The House In the Woods

by Marguerite O'Callaghan

  ‘Dad, I don’t know what Mum has gone through, but it’s beginning to feel like we don’t know her at all. I think whatever she is running from, and whatever she was involved with is darker than we can even imagine.’

  Lydia waits for her father to respond to the weight of what she’s just said, but he’s not really listening. He just nods slowly, and picks up his phone. Lydia accepts that the conversation is over, for now, and decides to make a healthy meal for both of them. She starts to peel some vegetables she spots in a cardboard box on the floor. Her mum subscribes to one of those fancy online companies what deliver organic vegetable boxes every week, and for the first time Lydia is grateful for it. She announces what she’s cooking to her dad, but he’s staring vacantly at the muted television. Forty minutes later, Lydia produces a delicious meal of sautéed leek and mushrooms, cubed, roasted potatoes with herbs, and baked Alaskan red salmon she found in the freezer. She’s afraid her dad won’t eat it because he looks so disinterested, but he devours every bite and asks for seconds. Lydia is in the middle of serving him some more when a text comes through from Jared saying he is parked down the road. She walks into the living room to tell her dad she needs to go out, but finds him fast asleep on the sofa with Molly curled up behind his legs. She tells the dog to stay, puts the plate of food back in the oven so it stays warm, and goes straight out the front door, texting Jared to say she’s on her way. He texts back to say he’s in the car park on the way towards the heath station.

  The pair embrace as soon as Lydia gets into the car. Jared immediately starts apologising about his behaviour, and Lydia tells him to forget it; he is forgiven. She quickly tells him about what happened with Ida, and that she needs his help tracking down any missing girls that look like Kate in the past few years. Lydia isn’t sure how many years back they should go. It sounds like a long shot, now that she’s explaining her theory to an actual expert in this area, and she can feel her face flush, but Jared is totally on board and encouraging. He listens to everything she has to say and says he’ll start looking immediately; he has access to details and photographs of everyone who has been reported missing in the UK for the past fifty years or so, and he reassures Lydia that he will do everything in his power to find this other girl, if she exists. Lydia kisses him goodbye, whispers that she loves him, and Jared tells her that he won’t let her down again. She opens the car door and smiles back at him.

  ‘Lyds? Just so you know... if Kate’s case is reopened we will have to be extra careful... you know... with ‘us’. Okay?’

  Lydia nods in understanding and tells him not to worry. She walks briskly home and breathes in the cold evening air; it catches her throat and almost burns her nostrils. She had barely noticed winter tightening its grip on the city over the past few weeks, and tonight, she hopes wherever her sister was, she’s warm.

  30

  For the past week, Kate’s plan to escape has seemed more reality than fantasy, but she needs to execute her plan before it’s too late, or pregnancy makes it too difficult. She’s figured out that she’s probably been pregnant for about four or five months now. She’s gained weight, feels pretty strong, and has been using the time when she’s untied to do yoga on the woven floor mat, as well as gentle jogging on the spot. Melvin doesn’t really like the jogging; it causes too much noise on the wooden floors, and he tells her to just walk around the room and do some stretches, instead. But Kate wants to make sure that if it comes to it, and she has to run from this house, she’s as fast as she can be, so whenever she thinks Melvin is outside with the dogs or gone somewhere else, she jogs. She is also enjoying the ability to see out from the bedroom window every day; a small but important privilege she now appreciates very much.

  Tonight, Melvin has gone on an impromptu trip into town, and Christine has been up in Kate’s room. The pair have been talking and snacking on crisps that Christine found on the top shelf in the pantry. Kate is constantly hungry these days and her captors seem to delight in feeding her up; as if every mouthful is going straight to the baby, ensuring he will be as healthy as possible. Christine refuses any more of the crisps and hands the packet to Kate with a wink. Kate gets into bed and covers herself up with the blankets, she’s starting to doze off as she listens to Christine speak about the ranch days, when she first realised Melvin was going to ask her to marry him, and how devastating it was after they were married and realised she couldn’t get pregnant. Melvin had seen this as further evidence that Margaret was the one who was supposed to carry his child, and Christine was full of shame. Suddenly, they hear a noise that sounds like a loud bang at the front door. Kate’s eyes open widely, and she stares at Christine, who goes to peek out the window. But, she can’t see anything, and hurries downstairs to investigate. Kate smiles to herself; Christine has forgotten to tie her hands up again. If she can get away with it for the remainder of the evening, they might go to bed and leave her untied. This is exactly the kind of scenario she had hoped for when she asked them to consider untying her for longer periods of time.

