The Shadow Box: Paranormal Suspense and Dark Fantasy Thriller Novels

by Travis Luedke

  “No.” Jan glanced briefly at Brian’s body. She turned away and folded her arms over her chest. “They made me watch. Wanted to see if it triggered something.”

  “Damn.” Josh swallowed down tears and stared at the ceiling. “We need to focus if we want to get out of this. Stay close and watch my back. Okay?”

  Jan nodded. She grabbed the gun with both hands and followed Josh back into the hallway.

  Chapter Five

  “We need to find a phone,” Jan whispered.

  “No, we don’t.” Josh looked up and down the hallway, trying to think.

  “Josh, we have to get help.”

  He turned and placed the palm of his hand against her cheek. “Jan. I love you. Trust me.”

  Now that Jan was safe, he realized he’d made a tactical error. He led them back to his cell and searched the bodies of the men he had killed. He found a set of keys and cursed under his breath.

  “What’s the matter?” Jan very deliberately kept her eyes off the dead bodies.

  “There are a lot of keys on here. I’ve no idea which one opens what.” He stood. “Here’s the plan. We’ll go up and down this hallway. There are doors on each side. I’ll open the window on one side, you open the other. If you don’t recognize the person, close the window.”

  “We’ve got to help them…”

  “No, we don’t. Look, by rights we should just get out of here and leave everyone behind.”

  “By rights?” Jan narrowed her eyebrows. “Is that what your secret agent father would do? Would he even save me? Or would he leave me to die?”

  Josh looked at her and said nothing.

  “I see. Well, whatever you think, you’re not your father.”

  Josh walked away from her. She followed and grabbed his arm.

  “You’re not your father.”

  “I don’t know what I am. Not anymore. But I know this scenario. My dad trained me for this. I can get us out of here as long as you trust me.”

  Reluctantly, Jan took her hand away.

  They opened four windows before they found Rebecca. Like Jan, she wore a blue dress and her arms were covered with strange symbols.

  She wasn’t alone.

  An elderly blond man held a knife to her throat. His pants were around his ankles.

  “Bugger off, Keith,” the man said over his shoulder. “You said I could have this one. Leave me be.”

  Blood pounded in Josh’s head. He looked at the gun in his hand. ‘I can’t risk shooting from this angle. I could miss and hit her.’ He thought over his options. Then he kicked the door. Jan squealed – instinctive shock. Josh motioned for her to press against the wall. He knelt down, back on the opposite wall, and raised his gun.

  “What the hell is your problem?” A face appeared in the window, eyes wide with realization.

  Josh fired.

  Rebecca screamed. With a thud, the body collapsed.

  He tossed the keys to Jan. “Try them all if you have to. Get the door open. I’ll keep you covered. He looked up and down the hallway. Sooner or later someone would investigate the shots. But that wasn’t what ate at him. It was the look in the man’s eyes. He’d seen it hundreds of times in horror movies. It was the look every victim had when he or she confronted the monster in the darkness. ‘And I’m the monster,’ he thought.

  Jan didn’t hesitate. It was one of the things he loved about her. Most people would collapse in hysterics. But not her.

  “Hold on, Becka,” she said through the window.

  “Get me out of here,” Rebecca moaned. “I’m not sure he’s dead.”

  It took ten minutes before Jan found the right key. Once the door opened, she stepped over the man’s body and tried keys on the manacles. Josh watched the hall. When she was free, Rebecca fell against Jan, crying.

  “Move quietly,” he said as he bent down to take the dead man’s knife. It had smudges of blood on it, blood that had to be Rebecca’s. He wiped the knife on his jeans and passed it to Rebecca. “We’re going to find Matt and get out of here.”

  “What about Brian?”

  ‘Crap’, he thought. He turned to face her, opened his mouth and tried to think of the words to say it.

  Her face went numb.” Oh,” Rebecca said. She gave several quick, shallow nods, took a quivering breath and let the tears fall down her face. Then her eyes glazed over as Jan led her out of the room.

  ‘She handled it better than me,’ Josh thought. He searched the dead man’s clothing and found a gun in a holster attached to his belt on the floor. ‘But then, she didn’t see the body.’

