Every Last Breath

by Gaffney, Jessica

  She tip toed toward the kitchen where the microwave continued to spin. “Jack?” She scanned the kitchen and saw the open refrigerator. As she closed it she noticed a white light flicker beneath the pocket fold doors.

  Panic began to fill her. Her palms began to sweat as she moved slowly toward the closed doors. She begged her leaden legs to move forward. She held her breath. Who could it be? The garbled sounds of the TV filled the room. It seemed like ages before she reached the doors. Maggie hesitated before lifting her hand to knock on the door. She tapped twice, “Jack. Jaa-ck is that you?” There was no answer. What was he doing?

  When she turned around Jack stood behind her, like a statue.

  “Babe, what’s going on?”Maggie stammered.

  Motionless he stared at her.

  “Jack, what’s going on?”

  He moved past her back toward the hallway. Her throat clenched, was he sleepwalking?

  Her inclination to follow led her to the back door, facing the yard. Jack stood in the doorway of the porch staring blankly into the yard.

  “Is someone out there?”

  He stood there initially unresponsive. He held no weapon, had no anger. Seconds ticked by before he said, to no one particular, “They are coming. Hundreds of them.”

  Maggie tensed up.

  “Who’s coming Jack?”

  He moved closer to the window. “The soldiers,” he said.

  Maggie knew now that he was sleepwalking.

  She wanted to tell him that no one was out there, that he was just dreaming. But the years of stories he had told, led her to say nothing. If Jack woke up, she didn’t know how to explain what was happening. What if he turned on her? What if he yelled and threatened her?

  She stood still contemplating her moves. It was best not to wake a sleep walker and in this case, she had no idea how Jack would react. “I see,” she replied, hoping to move away.

  Just then the microwave stopped; it beeped three times. She held her breath. Jack moved away from the window with even steps, like a robot. She watched as he moved toward the kitchen in a trance like state. He opened the microwave and hovered over the stove. Nothing was inside the microwave. Still he stood there, staring.

  What the hell was happening?

  Maggie returned to bed that night but did so in the guest room. She locked the door and told herself that Jack was having an episode from his childhood. That was the cause of all this. He had night terrors as a kid and talked to things in the dark. Maybe some part of him slipped back in time. What else was the cause?

  Her fists clenched the pillows, until they ached. She opened her eyes, blinking hard into the dark room. She was safe now. Jack was gone. This was a new world, a new home. No one had to know anything. She didn’t need to worry. But something inside her would not rest.

  “Mommy I think Vala peed on her bed.”

  Maggie yawned and looked at the sun glaring through the window. With her vision not quite intact, Maggie stared at the spot beside Vala's bed. It wasn’t pee. It looked like bile; something had definitely made her sick. She put her hand over her head. How could she have gotten into anything? Maggie didn’t even use traditional cleaners, they were too toxic.

  "Eli, did you go into the garage this morning?"

  "No." He returned to his toys where he had been playing. What could she have gotten into? Either way, the dog still had to relieve herself. She clipped Vala’s leash on and headed to the door. “Stay here buddy, I’ll take her out.”

  Vala sniffed the morning air and stared out over the mountains. With methodic steps she proceeded down the driveway. Maggie watched the dog scan the horizon. The empty lot down the street had new construction. Vale did not trust the men working there, which was evident by the way she guarded Maggie during their walks. She’d push into Maggie’s leg to steer her the other way. Her ears would shift with noise and at times she’d sit, as if protesting to not walk any further.

  Klaus had explained that his dogs were not raised to be pets. They observed and they worked. They thought for their human when the human senses could not detect approaching danger; any noise, smell or movement that was not part the home, was to be tested. Vala tested every new thing.

  Maggie rubbed her shoulders and stared at her neighbor’s open garage. The doorway was filled with Christmas decorations, and a ladder led up to the roof line, where lights would soon be strung. Maggie loved Christmas, but who had the time for decorating? Every year Eli asked to get snow globe or a reindeer for the front yard, and every year Maggie passed on the added expense. Perhaps this year, they could splurge.

