by S. E. Akers
Samuel rushed to my side and gave me a scrutinizing stare. “Shiloh? What’s going on with you, honey?” His deep brown eyes were filled with heartfelt worry. His concern was evident in every line on his weathered face.
My emotions were raging and making me antsy, so I pulled away from him.
“I’m fine, Samuel. I’m just fine!” More tears welled in my eyes. “I just learned that my father’s dead, by a supposed ‘heart attack’, or a ‘stroke’ — which I don’t buy for a second…My mother is over there fussin’ about her hand that she broke by hitting my face…and a cop is telling me how I should be ashamed of myself…Yeah, I’m really fine, Samuel! Everything’s all sunshine & lollipops!” I bellowed.
My body dropped to the floor faster than the tears falling from my eyes. Automatically, I lowered my head and wrapped my arms around my knees, curling up into a ball, right in the middle of the living room floor.
I overheard the Chief suggesting to Dr. Whitley that, “Giving me a sedative might be in order”. I wiped my eyes and glowered at them.
“I don’t need anything! Just leave me alone!” I snapped.
Then my mother chimed in. “Give her one! I don’t know what she’s capable of…in the state she’s in,” Charlotte insisted, taking the opportunity to assert her opinion.
I noticed that Dr. Whitley had already drawn a syringe from a vial he’d retrieved from his medical bag. I whipped my head around towards Charlotte and sharpened my glare.
“After all,” Charlotte added, “I’d hate for Chloe to be an orphan by the end of the day.”
That did it! I sprang to my feet and hurled myself at Charlotte, only to be restrained by both Chief Roberts and Officer Ryan.
Dr. Whitley grabbed my arm. “Hold her steady while I stick her,” he hollered, sounding a bit winded.
As soon as I felt the cold swipe of the alcohol pad hit my skin, I knew what was going to happen next. These idiots are hell-bent on sedating me! I looked over to see Dr. Whitley preparing to swiftly inject my arm. He attempted to stab the long, thin needle into my skin, but oddly, it broke.
“Keep her down, guys,” Dr. Whitley called out. “I’ll draw another one.” He drew the second needle even quicker than the first. “Damn,” I heard him say under his breath, “This one broke, too.” He started to grab another syringe from his bag when I wiggled free from both officers’ clutches. I rose to my feet and headed for the door.
Officer Ryan grabbed my ankle and attempted to trip me. Instinctively, I kicked my leg sideways to break free. My mouth dropped open when I looked back to see Officer Ryan go flying across the living room — just before he crash-landed into Charlotte’s curio cabinet. I was paralyzed by the sight him rolling around the base of the cabinet with a barrage of glass cascading around him. He was covered in fragments of glass and cheap wine.
OOOH CRAP!
Chief Roberts appeared equally stunned by what he had witnessed — one of his best and brawniest officers had just been taken down by an eighteen year-old “girl”.
“Shiloh…Now, you need to calm down!” Chief Roberts demanded, sounding just as shaky as he looked. “Just let us help you do that.”
“I’m fine. I think you guys are the one’s who need to take it down a notch,” I called back, taking a defensive stance.
Charlotte ran over to Chief Roberts waving Officer Ryan’s stun gun that had landed on the floor.
“Here! Use this!” my mother insisted. I gave them both a look like they were crazy.
Chief Roberts seemed apprehensive. “I can’t do that to Shiloh, Charlotte. Put that thing down!” he ordered. Samuel hurried over and snatched it out of my mother’s hand.
“I’m leaving now,” I called out as I stormed towards the door. I looked back to see Chief Roberts charging at me. Again, my reflexes took hold, and I threw my arms up, pushing forward in an attempt to block his grasp. As soon as his body hit my hands, the force of the blow miraculously catapulted Chief Roberts over my head, where he crashed into the staircase. He took out most of the lower banister and then rolled down the steps in a stupor. I gasped at the sight of a second officer down in my house — by my hands!
I grasped the knob and flew out the front door. I heard Samuel calling my name as I slammed it shut, but I couldn’t stay. I had to get out of here. My car keys were up in my room, so I no choice but to run — anywhere — just to get away.
