by Amy Cross
“Especially with Jack,” Jane pointed out.
“Especially with Jack.” Sighing, Beth looked down at her untouched beer for a moment. “I honestly don’t think there’ll ever be peace between them. Not ever, not as long as they both live. They’ll keep this up, and then eventually one of them will die first, and the other will be left with nothing except regrets. I want to cry when I think about it, I want to grab them and knock their heads together, but I truly don’t see any other way for things to work out.” She began to peel the label from her bottle. “If it was going to end any other way, it would have happened by now.”
“I think things are going to get a lot worse tomorrow,” Jane replied.
“You keep mentioning that. What’s going to happen tomorrow?”
“I…” She paused. “I can’t say.”
“Is Ben going to skip town again?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“I remember the last time he left,” Beth continued. “You spotted him at the bus stop, remember? You let me know and I went racing down there, and I caught him just in time.” She paused. “He wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but I could tell he was scared. There’s always been so much swirling around in Ben’s head, and he never lets any of it out. It was almost like he was running from something.”
“From Jack?”
“Or something else.” She paused again, before forcing a smile. “But what else is there? I mean, Bowley’s the most peaceful town in the world. Sometimes it’s too peaceful, sometimes it’s boring. Sometimes I wish there could be just a little excitement.”
“Careful what you wish for,” Jane muttered.
“You know what I mean. The only time I ever think something else might be going on, beneath the surface, is when Ben’s around. It’s almost like he’s connected to something darker, like there’s strings on him, attached to… something.”
Jane stared at her for a moment. “Like what?”
Beth shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Have you…” Pausing, Jane tried to work out how much she could say. “Have you ever heard of a place called the Border?” she asked finally.
“The Border?” Beth frowned. “What’s that?”
“You’ve never heard it mentioned? You’ve never even overheard anyone talk about it?”
“No. Why, what is it?”
“It’s… It’s nothing. Just a dumb story, that’s all. I was just wondering how far it had spread.”
“I guess I’m glad Bowley’s boring, really,” Beth continued. “I mean, it’s a great place to raise the kids, isn’t it?”
Jane nodded, even though she didn’t agree.
“At least I know Lucy can’t get into too much trouble around here,” Beth added. “You know what kids are like, especially girls. At least in Bowley, Lucy can grow up and be protected from the darker things in life. I know she’ll probably want to head out into the world one day, I know I can’t protect her forever, but…” She paused. “It feels good to know that I don’t have to worry about her too much.”
Feeling sick to her stomach, Jane looked down at her beer again. For a moment, all she could think about was the first night she’d ever set foot in the Border, and the thought of Lucy growing up and one day doing the same was almost too much to contemplate. Then there was the idea of her own sons going down there, not as workers but as customers. She’d always been able to put the darkness of the Border out of her mind, but with each year that passed, the kids got a little older and she began to worry more and more about them coming into contact with the darker parts of Bowley.
“Your phone,” Beth said suddenly.
“What?” Turning to her, Jane paused before realizing her phone was ringing. Taking it from her pocket, she saw Alex was calling. “Hey,” she said as she answered, “what are you doing calling so -”
Stopping suddenly, she listened to Alex’s panicked words on the other end of the line.
“Slow down,” she said after a moment. “Did you just -”
She listened again.
“Okay,” she told him, “I’ll be right there. No, Alex, I’m on my way. Five minutes, tops.”
Putting the phone down, she paused for a moment, feeling as if the whole world was spinning around her.
“What is it?” Beth asked. “Jane? Is something wrong?”
“That was Alex,” Jane replied, turning to her. “He said… It sounds crazy, but he said there’s a hostage situation in the town square.”
III
“Everyone stand back!” Alex shouted, gesturing for the growing crowd to move away. “Don’t make me keep saying this! I want you all to keep well back!”
“What’s he doing with her?” one of the men asked. “What -”
Before he could finish, Katie screamed again.
Turning, Alex looked toward the pub. The lights were off but the front door was ajar, and for the last few minutes Katie had been screaming on and off, her voice sounded ragged and torn.
“Aren’t you going to do something?” another man asked. “Alex, for God’s sake, he’s hurting her in there!”
“I know,” Alex replied, “but he’s unstable. He says if we go any closer, he’ll…” He caught himself just in time, before feeling a flash of relief as he spotted Jane’s car arriving. “Everyone just keep back,” he continued. “This is a police operation and anyone who interferes will be arrested, is that understood?” Without waiting for a reply, he hurried over to Jane as she climbed out of her car.
“What’s the latest?” she asked, looking toward the pub. “Is he still in there?”
“He’s got one hostage,” Alex replied. “He’s holding her at knife-point and he keeps saying he has to hurt her to make everything better. He’s talking like a madman.”
“And you’re sure it’s Joe Baldwin?”
He nodded.
“Have you established a line of communication?” she asked, stepping toward the pub but stopping as she heard Katie scream again. “What’s he doing in there?”
“He said he’d kill her if we got too close,” Alex replied. “I believe him.”
“Sounds like he’ll kill her if we don’t go in too.”
“That’s about the size of it.”
