The Grasp of Nighttide

by Sadaf Zulfikar

  *****

  As he dropped Alice off and drove to his place, Hindi music boomed in Cloud and he was swaying to the beats of ‘Na tum jano na hum’. His flat was just outside the city area, amongst peace and quiet. There were three flats to the building, which was supposedly a two-year-old holiday home of the Lawson’s. The wooden touch given to the exterior blended in with the surrounding trees. The ground flat was where Jacob and Rosalie would stay when they paid a visit. The middle one was intended for Steph, but she had never stayed there. The top one was Derek’s, and this was the first time he stayed there, too. It took only a minute to be in love with the place, but he had expected no less−his dad never settled for anything less than perfection.

  With only a lone squirrel as a witness, he did some robot moves on the staircase of his flat and then grooved all the way to his doorstep. He hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

  A folded blue paper lay right inside his door. He ignored it and danced to the kitchen. He took out a sealed packet of orange Tang and ripped it open. A fistful of cold Tang powder was the first thing he would eat when happy. And he did.

  When his happiness was finally under control, he put his shoes back on the rack−next to the Bogs boots that he had just picked up from the cobbler. He went to the door, picked up the piece of paper and flopped onto the luxurious bed. This was the best bed ever; he had been enjoying it for the past three years, and it travelled with him when on the move. He could always buy another but nothing could beat his own, in a way it was just right. When he unfolded the note, he was more than surprised. He recognized the handwriting immediately. It was from Stephanie.

  DL,

  I came to see you but you were out. By the way, dad says you don’t speak to him often and Jane wants to talk to you. You know how worried she gets about me. And now that I’m here, just want things to be normal between us. If you are willing to meet up, text. I’m waiting.

  Steph

  DL brought back a lot of memories to Derek. There was a time when they had been the best of friends, before being step-siblings. It was strange how time and situations twisted relationships, sometimes for the better and other times for worse.

  Things weren’t so strained between them the last time his dad, Jacob, had gotten her to meet Derek. During that visit, Stephanie actually asked him how he was doing and sat next to him for a while, although she only replied to the questions Derek was asking. He hadn’t thought she’d ever willingly meet him and this note came as a great surprise.

  He reached for his phone and typed I would love to, Stephanie, let me know when. The reply came in a flash−I will. And do call me Steph. Derek rushed to the kitchen for another dose of Tang.

  CHAPTER 9

  Stephanie wanted to talk to Aunt Jane. She was on one of her countless emotional highs, and since her mother’s death, only two things could soothe Steph: Aunt Jane’s voice and alcohol. And alcohol wasn’t ideal tonight, when she had her mission to look into. It was late, and she was right in guessing that Aunt Jane would be doing the dishes. She too was really happy, talking to Steph. Finally feeling okay, she thought about hanging up.

  “Is that Steph, mum? We got to talk to her.” Kim’s voice emerged in the background.

  “Oh honey, it’s a bit late.”

  “Please, it is very important,” Kim stressed.

  “Here, Steph, you heard them.” Aunt Jane gave up. “I have it on speaker, girls.”

  “What are you doing?” Kate asked.

  “Talking to us silly,” Kim answered.

  “Hello, girls.” Steph said. “Why are you up this late?”

  “Oh. We were sleeping. Kim got up to go to the bathroom and saw this green slimy caterpillar. It is huge and very, very fat.”

  Steph smiled down at the phone, “Give it back to the garden in the morning.”

  “Skype us and we’ll show it to you,” Kim said in excitement.

  “Oh darling, my Skype isn’t working. Maybe my internet connection has a problem.”

  Skype wasn’t the problem; she had her serious Goth look on. Plus her eyes were bloodshot, like they were bleeding. Her hair was a mess and a black cape added to her terrifying appearance. The twins would certainly have nightmares if they saw her like this. And if Aunt Jane even caught one glimpse, she’d be at Steph’s door by the next morning. None of that was necessary. Though she had no problem in seeing people die, her family was an exception- Rosalie’s death had been so hard on her already. She had to keep them safely away from here, and from her.