An ominous roar of thunder rolled throughout the sky, and the clouds flashed violently with flares of sporadic light. It began pouring rain. “Cats and dogs” would have been an understatement. The torrential rainfall was washing away the snow at an uncanny rate. With no keys and nowhere else to go, I hopped off the porch and started off down our road, heading around the mountain. I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going. Several cars had to swerve out of my path. The drivers screamed out a few obscenities as I bolted down the road. The sounds of the car horns blaring in my head were maddening, so I blindly veered off the street and raced into the woods.
Thunder continued to rumble as the harsh, chilly raindrops steadily pounded my skin. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, needing to escape from everything. I was like a ticking time bomb, and my emotions were acting as the detonator. Charlotte’s wicked tongue, people who didn’t believe me (as well as giving me crazy looks), and the inescapable thought that I had witnessed my father’s death and for some unknown reason, couldn’t or wouldn’t help him — those thoughts coursed through my head like a spark searing its way along a fuse with no end in sight.
Before long, the snow had disappeared from the surrounding landscape, but the rain kept beating down. I carried on at my current pace for a few more minutes, at least until I slipped on some wet leaves while trying to dodge a large tree that popped up out of nowhere. I tumbled down a hill and came to a stop by the side of a road. I rolled over on the wet ground, covered in freshly fallen leaves, and looked up at the dismal autumn sky. I lay there, trying to see if the rain could wash away all the teardrops that had stained my face. I wished they could somehow cleanse my emotions and allow me not feel a single thing. The pain in my heart was too agonizing to bear.
The sound of a car barreling down the road alerted my ears. Though I ran the risk of being run over if it hydroplaned and skidded in my direction, I didn’t move an inch. There on the cold wet ground, I listened to the water channeling through the tires as it approached. I didn’t care, not one little bit. A corpse couldn’t feel anything, especially grief.
The car came to a stop beside me. I didn’t look over, but I soon noticed the flashing blue and red lights revolving in the air around me. Perfect…I guess when you waylay two of Welch’s finest you become an instant outlaw. I still didn’t know how I was able to do that to them. I’d just passed it off as an adrenaline rush fueled by my volatile emotional state. Then again, maybe Welch’s finest weren’t so fine after all?
The next thing I knew, a West Virginia State Trooper was standing over me. He was throwing on his rain poncho as he kneeled beside me.
“Miss, are you okay?” the trooper asked.
I figured I’d better play a little nicer with this officer of the law.
“Yes, Sir,” I replied. “I’m fine. I was jogging and slipped.” He helped me to my feet.
“You know, you could get run over out here by the road, Miss. You need to be more careful,” he advised. The name engraved on the badge of his uniform read, “Burks”.
“Yes, Officer Burks. I’ll be more careful,” I assured him as I knocked a few wet leaves off my jeans. Trooper Burks nodded and smiled. He acknowledged the horrible weather with a tilt of his head while the raindrops smacked the plastic cover stretched over his wide-brimmed hat.
“You’re not really dressed for a run…not in this kind of weather. Can I give you a lift to your house? A young lady really shouldn’t be out here all alone.” He shook his head and carried on with his stern, but courteous chastising. “I wouldn’t like it if my daughter was out in the middle of
nowhere running around on a terrible day like today. Does your father know you’re out here?”
My bottom lip quivered. “No. No, Sir…He sure doesn’t.” I lowered my head and stared at the repetitive patterns of the raindrops as they struck the ground.
“Well lucky for him, I came along. Come on. I’ll take you home.” The tall, yet intimidating officer led me over to his cruiser and opened the passenger-side door. Once inside, he grabbed a couple of towels for me to dry off with and handed me a warm blanket.
“Okay, Miss. Where do you live?” Trooper Burks inquired as he cranked up the engine.
“A left at the fork…right by the mine,” I replied as I began to towel dry my drenched golden locks.
“Claybourne Mine?” Trooper Burks asked curiously.
“No,” I answered somewhat surprised by the crazy assumption the trooper had made. Why on earth would he think that? His question was oddly amusing, but I decided to correct him, respectfully. “No, Sir. Riverside Pocahontas Mine. You know…on Highway 52?”
