Children of Eternity Omnibus

by P. T. Dilloway

  Prudence dove into the dark water. The reverend’s hand grabbed the ends of her hair for a moment before the current swept her away. Water filled her mouth and lungs as it carried her from the caverns. The current forced her beneath the water, pinning her down no matter how hard she struggled against it. Her efforts slowed until coming to a halt as she blacked out.

  She awoke on the familiar bank of the stream near the future site of Eternity. She spit out what seemed like gallons of water onto the beach and wrung another gallon from her hair. Then she dragged herself up the bank and onto a boulder.

  She didn’t know what to do now. The remaining settlers were on the other side of the island. Four years old, alone, and naked, she didn’t think she could get there on her own. This left her with no other choice than to appeal to the savages for help. From Rodney had said their village was near the future site of Eternity. If they killed her, she wouldn’t be any worse off than now.

  She climbed off the boulder and trudged along the forest path towards where Reverend Crane would build his perfect kingdom if she failed. As she walked, she watched the brush and listened for any more of the black beasts. In this state, she knew one of them could snap her in half with little effort.

  The farther she went, the more she longed for Rodney by her side. The comforting warmth of his body, his steady nerves, and boundless optimism could put her at ease in almost any situation. Why did I let him go? she asked herself. If she had only found a way to keep him from going on that doomed mission, then he would still be alive. If she hadn’t listened to Reverend Crane and come here, then Rodney would still be alive. If she hadn’t married Rodney, then he would still be alive.

  She wished she’d been given the chance to go back to that day they met on the roadway. Then she would turn him away so he could go on with his life without her. He would have been much happier then. As for herself, it didn’t matter. Since the day Reverend Crane violated her in the forest she’d carried around the weight of that knowledge that in time took the form of weight around her midsection. The reverend’s sin had blossomed inside her stomach like the child she could never bear.

  The smell of smoke shook her from her dark thoughts. Must be cooking fires, she thought. From the smell, they were roasting meat of some kind. Her stomach rumbled at the thought.

  She emerged from the trees to a sight of unspeakable horror. The savage village had already been wiped out. Tiny bodies lay in a pile at the center, too burned to be identified. The wooden houses where the savages had lived remained untouched for future use along with all their possessions.

  Prudence dropped to her knees on the site of her future workshop, pressing her head to the ground. They were dead. Every last one of them slaughtered. She looked back up at the pile of bodies. These were not the savages, she thought. The ones who did this were the real savages.

  From the small size of the bodies, she assumed the natives had been forced to ingest water from the Fountain of Youth. This could only mean Pryde was responsible for the destruction. His next target would be the settlers on the other side of the island. If she hurried, she might be able to get there first and warn them.

  Prudence took a moment to find a dress made of deer hide and a pair of shoes from one of the native girls. She also located a knife probably used for cooking to defend herself with. Holding out one of her scrawny arms, she doubted she could do much good against Pryde or his animals with the knife, but it was better than nothing. Finally, remembering how badly she’d gotten tangled in the brush while escaping from Veronica, she tied back her hair and tucked it into her dress.

  Then she took off running from the native village that would become her home for the next three hundred years. As she ran, she doubted she could make it in time to do any good. Pryde already had a substantial head start on her. Her only hope lay with her tiny body being able to move more quickly than his adult frame. This was not much hope, but she supposed she had to try. That’s what Rodney would expect her to do.

  She raced through the forest as fast as her legs could take her. Branches clawed at her, but the tough deer hide dress kept any from scratching her and her bound-up hair didn’t catch on anything. In what seemed like only moments she reached the meadow near the encampment. As she ran across the grass, she slammed into someone.

  She sat up at the same time as a chubby brunette girl about her age clad in an oversized dress. “Rebecca?” she said.

  “Prudence?” Rebecca said. “What’s happening? I was sleeping and then I woke up this way. This is a dream, isn’t it? It can’t really be happening.”