  They found Matt in the next room. Thankfully, he was alone and unharmed. He still had his pants, but was also missing his shirt, socks and shoes. Jan unlocked the door with the same key that had unlocked Rebecca’s cell.

  Matt opened his mouth, his eyes asking where Brian was. Josh shook his head and passed him a gun. Matt took it, going pale as soon as his fingers touched the metal.

  “I’ve never fired a gun.”

  “Like I told Jan, don’t worry about being accurate. Point and squeeze. If nothing else, the noise might scare them. We have to find the way out of here. But not until we kill the last two.”

  Matt looked over at Jan, eyes wide. Then he stared down at the gun in his hands. “Josh, we can’t do this.”

  Josh didn’t turn around to look at him. He walked slowly to the open door at the end of the hallway. As he moved closer, he saw a set of stairs leading upwards.

  “Josh,” Matt hurried to get to Josh’s side. “We can’t kill these people. It’s wrong. We’ve got to get out of here, get help.”

  Josh stopped but did not turn around to look at him. “That weapon in your hand is the only help we’re going to get.”

  Matt put a hand on Josh’s shoulder. This time Josh did turn around.

  “Listen closely, Matt.” Josh’s voice was a harsh whisper. “Once we head up those stairs there won’t be time for me to repeat myself. You’re not an idiot. You know the situation we’re in. These aren’t the kind of people you just run from. You run, they follow. And they will catch you. It may take an hour, a day or a decade. But they will come after you. And when they do, they’ll kill you. This isn’t civilization. There’s no help a phone call away. They’ve already killed two of us. I will not let there be a third. So, if you don’t think you can pull the trigger when you need to, take the girls and go hide in one of the cells. I’ll come back for you when it’s over.”

  Matt dragged nails down his cheek and then bit them. He turned to look back at the others. Jan lifted her gun, resolve written clearly on her face. Matt took a deep breath and nodded. “Fine. Let’s do this.”

  Josh raised his lips in the hint of a smile, then started up the stairs. Matt followed him with the two women close behind.

  The air reeked of cigars and roast chicken. Josh held his hand up, motioning the others to stay put. Back against the left wall, Josh crept up the stairs. He kept his gun pointed at the top of the stairs. The unpainted metal door reminded him of the large walk-in freezers he had seen at the restaurant that Brian’s family owned.

  ‘Maybe that’s why they didn’t hear the gunshots,’ he thought. ‘Either that or they’re just so used to hearing shots they no longer pay attention.’

  He put a hand on the door. It was cool to the touch. When he took his fingers away, there was a thin layer of grime on them, like oil. He reached for the large handle, turning it slowly.

  When the click came it was soft, like an inhalation.

  Josh held the handle down for a moment, listening.

  When there was no hint of movement or noise on the other side, he pushed the door open. It led to a room lined with unfinished wood shelves filled with metal cans of food. He looked behind him and motioned for Matt to lead the others up.

  Josh moved into the pantry. There was another metal door with a large window near the top. Peering through it, Josh took in details of a bright, cheerful kitchen. An old woman stood at the st
ove stirring a pot. Her gray hair was up in a bun. She wore a sleeveless floral summer dress.

  Josh cocked his gun and threw open the door.

  The woman turned. Her smile turned to shock, then slid into disbelief and pain. She looked down at her chest, her fingers touching blood as it spilled out over her dress.

  Josh realized he was holding his breath. He fought to breathe again. He couldn’t remember pulling the trigger. He had not even heard the gunshot. He looked down at the gun in his hands. It was warm. He looked back up at the woman and watched her fall to the floor. The wooden spoon she held clattered against the floor.

  “Jesus!” Matt rushed past him and knelt beside the woman on the floor. “Was the old woman such a threat? You’re losing it.”

  Jan walked over to the woman, bent over and spat on her face.

  “Have you all gone mad?” Matt stood up and led Jan away from the body.

  “She has to be in on it.” Jan stared down, unable to meet Matt’s eyes. “There’s no way she didn’t know what was going on down there.”

