Maeve stood aside and made as if to usher the girls up the stairs, but just as she had feared, Joseph held his beefy hand out to forestall their leaving.
“I’m afraid Torei and Claire won’t be going with you to the clearing tonight,” he said.
“Then I’m afraid I won’t be going either.” Maeve said firmly, having made the decision to stay with her kids and protect them no matter what else happened.
Joseph clasped his hands behind his back and dipped is head, chuckling slightly at the stubborn response. “Miss Tidewell, this is not a matter of choice. The site of the ritual is not a place for children and I have decided that you and the doctor are the only ones besides myself who need attend.”
Oh God, he was leaving Carl with the girls! The thought terrified Maeve like nothing else could. She had to do something.
Joseph could see her mind working, trying to find a way to stay with the girls. Next she would tell him that they were the source of her power and she doubted her ability to manifest without them nearby. It didn’t matter to him, he was the only one who would be creating any reality tonight. He ran out of patience as he watched her struggling to find an argument that would sway his decision.
“Come with me now,” he said roughly and he reached out to grab Maeve by the arm.
Maeve jerked her arm away from his grasp and swung her closed fists as hard as she could at Joseph’s head. The hard metal of the handcuffs connected solidly with his jaw, causing pain to erupt in the bones of her wrist as they were smashed against the unforgiving steel.
Joseph reacted with a back handed blow to Maeve’s head that knocked her to the floor and the last thing she heard was the distant cry of two small voices as she faded away into unconsciousness.
*****
Chapter 30
The bound man struggled as Carl dragged him out of the shed and, not that it mattered now, but Ben’s suspicions were confirmed that there must be a cellar in the old outbuilding where the man had been hidden. He watched from his place in the trees as the prisoner stopped, and then ran forward toward Joseph who was carrying a lifeless form from the house in the dark.
“What have you done?” The man cried as he moved awkwardly across the yard.
“She is simply taking a brief nap,” Joseph assured him and laid the woman gently into the front seat of the truck. “You can check for yourself on the way.”
The small man jumped inside the pickup and Carl closed the door securely after him, then turned and walked back to the house as Joseph drove away into the night.
Ben couldn’t wait any longer. He had to follow the hostages and take his chances that if the kids were in the house they would be safe from the man who held them there. The best he could hope for was that the dispatcher would send someone to check on the call but by then it might be too late. He took a deep breath and ran like a bat out of hell through the woods back to the cottage where he had left the jeep. He was losing precious time by back tracking, but once he was on the road he would make it up again. He knew exactly where they were headed.
*****
“Dennis, are you there?” It was Gail again on the radio. Clark could just barely hear the static and squawk that signaled a call. There was so much noise going on around him and he had been so intent on helping to move the injured people out of the river that he almost missed it.
“Go ahead, Gail,” he said.
“Is Pete there with you?” The question was so unexpected that Clark had to think for a minute before he recognized the wary tone in the dispatchers’ voice.
“No, he stayed up at the Ralston place to keep an eye on things. He was supposed to check in though.”
“Well, when was the last time you talked to him?”
“Probably two hours ago now but I’ve been pretty busy here, it’s a real mess. No fatalities so far, and I hope to keep it that way. Are you telling me he hasn’t checked in with you?”
Clark was getting a sick feeling in his belly and it got worse when the dispatcher came back on. “I sort of got a call a bit ago and I’ve been trying to reach you.”
“Gail, get to the point.” He snapped at the radio clutched in his hand.
“It didn’t sound like Pete, and he didn’t use radio code, but it was a May Day, and then what sounded like officer down. I tried to find out who it was but nobody answered me. I haven’t been able to get him on the radio and I thought he maybe ended up down there with you.” Dennis started running up the steep bank and launched himself into the SUV. “Do you think somebody better go check on him?”
Dennis didn’t answer until after he had started the engine and flipped on the siren, then as he was peeling out to head back up the mountain he remembered.
“Ten four, I’m en route.”
*****
It was late and the moon had been up for a while now. Mark had tried to be patient but Jason should have called him by now and he was really starting to get worried.
He didn’t like lying to his parents and it had been bothering him all day that he was keeping something this important from them.
He pondered his options for another few minutes and then gave in to his nagging conscience.
Mark found his mom in the kitchen finishing the dishes and she turned to him with a knowing look. Mark had never been good at deceiving her and she knew if she just waited, he would spill the beans about whatever was bothering him.
“I think we need to call the police.” He had waited long enough, and now it was time to tell the truth.
*****
Faye walked to the closet and opened the door for Jason to step inside. It was her turn to give him the quiet sign and she added a wink as she closed the door, leaving him in the dark to hide and wait one more time.
Jason heard a knock on the bedroom door, followed by the sound of someone entering.
“Stay in your room tonight and don’t come out.” A faceless voice ordered.
“Don’t worry,” the girl said. “I don’t want to be anywhere near you or Joe or your freaky ceremony.”
