Chapter Six
The following day, the search started anew. Geoffrey had thrown a fit when the police told him the search was starting again under the assumption that Ginny was on drugs and possibly even dangerous, but the police assured him it was just a precaution to keep the searchers safe and in no way reflected poorly on Geoffrey or Sandra. When the search started again, Gabe and Gwen were allowed to join in under the condition that they go nowhere alone. They both agreed to stay together no matter what, but they had a surprising partner joining them this time.
Tiffany showed up just as they were leaving, asking if they would mind having an extra set of eyes with them. Gwen was quick to let her join, knowing that the extra company couldn’t hurt, and also that Tiffany would be a big help if they did manage to find Ginny. No doubt she would be upset and possibly even a threat to herself or them, and hopefully seeing her cousins and best friend all trying to help her would make the whole ordeal go smoother. Plus, Gwen was just thankful to have a friend in such a trying time.
The three of them headed into the woods at the exact spot she had found Ginny the day before. They could hear several other search volunteers shouting Ginny’s name in the distance, waiting several seconds to see if she answered, before calling out to her again. The three of them didn’t call out to her, though. Gwen pointed out that if Ginny was at all paranoid or delusional, she wasn’t going to answer them and might even retreat further into the woods if she thought someone was coming for her.
They spread out a little, forming a line to scour the ground around them for any signs that pointed to where she might have gone after her encounter with Gwen. They bumped into another searcher and changed their course, not wanting anyone Ginny didn’t know to scare her away. Gwen was confident the three of them were going to be the ones most likely to find her, and she was going to hold out hope that it would happen sooner rather than later. She had been in the area not even twenty-four hours ago and she was on foot. There were only so many places she could go to hide out.
They took a quick break an hour later, chugging from their water bottles and resting in the shade. It wasn’t as hot as the day before, but Gwen was wearing pants in the hopes it would shield her legs from poison ivy or anything else that might have been in the woods. She fanned herself with one hand and used the other to hold her dripping water bottle to the back of her neck, sighing in relief as the beads of water dripped down her back. Her chest heaved with each breath as the humid heat clung to them.
“I can’t remember the last time it got this hot so early in the summer,” Tiffany said, fanning herself like Gwen. She was wearing shorts, a tank-top, and hiking boots. So far she hadn’t had any problems with poisonous foliage, but she had been swatting mosquitoes for awhile now, and each slap was getting more vigorous than the last. She was getting annoyed, and it was easy to see. But she refused to call it a day and insisted on staying out as long as they could, something that Gwen really admired.
Gabe gulped down a mouthful of water, sighing as it cooled him. “I know. It’s gonna be a really shitty summer. I can already feel it.” His ears turned red and he looked down. “I mean, aside from Ginny being missing. That makes this summer even worse. I didn’t mean to say that hot weather was worse than her being gone.”
“She’s not gone, Gabe,” Gwen reminded her. “But we know you didn’t mean that.”
“How much further should we go into the woods?” Tiffany asked. “Do you think we should keep going, or stop and start looking somewhere else? Would she even be this far into the woods? If she was so close to the road, it’s not very likely that she’s so far away now.”
“Isn’t there an old house out here?” Gabe asked. When they both stared at him, he continued. “I remember hearing stories as a kid about some hermit that lived way out here in the woods, away from society. Nobody knows who he really was or why he lived out here, but rumor had it he got attacked by a wolf and was horribly disfigured and didn’t want anyone to see him. I’m sure that’s not true,” he said hurriedly, “but his house probably does exist out here somewhere. It’d be a good place for Ginny to hide for a bit while she gets herself together.”
“That’s a really good idea, Gabe!” Tiffany said, her eyes lighting up. “I remember those rumors, too. His house has to be out here somewhere. If we find it, we’ll probably find Ginny, too.” She took one last sip from her water bottle and capped it. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
They started walking again, this time focusing more on their surroundings than the ground beneath their feet. As they drifted further away from the road, the woods took on a darker, more dangerous appearance. Gwen couldn’t help but feel it was like some old animated movie where the heroes stepped off the beaten path and the area suddenly changed, becoming more harsh and foreboding as a hint that something terrible was about to happen. She half expected eerie music to begin playing.
