by Angie West
Nine minutes later, I dried my hands on a dishtowel and began the countdown. “Five, four, three, two—”
“Claire, I’m calling the police!”
“And there it is.”
“Claire!”
“In the kitchen! And keep your voice down, Ashley is sleeping.”
“We have to call the police.” He was already reaching for the phone.
“Wait! Why do we have to call the police? What’s wrong?”
“Come look. No, wait. I have to check the house first. Lock the door and get your gun.”
“Mike, what the hell?”
“Just trust me please. Where’s the gun?”
“In my room, but—”
“Go get it.”
“Fine. Just...fine. But you had better have a damned good reason for this,” I warned as we strode down the hallway where the bedrooms were located.
“I do.”
“I don’t suppose you’d like to tell me what it is,” I grumbled.
“In a minute. First, let’s secure the house.”
“You first.” I waved him out of my bedroom doorway. He started at the back of the house, methodically checking each room, Rambo-style. Next he checked the living room and the den, and finally, the bedrooms, saving Ashley’s room for last.
“Oh, no. You are not going in her room.”
“I need to check her bedroom,” he argued with a hard edge to his voice.
“Well, I don’t want you taking that gun in there. If she wakes up and sees that, it will terrify her.”
“You’re right. You take it. Keep it where you can get to it quickly.”
I took the weapon and tucked it into the waistband of my jeans as we crept into her room. We peered into the closet and behind the door. Mike even looked under her bed.
“Mommy?”
“Shh…go back to sleep,” I whispered.
“What’s going on?”
“Everything is fine, sweetie. Your uncle Mike is just acting like a nut-job. Go back to sleep.”
“Okay. Hi, Uncle Mike,” she murmured sleepily.
“Hi, honey. Go to sleep now, you’re safe.” He need not have worried, her eyes were already drifting closed as we shut the door.
“Okay, we’ve checked out the entire house. Now what in the hell is going on?” I demanded.
“Come outside and take a look for yourself.” He led the way out the front door and around the side of the house, stopping just outside of Ashley’s window.
“Look at the grass by the hedges.”
“Mike, you said yourself that could have been an animal.”
“And look up here, at her window.” He swung the flashlight up to about chest level to the windowsill. The blood rushed to my head and a metallic taste filled my mouth. Scratches bore into the smooth white trim of the window, around the bottom, and halfway up the windowpane near the lock.
“What…?”
“Look at the glass, Claire. Right there.” The light switched to both sides of the window in turn, and I gasped when I noticed the handprints.
“Oh my God.”
“Someone tried to get into this window.”
Long moments ticked by as the implications struck home. We stared at each other; anger and dread met and held.
“I’m calling the police,” I announced.
***
“So you didn’t actually see anyone leaving the yard?”
“No, not exactly. I saw a shadow, and some movement, but no, I can’t say for sure if it was a man or not.”
“Why do you refer to the alleged as a man?”
“How many women do you know that lurk about and try to break into houses in the night?”
“You would be surprised, ma’am,” Officer Jones informed me. I disliked him instantly and I was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. He had a cocky air about him that I didn’t find one bit appealing. Or reassuring. I got the impression that we were little more than a case number to him. It was a lot like talking to one of those automated phone systems you had to wade through in order to get a live person.
“Is there anyone you know who would be angry with you, or want to hurt you or your family?”
“Yes.” I sighed.
“Yes?”
“Unfortunately, several people come to mind.”
“Old boyfriends? Co-workers?”
“No. Old bosses. You must be new.” I rubbed my eyes. “Last year, my house was turned into a stake out location. My old boss, John Hanlen, paid men to hide out here and wait for me.”
“Why were they waiting for you, ma’am? Did you call the police?”
“They were probably waiting to kill me. And no, I didn’t call the police. I dropped off anonymous evidence of my boss’s money laundering at a police station and went into hiding.”
“And you did this anonymously, you say?” He looked skeptical.
“Yes, I was scared at the time.”
“What’s changed?”
“He’s in jail now.”
“How do you know there were men in your home, Ms. Roberts?”
“Because your boys found one of them laying in my backyard. Looked like they had turned on each other, or a third party had attacked them. I really don’t know what happened. The police never said.”
“So what you’re saying is you have enemies.”
I didn’t like the way he said it, like it was my fault. “No more than most people, I suspect. But I haven’t had any trouble since John was arrested. Until now.”
“Any other incidents you want to tell me about?”
“No. Nothing else has happened before tonight.”
“Thank you, ma’am. We will call you if we have any more questions. If you have any further trouble, don’t hesitate to call again.”
“What about the prints on the window, Officer?”
“Don’t worry, we’ve already had them lifted. They’ll be analyzed by a lab technician. It could take up to a week. But hopefully we can get a positive I.D. on the set. It’s a good set of prints. It all depends on the alleged being in the data base currently.”
“You mean if he has a prior criminal record.”
“Or if he—or she—holds a government job. But I have to warn you, no break in has occurred, and none of your property was stolen or damaged…although the scratches on your window frame could potentially fall into the category of vandalism.”
