by A. R. Wise
“Get us out of Widowsfield,” said Ben. “You have to get us away from The Watcher.”
“I thought I told you to shut the fuck up.”
Jacker drove along the front of the Cada E.I.B. building and then slowed down. The front of the facility had a small courtyard area that preceded the flat, glass entrance. It was a fairly standard looking edifice, and didn’t even have the company’s name on the front of it. To anyone passing by it would look like a generic office building, and certainly didn’t hint at its expansive size.
Jacker drove up over the curb so that the van was facing the glass entryway.
“What are you doing?” asked Ben.
“You’ve gotta figure a place like this has got some sort of an alarm system on a back-up generator. Right?” He looked in the rear-view and winked at Ben. “We’re about to find out.”
Jacker moved his seat’s base back as far as it would go, and then pulled the lever that would let him recline. He leaned back until his seat was pressing into Ben, who squawked a protest.
“Get ready,” said Jacker, “cause this might hurt.”
He stepped on the gas with the van pointed directly at the entrance to the Cada E.I.B. building.
CHAPTER 23 – Wherever That Takes Us
Widowsfield
February 23rd, 2007
Rosemary was standing on the cliff overlooking the Jackson Reservoir with her friend, Terra, who’d come with her to assist in rebuilding the town. When they’d first left Chicago to come to this town in the Ozarks, neither of them had expected to be gone for more than a couple days. Rosemary had always known that she possessed a unique gift, but she’d always wondered if it was more of a curse. Now she was sure of it.
“What are we doing here?” asked Terra. She was still upset with Rosemary about a trick that her friend had pulled by infusing false memories into a ring and then giving it to her.
Rosemary was knelt near the edge, beside a guard rail that had been broken and was bent outward. The rail was rusted from where the accident had peeled away its protective coating, and Rosemary set her finger on the jagged, rough metal. She was trying to concentrate as Terra stood behind her, complaining about the chilly air that swept up over the cliff.
“Can we go?” asked Terra. “I just want to go home.”
“I don’t think we should go home,” said Rosemary.
“What? Why the hell not?”
“Because they’re going to be looking for us.”
“I thought you said you took care of all that,” said Terra.
“I did my best, but I’m not sure how long it’ll work. I’m new at this stuff.”
“Then where the hell are we supposed to go?”
“We can cash our checks and just go…” Rosemary paused and shook her head. “I don’t know. We can go to Vegas for a few weeks or something. I don’t care where. Give me a minute here, I need to concentrate.”
“On what?” asked Terra. “What in the hell are you doing?”
Rosemary pressed her hand against the railing and closed her eyes again. “I’m trying to protect Alma Harper.”
“Who?” asked Terra.
“The girl that this town wants back. The whole time we’ve been here, I could tell that that creature, The Skeleton Man, has been trying to find her. He lost her, and he wants her back. So I’m going to try and make him think she’s dead. If he thinks she went over this cliff and died with her mother, then maybe he’ll stop looking for her. Then, after I’m done with this, we’re going to cut ourselves and spread our blood all over the place.”
“What the fuck?” asked Terra with comical shock. “I’m not cutting myself up. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“We have to make it look like two people got shot in the head here, Terra. Come on, work with me. I’m trying to save our lives.”
“All you’ve been trying to do is ruin mine. You can cut the shit out of yourself. I’m through letting you fuck with me.” Terra walked away, and headed back to the car they’d stolen from the Cada E.I.B. parking lot.
Rosemary knew her friendship with Terra had been frayed, and would likely never recover. She wasn’t that upset about it, and would be content parting ways once this was over. Rosemary’s abilities had become so strong over the past month that she wondered if she would ever be able to have friendships again. Now that memories constantly flowed into her head, it would be difficult to ever trust anyone. Rosemary hoped that when they left Widowsfield, her ability would fade. She hoped that the reason she’d become so powerful was because the town itself was trying to speak to her. If that wasn’t the case, then she would be tortured by these memories until they finally drove her insane.
She was terrified of what might happen if her powers didn’t fade and she was forced to suffer with this curse forever.
Inside Cada E.I.B.’s facility
March 13th, 2012
Shortly before 6:00 AM
“It hurts,” said Rosemary, but her voice was barely a whisper as she lay on the gurney. She was holding Alma’s hand, but her grip was growing weaker as her hand turned cold.
“It’s okay,” said Helen as she continued to dress the woman’s wound. She’d pulled the knife out, and they’d done their best to clean Rosemary off after Helen stitched her up, but the old nurse insisted it was best not to move her too much. “You’re going to be all right.”
“Is she really?” Paul’s tone revealed that he wasn’t sure Helen was right.
“Let’s hope. She’s lost a lot of blood,” said Helen.
“Maybe we should call an ambulance,” said Alma.
“No ambulance,” said Rosemary. “Don’t bring anyone else into this. When Oliver gets here, we can leave. Is he here?” She was dazed as she looked around the room.
“Stephen and Rachel went to find him,” said Alma. “They’ll be back soon.”
“Why is she so insistent on not going to a hospital?” asked Paul.
