by John Mathews
So that bastard has been fucking coming up through THERE at night. He must have found the key to the den, and locked himself in there the first night to stay warm. And I had no idea how he was even getting into the cabin. But that’s just perfect, now I know exactly what he’ll plan to do. I’ve got his ass now right where I darn well want it. I’m gonna be waiting when he comes up through there into the cabin tonight.
Tammy moved the rug away from the door to the den and back on top of the trap door, leaving just a bit of the door exposed with the loop. Then she turned the coffee table so that the trap door could open just a bit but the table would have to be moved for it to open completely. She slid the sofa more behind the trap door, on the opposite side from where it opened. She set the knife and dagger at the end of the sofa. Then she sat on the sofa, dressed warmly with her walking shoes on, and held the hand-made weapon by the end of the rope. Tammy felt a sense of nervous excitement. So how did Stephen know about this sealed off basement? And if he uses it to come up into the cabin, there must be another entrance from the outside. But that doesn’t really matter because this is the only way INTO the cabin from outside. He must’ve done researched all of this long before we left for the mountains.
***
Maria sat on the floor in her room looking through the keyhole into the living room. Tammy was sitting on the sofa and hadn’t moved in a while. If there was only a way to get her to go outside or into the den. I need to distract her with something. But what? Maria scratched her head and racked her brain for ideas. About the only way Tammy leaves that living room is if she thinks dad is outside trying to get in the cabin from somewhere else. I would have to go outside and do something. I need to create some kind of distraction. Something that would make Tammy get nervous. I think I can at least crawl out my window pretty easily and get back in later. Maria went over and cracked the open the window. Looking down, she saw the pile of snow that she had made before to climb up on. That still looks safe to jump down on. But when I came back inside last time, someone tried to grab me. Who would have done that? It must have been dad wanting to talk with me. He wouldn’t be out there with anyone else that would hurt me. Otherwise he woulda told me something in the letter.
She took the chair from behind the desk and set it in front of the window. Climbing up on the chair she bent over the window sill to see around outside. The air was cold and still, and there was barely a sound. The night was setting in as the last rays of sunlight were reflecting off the snow-covered treetops. Maria felt even more confident that she could get in and out of her window with relative ease.
She hopped off the chair, and went around to the other side of her bed. I’ve got to block my bedroom door so there is no way Tammy can come in and find out that I’m gone. She braced her feet against the wall and grabbed a hold of the bed frame. Then with all the strength that her 80-pound body could muster, she pushed the frame until it slid more than a foot in front of the door. Now at least she can’t get in here too easily. Maria took a moment to catch her breath. Then she bundled up in her warmest coat, a knit cap, and snow shoes, and jumped out the bedroom window, landing safely on the snowy ground below.
She walked slowly along the side of the house towards the back. She moved nervously on the snow and ice covered ground, looking down with each step. This was the first time she had walked in snow this deep and her legs hurt from her shoes sinking into the snow with each step. She heard a rustling noise coming from inside the pinewood forest and kept looking back behind her and above her to be sure that nobody was there. Then she heard the noise again, only this time louder, as if someone was going to spring out at her from the trees. Maria stopped in her tracks and peered out into the forest.
A mountain goat stepped just past the tree line some twelve feet in front of Maria. With its’ ears pinned back and sharp, black horns pointing forward, the animal started directly at the defenseless girl. With her heart pounding through her chest, Maria stood motionless, petrified with fear. She remembered from her Girl Scout training that wild animals generally won’t attack a motionless object unless they feel threatened. The standoff continued as the goat stopped dead in its tracks and let out snorting and puffing sounds through its nostrils. It stayed with its head in between the trees while Maria kept her eyes staring right at the animal and prayed that it would go away.
