It was still lying on the floor where Charlene had left it. It was a pretty thing. Handcrafted by an expert craftsman. And it looked old. The symbols however, looked completely foreign to her. She couldn't recall ever seeing them before.
“No,” Charlene answered. “It comes and goes. If it had been permanent, I would have gone crazy by now.”
Eleanor nodded. She looked at the two teens. “Have you opened it?”
Both shook their heads. “Pandora's Box,” Rosewater offered.
Charl nodded her head. “I don't think I want to know what's inside a talking box,” she said.
“And if it stops the voices?” Eleanor asked.
Charlene shrugged. “And if it doesn't? What if it makes it worse? What if we unleash something evil into the world? I mean, we've already established that there are invisible monsters out there. What else is out there that we don't know about? Do we really take the chance?”
“Do you have a feeling about the box?” Eleanor asked Charlene.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you could sense the dark presence of the Thing, right?”
Charlene nodded. “Sure.”
“Feel anything now?”
Charlene frowned, glanced at the box, closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate.
“No. Nothing,” she said.
Eleanor looked at Rosewater. “RW?”
“Nope,” she answered immediately. “Not a thing. To me it's just a box,” she looked at the cardboard boxes, “just like any other box in here. It's just a different kind of box. How about you?”
Eleanor shook her head. “Also nothing.” She looked pensive for a few seconds. “I definitely felt waves of menace flow from that Thing. But this box,” she bent down for a closer look. “Nothing.”
She picked the box up, eliciting a gasp from both the younger girls.
Eleanor smiled. “Don't stress young'uns.” she drawled in her best cowboy voice, “I'm a just takin' this here box ‘n puttin' it on thar yonder table.”
True to her word, she placed the box in the center of a cast-iron garden table and stood back, holding her hands in the air. She had no intent of opening it just yet.
“I think it wise that we leave the box alone until we know more about it.”
The girls nodded in unison.
“Is that the extent of your weirdness?” Eleanor asked Charlene.
“Isn't that enough?” She gave a condescending smile.
“More than enough,” Eleanor agreed with her own smile. “I saw the damned Thing again today,” She stated, concentrating their attention on her again. “The Thing was toying with me again.” She looked at the two girls and saw that she had their undivided attention. “I spent the last couple of days sleeping very little and doing a helluva lot of research, trying to figure out what it might be. So I've had my share of weirdness as well.” She paused and Rosewater used the gap.
“Any luck? Do you know what it is?”
Eleanor shook her head. “No. But I have some ideas. I'll get to them later. For now,” she held up a finger, “just the facts.” The girls nodded in unison, as if they were both bobbing for apples at an imaginary fair. “Apart from the research and putting together some theories, I also did some target practice at the shooting range, got a shotgun and ordered some specially made ammo. More on that later,” she forestalled any interruption. “I have also been doing random neighborhood patrols in my car on the off chance that I might see the Thing. This morning I saw it on Sycamore Drive.”
“That's two blocks away,” Rosewater mouthed, her hand going up to her mouth to cover it, as if in shock.
“It was standing underneath the McQuarrie's apple tree. You know the one on the sidewalk?”
Rosewater nodded, Charlene shrugged.
“It was eating apples. It chugged one into its muzzle when I drove past it. I nearly lost control of the car. I mean, I know I was out looking for it, but it was just such a surprise seeing the Thing, and then it was eating an apple as well. It just, well,” she paused, “it caught me off guard.” She shook her head and pulled her mouth to the side in irritation. “I was hoping to never see the damn thing again. Anyway. Once I got the car stopped, I jumped out with my handbag, careful not to brandish a firearm in public, and the Thing was gone. Girls,” she warned, “this Thing, whatever it is,” she paused for effect, “is lightning fast. It could only have jumped over the neighboring wall of the McQuarries’ place. Point is, I lost it within probably three seconds. So, there I was, by the apple tree, looking for the Thing, feeling irritated at myself for finding it and then losing it, aching to put a few bullets in it. I look up and down the street and had my back turned to my car for maybe ten seconds. When I got back to the car, the Thing had left me an apple on the passenger seat. I nearly wet myself at seeing that apple. But once again, proof that this Thing can move. And not only fast, but silently. We have to be extra careful. Although,” she added, “I'm not sure exactly what we do once we find it.”