  “Okay, but get it fixed tomorrow.” Kim ordered.

  Aunt Jane always wondered how she could recognize the difference between the twins’ voices but she herself couldn’t. It sometimes bothered Aunt Jane that she could mix them up even in appearance, and Steph had to tell her who was who.

  “I promise. Now, go to sleep”

  “Okay, bye Steph,” they said in unison with Aunt Jane.

  “Bye.” Steph cut off the call.

  She opened the window for fresh air. Observing the blurred sky above, she closed her eyes to let the cold breeze on her face.

  “Today the demon can be unleashed,” she whispered.

  She flinched at her own words. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, instinctively sensing the man about to walk past her window.

  He will get on the street, her wicked smile appeared. She tied a black cloth to cover for her face below the eyes and pulled on the hood. She wasn’t going to let the man out of sight. She reached into her deep pockets. The knife was there, in the left one.

  Steph slithered out the door, following his trail. He was in business attire. Back late from a bar, or maybe a girl’s place. Steph had nothing to do with that; she didn’t care. Her only mission was to kill.

  The man stopped at a corner to look left then right. Steph came out of hiding and advanced, with the knife clenched to her side. Her ruby eyes stayed focused, her feet didn’t make a sound. Her instinct couldn’t be wrong.

  He was going to cross the road.

  CHAPTER 10

  Veronica Wilson grabbed the newspaper off the step outside the kitchen door. Not for the news, but to confirm the date−14 September, the day of ruins. The day that destroyed her perfect happy family fifteen years ago…

  It had happened in the wee hours that fateful day in 1995. Veronica was watching TV. Ray was at his friend’s retirement party. She would gone with him if not for their daughter, Rave. For the past two weeks, she had worked all day at the bakery and she would fall asleep almost as soon as she arrived home. To make up for it, she had arranged for special mother-daughter bonding time.

  She helped Rave make an origami heart for Ray. They sang her favorite song, ‘Pop Goes the Weasel’ over and over. They moved the fun to the kitchen to bake Rave’s favorite chocolate cake with strawberry frosting. After watching ‘The Little Mermaid,’ she tucked Rave into bed, kissed her once on each eyelid, hugged her and turned off the light. Rave blew kisses in the dark.

  Veronica was alone downstairs, waiting for Ray. She had insisted, repeatedly, that he take the car. He had refused, saying that the place wasn’t too far and that walking once in a while was good for him.

  Ray was the most supportive husband in the world. He had cut down on his own expenses in an effort to save enough to make Veronica’s dream come true−her own bakery. It wasn’t such a distant dream anymore; maybe a couple of more months. Veronica’s excitement was out of bounds.

  Ray should have been home by now, she thought to herself. Maybe Al Monroe, a family friend and Ray’s fellow employee, was keeping him. Ray had managed to include the old man in his walking spree.

  Veronica thought she heard noises, so he muted the TV. It continued. It was from upstairs−a sort of dragging sound.

  “Rave? Are you up, honey?” she called.

  No answer; the dragging continued. Veronica turned off the TV.

  “You want me to tuck you in, Rave?”

  Still no answer. She decided t
o check on Rave but as soon as she ascended the first step, the sound subsided. Rave was asleep, and waking her up meant less alone time with Ray. The sound may have been from outside, she thought. Still, her motherly instincts urged her to make a quick check on Rave.

  After she had ascended only a few steps, Veronica could sniff a faint burning smell. The chicken! She rushed back into the kitchen and pulled the tray out of the oven, dropping it in the sink. She sat down in disappointment. She had let the TV distract her, she’d lost track of time and was left with burnt chicken. She couldn’t be this careless, especially with the responsibility of having her own bakery soon. The dragging sound started again, pulling her away from her thoughts. Veronica listened closely; it wasn’t the dragging feet of a five year old. It sounded heavier, and it was certainly from upstairs. A thud followed.

