Imp

by Andrew Neiderman

  “What she do?”

  “She made me feel… silly, but when I continued to look at her, I felt…” He paused again, but she knew to wait it out. “I don’t want to say ‘afraid’ …”

  “What did she do?” Barbara’s voice was almost a whisper.

  “Nothing really. But her eyes … they were so glazed. For a moment I felt as though I was standing before a vampire. I actually got this chill.”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing. I left and brought the rabbit back.”

  “They must have been grateful.”

  “The kid was ecstatic. Cy talked about the Oaks girl. That’s why I asked you about her.”

  “Oh.” Barbara became thoughtful. “That’s really not proof of anything, though,” she said, thinking aloud.

  “I know. But that’s not all.”

  “Tell me,” she said, impatient with his hesitation.

  “Well, another crazy thing happened on that road. Dick O’Neil’s little boy was attacked by a coon.”

  “I heard about that today. Carl was talking about it, too.”

  “So, before I came home tonight, I stopped at the O’Neils’ and talked to the kid.” He paused again.

  “So?”

  “He told me he was attacked by an E.T.”

  “An E.T.?”

  “A creature from outer space. You know …”

  “Oh, Eddie.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m not telling you I believed him, but there was something about the way the kid stuck to his guns … and he tells me he had seen it before.”

  Barbara’s smile froze and her eyes showed the excitement and the fear of one wild possibility after another emerging from the depths of her imagination.

  “Could it be that the Oaks girl stole the rabbits and then attacked him … maybe while she was in some disguise?”

  “I don’t know. You see why I hesitated to tell you any of this, though, don’t you? There’s nothing really concrete,” he said, but Barbara wasn’t listening. She was off on her own trend of thought.

  “Faith Oaks is the kind of child that you read about … introverted, paranoid … a loner. She has no girlfriends and no boyfriends.”

  “Not true. Mom,” Tommy Morris said, standing in the den doorway. He had overheard the last part of his parents’ conversation.

  “Tommy! I’ve told you a hundred times not to listen in on our conversations.”

  “I wasn’t. I was just coming in to ask you to help me with something in math.”

  “All right,” Eddie said. “What did you mean by ‘not true’?”

  “I heard Mom say Faith Oaks had no boyfriend. She’s been going with Bobby O’Neil. Some jerks have been writing things about Bobby and Faith all over the bathrooms.

  “She’s going with Bobby O’Neil?” Barbara asked, a half smile on her face. “He’s quite an outgoing young man. Popular, too, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah. That’s why everyone’s talking about it.”

  “Bobby O’Neil,” Eddie said, as though he had just heard it. “Billy’s older brother?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Doesn’t add anything, does it, Eddie?”

  “Huh? No, I suppose not. It just…”

  “Confuses it more.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Anyway,” she said, taking his hand, “I can understand why my rabbit dinner didn’t exactly impress you tonight. You’ve had rabbit on the brain.”

  “Rabbit on the brain?” Tommy said. They both looked at him and laughed. His look of humor turned to puzzlement.

  “Let’s see your homework,” Barbara said. “What’s Sebastian Topper assigned tonight?” Just as he came over to sit beside her, the phone rang.

  “I’ll get it,” Eddie said, rising. He answered it in the kitchen. It was Cy Baum.

  “Didn’t want to disturb you at home,” he said. “I was going to call you tomorrow, but I thought to myself just now that you might be off or doin’ something else, so …”

  “No problem, Cy. What’s up?”

  “Oh, that rabbit thing again.”

  “What?”

  “I was down there before, tying the rabbit up good this time and making sure the door was locked and all … helluva way to live now … but, what’s got to be done, got to be done,” he said. Eddie thought he might drift off to an entire series of digressions.

  “What about the rabbit?”

  “Anyway, I was tying him up when I see something on the floor. It was something we didn’t see before. Maybe because of the light. I know there’s not much light down there with no windows and all, but windows in the basement weren’t practical in those days. Still not, if you ask me. Heat loss is all they are.”