“Just consider yourself lucky that Dad thinks you’re valuable to him. Dad wants me to clean up the mess in the kitchen first, but screw him. I’ll do what I want and if you don’t want to be in the middle of it you’ll stay in here and keep your mouth shut!” The angry voice threatened the girl, and then Jason could hear the sound of footsteps followed by the door being closed again.
Jason held his breath, fearful that the boy had only been pretending to leave and was even now sneaking over to open the closet and find him there.
But when the door opened again it was the girl who reached in to take his hand and pull him into the room.
“You must be Jason,” she said by way of a greeting.
Okay, now that was weird. How did this girl know his name and how had he been so sure she would help him in the first place? She looked almost like the girl he’d seen at the mall, but there were differences and she didn’t have that same vibrant energy as the girl he’d met before.
“Claire told me about you. We’ve got to go and help them before Carl does something terrible.”
“Who’s Claire? And who are you? What’s going on here?” Jason asked, not sure he wanted to know, but not sure either that he wanted to leave the room until he had a better idea of what he was facing.
“My father kidnapped Claire and Torei so their mom would do what he wanted. You came here looking for them didn’t you?”
“Yeah, I guess I did.”
“They killed that man.” Faye had been whispering and now her voice became softer still. Her lip began to tremble and the tears were back in her eyes, but she took a deep breath and tried to regain control of her emotions.
“Who killed him?” Jason asked the question but he was sure he already knew the answer.
“My father and my brother, Carl. We thought we were all going to have some sort of ceremony and we had a plan to get away but my dad took Maeve and Doctor Makula and left Carl here. We have to g
et Torei and Claire out of here before he does something to hurt them.” She was frantic now. The reality of the situation had set in and she knew there wasn’t any time left until Carl went down to get the girls.
Faye went quickly to the door and peeked out; looking both directions down the hall to make sure no one was coming. “Stay here,” she ordered and then she was pulling the door closed behind her.
She came back a few minutes later and motioned for Jason to follow her, hurrying through the house to a room off of the kitchen where Jason could see an open doorway and a staircase leading to the basement.
Faye was in front of him at the top of the stairs when a horrified scream shattered the silence.
*****
Carl stood over his fallen brother with a look of extreme satisfaction.
He wished he could kill him and get it over with but the money would stop coming without the two sickos, and then his father would be angry with him all over again. The pain in his head had returned with a vengeance and he knew that after this was done he was going to need to get to a hospital where they could put his eye back together.
Carl had come down here to take the girls up to the lake when Joe showed up waving the gun in his face. It had been ridiculously easy to overpower him. He had grown so weak over the months that there was hardly anything left of him. Torei was spitting mad. She screamed so loud when Joe fell that he thought his head might explode.
And now Faye was there too at the top of the stairs, sobbing for her brother to stop and think about what he was doing.
Grabbing Torei around the neck as she threw herself at him, he then pointed the gun at Faye and motioned her down the stairs. He had regained control of the situation now, and when Faye reached the bottom of the stairs, he tied the three girls together with a length of rope so none of them could go running off once they were outside.
Carl shoved them roughly up the stairs ahead of him, confident that now he would be able to take his time and decide which scalp would look best on his belt.
His dad had this weird spiritual thing about taking scalps before he killed, but Carl just liked the way it felt when the skin peeled away from the bone. He had never actually gotten to do it to a person himself and he was really turned on at the thought of doing it for the first time.
The log hit him just as he reached the top step. It knocked him out cold and he sagged to his knees, then rolled down the stairs and landed in a heap at the bottom. Joe watched him fall. Then laid his head back down again, knowing for certain that the girls would be okay now.
“Get on the phone and call the police,” Jason ordered as soon as Faye was untied.
“Jason, you came. I knew you would.” Claire was looking up at him as if he were the bravest man in the world. His heart did a little leap to think that he had actually saved this little blonde angel. He gave her a big smile and started working on the tightly bound ropes but they were giving him a great deal of trouble so he herded the girls into the kitchen where he could find a knife to cut them loose.
“You must be Claire.” He said as he followed behind. “How in the world did you know my name, and how did you know I’d be showing up?”
“It’s a really long story, so I’ll tell you when we get my mom back.” Her sense of urgency reminded everyone that the nightmare wasn’t over yet.
“Let Faye cut us loose. You go down and help Joe.”
Torei's voice was full of authority and she had clearly not forgotten the other boy who had done his best to save them tonight.
Faye reached for a knife as Torei spoke. Ready to take over so Jason could go help her brother, she started to work sawing at the heavy rope.
Jason was just turning to do Torei’s bidding when an enraged Carl came stumbling into the room. He looked like a demented demon with blood running from his eye, and the ear that had been torn away when Jason hit him flapped loosely against the side of his head.
Jason lunged at Carl, throwing himself in front of the girls to block the shotgun blast, knowing full well it was the last thing he would ever do.
