Silverweed

by Dorlana Vann

  She made it through the foyer and up the stairs. She looked over the banister and down into the living room at Aiden. His eyes darted nervously back and forth from her to Diesel. She nodded before turning to face Granny’s closed door.

  When she opened the door, a blast of cold air hit her in the face. The room was dark, and she immediately shone the light to the source of a small high-pitched noise. She saw the curtains being blown in from the cracked-open window and the snow that had accumulated on the window sill. Slowly, she turned her attention to the bed and to Granny, who was completely covered by her homemade quilts. “There’s nothing anyone can do for her now,” Diesel had said, “except to make sure she has a safe passage. I covered her and cracked the window.”

  The crisp smells of winter, combined with Granny’s bedroom smell, tickled Scarlet’s nose. She shivered and couldn’t keep the beam of the flashlight from dancing all around. Find the gun and get out was all she had to do. She quickly scanned the floor and saw one of the darts and the gun right where she thought they would be. As she bent down to pick up the gun, she heard movement—coming from the bed!

  She stood up, holding the gun out in front of her with one hand and the flashlight in the other. Her heart thumped. She sucked in a scream when she noticed a piece of torn fabric flapping on the quilt. Just the stupid wind.

  She kept her cool until she was out of the room and shut the door. Then she ran down the hall, down the stairs, and didn’t stop to take a breath until she stepped inside the living room.

  Aiden jumped up. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded and handed him the gun.

  He accepted the gun, seemingly without thought. “What’s wrong?”

  “I got spooked. That’s all.” She sat down in the chair and put her hand over her wildly beating heart. “Oh crap! That was scary, but it’s done now.”

  Aiden stared down at the foot-long, black, steel pistol. “It’s bigger than I remember. Is this a pump? I remember him pumping it up after he placed the dart in it, here.” He pointed to the back of the gun. “Where’s the darts?” he whispered.

  “Perfect,” she said. “I have no idea.” She tried to think back to when she had followed Diesel home, when she had burst through the front door and into the living room looking for him. She had seen him upstairs crossing the hall with the dart gun. “He got the gun from somewhere upstairs, so he must have grabbed the darts from the same place. I know everything in his room, and I know he doesn’t have darts in there.”

  Aiden examined the gun, curiously, like he’d just realized he held it. He set it down on top of the console television.

  Diesel stopped snoring, and Scarlet and Aiden stared at one another for a tense second. Diesel groaned and rolled over and began to snore again. Scarlet indicated with her head for Aiden to follow her.

  When they stood at the bottom of the stairs in the foyer, she said, “Diesel told me he found the letter from his mom in her room. Maybe that’s where he found the gun and darts.”

  “I guess you want me to go look. Man, I knew I would have to go up there.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “At least there’s not a dead woman in there.”

  “Not anymore, but okay. I’ll go.” He trotted up the stairs and disappeared around the corner. As soon as Scarlet was about to go back into the living room, she heard him coming back down. She was about to get upset that he’d chickened out, when he asked, “Which room is Aunt Rose’s?”

  “Second door on the right,” Scarlet replied.

  He walked back up the stairs. After waiting for a few minutes, in case he had any other questions, she went back into the living room and hugged herself by the fire. She shivered, doubting she’d ever be warm again.

  “How long have I been out?” Diesel asked.

  She inhaled and turned to see him sitting up on the couch.

  Diesel yawned and ran his fingers through his dark hair, never taking his eyes off her.

  “Not that long.” She felt the fear rise to her face, but at the same time she felt a bit relieved that it was her instead of Aiden there when Diesel opened his eyes. The relief didn’t last long when she remembered the dart gun on the television. “But long enough for the fire to go out. Would you mind getting it going again? I’m freezing.” She forced a smiled.

  He stood up and took a step toward her. She moved out of the way and quickly stepped over to the television blocking his view of the gun. She glanced up at the balcony and said to herself, “It’s going to be a long night.”