“What do you mean?” Rosewater asked.
“Well,” Eleanor started holding fingers aloft as she made points. “We don't know what it is.”
“You have an idea, right?” Charlene asked.
“Well, not really.” Eleanor disappointed her. “I haven't been able to find any mythological creature who fits the description of it.”
“And what does it look like, exactly?” Rosewater asked.
“Well,” Eleanor began and then stopped. She took out her phone, opened the gallery and selected the folder of several photos she had taken of her drawings. “I'm no artist,” she apologized as she handed the phone to Charlene, who was the closest. “But that's as near as I could get.”
Rosewater moved her chair closer and Charlene held the phone so they both had the same view. Rosewater couldn't help the sharp inhalation of breath. The full figure image that Eleanor had drawn, although not very artistic or of great quality, was eerily familiar. She had seen that shape before.
Charlene flipped through the images, a frown on her forehead.
“Yeah,” she concluded, handing the phone to Rosewater. It looked as if she was glad to have it away from her as she absentmindedly rubbed her hand on her jeans. “I never saw it, but that sort of feels right.”
Eleanor had seen Rosewater's first reaction and saw the recognition in her friend's eyes. “RW?” she asked.
Rosewater licked her lips nervously and handed the phone back with a slightly trembling hand.
“Guess it's time for me to come clean,” she said, looking Eleanor straight in the eye. “You're not the only one that can see it.”
“What?” Charlene exclaimed, rounding on her friend. “What do you mean? You've seen that?” she said, pointing at Eleanor's phone.
Rosewater nodded. “Not in great detail, but yes.” She took a deep breath and looked towards the bay window. “I thought I saw a shadow this morning.” She looked at Charlene for confirmation. “You know? Before the sun was up? The first time we were up here?”
Charlene nodded.
“I thought I caught a glimpse of someone across the street, but when I looked again, there was no one there. This afternoon, after my shower...,” she paused and looked at Charlene again for confirmation, feeling silly.
Why do I need Charl to confirm this? she asked herself.
“I told you I saw someone across the road, remember?”
“Yeah. But I didn't see anyone. You mean that Thing was here?” A shiver coarsed through her body and Charlene couldn't help hugging herself.
That Thing had been here! Her mind kept repeating. It knows about us. What does it want? Why us?
She didn't have any answers and knew she wasn't about to get any if she allowed the panic to set in. Instead, she calmed her breathing and concentrated on the one feeling that always overcame her fears. Anger.
“What the fuck does it want?” she cursed and stood up, pacing around the garden table, eyeing the wooden box. “And where does that box fi
t into all of this?”
“This is not good,” Eleanor said, looking between the girls.
She was at a loss. Why would the Thing be here? Was it spying on her and by accident stumbled upon the girls? Was it toying with her again? What was its motivation? Its end game?
There were too many unanswered questions. Like Charlene, she could feel the tension building inside of her, born of frustration and an inability to make sense of the situation. As a crime reporter, she had always been good at uncovering clues, figuring out what drove people to do the things they did. Dan Almeida had even said that she would make a fine detective if she ever decided on a career change. He said that she had the right instincts.
At the moment though, she felt lost. She was pulling at an invisible string that seemed to have no beginning or ending. She didn't know which way to go and what she would find at the end.
“You saw it?” Eleanor wanted to confirm the sighting with Rosewater.
It was a relief to know that she wasn't the only one. It seemed like a weight had been lifted, that she wouldn't be the only one to carry this burden after all. She felt sorry for Charlene though. It was probably better to be able to see this Thing, rather than be aware of it and unable to see it.
