Reckoning

by R. S. Broadhead

  “I’m not. I can put my feelings to the side though. I know you wanna see Shayla happy, even if it’s only for a little while, and I’d do anything to see you smile. If this is what it takes, so be it.” I couldn’t respond. I didn’t know what to say back. Thankfully, Shayla yelled for us to hurry up, breaking the awkwardness between us.

  She was practically bouncing around the truck like a crack head as we made our way down the dark paved road, farther and farther into the woods. Every now and then we’d see a house, but those became fewer and fewer. “Why don’t any of these houses have any lights on?” I asked, noticing their darkness as we passed each one. “It’s kind of depressing.”

  “After I came out here that night, I did a little research on this place. Now I really don’t know how true any of this stuff is, but they say the reason this bridge is haunted is because way back in the day a lady was running for her life with her baby. She went under the bridge to hide, but the baby wouldn’t stay quiet. So she drowned it in the creek, and all of these houses around here leave their lights off after dark because her spirit roams this area in search of her baby. If she sees a light on, she goes to the house. If they don’t have her baby, she takes their soul to the underworld with her. She was supposed to have lived in a plantation home near the bridge, but I’ve never seen it.”

  “I think we need to find the house first then,” Shayla replied. Sim and I sat there quietly. Neither of us wanted to do more than what we’d planned.

  A dirty old street sign illuminated in the headlights read, “Dead Man’s Curve.” We rounded the extremely sharp curve, and on the other side the road narrowed into one lane. The pale moonlight bathed the road in front of us, and slowly, an old bridge came into view. Fog seemed to roll over it, making it hard to see in front of us. If I didn’t know something unusual was going on with it, I would have thought it was an average bridge.

  “I’m gonna go ahead down here and point the truck goin’ back out,” Sim said. We both nodded, peering out the window as we slowly rolled over the bridge’s bumpy surface. “Last time I was here, I didn’t see any more roads where a house could be.”

  “What’s that?” Shayla asked, pointing at the trees in front of us, just behind the dead end sign. Barely visible, was the peak of a house’s pointed roof.

  “Shayla, I didn’t say I wanted to get out of this damn truck and walk through the woods. You wanna walk through some woods in Washington County, then hell yeah. I’ll do that all day and night, but not these,” Sim protested.

  “Okay, I guess you guys can just take me back home then, so I can cry into my pillow all night. AGAIN.” I looked over at Sim, who put his fingers on the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a second before jerking the truck off the road and turning the lights off.

  “Okay. Let’s do this shit,” he said.

  “Woohoo!” Shayla said. We clamored out of the truck and turned the flashlights on through our phones. “Lead the way,” Shayla told Sim.

  “What? You gonna make the person that didn’t even wanna come out here to begin with lead the way? That’s just plain dirty.”

  “You’re our only man out here, Sim,” I replied.

  “Yeah, but the two of you could kick my ass no problem. Y’all just wanna see if somethin’s gonna eat me so y’all can run off and leave my ass behind. I’m not stupid.” He walked in the direction of the house with us close on his heels.

  “This is so fuckin’ awesome,” Shayla said. I looked at the ground, trying to watch my step, when a chilling breeze rushed past me on both sides. My head snapped up, expecting Shayla and Sim to be stopped looking around too, but they were still walking as if nothing happened. I shrugged it off and continued after them. I heard a faint giggle off to my left and found glowing red eyes staring at me through the darkness of the trees. They cocked sideways as if studying me. I was frozen, staring into them. My hands started to tremble, making my flashlight shake over the ground. I couldn’t see anything but the eyes, no matter how hard I squinted. I wasn’t brave enough to pull the flashlight up in its direction.

  “Finally, we made it,” Sim said from the front of our line, momentarily pulling my attention away. When I glanced back to the eyes, they were no longer there. After convincing myself it was an animal, I joined them. I wasn’t going to freak them out and ruin Shayla’s time by something that could have been my imagination. I was scared so there was no telling what my mind would come up with. The old house was beaten down by age. At one time, I could see it as large colonial home, painted white, with women walking around in dresses that touched the ground, carrying books under their arms. Soldiers pacing back in forth, waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves in a war. Now, the paint was chipped away, leaving sparse sections of white over the walls. Shutters hung off the hinges, and several windows were busted. Shayla and Sim used their flashlights to look around the grounds and porch. The house gave me the creeps. Everything about it set me on edge and I knew it wasn’t a good idea to be here.

