Regina knew it was over now and she was happy that this miserable life was finally going to end. Barron knelt over Regina and began speaking. His voice was far away and there was a delay from the time that he spoke until she could actually hear the words that were coming through the wind tunnel of the time and space that was between them.
“You always did care more for them than me when I was the one who tried to give you everything. I tried everything. I was always good to you. I took care of Lola’s body for you. And I thought this would be our opportunity to start something again, but you couldn’t just come back and go the funeral, right? You just had to figure everything out, didn’t you? This is all your fault, Regina. None of this had to happen. But you came here and the only thing you were focused on was Lola, then you blame my brother!” He spit. “You have got to be the most selfish person I’ve ever known. Well, where are your friends now, Regina? Where are they now?” he asked with a smirk.
Barron’s face twisted in a devilish grin that she had never seen before.
“It’s just you and me.” Barron’s demonic grin deformed as his jaw twisted furiously and he released a strained sob. He released his tight grip on the shotgun, which began to hang from his hand. He groaned again and Regina could see the blood began to bubble out of his mouth.
“… and me.” The sound of Nikki’s voice felt warm and blanketed Regina. Barron slumped helplessly onto Regina and his weight was tremendous on her small chest.
Nikki rose behind him, she was lifted on her knees but delivering the two stab wounds to Barron’s body robbed her of what little strength she had gathered and she let her body sink back into the floor. Regina heaved Barron’s massive body off her. She got to her knees and rolled him onto his back to see if he was still alive. His dark brown eyes peered into hers.
“Barron,” Regina spoke his name sweetly. “Please…I need to know if she was alive.” Regina said. In his barely lucid state, Barron did not immediately understand her question, but once he did his eyes danced in delight. There was something that she desperately needed from him and he knew that this was the way that he would hold on to her forever. Regina cradled his head between her palms and he smiled cunningly.
“That’s my secret.” He spoke his last words through blood painted teeth.
Regina cried as she laid her head on his stomach. Choking on his own blood, Barron gargled, blew bubbles and then he was dead with the sadistic smirk still lathered on his face.
It was the same lock that kept the truth in that wouldn’t let the demons out.
When there was nothing more to be done, Regina lifted herself from the floor, found the necklace and clasped it around her neck. Nikki was more lucid, but still weak when Regina lifted her off the floor. Neither of them looked at what was left of Natalie’s body as they dragged out of the living room. Regina leaned Nikki against the wall as she labored to unlock the front door. She gathered her friend up once again and they stepped out into the starry tranquil night. The atmosphere was misty from the storm and the fresh air made them feel clean and new. The hood of her father’s car was open and frayed wires hung pathetically out the sides. She made no attempt at the dead car and instead continued to walk along the drive toward the highway with the moon lighting the path. Before that day, Regina would have been frightened on a foreboding night like this, but now there was no reason. All of the ghosts were dead.
“Would you have really killed Natalie?” Nikki inquired sleepily.
“I don’t know.” Regina responded listlessly.
“Did you really think that she had done it?”
“I didn’t know. I didn’t know anything at the time.” Regina answered.
“Do you think that Lola was dead?” Nikki asked. Regina stopped walking for a brief second to ponder the question and then began moving again just as quickly.
“I don’t know.”
There were no more questions until they were out of the gates and limping along the edge of the highway.
“What’s gonna to happen to us?” Nikki asked.
Regina became still when a chilling wind swept over her. She turned back and there flashed a glimpse of Lola, not a dead rotting corpse, but the funny sixteen-year-old girl that they had all loved and Regina prayed that the Rushers’ porch light was burning bright tonight. Warmth filled Regina’s chest as she said a silent good-bye to the girl before turning on the place that she would never lay eyes on again.
Regina turned to Nikki. “All we know right now is that Barron brought us to this house, he killed Eden …”
“He killed Eden too?” Nikki interrupted her. Regina sighed, feeling bad for Nikki who had still not yet realized that she had been hidden under Eden’s corpse.
“Yes, he killed Eden. He killed Natalie and tried to kill us and that is what we will tell the police for now. I just want to go to Lola’s funeral. After that we will go to Sheriff Handow and tell him everything, OK?” Regina explained.
“OK,” Nikki said as her frightened eyes filled with tears.