  The cold air made her thankful. And, with each new season she began to feel like life was getting better. Here they were safely nestled in an established neighborhood. She was friendly to the people who waved as she drove by. One of them even checked on her from time to time, Mrs. Von Effeir. Sweet lady but she was the town talker!

  “Come Vala.”

  The dog stayed perched at the top of the driveway.

  Maggie looked in the same direction as Vala, but all she saw were barren trees and snow pitted mounds of dirt. The opposite side of the street had sparse trees and steep drop down to the road below.

  Claire was on the phone when they returned inside. Maggie blew on her hands covered her nose. The air was bitter for November. She rewarded the dog and walked toward her bed to clean up the mess. Claire however, was uninterested in the morning chaos.

  “Hey, how’s your day going?”

  “Hi Claire. I’m not sure yet, other than I am cleaning up after the dog.”

  “That’s fair. Want to go for coffee while Eli is at his birthday party?”

  Maggie stared at the clock. “Oh goodness, I forgot. Yes, see you there.”

  Eli secured his backpack and hustled out to the car. “Is Vala coming for the ride?”

  Maggie knew the party would only last until 1:00pm. Maybe she should take her with her in case she got sick again.

  “Vala,” she called. The dog stood up, eager to obey.

  Klaus had told her that Vala’s genes made her the perfect protector for a family. She loved car rides, walks in woods and would put up with small children. A home in Colorado also provided a fitting area for the dog to roam. Shepherds need exercise and Maggie could handle that, mainly because she wanted Eli to love the outdoors. When she needed more exercise than Maggie could muster, she entrusted Eli to walk the dog. Vala knew the difference between the child and her master, and she never pulled at him or ran away.

  Vala stayed in the car and only sat up when someone left the car. She watched Eli as he made it into the building safely, and she’d patrol the sidewalk again when Maggie went inside the coffee shop.

  Claire was inside the mountain café, sitting by the couches at a small table for two. She sat back smiling with that ingenious glare on her face, “I see you brought Vala.”

  Maggie looped her bag over the chair handle and sat down. “Yeah, she got sick this morning. I thought I’d keep an eye on her.”

  “Sick? Like how?”

  “Like she ate something bad; that’s never happened before.”

  “So naturally you just put her in the car and took her with you?”

  Oh, how she loved Claire’s sarcasm. Maggie withheld the fact that Vala had poison training. It was something Klaus did with all his security dogs. She wanted Vala to have it. So that ruled out her first fear. What she ate and where got it, was still puzzling.

  “Did you take her on a hike? Maybe she ate a squirrel or something.”

  Maggie nodded no and tucked her chair in tighter. Hikes were not on the’ To-Do’ list, especially with the nightmares she’d been having. Maybe in the spring, she thought to herself.

  “I’ve got something for you.”

  Claire handed her a business card.

  “What’s this?”

  “Just the name of someone I thought could be useful.”

  Maggie sat back indignantly, “We’ve been through this. I am not
dating.”

  Maggie was agitated and her friend knew it. “What is so funny?”

  “You obviously didn’t read the card. It’s a referral, not a date.”

  “Claire, Eli and I are fine.”

  “I wish you guys would move closer to town. I don’t like you being back in the woods like that.”

  “Eli and I are perfectly happy up there. We aren’t big city people.”

  Her friend ridiculed her with that know-it-all stare. “You could get in trouble up there, all alone. God only knows who wanders about in the woods. All that land behind you, the national forest. Damn fugitives could be lurking around.”

  Maggie smiled, but that fear was something she wrestled with daily.

  Maggie pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the card. “You can keep the card. I don’t want Eli finding it.”

  “You do realize at this age he is more apt to find it on your phone than in your purse?”

  She had a point.

