She left the outside lights burning and rechecked the locks. Feeling her heart pounding she reminded herself she was only feeling the anxiety of being alone. “I’ll be okay. I’ve lived here for months,” she stated as she stared at the basement door.
The door had never had a lock. It didn’t bother her until that night. “I’m going into town tomorrow to buy a lock for the door.” With the outside doors locked and the shades pulled she felt as secure as she could. Halfway up the stairs she realized there was no way she could sleep upstairs alone. She ran the rest of the way up, grabbed her nightgown, robe, pillow, and a quilt from the linen closet.
Settled on the sofa with soft music playing and the hallway light burning, she drifted off to sleep.
#####
Kellie headed for a long soak in her tub. Feeling tired, she dried off, slipped on a nightgown, and headed for bed. Kellie was asleep in minutes.
She drifted into a deep sleep.
Kellie heard Katrina May’s voice, “Please come with me. You must know what happened to us before the others find out.”
“What others?”
“The brothers are with Andrew and the evil Mr. Carnfelder.”
“The Shuland brothers killed the same night the Carnfelder nephew died?” Kellie murmured.
“Yes, they are here, too. They have been quiet. Only Mr. Carnfelder and Andrew walk the cemetery at night. Now that you are going to help us, the brothers are helping. They frighten me terribly, Miss Kellie. Please come. We are all afraid.”
Kellie took Katrina May’s hand and walked down the hill to the cemetery under the bridge.
She stood next to the little girl and watched spirits float up out of the ground. They moved close together and Kellie couldn’t count how many there were standing in front of her.
“What do they want, Katrina May?”
“You need to keep them safe from the Shuland brothers. They don’t want to be hurt again.”
Kellie staring at the figures in front of her asked Katrina May, “I don’t mean to sound uncaring, but they’re dead. Tell me how he can hurt them?”
“Mr. Carnfelder was here. He said he can take each of us away to a place where we would be all alone. No one would ever find us, and we’d never be able to go into the light,” Katrina May said as she began to cry.
“I won’t let that happen.”
“You are all alone. I know you need help.”
“My friends are coming soon and they will help.”
Kellie heard quiet sobs coming from the spirits in front of her.
#####
Claudia woke with a start.
“Yes, I understand. Watch if you are able.” Her answer to her spirit guide was silent.
She reached for her phone and called Kellie’s cell. No answer. She tried Kellie’s landline and also received no answer. Claudia’s third call was to Taylor.
The phone woke Hunter from a deep sleep, and he mumbled, “Hello.”
“This is Claudia. I need to speak to Taylor immediately.”
“Who is it?” Taylor asked.
“It’s Claudia for you.” He handed her the phone.
“It’s Taylor. What’s wrong with Kellie? Yes, I understand. I have keys, and I’ll go right now.”
Taylor was pulling on her robe as she told Hunter. “We have to get to Kellie. Claudia believes her spirit is with that little girl buried under the bridge. She may be in danger. We have to help her.”
Hunter followed Taylor down the stairs and out the door. “How can we help, she’s two hours away.”
“No, she isn’t. She’s asleep, but Katrina May’s spirit has somehow taken Kellie’s sleeping mind to the cemetery. We need to coax her gently back before she gets hurt.”
She unlocked Kellie’s front door, and Rufus met her barking madly. “It’s okay boy, it’s us.”
Rufus ran half-way up the stairs, stopped, turned, and barked again.
“I think he knows something’s wrong,” Hunter said as he followed Taylor to Kellie’s room. When they got to her bedroom doorway, they could see Kellie deep asleep.
#####
“Why are they crying?” Kellie asked.
Katrina May led Kellie closer to the group of spirits so she could see their faces. Many were deformed, and some still had rope around their necks.
“What happened to them?” Kellie fought back tears as she looked at the sad, frightened faces.