  Chapter 15

  Just as He Was About to Fire

  Aiden had expected voodoo dolls, Halloween décor, crosses, and other supernatural whatnots. Instead, his aunt’s door opened to a pleasant, earthy bedroom. The neutral colors and basic bed-dresser-side table arrangement reminded him of his parents’ bedroom. It was clean, neat, and tidy. Normal.

  Aiden didn’t remember much about his aunt Rose, so he didn’t have to worry that going through her things would bring back sad memories. It felt strange, all the same, searching a room he had no business being in at all.

  There weren’t many places to look for hidden things, so he started with the closet. He decided to leave the dresser as a last resort; rummaging through a woman’s dresser drawers seemed wrong, even if that woman had died.

  He didn’t find anything inside the closet except for clothes and shoes, organized and color coordinated. He shut the closet door and eyed the dresser, shaking his head, dreading the thought. However, as he moved slowly toward it, the wooden bedside table, with a drawer, grabbed his attention. He changed directions midstride.

  When he opened the drawer, two four-inch-long, silver darts with red tips rolled around. He assumed this was also where the gun had been kept. Just in case, he thought. Just in case Granny changed in the middle of the night and Rose had to use it.

  He heard muffled voices and stuck the darts in his back pocket, covering them with his t-shirt. He listened closely as he neared the cracked-open door. The passing hope that perhaps the neighbor had come back, or his mom and dad had made it through the storm and were there to rescue him, dashed away when he recognized Diesel’s voice.

  His heart pounded, comprehending the situation before he did: Diesel was awake.

  Since the landing was open to the living room, he somehow had to get past it, to the stairs, without Diesel seeing him. If he did, Diesel wouldn’t know he wasn’t coming from the guestroom. It would be like nothing had happened since he went to sleep. No retrieving weapons or rummaging through dead people’s belongings … or murder plots.

  Aiden made it to the narrow wall between the door and the open landing. He peeked around the corner. Diesel had his back to him tending the fire, and Scarlet was in front of the television. When she spotted him, she waved for him to go.

  He ran. He had to slow down when he turned the corner of the stairs, where it was completely dark. When he reached the foyer, he stopped. The sensible voice inside his head screamed, “Go to the guestroom. Don’t go in the living room!” He closed his eyes and shook his head because he knew he couldn’t leave Scarlet or Diesel to fend for themselves. No matter how strange and hard his cousin was or how conniving and manipulative Scarlet could be, they were all in this together. He headed toward the light and warmth and terror of the living room.

  He stopped in the doorway. Diesel and Scarlet were the same as before.

  Scarlet noticed Aiden and mouthed the words, “Did you find them?”

  He nodded.

  She indicated with her head for him to come over to her. She stood in front of the television, hiding the gun. Did she want him to take it? He walked toward her, deciding he would push the gun behind the television.

  As soon as Aiden made it beside Scarlet, Diesel turned around and said, “That should do it. Aiden, I didn’t hear you come in.” He squinted, causing a frown.

  Scarlet moved toward Diesel, blocking the view between the two boys.

  Diesel said, “Why do yo
u guys look like you’re up to something?”

  “The only thing I’m up to is being bored,” Scarlet answered. “I didn’t think you were ever going to wake up from your nap.”

  Not realizing the gun was almost to the front of the television, Aiden had underestimated the distance he had to cover to push the gun off the back of the console. Besides, it was bound to make a noise on the hardwood floor. The best he could hope was to tuck the gun in the back of his pants without being noticed.

  Scarlet wrapped her arms around Diesel’s neck.

  “You’re not mad at me anymore?” Diesel asked.

  Scarlet giggled and whispered something before they kissed.

  Aiden quickly stuck the gun in the back of his pants, not sure what to do next. He couldn’t suspiciously back out of the room. But he couldn’t stay standing, like a dweeb, and watch them make-out.

  The kitchen was the closest, so he decided to go there. He started to leave the room.

  “Where are you going?” Scarlet asked, stopping him in his tracks.

  Aiden turned quickly so he wouldn’t reveal the gun. “I thought I would make something to eat. I didn’t eat much earlier, so now I’m hungry. I thought I would see if I could find anything. Did y’all want anything? To eat?”