Another hour passed, and they finally found it. The house was dilapidated after years of neglect and vacancy. The roof of the porch had caved in, dropping wood splinters and moldy insulation all over the porch. The blue paint had chipped away in giant splotches, showing the weathered old wood beneath it. The windows were broken or so dusty it was impossible to see through them. This house looks like it’s going to fall down around us at any moment. I almost hope Ginny isn’t inside, Gwen thought, glancing at the rest of the house in distaste.
They stood out front, staring at the house for long moments, none of them speaking. Knowing that there was a chance Ginny was inside waiting to be rescued had them all more than a little anxious, but they couldn’t force their feet to carry them up the steps. The disappointment and the heartache they’d feel if she wasn’t inside would be too much for them to bear, and it was keeping them rooted to the spot. As long as they were outside and not in, they could pretend for a minute that Ginny was definitely inside, waiting for them. But if they finished searching the house and she was nowhere to be found, that hopeful dream would be shattered and they’d be back at square one, trying to find the strength to keep going.
Gwen was the first to make her way up the steps, and she could feel Gabe near her back. She eased open the front door, letting it swing wide open, allowing daylight into the dirty house. Dust and cobwebs covered everything in sight, and Gwen got the urge to scratch her head and arms, as if there was already something crawling all over her. They stood in the open doorway for a minute, letting their eyes adjust to the dim lighting, before taking their first steps into the old house.
A set of rickety looking stairs caught Gwen’s attention, and she headed for them, knowing she was the lightest of the three of them. Tiffany and Gabe split up to search the first floor, and Gwen left them behind. Her hand clenched the banister tight and her knees wobbled a little in fear as she took her first steps up the stairs, silently praying that the old wood would support her weight. She held her breath as she made her way up the stairs, wincing at each creak and moan. She was nearly sweating as she reached the top of the landing, and she took a quick second to wipe her forehead and release the breath she’d been holding.
Before she could decide where to start looking, she heard movement coming from a nearby room. She froze as the sound of a floor creaking reached her ears. It wasn’t the random, odd creaking of an old house, more like someone was pacing back and forth in one of the rooms. She could make out the sound of footsteps, and her pulse quickened. Is it Ginny? Or does that old hermit still live here?
“Gabe! Tiffany!” she hissed, her voice carrying throughout the silent house. She got no reply, and shook her head, deciding not to wait for them to pay attention. She walked down the empty hallway, trying not to look at the old pictures that hung on the walls. Her mind was solely focused on Ginny and the possibility that she was waiting for her in the room at the end of the hall. Her mind went blank and she couldn’t bring herself to even consider that it might be the hermit now. It was Ginny, it had to be!
She reached the room, and
the floor creaked beneath her feet. She paused, and the pacing in the room stopped. The door was open a crack and the doorknob was long gone. Her hand was shaking as she placed it on the door, and she pushed it open with a loud creak that sent shivers down her spine and nearly made her flinch.
Peering into the room, she noticed it must have been the old master bedroom of the house. There was an old four poster bed in one corner with sheer curtains enclosing it, but they were tattered and dingy and hadn’t been washed in probably years. A dresser had been left behind, as well as a bookcase with a few dusty volumes left behind on the otherwise bare shelves. Gwen forced herself to step into the room, looking around for any sign of who had just been pacing across the floor. She didn’t see anyone, but there were footprints in the dust covered floor, telling her that whoever it was had been here for some time, wearing a path across the floor.
Too late, she noticed the open bathroom door. The floor creaked as someone ran across the room, charging at Gwen. Someone grabbed the back of her shirt and slammed her violently against the wall, pinning her in place. As one of the hands gripped her by the neck and shoved her face into the wall, she heard a growling sound. Terrified, her mind flashed back to that wolf in the woods, and she was frozen in place as someone leaned in close and inhaled the back of her neck.
Gwen gathered every bit of courage she possessed, and she opened one of her eyes. Her face was still smashed against the wall, but from where she was, she could see her reflection in a nearby floor-length mirror. Her eyes widened as she took in her attacker, recognizing the short dark hair and the dark blue eyes that were narrowed into angry slits. Her sundress was dirty and tattered, covered in splotches of mud and blood. Her feet were bare and the nails on her toes were cracked. Even filthy and half wild, there was no way Gwen would have ever mistaken her for someone else.
