Autumn Falls

by A. R. Kingston

  "Yeah, I got that much a while ago. All right, I'll keep an eye on Kevin. You just take care of yourself. I don't want to see anything bad happen to you, Cherry."

  Placing a kiss on her forehead, Zack walked to his car and pulled out of his spot, leaving Charlotte alone with the dead body. Walking behind the back of the ambulance, she saw Chuck sitting on the bumper with a stretcher out and ready to go. Sitting down beside him, she looked out at the crows sitting next to the body—three to either side— and frowned.

  "We all set?"

  "Yes, ma'am, the firemen are on their way, and I got the stretcher ready, so we can get the hell out of here the moment he's down."

  "Great, I don't want to stay here a minute longer than we have to."

  "I bet," Chuck nodded his head towards the window, "You sure pissed her off, considering she's still watching us."

  "Yeah, did you hear the way she threatened me when I said I'll raise my kid the way I see fit?"

  "Uh huh, makes me overly worried about you. These teachers, they are not to be trusted. I don't think anyone on this island is."

  "Right? And get this, Kevin told me she waited twenty minutes before calling us because she wanted to teach the kids about the miracle of death."

  "Now that is messed up. Maybe we should all just leave this damn hunk of rock before it claims us too."

  "If we can."

  "You sense it too, don't you? The way the island pulls you, lulls you, and makes you want to stay just a little longer?"

  "Yes, and I also feel like it wants me. It desires me. It needs me. And it's hiding things from me, things that someone else wants me to figure out."

  "I feel it too, deep in my bones, this insatiable lust, and it scares the shit out of me."

  Nodding her head, Charlotte continued to ponder the perception they both got from the island. Something was compelling them to stick around while their entire body was telling them to run. An ancient memory was flashing warning signs at her, telling her she was in danger, but she got the impression that she was under a spell, making her never want to leave. She wanted to be part of the island, be one with it, even if she knew that meant death. But no matter the hold it had on her, she suddenly wanted to fight it, Zack gave her a reason to want to leave, and as she chatted with Chuck, she realized that was what made him so dangerous, and why this place wanted to get rid of him.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Humanity is a parade of fools, and I am at the front of it, twirling a baton.”—Dean Koontz

  S itting on the back bumper of the ambulance, Charlotte and Chuck continued to wait for the firemen to arrive, carrying on their conversation. She relayed to him her concerns about the island wanting to dispose of Zack, and he agreed, claiming he sensed it too. Zack was an outsider who was not like them, he was never supposed to come to this sacred place. An unearthy chill filled the air as they mentioned his name. The cool breeze coming off the ocean was stiff and suffocating, growing heavier by the second. Supresing a shiver raking down her spine, Charlotts stole a glance at her watch and frowned.

  "What the hell is taking them so long? The station is three minutes away, yet we've been waiting here for over twenty-minutes with a dead guy on display behind us."

  "No clue." Charles glanced over at his own watch. "I'd say maybe they had another call, but in this town, I doubt that's the case."

  "Yes, strange how only one call ever happens per shift, isn't it? We don't have days with no calls, and we don't have days when we are swamped, we just receive one call every day. No more, no less."

  "And they are all accidents. Not fires, not natural causes, but horrible, brutal accidents. If you can call them that since they all seem to be self-inflicted."

  "What do you suppose it all means?"

  "No idea, but maybe we should keep our mouth shut for now." Chuck motioned his head to the red fire truck slowly climbing down the hill. "I have this perception that our friends are not on our side."

  The firemen pulled up beside them and got out of their truck without saying a word to either of the two medics. Charlotte exchanged glances with her partner as they got up and watched the men cut the fence and haul the body down. There was no reaction from them, not even a flinch of emotion on their stony brows. Giving them a friendly smile as they laid their patient on the ground, she sent them off with a nod and waited for them to leave before she wheeled the stretcher closer. Coming around the corner of the ambulance, she thought she saw an eyeball move in its socket, making her freeze with a gasp. But upon further inspection, she concluded that her mind was playing tricks on her and went to collect the body.

