Hunted: A Suspense Collection

by J. L. Drake

  “Why are you both hungry?” James asked, taking the seat across from Jessi and placing utensils in front of us.

  “We only had dinner the day we escaped. We didn’t eat after that until now.”

  “Well then eat, don’t wait for me,” James stated with a smile and gesturing to the utensils that had been placed for us.

  Jessi didn’t pause and immediately dug the spoon into the pasta to shovel it into her mouth.

  “Wow, how long as it been since she ate last?” James asked with a slight laugh.

  “Must have been too long,” I stated with a distant voice as I stared at Jessi.

  She had managed to clean her plate within that short exchange James and I had. Then proceeded to ask for more with a wide smile. She had three helpings of dinner that night while James and I only had one; for some reason I just wasn’t that hungry.

  After dinner James led me downstairs to the basement, where I would be staying for the duration of my visit. There were two actual bedrooms in the house, but a total of three bedrooms because James had converted the basement into a guest room. Jessi had slept with her parents, until they were able to move the furniture from one room to the basement in order to make a closer bedroom for her.

  “The bathroom is right there. The bedroom is here and the rest of the area is for your desires, I guess,” James stated awkwardly, while pointing around the room.

  “Desires?” I questioned the choice of his word.

  “Television, gaming station, movie, whatever you want. Just in case you can’t sleep or don’t want to,” James stuttered through.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked as his eyes darted around the room.

  “Something feels off, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

  “What do you mean by ‘off’?”

  “There’s something wrong,” he stated.

  “What’s wrong?” I pushed the question.

  “I really don’t know. It’s just a feeling. Whatever it is, it shouldn’t do anything to upset you, it’s just a feeling.”

  “But that feeling is what made Garrett believe cops were working on this with Steve, and he was right. I wouldn’t doubt the feeling James, it could get someone hurt if you do,” I said, hoping his thoughts would go to Jessi and his need to protect her.

  James visibly shuddered and shook his head to force away a thought. He placed his hand on my shoulder and looked me dead in the eye. “Do you want to stay with Jessi and me tonight?”

  “I would, but that may give Jessi the wrong impression,” I stated honestly. Jessi needed to get used to being in her own house again, with her actual family, not with the one she made.

  “I think for one night, we can make this work, and if you still feel the same about it tomorrow, you can stay down here.”

  “I will take you up on that offer.” I heard something fall behind me, but as I glanced around I saw nothing out of place. James had taken out his nine-millimeter gun, out of reflex, and told me to stay put. He walked around the entire basement, but came back with nothing.

  “I think you should stay with me tonight,” James said, pushing me up the stairs toward the bedroom. I noticed that as he pushed me up the stairs he was continuing to scan the area.

  Jessi was in there waiting for us to return upstairs on James’ orders. She had a big smile on her face when she saw me emerge from the hallway. “Mommy! You’re sleeping with me tonight?” she asked, with excitement lacing her every word and a slight bounce as she spoke.

  “Yes, but only for tonight. I wanted to make sure you can get used to your house again,” I said, pretending not to notice that James had locked the basement door behind him after checking the hallway again.

  “Not tomorrow?” Jessi asked, with a sad tone in her voice.

  “No, you need to get used to being around your family again.”

  “But what about Daddy?” she asked, with tears welling up in her eyes.

  “We’ll be looking for him tomorrow, and with any luck, he’ll be with us tomorrow too,” James answered, before I could come up with a nice way to answer.

  “We are?” I asked, surprised he was going to let us go looking for Garrett with him.

  “Well, I have a feeling Jessi won’t want to be without her ‘daddy’ forever. So if we can find him, it will put her at ease and give you your ‘husband’ back,” James said with a playful smile curving onto his lips.

  “He’s not my husband!” I yelled.

  “He is to Jessi. We join the search tomorrow, early in the morning. So get your sleep, and be prepared for a long day of searching,” he said, as he led us to the bedroom with a yawn.

  There was an extra mattress for Jessi and me on the ground by James’ bed, which Jessi instantly ran to and laid down on. I heard the springs on James’ bed screech as he plopped down. As I lie down in the bed next to Jessi, I could hear him moving around attempting to get comfortable, moving pillows, the sheets, and at one point getting a sweatshirt. Jessi cuddled into my side and went to sleep in seconds, murmuring softly while I stared at the ceiling—something I had grown accustom to doing in Steve’s house when I couldn’t sleep. The rough texture of the ceiling was interesting, it seemed to drip down and dry, leaving stalactites.

  The moonlight cast shadows on the walls; there was a soft light coming from under the door that at times would be blocked. Curiosity pulsed through me as the shadow continually paced in front of the door, blocking the light from passing through the small opening.

  Then it stopped, and the doorknob twisted slightly until the lock clicked. The knob was released and the shadow moved on. Did I just imagine that? Why would they want to open the door? Who would be in the house in the first place?

  If something, or someone, had tried to open the door it could be Steve, or Garrett, or just my imagination. Two of those were favorable, but it wasn’t worth the risk of checking. How could Steve find me in Charleston? I had passed at least three other towns on my way here—so how could he know this is where I went?