Ginny…
She heard frantic footsteps racing up the stairs, and the door was thrown open further as Gabe and Tiffany both rushed in. Gabe was stopped in his tracks at the sight of Ginny pinning her against the wall, and she raised a hand to him, cautioning him to stay back. She had felt Ginny tense up the second they burst in, and she didn’t want the situation to escalate. There was no telling what was wrong with Ginny, but she obviously wasn’t in her right state of mind and needed to be dealt with carefully.
Her mouth had gone paper dry, but she worked up enough saliva to lick her lips. “Ginny?” Her voice was weak and she hated the fear she heard in it, but she reminded herself that there was no telling what this Ginny might do to her without even realizing it. “Ginny, it’s me, Gwen.”
The hands loosened their grip and Ginny scrambled backwards, falling to the ground and continuing to shy even further away until her back was pressed against the far wall. She pulled her legs close to her chest, her eyes going wide as she shivered from head to toe. Gwen turned around, her own hand going to the back of her neck, rubbing some of the feeling back into it. She was sure there would be a nasty bruise there later, and she marveled at Ginny’s strength after being lost out here for days.
She really must be on drugs, Gwen thought sadly.
Gabe took a step forward, but Gwen shook her head at him, not wanting him to scare Ginny anymore than she already was. Gwen crouched down to the floor, putting herself on Ginny’s level. Their eyes locked, and Gwen crawled forward slowly, trying to look as unimposing as she possibly could. Ginny tensed up as Gwen approached, but she didn’t bolt or lash out, and Gwen took that as a good sign. It was a sign that she might have recognized them.
Gwen stopped just in front of Ginny, but she didn’t reach out to touch her. She sat back on her heels with her hands on her knees, waiting for Ginny to do or say anything. When it became obvious Ginny wasn’t going to do anything except whimper and shake, Gwen dared to reach a hand out to her. Lightly, she brushed Ginny’s shoulder, giving her a light squeeze. At first, Ginny flinched away, but Gwen kept her hand in place, offering comfort the only way she knew how. Eventually, Ginny’s shivering stopped, and she began to sob wildly, her whole body heaving under Gwen’s hand. Gwen scooted forward, pulling her into a tight embrace, letting Ginny cry on her shoulder.
“Gabe, go find the nearest searchers. Tell them we’ve found Ginny. She needs medical attention immediately. There’s no telling what she might be on, and she’s probably severely dehydrated, especially after being out in this heat.” She was surprised when Gabe refused to move, shaking his head back and forth. “Gabe?”
“No. Tiffany should go.”
“Gabe, it could be dangerous out there. I don’t like the thought of you being out there alone, but you’ll be safer out there than me or Tiffany.”
“Gwen, look at Ginny. Obviously something very traumatic happened to her, and there’s no telling what she’s capable of right now.”
“Gabe, she’s not going to hurt me.”
“She threw you against a wall!” he argued quietly, his voice fierce and sure. “I’m not leaving you alone with her, not yet.” He turned to Tiffany. “You need to go. Run as fast as you can and bring back help. It’s broad daylight out and the woods are full of other searchers. You’ll be fine.”
Gwen clenched her hands, furious that Gabe could even consider Ginny a threat. But the pain in her neck and head from where she’d been shoved against the wall made her able to see his point. Even though she didn’t want to admit it, Ginny was probably dangerous right now, or at the very least unpredictable. It would be safer for all of them if Gabe stayed behind with her to keep an eye on Ginny and make sure nothing happened.
Gwen was sure that Ginny would never seriously hurt her, but if she got one over on her, she could flee the house and the search would have to start all over again. At least this way Gabe was there to guard the door and make sure Ginny stayed in the house until help came. As Tiffany left, Gabe closed the door and took his place in front of it. He was tense, as if he was waiting for something bad to happen, but his eyes were sad, like he wanted to reach out and comfort her like Gwen was.
They heard the front door close as Tiffany raced from the house, and she took a deep breath, hoping that help arrived sooner rather than later. She wanted Ginny to get help as soon as possible. Then, hopefully they could get the answers they needed and put this whole nightmare behind them.