“I understand. Thank you for coming out to take the statement, Officer Jones.”
“Lock your doors and keep your cell phone handy. We will be in touch.”
I did as he suggested and locked the door behind him, setting the alarm for good measure.
“Mike, did you get all of that?”
“Yes. How do you feel?”
“Exhausted. It’s after midnight and Ashley has school tomorrow.”
“Go to bed, Claire. I’ll stay up for a while.”
“Sounds like a plan. Set the alarm before you leave, please.”
“No way. I’m staying the night. I’ll sleep on the couch.” He stretched out on my sofa and tucked an arm beneath his head.
“If you think it’s necessary.” I smiled. My brother, the guardian.
“I’ll feel better if I stay here, yes. Now go get some sleep.”
“Goodnight, Mike.” I padded down the hall and made quick work of my bedtime routine, changing clothes and washing my face in less than three minutes, secretly grateful that he had insisted on spending the night. I checked on Ashley one final time before climbing into bed. It was a miracle that she had slept through the turmoil of the evening.
“Just a kid playing a prank,” I mumbled, wrapping the thick comforter snugly around myself. Too bad I didn’t really believe it.
***
The smoke was so thick it was hard to breathe. The pale curtains Marta had sewn for my room erupted in bright flame as the glass in the window began to pop and crack. I could see myself in the heated glass, my reflection distorted and horrified. In the next i
nstant, it shattered with a hiss and a spray of shards. I had to get out of the house. I had to get to Bob and Ashley and Marta before the whole house went up like a torch. I stumbled from room to room, calling for them in turn, desperate to find them, but they were gone….
They must have made it out of the house, I thought in a numb state of shock. I all but fell through the front door, gasping and choking. Where was my family? I searched the front of the grounds to no avail; they were gone and I was frantic. And then the smoke cleared. Blue mist rose from the street in front of me in wisps that curled into the warm night. The stores, the library, the streets of Grandview were all familiar to me. Light glowed in the distance and I ran in that direction to investigate, only to stop short halfway across the square. The fences were on fire.
“Claire, wake up.” Mike was shaking me, and it was a wonder I didn’t leap from the bed in shock.
“I’m up. I’m up. You can stop that now!” I shoved him away from me and tucked my hair behind my ears.
“That must have been some dream. Care to share?”
“Mhhh.” I yawned. “What time is it?”
“Six-thirty. Your alarm hasn’t even gone off yet.”
“Thank God I’m not late.”
“No, you’re getting an early start to the day, if not a pleasant one. What were you dreaming of?”
“Grandview…I dreamt there was a terrible fire in Bob and Marta’s old place. Next thing I knew, I was in Bell Ridge by the town square and the fences were on fire.”
“The protected fences?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “Do you think a fire would destroy them?”
“Hard to say. I doubt it though. The protection spells that were cast on those fences were supposed to be very powerful.”
“True,” I agreed as I unfolded myself from my bed and crossed to my closet. “The fences that enclosed the protected zones had a shimmer, both on the actual wood and around it, remember?”
“Yes, and if I recall correctly, none of Kahn’s beasts could even get through that barrier to the wood of the fence beneath.”
“So the fences wouldn’t ever catch fire, would they?”
“In theory, no, they should not be able to catch fire. Unless the protection spells were to somehow wear off or be removed.”
“Do spells wear off?”
“You’re asking me? Now how would I know a crazy thing like that? Really, Claire.” He sauntered from the room, laughing at me as he went.
“Oh, sure— that’s crazy!” I yelled after his retreating form.
I took my time dressing for the day in casual clothing and low heels. After I dropped Ashley off at school, I had to go to Plant and Herb’s downtown headquarters to do a formal meet and greet with the staff and get my first assignment. The day was a polar opposite from what I had been doing for the past several years, and I found myself welcoming the change of pace. Despite the previous night, my spirits were high as I pulled up in front of Ashley’s elementary school an hour later.
“Who’s picking me up from school?”
“I am. I will be here at two-thirty to get you.”
“What about your job?” Ashley questioned with wide eyes.
“I got a new job, remember? Now I can pick you up from school every day.”
“Yay!” She bounced in her seat and graced me with a gap-toothed smile. “Can we go out for ice cream after school?”
“We’ll see,” I grinned. “Now go on before you’re late. Your teacher wouldn’t like that, would she?”
“Nope. Bye, Mama!” The car door clicked loudly as she slammed it and practically flew up the walkway and through the elementary school’s wide double doors. I couldn’t help but be proud. She was such a different child from the one I had found wandering the streets of Haelport over a year ago. She was a happier child. More secure, and thus, more outgoing and sure of herself.
Even though Ashley’s transformation hadn’t come overnight, but gradually by hard won degrees, it still amazed me. She had been so quiet, scared, and depressed at first. Could a six-year-old be depressed? At any rate, she barely said two words to anyone during the first three months she had lived among the Roberts clan. She’d wet her bed frequently and had nightmares several times a month. Normal bad dreams, near as I could tell. Monsters and chasing and dogs with giant teeth. Although, I reasoned as I swung into Plant and Herb’s parking garage, there might have been something more to the “dogs with giant teeth” that used to run through her dreams. It made me wonder if, at some point, she had seen the Retrievers in action.