  “What did you see?”

  “Can’t really describe it so as to make any sense. Wanted your opinion of it.”

  “Well, what’s it look like?”

  “Look like?” He paused so long, Eddie thought he might have hung up. “It looks like a baby’s foot.”

  “Baby?”

  “Well, a really small child. The print ain’t perfect, but it’s clear enough for my old eyes. I’ve seen prints and I’ve seen prints. This one looks human.”

  “I’ll come over to see it. I’ll be there in a little while.”

  “Tonight, you mean?”

  “Sure.”

  “Well…”

  “Problems?”

  “I didn’t tell Hilda nothin’ about it, Eddie. I don’t want her worryin’, you understand.”

  “Sure.”

  “Tell you what. I’ll go down and unlock the basement door. You just come around and go right to it without knocking on the front door, OK? I’ll leave the light on and meet you down there. She’s going upstairs in a little while anyway.”

  “Fine. Figure on twenty minutes.”

  “Thanks.”

  Eddie hung up and went for his jacket. He poked his head into the den just before leaving.

  “Who was it?”

  “Cy Baum. I’ve got to make a run over there and look at something. Shouldn’t be long.”

  “Having to do with what we discussed?”

  “Uh huh.” She came to him. “I don’t know what it is,” he said in a low voice so Tommy wouldn’t hear. “Some print of some kind.” She held his arm and her face took on a deep seriousness.

  “Maybe you should tell someone else about all this now, Eddie. Haven’t you told the chief anything?”

  “Not yet,” he said. “We’ll see.” He kissed her and walked out. She stood there looking at the closed door for a moment. This will all come to nothing, she told herself, and she tried to ignore the heavy sense of foreboding that crept through her body immediately after Eddie kissed her and was gone. It was as though he had infected her with his inexplainable fear.

  She went back to the den and attacked Tommy’s homework with an enthusiasm that surprised him. He didn’t know what made her do it, but he was happy about it, because his math couldn’t have been made any clearer.

  Bobby O’Neil opened the back door of his house and stepped onto the porch. He wasn’t sure whether or not the rain had really let up some. It sounded as though it had, but he recognized that he wanted it to diminish so he could make his way to Faith and meet with her as he had promised. He had had bad feelings all afternoon and he was anxious to get over there to find out what was really on her mind.

  So that his parents wouldn’t know he was leaving, he had practically tiptoed his way to the back of the house, pausing only when Billy called him to show him the whistle Eddie Morris had given him. Bobby tried to show a greal deal of interest and excitement in it so Billy would be happy, but he was intent on one thing only—getting over to see Faith.

  “You wanna play Moon Raiders on the video game?” Billy asked him.

  “Not tonight. I gotta do something.”

  “What?”

  “Something. I’ll play with you tomorrow. I’ll get you a new game tomorrow,” he added quickly.

/>   “Really?”

  “Sure. Just leave me alone for a while now, OK?”

  “OK. I want Naval War.”

  “Fine, fine. Naval War.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Shh. I don’t want to cause a ruckus. Just forget about me for now.”

  “OK,” his little brother said, “but if you go outside, be careful. Captain was barking a lot.”

  “Right. Thanks.” He patted Billy on the head and went to the back porch, where he now stood contemplating the rain. He’d get soaked for sure, he thought, and then he remembered his father’s volunteer fireman’s rain outfit that was kept in the garage. Without any more hesitation, he lunged off the porch and ran to the garage. It was still coming down hard, no matter what he wanted to think. He flipped on the lights and went to the back of the garage, where he found his father’s things hanging on hooks. Anyone else would think this was kinda silly, he thought, but he was determined.

  He put on the high rubbery pants and high boots. Then he found the jacket and the water-resistant cape, and draped it over himself. He pulled the rain hat over his head, tugging it down the sides of his face. Now, he considered himself well protected. I’m probably quite a sight, he thought, and laughed to himself imagining how Faith would react when she saw this monsterlike creature emerge from the rainy darkness.