  “Still, you don’t know…”

  With fast, large steps, Josh walked over and put a hand over Matt’s mouth. He put a finger against his own lips, the sign for silence, and looked around the room.

  It was a pleasant kitchen. There were two other doors, one leading outside and the other into the guts of the house. The walls, painted yellow with white trim, were lined with glass-covered cabinets. Inside, cups and dishes reflected the light that shone through the large window embedded in the western wall. Looking through the window, Josh saw the sun setting behind a distant row of trees. In between the house and the woods was a large red barn. Two brown horses ate hay in a pen. Josh saw movement. A man in overalls, with large arms and a pitchfork, ran toward the house.

  Before Josh could react, something smashed into his head. Everything spun, the world blurring. It stopped when he hit the floor.

  He saw a thin, black-haired man hitting Matt in the knees with a hammer. An olive-skinned man in a white ceremonial robe pointed a shotgun at Rebecca and Jan. Two redheaded men, who looked to be identical twins, stared down at Josh. Like the men below, they bore an uncanny resemblance to Robert Redford.

  ‘Brothers,’ Josh thought. ‘What kind of family is this?’

  “Damn maggot,” one of the twins said. “You killed me mumsy.”

  The other twin kicked Josh in the ribs. Josh felt something crack. He coughed up blood. Then both twins began to kick him repeatedly.

  He heard a door open. The beating stopped.

  “What the hell happened?”

  Josh looked up from the floor. It was the large man with the pitchfork.

  “They killed Mumsy, Sasha,” one of the Redford twins said. “Shot her like a bleeding animal. Let me skin him alive.”

  Sasha, the man with the pitchfork, stepped forward and looked down at Josh. “You know we can’t. Otto will have our heads if he dies. Go check on the others.”

  “But…”

  Sasha slammed the butt of the pitchfork against the hardwood floor. “Check on them now! Remember why we’re doing this.”

  One of the Redford twins kicked Josh in the head before stomping off downstairs.

  From the floor, Josh looked around the room. It hurt to move his head, so his view was limited. Matt held up hands covered in blood as he screamed in pain. One leg twisted at an unnatural angle. Josh couldn’t see much of the women from where he was, only their legs and the man who held the gun on them.

  ‘If ever there was a time for a miracle, this is it.’ he thought. Nothing happened. ‘Oh well. Guess I’ll have to make my own luck this time.’ He closed his eyes and focused past the pain, numbing it.

  Then, he opened his eyes and sprung.

  With his right hand he grabbed the remaining Redford twin by the crotch. He pulled down and twisted as hard as he could. The man fell to his knees. Josh slammed his elbow into the man’s nose. The man holding the shotgun pivoted, pointing the gun at him. Josh spun behind the Redford twin. He lifted him back up to his feet by the hair. Josh had another human shield.

  The man with the shotgun cocked it, readying it for fire.

  ‘Don’t know if this will protect me or not,’ he thought. ‘Better not chance it.’ He twisted the twin’s head with a sharp jerk. There was a wet crunch and the neck broke.

  “You mother….” The man with the shotgun fired, the sound drowning out his curse. Josh dropped, rolling away from the blast. He yelped as the movement brought sharp pain to his ribs.

  “Josh!” Jan cried out for him. She curled her fist and punched the man with the shotgun in the back of the head. His head flew forward and Jan hammered her hands down on his skull. He fell.

  The man with the hammer left Matt and slammed the hammer into Jan’s side. At the same time Sasha raised his pitchfork and jabbed it like a spear at Josh.

  “No!” Josh screamed.

  The weapon stopped midair.

  Sasha struggled, leaning forward into the pitchfork. No matter how hard he pushed, the pitchfork did not get any closer. Josh clenched his fists, his full attention on the pitchfork.

  Then something clicked.

  A grating hum filled his ears, like dozens of flies buzzing inside his head.

  He reached out with his hands and grabbed the pitchfork.

  His whole weight resting on the pitchfork, Sasha collapsed. Josh spun the pitchfork like a quarterstaff and brought the tines down into Sasha’s chest. As the body twitched, dying, Josh pulled out the pitchfork. He jabbed it into the throat of the remaining Redford twin. Blood spewed everywhere. Then he yanked it loose again and walked toward the black-haired man.