The goat was sniffing deeply as if picking up a scent from the girl. It moved a couple feet closer, seemingly intrigued by her. Then it stamped its feet wildly, making piercing snorting sounds. Although terrified, Maria slowly walked along the side of the cabin, a few feet further down from where the mountain goat stood and out of its line of sight. She stood still again, waiting to see what it would do next. Finally, after a few more grueling minutes had passed, the goat turned and retreated into the forest.
***
Hearing the ringtone of her private cell phone, Tammy jumped up quickly,. She grabbed the phone from her purse in the master bedroom and answered quickly when she saw Tom Murphy’s number.
Her heart was racing as she answered. “Tom! You got my message?”
“Ok Tammy, just callllm down. Yes, I got your message. Tell me exactly what’s going on.”
“Stephen’s stalking me and has plotted revenge against me. He was up on the rooftop and hurled a cinder block at me that done broke my friggin’ hand! And I found the entry to the basement, right here in the living room. He’s been coming inside here when I’m sleeping!”
“So you are telling me that he was not injured in the crash and was able to get inside the cabin?”
“Yes, as far as I know. He’s been in the den and down in the wine cellar. He left a trap down there to kill me. He must have planned everything in advance and wants to make my death look like an accident. Darnell and I talked all about it. Stephen keeps trying to be one fucking step ahead of me. And Maria doesn’t believe anything that I’ve told her. She is completely against me.”
“What did Darnell tell you? Has he seen Stephen?”
“No! Neither one of us have! We think he’s hiding down in this basement. Darnell agrees that I need to find and kill Stephen before he kills me, and that Maria will only get in the way. So I really need to take care of both of them. He wants me to use Maria to find Stephen. But I tried that and it didn’t work! I had her tied up on the front porch and put her head in a fucking vice! Stephen didn’t so much as make a peep.”
“So Stephen is staying hidden but doing things to try and kill you?”
“Yes! I went outside looking for him, to see how he got onto the roof. There was no sign of him, but out in the forest, I found some crazy hunter. So I asked him if he had seen Stephen.”
“Hunter? What do you mean?”
“Some old, demented guy is out here, living in the woods. It seems that he lives off the land, hunting wild game. He done told me that he was the one who cured the meats I found inside the cabin. Then suddenly, the meats disappeared, and I found this guy’s knife down in the cellar. What if he saw Stephen and is on his side? Should we worry about this weird guy too? I told Darnell and he said that he would look into it.”
“I’ll talk to Darnell. Did you check the basement out and see what’s down there?”
“I haven’t been down there yet – heck, I just found the trap door. He had a lot of shit planned out for me in this cabin. And my headaches have been coming back, Tom. They hurt so much and make it so hard for me to concentrate. And now this is nothing but cold-blooded murder, and when the police come out here, I’m…”
“Ok, Tammy, just relax for a moment, and think this whole thing through. So far, you haven’t done anything that could get you in trouble with the police. Nobody can prove that you had anything to do with the car crash since you were in the cabin with your stepdaughter. In fact, from what you’ve told me, it’s Stephen trying to hurt you! So at this point, you’ve been injured and are just defending yourself. If Stephen never went to the police, then it really is a life and death battle. You
can tell them he is insanely jealous of you even though you’ve been nothing but faithful. At this point, you have no CHOICE but to defend yourself, and killing him sounds like the only reasonable way to do that. And let’s face it, that’s what you came up there to do in the first place.”
“Well, that’s what I’m fixin’ to do. I’ve made a weapon, will sleep in the living room tonight, and be right here waiting for him when he comes inside. But what about Maria?”
“Ok, well whatever you do, keep eyes open in the back of your head. As far as Maria goes, you will have to come up with something that would seem like an accident or can be covered up later. If Stephen doesn’t come inside again, I think you need to go down into this basement and find him. You might want to drag Maria down there with you and use her as bait.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Perfect. I’ll call Darnell back and tell him not to leave the area for a while. If you get things taken care of, call me back right away!”
“Will do, Tom.” Tammy put the prepaid phone in her purse and sat down again in the living room.