  “No,” Scarlet answered with a disgusted shake of her head.

  “I’m starving,” Diesel said. “While we eat, we need to start discussing tonight. What time is it anyway? I can’t believe I fell asleep.”

  Scarlet stared at Aiden, her mouth slightly open and her nose wrinkled.

  Aiden pretended not to notice her irritation and hurried into the kitchen where he paced. “What does she think?” he said under his breath. Did she think he was going to shoot Diesel right there and then? “She’s crazy.” But what was he going to do? He had a gun in his pants, Diesel could possibly turn into a werewolf at any minute, and some crazy girl wanted him to knock out, possibly even kill, his cousin.

  Aiden wished he had brought a lit candle with him. A small amount of light escaped from the living room, though none was offered from the kitchen window—it was pitch black outside. Perhaps the only thing he could do was to do the thing he was pretending to do and make something to eat. The gas stove still worked and would give him enough light and warmth to cook. He could cook and think. Or better yet, he thought, find some more of that stuff Scarlet gave Diesel and unload the rest into Diesel’s food. He tried to remember where she said she had found it. Pantry? He hoped there was enough left to put Diesel back to sleep. Maybe he should mix it into a drink before he gave him any food. It would be more potent on an empty stomach. “Wine, wine, more wine. Where would I find wine?”

  The basement? No, he didn’t remember seeing any wine in there. However, thoughts of the basement made him remember what else was down there. The cage. “That could work—that could work.” He rubbed his hands together. All he had to do was get Diesel inside the cage and that would keep them safe from Diesel … and Diesel safe from Scarlet, until morning. Or until they figured things out. It was the perfect solution. But he doubted Diesel would say, “Okay,” and step inside the cage. He’d have to trick him. “Think, Aiden, think!”

  Aiden walked into the living room, and Diesel and Scarlet cuddled under the quilt on the couch. Under any other circumstances he would have done an about-face and scrambled in the other direction. This time he had no choice. He cleared his throat.

  Diesel didn’t glance at Aiden but asked, “Food ready, already?”

  “Um, no, I need some help downstairs in the basement.”

  Scarlet removed the blanket and jumped up a lot quicker than she should have. “Okay, I’m coming.”

  “Actually, I need Diesel’s help.”

  Diesel frowned. “What kind of help?”

  “Umm, I need to get meat. I can’t seem to open the deep freezer. It’s frozen shut or something.”

  “That’s stupid. I think you’re a weak little girl.” After getting up, he grabbed a lit lantern and headed to the kitchen.

  Aiden went to follow, but Scarlet grabbed his arm.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she whispered harshly. “Shoot him, already.”

  He shook his head and pulled his arm free. He followed Diesel through the kitchen and to the dark stairwell that led to basement.

  Cold and quiet surrounded him as he descended into darkness. He heard Scarlet’s boots thump on the wood stairs as she followed, the light from her tiny, flashlight one step ahead of him.

  As he reached the basement floor, Aiden retrieved the gun from his waistband. He placed a dart in the chamber. He decided not to have a pre-pumped gun, so he might have a chance to run without getting shot himself. A bluff would have to work. After their couple of altercations, he knew Diesel was stronger even without the extra strength of a werewolf.

  Holding the gun with both hands, his entire body trembled. He wished he wasn’t in the situation he had put himself in, but he couldn’t back down now. The plan could work; it was the only way for all of them to make it through the night.

  “I don’t know what your problem is. It opened right up for me,” Diesel said, standing at the freezer. He turned around, holding the lantern out in front of him. His annoyed expression changed to amusement as he eyed the gun Aiden pointed at him. “What’s this?”

  Scarlet now stood beside Aiden.

  “What are you guys planning on doing with that? You going to shoot me, Aiden? You agreed to this, Scarlet?”

  She said, “I’m sorry, but we have to do this before you turn into a monster and eat us.”

  Aiden felt a flush of anticipation as he realized what Scarlet must have thought. But he couldn’t start explaining the plan to her now.

