by Jerry Hart
I closed the door and crossed over to the other side of the gatehouse. This time, I simply looked out the windows. Nothing. When I turned around to head back to my seat, I saw the figure disappear from that door!
I screamed this time.
Whatever had been there had put its hands on the glass of the door. There was a slimy handprint there.
I seriously didn’t know what to do. It was three in the morning, and everyone was asleep. I grabbed the phone and called Ernie. He was my supervisor, after all, and he was nearby.
“Hello?” he answered groggily.
“Hey, Ernie, it’s Josh. Something weird is going on here at the Village. I think someone is taunting me. He or she keeps circling the gatehouse, but I can’t get a good look at them. They just left a slimy handprint on the glass door right by me.”
“Did you check the footage on the cameras?”
I slapped my head. “I forgot how to do that.”
“No problem. Just right-click the mouse and select the ‘playback’ option.”
I did so and found the cameras were motion-activated. Little green bars indicated recorded footage. I selected the last thin green bar, and the video played.
“Oh, my god,” I whispered.
“Josh? What is it?” Ernie sounded worried, no longer tired.
“I have no idea what I’m looking at,” I said as I watched the slimy, black creature look up at the camera before disappearing out of view.
* * *
Ernie arrived ten minutes later and examined the footage himself. He kept looking at the slimy handprint as well. “We need to tell Rockne,” he said as he reached for the phone.
After talking with Rockne, Ernie hung up the phone and said, “Stay here. I’m going to Rockne’s and we’re going to search the Village for that thing.”
“Okay.” The thought of some creature wandering the neighborhood made me shiver. I couldn’t believe it had been here with me. None of the sliding doors had locks, for some reason, and it could’ve easily slipped inside and attacked me.
After Ernie left for Rockne’s house, I stood watching the monitors. The TV was off and the book put away; I couldn’t imagine even pretending to enjoy either. After thirty minutes, I saw headlights approach from up the hill. It was Ernie’s truck. He walked up to the gatehouse.
“We didn’t find it,” he said as Rockne joined us.
I nodded. “Do you think it’s still in the Village?”
“Absolutely,” Rockne said as he watched the footage himself.
“Do you know what it is?” Ernie asked him.
He paused the recording on the creature looking at the camera. “An intruder.”
“Intruder?” I asked.
“To the island. I put up a two-part protective spell to ward off uninvited guests. The spell is supposed to make the intruder want to leave the island immediately. But this person stayed. That’s where the second part of the spell takes over.” He pointed to the monitor. “The spell begins to damage the person’s body the longer they stay on the island.”
“The only person I saw come to the island was Tack, but he’s not an unwanted guest, is he?” I asked, scratching my head.
“He isn’t,” Rockne said. “But he may have brought someone who wasn’t invited.”
I shook my head. “What do you mean?”
“One of Nalke’s many talents is the ability to Hitchhike, which means he can ride along inside someone. It’s the only way he can walk on land.”
“Like possession?” I guessed.
“Exactly. He may be Hitchhiking Tack right now.”
I looked at the screen again. “Are you telling me that oozing thing is Tack?”
Rockne nodded, still looking at the screen. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“Is Tack going to be okay?” I asked.
“Probably not. I could heal him in the hot tub if I can find him in time, but the longer he’s out there, the less likely it’ll work.” He looked at me now. “Though, I’m not going to save him if Nalke’s still using him.”
He sounded so cold at that moment. I shuddered. “What happens to Nalke if Tack dies?”
“He returns to the sky with a vague idea of what he saw here. If he were at full strength, he would remember. But, like I said, he’s still weak from attacking you and Shae.”
“If you find Tack, can you drive Nalke out of him?”
“Maybe.”
The phone suddenly rang, scaring all three of us. I answered.
And then I listened, my eyes growing wider by the second. I looked at Rockne. “That was Champagne. She said she saw something standing at her window.”
Ernie and Rockne jumped into the truck and sped down the hill. This night was getting crazier by the minute. I told Champagne help was on the way and then hung up. I was glad Astrid hadn’t tried to see me that night. I couldn’t imagine her coming across that thing—Tack—in the middle of the night. It would’ve been terrifying....
Well, maybe even worse than terrifying. Nalke was most likely using Tack to find her anyway.
Over the next twenty minutes, I got a few more calls from Victor and the Belles’ nurse telling me they saw or heard something outside their homes. I called Ernie’s cell and told him, and he and Rockne checked out each house.
I paced the spacious gatehouse, noticing little things I hadn’t before. There was a bookshelf in the far corner, next to the couch. I’d thought it held books but noticed that they were audiobooks.
Before I could check the titles, I heard a noise outside. I looked through the large windows on my right, by the entrance lane. The wind blew the trees around me. I returned to the monitors and searched for intruders. Though I didn’t know Tack very well, I still felt sorry for him. I hoped Rockne would be able to save him from rotting away entirely.
I also hoped something would be done about Nalke. He was a dangerous being who had to be stopped. I still didn’t get his agenda; as far as I could tell, he just wanted to regain his full strength and keep on existing. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. All I wanted to do was live my life without interference, as well.
