by Amy Cross
Luke turns and sees her, but I grab his arm.
“Don't say anything,” I whisper.
We sit in silence for a moment, watching as Alice walks to the door. Her eyes are wide open, but she seems somehow dazed, and when she gets to the door she starts struggling with the handle as if she's trying to get outside.
“It's him,” Luke says, getting to his feet. “He's in her head.”
“Wait!” I hiss. “We need to -”
“Alice!” he calls out, hurrying over to her and pulling her away from the door. Swinging her around, he sets her back down on the bed and kneels in front of her, and then he gently taps the side of her face. “Alice, it's me! It's Daddy! Can you hear me?”
She stares at him, but there's no hint of recognition.
“Alice, say something,” he continues. “Please, Alice, just let me know you're okay in there.”
Her lips move slightly, but it's hard to make out what she says.
“Speak up a little, sweetheart,” Luke tells her. “Daddy needs to -”
“Water,” she gasps suddenly.
“You're thirsty?”
He leans over to the table and grabs one of the glass water bottles, quickly handing it to her.
“There you are,” he says with a smile. “Don't worry, Alice. Daddy's here, and Daddy's not going to let anyone hurt you.”
She stares at him, before slowly turning the water bottle upside down and letting its contents dribble out onto the floor.
“Luke,” I say cautiously, getting to my feet, “I think you should keep back from her.”
“What's wrong, Alice?” he continues, putting his hands on either side of her face. “Talk to Daddy, sweetheart. Alice, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's scaring you.”
Her eyes are still fixed on him, but I swear there's a hint of hatred in her gaze.
“Luke, come away,” I stammer, reaching out to grab his shoulder. “I don't think she's -”
Suddenly she lunges at him, swinging the glass bottle at his face. He falls back and she lands on him, and she quickly smashes the bottle against the wall before turning the broken shards around in her hand and slicing them down toward his face. Before she can hit him, however, I grab her arm and pull her away, forcing the glass from her hand. She struggles, trying to bite my hand and kick my chest, but I reach around her waist and drag her onto the bed as Luke stumbles to his feet.
“Let go of me!” Alice screams, trying again and again to bite me. “I won't stop until I kill you! Either that, or you have to come to Malmarbor and face me!”
“That's not Alice,” Luke stammers, staring at her with a growing sense of shock. “She'd never -”
Suddenly she manages to bite my arm. I let out a gasp of pain, but I refuse to let go of her. Instead, I lean back on the bed and keep my arms wrapped around her struggling body, even as I feel her teeth sinking into my flesh. There's blood running down to my elbow, but I don't dare release my grip, and I keep hold of her as she finally goes limp in my arms and tilts her head back. I don't dare let go, not yet. Not until I'm certain that it's really her again.
“Daddy, help me!” she whimpers. “She's hurting me!”
“Let go of her,” Luke says, rushing closer.
“Wait!” I hiss. “It might be a trap!”
“Daddy, she's being mean!”
“Let go of my daughter!”
“It might still be him!” I point out breathlessly. “He might still be in her head, making her say things!”
“Daddy!” She's sobbing now, and still trying to wriggle free, but I squeeze her even tighter.
“We can't trust her,” I say firmly. “You need to find some way to test her. Ask her something nobody else would know.”
“Emily, let go of my daughter!”
“Daddy, why's she being so mean?” Alice sobs.
“Ask her something!” I hiss. “Luke -”
“Let go of her!” Reaching down, he pushes my arms aside and lifts Emily up, holding her tight and taking her over to the next bed. By the time he sets her down, she's crying softly, and I realize the sorrow in her eyes seems genuine.
“I didn't mean to do anything wrong,” she whimpers, leaning closer to Luke for a hug. “I don't know why I got out of bed, Daddy! I don't remember waking up!”
“He tried again,” Luke replies, wrapping his arms around her. “It's okay, I'm here. I won't ever let him hurt you.”
“I had to stop her,” I point out breathlessly. “Luke, she tried to kill you!”
“I know,” he continues, “just... Let me calm her down first.”
“He's getting bolder,” I add. “Something must have attracted his attention. Before, he was content just to lure children to danger, but now he's actively trying to attack people. He doesn't even seem to mind letting us know that he's here. Why would his behavior change so much? It's almost as if he's enjoying this, or he's taunting us for some reason.”
“We'll go somewhere else,” Luke tells his daughter. “Somewhere the nasty voice can't find us.”
“I don't think running is going to work,” I tell him. “I think he can track us down, wherever we go. At least when it's dark outside. During the day, he seems to be less powerful, but I don't think we'll ever be safe. Especially not at night.”
“We have to stop him somehow,” Luke replies. “Alice can't go on like this. I've been hoping he'll leave her alone, but I think he's going to keep going until he manages to hurt her.”
I turn and look at his book of notes. I still don't remember everything about my search for whoever's behind this, but I remember enough to know that this creature was definitely in the cottage at Malmarbor. If we want to stop him, that's where we have to go, but at the same time I can't quite imagine myself going back there. I'm no hero, and if I try to leave town again, Craig will just track me down. Besides, it was almost as if the creature was daring us just now, teasing us and telling us exactly what we have to do next. If I didn't know better, I'd suspect that he actually wants us to go to Malmarbor.
