The Darkest Thread

by Jen Blood

  Agent Paulsen nodded, but she didn’t put her gun down. There was something wild and sad in the woman’s eyes. Ren squeezed Bear’s hand. He glanced at her, his vision blurring at the edges again. He was freezing. Exhausted.

  In the distance, he thought he saw a flash of red among the trees.

  “They found Ariel,” Wendy said, still talking in low, soothing tones to Rita. “It’s almost over. I’m going to bring the kids back, and I’ll get Ariel. Whatever happened...it’s almost over now.”

  Agent Paulsen shook her head. This close up, Bear thought it looked like she’d been crying—though it was hard to tell with all the rain. “I thought I was fixing things,” Agent Paulsen said. “That it would be… We could just go back. I was supposed to fix everything.”

  “It will be all right,” Wendy said, her voice soothing. “Do you know where to find the other agents? Where they have Ariel?”

  For the first time, it seemed like the agent snapped back to the present. She paused. “They found her? Alive?”

  “That’s what I heard,” Wendy said. “Can you find out where she is? Bring me to her—let me take her home, take care of her. Please.” Wendy’s voice broke, and for the first time Bear thought he could see the toll this was taking. The strain she’d been under all this time.

  The words seemed to snap Agent Paulsen back to attention. “She’s still alive,” she said. Then, she nodded—half to herself, like she was answering a question she’d asked in her own head. “I’ll find out where they are,” she said. “I’ll get her, and I’ll bring her to you.”

  Wendy nodded gratefully, lowering her hands. Agent Paulsen nodded toward her car. “Come with me,” she said. “Leave the truck, and we’ll bring the kids in together. Everything will be all right.” This last was said like she was trying to convince herself.

  Shaking, weak, barely conscious, Bear caught another glimpse of red in the wilderness. Was it a warning? Was Mary trying to find them; trying to tell him something?

  It hardly mattered—what choice did they have?

  He and Ren slid from the cab of the pickup, and limped toward Agent Paulsen’s car. He saw Wendy glance at them, read fear in her eyes, and tried to tell himself that this was all good. They’d been rescued. They were safe.

  No matter how much he repeated it to himself, he couldn’t make himself believe.

  #

  “Stay away from me,” I said into the darkness. Phantom pressed closer to me, her growl constant now.

  Mary seemed frozen, unable to move forward or back as the darkness crept closer.

  “I don’t know what you are,” I said, forcing strength into my voice, “but I know what you’ve done. I’ve found the bodies, all the people you fed on. It’s over now.”

  It moved closer, and closer still. Phantom took a step forward. The screams began again. Mary flickered before my eyes. The physical world around me seeped in like cracks in the surface of a dream, and I looked down in time to see another trap already set, jaws gaping, just inches from Phantom. I wrapped my hand around her collar, pulling her back. I drew strength from the dog, since I was fast running out of my own. For a moment, it seemed that the shadow stilled.

  “I’m taking these bodies, and I’m bringing them home,” I said. “The tunnel will be sealed. There’s no fighting that now.”

  Mary flickered once more, like a filmstrip fading to black. Beyond, I stayed focused on the darkness—no shape and no substance, nothing to identify it as a physical entity, yet the cold that enveloped me, the terrible fear, was undeniable. Beneath my feet, the ground trembled.

  A gaping maw at the center of the dark cloud seemed to transform into a grin. The screams became shrill, deafening. Phantom barked, body squared and unyielding as the shadow moved closer.

  Ariel stirred at my feet. My head throbbed, my heart pounding a staccato rhythm in my chest. My eyes never leaving the form in front of me, I leaned down and took Ariel’s arm. The tremble beneath our feet grew.

  There was no way I could get Ariel loose from that trap on my own.

  “Ariel,” I said. “Please—you have to wake up.”

  Debris fell from above us. Phantom was advancing on the shadow, trying to push it back, but it wouldn’t retreat. The screams reached an ear-splitting crescendo. The shadow was nearly upon us.