  Having put the man on the stretcher, they wheeled him into the back of their ambulance. Getting ready to leave, Charlotte walked past the gurney when a stiff, cold hand grabbed a hold of her wrist. With a startled yelp, she whipped around to the man with the iron spire still sticking out of his head sitting up, looking at her. His eyeballs twitched and jerk around in different directions until they rolled all the way into the back of his head, getting replaced by black, inky pools. Red foam bubbled out of his mouth as she witnessed his teethe getting replaced by jagged, snarled fangs. Letting out a hiss, the corpse tightened his grip on her, pulled her closer, and spoke.

  "We're coming for you."

  Screaming, Charlotte pulled on her arm attempting to free herself but the thing beside her held tighter, pulling her even closer, snapping its jaws at her. Shoving the stretcher aside, Chuck covered the short distance between them, prying the hand off her and pulling her out the back. The thing sat up at a crouch, getting ready to strike, and they shut the doors behind them just in time to hear the thud of it hitting the metal. It clawed and banged on the doors, trying to breakout. Not daring to stay and see if it could liberate itself, the two of them scrambled for the cab, locking their doors, and peeling out of their spot. Panting heavily as they sped down the road, they looked at each other's blood drained faces, with Chuck being the first one to speak.

  "You know, I am getting tired of the dead coming back to life and threatening us."

  "You and me both. And just think, we have to go drop him off at that creepy morgue."

  "Oh, I sure am looking forward to this one. Think it will be as bad as it was last time?"

  "I sure hope not. But here, you never know."

  Silently, the two continued to the hospital where their second trip to the morgue was mostly uneventful. Aside from the elevator door refusing to open and another stroboscopic light show, nothing seemed to pursue them. Opting out of going back to the station, the two of them sat and talked outside a café until it was time to leave. Getting home shaken and exhausted, Charlotte found Kevin dead asleep and Zack waiting for her in the kitchen with two hot cups of chamomile tea and a bowl full of pasta primavera.

  "Hey, how was the rest of your day?"

  "The usual for here, I guess. I see Kevin is already in bed."

  "He was tuckered out by the time we got home. I think the events of the morning really got to him. He was seriously worried about you the whole time. He said he felt something odd on this island, something that wanted to murder you."

  "He's not the only one who feels it, you know." Charlotte sat down in a chair across from Zack and wrapped her hands around the warm porcelain mug. "I feel it too, and so does Chuck. And we all know that you are not supposed to be here. You are not welcome, and this island is coming for you."

  "Is..." Zack swallowed his tea and glanced up to pierce her with his gaze, "is that why you let me sleep next to you last night? Because you were afraid something would happen to me?"

  "That was part of the reason." She avoided his gaze. "I heard something lurking in the hallway last night, waiting for you, and my gut told me that if I let you go, I'd never see you alive again."

  "What was the other reason?"

  "I think you know." She stared at her cup with a sly smirk "I think I could get used to sleeping next to you again. I enjoy having you close."

  "So
, you admit that I'm irresistible?"

  "Oh, I don't know..." Charlotte rolled her eyes, "I guess I am."

  "Does this mean you'll keep me company again tonight?" He looked at her with his puppy-eyes and a pout. "In my room, perhaps?"

  "Only if it keeps you safe. I don't want to be telling Kevin his father died just as he got to know him."

  "Ouch. Why must you be so cruel?"

  "Because I think you earned it."