“I didn't see it in clear detail like that,” Rosewater indicated Eleanor's phone. “I couldn't see its head or face. But it was the same bulky body shape. It was definitely that thing. I remember thinking at the time that the guy must be a giant because he was so big. But I couldn't make out any distinctive features because of the shadows. It was as if the Thing was a shadow, standing inside other shadows.”
The reference made Eleanor think of the dream she had had a few nights earlier. Had it been a premonition? A vision of what was to come? Eleanor couldn't help but shudder.
“But I could see him,” Rosewater continued. “And I knew he was looking at us.”
“It,” Eleanor added.
“Sorry?” Rosewater asked.
“It. You keep saying ‘him,’ but it's a thing. It's an it. That Thing is not human.”
“Then what is it?” a calmer Charlene asked, sitting down.
“I don't know,” Eleanor answered truthfully. “Take your pick. Demon. Monster. Alien from a different planet. Who knows?”
“This is messed up.” Rosewater breathed, letting both her hands glide through her blond hair. “What are we supposed to do?” she asked no one in particular.
There was no answer as Eleanor stood up. She glanced at the wooden box, wondered what part it had in all of this, and walked to the window. She stopped a few feet short. Frozen to the spot. She saw the Thing across the road, looking up at her as if it knew they were all here, talking about it.
She took three shallow breaths. “Shit,” she said, and without taking her eyes off the Thing, she beckoned Rosewater to join her.
“You see it?” she asked as RW joined her, Charlene following close behind.
Rosewater nodded. “It's in shadow, but yes.”
Curious, Eleanor thought. I don't see it in shadow. I can see it clearly.
“It's there?” Charlene asked, uncertain.
She was overcome by a feeling of being watched from a distance, but she couldn't see anything. Her eyes however, kept being drawn to a spot next to the tree across the road.
“It's there alright,” Eleanor said. “RW?”
“Yes,”
“Don't take your eyes off that Thing.”
“Okay,” Rosewater answered uncertainly.
“Charl?” Eleanor asked.
“Yes?” she answered, still trying to force her eyes to see the invisible.
“See if you can open this window,” Eleanor said. “Don't get in RW's way. Make sure she keeps her eyes on that thing. We need someone to keep a constant visual contact.”
Dan's training had kicked in. Lesson Number 2,031: Don't lose sight of the perp.
“I am going to go down there and shoot it,” Eleanor said, facing away from the Thing.
The Thing already had the fantastic ability of cloaking itself from the general populace, and had super speed and stealth. Who knew what else it could do? Why not add lip reading to its repertoire?
“Wait, what?” Rosewater blurted. “You're going to go down there?”
“Keep your eyes on it!” Eleanor ordered. “I don't want it sneaking up on me. If it moves before I get out there, I want you to tell me where it went. Got that?”
“Sure,” Rosewater said, eyes huge and blinking.
She broke eye contact with the shadow thing outside for a split second to look at Eleanor and nod her head. “I got it,” she said firmly, returning her gaze to the blight across the street.
Charlene grabbed Eleanor's hand as she turned to leave. “What can I do?”
She couldn't believe how brave Eleanor was. It steeled her and made her want to be involved as well.
“Open that window and support RW. And stay here,” Eleanor said, turning to leave.
“Be careful,” Charl said, hoping that her friend would be safe out there.
“As much as I can be,” Eleanor smiled.
She turned, grabbed her handbag and ran down the stairs.
Charlene returned her attention to the window, working the stubborn mechanism to open a portion of it, trying her best to ignore the spiders crawling all over her brain.
CHAPTER 26
Eleanor stopped at the front door and took a moment to catch her breath. On the way down the attic stairs, down the corridor and down the main landing stairs, Eleanor had tried to come up with a course of action.
