The Haunting of Ironwood

by Jeff DeGordick

  It showed a large field of golden grass, extending up into a hill in the distance. Atop the hill was a single tree. She'd seen that tree before in her dreams. The ironwood tree.

  A figure sat in the tree's shade, too hard to make out from this distance.

  The next image had the camera turned around, showing the front of the red Chevy and another car parked right next to it—the only two cars in the entire parking lot, in fact.

  As the pages turned, an increasingly cold and heavy feeling dwelled in Katie's stomach. The next series of images focused on the tree atop the hill, getting closer and closer. Half of the grass was bent, the photo captured as a gust of wind rolled up the hill. Climbing the hill now, the person under the tree was out of view, save for the top of her head. As more and more of the hill was ascended, more and more of the person appeared. Like an old memory that Katie never had, it was becoming clearer and clearer.

  A young woman, kneeling on a blanket in the grass. She was staring at the large quarry ahead. Her back was to the camera. It seemed she didn't know someone was behind her... capturing her.

  Now she was turning around. A look of surprise was on her face. She retreated against the tree. She was uncomfortable.

  Katie turned the pages quicker, playing them like an old filmstrip now.

  The woman sat back into a momentary patch of sun near the trunk. Her image was clear now: it was Elizabeth, the same woman decorating every picture frame inside the house. And oh God, she wore a pale blue dress with white dots, the same dress that Katie wore now. She looked down at the dress on her and shuddered. She made herself go on. Elizabeth's mouth was open, as if she was saying something. She didn't look pleased.

  Now the point of view was lower, as if the person taking the pictures had dropped to one knee. An arm extended from the corner holding the ring box. It was pried open, the contents visible only to Elizabeth. Oh God, the ring on the corpse's finger in the chained room. This must be the ring. What happened to her?

  Elizabeth had a hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes, but they weren't happy tears. Katie had seen the same tears in her own eyes every time she saw herself in a mirror in this house. She and Elizabeth really were a lot alike.

  Those same tears welled in her eyes again as she turned the page and saw the action jump ahead. Elizabeth was lying on the ground in the shade of the tree. She was propped on one hip, her torso twisted, her chest to the ground. Her hair was covered in dirt and grass. Blonde locks were matted to the side of her face. Her dress was messily hiked up and her underwear was pulled down to her ankles. The underwear was torn.

  Katie was on the verge of retching. She didn't want to go on, but she forced herself to. Her fingernail pried between the next two pages. Her hand trembled badly.

  Loose gravel kicked up outside. Even in the claustrophobic space with no windows she could hear it. Her eyes darted to the computer monitors and detected movement on one of the small images. A camera viewing the driveway outside showed a Volvo coming out from the trees and growing larger.

  Katie's Choice

  Katie crawled out of the dark space and brushed the cobwebs off of her. She came out of the closet and shut the false back as well as the door as Earl hurried up the stairs.

  "What are you doing?" he asked when he saw her in the hallway.

  Katie spun around like she didn't hear him, the broom in her hands. After a moment of surprise, she continued sweeping the floor. "I thought I would clean a little. The house seemed dirty... if you don't mind me saying."

  His eyes became watery and he grinned widely.

  "What's the matter?" she asked dotingly.

  He wiped his eyes. "Nothing. Must be some of the dust you're sweeping up.

  "I gathered all of the ingredients for dinner tonight. Six PM. Oh, you look so beautiful in your outfit, Elizabeth!"

  Earl turned for the stairs, but stopped when something caught his eye. His gaze turned to the camera in the corner of the hallway that was turned up toward the ceiling. He sauntered over to it and wrenched it down on its stiff axis, looking over his shoulder to make sure he got the angle right. He cast a glance at Katie, asking her without words to explain this.

  "Oh, maybe I bumped it as I was cleaning. I might have."

  He held his gaze on her for a moment longer, then he lowered his arms. "That's all right, Elizabeth. I'll get dinner started now." And then he turned and trotted down the stairs.

