by Willow Rose
Morten chuckled and almost spat out his food. "By drowning them? How?"
I leaned back in my chair and sipped my red wine. "I don't know how it works yet, but I’m telling you: Ann used to work for Omicon, and so did Sven. And now you tell me a third person has been killed, inside Omicon. That is the connection. That's what they have in common."
"It's a coincidence," he said and looked away. He didn't want to discuss this anymore; that was obvious.
Because he knew I was right.
Chapter Forty-Two
I was disappointed that Morten didn't decide to spend the night—again. Instead, he decided to go home right after dinner and be with his daughter. They were going to the movies together. He promised me he would be able to spend the night on the weekend, either Friday or Saturday. He told me this as we kissed goodbye. I pulled him close and tried to plant a kiss that he wouldn't forget anytime soon, but it came off as clumsy and awkward instead. I don't know why. I wasn't angry with him or anything. I was still attracted to him. Wasn't I? I thought so. As I closed the door behind him, I wondered where we were going with all this. Was this all there was to our relationship? Eating dinners together? Seeing each other a few hours a day? Wasn't it about time we took it to the next level or at least moved forward? I felt like we were constantly going backward lately.
Were we drifting apart?
The thought made me shiver, and I rushed into the living room and sat by the fireplace while watching TV for the rest of the evening. I decided to go to bed early, right after tucking in Victor and Skye and leaving Brutus in his usual corner to watch them.
But, of course, I had a hard time falling asleep. I lay awake for hours, wondering about Morten and how tired I was of waiting for him, waiting for us to move ahead. I wanted to. And I had told him that. He wanted it too, he said, but he was afraid of losing his daughter in the process.
I sighed and turned to the side when I once again heard the dripping coming from behind the bathroom door. I stared at it through the darkness, wondering what was going on behind it. As it continued for quite a while, I finally rose to my feet. I grabbed my son's baseball bat that he had never used, then walked to the door and placed my hand on the handle. I realized I was shaking heavily as I pushed the door open with a loud bang.
And there it was.
Right in front of me stood something, something I had no words to describe. A creature, looking like it had grown, emerged out of water. I didn't get to have a really good look at it long enough before it disintegrated in front of my eyes and became nothing but water, a puddle on my floor, a puddle that moved fast into the shower and disappeared down the drain with a loud sucking sound.
I stared at the drain where it had gone through, the bat clutched between my hands, ready to swing it should this strange creature show its clear face again. Meanwhile, I couldn't stop thinking about the eyes that had been looking back at me, even though it was for just a split second. I had looked into them and realized this was no animal. There was a brain and a soul behind this, whatever it was. And it terrified me to the core that it had such easy access to my house.
I fell asleep sitting on the bathroom floor, the bat still clenched in my hands and, as my alarm went off the next morning, I woke up with a shriek and looked around myself with a gasp when my hand touched some water left on the floor. I felt it between my fingers and recognized it as the same I had felt on the floor next to Sven Thomsen. My heart was pounding in my throat as I touched it with my finger, wondering if this monster had also come here to kill me.
I reached down, found the drain-plug, and plugged it in. Next, I continued to do the same to each and every drain in the entire house.
Chapter Forty-Three
It was strange not feeling safe in your own home, staring at every sink in the house as a potential entrance for this monster. While the kids were in school, I kept all the doors closed to the bathrooms, closed the lids on all the toilets, and sat in my kitchen staring at the faucet like I expected it to come out of there any minute now. This slimy, wet creature that could turn itself into a puddle of water at any time.
What the heck was it?
I used my laptop to research this strange phenomenon, but most of what I found was about the creature from that movie, The Shape of Water, and that bore no similarities to my water monster. I sure as heck wasn't going to fall in love with it either.
Maybe it was a snake of some sort?
I looked it up. But water snakes were nothing compared to what I had seen. Seeking for drain monsters resulted in me watching some strange video taken from a drainage of annelid worms. It made me want to throw up, so I closed the lid of my computer and continued staring at the sink.
Sophia came over a little later and brought pastry from the bakery. I served her coffee, and we sat down, but I kept staring at the water inside my cup, wondering if this monster could somehow grow out of it and suddenly emerge in front of us, killing us both.
"Are you not going to even drink your coffee?" Sophia finally asked after our second piece of pastry. "What's the matter with you today?"
"I saw the monster," I said. "Living in our pipes."
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"You know the noises, the dripping at night, the slithering wet sounds? I saw what it was. Last night. It was in my bathroom. We locked eyes for just a second before it vanished back into my drain. I’m telling you, Sophia, it simply turned itself into water."
"Please, don't tell me you're going to fall in love with it and have weird sex because that scene in the movie was just disgusting. I get sick even thinking about it now."