“The medicine Mr. Carnfelder gave us did terrible things to us before we died. We became sick or lost use of our arms and legs. One lady, Miss Crawford, was burned by the medicine he put on her skin, and her burned skin fell off. They hung the people with ropes around their necks for witchcraft. No one was a witch.”
“I know none of them were witches and his medicine made them act strangely. Their families thought they were witches. I’m sorry they were hung. Can you tell me what happened to you?” Kellie looked down at the little girl holding her hand.
Katrina May dropped her head and spoke. “Mr. Carnfelder forced me to drink something that tasted bitter. Nothing happened. He said he failed and let me go. By the time, I reached home my body felt as if it were on fire inside and out. I was screaming that I was on fire and ran past our house to the creek. It was autumn and cold outside. I jumped in the creek. My skin felt cold, but I was still burning inside. My older brother ran down to help. I told him I had been in the cemetery and felt fire burning me. He said I was playing with witchcraft as some of the others. I screamed and told him I wasn’t. I told him Mr. Carnfelder gave me medicine. He said I must have drunk a potion. I saw his face when he grabbed my shoulders. His eyes were sad, but he said I was a witch, and he held me under the water until I drown.”
Kellie could hear the small girl begin to cry.
“What is your surname Katrina May?”
“Daniels, will that help you?”
“I’m not sure, but if I have your name I can get others to believe me. When my friends come, we will get all your names. I’ll help you into the light, and no one will ever believe you were crazy or practiced witchcraft.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, just as I promised before.”
Katrina May hugged Kellie. “I don’t want you to leave.”
#####
Hunter stood and watched Kellie sleep. “How do we get her to wake up? Did Claudia tell you?”
“Claudia said to sit with her and hold her hand. We should speak softly to her. We need to break Katrina May’s hold on Kellie. She’s attached to her and wants her to stay.”
Hunter shook his head. “No, she belongs here with us. Let’s each take a hand.”
They held her hands and spoke to her asking her to come back to them. “I don’t know what to say,” Taylor whispered.
“Let’s just keep telling her we love and need her. It may make her stronger. It has in the past.”
#####
Kellie was standing in the cemetery not understanding Katrina May. Her voice seemed distant. Katrina May’s hand tried to hold Kellie’s, but it slowly slipped out of hers.
Kellie’s eyes fluttered and then opened. She screamed.
“It’s only us,” Hunter said as he jumped away from the bed.
“I can see that now, but when I first opened my eyes you were a bit blurry and in my bedroom in the middle of the night. What’s going on?” Kellie asked.
“Do you remember your dream? Claudia called us and said Katrina May had entered your dream and taken you to that cemetery under the bridge. We were supposed to talk to you to get you to come back. I was afraid you would never return.” Taylor blinked away her tears.
Kellie sat up. “I do remember a dream. All the spirits were there.”
The doorbell rang, and Hunter hurried down to see who would be there at four in the morning.
Kellie continued, “Thank you for getting me back. Katrina May wanted me to stay. She said her last name was Daniels. I need to find out if there was a Katrina May Daniels living in Prairieville
before we try and help them. If there was, we would know this is real. The college library should help.”
Hunter hurried back into the room. “Claudia was at the door. This will help keep you from being pulled away while you sleep.” He handed Kellie an amulet on a gold chain. She slipped it over her head.
Chapter Fifteen
As Kellie was dreaming of being at the cemetery with Katrina May, Marilyn was deep in her own dream.
“Wake up, princess.” Marilyn sighed in her sleep as her dream prince dismounted and walked to her bedside. “Wake up now, princess.”
“I’m awake,” she answered.
She drifted back into her dream.
Fingers dug in her shoulder and shook her. “I said wake up.”
Her eyes flew open, and she stared into the dark eyes of whoever leaned over her wearing a ski mask.
A hand covered her mouth before she could scream. “Don’t bother screaming. No one can hear you up here, and it’ll make me angry. Get up and get dressed now.”
The clothes she wore the day before lay on the living room chair. She slipped into her jeans and sweater.