“Don’t bring anyone else into this,” said Rosemary as her eyes fluttered. “No one can know what happened here. We have to stop it from happening again. Alma, listen to me.” She gripped Alma’s hand tight. “Take Ben back to Terry’s house, and at 3:14 you have to perform the same ritual on him that your mother did on you. In my bag you’ll find the same type of candles that she used. You don’t have to wait until tomorrow afternoon. Just go ahead and do it at 3:14 in the morning. That should still work.”
“Wait,” said Alma. “You don’t expect me to…”
Rosemary squeezed Alma’s hand as she tried to sit up. Helen was quick to settle the wounded woman back down again, but Rosemary’s insistence was evident as she spoke, “You’re the only one that can end this, Alma. You have to send The Skeleton Man back to where he came from, and then we can finally end this whole nightmare.”
“How will forcing him to look at that stupid number do that?” asked Paul.
“I don’t know why it works, but it does,” said Rosemary. “You tapped into something powerful the last time you did it. The ritual that your mother performed brought The Watcher out again. He thinks that date and time are important, but I’m not sure why. If you take Ben there, and do the ritual again, then I think The Watcher will take him back.”
“And what about us?” asked Paul. “The last time Alma stared at that damn number, we ended up in a nightmare.”
“And I’m the one that got you out,” said Rosemary, her anger obvious. “Alma followed my lead and got everyone out of The Watcher’s prison. I’m not going to let you get trapped there. That’s part of the reason I took your things from you. The things you gave me are in my bag along with the candles. Right before you perform the ritual, take those things back, but not before. It’s important that you don’t have them until right before you start the ritual. Those things will protect you, just like the bear when you were stuck in The Watcher’s web, Alma. It’ll work the same way. Just keep those things close, and his lies won’t affect you.”
“Just keep ca
lm,” said Alma. “You’re going to be all right.”
Rosemary shook her head and tried to smile, but the agony of her wound was too intense and she grimaced before taking several sharp breaths. “It’s okay if I don’t make it out of here. I never planned to.”
“Don’t talk like that,” said Alma.
“Go,” said Rosemary as she closed her eyes. “Hide at the cabin until tomorrow. Helen can take care of me.”
“We have to get Stephen and Rachel,” said Alma. “We can’t leave without them.”
“They’ll be fine,” said Rosemary. “When they get back, I’ll send them to the cabin to meet up with you.”
“No,” said Alma. “I’m not going to just leave them here.”
“You have to trust me,” said Rosemary. “I’ve spent the last five years of my life trying to protect you, and trying to put a stop to whatever Oliver and his company were up to in this town. Do you trust me, Alma?”
Alma was quiet for a moment, but then relented and said, “Yes, I trust you.”
“Good,” said Rosemary. “Then do as I ask. Take Ben back to the cabin, and wait there until tomorrow. Stay away from Ben if you can, and don’t all go to sleep at once. I don’t know what he’s capable of, but I don’t think he can control all of you. At least not yet.”
“Not yet?” asked Paul.
“He doesn’t know what he’s capable of yet, and you can’t let him find out. You have to trap him again.”
“He’s my brother,” said Alma.
“No he’s not,” said Rosemary. “He’s a weapon.”
Both Alma and Paul looked at one another in shared confusion, and then Alma asked, “What do you mean?”
“That’s what this has been about since it started,” said Rosemary. “It’s a weapon experiment that went wrong. But if they know The Skeleton Man got out, then they’re going to try and figure out a way to use him. You can’t let that happen. Ever since I left this place, I’ve come back here every March to try and make sure Oliver doesn’t figure out how to get The Watcher or The Skeleton Man out of their prison. You’re the only one that can put an end to it, Alma. You have to finish this. You have to trust me.”
Alma looked up at Paul for answers, but he just stared plaintively at her. He raised his brow and took a heavy breath before saying, “Your call, babe. I’m in it till the end with you, wherever that takes us.”
Alma nodded and said, “Okay, let’s go.”
“Thank you,” said Rosemary. “You’re making the right decision.”
The injured woman laid her head down on the gurney with a content smile as she closed her eyes, appearing finally at peace. Alma looked at Helen as the nurse began to check Rosemary’s pulse.
“She’s alive,” said Helen. “But she’s fading fast. I’m not sure she’s going to make it.”
“I’m not sure she wants to,” said Paul.
On the bottom floor of Cada E.I.B.’s building
March 13th, 2012
Shortly before 6:00 AM
Stephen and Rachel had followed the trail of blood to the bottom of the stairs, and they carefully opened the door and peered into the hall beyond. The trail continued on, and they silently followed, too scared to speak as they delved deeper into the building.
Stephen was using the viewfinder on the camera to see, and Rachel was watching behind them with her flashlight. When she shined her light forward, the night vision on Stephen’s camera was useless, so she kept the flashlight pointed behind them and let him lead.
“Oh shit,” said Stephen in a loud whisper.
“What?” asked Rachel as she tried to look into his viewfinder to see what had frightened him.
“Shine your light out that way,” said Stephen as he pointed forward, down the hall ahead.
Rachel did as he asked and saw what looked like a fire extinguisher lying in a pool of liquid.
“Is that blood?” asked Stephen.
