She was no longer watching. She was no longer a threat. She was dead.
Daniel found two pieces of paper and wrote out letters to Michael, Crystal, and Brandon. He went inside, found their addresses in his pile of notes, and then set the completed letters aside until the next morning when he would drive into town.
To Brandon Gray,
I hope you and your family are doing well. I haven’t heard from you in a long time, but I thought I would write this once. See, a couple of things have changed recently. If you’ve been looking over your shoulder for the last 20 years as I have, that can all stop now.
She is dead. We are safe.
Your kids are safe, Brandon. Your family is safe. Everything she took has been avenged. You’ve been so brave for so many years. You were always the one to crack a joke when we needed it. You kept your group of friends strong.
I’m writing to Michael and Crystal as well, telling them to meet up with me sometime soon. I’m thinking we could all head over to Madison? It’s about an hour from here, and right on the Ohio. It’s exactly like Marcy used to be, in the good old days, only there’s no ghosts. That I know of.
Anyways, I hope you can make it. I’d love to see you again. Take care of your family and have a good evening.
From,
(Detective) Daniel Smith
To Michael and Crystal Walker,
Congratulations on the pregnancy! I’m so happy for you two. I can’t imagine how wonderful the kid will be. Do you know the gender or the name yet? I’m so happy for the two of you.
The real reason I’m writing is to tell you what I told Bandon. If you’ve been looking over your shoulder for the last 20 years like me, that can all stop now.
She is dead. We are safe.
I told Brandon already, but I’d love for you all to come down to Madison, Indiana, and we can all see each other one last time. I don’t have much time left, I don’t think, and I’m trying to do my best to make up for everything that slipped away. I also can’t wait to make fun of your white hair, Michael. Crystal, I’m sure you’re as pretty as ever.
I want to thank you two for everything. I’ll never forget, and I’ll never be able to repay all the debts I owe to you. I owe my family, and my life, to your ingenuity, faithfulness, and boldness. I hope you two understand how amazing you are.
I hope to see you again soon, but if for whatever reason I don’t then let me end with this thought:
It only takes one person to destroy the world, but it takes a group to build it back up. Keep your friends as close as family.
You are heroes. I am eternally thankful.
From,
(Detective) Daniel Smith
P.S. I’ve always thought Danielle would be a good name, if it’s a girl. I’m kidding.
He folded up the papers, nodding. There was nothing left to say. Their story was, at long last, finished. Stepping back to his window, he stared out at the forest. There would always be terrible things in the woods, in the dark. But as long as there was darkness, there would be light.
All was well.
A Letter From The Author
I have one more request to make! If you enjoyed this book -and I certainly hope you did- please leave a review on Amazon. It helps me to get better, bumps the book up the charts, and really just makes everything better. So if you have a minute, go leave a star and write a one sentence paragraph. That’ll do :)
If you do leave a review on there, email me at [email protected] and I’ll give you a free, short story! This is just to thank you, it’s not “payment” for the review.
Some of you might be the kind of reader who likes listening to things, rather than reading it. If so, I have the perfect thing for you! It’s called The Fear Podcast, and it’s available at most podcast places, like iTunes and Google Play or Android. If none of that works for you, go check the episodes out on my website, davidkummer.com. You can listen to any episode, because they’re all free!
Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter and friend me on Facebook! David Kummer is the name, and I can’t wait to get connected with you. New fans, yay!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
My name is David Duane Kummer. I'm a freshman in high school, with a published novel and a collection of short stories. I live in a small, river-town on the Ohio River in southern Indiana. Along with taking care of younger siblings (I have eight total), I make time for writing in between school and sports.
I've been writing since I was young, with As Trees Turned Away being my first published work and She being my first published novel. Along with writing, I am an avid reader and watcher of all things horror, and enjoy writing reviews on them for others who might want to know my opinion on them.
When I'm not writing, I enjoy talking with my hilarious friends and amazing girlfriend, spending time with my loving family, watching movies, and working out to burn all of the calories I get from binge-eating Hawaiian Rolls. Those things are really addicting, am I right? I'd rather get paid in those than money.
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