“Put on your shoes and jacket.” Marilyn complied although her shaking hands had difficulty connecting the zipper ends as she tried to zip her jacket.
“Hurry up,” the gruff voiced yelled.
Marilyn flinched.
When Marilyn saw him pull out a roll of duct tape, her fear turned to panic. She dropped to the floor and crawled under the table.
“Get out from under there,” the masked man demanded.
“Not until you put the duct tape away please. I can’t breathe through my nose well, and I’ll suffocate if you tape my mouth.” She tried to reach him with compassion, if he had any.
“Okay, if you promise not to scream.” He swung the tape roll around his finger while he spoke to her.
She moved to crawl out, stopped, and said, “You’re not going to tape my eyes are you?”
“Not if you come out now. If I have to drag you out, I’m going to tape your arms to your body and your entire face.”
Marilyn crawled out, and he taped her hands together and pulled a bandana from his pocket. He used it to blindfold her. “If you pull this off, I’ll tape your eyes.”
Afraid to speak, she nodded in agreement. Her heart was pounding, and her knees felt weak.
He grabbed her by the arm and led her out to his car. Opening the trunk, he picked her up and placed her in the trunk. “Remember, no screaming,” he said as he slammed the trunk.
She felt the car drive down her drive and turn left onto the road, and a minute later make a right turn. He was heading away from town out into the country. Marilyn felt hopelessness overcome her. She knew they would never find her if he took her out into a rural area. Panic returned, and her sense of dread increased. She was going to die. “God help me,” she prayed out loud.
#####
Marilyn could reach the small flashlight she kept in her pocket. She pushed the blindfold up above her eyes and scanned the trunk. It was empty. There was nothing to let her know who had kidnapped her. Since her kidnapping at age six, Marilyn had read everything she could about keeping safe to avoid another attack. She had never read how to avoid being kidnapped out of her sleep.
She thought, “Calm down, remember what they taught you in the safety class.” She scanned looking for a trunk release but couldn’t see one. “Now what? I can’t reach the tail light to try and push it out. Even if I could, I’m not sure I could fit my hands in and wave. Why did he have to tape them so tightly?”
Marilyn sighed and felt the car turn left. She felt gravel under the tires and knew they didn’t turn onto the highway. He was taking her deeper into the country. After a few minutes, the gravel turned into a bumpy road. Marilyn assumed it was an old dirt hunting road. Five minutes later the car stopped. When she heard the engine turn off, she quickly flipped off the flashlight, slipped it back into her pocket, and pulled the blindfold back over her eyes.
A moment later the trunk lid opened. Fresh, cool air hit her face, and it felt and smelled wonderful.
“Okay,” said the male voice, “we’re here. I’m going to help you out, and then you’re going to walk next to me. I won’t let you fall.”
He scooped Marilyn out of the trunk as if she were a doll and placed her on the ground. She heard the trunk slam and an arm grab the sleeve of her coat. “Come on, this way.”
She felt rough dirt under her feet and then she thought she was walking on grass. “There are two steps here. I’ll just pull you up. It’ll be easier than if you try to walk.” Two strong arms grabbed hers and lifted her up both steps. “Okay, it’s about three steps to the door. Be careful now, step over the threshold.”
Marilyn obeyed and felt warm air as she walked into a structure of some kind. She was guided across a room and heard a door open. He told her to walk forward two steps and stop. She obeyed. “This is your room. Don’t try to escape. The door locks, and both windows are boarded up. Hold out your hands.”
She did what he said, and felt him cut the tape. “Don’t move until you hear the door close and the lock click. Then you can remove the blindfold and tape. You can also make yourself comfortable. You’re going to be here for a while.”
She heard the door close and lock.
#####
Marilyn pulled the blindfold from her eyes and the tape off her wrists. Her eyes scanned back and forth trying to take in where she was being held. She could see the building was old and similar to the hunting cabins she had seen around the countryside. That’s where the similarity ended.