  Laughing, the two of them stayed up talking until late into the night. Charlotte had agreed to spend the night with Zack, as long as he respected her boundaries. Unable to sleep, she lay awake, watching his chest rise and waited for something to come. Straining her ears, she attempted to pick up signs of the shadowy creature from the other night, but aside from the creaking of the house, the hiss of the radiator, and the rustling in the trees outside, the house remained silent. Getting up, she threw on a robe and strolled outside to the balcony, tightening the pink terrycloth as the wind picked up, whispering in her ear. The cold autumn's breath carried a voice on it, one she was familiar with, and, despite not being able to see him, she heard his warning loud and clear. Beware, the time is almost up.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Thank God you are still alive for many have died and are dying as I speak. You still have the opportunity to change and make things right whilst those that have died wish for that second chance.”—Aleksandr Sebryakov

  E ventually, Charlotte fell into an uneasy sleep, filled with horrifying dreams of slaughter and death. Tossing and turning half the night, she woke up at the crack of dawn, just as the crimson sun was cracking the skyline with its vermilion presence. Opting not to go back to sleep, she got up and made her way into the kitchen where she began making breakfast. Lost in the fresh scent of brewed coffee and the delightful aroma of the pumpkin pancakes, she didn't hear Zack come down, not until he wrapped his arm around her waist and nuzzled his face into her hair.

  "What are you doing?" She turned to face him. "I thought we agreed to not give Kevin the wrong idea?"

  "And what idea is that?" Kevin who had bounced down the stairs pulled out a chair and flopped into it, looking at the two of them with a huge grin. "That my parents may actually get back together, and we can be a normal family?"

  "Precisely." Charlotte pushed Zack away and looked at her son. "You know there is a chance it won't happen, right? Sometimes, no matter how much we want, things just don't work out."

  "Yeah, I know... but there is no harm in you guys trying, is there?" Kevin stared back at her with a scowl. "I mean, dad is willing to try, but you keep resisting. And it's dad after all, not Bret, he won't do the same things that loser did."

  "See, Cherry," Zack pulled her back into his embrace, "even our son sees we belong together. Why can't you just give it a chance?"

  "Our son," Charlotte pulled away from him and returned to the stove, "is thrilled to have his idol be his father, and he wants to see us together because he wants to be like all his friends. But fine, I relent. Seeing as I'm outnumbered on this, we can talk later, after we go to the beach. Now," she turned around with a plate full of food, "who wants pancakes?"

  "Me!" Kevin jumped up in his chair, nearly spilling the milk in his glass. "It's been a long time since you made pancakes."

  "I know." Charlotte's heart leaped at the memory of what happened last time Kevin spilled milk. But to her relief, Zack steadied the glass and ruffled the kid's hair instead of raising his hand. Smiling, she placed the dish in the center of the table and sat down. "I am amazed I remembered how to make the batter. I was afraid I would have to look it up, but it looks like I still got it."

  Sitting down to breakfast, Charlotte got lost in the aroma of her coffee while looking over Zack interacting with Kevin. They looked so natural together and her spirits lifted at the thought of having a family. This was exactly what she wanted, ever since they met all those years ago, and with his offer on the table, it was a real possibility. Only thing standing in her way was the island. She knew she would have to leave to be with Zack, she'd have to move to New York, but she was afraid the island would not let her go. Unless she figured out how to break the spell it had on her, she would be trapped on it, until it was her turn to die, and that was the scariest realization of all.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  “Who knows the end? What has risen may sink, and what has sunk may rise. Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men.”—H.P. Lovecraft

  S trolling along the beach after breakfast, Charlotte watched as Kevin ran ahead, playing in the sand and surf. The sun was warming the stiff air, glistening on the foam-laced waves crashing to the shore, carrying with them seaweed and sticks. Inhaling the salty sea air, she closed her eyes and a warm hand envelop hers as Zack laced his fingers through hers. Once more pleasant memories of better days suffocated her, and she looked up at him. He looked down on her with a shy smirk on his face and rubbed the back of his head.

  "So, Cherry, I know you didn't want to talk about it now, but... what do you say we give this another go? You know—

  you, me, Kevin—a family?"

  "What if it doesn't work out?" Her eyes fell to the wet sand under her feet absorbing their footprints. "What then?"