  #

  Agent Paulsen drove them back to the old church where everyone had been meeting, but the place was practically deserted. Bear heard an ambulance in the distance as they pulled into the parking lot. Normally he wasn’t a fan of doctors, but right now he hoped to hell they were coming for him.

  As Agent Paulsen stopped the car, Cheryl Madden appeared at the front of the church with two dogs, both straining at their leashes. Bear fought to keep it together as Casper and Minion practically dragged the woman down the steps.

  A couple of stray tears coursed down Ren’s cheeks. Bear squeezed her hand. “We did it,” he whispered, his own voice rough.

  She looked at him for just a second, staring into his eyes in that way that always felt like she was seeing straight through to his soul. “We did,” she agreed. She leaned forward, and touched her lips to his.

  Despite the pain and the fear and the fact that he hadn’t bathed in, like, days, Bear leaned into it.

  The rear passenger side door opened then, and they parted—they kind of had to, since Casper and Minion both piled into the back seat with them.

  “The EMTs are on their way,” Cheryl said. She’d given up trying to hold the dogs back. “But they were pretty insistent about seeing you first.”

  Minion clambered in and climbed into Ren’s lap, and looked like she was setting up camp. Casper came in with surprising care, his eyes mournful, pawing gingerly at Bear’s leg.

  “It’s okay, Caz,” Bear said, his chest tight. He scratched the dog beneath his docked ears. “You did a good job, buddy—you really did. Good boy.”

  Casper grinned at him, hesitant at first, still looking up at Bear like he was apologizing. Bear gathered the dog in his good arm, and held him closer.

  They’d made it.

  “Where’s my mom?” he finally remembered to ask.

  “She found Ariel,” Cheryl said. “They’re just trying to get her now.”

  “Trying?” Wendy echoed. It was the first time she’d said anything since they’d pulled up. She looked smaller, older, now that she was away from her family. “I thought they had her?”

  “She’s in a tunnel,” Cheryl explained. The ambulance pulled in then, barely coming to a stop before the rear doors flung open and two EMTs hopped out. “They’re working as fast as they can, but I guess she’s trapped under there.”

  “But she’s alive,” Wendy persisted.

  “She is,” Cheryl reassured her. “Unconscious, and I think she’s in pretty rough shape. But she’s alive.”

  “Where are they?” Agent Paulsen asked, inserting herself into the conversation. “I promised I’d bring Wendy to her.”

  “Excuse me,” a male EMT said as he took in the scene. He frowned at sight of the dogs. And the blood. Overall, he didn’t look happy. “You’ll need to call the dogs.”

  Cheryl pulled Casper and Minion away with a lot of effort, leaving the way clear for the paramedics to work

  “You should stay with them,” Bear told Ren as they loaded him onto a stretcher. She shook her head. Her hair looked wild. She was dirty and smelly, and still crying a little. Bear was sure she’d never looked prettier.

  “I stay with you,” she said. “They can bring the dogs to the hospital when you are well.”

  The EMTs weren’t wild about that idea, but Cheryl nodded behind their backs. Before he could find out anything more about his mother or Ariel, the paramedics started doing their thing—asking if he had any allergies, was he on any medications, any conditions they should know about. He shook his head. Hopefully, talking to dead people wasn’t the kind of condition they meant.

  They loaded him into the ambulance, and Bear c
losed his eyes when they plunged a needle into his good arm. Ren pushed her way into the back with him, and took his hand. He saw Mary Wieland swimming in front of him—still worried, still sad. But she managed a tiny smile for him as she waved goodbye. They were safe.

  So why did he feel like things weren’t finished yet?

  * * *

  Chapter 29

  JACK WAS ABOUT TO go back in with bolt cutters and medical supplies when Rita arrived on the scene—and she wasn’t alone. Wendy Redfield followed behind with unexpected determination, her mouth set in a grim line.

  Gordon was still in shackles by the cairn. He and Rita exchanged a brief, loaded glance that Jack didn’t understand, before the man turned his attention to Wendy.

  “She’s alive,” Gordon said. He sounded like he didn’t believe it. He took a step forward, eyes fixed on his sister. Wendy stepped back.