“We came to find you because we're desperate,” Luke says after a moment.
I turn to him.
“And because you're the only person in the world who believes us,” he continues. “Emily, we've tried running. You've tried running. Do you really think that if you leave him alone, he'll just forget about you. If you do, then I understand. If you want to go home, to go back to bed with your husband and hope that you never feel Chanciechaunie lurking at the edge of your thoughts again, then I won't blame you at all. If I thought he'd leave Alice alone, I'd do the same thing. But I think he's angry, and I think he won't stop coming for us until we're all dead. Or until we've stopped him.”
I look over at Alice and see that she's watching me with fear in her eyes. Even if I could turn Luke down, I know I have to help his daughter.
“There's one thing I have to do first,” I mutter finally, turning back to him. “I'm not running again. Not like before. This time, I have to say goodbye properly.”
***
“You're insane,” Craig says firmly, staring at me in a clear state of disbelief. “Emily, you're having a relapse. This is exactly like last time and -”
“It's not exactly like last time,” I reply, “because I'm not running away. I'm not secretly emptying my bank account and then taking to the road. This time, I'm telling you that I'm going.”
“And I'm telling you that you're going back to the hospital,” he mutters, turning and heading over to the table. He grabs his phone and starts bringing up a number. “Doctor Hamlin warned me this might happen, but I convinced myself that you were better. I guess I was wrong.”
“Wait!”
Hurrying over, I grab the phone and take it from his hand.
“You're sick, Emily!” he continues. “You're mentally ill!”
“This thing is real.”
“You're just -”
“It killed our son!”
He stares at me for a moment, and I
can tell that he still thinks I've lost my mind. Of course he does. He hasn't experienced this thing for himself.
“Remember when I left before?” I continue. “I do. Just about, anyway. I ran away, because I knew you didn't believe me. This time, I'm giving you a chance to understand. There's something out there, something that kills children, and Even was one of its victims. One of its many, many victims. There have been more since, and there were hundreds before, stretching back several lifetimes.”
“And you don't think anyone else noticed?” he asks. “Some serial killer has been going after kids for years, and you're the first person to notice?”
“Not years,” I reply. “Centuries.”
He sighs.
“I know how it sounds, Craig, but I have proof. Luke and I have been researching the Chanciechaunie legend, and we think there's some truth to it all. I've seen this thing. I saw it in a house near Malmarbor.”
“Sure. Right before you came running out of the forest, rambling on about some kind of cursed little fairy-tale monster? Is that when you saw the evil goblin?”
“The fairy-tale grew up around him,” I continue, “but at the core of the whole thing, there's a creature that's very real and very dangerous. I've felt him in my mind. He was here last night, in my head, and then tonight he went after Luke's daughter and used her. And now I have to go with them, because we need to find a way to make it all stop.”
“Do you realize how crazy this sounds?”
“Maybe I'll be able to come back, Craig. Maybe I'll do this and I'll be able to come home. And I will come home if I can, and I'll stay, and we'll find a way to make all of this work.”
I wait for him to tell me one more time that I'm insane, and then finally I step closer and put my arms around him.
“I love you,” I whisper. “I don't remember much about our life together. I don't remember how we met, or where we went on dates, or how we got engaged. I don't remember our wedding, or the birth of our son. But I know I love you. I feel it deep down, and I want to come back and be reminded of it all again. I just have to go and deal with this problem first. Can you understand that?”
Again I wait, but this time he doesn't argue with me.
A moment later, I hear a police siren in the distance, coming closer.
“I called them before you even walked into the room,” he says calmly. “Emily, you're mentally ill and you're having a relapse, and -”
“No!” I hiss, stepping back. “Craig, I have to go and stop this creature!”
“You have to face your illness!” he replies, grabbing my hand. “I don't care how long it takes, or how many doctors I have to pay for, but I'm going to get you fixed!”
“Emily!” Luke calls out, as he and Alice hurry through to the study. “I think we have a problem!”
“And you,” Craig mutters, heading back around the desk and opening the top drawer, “need to leave my wife alone and get the hell out of my house before I have you arrested! I hold you fully responsible for her relapse!”
Pulling out a gun, he aims it at Luke.
“Craig, don't do this,” I stammer, stepping toward him as the sirens get closer. “I know you don't understand, but you just have to trust me.”
“You're not in a position to be trusted,” he replies, with the gun still pointed at Luke. “Emily, go sit down and wait for the police and paramedics to arrive. They're going to take you to the hospital. I'll deal with this guy.”
With his hands raised, Luke takes a step back, while Alice hides behind her father.
“I might not remember much,” I whisper, heading around the desk and looking in the drawer, “but there are a couple of things I haven't forgotten.” Sure enough, there's a pair of handcuffs in the drawer, so I pull them out and attach one of the cuffs to the bar on the front of Craig's desk. “I remember you telling me that you keep an unloaded gun in your desk,” I add, before slipping the other part of the cuffs around his wrist, “and I remember these.”