  After he put the garage light out, he checked to see if he had attracted his parents’ attention. All was quiet, except for the continuous sound of the rain drumming on the garage roof and tapping on the trees and grass. Just before he ran out, he realized it would not be wise to go into the darkness without a flashlight. So he went back in, not bothering to put on the lights again, and found it where he knew it to be. He tested it, shining the beam at the door. Satisfied and proud of himself for being so resourceful, he headed out of the garage and toward The Oaks.

  The rain did begin to slow. The lightning and thunder were gone and the steady downpour thinned and lightened even as he made his way across the field. This, too, encouraged him and he became even more optimistic. He was glad he had remembered the flashlight, for the darkness was so thick, he would have had trouble finding the paths. With the light, he was able to move as quickly as ever, breaking out in the clearing near the big house without any trouble. He paused to look up at Faith’s room and was surprised to see it was dark. For a moment he thought he was too early, but when he directed the light at his watch, he saw that he was even a little late. What did this mean? Did she want him to stay away or had she told her mother she was going to sleep and now waited for him in the dark?

  He thought for a moment and then decided to risk something. He directed the flashlight’s beam up the building until it reached her window. As soon as it hit the glass, he turned the light off and waited. Then he flicked it on and off again, doing this two or three times. He was just about ready to give up and go home when the bedroom light went on and then off, repeating his kind of signal.

  “Hot dog,” he said. Filled with excitement, this being an even greater adventure than he had dreamed, he went forward toward the fire escape ladder and the landing just outside Faith’s bedroom window.

  Mary had been on her way down the hall, coming from the room in which she had imprisoned Faith so she could pray and fast for redemption, when she saw the light flash on the wall. She stopped and waited and then it came again. It came right through Faith’s window and out her opened door. Almost immediately, Mary knew what it meant. She went into Faith’s room and looked out the window at the blinking flashlight, catching a momentary glimpse of Bobby O’Neil below. As soon as she did, she didn’t waste a moment.

  She went to Faith’s light switch by the doorway and flicked it on and off, imagining that to be the kind of signal that Faith might have planned for him. Then she rushed out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen, where she had her pot of water boiling for tea. She turned up the flame to bring it to an instant boil and then took the handle with her pot holders and carried the water back to the stairway. She was as careful as she could be not to spill a drop. The steam rose from the boiling water as she rushed back into Faith’s room.

  She set the pot down by the window and slowly opened it and the screen. The rain had slowed to a drizzle and the metal landing and fire escape ladder glistened from the small amount of light that spilled out of the house. Looking down through the grate floor, she could see Bobby O’Neil making his way up the ladder, his flashlight in his right hand giving him enough illumination so he could make his way. She thought the outfit he wore made him look like something evil, something that had come from the darkness.

  As quietly as she could, she stepped out onto the landing and reached back for the pot of still steaming water. She crawled to the edge of the landing and peered over. Bobby was more than halfway up the ladder by now.

  He heard something above him and directed the light toward the landing. There was still enough rain to pepper his eyes enough to blur his vision, but he was almost certain that someone was out on the landing. Why would Faith come out in the rain? he wondered. He paused, took a few more steps up, and directed his light as best he could.

  Just at that moment, Mary rose on the landing. The shock of seeing her come out of the shadows was enough, but the fact that she had been crouched down, hiding from him, terrified him. He realized that she had given him the signal with the room light, but he didn’t have too much time to think about why. He stood frozen, his left hand clinging to the thin banister of the fire escape, his right hand holding the flashlight up and out.