  "Then I'll still be in Kevin's life. No matter what happens, I'll always be a father to him. Now that I know I have a son, I am never letting him go, and the two of us would figure out how to make it work. But what if it does work out?" He glanced at her, the sun shimmering in the blues of his irises. "Have you ever thought that both of us ending up here was fate giving us a second chance?"

  "Maybe..." she paused to study a ship bobbing on the horizon, "it sure is strange isn't it, how we both wound up here?"

  "I'm telling you; it was fate." He squeezed her hand, and it forced her to peer back over at his earnest face. "Remember what I told you before I left for UCLA?"

  "You broke my heart that day, Zack, how could I ever forget? Those words are seared into my memory. You said, if we are meant to be together, then we will find a way back to each other, and then, we would know."

  "Exactly, and what a fool I was when I said them, because for the next ten years, I would be eating those words every damn day of my life."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, I told you how I figured out I couldn't date because no one compared to you, right? What I neglected to tell you was how I spent every night afterward praying that we would get another chance meeting. Actually, I was starting to give up hope when I got the call to come here. I figured I'd come here, write my story and dedicate my next book to you, so maybe, just maybe, you would see it and come find me. What I didn't expect was to find you here. That's when I knew that fate had finally smiled upon me. It was giving me a second chance to be with you, and this time I intend not to fuck it up. So, what do you say, give this fool another chance, please?"

  "Tell you what," Charlotte stopped, wrapped her hands around his waist, and looked at him, "I'll give you a very tentative yes. If you can keep showing me you are sincere in your efforts to be with Kevin and me, then when you are done with your work here, we'll pack up and go with you to New York."

  "You serious?"

  "As a heart attack."

  Laughing, Zack brought her in closer, kissing her on the top of her head as she buried her face in his chest. Listening to the sound of his heartbeat, and the motion of the waves, Charlotte felt a strange disturbance in the surrounding air. The island was angry with her now that she had voiced her decision to leave, and something told her it would not give her up without a fight. Clinging to Zack, she continued to listen to the rumbling of the ocean as an offshore breeze picked up and brought with it a strange scent and the distant sound of shouting.

  "Hey, you smell that Zack?"

  "Yes. A faint scent of rum and teak wood."

  "Isn't it strange? Where do you think it's coming from?"

  "I have no clue, but do you hear the
voices too?"

  "Yes. They're speaking Dutch."

  "Dare I ask how you know that?"

  She was about to reply when Kevin's shouting drew their attention to where he was playing in the sand. He was jumping around, screaming, and her heart dropped thinking he possibly hurt himself. Turning to run to him, Charlotte spotted the smile on his face and heaved out a heavy breath, relieved the boy was only excited. Continuing to spin around in a circle, the boy was holding something in his hand and waving for his parent to join him.

  "Mom! Dad! Come see what I found."

  Rushing over to meet them halfway, Kevin thrust a rough disk up into the air. Furrowing his brow, Zack took hold of it and ran his finger to remove the sand from its tarnished surface. On the blackened coin was a coat of arms with two lions raising their right paws in the air, enclosed in a wreath of what looked like ivy. On the outer edge, Charlotte could make out SI 1628 and Ordin West. Flipping it over in his hand, Zack brushed more sand off and lifted it to study the ornamental cross with the rose at the center. Outside the dotted circle, the writing on this end was almost ineligible, having been washed away by its time in the elements.

  "What is it, dad?"

  "An old Dutch Schilling." Zack scowled. "But I have no idea how it got here. I am not aware of any Dutch ships going down around here, and this island wasn't settled until 1699."

  "The Sophie Schreur."

  "Is that a ship?"

  "Yes. It was a Fluyt bound for the new world in 1628, but it never made it here. No remains were ever found, and they assumed it to be lost at sea with all one-hundred people on board."

  "How do you know so much about Maritime History?"

  "I took an interest in it after reading Moby Dick."

  "Why am I not surprised?"

  "Wow, do you really think this coin is from that ship mom?"

  "Maybe. That's the best explanation I can come up with."