  The weathered steps creaked and groaned under our weight as we walked up the porch. A few were broken and splintered up.

  “Be careful, this wood is rotting in some spots. I don’t wanna have to take anyone to the hospital tonight.” Sim knocked a giant cobweb off to the side and pulled the old screen door open. It screamed out a creak as the rusty hinges moved. The dirty gold knob to the solid door turned with ease, it seemed to float in front of us.

  “That was easy. I was expectin’ it to be locked,” Shayla said.

  “Probably some kids messing around in here, tryin’ to get their freak on,” Sim replied. I got an uneasy feeling there was more going on here than just that. Judging from the thick dust that caked the floor, and the way our footprints were leaving a trail, there hadn’t been anyone in here in years.

  Despite Sim’s earlier hesitation, the thought of exploring the house seemed to spark his interest. He disappeared into a large room that looked like the parlor. The flower print furniture still sat there with a few crystal flutes on a glass coffee table trimmed with brass. The painted portraits that lined the walls gave me the eerie feeling they were watching us. One of a young woman caught my eye. Her auburn hair was loosely pulled on top of her head, her skin was the perfection of porcelain, and her green eyes seemed to stare straight through me. In her arms, a baby lay fast asleep.

  “You think that’s her?” Shayla asked from beside me.

  “Maybe,” I said, unable to take my eyes away from her face.

  “Guys, check this out,” Sim said from another room. Shayla turned to walk away, finally tearing my attention away from the picture. She tip-toed around the furniture. There was movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned back to the woman in the picture, and jerked back in surprise. The flesh began melting away from her eyeless face, and what hair was left on her head was stringy and wet. The baby was gone, leaving her bony hand free to reach for me. I backed into the coffee table, shattering glasses as they fell to the floor.

  “Reese!” Sim screamed. He and Shayla rounded the corner with wide eyes. I couldn’t talk, I just pointed at the picture.

  “What?” Shayla asked with a confused expression as she looked over at the picture. It was back to normal with the woman’s green eyes once again staring at me.

  “She was different. Somethin’ isn’t right. We need to get outta here,” I said.

  “Oh, shit. Let’s go then,” Sim replied. He looked around as if someone was beside him.

  “Oh, calm down. There isn’t anyone here, pussy,” Shayla told him. Before he could retaliate, an agonizing scream erupted from somewhere deep in the house. We stared at each other for a split second before running as fast as we could out the front door.

  “Let’s get to the truck. This is the way we came in!” Sim shouted from in front of us, leading the way. We stopped short when we heard the water rushing. He pushed the last limb out of the way to reveal the bank beneath the old bridge we had crossed over. “What the hell? We ran
the exact same way we came in. There’s no way this is where we’re supposed to be.” The white sand of the bank had tiny holes from bugs burrowing themselves deep into the earth. It ran along the dark, nebulous water that trickled past us.

  “At least we’re away from that damn house,” Shayla said, looking around.

  “Yeah, but if you heard that in there and this is the spot that’s supposed to be haunted, don’t you think we’re fucked like Chuck under here?” Sim asked. “Especially since by some weird occurrence we ended up here? I’m tellin’ you, somethin’ wanted us here. It led the way for us.” He leaned back against the bridge’s column, trying to calm his breathing. “Told y’all … a damn heart attack!”

  Something tightened around my ankle with a robust grip and yanked hard, pulling my leg out from under me. I hit the ground, knocking the breath of me, and slid through the dirt down into the icy creek.

  “What the hell!” Shayla shouted. Both of them stopped, like they were frozen in place. They were both reaching for me, their eyes full of worry, while the water continued to run over me. Everything around me was still happening, they were the only two out of place in this terrifying situation. I fought to get back to the bank, but whatever had my ankle refused to let go, no matter how much I kicked at it.