  “Stay right there, punk.” The black-haired man stood behind Jan, one arm wrapped around her throat, the other held a hammer above her head. “None of your tricks or she’s dead. You’re off limits but she’s not. Put the weapon down.”

  Footsteps came up from the basement. Josh focused his attention on the open door. Again, his head buzzed and the door slammed shut. The other Redford twin’s face appeared in the window. The door rattled but, no matter what the Redford twin did, would not open.

  “Listen, thin man.” Josh walked toward him, pitchfork in front of him. He noticed that Rebecca had gone over to Matt and was trying to help him to his feet. “Here’s what’s going to happen. Run away or I’m going to run this pitchfork right through you.”

  “You’ll have to stab through her first.”

  Josh took another step forward. “Yes, I will. I’ll put the pitchfork through her. Then it’s going through you. Afterwards, I’ll bandage her up and watch while you bleed to death.” Josh shrugged as if it didn’t matter which choice he made. “Run or die. Those are your choices.”

  “You won’t do that.” The man took a step back, dragging Jan back with him. “You can’t do that.”

  Josh put the pitchfork up against Jan’s bared stomach.

  “You have no idea what I’m capable of doing.”

  Suddenly, the room went dark. At first Josh thought it was just the sun going behind the clouds outside. Then, shadows turned pitch black, nearly opaque. Josh looked around. The shadows moved like liquid, rippling and swirling.

  “Josh, what is this?” Jan asked.

  “I… I don’t know.” Josh shook his head.

  One corner was significantly darker than the rest of the room. Josh held the pitchfork toward it. He sensed movement, like an army of eels thrashing in a pool of ink.

  ‘Am I being sent to hell for what I’ve done?’ he thought.

  An eight-foot-tall man dressed in a green business suit stepped out of the darkness. In his wake, the shadows rippled like eddies on a black lake. Josh tried to focus on his features but all he could see was the man’s…”

  “Wings…”

  Josh dropped the pitchfork and backed away.

  “Ah, there you are.” The man’s voice hissed like a serpent. “Come along. We’ve been looking for you.”

&nbs
p; “We? Are you an Edimmu?” Josh noticed other figures starting to come out of the shadows.

  The buzz in his head went wild. He pushed his palms against his temples, trying to ease the pressure. He couldn’t see straight. He stepped back, his body colliding with someone else. He felt a strong grip put an arm around him. The room became very hot.

  “He’s going nowhere with you.”

  Josh looked up. The man behind him was a black man dressed in a red three-piece suit. Something in the curve of his mouth, the set of his eyes, left a taint of very bad things.

  “Why are you here, Wisdom?” The winged man’s face flickered. For a moment, Josh swore he saw the face of a reptile instead of a man.

  “Be gone, Edimmu.” Wisdom tightened his grip on Josh. “Run back to your puppet master. You have one chance to sink back in your hole. Then I get angry.”

  The Edimmu glanced over his shoulder. The shadows flickered. Then, without turning his body, the Edimmu stepped back into the shadows. When he was gone, the shadows faded to gray and the sunlight reappeared.

  Wisdom released Josh and straightened the lapels on his jacket. Josh ran to Jan’s side and they embraced.

  “Screw this.” The black-haired man dropped the hammer and ran into the guts of the house. Jan collapsed to her knees, crying. Josh looked toward the basement door. There was no sign of the Redford twin in the window.

  “What the hell was that?” Matt looked up from the floor. Both his knees were shattered. He wouldn’t be standing for some time. “Was that like the other ones? The ones you killed?”

  “You’ve killed Edimmu?” Wisdom cocked his head and focused on Josh. “That’s very interesting.”

  Josh rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t remember killing them. Who are you?”

  “A friend. You are capable of extraordinary things. I know why you can do the things you do. I can train you to use these abilities. Let’s get your friends home. After that, we’ll talk.”

  “My friends?” Josh felt his mouth go dry. “What about me? Don’t I get to go home?”