"Ha-ha. Very funny," I said. "But I’m not making jokes here. I think this water creature is the one killing people on this island. There was another one yesterday, Morten told me. At Omicon. I looked for it this morning, but I can't find anything about it anywhere. Not till I hacked into the police server and read about it. The woman was found inside the bathroom of the lab in a puddle of water. They haven't done the autopsy yet, but my guess is they'll find that she drowned."
Sophia almost spit out her coffee. "Drowned? In a bathroom? That's a sad way to go."
"The others drowned too. Ann Mortensen in her bed. Sven Thomsen in his recliner."
"How do you drown in your bed or recliner?" Sophia asked.
I shook my head. "If a water monster attacks you, I guess anything is possible, right?"
Sophia gave me a look. I could tell she didn't believe a word I was saying. She looked more like she was ready to admit me to a mental institution.
"If you say so."
Chapter Forty-Four
Saturday, I had invited Victor's new friend, Daniel, over for a playdate. It might have been an attempt to get him away from Skye a little, or maybe just me being totally excited about the fact that he had made a real friend. I don't know, but I thought it was worth a try.
The mother brought Daniel over at ten o'clock and knocked on my door. I hurried out and opened it.
"Hello. I’m Emma," I said and shook the mother's hand. I looked at the boy. "You must be Daniel."
The boy smiled shyly. To my surprise, he looked me straight in the eyes when I spoke and, when I reached out my hand to greet him, he shook it. I hadn't expected this since I thought he would be a lot more like Victor and Skye, but this kid seemed very different. His clear and very blue eyes looked up at me.
This kid could be a good influence on my son.
"Come on inside," I said, smiling from ear to ear."
His mother followed him inside and closed the door behind her. Victor and Skye were sitting in the living room like I had asked them to. I had told them not to go into the yard after breakfast like they usually did because Daniel was coming. Victor hardly reacted when I told him his friend was coming over, and I kept asking him if he was looking forward to seeing him, but he didn't answer me at all. Looking at the pretty boy standing next to his mother, I sincerely hoped he could rub off just a little bit on
my son.
"Now…Daniel doesn’t like surprises," the boy's mother said, still standing in the hallway, seeming like she almost wasn't sure she dared to leave her son. I knew the feeling. I couldn't stand leaving Victor in new places where you didn't know what might set him off.
"So, please make sure nothing upsets him. Otherwise, call me. I'll be back in an hour."
I smiled and nodded at his mother while looking into her worried eyes. "I will."
The mother stood for a few seconds, shifting the weight on her feet, hand on the doorknob. Then she exhaled and opened it.
"See you in an hour," I said and waved.
As the door closed and the mother disappeared, I turned around and found Daniel standing right behind me. I took his hand in mine and guided him into the living room.
Victor and Skye were sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, staring into each other's eyes, not making a sound.
"Victor?"
He didn't react.
"Daniel is here."
Still nothing.
"Victor!"
Finally, Victor turned his head. He didn't look up at us but rose to his feet and walked to Daniel. He stood in front of him, his head still bowed. Behind him, Skye was staring at Daniel, and I noticed with concern that her little body was shaking. Daniel spotted her and their eyes locked.
"Do you two know each other?" I asked, surprised.
Biting his lip, Daniel nodded.
"Really?" I said. "Do you know her name?"
He nodded shyly. "B-3."
I shook my head in wonder. "B-3? What do you mean?"
"B-3," he repeated.
I looked down at him. "Daniel. Where do you know her from?"
He looked up at me, blue eyes growing even wider. "From the place with the cords. The place where no one hears you scream."
And with those words, Daniel let go of my hand, then rushed to Skye and embraced her. I wanted to stop them, I wanted to ask him more questions, but all three of them seemed to soon be lost in some conversation I could never be a part of and, seconds later, they rushed into the yard.
Chapter Forty-Five
I spent the morning sitting by the window, watching the kids playing outside in the snow while researching on my computer. I had read all there was about the disappearance of plumber John Anderson and all there was about the company Omicon and what they did. According to their own website, they were a research lab, testing and developing new treatments for diabetes patients. But what struck me was that I couldn't seem to find any of their research online. No articles about some breakthrough they'd had or were trying to make, no scientific magazine describing their research and work. I told myself that could be because it was top secret or maybe because they hadn't really had any breakthroughs, but there was something about their secrecy that made me curious. So far, three people who had worked there or were working there had died under strange circumstances. I didn't care what Morten said about it being a coincidence. In my book, something odd was up, something I couldn't really put my finger on.
I was pleased to see that the three kids seemed to play well together and the two of them included Daniel just fine. They didn't seem to really play much, though. At least not that I could tell. Instead, it seemed they were communicating with one another and possibly with the trees. Maybe it was just part of some role-play, I decided and returned to my computer.
I looked up the latest death, Hanne Carlsen. Her autopsy report concluded—not surprisingly—that she had water in her lungs and in her stomach, indicating death by drowning. The water had caused loss of consciousness due to hypoxia and was followed by cardiac arrest. The report stated she was found on the floor of the restroom, in the middle of the room, far from any outlets containing water. It had to be a result of submersion injuries, was the conclusion. I looked it up and found it was also known as secondary drowning.