  “Rave!” Veronica gasped, rushing to the stairs again. But this time, she fell on her back with the first step. A repelling force pulled her away, almost like a magnet. The force left her near the sofa. Veronica tried to call out to Rave, but her voice was only a terrified whisper. Rave… she wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

  The lights flickered and the next thing she knew, the front door blew open, slamming against the wall and sending the glass vase beside it crashing to the floor. Veronica stumbled to the kitchen and hid behind the island. She dialed Ray’s number on the cordless, but it took twice the time to do so with her trembling fingers. Rave is still up there, she thought.

  “Come on please… please.” she prayed before Ray picked up. “Ray, please come home. Rave...Rave is upstairs and there’s something here...something…” she was stuttering.

  “I’m around the corner−I’ll hurry.” Ray said, alarmed by Veronica’s voice. “What is that? Is...”

  She couldn’t hear the rest of what he had said too clearly, but Veronica assumed she heard it right.

  Without a second thought, Veronica ran outside. Her feet were numb from the cold sidewalk, and the weather combined with fear gave her the chills. But nothing could stop her. After getting to the bend that seemed so far away, Ray and Al caught her eye. She also caught a glimpse of a black figure off to one side, but she couldn’t focus. The sound of an engine distracted her.

  Al and Ray were in the middle of the street. The speeding truck headed straight towards them. Their expressions said that they were struggling to get away, but she couldn’t see what held them. Why were they not moving? Al kept shouting for help, but his voice couldn’t carry through the wind. Ray’s face seemed composed with trying to free himself using all his strength. Ray caught sight of Veronica and looked at her like he knew there was no way out.

  “Ray, get away!” Veronica wailed, running in their direction. Her concerned eyes did not leave Ray’s sorrowful face. She could make out his uttering of the words ‘I love you,’ and then everything changed. Ray and Al were thrown by the speeding truck, first Al then Ray.

  The truck stopped some distance away. She had to get to Ray. She took a quick glance at Al’s still body before she reached Ray. He lay on the ground, his body twisted in a very odd way. She knelt down beside him. He was still alive. She kept his head on her lap. Ray was barely recognizable through the blood smeared all over his face. Veronica feared the worst.

  “I’m here, Ray, you’re going to be OK. You hear me?” Veronica struggled to control her tears.

  “You really need to work on your convincing skills,” Ray choked, spewing blood.

  Veronica laughed and the tears streamed down her cheeks. She ran her hand through his hair and noticed that there was a heavy flow of blood at the back of his head. She kissed him on the forehead.

  “Love…you,” he said, almost out of breath.

  “I love you, too. Please, please don’t leave me…” She was no longer able to control her tears.

  “Keep Rave safe, no matter what. Don’t let anything happen to her. Take care and…” his voice trailed off. His body went limp, lifeless now. She closed his eyes, rested her face on his and cried. Veronica turned to look, but the black figure was no longer there.

  Rave. She could not lose her daughter now. Veronica kissed Ray one last time, this time on the lips, and ran to the house. She could no longer feel her frozen feet.

  “Rave?” Veronica called, hoping for an answer.

  “Mommy?” A scared little voice came from upstairs.

  “Come.” Her eyes caught her own image in the mirror across the hall. She was covered in blood. Her dress, her face, her hands. “Wait, don’t. Just… just stay in your room. I’ll be up in two minutes.”

  Veronica ran to her room and pulled out a shirt and a pair of baggy pants, then hurried back to the hall. As she changed, her eyes were fixed on the staircase, watching to see if Rave came down. She quickly washed off with cold water from the kitchen sink. She took the phone as she raced upstairs, dialing 911 as she went. The dispatcher informed her that somebody had already reported the accident. Veronica hung up.

  In the corner of her room, Rave sat cross-legged with her hands tucked across her chest. Her expression was blank; she didn’t even blink.

  “Rave!” Veronica picked her up and hugged the stiff girl. “Are you okay?”

  Veronica kissed her, caressed her, but Rave continued to stare past her.

