She Watches

by David Duane Kummer

  “Let’s go see Daniel,” he said, full of purpose. “Maybe he’ll know something we can do.”

  “I think he’s given up, Alex.” She looked at him worriedly. “He’s lost his mind.”

  “And you think I will too?” He shook his head. “I can see it in your eyes and on your face. You’re worried I’ll end up like him.”

  “I don’t know how we’ll end up. I just wanna live a normal life.”

  He stepped forward and hugged her, in the midst of the dark bookstore with rain pouring outside. She began to cry, and he held her, stroking her hair. All the while, his thoughts were elsewhere. His mind was set on revenge, and on taking back the life that was stolen before he’d ever lived it.

  Across the town, up the highway and all the way into Hardy, three lonely figures trudged through the rain, heading again into that terrible forest where all things go to die. Never once had they gone into those trees and come out with all the same people. Every time, somebody was left behind. Every time, somebody met their end. Nothing good can happen in that forest.

  Alexander and Jill made their plans to sneak out that night and head to Daniel’s house, but what they never knew is that all their fears and all their worries were unnecessary. That night, the final confrontation was already taking place. Far away from Daniel, the three children, the three surviving children, ventured into the lair of the beast.

  She watches. Always.

  Chapter 27

  Settlers

  “Sleep and rest, sleep in peace.

  “Twenty years pass by at least.

  “When they end, all will see

  “Where we rest under the tree.”

  She was under the tree, the old oak tree, with the baby curled in her lap. Nothing had gone as planned. But that was okay. For the next twenty years, her only job was to raise this baby, and to mold her into what a good and proper woman should be in the forest. Then she would pass on to the afterlife.

  Her mothers would have been angry. Twenty years ago, she’d destroyed the ancient pattern which they had always followed. Then with the Walker boy, and more recently with Daniel’s children. They weren’t supposed to die until she saw fit. They most certainly weren’t supposed to return home.

  “They will be angry with me,” she whispered to the child. “But that’s alright. You’ve made it. You’ll be good enough, and you can restore the pattern.”

  She glanced around the area nearby. There was a creek directly in front of her, with small settler buildings behind. This was the spot where she’d taken her vows at age 20, and where everybody did. It was also the spot for the sacrifice, the one that started the process of transforming into what was a perfect creature.

  “Since we don’t have any of your siblings,” she began thoughtfully, “I suppose you’ll have to drink the blood of an animal. I wonder if that will have the same effect. I guess I could go back into town and get somebody.”

  The baby was crying, but she didn’t care. At this point in her life, everybody seemed to be crying. Only the training mattered now. After that, she would be free and her job would be done. But before any of that was possible, there had to be a sacrifice.

  “You’re old enough…” she mused. “No, I suppose I had better find a human. Animals won’t cut it.”

  The old lady sighed, and leaned back against the tree, stroking the baby. Emma began to cry harder, but after five minutes she stopped. With a grin, the woman began to stroke the baby’s face.

  “There you go. You’re already learning. Crying won’t help you now.”

  She heard a twig crack behind her and spun around, leaping to her feet. Emma started crying again as the old lady gasped.

  Michael stood there, amidst the buildings, holding a gun pointed directly at her. She glanced around, trying to find the other two, but couldn’t see them anywhere.

  “I’ve come alone,” he said. “This is between us. It always has been.”

  “You do have a touch of the dramatic. You really think you’re so important that this whole thing is just about you?” She shook her head, clicking her tongue. “Teenagers are so conceited, even when they grow up.”

  “I know that I’m important to you.” He took a step forwards, with the gun still raised. “I’m the one that broke the pattern. Say what you like, but I know it kills you inside. Knowing that you messed up. That you’re the flawed one in a line of perfection.”

  “You don’t… you don’t know that.” She growled at him, squeezing the child. “I’m just fine. You don’t understand me. You’re just a snotty, teenage child.”

  Michael shrugged. “At least I’m alive. That’s all that matters right now.”

  “You won’t be for long.”

  “Do you know how many times I’ve heard that from you?” Michael cocked the gun and took another step forwards. There were only a few feet between them. “Put the baby down, on the ground, gently. Or I will shoot you. You know I will. I have no compassion and no mercy for you.”

  She stood there, weighing her options. “What if I give you the baby, and then I kill you? Then I get to have both of my wishes come true.”

  Michael said nothing, but stared at her. The gun was firm in his hands, and never wavered as she began to smile.

  “You’re so serious about things,” she chuckled. “Much too serious. Life is a game! Enjoy it before you’re out.”

  “I’m not here for advice. I’m here for the kid.”

  She bent down, keeping her eyes on Michael the entire time. Slowly, she set the baby on the ground. With a devilish smile, she took a step back.

  “You could chase me, or you could save the baby.” She shrugged. “Take your chances either way. You remember the wolves here. They might show up, they might not. Take your chances. Decide what’s more important. To kill, or to stop the killing.”

  Michael pulled the trigger, but she had already darted to the side and was sprinting away down the creek, using trees and houses as protection from his gun. He looked around for a second. Grabbing the baby, he held it under one arm and chased after her, holding onto the gun with the other.

