The Red String of Fate

by Rebekah Fowles

  “I heard Mr. Clarke say he was going to try and work from home. Even if his phone is off, he’d probably be monitoring his work email from a computer, right?”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Landon said, pulling up a browser on his phone. Vee watched as he pulled up the website for a public accounting firm in Newport. He clicked around, and when he was unable to find what he wanted, he called the number on the site. A lady answered.

  “Hello, yes, I’m looking to get a hold of Mr. Clarke.”

  “I’m sorry, he’s not in the office today. Can I leave a message?”

  “That’s alright. Do you have his email address?”

  “Yes, just one moment.”

  The woman recited the characters, which Landon didn’t write down since it used a standard-issue company nomenclature. He thanked her and hung up, then turned to Vee. “Does your school issue .edu email addresses?”

  “Um...maybe? I’m not really sure. You’re welcome to check, though. I’ll give you my information.”

  Landon took up the offer and navigated through the university’s website, successfully setting up the alias he was hoping to. He had Vee instruct him on how to get into her email account and wasted no time composing his message. He kept it short and sweet. Mr. Clarke, I’m sorry to get a hold of you in such a roundabout way, but I’m trying to get in contact with your wife. She hasn’t responded to any of my calls, texts, or emails, so I was hoping to go to her house. Do you have her address?

  As Landon awaited a response, Vee followed him to his car. “Do you think Mr. Clarke would continue harboring Kayne if he knew he was a killer?”

  Landon leaned back in the seat. “It’s hard to say. People are fickle creatures. It probably also depends on whether or not Kayne is present. That’s why I don’t want to push our luck with this. Best to get the information we want and leave it at that—leave the rest to the police.”

  “With how much effort the police have put into finding Kayne, I wouldn’t be surprised if he did already know.”

  Landon nodded in agreement. “And if he does, we’re pushing our luck using your name to send an email.”

  Landon’s phone pinged with a new message under Vee’s account. He looked at her before opening it up. It simply read, 467 Umber Ct.

  Landon put it in his phone, and the directions showed that it wasn’t that far from campus.

  “That was easy,” Vee said, a bit skeptical of the result.

  “Best to not waste time, then,” Landon said and started the engine.

  Even if Landon didn’t have Lyndzi’s uncanny ability to tell when something was wrong, he couldn’t help but feel that they had gotten that information too easily. It seemed strange to him that Mr. Clarke would have his computer on, but not his phone. Landon didn’t always keep his email up on his computer, either, but he had his work email linked to the mail app he used on his phone to ensure quick exposure. Or, what if Kayne was monitoring the incoming messages for him? Landon wanted to use an edu address since Mr. Clarke’s wife was a professor and the association might suggest a colleague was asking, but in retrospect, if Kayne was screening Mr. Clarke’s phone and saw Vee’s name, what would he do? Something definitely seemed off.

  Landon pulled in front of the quaint house on the edge of a cul-de-sac. The lawn was a little unkempt as patches turned from green to yellow. The surrounding area was the epitome of suburbia, though the streets were quiet. Families probably occupied most of the little houses, but it was nearly winter and during school hours, so Landon wasn’t surprised to see a lack of bustle. Dr. Wellington didn’t strike her as the kind of person to prefer the ambience of Lamelle’s middle class, but perhaps it was the only place she could find close enough to the university without intermixing with the student population.

  “Landon,” Vee said, floating up close, “something about this place doesn’t feel right...”

  “What do you mean?” To Landon, this place seemed nice enough, but he, too, couldn’t shake the feeling.

  “I’m not sure how to explain it,” she said, “it’s like there’s this...energy.”

  Landon was about to respond, but two people on a motorbike pulled up along the sidewalk. Landon recognized them right away, and couldn’t hide his surprise in doing so. William Clarke and Kayne Gilbert stared bullets into his skull as they stopped the engine.

  “Him?” Mr. Clarke said, “Kayne, that’s the private investigator Sandra hired.”

  Kayne said, “And he’s the one trying to frame me for what happened to that girl. I swear, Wil, this guy has it out for me, and he’s using his connections with the police to get what he wants!”