  The hotel suggestion finally made sense. They had wanted me to be alone so that they could get rid of me easier. Steve had been told this is where I was and made a reservation. Steve didn’t want Jessi, just me. The police chief had tried to take me away so that Steve could have his way with me and then make me suffer like he promised. I wouldn’t go back without a fight because I knew I’d never make it out alive again. I shuddered at the memories, and pushed the thoughts from my mind as I drifted into an uneasy sleep.

  ***

  James was right; we would be joining the search early. We were at the police station before the sun was up, but that didn’t stop Jessi from bouncing around with excitement to find Garrett. It was like she had whole pot of extra strength coffee with shots of espresso it.

  “We will be taking the road you two took into town and walking around there. You should be the best guides for that area, so at least we’ll know where to go,” James said hopping into the front seat of the blue and gray police car.

  I guided him out of town the way we came in as he patiently waited for my directions. I led him past the school where we met the police officer, out past city limits, and past the five mile sign we had seen on our way in. James grew uneasy with how far we were going, but didn’t stop until I told him.

  “Right here?” James asked.

  “Yeah, this was where we first came out.” There was a bent tree I remembered from walking in the woods. This was pretty close to the house if I remembered correctly.

  “Why didn’t you stay on the road? A policemen could have found you and brought you in?” James threw his hands into the air in frustration at my choice.

  I glared at him through the rearview mirror, reminding him that some policemen would have taken us back to Steve. Others may have taken us to the police station, but we got lucky with the first cop and I had a feeling our luck would run out eventually. I didn’t want to push our luck any more than I already had to, because it may run out.

  Too
bad for me, I was right.

  Chapter 20

  Jessi and I had traveled through the woods for hours with James as we attempted to lead him back toward the house. We never saw another person or animal during the search, because the police weren’t looking this far out. They were searching closer to town, because Garrett should have already been through this way. If he hadn’t made it this far by now, was there any hope he made it out of the house alive? I could see markings that Jessi and I had created as we ran through the forest. Without knowing what to look for, most people would pass by without seeing anything, because it was supposed to look like claw marks.

  I had cut the markings into random trees as we went along, in order to lead Garrett to us. My fingers traced over the marks and lingered for a moment. Garrett would have marked them somehow if he came this way. Did he go the wrong way, or had he died?

  I shook my head vigorously to shake the thought from my head. I couldn’t start thinking like that, I had to believe that he made it out of that god forsaken house. Otherwise, I’d be alone, no one to understand what I went through. Jessi would hopefully forget as she grew older, blocking the memories.

  Maybe she would start mistaking the memories for a bad dream, and James would do his best to keep her from reliving the horrible event. There was a chance she could grow up and be a normal child, but as long as I was with her, there wasn’t that chance. I knew I would have to leave her eventually so she could have a chance of forgetting.

  “What is that?” James asked from behind me, causing me to jump slightly at his presence. I had been so deep in thought that I hadn’t heard him approach. That would have been dangerous if it wasn’t James or Jessi.

  “It’s the mark I made to tell Garrett where we had gone,” I answered.

  “Do you know if he followed it?”

  “He was supposed to, but I don’t know for sure.” I stated, taking my hand away from the tree.

  “Then we keep going,” he said, walking toward Jessi, who was about twenty yards in front of us.

  I followed absentmindedly, as James caught up to Jessi and led the way through the brush. I checked every tree and the places on the ground I had marked, hoping that Garrett answered at least one of them, but I didn’t see one that was answered.

  Why hadn’t he answered my marks? Had he done it to avoid detection? Steve would have left after he was done beating Garrett. Garrett should have been the last to leave, unless Steve had waited for Garrett to recover so he could follow Garrett to find me.

  “Wait!” I yelled loudly, causing it to echo as we stepped into a clearing. The trees fought to contain my sudden outburst, as the sound reverberated in the air. James and Jessi stopped in their tracks to stare at me. They were completely unaware of what was around us. “We have to go back!” I said as I took off running back toward the car.

  As I ran as fast as I could, I heard James calling me from behind. I didn’t stop, I had to keep running because footsteps were following me as I ran. I heard Steve call my name, his laugh and his footsteps. We were about to walk into a trap. I could only imagine what would happen if we continued.

  The picture of James dead and Jessi screaming for help flashed in my head as Steve’s laugh echoed in my ears. I kept running, even though James was begging me to stop, but I was running for my life and theirs. No one else meant anything to Steve, he would kill anyone that stood in his way to me, and that put a lot of people at risk.

  The second my feet hit the pavement I ran around the car to put a barrier between me and whoever was going to come out of the woods behind me. There was nothing around me, the trees blocked my vision. I could hear James coming, Jessi was calling my name, and I could also hear Steve taunting me from wherever he was.

  “That no good son of mine just can’t keep his hands to himself, and then he has you believe that you can actually escape from me. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I’m glad I will never have to deal with him again, but I’ll find you, Kelly. Don’t worry.”

  I whipped around expecting to see Steve standing right behind me, but only trees loomed over me. James had caught up by the time I turned back around with his gun drawn and Jessi protectively behind his back. He must have heard Steve because he seemed to relax when he only saw me.