  A small, bluish-purple hand reached out of the water on my side—a child’s hand. I slapped at it, but then my hands became bound at my sides by another force. The little cold and clammy hand ran across my face, making me cry out in terror. It ran over my eyes and nose. Finally, the hand went across my mouth and pulled me completely underwater … underwater to a dark, soggy grave with it and whatever else was waiting down there.

  Was this my last night alive?

  A POWERFUL FORCE launched me forward, breaking me through the water’s surface. I gasped, sucking the sweet, cool air into my burning lungs. Shayla and Sim were gone. Something was different now. Everything was hazy, like a dream. She stood on the bank, just a few feet from me. Her blazing red eyes, the same eyes from earlier, pierced through me. I considered going back under the water to elude her gaze. I could probably deal with whatever was living down there better than her.

  “Come,” she hissed. Invisible hands locked around my arms and pulled me through the water until I was on the mushy ground at her feet. The picture on the wall of the old plantation didn’t do her beauty justice.

  “Why do you want me?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. She laughed. Despite the softness of it, there was a malicious tone hidden there. Coldness brushed past me as she walked away from me, her long white gown flowing angelically around her feet—her feet that seemed to be floating across the sandy surface.

  “What makes you think I want you?” she asked with her back still to me.

  “I don’t know. I mean, you kinda brought me here, so I’m thinkin’ there’s got to be a reason for it”

  She stood in silence, cupping a small white flower in her hand. “Reese Salt … you are nothing, but what you will become terrifies even me. The worlds being united as one depends on you.”

  “Worlds? What are you talkin’ about, lady?” Her mention of what I would become, a future that worried me, sent a cold shiver up my spine. She whipped her head around to me, making her red hair swing about her face. She stalked back over to where I was sitting on the ground and crouched down eye level. The fear didn’t make me back down from her. I stared her directly in the eyes, unblinking and unmoving. Their redness was like watching a dancing flame twist and turn in the pits of hell, nothing but shallow hatred for all things.

  “See, the trouble with this realm is you all think there aren’t others out there. Aside from that, even if you did know, your kind would be the self-absorbent fools, superior to all others. You are sadly mistaken, young child. You aren’t alone. We’ve been here long before you have, and we will be here long after human extinction.”

  I swallowed hard. “What do you mean there are others?” I knew the creatures I had been facing had to be coming from somewhere, but I never imagined other worlds—let alone that I would be having a conversation with a ghost right now.

  “Your world isn’t alone. There once stood four, all united, until chaos, then they were broken into pieces. Darkness poured into everything that would allow it. This realm was seen as the superior to all others. It was Messa’s greatest achievement, so it was spared while others were at war. I’m from the spirit realm, Agathra.”

  “Wait … so you’re sayin’ you were once alive? So you should be from this realm then. I’m a little lost here.” Where was I exactly? I glanced around, still no sign of Shayla or Sim. I had to be stuck in some type of dimension. How was I going to get out? My heart hammered as panic set in.

  “Spirits were created before the human race. Your realm was once said to be perfected, and all else were just the abominations Messa’s brother, Dalco, created in error. Every world Dalco created, Messa proved one better. Dalco started with my realm, then Messa created Plamethia. Dalco, trying to compete with his brother, created Rigamor. Messa was never one to be out done so he made Earth, to which nothing could compare. Every creature was allowed to roam freely between the realms. That is … until the portals were closed. Some of us were trapped in the wrong realms, like me.” She looked down at the ground before standing up. She paced back and forth in front of me.

  “There isn’t a way to open the portals up?” I asked, trying to seem helpful. I didn’t know what she was capable of, so I wanted to act like I was on her side of things.

  “Dermetheus is the only way. He will reunite the realms,” she said, stopping to look down at me again. My mouth went dry at the mention of his name. She was on his side.

  “I see.” I paused for a moment to calm my shaking voice. “You said earlier that I would be something that scared you. Do you know what that is?” I wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear her answer. The thought of not knowing was terrifying, but finding out here and now seemed even scarier. She came back over to me and sat, soundlessly, in the dirt.