He turns and pulls on the handcuffs, but it's too late.
“Give me the key!” he hisses, reaching for the drawer.
I pull the key away and set it on the bookshelf. Too far away for him to reach.
“You have to listen to me very carefully,” Craig continues, pulling on the handcuffs. “Emily, you're sick!” He turns to Luke. “My wife isn't well. I don't know what she's told you, but she's been suffering from serious delusions since our son died and it's extremely dangerous for her to be encouraged like this. If you care for her at all, if you have even a scrap of human compassion for her condition, you'll realize that she needs to go back to the psychiatric hospital and -”
“We have to go,” I mutter, hurrying around the desk. “I'm sure the cops'll let you have the key.”
“Emily,” Luke says as I walk past him, “maybe -”
“I have a plan,” I tell him. “I know what we have to do.”
With that, I make my way out into the corridor. I can see flashing lights in the distance, getting closer to the front door, but I already know that we can go out the other way and reach Luke's car before we're stopped.
“Get back here!” Craig yells, pulling on the handcuffs. “Emily! You can't do this! You have to stay! Emily, you're sick!”
***
“Wait,” I stammer as Luke starts the car a few minutes later. “Do you have a knife?”
“Why do you need a knife?”
Opening the glove-box, I rifle through the contents and quickly find a Swiss Army Knife. After pulling out one of the blades, I roll my sleeve up and feel for the faint bump that's been bothering me ever since I came home from the hospital.
“What are you doing?” Luke asks cautiously.
“Craig didn't leave anything to chance,” I mutter. “Not this time.”
“But -”
He stops as I dig the blade into my arm. It takes a moment, and blood starts running down to my elbow, but I quickly find the small tracking chip that Craig had inserted. I drop the knife into my lap and then wind the window down, before tossing the bloodied chip outside.
“Now he won't find it so easy to catch up to me,” I point out, grabbing a tissue from the glove-box and getting to work on the wound, soaking up the blood. “I'm sorry you had to see that.”
“Did your husband really put a tracking chip in your arm without your permission?” he asks, clearly shocked.
“He had his reasons,” I reply, as I see that the police have reached the house. “Now let's get moving before they spot us. We need to get to Malmarbor.”
“And then what?”
I pause for a moment. “What else do people do in fairy-tales? We go to its home and we kill the monster.”
Chapter Forty-One
“No, everything's fine right now,” I tell Alice as we sit outside the diner. “The sun's up, and nothing can get into your head when the sun's up.”
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.” I look through the window and see that Luke is still at the counter. “We're still working out all the rules, though, so we need to be careful.”
“Daddy's nightmares have stopped.”
I turn back to her.
“A few nights ago,” she continues. “I think... I think maybe it helped him to come and find you.”
“I doubt I had much of an effect.”
“When he said he knew where you lived,” she explains, “the nightmares stopped that night. I know he's still worried about things, but I think he feels much better now that we've found you again. I'm glad, too. You seem to know what you're talking about.”
She pauses, eyeing me with a hint of suspicion.
“I feel better too,” she adds. “Sometimes I thought I could feel you in my head, along with that horrible voice. How did you do that?”
“I don't know,” I reply cautiously. “I guess maybe the E.C.T. changed something and made me more sensitive to the way the voice works. You had the voice in your head too, for a while, so maybe now there's
some kind of connection between us.” I force a smile. “That's the best I've got right now.”
“Are you crazy?” she asks.
“I've had my moments.”
She nods. “Okay.”
“Sometimes I think it'd be a lot easier if I was crazy,” I continue. “I'd love to just tell myself that none of this is real, and let the doctors fry my brain a few more times.”
“Why did they fry your brain?”
“To fix it,” I tell her, before realizing that maybe I'm telling her too much. After all, she's only ten years old, and I guess there's a limit to how much she can understand, and to how much she should know. I guess we should try to protect her from as much as possible. “They basically tried turning me off and on again. Lots of times.”
“So how are you two doing out here?” Luke asks as he emerges from the diner. “Sorry it took a while, I had to explain the order to the waitress. She didn't seem too good at her job.” He sighs. “Dumb bitch,” he mutters under his breath.
I can't help frowning. “Sorry?”
“Nothing,” he adds. “Ignore me. I'm just frustrated.”
“How long before we reach Malmarbor?” I ask. “I've never been to Huntingdon before, but aren't we heading a little too far south?”
“There's just a small diversion I want to make first,” he explains as he sits next to Alice and ruffles her hair. “If we're going to deal with this creature, we need to know everything about it. Or rather, we need to know what parts of the many legends are actually true. The problem we have at the moment is that we've gathered so much conflicting information, it's impossible to know what's useful and what's just a distraction.”
“The two most common claims about killing him,” I reply, “are that it has to happen in his cottage, and that it has to be done at night. But based on what happened to me when I was at the cottage, it seems that he can't be seen properly. Another version of the story claims he can hide himself from the living and -”
Stopping suddenly, I see that Alice is staring at me with her mouth wide open, as if she's genuinely shocked by what she's hearing.