Dangerous Past

by Cobe Reinbold

  Nancy woke up about halfway up. Kent saw that and put her down making her stand on her own. I got the feeling that Kent felt like Nancy was the one who had turned the sweet innocent Jessica that he knew into a crazy person. I doubted anyone could brainwash someone that intensely.

  We went the rest of the way in silence. I was getting weaker forcing Jason to take most of my weight for the rest of the way.

  When we finally got out, it was daylight. My parents would be frantic.

  “Call the cops.” I told Jason.

  He pulled out his phone, and dialed 911. He explained everything in a rush.

  The woman must have been a local, because she knew where we were and seemed to know all about Mady.

  Jason explained we had a boat, and we’d wait for the police on the shore. The lady relayed that and stayed on the phone with Jason.

  “They’ll meet us here by the boat. They said to move down towards the shore, they’re sending a police boat and EMS across to assess the injured. If the injuries are urgent enough, they’ll rush us out on the boat to the hospital in town. If not, they’ll send an ambulance out to shuttle us there. They also said not to remove the knife and to keep you as still as possible so you don’t bleed too much or cause more injury.”

  We moved towards the hole in the fence where we entered. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand up, and I wanted to get to the shore before I collapsed.

  It was a struggle for me to get through, mostly because every single time I moved it jarred the knife. The adrenaline was still rushing through my body from the shock, so it didn’t hurt too bad. But I knew that wouldn’t last forever.

  Once I was through, Jason, and then Mackenzie came through. Kent was worried Nancy would resist just to make our lives harder, but she didn’t. We squeezed Mady through last.

  We got to the shore pretty quickly, but now all we could do was wait. Everyone sat in a row on the beach looking at the freshly rising sun, exhausted and in shock. The silence was broken when Nancy started speaking.

  “This isn’t the end. Once I’m gone, there’s a line of people ready to avenge my brother’s death. I’m just the tip of the iceberg, and taking me out just put a target on your backs for all of the real killers in the cult to see.” Nancy struggled to her feet, and ran into the water before Kent or Jason could even get up to try and stop her. Kent ran in after her, but she had managed to get pretty far out already, and when she plunged under water completely, he had no idea what to do. He waded around in the area he had last spotted her after she didn’t bob right back up. He went out further, struggling to tread water, but he couldn’t find her.

  Nancy was gone, and I’m not sure any of us really minded in that moment. With any luck her body would wash up somewhere.

  Chapter 21

  The police boat arrived shortly after with a few paramedics in it. They decided Mady was in no shape to wait for the ambulance, so they loaded us all onto the boat.

  When we arrived at the marina after the paramedics had stabilized Mady and me as best they could, we were swarmed by people. Two ambulances sat at the end of the pier, lights flashing and more police cars than I could count. There was also the usual pack of people drawn by flashing lights and police presence.

  I craned my neck while they loaded me unto a stretcher and into one of the ambulances. “Where’s Mady?” I struggled against the straps securing me to gurney.

  The paramedic walking beside me pushed me back firmly. “She’s being taken care of. Her parents are with her.”

  I laid back, the whole world felt like it was swirling around me and I wanted to be sick again. I gasped at the jolt when they loaded me into the ambulance. It was blessedly quiet when the doors slammed shut. It only took a few minutes for them to start an IV and get some pain meds into me. The world started to fade and I slid toward the welcome oblivion.

  “Your parents are meeting you at the hospital.” The man’s face blurred as my eyes fluttered closed.

  * * *

  The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital bed, with wires coming out of everywhere. I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain in my head.

  “Brian?” Mom’s face hovered over me when I opened my eyes again. Her and Dad were both sitting at my bedside.

  “Hi, Mom.” My tongue felt thick and the words were a bit slurred. The machine with blinking numbers beeped softly in the background and I found the sound oddly comforting.

  “Hey, honey.” Mom reached out stroked my hair.

  “I’m sorry.” My voice cracked and tears leaked out the corners of my eyes.

  “We can talk about that later, son.” Dad moved beside Mom and squeezed my good hand.

  I closed my eyes in relief. The last thing I wanted to do right now was spill everything. I just didn’t have the strength. Mady, Mady was here, in the hospital. “Is Mady, okay? Can I see her?”

  “Not right now. Her parents are with her. Besides, you’re going down to surgery shortly. We’re just waiting for them to come get you.” Dad let go of my hand.

  There was a commotion in the hallway before two porters arrived with a stretcher. They checked the hospital bracelet on my wrist against the chart on the gurney and slid the high wheeled contraption even with my bed.

  “Brian Superstack?”

  I nodded and they confirmed my birthdate as well. With swift efficient movements they got me from the bed to the stretcher.

  “They’re ready for him downstairs. A doctor will come and find you in the waiting room once the procedure is over.” A nurse entered the room and spoke to my parents. “It might be a while so you should go get something to eat.”

  Mom kissed me on the forehead. “We’ll be right here when you wake up,” she promised.