***
Maria drew in deep breaths of cold air and tried to control her shaking after the encounter with the mountain goat. She started to walk along again slowly, anxious to figure out what to do next. As she approached the back corner of the cabin, the slope became more treacherous. She crouched down on her hands and knees and grabbed onto a support column. As she tried to get around the column, Maria’s feet slipped out from under her on a piece of solid ice, and she swallowed hard to keep from screaming. Still holding onto the column, she got back up, and carefully pulled herself around to the back side of the cabin.
Maria was out of breath and knelt down to rest for a moment. In front of her was the covered crawl space, and looking up she saw a small window into the kitchen. I guess I can try and break that window. If the noise is loud enough, Tammy will come running in the kitchen. She’ll think someone is trying to break in. Then I’ll have to get back in that bedroom fast so she doesn’t see me. She crawled closer to the edge of the forest and looked around on the ground for something to throw at the window. Digging in the snow with her hands, she uncovered some fallen branches and leaves. After a short while Maria found a stone about half the size of her hand.
She took the stone and went carefully around the edge of the tree-line to the other corner of the backside of the cabin. The ground was higher there and the window to the kitchen was not too far away. She inhaled through her nose since her lips were cold and wet and her chest stung a bit from the frigid air. She stood up and took a deep breath. Then she cocked her arm back and, with all her might, flung the stone at the kitchen window. It hit right on target and went crashing through the window and inside the cabin.
Maria started to run back to the other side of the cabin, but she slipped on the ice and fell face down to the ground. Her heart was racing and her face was covered with snow and dirt. She got back up and moved as quickly as she could while staying crouched down to maintain her balance. In a few moments, she was back in front of her bedroom window. She stood on the pile of snow, grabbed onto the window ledge, and quickly pulled herself back inside.
***
Tammy heard the crash and sound of breaking glass. She jumped up off the sofa with her flail in hand. She stood with her back to the wall next to the door leading to the kitchen. She held her breath and ever so slowly reached for the door handle. She turned it so that the door was slightly ajar, and then kicked it open as hard as she could while jumping into the doorway. Seeing nobody in front of her, she stepped into the kitchen, with her head darting back and forth, while surveying the surroundings. She saw shards of broken glass all over the floor and the stone that had been hurled through the small window. She cupped her hands and yelled towards the hole in the window. Is that all you damn well can do, Stephen? Come on, you bastard, don’t try me like a fool! If you want me then come and get me, baby. She felt light headed from the adrenaline pumping inside her. She threw the stone against the wall and kicked the broken glass in frustration.
Maria peeped through the keyhole and saw that Tammy was gone from the living room. She braced herself against the wall and pushed the bed away from in front of the bedroom door. Knowing that she only had a few moments to act, she opened the door, stepped into the living room, and then closed the door behind her very slowly so that it did not make a sound. Then she quickly knelt down behind the sofa just in case Tammy walked into the room. She peered around the edge of the sofa and saw a lighter sitting on top of the coffee table. Checking once again to make sure that Tammy was not coming back into the room, Maria grabbed the lighter and stuck it in her pocket. She looked at the bookcase but did not see the flashlight on it as was written in the letter. The she knelt behind the sofa again and saw that the door to the master bedroom was slightly ajar. She was just about ready to run into the master bedroom, when Tammy suddenly came back into the living room.
Maria’s heart raced and she felt a tremor of pure fear go through her. Even though she was breathing heavily, she covered her mouth so as to not make a sound. If Tammy sees me here, who knows what she might do. Now how am I gonna get out of here and into her bedroom? What if she goes in there first?
Tammy sat back down on the sofa, mumbling to herself. He’s just damn well trying to terrify me, that son of a bitch. And it ain’t gonna work. There is no man that can scare me, let alone that spineless twat. She looked around the living room to be sure that she was alone. She craned her head over the back of the sofa, but Maria was ducked down and just out of sight. Then she propped her feet up on the coffee table.
