“I will kill you!” he roared.
It was some time later when Brandon came out and told him that the girl was gone, but he already knew that. He’d known it since the moment the figure appeared behind the front door.
Brandon also said that he’d called the cops, and they would be there soon, as would Jill’s mother and father. Alexander was out front crying, and they’d called his parents to come home from their visit.
“Everybody comes back to Hardy,” he said.
“There is no pattern, Brandon.” Daniel shook his head tearfully. “There’s nothing anymore. This is Hell. We’re in Hell. And we’re chasing the Devil.”
“We found this, too, Daniel. I think you might wanna see it.”
Brandon handed him a picture of the four of them, the four kids, from when they were younger. It was a picture taken sometime long forgotten, in the streets of old Hardy, when life was much simpler.
“Turn it over,” Brandon said.
Daniel flipped the image around to find words scribbled on the back. He knew what it was. A clue. And he dreaded every letter he was about to read.
“This is it, Brandon. We have to get her this time.” He looked up at the younger man, and for a second the light made him appear like a child again. “Because if we don’t, I can’t promise any of us will be alive by August.”
Meet me where it all began,
and once again we will begin.
Deaths are false more oft than naught,
but either way I’ll always win.
Come with me to soiled parts,
and give me everything you got.
Friends will meet and greet but not
for long as I will always win.
Chapter 19
Clues
“What do you think it means?” Brandon asked in a whisper.
The three adults were standing near the cars in the driveway of Jill’s home. The missing girl’s parents were talking with the police, and Alexander was over with his own mother and father.
Within five minutes of the 911 call, the cops showed up with sirens on and crime scene tape at the ready. Daniel avoided them, not that anybody he knew would still be on the force. After giving a brief statement, he stood by the cars until Brandon and Crystal joined him.
“I don’t know for sure,” Crystal answered, “but I think it might be the bridge. That’s where everything began, after all.”
“It began at the cornfield,” Brandon snapped. “That’s where she took me! Or… No, wait! It began at my house. I saw her outside, and that’s what started this whole thing.”
“What about ‘soiled parts?’ That sounds more like a field,” Crystal said. “Don’t you think?”
Brandon shrugged and turned his attention to Daniel. “What do you think? Where is she leading us?”
“It could be any of those places,” the older man sighed. “I don’t know. I guess Brandon’s house sounds more realistic, but I have no idea about the ‘soiled parts’ line then. Maybe we’re just misreading it.”
Crystal folded her arms. “We’re all wrong, probably. This is so…”
“How about this,” Brandon said. “Let’s try them all. We’ll check out my house tomorrow, the cornfield after that, and then if all else fails we’ll go to the bridge.”
Daniel glanced at Crystal. “Objections?”
“No. Sounds fine to me.”
Daniel nodded. “Good. Then we’re agreed. Crystal, get a hotel room and then tell me where you’re staying. I’ll drive over. Brandon, go home and be safe. Take my car, drop Crystal off.”
“What are you driving then?” Brandon said.
“Where are you going?” Crystal asked.
“I’m making sure Alexander is okay, and I’ll see if his parents want me to watch him for a couple days so they can go back to their trip. And I’ll get a ride from somebody. Don’t worry about it. I have friends.”
Brandon scoffed. “People aren’t that trusting nowadays, Daniel. Doesn’t happen.”
He shrugged. “At least I’ll introduce myself.”
They said a quick goodbye, and Daniel watched as the rental car pulled out of the driveway. He sighed as the headlights pulled away into the night, turning off the street and leaving him alone. Now, he wished that his minivan was close by.
Without a word, he walked over to Alexander and his parents, standing there for a second until they noticed him.
“Can I help you?” the father said.
“My name’s Daniel. I’m a former policeman in Marcy, and I’ve gotten to know your son well over the last few weeks. I heard you all were on a trip, and if you want I can watch him for you, free of charge. Just for a couple days.”
Both parents glanced at him skeptically. “We don’t even know you.”
“Maybe so, but your son does. How about this? Sleep on it, and then give me a call in the morning.” He pulled a piece of paper out from his pocket and wrote his cell number on it.
“Well… you could take him home for us tonight… earn our trust that way?” The mother glanced at her son. “We have to talk to Jill’s parents. Can this man take you home? To our house.”
“Mom, we’ve been hanging out for like three weeks. Okay? He’s not a stranger.” Alexander walked over to Daniel. “Let’s go.”
“I have to call a taxi,” Daniel said, “and then we will.”
“You don’t have a car?” the dad asked, clenching his teeth. “Are you homeless?”
Daniel turned away.
They went and stood by the side of the road, while Alexander’s parents pointed out the man who was with their son to the police. They made sure that if anything happened, the officers knew exactly whose hands the teenager was in.
“Where are we actually going?” Alexander asked. “I know you aren’t taking me home. You have some plan.”
“You’re smart, kid. We got a note from the lady, and we’re gonna check something out tonight. I think I know where she’s leading us.”
“Why aren’t we bringing the other two?” the teenager asked.