“Okay, Miss,” Trooper Burks replied shaking his head while he looked to see if it was clear to pull onto the road. He paused for a moment and turned to me. “Just how long have you been running today?” he asked.
What a weird question, I thought to myself as I tugged on my seatbelt. I glanced down at my watch. It’s only a quarter to seven. I haven’t been running long, probably about 15 minutes or so. I smiled back at the officer, clicked my belt into its buckle, and turned to look out the window as we pulled onto the road. My eyes lit up and a sinking feeling followed when I spotted a road sign just a few feet in front of us. It read:
Beckley — 2 miles
Welch — 51 miles
I glanced at my watch again and then whipped my head around for a quick double-take, only to see the back of the sign fading in the distance.
No way! That’s IMPOSSIBLE! I couldn’t have run over 50 miles in 15 minutes…There’s no way I’m in the NEXT COUNTY! I slumped down in my seat and stared out the front windshield in a daze.
“Um, It’s still morning…right?” I asked nervously.
“Yes,” Trooper Burks confirmed with a laugh. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head back there when you fell?”
“Yes, Sir…I’m sure I didn’t,” I mumbled. That was the only thing I was certain of at this point. I propped my head up against the window and stared hypnotically out at the scenery as it rolled by. My mind replayed all the oddities that had transpired this morning, knowing my memory still had a lot of blanks that needed to be filled in — namely my unnatural strength in fending off two police officers, and just now, running 50 miles in about 15 minutes. I needed answers to some awfully peculiar questions that were churning. All of them led to what happened last night, so I knew exactly where I needed to start.
On the drive back to Welch, I noted two advantages of riding with a State Trooper: They drove fast and people got the heck out of their way. Needless to say, we reached the city limits in no time.
“If it’s okay with you…Could you drop me off at the mine, instead of taking me home?” I asked politely.
“I’m afraid not,” Trooper Burks declined. “I think you should go straight home, Miss. I want to make sure you arrive at your house, safe and sound.”
I didn’t take him for someone who could be easily persuaded. I pouted quietly as we headed down Highway 52. All I could think over and over in my mind was, I want to stop by the mine. Please drop me off at the mine. Just let me out at the mine.
We approached the fork, but instead of taking a left to head up the mountain, Trooper Burks continued straight and then turned off to the right — down into the mine’s parking lot. He was so adamant about “taking me straight home” a few minutes ago. I turned to thank him, but I noticed the trooper was now sporting a somewhat vacant look. He slowed to a stop and simply stared out the windshield.
“Miss, you’re at the mine,” Trooper Burks announced, but never looked my way. He seemed to be just staring off into space. Though I was grateful, I couldn’t help but wonder what had prompted his change of heart, especially since the trooper somehow didn’t seem “all there”. I opened the door and crept slowly out of the vehicle.
I replied with an ambiguous, “Thank you.?.” He never responded. I shut the door softly and watched him drive off.
Weird…
I headed over to the parking lot, where my father’s truck was in the process of being towed. I got there just as Hank Sheppard, who owned an auto shop in town, was about to start hooking up Daddy’s truck.
“Wait a second, Mr. Sheppard. I need to get something,” I hollered. The tiny man, well into his early 70’s, walked over and gave me a hug.
“I’m so sorry to hear about your father, Shiloh. Caiden was such a good man. Did you know he worked down at my garage when he was your age?”
“Yes…I did.”
“I hated when he left to go work for the mine. Caiden was the best mechanic I ever had. I missed him then, and I miss him now,” he revealed with a somber gaze. Several tears fell from his light-brown eyes.
I patted his shoulder. “He really thought the world of you, too,” I acknowledged. That was true. Daddy was always telling me funny stories about Mr. Sheppard, and that he missed working for the “old coot”.
Mr. Sheppard grabbed a rag from out of his back pocket and blew his nose. “Did you need to get something out of here? I was about to tow it up to your house,” Mr. Sheppard asked as he straightened himself up.