“We can’t just stand around and wait,” she continued. “I don’t think we have much time, we need to get that girl out of there before it’s too late.”
“And how do you propose doing that?”
“There’s only one way,” she replied, stepping past him. “I’m going to go in and talk to him.”
“I beg your pardon?” He turned and reached out to grab her arm. “Jane -”
“Let her!” Caitlin said suddenly, stepping in front of him and blocking his way.
Instinctively, he took a step back.
“Let her go in,” Caitlin continued, her eyes filled with a degree of intensity he’d never seen before. “Trust me. She has to do this.”
Turning, Alex saw that Jane was already at the pub’s front door.
***
“It’s going to be okay,” Joe whispered, leaning closer to Katie’s ear as he held her tight from behind. They were on the floor by the bar, and he had a knife pressed against her neck. The only light came from the flashing fairy lights that covered the far wall and the ceiling, alternately lighting the scene red, yellow, green and blue. “Trust me,” he continued. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Please,” Katie stammered, with tears rolling down her face as the lights continued to change, “don’t hurt me. I’ll give you anything you want, but don’t hurt me.”
“She’s terrified,” Caitlin whispered, watching from the shadows. “Joe, do you smell that? She’s soiled herself.”
Adjusting his grip around Katie’s neck, Joe pulled her closer while pressing the knife more firmly against her flesh. They were both crying, but while Katie’s sobs were terrified and tense, Joe’s were filled with shock, as if he was trying to find the courage to do something that horrified him. With e
very second that passed, he imagined ripping her heart out, and although he hadn’t summoned the necessary courage yet, he knew he’d do it soon.
“Someone’s coming,” Caitlin added. “Stay calm, Joe.”
A moment later, there was a knock at the door.
“Go away!” Joe screamed, causing Katie to flinch. “Leave me alone! If you come any closer, I swear I’ll kill her!”
“Please, no,” Katie whimpered. “Please…”
“Joe?” Slipping into the entrance, Jane held her hands up to show that she was unarmed. “Joe, it’s me. We’ve met before, remember? I came to talk to you just a couple of days ago.” She took a step forward. “I want to help.”
“Don’t come any closer,” he stammered, moving the blade down until it was directly above Katie’s heart. “I’ve got to finish what I started. Leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that,” Jane told him, with her hands still raised as she took another step toward him. The lights flashed red, then blue, then white. “Joe, no-one else is going to come in here right now, it’s just the three of us. You trust me, don’t you? I’m not here to hurt you or blame you, I’m just here to make sure that no-one else gets hurt.”
“He looks crazy,” Caitlin said after a moment, still lingering in the shadows by the jukebox. “Don’t you think?”
Jane glanced at her, but she knew not to answer.
“This one’ll be the last,” Joe sobbed, “I swear, I just need one more and then he’ll stop following me.”
“Who?” Jane asked, taking another step toward him and then stopping. She looked at Katie and saw the fear in the girl’s eyes, and she could already tell that even if she lunged at Joe, she probably wouldn’t be able to get to him in time. At the very least, he’d be able to dig the blade into the girl’s chest. “Joe,” she continued, hoping to play for time, “who has been following you?”
“You know,” he whimpered.
“No, Joe, I don’t. Tell me.”
“Him!” he screamed. “You know him! You’ve seen him!”
“I haven’t seen anyone,” she said firmly. “Joe, tell me who you’re talking about.” She waited for an answer. “Joe, I need you to tell me what’s going on here. You don’t want to hurt this girl, do you? You…” She paused, sensing the fear in his soul. “Joe, you didn’t want to hurt any of them. I know that. You’re a good person, you’d never hurt anyone if you had a choice. Mel Armitage and Hayley Maitland, you didn’t want to hurt them at all but… You did hurt them, didn’t you? You had to take their hearts, just like someone took Caitlin’s heart all those years ago. Were you copying the killer? Is that what this is about?”
“Joe didn’t kill me,” Caitlin said calmly.
“I know,” Jane whispered. “Joe, the first thing you need to do is… You need to let Katie leave. I’ll stay, I’ll take her place, but you have to let her go. Can you do that?”
“Please,” he whispered, as tears rolled down his face, “just let me do this. He wants one more.”
“Okay,” Jane continued, “but it doesn’t have to be Katie, does it? You could let her go, let her run out of here, and then I’ll stay. Does that work for you?”
He stared at her for a moment, his bottom lip trembling with fear.
“Ask him again,” Caitlin whispered. “Ask him who’s making him do this.”
“Tell me,” Jane said, maintaining eye contact with Joe. “You’re copying someone. Who are you copying?”
“He killed Caitlin,” Joe sobbed. “He cut out her heart!”
“I know, but… Who?”
“The stag-headed man.”
“And now he’s making you do this to the other girls?”
“He -” Stopping suddenly, he looked past her, seeing the stag-headed man standing behind Jane. “He’s here,” he stammered. “He’s right here.”
Turning, Jane looked around the room, but she saw nothing.
