Chapter 12
Daniel looked down at his watch wondering if Lynda was going to show. They had been waiting at the log cabin for over thirty minutes. He had been so lost in thought he made no effort to talk to Jimmy. He was going to ask Lynda just what her relationship was to Gurvis. His stomach tightened as the picture of Gurvis's body flashed in his mind. He prodded himself not to back out. He was going to ask her, that is unless she was too grief stricken. Even if Gurvis had been an ass, she had said he was 'family.'
He glanced over at Jimmy sitting on one of the remaining walls of the log cabin. Daniel hadn't been able to stay still and had been pacing. He walked through what had once been the doorway and stared at the thick bushes from where Lynda usually came and went.
His vision began to dim in a haze of geometric blocks of brown until he couldn't see. His hand reached out for anything in automatic response to keep from falling. A sense of stifling thick heat engulfed his body and he began to gasp for breath.
The brown increased to black and just as he felt himself falling, light began to return. When he looked up a dark figure of a man was coming at him in a rush. His vision began to focus as the man, now only two feet away, kept coming. He backed up in response to the oncoming collision. Then the figure was right on him as if he were going to plow him down.
Daniel closed his eyes waiting for the impact. After a second when nothing happens his eyes opened. Nothing, the man was gone and he whirled around. He went into quick shock when he realized the cabin was whole.
He was having hallucinations. The cabin hadn't been burnt. It was whole and the man in the dark, who had been walking towards him, was now standing inside the cabin, his hands grabbing a woman's wrists. The stark terror on the woman's face made Daniel's heart pound.
“No!” She screamed, trying to shake him loose. “Leave us alone!”
“Hey Colonel, look what we got here.” The man in dark yelled.
Daniel spun around as another man, in the torn and dirty remains of a blue civil war Colonel's uniform, approached. Behind him was a barrel of a man. At first glance Daniel thought the bearded man was Gurvis but it wasn't. A rotten toothed grin spread across his face as he followed the Colonel.
They were dressed like Yankee's. Daniel blinked as the man walked past him as if he were invisible.
“Can we have us some fun Colonel?” The man holding the woman laughed wickedly.
“Please no ...!” She began, but he backhanded her so hard her head twisted and blood trickled from her lip.
“Sure boys. I think you deserve a little fun from all these rebel devils have put you through.”
“Well lookie, lookie, what we got here.” The barrel walked over and reached under a bed pulling out a young girl. Daniel couldn't see her face very well. The only light in the room filtered in from the open door and a flickering flame in the stone fireplace made their faces dance in the shadows.
“No!” Daniel screamed at the top of his lungs. He rushed at the man. His body fell through him. Completely through, as if his body had no substance or theirs had none. He didn't know which.
They couldn't see or hear him. Daniel groaned and stood up. He knew what was going to happen and he didn't want to see it. His mind told him to run outside but he didn't. He was nauseated and terrified, but he watched, the same way so many people do at a car wreck. Mindless morbid curiosity.
The barrel man began ripping the girl's clothes off forcing her on the bed. With one hand he held her arms above her and unbuttoned his trousers with the other. His erection flopped out threateningly as his pants dropped to his knees. He reached down with a massive hand spreading her thighs. She grunted as his body fell on top of her. His hairy ass rose as his back leaned forward. His hips thrust forward and her piercing scream split the air.
Daniel closed his eyes as she began to cry. The sounds of grunts, sobs, and laughter bombarded his ears. He heard the gnashing of teeth as a massive fist pounded the girl's head. Over and over!
Daniel began to cry and pray. “God, please stop this, please! I can't stand this. Please help them!” Daniel's own wailing grew louder and louder and then a bright redness beat against his eyelids. His eyes flew open. The cabin was on fire. Flames licked outward in thick billows of black smoke. His mind spun as he saw the girl's bashed remains naked and battered. He turned and watched the three figures walk away, laughing and patting each other on the back.
And then it was gone. He was standing in the middle of the burnt cabin Jimmy was shaking him.
“Daniel!” Jimmy yelled. “Daniel, what's wrong. Talk to me, Daniel!”
“Jimmy, thank God. Help me sit down.” Daniel's body was covered with sweat. His knees gave out and Jimmy almost fell under the sudden dead weight.
Jimmy managed to lay Daniel down on the packed surface of the cabin floor and wiped sweat off his friend's face. Slowly Daniel's shallow gasps eased and Daniel looked up to see deep creases in Jimmy's concerned face.
