Caged Light

by Tom Howard

  “Hey sugar, what’s your poison?” The blonde in the black tank top behind the bar asked as Wyatt looked around. He knew his presence would attract instant attention, so he didn’t bother walking right up to Damon, instead, he thought he’d try a different tactic by thinning out the herd. He caught Damon’s eye and watched as he slowly lowered his glass and looked to his guards. Wyatt walked up to the bar and was soon followed by two of the biggest men he’d ever seen.

  “Hello? You drinking anything?” The bartender asked once more.

  Wyatt broke eye contact with the two guys and glanced at the bartender. “Can I get two shots of whisky and a bag of ice?”

  “The boss isn’t taking any meetings today.” One of them spoke in deep tones.

  The bartender plopped two glasses on the bar and poured whisky in each.

  “Are you deaf, boy? That was your cue to leave.” The other spoke up as though his voice too was on steroids. “Do you know what we do to cops in this place?”

  Wyatt threw back a shot of whisky, and as he set the glass back on the bar, he grabbed the other one and within a split second, threw it in the eyes of one of the guards. While he was doubled over, trying to fight the burning, Wyatt caught the flying fist from the other guard, yanked him forward, slammed his head on the bar, and knocked him out. The other guy opened his eyes long enough to swing at Wyatt’s head, only to have him duck down and punch him in the crotch. The guy dropped in agony as Wyatt reached for the bag of ice on the counter, which he then dropped next to him. Wyatt made his way over toward Damon’s table only to be met by three more guards only a few feet from his corner booth. With a furrowed brow he glared them down, “I could waste a few more seconds out of my night on you three.”

  “I wouldn’t do it guys, he’s one of the best in the business.” Damon spoke up as he raised his glass. The three men showed a hint of fear in their eyes and parted like the Red Sea.

  “That was a different guy.” Wyatt replied as he sat down in front of Damon.

  “Shame, you were a good operator. I liked your bad attitude.”

  “Same bad attitude though.” Wyatt glared at his former boss. “You need to leave me and the girl alone before something bad happens to you.”

  Damon laughed as he sipped his Jack and Coke. “I see you’ve developed a sense of humor since last we met.”

  “It’s no joke, stay away. Last warning.”

  “Aw, Wyatt, and here I thought you came to get your old spot back. As it turns out, I’m missing a couple guys. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

  “I think they’re helping someone find a lost dog.”

  “Huh…” Damon huffed. “I’ll tell you what, give me the girl and I’ll forget all about you. From now on, you’ll just be a footnote in my biography. And in exchange for my generosity, you’ll keep your nose out of my business.”

  “As long as your business doesn’t involve any homicides, I don’t really care what you do. What I do care about is why this girl is so important to you. Last I checked, you don’t take prisoners. And the guys you sent were anything but hitters, so what’s going on?”

  Damon casually leaned back in the booth and stretched his arms on the back of the seat. He knew how cops thought, but given Wyatt’s history, Damon knew there was a special kind of anger which fueled his rage toward him, and he had no idea what Wyatt would do if he learned the truth. Damon cocked his head as he thought for a second, then finally… “Alright, I’ll level with you, the girl isn’t who she says she is, she’s…special, and rest assured, I’ll do anything to get her back. Including ripping up your contract if you bring her to me.”

  Wyatt’s brow furrowed in anger. “I’m already free.” He growled. “And there’s nothing you could do to make me go back to running drugs and killing for you. My contract ended the day he died.”

  Damon shot forward in his seat, but Wyatt didn’t flinch a muscle. “Your hands will never be clean again, and no matter what you do, you’ll never be able to change that fact. So, what did you come here for, to threaten me?”

  “I’m the only one who can get away with it.” Wyatt smirked. He knew there was no real immediate threat. Even if Damon’s guys tried something, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind they would end up knocked out.