  Whatever the nurse put in my IV must have taken effect because everything after that is a kind of blur.

  When I woke up, the room was dark. In the shadows I saw Mom curled in a chair sound asleep. I tried to turn over, but shooting pain stopped me. I lay back with a groan. Somewhere an alarm shrilled.

  “Brian, lay still.” Mom was on her feet and at my side before the nurse hurried into the room.

  “Awake, are we?” The nurse briskly turned off the alarm and reset something. She fussed with the bandages on my shoulder. “Just stay quiet. I’ll check when your next pain meds are due.”

  “What time is it?” I asked Mom.

  “Eleven in the evening. Your surgery took quite a while. There was a lot of soft tissue damage they had to repair. But, it looks like you’ll make a full recovery.”

  “How is Mady?” I said the first thing that came into my mind.

  “Last I heard she was stable and her parents were with her. I’ll go see what I can find out.” Mom disappeared out the door.

  Mom came back a few minutes later. “She’s asleep and stable. Doing as well as can be expected. Her mother will want to talk to you when you’re feeling better.”

  Relieved, I let the next dose of pain meds carry me away. When I woke up again it was morning, the sunlight streaming in the window. Mom and Dad got up from the chairs they’d slept in when the doctor came in. He explained the procedure and what he called ‘the prognosis’. The upshot was I wouldn’t be able to use my arm for the next couple of weeks, and I had to keep it still to allow the tissue to knit. He said I could go home later that day.

  The police wanted to talk with me about what happened. Dad said they’d already taken Jason, Kent, and Mackenzie’s statements. Jessica was dead and there were a whole lot of questions they wanted answered. He spoke quietly with the sergeant and came back to Mom and me.

  “They’re going to meet with you at the house, once we get you settled. They’re going to see if they can speak with Mady today.”

  Mom made me a bed on the couch in the living room and I laid back in relief once the police had come and gone. She came in with a drink and told me Mady was released from the hospital that afternoon, but she was still a very sick girl.

  Dad cam
e in then and I told them everything from beginning to end. They weren’t thrilled at the way I’d handled things, and were horrified to hear about Doctor Kim. Dad made noises about suing the Idaho Psychological Association who gave her accreditation in the first place. Mom shushed him and said they’d talk about that later.

  I was exhausted after spilling my guts to my parents. Mom wouldn’t let me have my phone or laptop. She said I needed to rest and not be worrying about messages and what other people were saying. Surprisingly, I slept like a rock after Mom made me something to eat.

  I was stiff and weak when I woke up around 9 the next morning. After breakfast, a detective came to speak with me again. They wanted to question me on a few points in the story and see if it agreed with what Mady told them. Dad stood by me the whole time. Sometimes it was nice to have a lawyer in the family.

  Once I was allowed to move around on my own, I went to see Mady. Jason, Kent and Mackenzie wanted to get together too. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to them since everything went down.

  It was quiet on the street when I got to Mady’s. The national news interest only lasted a couple of days and now things were getting back to as normal as things could be.

  Mr. Smith answered the door. He didn’t look friendly at all. “What can I do for you, Brian?” He stood blocking the doorway.

  “Can I see Mady, please?”

  “That’s not a good idea. You should have come to us as soon as you realized what was going on.” Temper flared in his eyes and his hands clenched. “Why didn’t you go to the police with what you knew? You’re not welcome here, and you stay away from Mady. We’ll get a restraining order if we have to.” He shut the door in my face.

  I stood there staring at the door, too shocked to move. I had to see her, see she was okay. Mady would never have agreed to cut me out of her life. The door opened startling me.

  “You need to leave. Now.” Mr. Smith almost snarled the words. “I’ve already called the police to come and remove you.” The door snicked shut again.

  Defeated, I trudged back to my car and drove over to Kent’s where everyone was gathered. It would be good to see my friends again.

  * * *

  I was playing a video game a few days later when someone knocked at the door. Mom poked her head in the door.

  There’s someone here to see you,” she said brightly.

  “Sure.” I didn’t look up. It was probably Jason anyway.

  “Hi, Brian.”

  I dropped my controller and surged to my feet, hissing at the pain in my shoulder.

  “Mady!” I hugged her with my good arm and kissed her. “Are you okay? How are you? How did you get here?” The words spilled out of my mouth in a torrent.

  “I’m sorry about my dad sending you away. I had to argue with them to let me come over. They finally gave in, but they’re not happy about it.”

  I choked on tears. “I’m so happy to see you,” I managed to get out.

  We spent the rest of the day together. It was so good just to be able to look over and see her, reach out and touch her. Neither of us mentioned the ordeal we’d been through. It was enough for now just to be together in the summer sun. Everything was going to be fine from here on.

  The End

  Cobe Reinbold was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta where he currently resides with his parents. He wrote his first novel when he was fourteen years old and completed his second novel before graduating high school. He has recently been accepted to the University of Calgary in the Faculty of Engineering. He enjoys being with his friends, creating and posting YouTube videos, and spending time at his cabin in British Columbia.