  Prudence took the crying Rebecca into her arms and stroked her hair. “I’m afraid it’s very real. Reverend Crane has found the Fountain of Youth. He’s already killed Rodney and his party as well as the natives.”

  “He’s going to kill us too?” Rebecca squealed.

  “No, he’s not. He’s going to keep us like this for a very long time,” Prudence said. “Where are the others? We have to get out of here.”

  “He’s rounding them up, that Mr. Pryde and his creature.” Rebecca looked about her in a panic. “We have to find my husband. I didn’t see him when I woke up.”

  “He might still be there. Come on.” Prudence took Rebecca’s hand and together they crept back to the encampment. From behind one of the lean-tos, they watched as Pryde snatched the confused children one-by-one. His animal cornered any who tried to run until his master collected them.

  “Go away!” cried a toddler version of Helena as the dog bore down on her. She curled up into a ball against the side of tent, shaking and crying. Rebecca started to run towards her, but Prudence held her back.

  “There’s nothing we can do for her,” Prudence said.

  Pryde dragged Helena kicking and screaming by the hair into one of the lean-tos and locked the door. “We have to go,” Prudence said. “They’ll find us soon.”

  “Where can we go?” Rebecca asked.

  “I don’t know. Into the forest. Then we can think of something else,” Prudence said. Before they could set off, someone grabbed them each by the ear.

  “I thought I would find you here, my child,” Reverend Crane said. “I take it you have already witnessed God’s judgment upon the savages.”

  “You’re the savage,” Prudence said. “You murdered them.”

  “They received their reward for their heathen ways.” Reverend Crane turned to Rebecca. “Mrs. Applegate, it’s time for you to join the others.”

  He dragged the two girls towards Pryde. As he did, Prudence reached for the knife she’d taken. She waited until the reverend turned to Pryde and then stabbed him in the arm. He screamed, his grip loosening enough for Prudence to break free. She ran across the meadow and into the forest with Pryde’s beast on her trail.

  She had failed to stop Reverend Crane from using the water against the settlers, but there had to be something she could do. She needed only to find someplace to hide until she could think of a strategy. There had to be somewhere safe on the island for her.

  The beast was gaining on her. She drove into the brush, turning left and right at random intervals in the hope of throwing it off her trail. No matter how fast she ran, she always heard the animal not far behind.

  Then her foot caught on a root and she tumbled forward. She tried to stand, but pain shot through her leg. She crawled along the brush a few feet until she heard the growl behind her. She rolled over to find the black beast coming towards her. “Go ahead!” she screamed. “Go on and finish it!”

  A whistle sounded before the animal could sink its teeth into her throat. Pryde and Reverend Crane appeared. “Fatty’s still alive,” Pryde said.

  “My child, you act foolishly,” Reverend Crane said. “You cannot escape me. It is God’s will for us to be together.”

  “No, please, if you really love me then let me die. Let me go to Rodney. I beg you, have mercy on me,” she said.

  The reverend scooped her up into his arms and touched her cheek to his.
“I know you don’t mean this. Come, it’s time to take you home,” he said. As he carried her through the forest towards the cave, she cried for having failed not just Rodney but all those natives and the settlers. She had failed everyone, including herself for not plunging the dagger into her own heart instead of the reverend’s arm.

  Chapter 37: Revival

  “Going somewhere?” Veronica said. “That little tip you gave me didn’t work out so well. The water is like Miracle-Gro to that shit. The fucking algae is thicker than ever. But I suppose that’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

  “No,” Joey said. “I wanted to help Samantha and the others. They’re trapped in there.”

  “Well now they’re never going to get out, unless you come back with me and work on finding a cure.”

  “Don’t do it,” Molly said. “It’s a trick. If we go back with her, she’ll kill us all.”

  “Now Molly, whatever would make you think that?”

  Molly touched her hair and dress, reminders of what Veronica had done to her as well as everyone else on the island. “You’re a bad person,” she said. “You didn’t want to help anyone at all. You wanted the fountain all to yourself.”