In the end, there was no time to plan. What is there to plan anyway? she thought. I can't outrun and outflank the Thing; it’s intelligent, a predator, so anything I try to outmaneuver it would probably be laughable. I have no military training. No real police training apart from the few lessons with Dan. That doesn't leave me with much. Nothing actually. All I know with complete confidence is how to shoot my firearm. So that's what I'll go with. I'll just walk out there, cool as a cucumber and hope the Thing is over confident and doesn't see me as a threat. I'll walk up to it, pull the gun and shoot it in the head until the cylinder is empty. Then I'll reload and do it again. If twelve bullets to the head doesn't do it, not much will.
She placed her handbag on a little table by the front door, tucked the revolver in her waistband, covered it with her blouse, took out the Safariland Comp speed loader, and placed it in her pants pocket despite its bulk. As an afterthought, she put the charged TASER 7 CQ Home Defense Shooting Stun Gun in her back pocket. She wanted as much firepower with her as possible.
It would have been nice to have one of the girls with her as backup. One of them could have used the TASER. It was super easy to use and if you missed from fifteen feet out, you had a second chance, thanks to its dual cartridges.
But it wasn't meant to be. She was going to have to face the Thing alone. Rosewater had to stay behind to keep an eye on the Thing, and Charl couldn't see the Thing in the first place.
Eleanor took a breath, opened the heavy teak front door and boldly stepped out, realizing too late that if the Thing was waiting for her on the other side of the door, she would be completely defenseless. Hopefully death would be swift.
She let out a sigh of relief as nothing awaited her on the porch. With mounting worry, she saw however that it wasn't across the street under the tree anymore. She looked around but didn't see it. She walked at a brisk pace along the neatly laid pathway that led from the front door to the sidewalk, hand on the butt of the .38. It was nowhere in sight.
“It went towards the park!”
It was Rosewater, shouting from the attic window.
Eleanor looked up and both girls were pointing to her left. Squantz Pond Park was a block away. It was at the edge of the Pootatuck woods and was a favorite amongst joggers and picnickers.
“Okay,” she shouted. “You two stay here until I get back!”
“And what if you,” Charlene's voice trail
ed off. She didn't have to finish the sentence by adding the 'don't.’ They all knew what she was going to say and each of them dreaded to even think about it. Saying it out loud would have been like uttering a curse.
“I...,” Eleanor didn't know. She took a second to think. “My house keys are in my bag. I left it by the front door. Go to my place and get the shotgun. Then come back here and wait for me in the attic. Hopefully I'll be back soon,” she ended lamely.
She really hoped to be back soon. She loved these girls like her own kin and didn't want to think about leaving them alone.
“I'll be back,” she called with conviction, waved and set off down the block at a brisk pace.
There was no time for thinking now, only action. If she allowed herself to think too much, she would stop, turn around and go back to her home and hope that the Thing would grow bored and leave them alone. But somehow, she knew that wasn't going to happen. This thing was malevolent. It was a predator and she somehow knew that they were its prey. At the moment though, it was only playing with them and not hunting. Eleanor didn't want it to ever get the opportunity to hunt them. She wanted it to end now.
She wasn't about to end up like a helpless little fawn. She wasn't going to freeze up in the face of adversity and just give up. She was going to stand up to this thing and fight. Even if it cost her life, she wasn't about to roll up into a fetal position and wait for the Thing to come for her. She wanted to take the fight to it and at least try.
She was about a hundred yards from one of the park entrances when she saw it. It seemed to be waiting for her. Not a good sign, she thought. It waved, turned and leisurely walked into the park. This made Eleanor bristle. That the Thing could taunt her so! It was definitely playing with her, and she knew she shouldn't rise to the bait. But she was committed and her blood was boiling. The fact that the Thing had honed-in on the girls made her angry and made her reckless.
Reaching the park, she saw it across a tended, short cut lawn. It was heading towards a path that would be leading into the woods. It could disappear in there, she thought.
Stirring Embers: An urban fantasy action adventure (The Light and the Void Book 1) Page 17