  Vee faced Landon and they shared a glance as Kayne and Mr. Clarke dismounted the vehicle. Landon approached them cautiously. “Mr. Clarke,” Landon said after clearing his throat, “are you aware what Mr. Gilbert has done over the past several days?”

  “Yes,” Mr. Clarke said, “he’s spent the majority of his time with me. It’s preposterous what allegations the police have on him. On the other hand, why are you here? I believe I sent Sandra’s new address to a woman named Everlee Bern.”

  “That’s—” Landon began to speak, but was cut off by Kayne, who strutted closer to Landon.

  “I bet I can guess,” he said. “He’s a sicko who presses himself on women who catch his eye, and when they do something out of line, he blackmails them with the footage he takes with his ‘investigative’ equipment. He’d even creep on a client.”

  Landon clenched his teeth as his jaw tensed. He pulled out his phone, keeping one eye on Kayne.

  “What are you doing?” Kayne said.

  “Calling the police,” Landon replied.

  Kayne snarled, clenched his fist, and swung at Landon. Landon barely dodged and readied a stance.

  “Woah, Kayne! Hold on, let’s try and talk this out!” Mr. Clarke said and held up his arms defensively.

  Kayne didn’t listen. He swung again, but Landon was more prepared this time. He parried and swung a fist of his own, more direct and trained than Kayne’s. It made contact with his gut, though Kayne noticed in time to flex and absorb much of the blow. His eyes were wild and filled with bloodlust. Vee watched on nervously, unsure what to do.

  Mr. Clarke shuffled by the motorcycle. He checked his pockets as if looking for something, but didn’t find anything. He raised his voice, “Kayne! Oi, someone! Call the police! This man is assaulting my boyfriend!”

  Landon didn’t have time to listen to Mr. Clarke. Kayne sputtered a small cough before taking a rudimentary boxing pose. Landon tossed his phone on the lawn and maintained eye contact. Kayne dove in with a few jabs, but Landon avoided them all. Kayne played aggressive, pushing Landon toward the porch as he did so. When Landon poised himself to make his counterattack, Kayne made his move.

  Instead of aiming for his face the way he had been, Kayne feinted. Landon realized too late, and Kayne’s knuckles drove into Landon’s thigh, ripping into the tender wound from the previous night. A splotch of blood appeared through the material as Landon cried out, reflexively grasping it. Kayne took advantage of the opening and rammed into Landon, tripping him over the steps to the house and sending him sprawling onto the deck.

  Kayne jumped on top of him and threw all his weight behind a punch. Landon clenched his teeth and put up his arms. Kayne let loose just in time for Landon to put up the guard, but the swing was powerful and sent Landon’s block into his face. Kayne pulled back again, but this time, Landon was ready. As Kayne brought down his fist, Landon maneuvered to catch it. Kayne cursed and revved his other arm, but Landon had the upper hand as a fistful of adrenaline began to course through his veins.

  In a surprisingly smooth movement, Landon pulled Kayne’s arm down toward him, and at the same time, he threw up his hips. Between the sudden movement and the momentum Kayne had already built for his next strike, Landon easily pushed him off balance. Landon caught hold of Kayne’s collar and slid his legs underneath Kayne’s chest. With a heave, Landon pulle
d with his arms as he pushed with his feet, sending Kayne flying backwards. Kayne hit the front door with a thud, and it swung open with a crack—the latch completely broken.

  Landon quickly flipped to his knees. Pain coursed through his leg, but that could wait. Landon sprinted through the door with his body low to the ground in pursuit of Kayne. The latter groaned as he attempted to right himself off the ground, but Landon didn’t let him. Before Kayne could plant his feet on the ground, Landon tackled him back down, only this time, he was the one on top.

  Kayne struggled to throw his arms up in punches as Landon formed a cross-grab on Kayne’s lapel. In less than a second, Landon pressed his whole body into the grab and endured a few wimpy bashes to the back of his head while his arms cut off Kayne’s airways. Two seconds later, the hitting stopped as Kayne tried tearing Landon’s arms off his throat to little avail. Mere moments later, Kayne’s floundering ceased, and his body fell limp. Landon released the cross choke, leaned back on Kayne’s chest, and heaved a sigh.