  “I can see the fragment in you. There is a power inside you that screams to be released; only you’re holding it back. You will make the strongest creature and human quiver with fear the day it comes out. I knew it when I saw you in the woods. That’s why I had to bring you here.”

  “Where is here? And where are my friends?” I asked.

  “You are between life and death. That was the only way I could interact with you. I had the Hitna that lives in the creek pull you under. The Hitna is what started all these wild stories about this place. It looks much like an infant, but with a tint of blue. Your friends are still here, fighting for you to come back. You just can’t see them and they can’t see you.”

  “You went through all that just to talk to me?” She laughed. It wasn’t sweet. It was evil. That alerted me. She brought me here to kill me. “Why do you wanna hurt me? I don’t even know you.”

  “Haven’t you been listening? You have a power in you, a power I want. Why should a human have that?” Before I could respond she raised her hand and raked her nails across my cheek. Heat rose from the wounds as blood spilled from the cuts.

  “Hell no, you didn’t.” I jumped to my feet, not really sure what my next move should be. She was a spirit. Would my punch or kick go through her? One way to find out. I swung at her face and felt nothing but air. She laughed at my attempt to fight back.

  “You can’t hit me. Oops … did I forget to mention that?” She threw her hands in front of her, and a force of power knocked me into a slab of concrete. She flew at me, but before I felt another painful attack, there was a blinding white light from the sky, and I shielded my eyes.

  “Reese, are you okay? Thank God!” Shayla said. I opened my eyes and focused on her, squinting from the flashlight she was shining in my face. I was shaking uncontrollably from my drenched clothes; my face still burned from her scratches.

  “What happened?” I asked, confused. I glanced around, searching for the vicious r
edhead I had been fighting. She was nowhere to be seen.

  “Somethin’ pulled you into the water. Shayla blew that thing’s head smooth off,” Sim said from my other side. “Guess that will be the end of Cry Baby Bridge. It’s about damn time too.”

  “She talked to me,” I said, rising slightly.

  “Who?” he asked.

  “The woman that was in the picture.” Shayla and Sim stole a glance at each other. Another sudden jolt of shivers went through me. “She wanted to kill me,” I cried out. There was something bad inside me. I was sure of it now. What would happen once this power took over? Would I kill everyone I loved? The thoughts made me sick to my stomach. I rolled over and started to gag. Shayla pulled my hair back as I threw up the food from earlier and creek water.

  “We need to get to the truck to warm you up,” Sim said. He reached for me, but I slapped his hand.

  “No! Listen to me. She said there were other realms beside ours. These monsters and things are coming from there. We aren’t alone. They’re tryin’ to unite them.”

  Shayla sat back against a log behind her. “Fuck.”

  “You need to tell Fuzz about this,” Sim said. I started shaking again. “Is it okay for me to help you to the truck now?” I nodded.

  “Here, put this on your face,” Shayla said. She took a napkin out of her pocket and pressed it on my cuts. Sim grabbed me under the arms and threw me over his shoulder. I felt him gently pat me on the butt, and there was no doubt he was grinning. “You better be careful with all that, Sim. Ollie wouldn’t be too happy if he saw you doin’ somethin’ like that.”

  “Ollie can suck my balls. If he was a real boyfriend he would’ve been out here instead of me.”

  “True. I don’t really know what’s goin’ on with him, but if he don’t straighten up I’m gonna have to kick his ass. No one treats my best friend like a dick and gets away with it.” Sim laughed.

  Once back at Sim’s truck, I found the peaks of the old plantation staring at me. I climbed in the back of the cab and curled into a ball, not wanting to think about it being there. It was bad enough we were being forced to face things we had never encountered before, but now spirits? Her mentioning different realms, there was no telling what we were going to end up fighting. On the drive home, I acted like I was asleep, ignoring Shayla and Sim in the front. I thought about what the different realms might look like. How were they different from ours? I tried not to think about whatever power was coursing through me. It could be used for good. I wanted to believe that, but I had doubt.