Regina got a new and better grip around her friend’s waist and they continued silently down the highway. Soon, they heard the wail of sirens approaching and the sight of the flashing red lights were next. Regina smiled; she was sure that her parents had come home and found her note. She deposited Nikki along the side of the highway and stepped into the road waiving her hands over her head in a calm signaling for help. The first police car sped by her causing her to venture farther into the highway so that she would be seen by the next one. The second patrol vehicle flew by her but this time the driver spotted the wandering figure and the tires squealed as the car came to a screeching halt and whipped around.
At the police station, Regina and Nikki told Sheriff Handow how they had been brought to the DeFrank estate that night, how Eden and Natalie had been murdered and how Barron had confessed to killing Lola. In secret Regina and Nikki agreed to go back to Sheriff Handow after the funeral and reveal the story of Lola’s murder in its entirety, which ensured that they could attend the final burial of Lola Rusher without fear of being arrested for it.
The day was bright with the earth colored leaves dressing the branches of the endless landscape of trees that stood protectively over the countless tombstones littered across the cemetery. A night of rain had refreshed the grass and it thrived despite the chill. Wind whipped the faces of each mournfully dressed funeral attendee, but the sun counteracted the minor flaw of the day with its exuberant shine. Nikki and Regina had hardly slept at all after their long night explaining at the police department, not to mention their forced visit to the hospital to be checked despite the objections of both girls. During the hours of questioning, Sheriff Handow appeared to have been genuinely confused by the complicated story that Nikki and Regina recounted at the police station, but when the search of Barron’s home turned up not only the ruby ring that Lola had been wearing the night of her death, but also an axe in his shed that did not appear to have been used recently, but could have easily been the weapon used to dismember the young girl, his suspicions immediately refocused on the dead man.
Regina touched the green amulet that the Rushers had allowed her to keep. Loving words were spoken over the gleaming casket, but Regina could hardly focus on the eulogy with the dank fragrance of the thick dirt into which Lola was about to descend invading her nose. Regina said her own prayer for her friend. She took Nikki’s hand, which instantly crumbled the tough exterior and Nikki began to sob silently as Regina looked on at the casket without a tear.
By the time of the funeral Regina assumed that she would have been at a point of some resolve, but there was no relief to be had by anyone associated with this tragedy. Sheriff had not released any of the details of the previous evening to the public, but this place was not so large that everyone did not have at least one bit or piece of the entire story by now and their questioning eyes burned into Regina and Nikki from every direction, their true motivations cloaked cleverly under the guise of sympathy.
Lola’s story had come to an end, but in the process lay a plethora of new questions at the feet of Black Water as a whole and Regina stared suspiciously back at the people who surrounded the casket and wondered who they were and what they were hiding.
What was in Mrs. Landcaster’s house that was so horrible that not only did she have to hide it, but she herself did not want to be anywhere near it? Was it only the blood of animals that covered Mr. Flowers’ apron? And what really happened to Ann Ivey? Regina accepted that she was a secret keeper, but how could she not be when she came from a whole town of them she thought as she watched the people that watched her.
After the funeral the girls stood outside of the police station. The night before, Nikki and Regina had been ready to tell the police everything, including their integral part in the death of Lola Rusher, but things looked different in the light of day and the motivation to reveal one of the many secrets that held Black Water together was ebbing.
Sheriff Handow was startled to find the two women on the step of his police station when he swung open the door to leave.
“Ladies,” he greeted the similarly startled women. “Something else you want to tell me?” He asked as he looked at them sympathetically, they looked back at him, but no one spoke.
Regina smiled innocently.
Some people say that Black Water is hell, but that is not true. Hell is the place that the devil goes to escape the evil of this place and all of the people who call it home.
The End
About the Author
JeanNicole Rivers is a great lover of reading and writing. Though she loves reading and writing varied genres, horror/thriller is her favorite. JeanNicole has been writing poetry and short stories since she was a child, but has always aspired to compose a novel. The Secret Keepers, the first story in what will be a series of Black Water Tales, is her first novel.
JeanNicole Rivers graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and lives in Houston, Texas.
Become friends with her at www.facebook.com/jeannicolerivers. Follow her on Twitter@Jeannicole19. Visit her at www.jeannicolerivers.com.
Black Water Tales: The Secret Keepers Page 32