“I think so,” said Rachel. “Oh fuck me. We need to get out of here.”
Stephen shushed her, and started walking forward again.
“What are you doing?” asked Rachel. “Are you out of your mind?”
“We have to find him,” said Stephen with odd determination.
“No we don’t.” Rachel grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “We don’t have to do anything but get the hell out of here. I’m through with this place.”
“We have to stop him,” said Stephen. “We’re the only ones who can. If he attacked that other nurse, then we’ve got to help her.”
“I’m scared,” said Rachel.
“It’s okay,” said Stephen as he took out the pistol that he’d taken from Rosemary’s bag. “If that fucker’s whacking people with fire extinguishers in the dark, he’s going to have trouble taking me out. I’ve got a gun and a night-vision camera.”
“When have you ever fired a gun in your life?” asked Rachel.
“I play Call of Duty,” said Stephen, but his joke went unappreciated.
“I swear to God, Stephen, if you get me killed I am going to haunt the fuck out of you.”
“Cool,” said Stephen as he started to follow the trail of blood again. Rachel smacked him, but followed along.
A massive trail of blood tracked back from where the fire extinguisher was laying and then around a corner and down another long hall. Rachel and Stephen agreed that the marks were left by a dragged body, but they stayed silent after that. As they got deeper into the facility, they could hear what sounded like whips snapping in the distance.
“What is that?” asked Rachel in a whisper.
“I don’t know.”
“It’s making the hair on my neck stand up,” said Rachel.
“Look at my arm,” said Stephen and Rachel shined the flashlight on his arm to reveal that his hair was standing straight up.
“What the fuck?” asked Rachel.
“We must be getting close,” said Stephen as he continued on.
Rachel followed, although Stephen knew she didn’t want to. He understood her fear, but at the same time he was angered by it. They were so close to having the answer they’d been seeking ever since first considering coming to Widowsfield. Nothing could sway him from soldiering on. This would be the story that would define his career.
“The trail leads to there,” said Stephen as he stared ahead at a closed door at the end of the hall.
“Is there any way in hell I can convince you not to go in there?” asked Rachel.
Stephen shook his head and said, “Nope. Come on, babe. Don’t chicken out now.” He moved to the door at the end of the hall and the sound of electricity got louder each step he took. He could feel the energy, and it was exhilarating.
“Stephen, don’t,” said Rachel as he reached out for the handle. Her plea for him to stop was practically unheard. There was nothing she could do to stop him now.
The door should’ve been locked, but in Oliver’s haste he hadn’t secured it. As Stephen opened the door, the sound of electricity intensified. His night-vision camera caught the burst of orbs that spewed forth from the opened door and quickly lit up the viewfinder with green light. He lowered the camera, and opened the door further.
“Oh my God,” said Rachel.
They saw the machine that had been the origin for Widowsfield’s nightmares. The pillars on either side of the metal box were crackling with blue electricity as rings spun around them. The arcs of lightning reached high into the air, zapping the beams above and causing them to release white puffs of smoke. The motion of the machine’s rings was causing the ground to shudder, and Stephen could feel the vibration hitting him.
The man they’d come to find was straddling the nurse that Helen had sent down first. He had a knife gripped with both hands, and he was stabbing down into the woman’s belly. Her body was a mess of blood, and she was clearly already dead, but his maniacal slaughtered continued unabated.
“Oliver,” said Stephen, halting the man before he stabbed down again. Stephen cli
cked off the night-vision on his camera to allow it to record what was happening in the room. “Get off of her.”
Oliver looked up, his face splattered with the girl’s blood, and raised his hands slowly. He said something, but the zapping electricity muted him.
“Put down the knife,” said Stephen.
Oliver stepped towards them.
“Put down the knife!”
Oliver continued walking forward.
“Shoot him,” said Rachel from behind Stephen.
Stephen pulled the trigger, but was holding the gun in one hand and wasn’t prepared for how strong it kicked. The gun nearly sailed out of his hand as it jerked back.
Stephen’s aim had been off, and the bullet sailed past Oliver. It struck the machine behind him, causing the bullet to ricochet off somewhere else in the room. The gunshot prompted Oliver to stop and glance back at what Stephen had hit. He glared at Stephen and Rachel and said, “You’re going to ruin everything. Get out. You can’t be here.”
“Put the knife down,” said Stephen again.
“You have to get out,” said Oliver as he used the blade to point at them. He continued to move forward.
Stephen dropped his camera and held the pistol with both hands. He pleaded, “Stop,” but Oliver continued to come at them. Stephen pulled the trigger, and this time he didn’t miss.
CHAPTER 24 – Are They All Dead?
Widowsfield
March 14th, 2011
One year before Alma’s return
Rosemary was in her usual spot, on the cliff overlooking the Jackson Reservoir, and was continuing to spread her lies about Alma Harper by infecting the area with a false memory about the girl’s death. Despite her effort, she still got the sense that the town was longing for Alma’s return, and Rosemary often debated if she should try to seek out Alma first. She decided against it, and hoped that the young woman would never return, and would leave the town always longing for the final piece of the puzzle that it was searching for.