“We don’t need to put them in danger. This won’t be the end. She wants somebody. She wants either you or me. So we’re going, and if we get lucky we’ll catch her. If we don’t, then we’ll fight another day. I know her game. She won’t end it just yet.”
“Are you using me as bait?”
Daniel avoided his stare. “No.”
“I don’t believe you. And I don’t care.”
At that moment, the white taxi pulled up and both of them clambered into the back. In the front was a greasy young man, one hand lazily on the steering wheel and one earbud in. The radio was on a country music channel, but from the bobbing of his head Daniel guessed the driver was listening to hip-hop.
“Where can I take you?” the man asked, yawning.
“Drop us off where Country Road starts,” Daniel said. “How much will that be?”
“I don’t know,” the man said. “We’ll see if we get there safely.”
<><><> <><> <>
They started walking up Country Road, with soybeans on their left and small houses scattered every 40 yards on their right. Daniel kept in the center of the road, keeping an eye out in either direction. Alexander was beside him, tight with fear.
“What do we do if nothing’s there?” the teenager asked.
“We’ll go back and call another taxi. Then I’ll take you home, and I’ll get my car from Brandon.”
There was nobody to be seen, and no cars. The road ahead of them stretched far into the distance, until it was covered by the soybean fields and hidden from view. The moon was high and bright above them, and the air was brisk.
Daniel could hear Alexander tensed beside him and struggling to breathe steadily. He was afraid, and that was to be expected. But in his own heart, Daniel felt nothing but anticipation. One way or another, he would get his family back. This was the start of that war.
“This is it,” Daniel said, stopping them in front of a house
.
It was two stories tall, with a stone porch and steps facing the road. It was run-down and falling over, left to rot on the side of the road. The second floor looked like a different world, impossible to live on and threatening to crumble. There was a basketball goal still in the driveway, and a rusty bike leaning against the house. The grass had grown up, leaning over the road and the porch, threatening to invade the house itself.
“What is this place?” Alexander asked nervously.
“This is where Michael lived. His sister was taken from here. The four kids met here a lot. It’s near the cornfield. I just have a feeling…”
“I think you’re right then. She’s leaving hints specifically for you. If this is the first place you thought of, then it’s probably right.”
Daniel nodded.
“Is this the kid whose mom killed herself after everything went down?” Alexander asked.
“Yeah, it is. Why?”
“Then this is the haunted house the kids talk about. Everybody says that the mom’s ghost stays around here and everything like that.” Alexander shivered. “I never thought I’d really be going in. They say you can hear somebody inside a lot, shouting and all that stuff.”
Daniel ignored what he said and stayed focused on the building in front of them. “So we need a plan.”
“Alright…”
“We need to check the drawers and everything like that. There’s gotta be a clue somewhere. We’ll stay downstairs at first, but if nothing is obvious I’ll let you go up there. We need to be careful, even if the lady isn’t in there. The house isn’t safe anyways.”
“Let’s just get it over with,” Alexander said.
They started towards the home, approaching the front door. It was already broken, and falling back off the hinges. Daniel picked up one end and pushed it into the house. Without a word, they stepped forwards and immediately felt enclosed.
“The door’s still open,” Daniel reminded him. “If you need to run, it’s there. Remember that.”
“I’ll try.” Alexander gulped.
“Go upstairs. It looks solid enough. I’m gonna check the kitchen.”
They split up, and Daniel pressed forward into the dark. He turned on his phone’s flashlight, and took in a deep breath.
There was an ungodly mess before him. Newspapers were strewn across the floor and table, and empty cans rested on the counter. Nothing seemed to have power from what he could tell, and the house temperature was exactly the same as outside.
He heard footsteps behind him and whipped around, but it was only Alexander.
“What do you want?” Daniel asked, shining the phone light on the boy’s face. The teenager was holding another phone with the flashlight also on.
“Look at this newspaper I found on the stairs.” Alexander handed it over. “And then look at this one.”
Daniel glanced at the first one, and saw it was a headline from twenty years ago. The article described the first disappearance, when Brandon’s sister and Michael’s sister —best friends— both went missing.
“Look at the next one,” Alexander urged.
Daniel swapped him papers and saw this one was much newer, from only a couple weeks earlier. It described the disappearance of his daughter, Cassie, and mentioned her boyfriend also being gone.
“I don’t understand,” Daniel said.
Alexander nodded. “Neither do I. It’s just weird… Two papers, twenty years apart, in the same house. I mean, I’m sure there’s some explanation, but there’s also…”
“Just look upstairs.” Daniel rubbed his head. “I don’t think she’s here, but we might as well find out what we can. See what else you can find, and then come back down.”
The teenager nodded and hurried away. Daniel immediately went to the counter and grabbed a can. With his flashlight, he inspected the insides of it and found that it still smelled like beans and there was still a residue. The expiration date on the side told him the can was from that year.
“Daniel!” he heard Alexander screaming from upstairs. “Get up here!”