“Yes, umm…” I hesitated. I really didn’t have a plan laid out. I just needed some time to jog my memory some more. “Could I have a few minutes, Mr. Sheppard?”
“Take all the time you need, honey. I’ll run over and pester Uriah for a bit. He’ll love that.” Mr. Sheppard smiled and then headed over to the security gate.
I stood there in the rain staring at my father’s truck with a wary eye. After I’d circled it several times, I opened the driver-side door and climbed up inside. I got a bit misty when I realized I could smell him — musk aftershave and spearmint gum. I found myself taking several long, deep breaths. As I clutched the steering wheel, another vision began to emerge. His cell phone was ringing. I whirled my head around when I recalled seeing something flashing underneath the old weathered tarp lying in the truck bed.
I hopped out of the cab and walked back to the rear of the vehicle. I lowered the tailgate nervously. No sooner than I’d climbed up inside of the bed, I remembered exactly what I’d seen earlier — every heart-wrenching image. I closed my eyes and shuddered. Somehow, I could even feel the pain he was in. I wiped away a tear streaming down my cheek and took a deep breath.
Why didn’t I HELP HIM?
I began to sense something — fear. My eyes focused in on a small dent that had been punched into the back of the truck’s cab. A terrifying jolt ripped through my body. Someone had attacked me, but somehow I’d managed to jump out of the truck. Once I’d climbed out of the bed, I felt an uncontrollable urge to walk towards the road, which I followed.
Standing beside the highway, my eyes scanned the line of trees that lay on the opposite side. My gaze honed in on a particular spot as the feeling urged me to enter the woods right there. I hurried across the road and traveled down to the area in question. Intuitively, I pushed back the tree limbs. As I entered the woods, I could see myself running through the thick brush.
That’s how my dress got ripped, I recalled. I was running like the wind away from something, but I still had no idea from “what”.
I carried on uphill for several minutes. Up ahead to the right, something black caught my eye. I ran over and grabbed what ended up being a tuxedo jacket from off a bush. I instantly knew it was Ty’s. I remembered him giving it to me when we were in the parking lot. Right before that snake attacked me! A shiver ran down my spine at the sight of it slithering towards me. I’d killed it with my shoe. Good aim, I noted. I folded the tux jacket over the bend of my arm. Surely he’ll need this b
ack. Instinctively, something assured me that I didn’t head this way and to go back to the left instead. Once again, I followed my gut and trekked up the mountainside some more, until I’d reached a clearing that lay below one of Shiloh Ridge’s cliffs. Instantly, my anxiety clamped down on me like a vice.
What on earth would’ve made me come up…HERE?
I continued to prowl the clearing as my eyes panned across the edge of the cliff. A cluster of bushes looked eerily familiar. My senses told me something had been stalking me, and that I’d jumped into the bushes to hide. The vision was so frightening that I had to scope out my surroundings — just to make sure I wasn’t in any present danger. No one was around, so I continued to focus on my memory. I recalled someone cackling and screaming out my name in a wretched voice as I stared intently at one particular bush. I could see myself hiding behind it, and then someone reached for me.
I gasped loudly. It was Mike! Mike Riverside! He was the one who had been chasing me. I shook with fright as all the details of the encounter surfaced. His eyes were the most frightening of all — eerily hollow and as black as coal.
Why was Mike acting like that . . . and tormenting me last night? That relevant fact was still hazy.
I remembered seeing the falcon attacking him, and that something had pushed me out of the way. I walked over to the bottom side of the ridge where I landed after that purple cloud of “whatever” had thrust me against the mountainside and dragged Mike away. I couldn’t recall anything else.
Dead end, I thought as I stared at the wall of earth in front of me. If I got away from Mike, then WHY didn’t I get help for Daddy?
I stood there for several minutes, attempting to recall something — anything. No matter how hard I tried, nothing was coming to mind. Disgusted, I started kicking twigs on the ground and throwing rocks around the clearing. I acknowledged that I, the eighteen year-old, was having a “three year-old” tantrum, but I didn’t care. I knew there were more answers to be uncovered. I was so frustrated that I took my foot and kicked the side of the mountain underneath Shiloh Ridge with all of my strength.