  “Make the call.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Eli raced into the bedroom at 6:45 am. “Mom, it’s working. I grew an inch,” He screeched as he pulled her out of bed. “A whole inch mom come and see.”

  Maggie reached for her robe. The house was freezing. She tried to be interested in Eli’s growth but something was wrong with the heat. Had the fire died out? Did she leave the door to the garage open?

  Eli proudly stood against the wall where his mother had taped a giraffe ruler. His head fit perfectly beside the last mark she made. “WOW, you are really growing,” She said proudly.

  “I knew it. I’m gonna be big as Mr. Von Eiffer down the street.”

  Maggie had to think about that for a minute. Mrs. Von Eiffer lived alone, or so she thought. Maybe it was her son.

  “Thanks mom.”

  Eli was average height but lately he’d been obsessed with growing taller than the other kids in his class. She wondered if everything was alright. “It’s too early to start the day baby, can you try to go back to sleep?”

  “But I’m too excited mom. Can I just play quietly,please?” he begged

  “Eli, you are supposed to stay in bed until 7am.”

  “What if I bring my toys onto the bed with me, then I will be in bed till its time?”

  What mother would say no to such negotiations? She would get another hour of sleep, and if he fell asleep early today, all the better.

  Randall’s tree farm was just six miles ahead on the left. They had a small Santa’s village outside, which Maggie spotted before Eli. Parking was easy and they were reasonably priced. There was always hot cider and a tent that blew warm air while you waited for them to load it onto your car.

  Eli would probably see a friend or two from in town. But right now he had two feet running full speed toward the giant trees in the back of the lot.

  Eli’s eyes were aglow with a twelve foot beauty. “How about this one mom?” She marveled at its girth and height. “She is something huh.”

  “Can we get it?”

  “Honey, where are we gonna put it?”

  His smiled disappeared. “It won’t fit will it?”

  She tussled his hair. “I’m afraid not.”

  “What’s the biggest tree we can get?”

  Her shrug only delayed the answer. “About seven feet,we need room for the angel.”

  Maggie’s grandfather had made angel for her when she was a little girl. She still had it packed away in a box. After years of moving, her Christmas bundle had dwindled down to a small amount of decorations and ornaments.

  “There’s just something about Christmas,” she cheered.

  “Yeah, presents.” Eli added.

  Christmas had always been more than gifts. Even now the smell of hot cider, the sparkle of the lights, the merry tones of cheer, the cold, the ice, the starry nights; it made her feel like she was in a Hollywood movie. She gently reminded herself that Christmas had been taken back by Halloween and Thanksgiving, everyone fighting more advertisement and yearlong sales.

  Where were the days of Christmas caroling and actually caring for our neighbor? When did presents become plastic gift cards that took no thought at all, or meals that resembled little care and preparation?

  She was destined to fix that. Perhaps, that’s why they bought the large tree. She paid cash and got a discount, then steered Eli into the heated tent. Impulse will cause a woman to do crazy things, but this topped it all. There was a ten foot tree tied to her Volkswagon and no one who could help it take off once they got home.

  Had she been friendlier, she may have had a neighbor or two offer to come help.

  Eli had passed out in the car on the ride home. She pulled up the driveway slowly, not sure of what to do next. The sky was dark by 5:15pm and she had no dinner and a long way to drag this precious tree.

  Maggie snuck out of the car and let the dog out. Vala was good, her training had really paid off. She took the dog for a short walk, keeping her eyes on the car at all times. You never knew what could happen these days. She hurried back inside when the phone rang. The house phone, of all things. She barely reached it in time, the voice sounded unfamiliar but they knew her.

  “Maggie dear, it’s Ingrid Von Eiffer from down the street. Listen I hate to bother you, but we just saw you drive by. My nephew is here, and he is wondering if he can help you with that tree of yours.” She hesitated. “I’m fine, Ingrid. Thank you.”

  “So you have a boyfriend then? Is that who’s going to help you with the tree?”