  Katie held her broom and stared blankly.

  Katie was in her room awaiting dinner.

  Over the speaker suddenly: "Elizabeth, come downstairs, please."

  She was confused; it was too early for dinner. Curious, she went downstairs.

  When she arrived, she found that she was alone. A pot of something simmered in the kitchen, but as she crossed into the dining room and then the living room, she saw that Earl wasn't there.

  But of course he wasn't; he had asked her to come downstairs from his control room on the third floor. Which meant he was watching her. He had probably been replaying the tapes from the house that were recorded while he was out getting groceries. She messed up; she had made some mistake in finding his hidden room. And he saw it.

  The house groaned above her. He was on the move now. A few moments later, he was coming down the stairs.

  With his axe, she told herself. He had seen something and now he was coming down to finish her off. As she backed into the kitchen next to the stove, she started to notice all the ways he could kill her. He might take the simmering pot of liquid and throw it in her face. What a miserable end.

  Katie backed into the living room. She retreated into the corner next to the TV as the footsteps became louder. This was it. He was going to do it. This would be the sad corner where she died.

  His footsteps stopped somewhere out of sight.

  "Elizabeth?"

  She didn't move.

  "Elizabeth, come here, please." There was some noise like he was fiddling with the front door.

  Timidly, she walked to the long hallway leading to the door. Earl stood waiting at the other end. And next to him, the front door stood open, revealing a lovely summer afternoon beyond.

  She wanted to ask him what this was, wanted to say anything, but the cocktail of her competing emotions forced her to be quiet. So she made her way forward as he calmly waited. When she got near to the door, she stopped and looked from him to the open doorway. He was standing quite out of the way. She didn't understand any of it.

  "Do you really want to leave?" he asked.

  Katie's mouth hung open. She didn't know what to say.

  "Do you want to leave?" he implored. In a rare moment, he seemed to speak with sincerity. "If you really want to leave, you can. Go ahead." He motioned to the open door next to him, taking a step back.

  Katie took a step forward and gazed at the lush greenery of the woods surrounding the house. She was mesmerized by the way it all swayed in the wind. She was standing in the shade of the house, but it was like she could suddenly feel the sun on her skin and she felt warm.

  She gazed at him one more time to be sure. His face was stern and unmoving; he was serious. As she stared beyond the confines of her prison she saw something she never thought she would see again: her freedom.

  Dizzy

  The wind blew against her face. It felt so nice. The warm summer day beckoned to her. It wanted her to come out and enjoy her God-given freedom.

  Katie turned her head. "Are you serious?"

  "Yes," he said. "I want you to be mine, Elizabeth. But this is never going to work unless you want it, too. So if you want to leave, you can. I won't stop you."

  Katie looked back out the door. She apprehensively stepped into the threshold. Her hand stretched out into the sunlight and felt its rays warm her skin. She smiled and tears dripped down her face. She almost even laughed. She couldn't believe she would ever see the light of day again, but here she was. The path to freedom was right in front of her, and she could walk it.

&n
bsp; "It's your choice, Elizabeth," Earl said as he moved behind her. "If you want to walk away, go ahead and walk away. But I'm only giving you this choice now, so choose carefully."

  Katie stood there, deciding. Everything in her body was tense. A loud hum like from a live wire filled her head to the point where she almost couldn't hear herself think. The outdoors called to her. All she would have to do is walk down the driveway and then she would be in town again. She could find someone, find the police. She would be safe. And he was letting her.

  That doesn't sound right, a voice in her head said.

  But she didn't even hear it. She was so overwhelmed by the opportunity given to her that she stretched her left leg out to take her first step. Her foot came down on the porch and every cell in all her skin buzzed with excitement. She took another step and now she was officially out of the house. She reached for the railing slanting along beside the steps.

  What about your cell phone? What about your shoes? She was in bare feet.