  “Stay away from me,” she said. “However you’ve done this, I know the truth about you—I know what you’ve done.”

  “I didn’t hurt June and Katie,” he insisted. “And I sure as hell had nothing to do with Melanie and Ariel.”

  Rita looked away at the exchange. Jack’s doubts resurfaced all over again. He pushed them aside; now wasn’t the time.

  “I need to get back in there,” he said. “But what can I tell Jamie?”

  “Bear and Ren are both safe,” Rita confirmed.

  “Okay—good,” he said with a brusque nod, downplaying the surge of relief that ran through him at the words. “Then I’m going in. Emergency services are on their way?”

  “They had to take Bear and Ren,” Rita said. “But another ambulance is on its way. We should be able to stabilize her and carry her down to HQ ourselves, and they’ll take it from there.”

  “I guess that means I’ve got company on this one?” he asked.

  “You really think I’d let you have all the fun?”

  “Jack,” Gordon said. Rita shot him a chilling glare, and the man looked away. Before he did, Jack could have sworn he read fear in the man’s eyes.

  “Yeah, Gordon?” he asked. He moved away from Rita and toward Gordon, turning his back in an attempt for at least a pretense of privacy. “What is it?”

  Gordon’s eyes slid from Jack to Rita, now on the outskirts watching them. For the first time, Jack noted how worn she looked. Rita was a good-looking woman, had always been the sort who caught the eye and held it, but right now she looked almost…haggard. Her eyes were glassy with fatigue, a near-madness lurking beneath.

  “Be careful in there, all right?” Gordon said quietly.

  “Is there something you want to tell me?” Jack asked.

  Gordon shook his head. Rita strode toward them, and he looked away. “Just be careful,” he repeated.

  “Are we ready?” Rita asked. She glanced at Gordon, but he wouldn’t meet her eye.

  “I guess so,” Jack said.

  “I’m going too,” Wendy said, seemingly out of the blue.

  “I’m afraid not,” McDonough said, stepping forward for the first time. “There’s been some seismic activity happening down there—we need to get in and get out fast.”

  The older woman brushed past him without looking back, headed straight for the cairn. “Then we’d better move,” she said. “Ariel knows me—after everything she’s been through, she needs a familiar face.”

  McDonough started to protest, but Rita shook her head. “Forget it—I know this family. Once they set their minds on something, it’s pointless trying to talk them out of it.”

  She shot a not-insignificant glare toward Gordon, and stalked past them. Jack gave up trying to navigate the tumultuous family politics, and got moving himself.

  Jamie was waiting.

  #

  “You’re all right, Ariel—everything is okay,” I said, trying to keep the girl’s eyes focused on me now that she was finally coming to. Of course, my message was seriously undercut by the sheer terror in my voice. Her eyes widened as she took in the tunnel, the darkness…the shadow that had thankfully stopped advancing, but that hung in the air just a few feet away, as though waiting for something.

  “What’s happening?” she asked. The pain caught up to her then, and she looked down at the source. At sight of the trap and her mangled leg within it, the color drained from her face. “Oh my God. What the hell is this? What’s happening? Where’s Melanie?”

  I didn’t answer right away, waiting to see if the memory returned on its own. When it didn’t, I answered the only way I could think of without sending her into a complete tailspin: I deflected.

  “I need you to stay focused on me,” I said. Tears coursed down her face, her breathing coming in harsh gasps. She was panicking, and at the moment I had no idea how to help her.

  Phantom moved toward the girl with her head down, and settled beside her. I may not have known what to do, but Phantom had guessed perfectly. I watched the same change I’ve seen a thousand times, when dogs extend that calm, comforting energy to a human in need. Ariel leaned forward until her head was on Phantom’s chest. She draped her right arm around the dog’s neck.

  “Just breathe,” I said quietly. “We’re going to get out of this.”

  There was another tremor beneath our feet, and debris crumbled around us. The shadow pulsed, waiting—for what, I didn’t know. Was there something holding it back, or was it simply biding its time?

  “How long have I been here?” Ariel asked. Her voice was steadier now, but she continued to hang on to Phantom.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “You’ve been missing for a couple of days.”