After several minutes Daniel managed to sit up with Jimmy's help.
“Thanks Jimmy.”
“You scared the hell out of me. What happened?”
Daniel rubbed his temples. “I don't know. It was crazy. When I walked out of the room I seemed to black out and then suddenly I was watching some kind of scene. It was horrible.” Jimmy helped him to his feet.
“It was like I was watching a movie. I saw these civil war Yankees and this cabin was whole. They came in and raped a woman, and a girl, and beat them to death. Jimmy it was horrible. There were three of them. Then the cabin was on fire. It was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. It was more horrible than touching Gurvis's dead body. The laughter,” he shook his head trying to remove the thoughts, “the screams. My God, the horror.”
“You scared me to death. I thought you were having a heart attack or something. You were standing at the door and cried out. Then you came in here and stood right there where we saw that blood.” He pointed wearily at the ground.
“It was horrible. I want to go home.” Daniel started walking zombie like out of the cabin. “I don't ever want to come back here again.”
“What about Lynda?” Jimmy followed at his heels.
“Not today. I just want to get out of here. I've got to think.”
Daniel didn't speak for the remaining walk back. Several times Jimmy asked him questions but Daniel kept shaking his head.
Daniel opened the screened door and Jimmy followed. When Jimmy let the door slam behind him Daniel jumped. The crack seemed to bring him out of his shocked state.
“You boys clean up and come eat before it gets cold.” Tarla called from the kitchen.
After washing their hands they headed to the kitchen. Daniel didn't want to deal with Tarla and her suspicious eyes. Not now at any rate but what could he do? If he said he wasn't hungry it would just cause him more questions.
Tarla looked up from her bowl of soup as they sat down. They filled their plates in silence and Daniel went through the motions of eating. After several minutes Tarla sliced the stillness by dropping her spoon in the bowl. Both boys jumped and looked up from their plates.
“You two acts like somebody be shooting at you.” Her brows raised and her eyes darkened.
“Sorry.” Daniel mumbled. “Just too much has been going on.”
“Speaking of goings on, Deputy Fletcher called and says he'll be back to talk to us. Says poor old Master Gurvis was killed.”
“Uh, what time did he say he'll be here?” Daniel managed to ask.
“Eight.” Tarla answered and then inhaled. “Now I wants to know why Tarla be finding your spirit board on top of the hill above the spring house. I didn't tell him about finding it. I figured I’d wait until I know what you been up too.”
Daniel laid down his sponge and rubbed his forehead from the dull throb that kept increasing. “We went to see Lynda last night and took it. When we were walking back
we got scared and dropped in and took off running.”
“And?” Tarla's question hung in the air.
“And what?” Daniel asked in defense knowing what she was asking.
“What be the thing that scares you so bad, that you be leaving your stuff and runs away?”
“It was just a noise. Guess it was good we took off, it might have been us lying dead.” Daniel met her eyes and squirmed as he felt her doubt bore into him. He blushed at the thought liar was written all over his face. He cursed himself, wishing he could lie better.
“Or maybe you be the ones that kill the man?”
“No!” They chimed in together. Daniel sputtered for a second. “It wasn't us. We didn't kill him.”
Tarla's eyes clouded black. “Then you best be telling Tarla the truth.”
“We saw him and he scared us but he was laughing when we ran off. That's why we dropped the board. I swear it.” Daniel stiffened. It was the truth but not what Gurvis had tried to do to them.
“Me thinks you best be telling the Deputy what happen when he comes.”
Daniel only nodded.
“If's you don't, then I be having to tell him.” Her face was stern.
“I said we'll tell him.” Daniel snapped and regretted it when he saw her frown. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that, it's just been too much.”
“You best finish and do your chores. Oh yes, Master Duncan called and I tell him what happen. They will be coming home sometime late tonight. So you best be going to bed early after the Deputy leaves and not be sneaking out.” She stood up and took her plate to the sink.
Daniel groaned inwardly. They had been going on a honeymoon and now they were driving all the way back and it was his fault. At least he felt it was his fault. If they hadn't went out then maybe none of this would happen. He looked forward to Duncan coming home as much as he did talking to that foul mouth Deputy. He felt his stomach churn at the pitiful few bites he had given it and it still threatened to send it back.
“Tarla, we're going to finish the chores and then be in my room. We'll watch for the Deputy.”