He never saw Joe coming up behind Carl to swing the butt of his own rifle solidly into the back of his brothers’ head.
*****
Chapter 31
Joseph took his time setting up the scene. Everything had to be perfect in order for the departed ones to consider him worthy of their blessings. They would bestow upon him the gift of life’s tremendous energy only if he honored them with careful preparation.
Placing forty-eight torches in concentric circles around the altar, he lighted them ceremoniously as he chanted softly.
Maeve was still unconscious from the blow he had delivered and he wondered if he should have used a gentler hand with her. He wanted her to be awake and aware as he accepted the gift of life so that she would finally understand.
She would wake soon, but in the meantime he would perform the ritual and prepare the man to join the other spirits who lingered here.
*****
“Dennis, come in please.” Gail was back on the radio and Clark grabbed it up, hoping against hope that Pete had finally checked in.
“I’m here Gail, tell me something good.”
“I wish I could but things just seem to be gettin’ worse and worse.” Clark could hear the tremor in her voice and the adrenaline shot through him as he thought about the worst thing that could have happened.
“Take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on.”
“We got a call from some kids up at Ralston’s place. They said there was a dead um, a dead -officer there and the guy who killed him is there with them.” Gail was struggling to keep it together and Clark tried not to lose his patience while he offered her encouragement.
“You’re doing real good, Gail, you’re okay. Now what are we doing about the situation right now?”
“The sheriff is on his way there now, but Dennis, those kids said too that the father took Maeve Tidewell off somewhere and they think he’s going to kill her.”
Another shot of adrenaline fired through his veins and Clark hit the gas, pushing the SUV as hard as he could up the winding road to Land’s End.
*****
They were all huddled around Joe, talking excitedly and telling him how lucky they all were and going on and on about how brave and strong he had been.
Carl watched from half open eyes, feigning unconsciousness while he considered his next move. They had taken his rifle and he was outnumbered five to one. He wouldn’t underestimate the girls again. The slight, sensitive redhead had turned out to be quite a little scrapper and the two of them together had caused him a bit of undue trouble down in the basement. His sicko sister had surprised him with a new found strength of her own and he ached to punish her, along with Joe, for turning traitor on him and the man who had raised them.
But he would have to wait and take his revenge when he was sure that he could succeed. It was more important right now that he get away and warn his father.
Carl eased back away from the doorway and edged himself around the corner into the living room, slithering like a snake out of sight.
*****
Jason heard the soft snick of the front door opening and then felt the chill night air blowing in through the entry way. He turned and stared at the spot where Carl had fallen only minutes before. “Shit, shit, shit!” He yelled and then bolted for the living room and out the door.
Carl was a faint blur in the distance, running for all he was worth up the old cow trail. Jason knew he would never catch him in the dark, and he was filled with dread at the thought of him getting away.
Jason remembered the bike he had hidden that morning and ran in the opposite direction up to the top of the lake trail. He would be able to travel a lot faster on wheels. He could only hope that Carl’s injuries would slow him down and make him careless.
Jason grabbed up the bike and pulled it out of the covering shrubs, then swung his leg over the seat and started pedaling.
Claire was
running down the road toward him, screaming to make herself heard over the deafening wind. “Land’s End!” She yelled at him and then pointed up the trail. “Joe says he’s going to Land’s End!”
Jason rode over the rutted trail, pumping his legs as fast as he could. Every minute that passed felt like an eternity, and after several miles his legs began to ache. He was breathing hard and fighting to keep the battering wind from blowing him off the road, at the same time keeping his eye out for any sign of Carl.
He spotted the flames through the trees not far off and he rode faster, bolstered by a sudden surge of energy that pushed him forward.
*****
Ben pulled on to the side of the road nearly a mile from the observatory at Land’s End and jogged as far as he could without being seen. He crept the rest of the way through the trees, their silver white bark glowing eerily in the moonlight. He eased his way up to the edge of the woods where his heart stopped cold at the scene being played out before him.
It was like something from a nightmare. His nightmare.
There must have been close to fifty torches burning. They had been set in a series of ever widening circles and the wind that howled like a thousand ghosts from the past whipped the flames into a frenzied dance. Clouds were moving rapidly across the sky and the light from the brightly shining moon was covered and then revealed in an endless chaotic display of darkness and light.
In the center of the macabre scene the man who had been held in the shed was lying sprawled across the top of the short stone wall, his hands and feet anchored to the ground by the stakes that Carl had pounded there the night before.
The bear of a man from the cabin was standing over him chanting in a song like cadence. In his hands he held what looked like the string of pelts Ben had seen him with earlier.
Ben couldn’t see the woman at first, and he prayed she was still alive. No – there she was lying on the ground off to the side, apparently forgotten for the moment. He watched with relief as she began to stir, then turned his attention back to the monster, his breath catching in his throat as he realized the pelts in his hand had been replaced by a knife.