According to an article I found, secondary drowning happened when a little bit of water got into the lungs of a person and caused inflammation or swelling, making it difficult or impossible for the body to transfer oxygen to carbon dioxide. With secondary drowning, there could be a delay of up to twenty-four hours before the person showed signs of distress.
"So, that's their theory, huh?" I said out loud to myself. "That she somehow was exposed to water somewhere else, then walked into the toilet at her work and died there on the floor."
I leaned back in the couch with a deep sigh, wondering about all this. Could they be right? Could someone have tried to drown Hanne but not succeeded? Could the same thing have happened to Ann Mortensen and Sven Thomsen? But what about the puddles? There were puddles on the floor next to Sven Thomsen and Ann Mortensen. Puddles with that strange water in them. Water that, according to Brian Mortensen, contained human DNA.
I sighed. It was all a little too far-fetched. I closed the lid of the computer and looked at the kids while sipping my coffee, wondering about Daniel. If he knew Skye, did that mean that she was originally from the island?
There was a knock on the door, and I hurried out. Outside stood Daniel's mother, and I realized the hour had passed.
"They're in the yard," I said and let her in.
We walked to the living room, and I turned to look at her. "Say…Daniel, how long has he been at Fishy Pines?"
She exhaled. "He's been there since he started school. Used to be there full-time, but now he only goes for the classes. We knew something was off with him from when he was just a young baby."
"So, he knows all the children who have gone there, I assume?" I asked.
"Yes. That place has been like a second home to him for as long as I can remember," she said.
I opened the door to the yard and glanced at the woman next to me. "That's wonderful. It'll be good for Victor to know someone like Daniel then. Someone who's familiar with how things work there. You know since he's so new."
"Yes, of course."
We stepped out on the back porch. I shuddered in the cold, then waved at the kids.
"Victor. Daniel's mom is here."
Daniel spotted her and rose to his feet. He gave Skye a hug, then ran toward us.
"Say…who is that girl?" his mother said.
"You know her?" I asked. "How so?"
"I don't know," the mother said. "What's her name?"
I suddenly had a strange sensation inside of me and realized I wasn't sure I wanted people to know about Skye being in my house. What if they took her away from me? It would devastate Victor. What if they hurt her?
"Skye," I said. "She's visiting from out of town. Distant relatives."
"Oh, really?" the mother said.
"Yes," I said, suddenly eager to get them out of my house. I liked the boy, I really did, but the mother and the way she stared at Skye suddenly gave me the creeps.
"All right then, Daniel," she said. "We better be off. What do we say to Mrs. Frost?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Frost," Daniel said, sounding like a little robot.
I smiled and pulled the boy into a hug, enjoying the fact that he didn't mind or start screaming like my own son.
"Call me Emma," I said. "And promise me you'll come again soon, you hear me?"
He nodded with another of his adorable smiles. For a second, I wondered what he was even doing at Fishy Pines. He seemed so normal and nothing like Victor. But then again, there were many things kids could have to deal with these days and not all of them were obvious.
"Thank you, Emma," the mother said and shook my hand before they left. As I watched them get into her minivan in my driveway, Skye came up to me and stood beside me. She stared at the woman as she got into her car, then stuck out her tongue at her.
That made me laugh.
Chapter Forty-Six
"I can't believe you're going with Alex to Thomas K's party. You're going to be the talk of the town; you do realize that, right?"
Maya looked at Christina. They were both standing in front of her open closet, looking at her clothes. Maya had c
alled her and asked her to come over and help her pick out something to wear. Maya had absolutely no idea about fashion or what boys liked.
"You need to look absolutely amazing. If you're to be the couple that everyone envies, we can't have him outshine you. He is so handsome that you have to look even better, so people won't wonder why on earth he is into you. This is important, you hear me?"
Maya nodded, even though she thought it sounded silly. It wasn't like she cared that much what people thought. She liked Alex, and he wanted to take her to the party. That was all there was to it. Still, Christina insisted that this was their first appearance together and that held great significance, so it had to be just perfect. Maya was about to regret her decision even to go when Christina pulled out a dress from the closet.
"There's always the little black one. You can never go wrong with a black dress. Black is timeless and slimming."
"But isn't it a little boring?" Maya asked.
"It's classy."
Maya sighed and looked at her old dress. "It used to be my mom's," she said. "She gave it to me when she went through her stuff a few years ago and realized she could no longer fit into most of it."
"I think you should wear it," Christina said. "Alex will love it. Try it on."
Maya took the dress and put it on. She looked at herself in the full-sized mirror, then turned a few times to see it from all sides.
"I don't know…" she said.
"It's perfect," Christina decided. "We'll put your hair up in a bun. It will look gorgeous with your blonde hair as a contrast to the black dress."