  Downstairs, Christine opens the front door to a grumpy Melvin. He had forgotten his keys and asks why it took so long for her to let him in. She explains that she was just checking on Kate upstairs, and he nods reluctantly in understanding, then walks into the kitchen, and points out that dinner hasn’t even been started. Christine hurries to turn the oven on, pulling her apron from the back of the door; she knows she needs to make dinner as quickly as possible; she’s still afraid of Melvin’s temper, although it’s been weeks since he’s hit her, or shouted that much. She has almost forgotten Kate upstairs.

  About an hour before Melvin and Christine go to bed, it’s Melvin who pops his head around the door and asks Kate if she needs the bathroom. She is ready for this, and with her arms firmly hidden under the blankets, she tells him that she’ll be okay until morning, and Christine took her to the bathroom earlier. She tells him she’s exhausted and just needs to sleep, he seems satisfied with that, and closes the door quietly, telling Kate to sleep well, and call out if she feels unwell or needs anything. He’s been saying this for the past couple of weeks; asking her if she needs anything and expressing his concern for her well-being. Kate noticed the shock on Christine’s face when he said it in front of her for the first time. It was more than likely jealousy; Kate believed that Christine was just as twisted and brainwashed as her sick husband, and she craved his attention and approval, even after all he had put her through. God knows what happened to Christine in the past, or what horrors she had seen that messed with her mind, Kate thinks to herself. She had been born into the cult. At least Kate’s mother was only involved for a couple of years before she escaped, but Christine knew nothing else.

  To an outsider, it might seem like Melvin genuinely cares for Kate’s well-being. He doesn’t look like a kidnapper, rapist, or murderer when he enquires about how she’s feeling, or brings her food on a tray. But Kate knows what he is, and she also knows that this kindness isn’t really meant for her; it’s meant for the baby she’s carrying that he believes is some sort of blessed and divine hero; his connection to God and heaven. When the baby is born she will be disposable to Melvin. She has to remember that. Tonight, she is going to try to get out of here.

  A little while later, Christine is in the laundry room downstairs when she hears Melvin outside in the hallway. She knows he doesn’t know she’s in there because he’s muttering to himself in the way that he does sometimes when he believes he’s alone. Sometimes Christine hears it while he’s in the bath or if she suddenly walks into the room. She smiles to herself, and shakes her head, trying to make out what he’s saying. Then, she hears him pull out the small stool next to the hall table, and suddenly he’s talking to someone on the phone out there, almost in a whisper. Christine tiptoes to the door and strains to hear what he’s saying, but can only make out a few words. He seems to be quite angry with whoever is at the end of the line, and warns them that they better be giving him the correct information and not maki
ng a mistake. She hears him spit out ‘You better realise what’s at stake here.’ before hanging up. He then swears much more loudly and a second later asks God to forgive him, and wash away his sins and filthy tongue. Christine hears the stool scrape the floor and her heart jumps. She quickly tiptoes back to the other side of the laundry room and picks up some pillow cases. A few seconds later, Melvin pushes the door open, and glares at her from the doorway. He must have heard her.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he snaps.

  He walks into the room and examines the pile of laundry she’s folding.

  ‘Just these sheets and towels. Is there anything you’d like me to wash for you? I was going to...’

  But before she can finish, she feels a hard burn against her cheek. Her whole body responds to the sensation, and she lets out a cry.

  ‘Shut up, you stupid bitch.’