Maria looked again at the door to the master bedroom and knew that she needed to open it a bit more to get inside. Figuring that opening the door would make a noise, she waited behind the sofa without moving a muscle. Each few seconds that passed seemed like an eternity. Her heart continued to race uncontrollably and she tried to take deeper breaths to stay calm. Dad is the most important person in my life. I’ve got to get down to that cellar. But if Tammy finds me now, she could do something terrible. If she sees me go into her bedroom, I am gonna have to run downstairs and hide. Maria kept her head low as she peeped around the edge of the sofa just slightly to see Tammy’s shoulder and follow her movements.
If I go for it now and Tammy sees me go down in the cellar, she will follow me down there. Then I would have to do what dad told me to and get out in time. I don’t think she would let me leave. Her heart was pounding so hard that breathing had become difficult. She had to muffle all sounds and hide her feelings of terror.
After a few more grueling minutes passed, Tammy leaned over to take a drink from the water bottle, being careful not to bump her bandaged hand. Sensing that this was the best moment, Maria stuck her leg out and pushed the door to the master bedroom open. Then she stayed still and waited in silence, fearing the worst. Tammy set the bottle back down after a sip of water, not seeming to have noticed a thing. Maria continued to breathe slowly and deeply with her hand covering her mouth. She was just a few feet from being inside that bedroom.
She waited and waited, until Tammy finally got up to go have a quick look into the kitchen again. Maria decided to make a run for it. As soon as Tammy’s back had disappeared through the kitchen doorway, Maria scurried into the master bedroom, leaving the door open, and ducked down behind the bed. She counted to ten silently, too paralysed to move. Tammy had her back turned and didn’t seem to see or hear anything.
SIXTEEN
Maria went into the walk-in closet and opened the door to the wine cellar. It’s so dark down there, how am I gonna be able to see? She took the lighter from her pocket and tried lighting it. The flame stayed burning while she held the top of the lighter. Leaving the cellar door open, she slowly started down the stone stairs. It had gotten rather cold in the walkway and Maria could see her breath as she went along. She moved slowly with each step, being careful not to trip or bump into anything, since she could only see for a sma
ll space around her. She shook a bit as cold air with a bit of a foul smell blew through her hair.
Looking down and approaching the archway, Maria saw a few drops of blood on the red tile walkway. She gasped and stepped over and around the blood spots. Then she turned her head swiftly and looked over her shoulder to be sure that nobody was behind her. She had a strange feeling that she wasn’t alone. After a few more steps the trail of blood became heavier. She stopped under the archway and looked up at the brickwork, seeing smears of blood with fingerprints.
Maria quickly entered the larger room. She crinkled her nose as there was a smell of rotten eggs. On the floor in front of her was the designer shirt of her father’s that had the sleeve torn from it. Only now, it was soaked in blood and still a bit wet. Maria gasped, swallowing a big gulp of air. Oh my God, this is dad’s shirt! And it’s all bloody. He has to be hurt. “Dad, are you down here? Is anyone here and can you hear me?” She spoke loudly, holding the lighter in front of her. A few moments of silence passed and then she started to move again.
She looked nervously to either side as she went by the small cubby holes. The one that had had the old pair of gloves was now empty. As Maria passed by the wooden table, she saw that the small box and partially smoked cigar were gone. On top of the table was something that she had never seen before. It was a thin metal device with two prongs on each end, connected to a leather collar. Each tip of the prongs was stained with dried blood. Next to this metal device was the old wrinkled piece of paper with the hand drawn map, showing dotted lines for the basement. On top of the paper there was a Capri cigarette butt and a small piece of painted finger nail. So Tammy was down here again and didn’t tell me. And she was the one that tore dad’s shirt and lied about it. Everything she says must be a lie. If that is dad’s blood, then she did something terrible to him, I can just feel it.