing the boy leave with a woman clad in black leather, in a blue convertible, however further details remain unsubstantiated. The small community say the town has been rocked with disaster over the last year.” I sat roughly back in the seat closest to me.
“In another story, a brutal killing in the inner city of an art dealer had caused antique stores everywhere to shut their doors while the search is being carried out for another woman, seen in this image from street CCTV. It appears the woman tortured the individual in question and ransacked his showroom searching for something, however if anything has been taken is as yet unconfirmed. The dealer in question has ties to the occult scene, and it has been revealed, has experienced a number of difficulties in the past with customers”. My breath seized in my chest and goosebumps broke out across my body. “And on to the weather with Terrance Fischer….”
I called Sam in almost a disassociated state. I could imagine him looking at his caller ID swearing under his breath at my persistence. “Sam. Call me straight away. Don’t go to Rachael’s please. Just call me as soon as you get this message.”
Even though I knew she wouldn’t be there, I went by the apartment. She wasn’t there. No sign. I sat down defeated and turned on the news. My phone rang. Natasha.
“Hey.” I answered as I watched images from Jonah’s local school being doused by fire-fighters. Then police tape and an ambulance carting away the body of the dealer to the morgue.
“Sab. I’m just packing everything up. I need you to come pick up your personal things. I sent everything else with the removalist.” She was trying not to show it in her voice, but she was crying. I greeted her with silence. “Sab.” Se said more urgently. “Sabian!” I hung up. I couldn’t deal with it all right now. I had made an awful mistake. And people had been killed. A school burned to the ground, a dealer dead, my marriage broken….and my purpose lost in amongst it all. What was I going to do next. That’s when I saw the note. Thanks for everything. Come to the barn.
So I left for the barn.