“Joe’s mind is gone,” Caitlin said after a moment. “He saw the stag-headed man on the night I was killed, and ever since then he’s been haunted. It finally got to be too much, and he thought he was being given instructions. He thought he had to kill Mel and Hayley to please the stag-headed man, to keep him from killing other women. In his sick and twisted way, Joe was trying to help. Please don’t…” She paused, watching Joe with tears in her eyes. “Please don’t be too hard on him. Get him to a place where he can’t hurt anyone else, and then I’ll take care of the rest.”
Jane turned back to Joe and saw that he was close to breaking down. “I’ll stay,” she said firmly, “but… Let Katie go. Will you do that for me?”
“I didn’t want to hurt anyone,” Joe whispered. “I just wanted to protect them.”
“I know,” Jane told him. “Prove it by letting Katie leave.”
Joe paused for a moment, before slowly loosening his grip on Katie’s neck. As soon as she was free to slip away, the sobbing girl scrambled to her feet and ran to the door, before stopping and looking back at Jane.
“Go!” Jane said firmly. “Tell them Joe and I will be out in a few minutes.”
Katie paused for a moment, before hurrying out the door.
Wide-eyed with fear, Joe stared up at the stag-headed man.
“He can still see the monster,” Caitlin said finally. “He sees the monster right behind you. If the monster tells him to kill you, that’s what he’ll try to do.”
Jane turned to her, and then to Joe. “I know,” she whispered. “I’m starting to understand everything.”
***
“Help me!” Katie screamed as she raced away from the pub, quickly being collected by Alex and then hurried toward a waiting car.
“It’s okay, he told her as he pulled open the patrol car’s door and helped her inside. He looked back at the pub for a moment, before turning to her. “Where’s Jane? Is she okay in there?”
Breaking down into a series of sobs, Katie nodded frantically.
“And what’s happening now?” Alex asked. “What’s Jane doing?”
“She’s talking to him,” Caitlin said suddenly.
Turning, Alex saw the dead girl standing nearby, watching from the darkness.
“Jane’s talking to him,” she continued, “trying to get him to come out so that no-one else can get hurt.”
“I have to go in there,” Alex replied, turning to look back toward the pub.
“No,” Caitlin said firmly, “you can’t go in there. One way or another, you have to let Jane deal with this. She’s the only one who can make it right. She’s the only one who knows what’s really happening.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means something bigger is happening tonight,” she replied, looking up at the starry sky. “It means people have to start paying for their mistakes.”
***
“Damn it,” Bob muttered, a few blocks away, as he unzipped his trousers and stepped toward the bush. As he began to pee, he took a deep breath, trying to get the world to stop spinning around his head. “What is the -”
Suddenly something small and dark leaped out from the bush, snarling as it landing on his chest and knocked him back.
***
“So Joe,” Jane said finally, after a couple of minutes’ silence, “how about you put that knife down so we can talk properly?”
She was just a couple of feet from Joe now, having edged closer and crouched down in front of him. She could see into his eyes, and she could tell he was still staring at something behind her in the room. From what he’d said a little earlier, she figured he was hallucinating the stag-headed man, and that perhaps he’d been hallucinating the same thing for a long, long time. Although she wanted to reach out and try to take the knife from his hand, she wasn’t sure how he’d react, but she felt certain she could disarm him if she just took a little time.
“He needs help,” Caitlin said after a moment.
Jane glanced over at her.
“He needed help nine years ago,” the dead
girl continued. “After I was killed, no-one really looked after him. He drifted, and his mind couldn’t start to heal. Someone should have seen this coming.”
“Joe,” Jane said after a moment, “I need you to focus. You might think you can see someone standing behind me, you might think this stag-headed man is telling you what to do, but he’s not. He only exists in your mind.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Caitlin was still watching them both. “We all do that sometimes,” she continued. “We imagine people talking to us, we use them to work things out in our heads, but it’s important to remember that we’re just imagining those conversations.” She reached out slowly, still not quite daring to try taking the knife from his hand. “The stag-headed man, if he exists, is not in this room and he’s not trying to get you to kill anyone. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Just one more,” Joe whispered, staring at the stag-headed man for a moment longer before slowly turning his gaze to Jane and then looking at her chest. “I can stop after that.”
“You can stop now.”
He shook his head.
“I have no doubt you saw the stag-headed man when Caitlin died,” she told him, “but that was nine years ago and I promise you, Joe, you haven’t really been seeing him since. He’s all been up here.” She tapped the side of her head. “It’s a coping mechanism. It’s your way of organizing all the terrible thoughts that have been racing through your mind. The good news is that you don’t need to do that anymore. Come with me and I’ll make sure you can talk to people who’ll teach you other ways to deal with those thoughts, better ways.”
“Caitlin…” he whispered.
“Caitlin’s gone, and so is the stag-headed man.” She reached closer and finally began to ease the knife from his hand. “Two innocent girls have died in the past week, and I really don’t think you wanted to hurt them. We can’t bring them back, but we can make sure that no-one else has to suffer.” Twisting the knife, she began to slip it from his fingers. “I know you’re not a bad person, Joe, and I’ll make sure that everyone else knows that too. If you walk out of this room with me, I’ll personally see to it that you -”
“Stop,” Joe whimpered, looking past her again.