  “Why shouldn’t I? None of you know how to use its power. To you it’s something to cure your boo-boos. Why shouldn’t I take it for myself and use it the way it should be used?”

  “It’s not a weapon,” Molly said. “You’re not supposed to use it to hurt people.”

  “I’ve hurt people? For thirty-five years I’ve suffered because of that brat Samantha. Thirty-five fucking years of my life because of her betrayal! All I’ve done is even the score.”

  “We didn’t do anything wrong. They made us,” Helena said. “They said if we didn’t help them escape they were going to hurt us. We didn’t want to leave the cellar. Honest.”

  “Oh, that’s all right, sweetie. I know you didn’t do anything wrong on purpose,” Veronica said. She relaxed her grip on Helena, who breathed a sigh of relief. Before Joey could shout a warning, Veronica plunged the knife into Helena’s chest.

  Helena, Phyllis, and Molly all screamed as one. Joey stood there in silence, staring at the bloody wound forming on Helena’s grubby dress. Veronica yanked the knife out of Helena and then shoved her limp body to the ground. Joey looked down at the ground, but he didn’t see Helena. He saw Mommy.

  Joey wakes in the middle of the night to the sound of a crash. At first he wonders if it’s thunder, but then he hears voices from stairs. He doesn’t recognize the voices. Strangers! he thinks.

  He crawls out of bed and tiptoes to Mommy’s bedroom. “Mommy? There are bad people downstairs,” he whispers. No one answers him. He pats the blankets to find Mommy isn’t there. Where did she go? he wonders.

  The arguing continues downstairs. He hears another crash as he creeps down the stairs. Mommy must have gone down there to stop the bad people. He wishes Daddy were here; he would be able to stop them.

  Joey hears another crash, this time he’s able to tell it’s coming from the kitchen. He hurries towards the kitchen to help Mommy. Voices are talking more calmly now. He hears Mommy’s among them. Everything’s all right now, he thinks.

  “I don’t need your help!” A woman’s voice screams. Mommy’s in trouble! He rushes to the doorway to find Mommy tangled up with another woman. A third woman stands over them with something in her hand.

  “Mommy?” he says.

  “Joey, no!” Mommy throws herself towards the standing woman. He’s paralyzed for one sickening moment as moonlight falls on the blade of a knife in the standing woman’s hand. In the next instant, the knife plunges into Mommy’s chest. She stands in the center of the kitchen for a moment, the blade sticking out of her chest, and then she crumples to the floor.

  “Now I’ve hurt someone,” Veronica said.

  “You did it,” Joey said. “You killed her.”

  “Of course I did. I’ve been waiting to do that for three years now. That snotty little bitch got what she deserved.”

  At this, Phyllis rushed forward with a scream. Veronica laughed, easily turning aside the charge and sunk the knife into Phyllis’s throat with the precision of a matador. Phyllis collapsed to the ground next to Helena, their hands touching in death. Veronica bent down to remove the bloody weapon.

  “You killed Mommy,” Joey said. “It was you.”

  “I’m sorry about that, Joseph,” Veronica said. “She was an unfortunate victim of circumstance. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She took a step towards him. “I really came there to kill your father, but he was on one of his little fishing trips. It took twelve years to catch up with him.”

  Joey put his hands to his face. He saw the body of his father lying in the kitchen with the knife wound in the same location as his mother. Veronica and David were there and then—

  He held out his tiny hands. “You did this to me. And Samantha and Prudence and Wendell and everyone else here. You poisoned us with that water and somehow wiped our memories.”

  “You get a gold star,” Veronica said. “And I couldn’t have done it without your help. If you hadn’t found those Indian potions I never could have erased all your memories.” She took another step towards him. “Now that you remember, it’s time we get to work on getting rid of that algae.”

  “I’ll never help you!” Joey said.