I wondered if some kind of truce could be made between Rockne and Nalke. It seemed the only way to fix things. I doubted Rockne would consider it after all the people he’d lost in the war.
My nose started bleeding, so I ran to the bathroom.
I heard a door slide open.
I threw away the bloody tissue and walked toward the bathroom door, putting my hand on it. “Who’s there?” I asked.
No reply. My heart beat so fast I thought it would explode. I closed the bathroom door, then pulled out my cell phone and called Ernie.
“We haven’t found him yet,” he said by way of hello.
“I think he’s here,” I whispered, pressing my foot to the bottom of the door, which didn’t have a lock.
The doorknob turned. The door moved inward.
I pressed against it, groaning. I was scared to death.
“Hurry back,” I said to Ernie.
“On our way,” he said quickly.
I put my phone in my pocket and put all my weight against the door. I didn’t quite know what Tack was capable of, or what Nalke was capable of in human form, but I did know I didn’t want him touching me. I didn’t want to see him up close with his oozing skin.
The door stopped moving and a gentle knocking followed. “Josh?” a familiar voice called.
“Astrid?”
I opened the door slowly and saw her standing there, looking confused.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I came to see you. Why?”
“There’s something in the Village and we think it’s after you. You shouldn’t be here.”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door she’d come through. I figured Ernie and Rockne would be there any minute; they could take her home safely. Before we could get to the door, however, we ran into Tack.
Chapter 14: I Need Super Healing
<
br /> “Get him in the water quickly,” Shae said.
I tried to look at her but could see nothing. I felt hands carrying me, but I couldn’t see whose hands they were.
“We can heal him,” Rockne said next. “There’s still time.”
“If he gets any closer to death, he’ll leach one of us,” Shae said.
Leach? What did that mean?
Suddenly, I realized I was in great pain. The pain was a burning throb throughout my body, and I hadn’t noticed it when I first woke up. I heard a noise, so strange among the other voices, and the people carrying me hurried.
“Faster!” Astrid screamed. “Can’t you hear how much pain he’s in?”
That sound was me? The scream sounded so inhuman. What happened to me? I couldn’t remember.
“What happened to him?” Champagne asked in her sultry voice, though now it sounded worried.
“He was attacked by Tack,” Rockne said. “Tack was being possessed by Nalke.”
“What happened to Tack?” Shae asked.
“I killed him,” Rockne said bluntly. “But not before he killed the Belles down the street.”
We stopped moving and I felt myself being lowered into warm, bubbling water. If I’d been in pain before, it was nothing compared to what I felt now. I knew I was screaming at that point because water filled my mouth. I felt like I was drowning.
When I finally opened my eyes, I was in a bed. It was the same bed I woke up in after the party. I sat up and winced at the fantastically awful pain throughout my entire body. Even my fingernails hurt. My skin felt really sensitive; I saw scars on my chest and arms. I couldn't remember how I got them.
Getting up from the bed was so difficult I almost gave up. I somehow made it to the door and down the stairs. Rockne and Shae were sitting on the couch, talking to each other. They stopped when they noticed me standing there.
“Dr. Debelko,” Rockne greeted.
“I feel like I need a doctor,” I said.
He laughed. “You were in a bad way this morning. We barely got to you in time.”
“What happened?”
Shae answered. “Tack attacked you, trying to get to Astrid. You tried to protect her and he threw you around a bit.”
“He threw you through a window,” Rockne elaborated.
“That explains the scars,” I said.
“Those will fade in time,” Rockne said.
I jumped suddenly, which did not feel good. “Where's Astrid? Is she okay?”
Shae smiled. “She's fine, thanks to you.”
“We took care of Tack, as well," Rockne added sadly. “I couldn't save him. And the Belles are gone, as well as their nurse. Nalke was ruthless.”
“I’m sorry I never got to meet them.” I suddenly remembered something. “Shae, I heard you say something about me leaching off you guys, or something like that. What did you mean?”
She shrugged. “I don't recall saying that. Maybe you imagined that.”
“Maybe I did,” I said, though I knew I hadn't.
Chapter 15: Rewan
Even though Rockne tried to assure me it wasn’t my fault, I blamed myself for what happened to Tack. If I hadn’t forgotten my necklace Nalke wouldn’t have been able to follow me to the island. Two days later and that thing never left my neck.
The soreness faded more everyday until it was nothing but a bad memory. I was a lot more observant at work, worrying another creature would sneak past me. I still couldn’t believe what Rockne’s spell did to Tack; he clearly didn’t play around when it came to protecting the island.
Cormac came along one night, and I was happy to see him. If any more creatures tried sneaking in, the giant could step on them for me. I let him in since Astrid wasn’t there to greet him like last time. I waved at him as he lumbered by, and he returned it.
I hadn’t seen Astrid since the night of the attack. I figured Rockne was keeping a tight leash on her, so to speak. I didn’t blame him.
As I sat there, staring at the monitors, I thought of Aneela and what she told me at the bookstore. Until recently, I wouldn’t have believed anything bad spoken about Rockne. How could he create such a horrible spell? Would the spell have affected me too if I hadn’t met him on the rail my first day? What other spells did he have around the island?