  None of that mattered. She wasn't about to turn around now.

  Her whole body basked in the sun and it felt glorious. It was like a new birth, maybe like what a blind person being given the ability to see felt like. Slowly, she started down the steps, one by one. She gazed at the driveway past the Volvo as it wound through the trees. She just had to go there and this nightmare would be over. Her foot hovered over the gravel, ready to take her first step off of Ironwood.

  Something caught her eye.

  It was a reflection on the Volvo's windshield. Something from the house behind her. She strained her eyes, trying to pick through the shadows of the house. She saw Earl. He was standing in the doorway. She still couldn't figure out what had alarmed her so. He was letting her leave. He was standing there and watching her go. Maybe he was crying—she didn't know; she didn't care. But there was something else to it. She held herself stock-still as she searched the small reflection, saw his figure in the doorway, saw the darkness of the house behind him, and saw the axe he was holding in his hands.

  Katie gasped. She hoped it wasn't audible. Her foot hovered over the gravel for what seemed like an eternity, then she retracted it and put it down on the step. She gazed past the Volvo down the driveway. It had been a long time since she saw the rest of it, obscured now from her vantage point by the trees, but she thought it was pretty long. She could run for it. She already had a few yards on him. But could she make it?

  She looked down at her feet and then at the gravel. It would be very hard to run over it in just socks. But what of her adrenaline? Would she even feel it?

  It was too much uncertainty, too many variables. How fast could he run, anyway? How fast could she run? She had never been anything special in gym class, but she was never too bad. And he did have the heaviness of the axe weighing him down.

  And shoes.

  Katie looked at his reflection. He stood perfectly still, waiting to see what she would do. Katie could go for it, bend down in midstride to scoop up some stones and whip them in his face. Maybe that would slow him down, but maybe not. She would scream, loud and as shrilly as she could.

  He'll kill you. Drop that axe right in your spine. Even if someone heard you, they would never find you before he pulled you back up the driveway.

  Her face was wet in fear and sorrow. Her heart hammered and ached, feeling like it would break apart. And then the reality set in and she knew that she couldn't leave. He was doing this just to test her; he had no intention of allowing her to leave at all. She'd misjudge this entire thing; she'd been bad and he knew it and this was her chance—her last test—to show him she was good. She hadn't even realized how close she came to death.

  So she discreetly wiped her face and took a moment to compose herself. Then she slowly stepped backward up the stairs onto the porch, giving him a chance to put away the axe before she turned around. She was keenly aware of every sensation across the skin of her back—the way the fabric of her dress brushed against it, the sweat dripping down, the way every fine hair poking out of it stood on end. It tensed up, waiting for something to cleave it apart.

  "No, I don't want to leave," she announced. Her voice shook a little, but it came out okay. "I don't know what the outside means anymore. Will you let me stay?" she added just to make sure he was clear on her intentions before she turned around.

  Please put away the axe, please put away the axe, she shouted in her head.

  When she turned around, Earl was standing in the doorway. But the axe had disappeared and he held his hands at his sides. A smile spread from one side of his face to the other and tears streamed over it.

  "You have no idea how happy that makes me," he said. He took her hands in his. They were like the hands of a doe in those of a bear. "You'll stay?"

  She nodded even though she was dying inside.

  "Good!" he said, leaning forward and kissing her on the cheek. "I've left some makeup on the bathroom sink. Why don't you put some on for dinner tonight? It will be in an hour. Oh, this is going to be so special!"

  "Okay," Katie said quietly and passed him into the house. As she climbed up the stairs, she heard the front door shut behind her. When she heard the lock slide into place, her legs nearly gave out and she almost tumbled down the stairs into a lifeless, soulless husk.

  "Elizabeth. Dinner is ready."

  When she came down, Earl was sitting in the dining room and everything was already served on the table. Katie quietly took her seat opposite him. She wore the pale blue dress, her makeup was done.

  "My God, you look ravishing."