Leaping from the spot, Daniel dashed towards the staircase and flew up it. Alexander was standing in the hall by a doorway on the right, breathing heavily.
“What is it?” Daniel snapped.
“Lok in there.” Alexander stepped out of the way.
Daniel went inside and stopped. The room was clean, and fresh. There was a bed that was made, a writing desk with a notebook and papers on it, and a large battery-powered fan in the corner. There was a dresser with clothes brimming over it and the closet opened up to show a suit hanging.
“Somebody’s been living here,” Daniel murmured. “This entire time… somebody’s been here.”
He turned around, but the last thing he saw was that terrible, cruel smile before he was knocked out cold.
<><><> <><> <>
His arms were stretched out to the sides and his legs were under him, tied to the wooden cross with rope. His arms were fastened in the same manner, and a rope was placed around his neck. Daniel had been stripped down to his t-shirt and pants, and his coat and gun had been taken away.
To his left side, Jill was fastened to another cross, and on his right was Alexander. Both of them were unconscious. The miniature crosses were from the bottom of the floor to the ceiling, with the three people stuck on them, feet off the ground by a few inches. The living room around them was pitch black, except for the silhouette.
In front of them, with her back turned, was Daniel’s nightmare.
Chapter 20
Stranger
“Stupid service,” Crystal growled, marching away from the front desk with her key card.
She had been standing at the desk for nearly twenty minutes, just trying to get a simple and cheap room. Finally, after much persuasion, they’d given her one at the end of the hall on the second floor. It was the highest floor they had.
There was an elevator, but she bypassed it and went towards the staircase. It descended to the floor only a few yards away from the desk. Carrying a large bag in each hand, she took them step by step and made her way to the top. She could feel the young man behind the register still staring at her and considered yelling at him.
The carpet underneath her feet was soft, too soft, as she trudged to the end of the hallway. It felt like walking on moss. She dropped her bags outside the last door on the right and swiped her key card.
Pushing open the door, which squelched across the carpet, she tossed her bags inside and lifted her eyes up to survey the room. Her breath caught in her lungs and immediately her hand flew over her mouth.
The door swung shut so that they were in absolute darkness, her and the figure sitting on the bed. It had been facing the other way. Crystal, silently, reached for the only solid object nearby: the coffee maker.
She stepped forward, trying to control her breathing. The curtains were closed, but her eyes were adjusting to the darkness. She saw the figure was still facing the window, and there was a light switch just out of reach to the right.
With a deep breath, she lunged for the light switch and then raised the coffee maker, ready to kill.
The figure on the bed stood up and faced her. She dropped the small machine and fell to her knees.
“You okay, Crystal?” the man asked. “It’s been a long time.”
“You were… you were dead.”
He ran a hand through his dark hair and grinned. His face was no longer childlike. It was sharp and his jaw line was defined, covered with sprinkles of rough hair. He was stronger now, and it was clear he could hold himself in a fight. His clothes, though, were old and dirty, covered with dust but not wrinkled.
“I wasn’t, quite.” He bowed his head. “I’m really sorry. I should’ve come back sooner. There’s so much I need to explain to everybody. I… I know what’s happening. I’ve been here the entire time. But I couldn’t… I couldn’t let myself be known. The things I had to do were easier when nobody knew I was alive.”
/>
“Your mother killed herself, Michael! Because she thought you were gone!”
His face became instantly stony. “Don’t talk to me about that. I was there, at the funeral. Disguised. Don’t talk to me about what is and isn’t my fault! None of us planned for what happened, and while you two decided to move on and forget I actually tried to do something before it was too late!”
“Forget?!” She jumped to her feet and stomped towards him. “I didn’t forget! None of us forgot! Daniel-”
“I know what’s happening, Crystal. I know everything already. I know about Alexander, and Daniel’s kids, and the girl that just went missing earlier today. I was there, too. As a policeman. I’ve gotten quite good at-”
There was a crack in the air as Crystal smacked him across the face. Michael stepped back, wincing.
“All I want to know,” she breathed out through gritted teeth, “is where you have been for the last! Twenty! Years!”
He nodded, losing all signs of happiness. “Can we sit down and talk about it? I’ll tell you everything. I just… I wanna sit down. I’m exhausted.”
She sat down heavily on one of the beds, facing the other. “You can sit there,” she said, pointing to it.
Tentatively, he took a seat across from her. “You probably don’t know anything, so I guess I’ll start at the beginning…”
“Yep. Do that.”
<><><> <><> <>
The stone bridge was in pieces around him. The birds and the creek sang casually.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Michael picked himself out of the stones. Inch by inch, he crawled towards the bank of the creek, wincing and feeling as if every limb was being torn apart. There was nobody nearby. Crystal, Lily, Grace, and Brandon were gone. He figured they’d left him for dead.
For hours, he laid on the bank by the creek, praying that no animals would come. Since She had left, all the evil in the forest seemed to have gone with her. The wind was cheerful, the sky was bright, and he managed a smile once.
She Watches: A Horror Novel Page 12