  He’s laughing now and his eyes are alight. It’s all too familiar to Christine; Melvin gets angry and frustrated, and takes it out on her, beats her until she begs for his forgiveness, and then he apologises. The cycle has been like this for as long as she can remember, but it doesn’t get easier. She still hopes that one day he will stop, and learn to respect her more. Maybe one day he will see how devoted she is, and that she doesn’t mean to upset him. Melvin asks if she heard what he was saying on the telephone, and Christine stares back blankly at him; her mouth open in shock and fear. She doesn’t want to lie, but also doesn’t want to make this worse for herself. Her silence infuriates him. He lunges forward, and pushes her hard towards the fridge freezer. She hits it, then falls to the floor, and stays down as he hovers over her. Spittle is starting to build up in the front of his mouth, and glistens on his dry, cracked lips. He roars at her to get up, but just as Christine is finding her feet, he pushes her again, and when she hits the wall and slumps to the ground this time, he grabs a fistful of her hair and pulls her head back viciously.

  ‘Look at me!’ he almost growls at her.

  ‘Look at me, I said!’

  Christine’s whole body is shaking. All she can feel is the pain in her right shoulder and elbow where she’s hit the fridge door handle, and the hot stinging on her face. She uses every ounce of strength she has to look him in the eye, and tells him she’s very sorry to upset him, and won’t do it again. Melvin’s smile exposes his bad teeth, and from this angle Christine can see right up his huge, hairy nostrils. He leans forward a few inches and pulls her head back even more, so her face is directly beneath his. Then, he spits at her. It lands right in her left eye, and he laughs as she blinks on reflex. He enjoys this; humiliating Christine, making her feel small and afraid, and by default making himself feel strong and big. He spits again, this time getting Christine in the other eye.

  ‘Stupid woman.’

  He lets go of her and walks towards the door.

  ‘Wash your filthy face. I’m going to bed.’

  It takes about ten minutes for Christine to compose herself. She cries into some of the damp sheets to drown out the sounds, and when she feels a little bit better, she splashes some water on her face, and takes a few deep breaths.

  ‘Thank you, God, for making it quick this time. Please forgive me for my sins.’

  Upstairs, Kate is also praying. Not for herself and her family like she usually does, but for Christine. As twisted as the situation is, she can still see that she has been victimised too. She wonders if Christine’s face will be bruised badly tomorrow, and knows that she probably won’t come into the room now, because she will be too embarrassed. She listens as Melvin goes into the bathroom first, then into their bedroom, and fifteen minutes later, Christine joins him. At least forty minutes pass, and Kate hopes they’re both asleep by now.

  The moon is almost full tonight, and Kate can see its familiar, comforting light seep in through a crack in the curtains as she goes over the plan in her mind. She has been practising walking this room many times, and knows which floorboards creak, and how to spread her weight slowly and evenly on them. She thinks that it would take Melvin at least twenty seconds or more to go from his room across the landing to her bedroom door, unlock it, and come inside. If they did hear her moving around, she would have enough time to get back into bed and hide. The dangerous bit, the first hurdle, is getting the bedroom door unlocked without a key. But Kate has already planned for this; she has a small flat piece of metal in her hand that she pulled from the lampshade, and she’s gripping it tightly now. The door has what she can only guess is an emergency hinge that actually turns the lock and opens the door. When Kate first saw it a few weeks ago, it seemed too good to be true. But when she tried to turn it with the piece of metal, it slowly moved, and she could hear the metal parts turn inside. She didn’t want to turn it fully, in case she couldn’t turn it back again; that would risk Melvin knowing what she had done, or at least becoming suspicious of her, and he might have changed the lock and tied her up all the time again. But now, she had to turn it as much as she could, and hopefully get out of this room.

  The moonlight illuminates everything, and Kate sees its help as further evidence that tonight is the night. The moon is on her and her baby’s side. Kate listens in the darkness for any sound from the house. There’s nothing. She thinks about the next steps once the door is opened. It was pretty much all guess work. For all she knows, Melvin might sleep with the keys around his neck, and every door and window might be locked tightly. There might even be some kind of alarm system or security lights somewhere, not to mention how impossible it would be getting past the dogs and gates if she actually makes it outside. She says a quick prayer, and touches her stomach gently.

  ‘Please, please let me get out of here.’