  Diesel’s smirk slowly vanished, replaced by a deep frown and a tight jaw as he stared at Scarlet.

  “Scarlet whispered. “If you’re in there, Diesel, please understand why we have to do this. I really, really hate this. Shit, this is hard. If you would have stayed asleep, you would’ve never known about any of this.”

  “You planned on shooting me while I slept? That’s the kind of chicken shit move I’d expect from him … but you?” Diesel smoothed his hair back with his free hand. “It doesn’t matter. You guys are right.” He set the lantern down on top of the freezer and put his hands up in surrender. “Go ahead. Shoot me, Aiden.”

  Aiden felt the weight of the gun, which he held in front of him, as he glanced at Scarlet and then back to Diesel. What just happened?

  “Go on, Aiden,” Scarlet urged.

  “Get it over with.” Diesel closed his eyes.

  Scarlet nudged Aiden with her elbow. “It’s okay. See, even he knows we have to do this.”

  Panic surged through Aiden’s body, his head pounded, and his throat felt like sandpaper. “I don’t want to shoot you. I only want you to get in the cage, and we can figure this all out.”

  “What?” Diesel opened his eyes.

  “What?” Scarlet yelled. “No, Aiden! We don’t know if that’ll even hold him.”

  “That’s right. Listen to her, Aiden,” Diesel mumbled, staring at Scarlet again. “I’m a wild beast, remember.” Diesel took a step forward.

  Aiden backed up. “You might not even change into a werewolf!”

  “It’s okay.” Diesel made another step forward. “It’s what you gotta do. And when you’re done, maybe you should run a stake through my heart, too. You know, just in case. We don’t want to take any chances with Scarlet’s life. Isn’t that right, Scarlet?” Another step closer. “Do it. I won’t fight you.”

  Aiden couldn’t breathe. His hands were sweaty around the gun. It would be so easy to let it slip, let it fall to the ground and then he could run away. Leave them to it. “All I want is for you to get in the cage.” He waved the gun at the open door of the cage.

  Diesel shook his head and puttered his lips. “You’re not going to shoot me, are you?” Suddenly, he stormed toward them.

  Scarlet cried, “Shoot
him! Shoot him!”

  Diesel didn’t go for Aiden or the gun, instead he grabbed Scarlet and drug her into the cage with him. Diesel fought Scarlet’s fist and kicks, ultimately, she fell to the ground. He used that opportunity to shut the door and close the lock.

  Scarlet jumped up and scrambled to the cage door, rattling it vigorously. “Open the door, Aiden! Open the door! Let me out of here!” She tried pulling the lock open.

  “I can’t,” Aiden choked out. “I don’t have a key.” He lowered his shaky arms. No longer able to stand the feel of the gun, he let it drop.

  “Shit!” Scarlet shook the cage. “Diesel, tell him where the key is!”

  “Well, well.” Diesel sighed dramatically. “You can’t leave your girlfriend in here with a monster, now can you? I guess you’re going to have to shoot me after all, cousin.”

  Chapter 16

  She Might Still be Saved

  The prehistoric-looking padlock hung from a rusty chain that wrapped around the bars and the cage door. The steel bars were built into the concrete wall and had been part of the basement for as long as Diesel could remember. As a child he was never allowed in the basement by himself—the rule never bothered him because it reeked and was so dank, quiet, and eerie. He did remember asking his mom about the cage. She had told him it came with the house.

  Now he wondered if that was a lie. Why was there a prison in the basement? Had the cage been constructed to keep his grandmother in when she turned into a werewolf? But surely, he would have noticed if his mom kept Gran locked up. Plus, he’d never heard strange sounds coming from the basement, and he didn’t remember ever seeing Gran as much as walk down the stairs. True, they all pretty much kept to themselves, did their own things. When he was home, he stayed in his room or worked in the garden.

  He wished his mom had told him everything before. Before she died and left one short note that didn’t really explain anything. The paper didn’t have a date, so no telling when it had been written.