Everything else in the room appeared new. Two windows were boarded up with new lumber. The carpet, bed, dresser, and the table near the door looked unused. The bed had new white sheets and gray wool blanket. The bathroom was a strange combination of archaic and new. The toilet and sink were old and rusty. The recently installed makeshift shower sat in the corner. Marilyn could see that the handles and shower head were shiny. The rubber shower floor also was spotless without any rust or discoloring.
She stood back and surveyed the bathroom. “Someone wants to keep me here for a while the way he said,” she said. Feeling bile rise in her throat, she fought the increasing panic. Not being able to control her panic, she became ill and was grateful to be in the bathroom. After her stomach had settled, she splashed her face with water that had a slight brown tinge. She cringed thinking about drinking or showering using that water.
“I can’t stay here. How am I going to get out? Maybe there’s something in the closet.” She opened the closet door and caught her breath. Six pairs of jeans and six blue sweatshirts hung neatly in the closet along with a jacket and a rain poncho. A pair of hiking boots sat on the floor. When she noticed they were all her size, her fear intensified. “They want to keep me forever.”
Sitting on the bed to calm her nerves she stared at the dresser. She was afraid to see if they had stocked it with things for her, but she was more afraid not to look. Marilyn forced herself to walk to the dresser and open the drawers. Six pairs of white panties and six white bras still in the packages were in the top drawer. The next drawer held three nightgowns in pale colors. There was nothing exciting about any of them. They were the things one would find at a department or discount store. No one would look at a man buying these items. They were nondescript. He might be buying them for his mother. Perhaps they were ordered on-line. Someone had put a lot of thought into kidnapping her. When they realize she’s missing, no one will discover a trail. Pulling open the bottom drawer she found every personal item she would need.
She sat back on the bed taking a deep cleansing breath. She whispered, “At least the underthings are basic. No sexy things he might force me to wear. Maybe I won’t be abused before they kill me.” The idea seemed ludicrous to her, and she began to laugh. “Get a grip on yourself, Marilyn,” she scolded. “You need to stay level headed if you’re going to survive.”
She stood and looked a
t the books on the table. They were old used paperbacks. Westerns and adventure books were placed in a neat pile. She turned back toward the bed and didn’t know how she had missed it when she first walked into the room. Sitting on the nightstand was a laptop. She grabbed it and saw a note taped on top.
You’re welcome to use this to write your stories, but there’s no internet out here. You can’t connect to any WiFi service. It is a privilege. If you act up, the laptop will be removed. Remember that and every rule I tell you in the coming days.
She now knew without a doubt he meant to keep her. She wrapped her arms around the laptop and pulled it close. Marilyn lay on the bed. Exhaustion overtook her, and she drifted off to sleep.
#####
Voices woke her, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying. From the tone, she could tell one was angry. Both voices were male. She crept out of bed to the door and tried to listen. She caught a word or two, but nothing she could put together. When she heard the name Shuland her breath caught and her heart began to race. She rushed back to the bed and pulled the blanket over her. Were they talking about him in passing or was he somehow responsible even if he was dead? Maybe a vengeful relative blamed her. Her fear and panic turned to terror. Marilyn was sure she was going to die and prayed it would be quick and painless.
#####
“Listen,” the male voice said, “I don’t like the idea of keeping her here. You kidnapped her, but if they come around and find us, I’ll be blamed. Kidnapping is life without parole. Why, just so you can make the Price family pay?” He stomped from one end of the room to the other.
The second voice spoke. “Relax. The Price family is the last to pay for what it did to the Shuland family. If my great-great-grandfather hadn’t escaped the horror, I wouldn’t be here. He would have been tortured and killed in the cemetery with his father, uncle, and the Carnfelder nephew.” He pushed back in the old wooden rocker and let it rock forward before stopping it with his feet.
Abandoned Souls Page 13