  The hinge turns, and when the lock is released it makes a small click that seems loud in the dark stillness. Kate waits for a few seconds before testing the door to see how quietly she can move it towards her. It moves silently and easily, and she uses both hands to control it. When it’s open, she very carefully places one foot in front, and eases it onto the floor. It creaks slightly and Kate stops. She doesn’t know the sounds of every floorboard in the hall, although she knows that the stairs are creaky and there is a rail that she has seen going down one side. She gently eases her left foot down next to her right, until she’s standing in between her bedroom and the bathroom. There is moonlight in the small landing and she can see Melvin and Christine’s bedroom door, about fifteen feet away. Kate looks at it, and is filled with anger at them both, and a determination to get away from this place, forever. She turns to the stairs in front of her, and makes her way to the first step. Suddenly, she hears something; it’s movement from their bedroom; the sound of heavy feet on the ground. Melvin. Kate turns, and quickly travels the few steps back to her bedroom. She’s shaking. She closes the door behind her, but it won’t click shut because she has turned the safety key. It’s too late. Melvin opens his bedroom door and Kate can hear him walking towards her. Her heart sinks. She’s holding the door shut, and wonders if she should just let it go and jump back into bed. Maybe he would believe it just broke on its own, somehow? Before she can make a decision, she hears another sound; the bathroom door. She breathes out quickly and reaches into her right sock for the flat metal piece. Her eyes have adjusted to the dark, and it’s easier this time. In a few seconds, the door is locked again, Kate tiptoes to her bed, and climbs under the covers. She tries to make her breathing return to normal, but her heart is beating so fast and strongly that she can almost hear it. Then, Melvin is at the door. Kate hears the key in the lock, and shuts her eyes tightly.

  31

  As if Lydia knows what’s going on in her sister’s world, she lies awake too, and watches as the clock turns 3.00AM. Then, she falls into a light, fitful sleep where she’s following Kate through a crowd, but keeps losing sight of her. Lydia wakes again at 7.00AM drenched in sweat, and exhausted. She pulls on a hoody over her striped pyjamas, and goes downstairs to make some coffee. Molly scratches at the door to come into the kitc
hen, and Lydia bends down to stroke her golden head. She barks, and walks over to where her lead hangs on a hook by the back door. Lydia tries to quieten the dog, and opens the door for her in case she needs to pee, but Molly sniffs at the morning air and rejects the idea. Lydia dares not to even mention the ‘W’ word (walkies) in case Molly starts to bark with excitement. She doesn’t want to wake her dad. But when she discovers that they are out of coffee, even the instant stuff, she tells Molly that she’s a lucky dog, and grabs her coat, wellies, and the dog lead. She needs caffeine today, full stop.

  Ten minutes later, Kate and Molly are walking through the village when Lydia realises that nowhere is going to be open this early. How did she not think of that? She almost laughs at herself. Here she is, in a strange outfit, with a hyperactive dog, sniffing around the village like a coffee addict. Then, she remembers seeing a twenty-four-hour newsagent on the other side of the hospital, and decides to check it out. She walks past the huge building, and thinks how strange it is that her mother is inside right this second, lying there, drugged up. Life is so bizarre. She takes a little side lane off Pond Street that she thinks will lead to the newsagent she has in mind, and notices a man is sitting on the bench about half way up the lane. Suddenly, Lydia feels uncomfortable; the man is staring at her, and there’s no-one else around. Molly senses it too, and slows her bouncy trot down to a cautious walk, glancing up at Lydia a few times. He’s wearing a long green thing that looks like overalls or some kind of workman’s uniform. He also has a small navy fisherman’s hat on his head, and large, black laced-up boots that are covered in dust, or dried mud. Lydia can see that he’s looking right at her. As she gets closer, she can see his features more clearly; a large, overhanging brow, thick dark eyebrows, and very large eyes. Lydia is feeling uneasy, but she continues to walk, reasoning that she doesn’t feel like herself anyway, and is probably just freaked out because of everything that’s been going on and what she’s going through, as well as jet-lag and the awful night’s sleep she had at her aunt’s. When she is about ten feet away from him, the man slowly stands up, as if he’s stiff or in pain. Lydia keeps her eyes ahead, and a thought enters her mind: maybe he is a patient at the hospital. She passes, and glances in his direction, then gently calls ‘Come on, good girl’ to Molly. Lydia is doing everything she can to remain calm, when everything in her body is telling her to run. She gets to the top of the path, just before the newsagent’s, and stops for a moment to reach into her coat pocket for her phone. Suddenly, she feels hands on her. She shrieks with fright and Molly barks. It’s him.