After they were finished Daniel walked into his room with Jimmy as usual close behind.
Jimmy headed for the bathroom and Daniel flopped down on the bed.
“Argh!” Daniel screamed out as he jumped up. Jimmy turned to see what was wrong just as a small gray field mouse jumped off onto the floor and scurried behind the computer desk.
Jimmy broke out in laughter. “What's the matter you scared of a little mouse.”
“I'm not scared of mice, it just startled me.” Daniel looked around and pulled back the bed covers. “I tell you,” he shook his head back and forth, “I would just as soon see a snake.”
The thought struck Daniel like a hammer and he began to retract his words. “God, I'm just kidding.” He half glanced up at the ceiling in mock prayer and then at the computer desk in search of the mouse.
A snake slithered out from under the desk slowly as if it was making a direct trek to Daniel.
“Argh!” Daniel screamed again and loud. Panic shot through every fiber of his being as he jumped and landed standing on the bed. He looked around for something to throw but found nothing close enough. A scream welled in his throat in panic as the snake kept coming closer to the bed.
“Now what?” Jimmy had almost reached the bathroom and turned. Seeing Daniel standing on the bed looking down in panic Jimmy followed his gaze. He froze.
Jimmy gritted his teeth and spoke. “Calm down! I think it's a copper head.”
Daniel kept looking around frantically trying to find something to throw close enough so he wouldn't have to leave his sanctuary.
“Damn it! Calm down.” Jimmy snapped not taking his eyes off the snake that was moving away from him and toward Daniel.
Jimmy moved slowly reaching out for a large book lying on the edge of the fireplace. He inhaled and threw it as hard as he could. The edge of the book slammed down on the snake and it thrashed around as time seemed to slow down.
Jimmy started reaching for everything close and began tossing it as he backed up towards the bathroom. At the movement of his foot vibrating across the carpet the snake changed direction towards him.
Daniel hopped off the other side of the bed and grabbed a hatchet used for scouting. He paused watching Jimmy continue throwing everything he could grab at the slithering form coming closer to him.
Finally he grabbed a glass pop bottle he had left in the room from the previous day and slammed it down, striking the snake on the head. It started tossing around stunned and Daniel moved up and in one swift hack severed its head and a portion of its body lying beneath its head.
It kept twisting and furling, and Daniel kept hacking; through the snake, and through the carpet, over and over, until finally Jimmy screamed at him to stop.
Daniel stopped and looked up at him his hands were shaking.
“Watch its mouth it can still bite.” Jimmy said knowing how terrified Daniel was of snakes. Of course this one was poisonous and he didn't blame him. “I'll go get a broom and scoop so we can take it outside.”
Jimmy was back almost before he was gone and carefully scraped up the snake. “We better put it somewhere so we can show Duncan, cause he's going to be pissed when he sees what you did to the carpet.”
Daniel shrugged still in shock. “How did it get in?”
“Probably the same way the mouse did. That's probably what it was after. Food.”
“How come it's still moving? Are you sure it's dead?”
“It's dead. I guarantee nothing could live in that many pieces. I don't know why they keep moving, something about its nervous system. I've heard a snake will continue to move until the sun goes down. They can still bite when they're dead. I'll take it out.” Jimmy stood up and laid the broom over the moving body in the dust pan. “Be back in a sec.”
Daniel just stood there staring at the carpet all the time Jimmy was gone.
“I put it in a box.” Jimmy walked over and squeezed Daniel's shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Daniel nodded. “Do you think there's anymore?” His eyes darted around the room.
“No, but to make you feel better we will pull everything out just to make sure and find out how it got in.”
They spent the next hour tearing up the room and finally Daniel felt satisfied nothing else was there. They didn't find the mouse but found a small hole at the back base of the fireplace and stuck a peg in it.
“I'm tired.” Jimmy said. “I don't know about you but I've still got to go to the bathroom.”
“Well you better hurry.” Daniel looked out the window at the car coming over the top of the hill. “Here comes the cop.”
“Oh no, I forgot about him.” Jimmy hurried off to the bathroom. “That's all we need another copper head.”
“Bad pun.” Daniel answered. “Too bad we can't hack him up too. He's probably more deadly.”
Jimmy looked back and saw the grave expression on Daniel's face. He didn't blame Daniel for the remark but it sounded too serious even to him. A chill ran up his spine and made him shudder.