  “You know what I like about most of the guys hanging on these walls? They were classy, when they wanted someone whacked, they were creative about it. Sure, they could have just pulled out a gun and shot the other guy, but tell me…where is the fun in that? So, go ahead, keep making empty threats, but remember these two words…lug nuts. You never know when you could be flying down the road and they mysteriously pop off.”

  “Damon, you know my threats are anything but empty. So if you want to come after me, you better dig deep in your bag of tricks and hire some new help because what you’ve got now isn’t going to cut it.” Wyatt said as he stood to leave. The three guards stood between him and his exit. “Really?” His brow furrowed.

  “Let me ask you something,” Damon said as he took yet another sip from his glass. “if my boys hadn’t shown up at your house, where would you be right now…here…or at home with her? Are you sure my guys weren’t just a…distraction to lure you here, leaving her alone and defenseless?” He laughed.

  Wyatt pushed passed the guards and hurried home, slinging gravel as he flew down the road. Damon was many things…a liar was not one of them. If that really was what he was up to, how could Wyatt have not seen it? After all, it was just his style, setting and baiting the trap, then waiting for the poor defenseless creature to wander in, then suddenly…BAM! The trap slams shut and kills whatever is inside. Wyatt tried calling the house phone but each time, there was no answer. As Wyatt checked the internal surveillance system, he zoomed in when he suddenly saw something disturbing. As Michelle lay on the couch, still asleep, there in front of her was a woman in a gown with her back to the camera. He watched as she stood over Michelle, panting, staring at her while she slept. Then, slowly, as if she knew Wyatt was watching, the woman turned her head toward the camera and smiled. Wyatt looked on in horror as the woman looked like Linda Blair from the exorcism, with her hair all a mess and pure evil written all over her face. Suddenly, all of the cameras cut out. Wyatt floored it, but no matter how fast he drove, he could only hope he would be in time to help his friend.

  The house was eerily quiet as the void of the night seemed to fill it with a lingering hint of malevolence. As Michelle lay there ever so peacefully, she was suddenly awoken by the sound of banging coming from the next room. Her eyes jolted open as if two bullets fired from a gun. The woman which Wyatt had seen was gone, Michelle saw only the light from the moon streaming in from the windows, reflecting off of the walls. She sat up, listening intently while the banging continued, finally able to tell it was coming from back the hallway. The banging was methodical but not rapid by any means, as though someone were trying to get out of a room by pounding on the wall.

  “Wyatt?” She called out in hopes of an answer, though none came. And the note he’d left had slid down under the couch.

  Feeling a lump growing in her throat, Michelle reached for the lamp next to the couch, but as she flipped the switch, she found it was no use, there was no power. Slowly rising to her feet, Michelle could hear another noise like that of muffled talking. Suddenly the image of the woman on the wall in the bathroom shot through her head, bringing back all of the fear which went with it. Could this be the same thing? She wondered, looking around, seeing shadows moving through the trees outside, all the while listening to the noises of the night. Michelle tried going out of the front door, but like before, in the bathroom, it wouldn’t budge.

  Step by step, Michelle inched her way toward the banging and the muffled noises. Along the way, she picked up the cell phone Wyatt had given her, but quickly found all of the power was drained as it wouldn’t even turn on. Cautiously she made her way toward the hallway and found the closer she got, the louder the nois
es became. With a pounding heart, and every fiber of her being telling her to get out, Michelle kept moving forward. She knew the key to getting out had to be in the origin of the noises, so in her mind, there was no choice but to follow them…no matter how much she was trembling.

  The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she finally entered the hallway. Hearing the banging toward the back, she saw there was a shadow with it, quickly moving back and forth across the moonlight. With an icy chill running down her spine, Michelle closed the door on the gun safe blocking her view and slowly peeked around to find…the window in the back of the hall opening and closing with the wind, each time creating the banging she heard. Michelle breathed a sigh of relief as she walked over to the window and latched it shut. However, as she stood there, looking out into the night, she suddenly heard the muffled voice coming from right behind her. Instantly, her fear came rushing back, nearly paralyzing her where she stood. And there, just over the muffle was a whispering voice of a little girl, “Michelle…” it spoke, drawing out her name. Shaking as if locked outside in a snowstorm, Michelle slowly turned around, scared of what she may find. Her breathing became erratic and her heart was ready to leap from her chest while her body was telling her to run.

