Chapter 4
“Wolves and Sheep”
Grace was alone on the roof of Eldritchville Elementary School. “Why do I keep ending up back here?”
“Where are you, Grace?” a man’s voice asked from behind.
“The Teacher?” Grace turned around and saw the shadowy form of him. She cringed at the edge of the roof as the man walked over to her.
“To the Elect, I am the Teacher. To the Forsaken, I am the Enemy. Do you remember me?”
“No, but I know who you are.”
“Do you? Why are you afraid of me, Grace? I’d never hurt you.”
“I... I don’t know.”
“Grace, bring me to you. I want you safe– with me.”
“Why do you want to... marry me?”
The man laughed. “Any man would want to marry you.”
“I’m only nine-years-old.”
“So? You’ll grow up.” The girl looked away and fidgeted. “Grace, I’m not going to molest you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Is this all just a dream?”
The man laughed. “Dream? Man wanted to fly; it was a dream. Man flew; the dream is now a reality. Man wanted to walk on the moon; it was a dream. Man walked on the moon. The dream became real.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Eldritchville.”
“Eldritchville?”
“Yes. Don’t you want to know why this place seems so strange?”
“I don’t know.”
The man laughed. “You’re still a child: Your heart hasn’t hardened with unbelief. Now is the time for you to learn– before it’s too late.”
“Learn what?”
“Magic.”
Grace opened her eyes and saw, even in the dark, Annie sleeping next to her. They were still together in the furniture store.
The Teacher still spoke, apparently believing that Grace was still with him on the school roof. Maybe she was, in a way. “Grace, you’re still soft and forming. Now is the time for you to learn, before it’s too late; before you harden. Become what you can become. I’m the Teacher. I’ll awaken your power. Become the wonder you were meant to be. Grace, where are you?”
John awoke in the blackness of the storage room he had barricaded himself in. “Someone” was in the shop with him! John listened. He could hear footsteps, the creak and clatter of things but... no voices. How many of whoever or whatever were out there? Did they know he was here? Were they looking for him? John found his pistol and switched off the safety. Suddenly all was quiet (except for John’s thumping heartbeat). Mr. Elderberry listened... and waited. He eventually heard a door open then close then all was deathly quiet.
Morning was calm, quiet and very gloomy outside. Annie wondered, “What time is it?”
Grace answered, “Seven-fifty-one.”
“It doesn’t look it.”
Grace checked her dad’s watch. “If this thing is working, and I think it is, then it’s seven-fifty-two in the morning.”
The girls were still wearing only their underwear. Annie checked her clothes and suggested, “Even though they’re still damp, maybe we should put them back on.”
“Let them dry completely.”
“What if your dad comes back?”
“Don’t worry about it. He won’t care.”
“I do!”
“Annie, just let your clothes dry and stop worrying. You can cover yourself in a blanket.”
“But it’s too warm in here.”
“Then don’t worry about it.”
The two were playing cards when Annie remarked, “I wish we’d stayed at your place.”
“Too late now.”
“Yeah, but I wish we did.”
Grace reminded, “You’d have to go home eventually.”
“But I didn’t get home: that’s the problem.”
Grace lied down, sighed and told her friend, “Maybe I’m the only one who’s supposed to be here, anyway.”
“Why?”
“I had another dream, but this time I met the Teacher.”
“You did?!”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure your dreams are really real?”
Grace giggled. “Yes, Annie: If something’s real, then it’s really real.”
“What did the Teacher look like?”
“I don’t know. It was too dark to really see anything. I was at this town’s elementary school again, but this time I was on the roof.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did the Teacher say anything to you?”
“Yeah. He wants to find me. He does want to marry me.”
Annie frowned, “That is so disgusting. I’d stay away from him, if I were you.”
Grace laughed, “I’ll try.”
“I hope your dad kicks this guy’s butt.”
“Maybe he will.”
John stood in front of the monument, staring up at the statue of the naked young girl, “Grace Faye Elderberry.” Though he hoped to see differently, the name and image were unmistakably and undeniably those of his missing daughter.
“John,” a woman’s voice addressed him from behind. The man drew his pistol and turned to face her. It was Lucy Lee! The woman laughed and shook her head. “You’re on edge, John. Don’t worry about me, sweetie.”
John noticed that lunatics were nearby and all around. He lowered his pistol and sat on a bench.
Lucy joined him. “John,” she patted his hand, “we’re not after you.” She giggled, “We’re not going to eat you or torture you or anything like that.”