  “Rave!” she shouted, shaking her hard. Rave started crying. Rave was okay, she would be okay. Nothing would happen to her. “Don’t be scared, honey. Mommy’s here.” She was rocking her now.

  Veronica swooped up the phone again and dialed Etsy Monroe.

  “Etsy, it’s me...”

  “I’ll be over. Grabbing my slippers.”

  “Did someone inform you?”

  “No. I feared something would happen tonight. I didn’t know it would be Ray and my Al though.” Etsy’s tone was steady.

  Veronica didn’t understand Etsy’s vague talk. But she was grateful for Etsy’s help in handling the police.

  “Was it you who called the cops first?” Veronica asked after the police left.

  “No, it was Karen from down the street. But she didn’t...”

  Veronica was up and outside before Etsy finished the sentence. Karen was talking to the same officer. It looked like she was flirting, but Veronica really didn’t care.

  “Karen?”

  “Oh, Veronica,” she hugged her. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Ray was a good man.”

  “Did you see anyone else around when this happened?”

  “No. I didn’t even see you. I looked outside when I woke up for a glass of water.”

  Veronica nodded in silence.

  Veronica left Karen with the police officer and headed back to the house. Etsy was standing at the door. "I told you she didn’t see anything,” she offered.

  “Did you?” Veronica’s eyes narrowed as she studied Etsy.

  Etsy nodded.

  Veronica looked around frantically for Rave. She found her sitting on a small plastic chair, staring into space. Her face was sad and scared. She turned back to Etsy. “Who are you? she whispered.

  “If I were to tell you that I’m a witch, will you believe me?”

  “What?” Veronica took a step back.

  “I might be able to help you.”

  “Get away from here.”

  “I am not a normal person, but what happened tonight wasn’t a normal accident either. You know that. It also got my Al.”

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  “That might convince you that we are on the same side here. Besides, you’ve known me for years, and I’ve never done any harm.”

  “What can be done to make things alright?” Veronica was desperate. “Rave is in danger, I know it.”

  “Dark magic. Demonic magic, to be precise, has its evil ways. But we must not give up hope.”

  “We must do something,” Veronica cried, not believing how much her life had changed in a matter of hours.

  “We will discuss that tomorrow. We have lost too much tonight. Come here
,” Etsy embraced her and both of them cried. Rave continued to stare into space.

  The funeral the following morning was not postponed. There was no sense in doing so. Ray didn’t have siblings or any close relatives that she knew of. And Ray had already gone to his parents. Veronica had no one important to wait on.

  Everyone had left the cemetery before the sun was directly overhead; Veronica wasn’t quite ready. Whatever had happened, it was unfair. She was all alone now.

  “Come back, Ray. Please, come back. I love you,” she cried inconsolably. A hand held her arm. Etsy. Although she was more composed than Veronica, the sorrow was there in her eyes.

  “Time to go,” Etsy said. “We’ll come back tomorrow.”

  Veronica sobbed all the way to the gate and stopped. She ran back to Ray’s grave.

  A pink paper heart came out of her pocket. She wasn’t the only one who would miss Ray. Rave would miss her father as well.

  “Rave loves you too.” She placed the heart beside the flowers. “And I promise I’ll keep our daughter safe.”

  She knelt down and cried the same way she had when Ray was hit. Only this time his head wasn’t on her lap. Etsy came back to get her. “I heard your parents arrived. Don’t let them stay for long. Send them away.”

  Veronica did as she was told…

  It wasn’t 1995 anymore, and Veronica was totally alone now without her daughter. She no longer had a family or friends as she did when Ray was alive. She had always been pampered by her parents− according to a tradition on her mother’s side− the first kid was considered lucky. The kid was also supposed to get part of both parents’ names. Because their names were Vesica and Ronald, her name perfectly merged them: ‘Veronica’. But now all she could do was helplessly recall memories.She hadn’t even seen her younger sisters in fourteen years; Angelica, Ruby, and the youngest, Scarlett.