  “DEVIL,” she cried; “BE GONE!” she shouted, and with that, she cast the boiling water down at him. Two things saved him from getting his face scalded: his quick reflexes and the wide brim on his father’s rain hat. Most of the water hit the hat, but when he dipped his head to get the maximum protection, some of the water hit the back of his neck. It burned like a finger of fire, tracing its way down his back. That, combined with her wild shout, caused him to lose his grip on the banister. He turned on the rung and his feet slipped off the wet metal step. As he began to fall, he dropped the flashlight and it went crashing into the darkness below. He slid down a half dozen rungs, bouncing and scraping his legs and his hands before catching a grip on the fire escape to break the impact of his fall. Even so, he landed awkwardly on his right foot and he felt his ankle twist. Pain shot up his leg, even before his torso hit the ground.

  It was a dazing concussion, but he was able to roll over and absorb the main part of the impact with his buttocks. For a moment he simply lay there in the rain and the dark, his heart beating like mad, in expectation of other pains. To his joy he realized he had broken nothing and had survived the fall. But when he tried to stand, he felt the sprain in his ankle. He was sure it wasn’t broken, but he knew he had a bad twist.

  Above him, he heard Mary Oaks slam the window down. He listened to see if she had any other plans for additional attacks on him, but there was silence. Grateful for that, he pulled himself into a straighter standing position and looked about for the flashlight. Since there was no illumination, he imagined it had been smashed and the lens and lamp had been damaged. Surveying the situation, he decided it was best for him to head down the driveway to the road instead of going back through the field. He would make his way home as quickly as he could.

  As if on cue, the rain intensified again. He tucked his chin in and pulled the cap down as far as he could and limped forward. It was rough going, but he was nearly halfway home when the car headlights appeared. As the vehicle drew closer, it slowed down. He imagined that was because he made for some sight in the rain and the darkness; but when the car was nearly on him, he saw that it was a police car. It stopped only a few feet from him and Eddie Morris opened his window to call out.

  “Hey.” He directed his side spotlight on Bobby, who raised his hand to block out the bright light. “What are you doing out in this rain? Who are you?”

  “My name’s O’Neil.”

>   “Dick O’Neil’s boy?”

  “Yessir.”

  “Well, get in,” Eddie said. He leaned over to open the passenger’s door. Bobby went around the car and got in beside him. “What the hell are you doing out here now?”

  “I was … was visiting someone.”

  “In the rain? Don’t you even have a flashlight?” Eddie looked closer at Bobby. “What’dja do, fall down or somethin’?”

  “I… yeah. I fell.”

  “You were over to The Oaks?” Eddie asked. Bobby hesitated. “Your name’s Bobby, right?”

  “Yessir.”

  “Seein’ the Oaks girl?” Eddie asked him. Bobby nodded slightly. When he turned his hand, the scraped left palm was exposed. “What the hell happened to you? Where’d you fall? Anyone else get hurt?”

  “Nossir.”

  “So?” Eddie said. He waited, but Bobby wasn’t forthcoming. “How did this happen?”

  “I fell down a ladder.”

  “Ladder. You were on a ladder in this weather?”

  “Fire escape.”

  “Oh. Oh, I see,” Eddie said. He started to smile. “Sneaking around then, huh?”

  “Kinda.”

  Eddie laughed.

  “I saw your little brother today. Gave him a whistle.”

  “I know. He’s really proud of it.”

  “What do you make of his story?”

  “What story?”

  “About what happened to him. You know, that whole thing about an E.T.?”

  “I don’t know,” Bobby said. He turned away and Eddie leaned forward.

  “Hey, you have a little scratch on the left side of your forehead, too.” Bobby reached up and touched it. “How the hell did you fall off a fire escape?”

  “Lost my grip. You going to tell my father?”

  “Not if you don’t want me to. Unless you were committing a burglary or something.”

  Bobby thought for a moment. Mary Oaks could very well claim something like that. What if she had already called his home and made such an accusation?

  “I was going to see Faith Oaks,” Bobby said. “We planned to meet on the fire escape landing right outside her bedroom window.”

  “In the rain?”