  “But we’re getting out?” she asked. “You’re getting us out of here?”

  I ignored her use of ‘us,’ and nodded. “We’re getting you out,” I said, even as more rocks and debris fell from above. Phantom shifted uneasily, casting a questioning glance at me. And we’re staying here why, exactly? Excellent question.

  “Do you mind if I ask, um… How, exactly, are you getting us out?” Ariel asked. “Because this doesn’t really scream rescue scenario to me.”

  I smiled—genuinely this time, relieved at her show of spirit. “I’m working on that.”

  “Jamie!” I heard Jack call somewhere behind us, and very nearly passed out with relief. Phantom got up, but didn’t leave Ariel’s side.

  “We’re here!” I called back. The voices forever in the background in these tunnels and caves had faded to a dull roar. The shadow, however, seemed to grow, pulse, at the sound of Jack’s voice. Ariel noticed the change as well, and her eyes widened.

  “What the fuck is that?”

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  “Keep talking,” Jack called. “How’s Ariel?”

  “My leg’s stuck in a bear trap and the cave’s about to eat us,” she called back. “I’ve had better days.”

  “Do you have something to get her out?” I called.

  Jack appeared at last, about twenty yards away. He had Rita with him—and, surprisingly, Wendy Redfield. The urge to pass out with relief returned, and I realized that the last few days had been some of the most exhausting in recent memory.

  “Bear and Ren?” I asked, half afraid of the answer.

  “They’re fine,” Jack said. “Wendy brought them in. They’re on their way to the hospital now.”

  Another tremor shook the tunnel. Jack reached for the closest wall and held on, head lowered, as debris rained down on him.

  “How about we get on with this,” he said. The shadow on the other side of us had receded, all but vanishing at the presence of so many others. I felt myself begin to breathe again as Jack brandished a sizeable pair of bolt cutters and introduced himself to Ariel.

  “Paramedics will be waiting for us when we get back,” he told her. “You think you can hang on?”

  Despite her earlier bravado, Ariel’s color was bad, her eyes glassy, and I didn’t think she could stay conscious much longer. As for the fact that she seemed to have no memory of what had happe
ned to her and Melanie, I chose to look at that as a gift rather than something to worry about. Phantom moved out of the way as Jack knelt beside the girl, but she didn’t go far. Ariel kept her gaze locked on the dog, while I noticed that Rita’s attention was fixed on the girl. Wendy stood just behind her, seemingly uncertain what to do now that she’d made it this far.

  “Cut the chain,” I said. “Leave the trap for now—it’s better if they remove it at the hospital.” Since Ariel was conscious and listening intently, I spared the reasons for why it was better: that she could bleed out here and now if we removed it.

  Jack nodded. He had to do some maneuvering to find the right position to cut the trap, but eventually he had the bolt cutters in place. Ariel buried her face in Phantom’s fur.

  I was so focused on what was happening with Ariel, I’d failed to pay attention to Phantom—or anything else, for that matter. By the time I had tuned in, Phantom was on her feet, head up, eyes locked on Rita.

  Jack cut the chain with a snap that seemed to echo through the cave. When it broke, I felt it as an almost physical shift in the air. The shadow down the path returned, and the tremor that shook the tunnel this time nearly took my legs out from under me.

  “Shit,” Ariel said. “What the hell is happening?”

  The other dead returned—no longer screams, but individual voices whose words I could almost make out. Mary Wieland appeared in front of the shadow, just out of its reach, barely visible. Just behind it, I saw a glow that I hadn’t seen before.

  “I want to get them out,” Mary said. “The shadow man—he’s losing his hold. We can make it, I know we can. Please. You have to help us.” I shook my head, caught between her plea and the sight of Phantom, hackles raised, as the dog took a step toward Rita.

  Meanwhile, oblivious to the metaphysical drama, Jack scooped Ariel up in his arms and nodded toward the head of the tunnel. “We need to move,” he said. Rocks rained down as a roar that seemed to come from the belly of the earth shook the world around us.