  “You’ll never catch me!” she yelled in a sing-song voice.

  Michael leapt over a log, and swung around the side of a house. He saw her up ahead, just in front of him. She wasn’t far enough away to escape, but moved too much to hit with a bullet.

  From the corner of his eye, Michael saw Crystal and Brandon emerge from separate houses and run after him. He yelled back, “The plan’s busted! Take the baby.”

  Slowing just a fraction, he set Emma on the ground before taking off at full speed. Without the weight, he was much faster. Somebody was running behind him, and he turned just enough to see Crystal.

  Heart pounding and chest sweaty, he saw the woman veer off to the right, towards what seemed like a mountain trail. She ran upwards, climbing over large rocks as they gained elevation on the hill. Michael followed the same path, avoiding large stones as she threw them back over her shoulder.

  Crystal caught up with him when he slipped on a patch of dirt, and she took the lead. They raced upwards, against gravity and against the steep terrain. The lady threw back a large rock, and it struck Crystal on the head, knocking her over.

  Michael scrambled up beside her, and she shook her head. “Go. I’m fine. Get her.”

  He cast her a worried look, but went on ahead after she punched him in the shoulder. Fighting his way up the rocks, he came to a level spot where the trees died off and there was nothing but a patch of open grass. On three sides, there were large rock walls, built up six feet high. He stood where the fourth wall used to be, feeling the remnants of it beneath his feet.

  The lady was across from his, with her mouth twisted angrily and breathing furiously. She grinned at him, but he saw the deep gash on her thigh, where it had cut through cloth and skin.

  “This is the home of my mother, from long ago. You’ve heard the story of my sisters. This is where our mother started it all. She took the ch
ildren here, and she sacrificed them. She would feed the baby with their bodies, because they had nothing else to live on in this harsh times. The child grew up with her, and was trained properly to be a perfect woman. Now, we carry on the legacy in the old settler town.” She grinned. “I’m glad we have come here in the end. It is a nice place. And now I will have food for the child.”

  Chapter 28

  Home

  “I can kill you without breaking a sweat.” Michael reached down for his belt. “I have my…”

  “Your gun?” She chuckled. “I do believe it fell off while you were climbing the hill. I may or may not have hit it with my rocks.”

  “You weren’t aiming for me at all?” Michael stood confused.

  “Of course not. I’m not lazy.” She bent down in a crouch. “I prefer hand-to-hand combat, so I was leveling the playing field.”

  He shook his head. “But you’re injured.”

  “Below us on one side is the Ohio River,” she said, ignoring his comment. “On all the other sides, there is a deep drop lined with rocks and trees, which we just climbed up. If you fall, you will die. Maybe not at first. But you will be too injured to defend yourself, or better yet unconscious.”

  Michael stepped forward towards her. “I don’t plan on dying today.”

  “I never plan for anything.”

  She lunged forward and attacked him, scratching. Michael backed up, but felt her claw cut into his leg. He fell, and tried to roll to his feet but she was too quick. With one long-nailed hand, she pinned his ankle to the ground. He screamed, as he tried to kick her off.

  Curling up one hand, he swung down and caught her across the jaw, sending her back. Another punch, and she released his ankle. He scurried away, and used the wall to get to his feet. She did the same across from him.

  “I would say our injuries are equal, wouldn’t you?”

  Michael felt along the wall for a second, and found a large chunk of the stone that had eroded from years of harsh elements. He picked up the biggest piece of rubble that he could find, and held it up. “You may want to play fair, but I don’t care how I win. What matters to me is that you die.”

  She sighed. “You’ve disappointed me, Michael. After all of our wonderful battles, you take the low road. We are meant to fight, and to kill, but with good sportsmanship. Cheating is… cheating is not good. Cheating makes me angry.”

  “This isn’t a game!” he yelled. “You tear families apart, kill their children, and destroy human lives. Just to call it a game?”

  “No, I suppose not.” She held her hand up, revealing a knife gripped firmly in her palm. “Might as well cheat, then.”

  They each took a step forward, Michael sweating profusely and limping. She raised the knife up, preparing to attack.

  He threw the stone, hit her squarely in the face. Then he tackled her midsection, punching the air from her lungs and the knife from her hand. There was a scramble, as he lunged for the glinting steel and she bit into his leg. He cried out again, as she clenched her jaw tighter and his leg squirmed, trying to get free. Blood spurted out, and he felt intense waves course through his body.

  As soon as she released, he clawed the grass and made good distance before turning around. She was standing up now, knife in hand, blood covering her face. Her back was to the open wall, as she advanced on him.

  “My daughter is in for a treat,” she grinned. “Tasty.”

  Crystal leapt through the opening, firing a bullet that sailed wildly up in the air, barely missing the old woman’s head. She turned around, roaring, and swiped at Crystal with the knife. Michael tried to climb to his feet, but fell again.

  Crystal and the woman collided, grappling with each other. She got off one more shot, but it missed wide and the gun was knocked out of her hands. The old lady clutched the knife, bringing it down with a roar at Crystal’s throat.