  As Michelle felt the darkness closing in on her, the voice repeated its calling. Standing in the hallway, Michelle was finally facing the room which had been behind her. In it she saw no windows, no furniture of any kind other than a single bed in the middle of the room. And on the bed was a human shaped figure tucked underneath the blankets. Michelle was hoping more than anything she was asleep having a nightmare, not awake trapped in one.

  Breathing hard, she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Hello?” Her voice was shaking. “Wyatt?”

  There was no reply. Michelle knew she had two choices, but since the front door wouldn’t open for her, she reluctantly decided to press onward into the room, toward the bed. As she made her way into the middle of the room, a voice suddenly beckoned her once more, this time from behind her. Freezing in her tracks, Michelle turned around, but saw no one. Her thoughts shifted back to seeing who else was in the room with her, under the covers. While she inched her way closer, her eyes never shifted from the bed, wanting to see if there would be any movement. However, whomever was there stayed as still as a corpse. And that was when she began to think the worst; had someone came in while they were asleep, killed Wyatt, and now was taunting her in a game of cat and mouse? With that in mind, Michelle’s hand began to tremble as she reached for the sheets. As she grabbed hold of them, in the middle of the silence she heard a breath being let out…and it came from the bed. Instantly she froze in her tracks when suddenly the lump began to sit up. Slowly, the sheets began to fall, revealing a woman with a scarred and burned face. Her eyes were pure evil, and as she smiled a devilish grin, Michelle saw nothing but jagged teeth. As she threw off the covers, her open sore covered arms looked as though they had been cut up by razor blades and chewed on by a rabid dog. She lunged toward Michelle, who managed to move just in time for the woman to hit the floor. The woman could only crawl, as her legs were broken in several places, causing them to bend in ways not normally possible.

  Michelle let out a blood curdling scream of terror as she ran out of the bedroom door. She made a run for the front door yet again, hoping she could force it open. As she glanced back, she watched as the woman slowly crept toward her. Realizing the door wasn’t going to budge, Michelle turned toward the kitchen, behind it was another hallway leading to another room, and at the end, a sun porch with a back door. That was it, her salvation was only thirty feet away. Knowing it was her only way out, she had no choice but to run. Passing through the kitchen, Michelle had just cut in front of the other room when suddenly the door flew open, cutting off her only escape. Michelle let out another scream as she saw, hanging dead on the door was…Wyatt! He had been stabbed through the eyes, neck slit open, and was being held to the door by several large knives. Suddenly, out walked the girl with long black hair, and black sockets for eyes. Her bony arms were outstretched, with her claw like hands covered in blood. Michelle ran back into the living room, with nowhere to go, the creatures were closing in on her from both sides.

  “Now you come with us…” The dead girl hissed.

  “What do you want with me?!” Michelle yelled in fright. “Please, just leave me alone!” Michelle was nearly in tears she was so scared. The creatures had entered the living room, inching their way closer and closer. Michelle could barely even think, but then she saw it, another way out. It was a window in the back of the room. There was no time to lose, it was her last chance to get away from the hellish figures chasing her. The only questions were: could she make it? And if so, with the creatures controlling everything, would it be open? Either way, she had to try. With fear as her motivation, Michelle jumped over the couch and ran for the window. As she tried to lift it, it was just as she thought…stuck! The creatures changed direction, now heading for the window. Michelle didn’t care at this point, she was getting out! Using her elbow, she broke the glass and climbed out just in time to avoid being grabbed by a bony claw.

  Fog filled the night, making it hard to see anything more than three feet in any given direction. But Michelle didn’t care, she just ran into the void. With Wyatt gone, there was no way she was going back, and being on her own, she had no idea what to do. She continued down the road, heading for the entrance of the development, hoping someone, anyone would help her. However, as she was about to round the corner, she ran right smack into someone. Almost afraid to look up, fearing it was another creature, she raised her head to find Wyatt standing there. She was overcome by a sudden sense of panic and peace at the same time.