  - 21 -

  For having no sense of physical touch, Vee felt her skin get pricked by millions of needles. Something seemed to twist her heart as both heat and cold assaulted her core. Landon sat victorious over Kayne’s unconscious body, but something was still wrong. Very, very wrong.

  Mr. Clarke rushed into the building. It only took him a moment to assess the situation before he let of a tirade of slander at Landon. “The hell? Get off of him, you bastard! Oh my god, you killed him!”

  Landon snarled. “Calm down. He’s not dead, just passed out. Check for yourself.”

  Landon stood to let Mr. Clarke get the evidence he needed. Vee curled up on herself and glided closer to Landon. “Landon,” she said, “something really isn’t right...”

  Landon looked to her, but didn’t respond and instead turned his attention to the men on the floor. “See? Not dead.”

  Vee couldn’t understand how Landon seemed immune to the strange, almost painful sensations. She felt it outside, but it was even stronger in the house, and it continued to grow the longer Landon stood around. When it was clear he chose to focus his attention on Kayne and Mr. Clarke, Vee decided to investigate things herself.

  The little house wasn’t ornate and boasted a simple but outdated layout. Landon had thrown Kayne straight into the living room which felt somewhat closed off from the rest of the floor. Only a cased opening in the far right corner of the room led into another portion of the house, but it was hard to see from the entryway. Besides that, stairs led directly to the second floor a few feet from the door.

  Vee floated to the far side of the room, still well within her leash from Landon. She peeked through the opening as the sensation almost began to pulse to a rhythm. The opening led to a hallway with two doors on the right and what was probably the kitchen or dining room at the end. The living room was dimmer than outside since the curtains were drawn, but the kitchen seemed well-lit.

  Whatever was sending the energy waves was down the hall. That much was clear to Vee. She didn’t have much more slack before she’d hit the boundary, but she figured she could probably get a peek. She glanced toward Landon. He was folding his arms, attention drawn to Mr. Clarke, who didn’t seem quite sure what to make of the situation. Vee steeled herself and moved forward.

  The feeling in Vee’s chest further tightened as she drew closer to the kitchen, slowing her pace to a near halt as her sense of dread grew ever larger. Despite the light pouring through a window at the end of the hall, the color seemed to fade from Vee’s vision, and she had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn’t making things up. Vee hesitated to move forward, but she had already committed. She reached the end of the hallway and saw the source of the energy.

  A vaguely humanoid figure seethed with an eerie marron tinge, wisping the way Vee did but appearing more substantial. Its eyes were larger than that of a regular human and bulged from their base, and its limbs were sharp and elongated. Its hair resembled a mass of kelp suspended in water, what with the way it curled and twisted in the air. Yet, despite the wholly horrific abomination hardly recognizable to a casual observer, Vee knew exactly what it was.

  The creature was the spirit of Sandra Wellington.

  Vee instinctively brought her hands up to her mouth as if to stifle a scream. She knew it wouldn’t do anything in her current state, but it helped her keep some level of composure. The monster hung above the professor’s corpse like a discarded marionette, oozing maleficence as it unnaturally pulsed with rage. Then, with a sharp twist of the neck, its head turned, peering straight at Vee.

  Vee didn’t have time to react. It shot through the air, wailing in dissonant chords as it flew. It caught Vee by the neck in its sinewy claws, throwing her back until it pinned her against her boundary. Its touch burned, and the pain paralyzed Vee. As it pushed harder, threatening to immolate her into oblivion, Vee found her voice.

  “Landon!”

  The cry was harsh and desperate, and in a moment, the boundary lurched, the sudden movement catching the creature off guard. Vee took the opening and flew downward through the floor into the house’s concrete foundation. As much as she wanted to stay there, something nagged her to go back.

  “Vee!” Landon called as she appeared through the floor in the hallway. Landon had reacted quickly, so much so that he didn’t seem to care that Mr. Clarke looked at him as if he were crazy. When he saw Vee, his look intensified. “Vee, your neck...”