  “Very well,” Veronica said. She took another step towards him, but reached without looking to yank Molly to her by the hair. She put the knife to Molly’s throat. “If you won’t do it then cute little Molly is going to die.”

  “Don’t help her,” Molly said. “She’ll kill us anyway.”

  “That may be, but at least you’ll live longer.”

  “All right, but I can’t work here. We have to go back to Seabrooke. You and I can go. Leave everyone else alone.”

  “There’s very noble of you,” Veronica said. “I see why Samantha liked you. But I can’t leave them here to row over and tell the police as soon as we’re gone.”

  “What can they do? They’re little kids. We’ll burn any other boats. There’s no way they can build a new one.”

  “Maybe.” Veronica lowered the knife and then shoved Molly on top of Helena and Phyllis. “Let the little brats stay here and starve to death for all I care.”

  Molly got to her feet with tears in her eyes. “Joseph, you can’t do this. We can’t let her have the Fountain of Youth. She’ll use it to hurt more people.”

  “This is the only way,” Joseph said. He went over to hug Molly. “You did everything you could. Now I have to do what I can.” He wiped the tears from her eyes. “Try to find somewhere safe to hide when we get back. That’s our only hope.”

  She nodded. They hugged again, but this time Veronica yanked Joseph away by the arm. She kept the knife at his back as they headed for the beach. Joseph managed to take a look back at Molly, who remained standing there with tears in her eyes. He waved to her, knowing it was the last time they would see each other again.

  Chapter 38: Innocents Lost

  The door guarding the entrance to the chamber opened. Footsteps echoed down the corridor, growing closer. Wendell strained his ears, but only heard the heavy footfalls of a man, not the clacking of an animal’s claws along the stone. It wasn’t Pryde come to finish him off yet.

  The sound of Reverend Crane’s voice confirmed this. “There’s nothing to fear now, my child,” the reverend whispered. “Very soon I will complete my purification of this land and we can be together forever.”

  “I don’t want to be with you,” Prudence said. “You killed Rodney and the others. You killed the natives. You’re a monster! You’ve always been one.”

  “I am sorry about your husband, but he gave me no choice. I could not allow him and the savages to stand in the way of performing God’s work.”

  “It’s your work! You’re a terrible, evil man. You always have been and you always will be.”

  A flicker of torchlight approached
and then Wendell caught a glimpse of the reverend at the entrance to the chamber, a little girl in his arms. Prudence. He’d done to Prudence the same as to him. And from their conversation, the reverend had already destroyed the native people. Then it’s all over, he thought. He wins again.

  “Prudence, you know how much I love you. How much I’ve always loved you. Don’t you see the possibilities before us? We have a chance to reshape this land, to remake it in His image. You and all the others will help me do His will as I was meant to do.”

  “You’re sick. You’re sick and crazy to think there’s anything noble or wonderful about what you’ve done. You’ve murdered dozens of innocent people for this perverted scheme of yours. Don’t you see how wrong it is?”

  “My dear, everything that’s happened has been through His will. He brought you to me. He brought us here. He brought little Molly to me. Finally, He brought you to me. We have a second chance for the happiness we lost in the forest.”

  Reverend Crane set the torch on the ground; Wendell pressed himself farther into a corner to remain unseen. The reverend eased Prudence down near the torch. He kept her pinned to the ground with one hand, using the other to draw a plait of hair from the back of her dress. He unbound the plait, spreading her hair across the ground and then burying his nose in her tresses. “For twenty years this scent has followed me, tormented me. God has given me a wondrous gift this day.”

  “Get away from me!” Prudence shouted. She thrashed beneath Reverend Crane until he slapped her across the face.

  “Be still, my child. I do not want to hurt you.” He unbuttoned his pants with one hand and raised the hem of her dress with the other. “All those years apart I thought of you. You remained in my mind just as you are now. When I saw what you’d become in my absence, I wept. No longer. You’ve been restored to me, just as beautiful as I remembered.”