  “What’s going on?” He asked curiously. “What are you doing?”

  “How?” Michelle reached up and touched his face, she had to know if he was a ghost. “I saw you dead. How is this possible?”

  Wyatt wasn’t sure what was going through her mind, but it was clear to see she was frightened. “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Now what’s going on? Why are you out here instead of inside sleeping?”

  Michelle huffed. “No chance of that now.” Wyatt began to walk back toward his house only to find Michelle wasn’t with him. She hadn’t budged from where he found her. As he looked back, his brow furrowed. “There’s no way I’m going back in there.”

  Wyatt walked back to his friend and held her gently by the shoulders. “Listen to me,” he spoke soft but firmly. “I’m not going anywhere. From now on, until we figure out what happened to you, I won’t be more than two feet away. And as for whatever is scaring you, once I get my hands on it, it’s done, and it’ll never bother you again. I promise.”

  With weighted breath, Michelle nodded. Wyatt wrapped her in his arm and they returned to the house. Upon walking in, Wyatt turned on the light, took a look around, and found nothing out of place, even the window had been fixed. Michelle couldn’t believe her eyes. They walked all over the house, including the apartment rooms in the basement, opened every door, and found nothing out of the ordinary. As they entered Wyatt’s bedroom, where Michelle found the girl in the bed, she looked around and saw more furniture, a dresser, two nightstands, a chair, and even a television, much more than she had originally seen.

  “Where did you go tonight?” Michelle asked as Wyatt changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

  “To see an old employer and tell him I wasn’t interested in getting my job back.” Wyatt said as he walked Michelle back out to the couch. “I left you a note.”

  “I never saw it.” She was still trying to settle down from her earlier experience, but it was easier said than done.

  “Here, you need to get something in your system, eat.” Wyatt handed her the plate he had made earlier for her. Michelle was starving, so she had no problem digging in. “I don’t really know how to say this, so I’m just going to be blunt. Ever since I found you, strange things have been hap
pening and certain people, namely Damon, my old boss, has been hounding me about turning you over to him. Now I don’t care about all of the weird stuff, but I do find it concerning Damon is showing interest in you. Any idea why he would want you?”

  Michelle tried as hard as she could to remember her past, but just sat there shaking her head. “No.” She looked worried. “Why do you think?”

  “Well, based on how I found you, I’d say you saw something you weren’t meant to and Damon didn’t like that, so he had you roughed up and left for dead in that crater. Now that he knows you’re alive, he wants to finish the job.”

  “Then I should get as far away from here as possible…and from you. I don’t want you hurt.”

  “Let me tell you something about Damon,” Wyatt began. “once he sets his sights on you, there’s nowhere you can run, no place you can hide, that he can’t find you. He has friends everywhere, and a reach twice as long.”

  “Then what are we supposed to do?” Michelle worried.

  Wyatt thought for a second. He knew exactly how Damon operated and what he was capable of. And now that he knew where Michelle was staying, he was just going to keep coming until he either ran out of guys or one of them got lucky. “I know of a place we can go. It’s completely off the grid and Damon has no idea it even exists. I use it as a safe house sometimes for witness protection. And when I worked for Damon, it’s where I went to keep the cops off of my scent when I was transporting…stuff.”

  “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get going.”

  “It’s a little ways out and you need some rest. Get some sleep and we’ll go first thing in the morning.” Michelle glanced around as if waiting for the girls to run at her. Wyatt reached up, lightly touching her chin, bringing her eyes to meet his. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise, you take the couch and I’ll be right here on the floor.” Wyatt sat there next to her on the couch, with Michelle curled up, wrapped under his arm, and her head resting on his shoulder. His brow began to furrow as his mind wondered. “Let me ask you something…these things you’ve been seeing, have any of them looked like dead girls?”