  Suddenly, Landon’s expression became even more aghast. Vee didn’t have to turn around to see what he saw, but she didn’t want to get caught off guard. The creature had exposed itself in the hallway and stared straight at Landon.

  “What the...” Landon said.

  The monster lurched forward, and Vee flew off to the side. “Don’t let it touch you!”

  Landon obeyed, lunging to the side and knocking over a picture on an end table as he did so. The creature flew past, then slowed down in the middle of the living room. Vee surged in after it in time to see Mr. Clarke’s face pale with terror. When the creature saw him, it froze, then in a moment of recognition, it shrieked an unholy wail and pounced.

  Somehow, Mr. Clarke scampered out of the way, and the ghost slammed against the ground. Then it occurred to Vee. “The boundary! Quick, get out the door!”

  Landon looked at her, then at Mr. Clarke. “Leave!”

  Mr. Clarke nodded furiously, and hopped the few feet onto the porch. The ghost tried reaching after him, but it was too late. Its claw scraped against the threshold, and it screamed in frustration while Mr. Clarke wheezed onto the lawn. When it realized it was going nowhere, its bulging eyes laid on Landon. It lurched forward, limbs flailing, and Landon was forced to roll over a couch to avoid its touch. He used the chance to get to the door, but the creature seemed to know better that time. Just as Landon reached the frame, it spun around and pounced.

  Its maw opened to twice the width of a regular human’s, exposing needle-like teeth that bared down on Landon’s shoulder. Only, they didn’t sink in. It clung to him like a spider, but neither its claws nor its fangs punctured his flesh, or even phased through. Instead, pain shot through Vee’s body, originating at the very point the creature attacked Landon. She screamed as her essence burned.

  Landon watched in terror as flecks of Vee disappeared. “Vee!”

  “The door!” Vee cried.

  Landon twisted around and nearly jumped onto the porch, leaving the monster floundering inside. He too gasped like the frigid Mr. Clarke as Vee once again emerged from the ground beneath. They all listened as it screamed and wailed, unsure exactly what to do.

  Vee, on the other hand, couldn’t quite focus on what had transpired. Her vision was a tad hazy, and she felt lightheaded. She considered bringing this to Landon’s attention, but all three of them stopped dead in their tracks as the moans came to an abrupt stop. Vee and Landon shared a glance, and a moment later, Kayne shambled through the door, jaw dropped, eyes rolled back into his head. Vee c
ould see the creature loom behind pass unobstructed through the entrance.

  A scream threatened to escape Mr. Clarke’s mouth, but what came out was only a pitiful whimper.

  “Fault...” Kayne’s voice rasped, and Vee heard it double from the ghost haunting him. “It’s all...your fault...”

  The possessed Kayne menaced toward Mr. Clarke. Its movements were clumsy but intentional, once again emphasizing the feeling of a person attached by invisible strings.

  “K-Kayne, hold on,” Mr. Clarke said, “it’s me! It’s Wil!”

  Kayne was not pacified by the plea—rather, it seemed to incite the ghost even further. Kayne broke into a sprint, instantly closing the distance between them. Landon stood his ground while Mr. Clarke retreated to his bike and fumbled with the keys, forcing a collision between the two once more. Vee watched as Landon tactfully avoided blows, though she noticed he was favoring his leg more than ever.

  Landon got off a good parry and caught Kayne’s wrist, using his own momentum to drive his knee into the man’s gut. It had little effect, though, as the body neither flinched nor cared. Instead, it regained its composure and launched its counterattack. The incessant swipes weren’t exactly coordinated, but they had a measure of power behind them that forced Landon to play defensively. The erratic movements left little by way of openings, and Landond resorted to careful footwork to outmaneuver the thing, but it was clear he was quickly losing steam where Kayne wasn’t.

  In one last attempt to gain the upper hand, Landon put all his energy into a coordinated trip. He spun around Kayne at the most opportune moment, then swept out his leg while pushing his jaw in the opposite direction. Kayne dropped, but squirmed around in the grass, making it difficult for Landon to properly mount. All throughout the ordeal, Kayne screeched guttural cries.