I shifted the car into park and closed my eyes for a moment, letting the memory wash over me. We were speeding along a darkened street, so many nights ago….
“Do you know what the Retrievers are?”
“No.” Silence.
“Do you want to know what the Retrievers are?” he asked slowly.
“Not really, no.” More silence.
“Well, they are not as bad as the Naule.”
“Huh.” I shifted in my seat and pressed my lips into a thin line, having had enough for one day. At that moment, I did not want to hear another word about Kahn, the Naule, scavengers, or any other beast. I was covered in scrapes and bruises and had gravel lodged in places that were better left unsaid. I just wanted to go home and take a hot shower.
We were halfway through the forest when the first howl sounded in the distance. I jerked forward in my seat. “What was that?”
“Shit. Hang on.” Mark hit the gas and the car shot forward past the trees. I dared a glance at the speedometer and immediately wished I hadn’t. We were at ninety miles an hour and the needle continued to climb. I took a deep breath and fixed my gaze on the center console. Anything was better than watching the trees fly past in a green blur. I was careful not to look at the speedometer again too, and added “how fast we are going” to my mental list of things I did not want to know. Two more mournful howls sounded in the approaching night and I cast another worried glance Mark’s way.
“What is that?” I shouted over the noise of the engine.
“The Retrievers.”
“Wolves?”
“No.”
“Dogs.”
“Not exactly,” he hedged.
“Oh, man.” I was fast learning that when the people of Terlain did not quite know how to describe something, it was usually very bad.
The small dog in the middle of the road took us both by surprise. It was a golden-furred animal with round dark eyes in an even rounder face. Actually, it was very cute.
“Don’t hit it!” I cried out.
Mark swerved around the animal, nearly losing control of the car in the process. We missed a large tree by a matter of inches and I was thrown roughly against the dash as he struggled for control of the vehicle.
“Ouch!” I rubbed my bruised wrist for a second before resuming my death grip on the door handle. “Hell with it—hit it next time!”
“That is a very bad idea!” he yelled back.
I was alarmed all over again when he glanced in the rear view mirror and went pale all of a sudden.
“Mark? What is it? What’s wrong?” I craned my neck to see what had spooked him so bad.
“What’s the matter? It’s just the dog. He is trying to follow us. He must be lost. I think that we can slow down now.” Before you kill us both, I silently added.
“That’s no dog. It’s a Retriever.”
I turned back to get a better look at the animal, noticing that it looked remarkably similar to the golden retriever breed of puppy that was so popular in my world. Of course, it was much smaller and rounder in the face than a true golden retriever.
“That tiny thing? You have got to be….” I trailed off and gripped the back of the seat as the dog began to take on an entirely new and sinister shape. The tiny muscles along its back began to bulge and shift. Its soulful howl became a bone-chilling snarl as it transformed before my eyes. The animal’s head elongated and its eyes became black slits in
its lean face.
“Oh my God….”
“Don’t look at it, just hang on.”
“It’s half the size of the car, Mark!” It was also fast and gaining ground on us by the second. I dropped back into my seat and held onto the armrests until my knuckles turned white.
“Plan?” I managed to croak.
“We just have to make it to the fence.”
A break in the trees ahead revealed a telltale shimmer. “How far?” I swallowed.
“A hundred yards to the north, give or take.”
“We are never going to make it. Slow down.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m serious! Slow down to sixty-five or seventy and get off the road. It will have a harder time following us if we put trees between it and us.”
Mark glanced in the mirror again and nodded. “You’re right.” He eased his foot off the gas pedal and the car began to slow. “There should be a spot up ahead where the trees break off.”
“Hurry, Mark!”
“There!” He steered the car toward the empty space to the left.
A beast appeared seemingly out of thin air in front of us. Its massive paws thudded against the ground in front of the car, effectively blocking our path. The beast that had been chasing us stopped behind the car and began to casually lick its paw. There was nothing else for Mark to do but hit the brakes. Swerving in either direction would have meant crashing into a tree at fifty-five miles per hour.
His hand gripped the steering wheel while I still clutched the dashboard.
“What now?” I whispered without taking my eyes from the beast in front of us.
Before Mark could answer me, the Retriever at the front of the car bared its teeth and lashed out with one paw. I screamed as the entire front bumper gave way.
“Get out of the car!” Mark ordered. “Get out now!”
I reached for the door handle without a second thought and had one foot on the ground when I felt Mark pull me back. The animal lunged at the car again and the next thing I knew, we were airborne.
“Get down!” He wedged me into the driver’s seat next to him and we hit the ground with enough force to knock us into the back seat. Blood pooled to my head and I was disoriented for a minute before reality set in. The car was upside down.
“Mark! Are you okay?”