“How did you find me?”
“Our scouts found you.” She nodded at some people nearby, “Don’t worry about them. They’re here to protect me from the others and Felix Blackthorn’s girls and hags.”
John stared at Lucy. Even though she was a cannibalistic lunatic, she smiled a warm smile! John asked her, “Felix Blackthorn?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s the ‘Teacher’ I’ve heard so much about?”
“I guess so. He runs that School for the Gifted.”
“Lucy, what do you want?”
“We’ve seen you wandering around town. If you’re not careful, somebody (not us) will kill you.”
“You people already tried.”
Lucy laughed, apparently unoffended. “Don’t be so swift to judge! Eating people isn’t so bad, really.” She saw John cringe. “We ate our dogs and cats first.” She giggled, “Some of us even emptied our own aquariums right out of the water... but that’s not what we really wanted. We didn’t want what we really wanted... until we tried it.”
“Why?”
Lucy shrugged. “When everything changed, some of us felt free and alive. Others were confused and afraid.”
“Wolves and sheep,” John thought aloud.
“Wolves eat sheep. You’re a wolf, John. Join our pack.”
“Lucy, I’m sorry, but I’ve never liked mutton. I’ll be a lone wolf, if you don’t mind.”
Lucy patted John’s knee. “You know where to find us if you ever change your mind. I hope you do.” The woman smiled, stood and started to walk away.
“Wait!” Lucy turned around and waited for him to speak. “My daughter and her friend are missing.”
“Your daughter’s friend?”
“Yeah: Annie DeSilva. Do you happen to know an Annie DeSilva?”
“No, but I know your daughter. If we find them, we’ll protect them.”
“Also, I need to know: Is there a way out of this town?”
“Not that anyone’s been able to find.”
“Why not?”
Lucy shrugged. “Sometimes people come in but nobody ever gets out.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Lucy, if you can tell me anything about this place, I’d be more than grateful.”
The woma
n walked right up to the man, took his hands and stared up into his eyes and told him, “Things changed.”
“When?”
“About a week or so ago.”
“What exactly happened?”
“From morning to noon one day, every animal went crazy and every person felt their every possible emotion all at once. It was the scariest, most painful, wonderful experience of my life. Nothing made sense but everything was perfectly clear. It was like heaven and hell came together on earth.”
“What caused it?”
“I don’t know... but there are people here who probably do. The old families probably know.” Lucy snickered, “They’re probably the ones who caused it all.”
“The old families?”
“Yeah. You should know: You’re an Elderberry.”
“I don’t know! I don’t know anything!” John turned and pointed up at the statue of Grace, “I come to this town and see this and it reads like my daughter’s epitaph!”
“What does it have to do with your daughter?”
“Grace! You said you know Grace!”
“I know Sarah. You have another daughter?”
“Yeah; Grace, my youngest.”
“John, I’ve lived in this town all my life and I’m telling you: this monument has been here the whole time. Sarah’s still a teenager so I seriously doubt your ‘youngest’ is older than I am.” Lucy laughed, “Maybe you’re just dizzy from everything that’s happened recently.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, you think about it until you know for sure.” She hugged him, breathed into his ear and said, “You know where to find me.” She kissed his cheek and started to walk away. “Oh, John,” she turned around. “We’re not the only pack in Eldritchville. There are others. Wolves sometimes eat wolves. Remember that.”
“I will.”
Lucy blew him a kiss then disappeared.
Grace glimpsed a chubby, deathly gray, big-breasted thing with long, white hair, walking past the front of the furniture store! Annie, unnoticing, uttered, “We should break open that soda....”
“Shhh!!”
Annie whispered, “What?!”
“Get down!” Annie complied. Grace insisted, “Be quiet.”
The two girls hid and waited. Eventually, Grace told Annie, “I saw a hag walk past the front of the store.”
“Did she see us?”
“I don’t think so. Let’s get our clothes back on.”
“Are we leaving?”
“Not yet.”
“Good. I don’t want to go out there if they’re out there.”
John was meandering when he happened upon a sickening stench. Curious, he walked into it until he found the source: a black, horribly bloated corpse with a torn, festered, sunken belly. “You,” he recognized the body. It was that of the first hag he had killed, still lying where he had left it several days ago. “Didn’t anyone even look for you? Maybe they found you and just left you here.” John retched then ran to escape the sickening, oppressive odor.