  Katie blushed uncomfortably.

  "Well let's get started. Tonight we have something special! Lobster in a champagne beurre blanc sauce on angel hair pasta. Do you recognize it?"

  Katie shook her head.

  "It's your favorite. You ordered it on your birthday at Copatelli's."

  "Oh," Katie said, "right."

  Earl smiled at her. "Please, dig in."

  Katie stared down at the plate. In any other circumstance it would have been a beautiful dish and very appetizing, but to her it was gray and dull. She picked up her fork and began mindlessly twirling the pasta around it as Earl poured her some wine.

  They ate in silence for a while, Katie doing her best to eat the food and sip her wine. Earl ate and drank happily, but he slowed his pace a little after noticing her slowness.

  Katie kept her eyes on her food, not looking up once during her dinner until she felt something touch her hand. It was his grasping hers.

  "I'm so glad you decided to stay," he said. "I was starting to think you were having other thoughts."

  She looked in his eyes, disturbed at the blankness she found. "No," she said. "I want to stay. I do."

  His hands stayed on hers, enjoying the warmth of her soft, youthful skin. "I'm just beaming with excitement. I'm so glad to have you back."

  The last word really stuck with her and almost made her shudder, especially now that she knew what he did to Elizabeth under that ironwood tree, how he took her innocence away and did the most despicable thing he could do to another human being. It was like she was holding hands with the devil himself.

  He suddenly became timid.

  "What is it?" she asked.

  "I... I have something I want to ask you," he said.

  "Yes?" she implored with a smile on her face. With her other hand she reached under the sash of her dress and withdrew the pocketknife.

  "What's your name?" he asked.

  Katie paused. His question rolled around her brain in a loop without gaining any traction. He watched her expectantly, hopefully. His eyes were wide like a puppy's, his lips parting ever so slightly in anticipation of the answer.

  She pressed the end of the knife handle against her thigh, using it for leverage as she pulled at the folded blade with her fingers.

  "I..." she said.

  She had to be careful not to cut herself. One little unintended yelp and this would all be over. She was always terrible with b
lood and sharp pains, and anything like that would betray her subtlety. The blade required a stubborn bit of strength to open.

  "My..."

  "Yes?"

  The blade was open now and she gripped the handle tightly. Their hands were locked by their fingers and she could clamp down on them, leaving the top of his hand exposed as she drove the blade through it.

  Pull the blade out afterward, a voice told her. The hand won't do much; you'll need the knife after.

  Yes, she would do that. In the hand and back out. She would do it before he realized what was happening. Her eyes drifted to his hand.

  "Yes?" he asked again, eager.

  "I'm... My name..."

  She visualized the scene in her head. She saw the knife plunging in his hand, him screaming and trying to pull it away, her pulling it back out. Then she went for his throat. Or his eyes—whatever she could get. She wouldn't stop until he wasn't moving anymore. She couldn't.

  "My name..."

  She only had one shot. She couldn't miss it for anything in the world. Not anything. And she wouldn't.

  "Elizabeth. My name is Elizabeth."

  Earl bristled with pride. He could hardly contain himself and his cheeks flashed a deep shade of red. He was all elated... and distracted.

  Now!

  Katie lifted her arm. Her fingers became loose and the knife flew out of her hand, clattering on the floor somewhere on the other side of the living room couch. An overwhelming feeling of dizziness and confusion swam through her head. Her vision blurred.

  "What?" was all she got out. "What?"

  Earl sat across the table from her, calmly holding her hand and smiling. The joy on his face was gone. It was replaced with a calculated satisfaction.

  The last thing that Katie's eyes went to before she blacked out was her glass of wine. The wine Earl poured her.

  A Real Mouthful

  I should have run for it, was her first thought.

  The bed was under her and she knew she was in her room. But she was so cold. Why was she cold? And the smell was stale and rotten. A breeze came through the window. She could hear it. And a presence was in front of her.