  Again she paused. “No, no boyfriend here,” she replied. “I hate to trouble your nephew. I will find someone tomorrow.”

  Ingrid laughed. “I’ll send him right up. You can thank me tomorrow.”

  She hung up before Maggie could say no.

  Eli ran into the warm house, “Can we start a fire mom?”

  He made no mention of exiting the car without her permission. She looked at the monstrous tree and back at him. It was going to be a long night. “I need to check the firewood situation babe.”

  She put the phone back on the receiver and balanced her thoughts. Maybe this scrawny teen could at least help her get it in the door.

  She pulled out an old blanket and spread it out on the driveway, hoping to roll the tree off the hood. Before she could do the math at her wood supply and finances, a dark figure came toward the garage. Her heart stopped and she tightened her fists. The door was open. Either she would make it inside or Vala would run out before he got to her.

  “Ma’am I’m Ben Hall, Ingrid’s nephew,” he said in a very deep, beautiful voice.

  Maggie sized up the rugged jeans, and thick flannel coat. “You’re the nephew?” She asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” he smiled gently. Her shoulders relaxed immediately.

  The man tipped his head under the garage door as Maggie’s eyes widened. He was the epitome of a lumberjack, boots and all. He had to stand six foot three, easy. He looked at the roof of her car, “That’s some tree.”

  She shrugged, “The things you do for your kids.”

  He smiled back. Mental note, he has all his teeth— a rarity in the mountains.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “I walked all the way up here; it’d be a shame if you don’t let me help.”

  “You’re a godsend trust me.”

  He looked at her as if he wanted to return the compliment but refused. “Want to show me where it’s going?”

  “Oh, come on in.” Maggie walked ahead and gave Vala the command to stand down, “Bezpency.”

  “Now that’s a beautiful dog.” Maggie offered no introductions. “I’ve never seen a white shepherd before.”

  It felt strange to have a man stand behind and follow her into the house. The sensation was arousing. She walked by the kitchen and into the living room, “I was thinking it may fit here. We’ll have to trim it, of course, but the light from the window is perfect.”

  “Mommy, you’re cutting my tree?”

/>   Maggie spun on her heels. “Hey baby. This is Mr. Hall. He’s Mrs. Von Eiffer’s nephew.”

  Eli rushed forward. “Wow, you are a super tall man. I’ve seen you before when we drove by.”

  Ben knelt down. “Hi there little man,” he said as he held out his large hand. “I’m glad to meet you.”

  “Can you help us with the Kris-maas tree?” Eli loved to exaggerate the word Christmas.

  Ben stood up. “That’s why I am here.”

  Eli’s neck bent up, “How’d you get to be so tall?”

  Ben laughed heartily, like Santa but without the beard.

  “Magic boots.”

  Eli shifted his eyes to the floor. “Wow.”

  “Mom can I get magic boots for Christmas?” He pleaded.

  She looked to Ben as if the stranger could help her out with this one.

  He looked down at the boy, “You better write that letter to Santa if you want the boots. And tell him you are eating your veggies too.”

  Eli’s shoulders fell. “But mom, we already did that in school. I mailed it to the north pole last week.”

  Ben patted his curly head. “That’s okay. You can always talk to Santa at the mall, right?”

  “But my mommy doesn’t like the mall. We never go.”

  “Never?” he asked glancing at Maggie.

  “You have to take the kid for Christmas. I work in Denver and the mall there is decorated like the North Pole. You have to come see it. The display is outlandish and very appealing, I promise.”

  Eli tugged on Ben’s jeans. “What’s outlandish mean?”

  “It means the elves are there. And there is a train, and lots of goodies.”

  “Can we go mom, can we?”

  She skirted the question. “Denver is a long drive bud. Plus, what are we gonna do with Vala? We can’t leave her here all day.”

  “We could bring her with us.”

  “Honey, why don’t you help Mr. Hall with the tree and I will think about it.”