A tremor brought me back from my dark thoughts. I looked at the monitors, wondering if Cormac was leaving. I did see a giant, but it wasn’t coming from the Village; it was coming from the mountains.
It was a lot bigger than Cormac, at least eleven feet tall or more.
I stepped out of the gatehouse and watched it approach. This one wasn’t as normal-looking as Cormac, who could pass for a really tall teen. This one had dry, cracked skin, a large head and arms so long the hands dragged against the ground.
And it was wearing only a loin cloth.
“Can I help you?” I asked him.
The giant stopped suddenly and looked down at me. It grumbled something I couldn’t understand.
“I’m sorry?”
The giant repeated. I understood it even less than last time. This made the giant mad. I tried to calm it down, but that only made it worse. I held up my hands, trying to halt it as it walked toward the gate again.
“Stop!” I yelled.
I barely got out of the way in time as the giant tried to step on me. I jumped into the gatehouse, slid the door closed and grabbed the phone to call Ernie.
The giant’s foot crashed through the ceiling and crushed the desk. The giant pulled its foot from the hole and kicked the gate arms as it strolled into the Village. I pulled out my cell phone and called Ernie. He was there five minutes later.
The residents were awake now. Cormac and the giant walked up the hill shortly after Ernie arrived. The giant was pulling Cormac by his ear.
“Oh, boy,” Ernie whispered. “It’s Cormac’s dad. He’s never come into the Village before.”
“Why is he so mad?” I asked.
“I have no idea.”
The ground trembled and the windows rattled as the giants left.
“Rewan!” Ernie called to Cormac’s dad. “Is there a problem I can help with?”
The giant stopped, turned and spoke in that language again. Ernie nodded.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ernie said. “I’m confident Cormac meant no harm. Aneela can be troublesome sometimes, but no one takes her seriously.”
Rewan said something else.
“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. Your son is more responsible than that.”
Rewan sighed and continued dragging his son away.
“What happened?” I asked.
Ernie sighed as well. “Rewan claims his son is getting involved in things he shouldn’t.”
“What did he say about Aneela?”
“Have you met her?”
I nodded.
“Well, apparently, Cormac has been seen talking to her, and she’s a little...loopy. Rumor has it she’s trying to get Rockne thrown off the island.”
For some reason, that shocked me. “I know she doesn’t like him, but throwing him off the island? And what does Cormac have to do with that?”
“He’s Aneela’s spy. Allegedly.”
“Then why does Rockne still let him come in?”
“Because he doesn’t believe the rumors. And Astrid adores Cormac.”
“And Rockne adores Astrid.”
“You got it.” Ernie winked.
“Do you think it’s possible for Rockne to get kicked off the island?” I asked.
“Not a chance. He’s been here so long, and he’s won the favor of the majority of the island natives. Booting him off would go against the popular vote. And...”
“And I would guess a lot of people would be afraid to anger him, considering what he’s capable of?” I guessed.
Ernie looked uneasy. “I suppose that’s possible. Well, I think the rest of your night should be easy. I’m going to head back home. Call if there’s more trouble.”
/>
I watched Ernie leave, thinking over everything he told me. Why did Aneela hate Rockne so much? I just couldn’t see it. I had to talk to her.
Chapter 16: A Princess Suffers a Fool
On my next day off I traveled to Dargo Plaza, thanks to Helen, who drove me there in her car. I couldn’t imagine riding through the waves on a cart. She dropped me off at the palace and chose to do some shopping. We decided to meet up in an hour.
I walked in and was greeted by a large staircase. A smaller staircase led down, to a basement-like level. I didn’t know which way to go, so I went up. I asked a guard where I could find Aneela. Helen had told me she worked here, but not where. I had a hard time wondering why a princess would work at all, let alone in her own palace.
The guard told me she was downstairs, doing paperwork. I thanked him and hopped down the grand stairs, into the basement level. I walked into a room lined with plastic windows. There were employees sitting at the counters, talking with customers. There were at least twenty people here. I grabbed a ticket from a dispenser. It had the number fifty-four on it. I looked to the red number display on a wall and saw number fifty being served.
I sighed and waited. I saw Aneela straight ahead, talking with a pudgy woman about her paperwork. I’d been to a courthouse on the mainland when renewing my truck’s registration, and this place was just like that.
When my number popped up on the display, I was ushered forward by an old, grumpy-looking man on the right. “I’ll just wait for her,” I said to him, pointing to Aneela. He shrugged and took the person behind me.
Aneela noticed me and frowned. I didn’t care if she wasn’t happy to see me, because I wasn’t happy to see her either. I just wanted answers.
“What are you doing here?” she asked when I approached her window. “You can’t be applying for anything because you don’t live on the island. Or did Rockne illegally invite you too? He doesn’t have that power; he has to go through my dad first.”
“No, I don’t live here,” I said, annoyed at her continued jabs at Rockne. “I am here to talk to you about him, though. Rockne, I mean.”