  She darted out of the way, and the knife left only a scrape. Jumping to her feet, Crystal shoved the old lady against the wall and began pushing, even as the blade plunged into her own shoulder.

  A section of the wall fell and dropped down into the river. The old lady screamed as she realized what was happening. Crystal pushed harder, and they both fell. She clutched at Crystal, grabbing onto her knee, and the duo plunged over the side, lifeless bodies bouncing against rocks and into the swirling water below.

  “Crystal!” Michael screamed.

  He crawled over to the edge, sobbing desperately, and put a hand out into the abyss. Not willing to see the deathly scene below, he screamed inaudibly into the blood-soaked grass. He lay there, holding one arm out over the drop, wishing there was somebody there to save.

  Smooth fingers wrapped around his hand, and he picked his head up. Looking over the edge, he saw Crystal, hanging onto a root, struggling to keep herself up. The knife wound was pouring blood, and her face was full of agony.

  “Here!” he yelled, giving her another hand. She grabbed on, almost slipping, but managed to get a grip on his wrists.

  “Kick your feet against the side, and climb up,” he said. “Now! Go. Come on, Crystal.”

  He pulled, and she dug into the rocks with her feet, until finally they both lay on the grass, safe.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She laughed, even though it hurt, and her laughter turned into tears. “Michael.”

  He smiled, holding one hand up to his head. “I know. I know.”

  “It’s finally over.”

  “I love you,” he said.

  “I love you too.”

  “Let’s go find Brandon and tell him.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Which part?”

  “That it’s over.”

  <><><> <><>. <>

  Michael carried the baby, trying to soothe her. Crystal was right beside him. Whenever Michael would start hurting too badly and was unable to continue, he would hand Emma over to Crystal, and when her shoulder hurt too bad it was his turn. Brandon would help Michael steady himself and continue on. They followed the river, knowing it would lead them back to the bridge, and eventually back towards the front of the forest.

  “So nobody died,” Brandon commented. “That’s a first.”

  Michael nodded. Crystal didn’t respond at all. She kept looking nervously at him, trying to read any signs of pain, but Michael’s attention was on making it through the forest.

  “Why did it take us so long to get to the bridge when we were kids?” Crystal asked.

  Michael shrugged. “Shorter legs, I guess. I don’t really know. Maybe we were too scared to go fast.”

  “Seems like a bum answer,” Brandon mumbled.

  “We wandered around, too,” Michael said. “Now, we just follow the river straight there. Back then, we wandered this way and that through the trees.”

  “Christian led the way, remember?” Crystal said with a melancholy smile. “He did really good.”

  There was an awkward silence from the other two. She turned to stare at them. “I’m not gonna break down in tears,” she snapped. “Who do you think I am? Michael?”

  He shook his head with a grin.

  “I can’t believe it’s actually over,” Brandon sighed.

  “Said every person in every movie ever.” Michael stopped, wincing. “Can you take her?”

  He handed the baby to Crystal, and Brandon came over to support him. They carried on.

  “What are we gonna do when we give Daniel the baby?” Crystal asked.

  Brandon shrugged. “We’ll figure it out later. Let’s just get there first. I don’t wanna think yet.”

  It took them the better part of that day, but they finally emerged from the forest as darkness was settling over the town. They climbed into the car, weary and injured. Crystal held Emma in the back, wrapping her arms tightly around the baby as they drove. Brandon made some joke about getting pulled over and having to explain themselves, but nobody laughed. It wasn’t the time.

  They pulled into Daniel’s driveway around ten o�
�clock. The TV light was flickering through the curtain, and they could hear the faint sound of crowd laughter on some sitcom. The three of them approached the door slowly, anxiously. Crystal was still holding the baby, who sucked on her own thumb and seemed quite content.

  Michael took a deep breath, and then knocked on the door. There was movement inside, and they heard Lucy say, “I’ve got it!” but Daniel told her no, firmly.

  He came to the door, and pulled it open slowly. Once he saw Michael, he grinned.

  “How are you doing?” His eyes fell to Crystal, and then to the baby she was holding.

  “Daniel, we brought you somebody.”

  “Oh my God…”

  He stepped forwards, taking Emma lightly in his arms. She giggled and stuck her tongue out. Daniel began to cry, stepping back into the house and finding a seat on the floor. He leaned against the couch and held Emma to his chest, sobbing. Lucy came around the edge of the couch and shouted “Emmy!” before joining in on the hug.

  “You don’t… you don’t understand,” he said weakly. “I… She…”

  “Daniel, She’s gone. We beat her.” Michael smiled at him.

  Crystal wrapped her arm around him, taken by the moment. There was nothing to say. Michael extended over and punched Brandon in the shoulder. He turned and hugged Michael from the other side. There was nothing to say.

  Chapter 29

  Hardy

  It was that next morning, sometime between breakfast and lunch, when they all stood in Daniel’s living room. He was seated with his two children on the couch, the same place he’d once kissed his wife, watched the television, taken a nap, any number of mundane activities he’d once taken for granted. Emma was crawling on the floor, her eyebrows perking up whenever her dad talked. Lucy was sitting on his lap, stroking his grizzled chin with her tiny fingers.