  “What’s gotten into you?” James asked in a huff, attempting to regain his breath.

  “We have to go somewhere else!” I yelled as I picked Jessi up and put her into the back of the car. I didn’t know where Steve was, but I’m sure one police officer wouldn’t stop him from trying to take me again.

  “Why? Where do you want to go?” James asked.

  “To the house! We need to find Garrett! That’s the reason he didn’t answer my marks. He must still be in the house! Steve said he didn’t have to worry about him anymore! He’s still there and he could be dying!” I practically shoved him in before I got in the car and locked our doors.

  “Where is the house?” James questioned once we were all in the car.

  “I don’t know exactly, but I can lead you most of the way.”

  James looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded his head.

  “Where am I going?”

  “Past this town. We didn’t even stop there, we just kept going.”

  “Why didn’t you stop here?”

  “The police. They were just too close to not be under suspicion,” I answered honestly. James simply nodded and drove until I saw something that I recognized. “Stop!” I yelled, causing James to slam on the brakes, swerve the car slightly and jolt the vehicle to a stop almost right into a tree.

  “What?” He screamed back at me in frustration, scaring Jessi and me in the process. When he saw our shocked expressions and huddled posture, he composed himself and tried to relax. “I realize I overreacted. Now, will you please tell me why you ordered me to stop here?” Jessi and I were silent as we gestured for him to follow us. I heard James’ door slam shut as he got out to follow us as Jessi looked at the familiar trees.

  We walked along the road while things were familiar, but once it became unfamiliar we went into the woods. Walking through the brush brought back memories—the fear, the worry, the adrenaline, and the freedom. I glanced around and saw a tree that looked similar to the one Jessi was latched onto before I got shoved out of the house. I heard gravel being crunched by tires and held up my hands to stop the others.

  James pulled Jessi back toward him as he waited for me to say it was okay to go. Once I was sure that the sound had disappeared, we continued. My feet hit gravel a few minutes later, and once again I was staring at Steve’s house. The huge wooden house was boarded up from top to bottom, covering all the windows and entrances so that it looked condemned. The front door was wide open, beckoning for me to come back in to its halls.

  “Garrett?” I called, as I took a tentative step toward the house.

  “Anna, what are you doing?”

  I led the way into the house while James was tending to Jessi. The cold hands of fear were slowly grabbing onto my body with each step I took. I swiftly traveled through the downstairs. I pried at the boards of the kitchen wall and ran down into the basement, but there was no one there. As I came back to the main floor of the house, there was a thud from upstairs. I paused for a moment, then heard the sound again.

  “I’m officer James Sparks, come out with your hands up and in plain sight,” I heard James call up to whoever was up there. I saw Jessi trembling with fear. James pulling his gun probably didn’t help, but he was trying to protect her. When no answer came, I ran to the stairs, racing past James as he tried to grab me from going alone.

  “Garrett!” I yelled, as I came to the top of the stairs. The door that had sealed us up there during our stay was wide open and broken at the hinge. From the stairs I could only see that there were a pair of sneaker clad feet sticking out from the corner of the hallway, with blood pooled around them. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I took another step forward, “Garrett?”

  Chapter 21

/>   I stared at the tennis shoe clad feet, paralyzed by fear. The door frame was blocking me from seeing the rest of the body, but my fear kept me from moving to see the body. If I looked it would be real, I would know it was Garrett, and there would be nothing I could do to help him. I couldn’t handle knowing that.

  “Anna, what’s up there?” James yelled from downstairs, attempting to yell over Jessi’s loud cries. James didn’t have any idea what he had stepped into—our greatest nightmare.

  “There’s... there’s...” I stuttered as I tried to find the words, but I couldn’t get a word to come out. My throat tightened in terror, making it difficult to talk.

  “Anna, what’s wrong?”

  I tightened my stomach to force the word from my mouth. “Body!” I yelled as tears started to stream down my cheeks.

  “Whose is it? Is it his?” I wasn’t sure which he James was talking about; it could have been Garrett or Steve, I didn’t know. James approached quickly with Jessi following behind. Her crying got louder, more terrified, the closer she came. She would always remember what happened to her, there would always be reminders. I took Jessi from him as he met me on the landing and let him pass into the room. I could feel Jessi’s heart beating rapidly. Fear rippled through us as James turned the corner and let out a long drawn out sad sigh.

  “Who is it?” I asked through tears.

  James didn’t answer for a while, he stood there holding his hand over his mouth and trying to fight back emotion. I could see one single tear trail down his cheek before he blinked away the others, not letting them fall. ”It’s Garrett.”

  I couldn’t stop the tears—they fell over my eyelashes within seconds of hearing the news. Jessi couldn’t be fooled either, even without the connotation of ‘daddy’ she knew that Garrett was gone.

  “It’s Officer Allen Garrett, Anna. It’s not a kid, he’s an officer on the force with me,” James said as tears started to fall from his eyes. “He was one of the good ones, I know it! Now he’s gone and for what?” he yelled as he threw his hands up in anger.