Darlington Woods

by Mike Dellosso

  Her hand found his again. It was warm and offered some comfort. "There's only one way out."

  "Yeah, you keep saying that."

  "Face your fears."

  "And you're not scared?"

  "It's not a matter of being scared or not. It's what you do with that fear."

  "But are you scared?"

  "Do birds fly?"

  "Not all of them."

  "Touche. Yes, I'm scared."

  Rob paused to think about his own fear, his fear of the dark, which he knew was irrational, and his fear of the darklings and dying like Asher did, which seemed totally rational. "Are you afraid to die?"

  "Dying isn't something to fear if you know what's waiting on the other side." She said it like she meant it.

  "So you're saying the only way out of here is by dying. Like Asher. He's free now. I'm not ready to accept that. What happens to Jimmy then?"

  "Actually, I had something else in mind. I'm not looking to emulate Asher either. No, thank you. Your fear has crippled you and held you captive. You have to break those chains and let your light shine. That's what Asher was saying."

  "Asher was crazy." Even as he said the words, Rob knew they were not true. Asher was anything but crazy. His words-"You shine your light"-still echoed in Rob's ears.

  "And you think I am too?"

  Rob ran his fingers through his hair. His neck still hurt, and now his head did too. "I don't know. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't understand."

  Juli sighed deeply. "You will."

  Time passed slowly in the room. Rob's mind churned continuously, running through options, scenarios, situations, but nothing he thought of provided a way out before sundown. He'd circled the room several times, running his hands over the entirety of the space, looking for anything that might offer a way of escape, but he found nothing. He thought maybe there'd be a ventilation duct in the ceiling, but the ceiling was too high to reach. With each pass of the room and each reminder of their imminent meeting with the darklings, Rob grew more and more morose and slipped further into a dark hole of discouragement.

  Juli had grown quiet too. Rob sat next to her on the concrete floor, lay his head against the wall, and listened to the thrum of the turbines and the steady movement of water over the spillway. Juli was whispering something. The low hiss of her voice sounded like wind moving through a willow tree. Rob tried to listen but couldn't make out what she was saying. She was praying, he knew.

  Until now, he hadn't even thought of praying, and for some reason that bothered him. Kelly would have thought of it. Jimmy would have too. He tried to pass it off by reminding himself that his praying days were over, that he'd tried the whole prayer thing and it hadn't worked for him. But somehow that reasoning seemed hollow now. It didn't carry weight anymore. He needed to pray. He wanted to pray.

  God, I don't want to die. Get us out of here. Please. Show me the way out.

  That was it. It wasn't much, but it was something. It would have to do for now. He couldn't say he felt any different afterward, but why should he?

  Closing his eyes, he let his mind drift to thoughts of Kelly and Jimmy, of times when life was happier and devils roaming the woods at night was the stuff of campfire stories.

  Slowly he lost his footing in this world and slipped into the place of dreams.

  Rob found himself strolling through the woods along a meandering trail. It was late evening, and the canopy glowed a deep orange. A cool breeze worked its way through the leaves and around the trunks, tousling his hair. Squirrels chattered and birds sang their late-day songs. Occasionally, a half-eaten walnut would drop from a tree, just missing him. Kelly was there too, walking with him, her hand in his. He felt happy and content. In the distance, just over a hill, Jimmy laughed excitedly. He'd gone chasing a squirrel.

  Rob was fully aware of all that had taken place but felt no anxiety, no fear, no sorrow. He was with his family, and his spirits were high. He looked at Kelly. She was watching a chipmunk on a fallen limb. The chipmunk twitched, jumped to the leafy forest floor, ran a circle around itself, and disappeared under a fold of wet leaves.

  Kelly laughed. Rob loved that laugh. Every day, no matter what was going on or how busy they were or what heavy matter was weighing them down, he'd find some way to pull that laugh out of her.

  Rob and Kelly ascended a small hill, finding rocks in the trail for traction. Just out of sight on the other side, Jimmy continued his happy giggle.

  Right before they came to the top of the hill, while Jimmy was still preoccupied with the squirrel, Rob stopped and faced Kelly. He touched her cheek, her ear. Let his fingers comb through the length of her hair. She was so beautiful, so tender, so real. He leaned forward and kissed her full on the lips, and the feelings stirred by that kiss were enough to bring tears to his eyes. He started to cry. Kelly smiled at him, wiped a tear from his cheek, and returned his kiss.

  Suddenly, Rob pulled away. The woods had gone silent. He looked around and found no squirrels, no chipmunks, no birds. The canopy overhead was darkening, looming. He listened. No Jimmy either. Leaving Kelly, he ran five steps to the top of the hill and gasped in horror. Jimmy was gone. He turned back to Kelly, but she was gone now too. He was alone, and it was quickly getting darker.

  Panic seized his chest, paralyzed his lungs, weakened his legs.

  "Kelly!" But she did not answer. She wasn't going to answer.

  Rob spun around and looked down the other side of the hill again. "Jimmy!" But no reply came.

  He threw himself down the hill, running full speed along the trail, allowing gravity to pull him along faster and faster. At the bottom he stopped and breathed in, filling his lungs with air. Sweat touched his brow; his carotids throbbed. He tried again, "Jimmy!"

  This time a tiny voice answered. It was Jimmy. "Daddy?" In the distance, to Rob's left.

  He abandoned the trail and headed for the sound of his son's voice, pushing branches and thistles out of his way. Every several steps he'd stop and holler Jimmy's name again. And every time he'd be rewarded with a reply.

  But it was getting darker in the woods and more difficult to see where he was going. Shadows were growing longer and deeper, more menacing.

  He raced on, calling to his son and following the replies, until finally he came upon an old cabin, a shack now, just a bunch of sheets of pressboard nailed together with a tin roof.

  From inside the shack he heard, "Daddy? Help me."

  "I'm here, Jimmy. Daddy's here." Relief swept over him like a cool mist. He rushed for the door and grabbed the latch, but it wouldn't budge. He shook it, hit it, kicked at it with his foot, but the latch appeared welded in place.

  From inside, Jimmy continued to call out for his daddy. Rob could hear the fear in his son's voice, and it made him angry that the door wouldn't open.

  Around him, darkness crept in, stealing the last bit of light. But Rob didn't seem to notice. He continued working on the door, ramming it with his shoulder, kicking at it, pulling on the latch, but it proved unmovable.

  Angry, frustrated, and scared, Rob began to cry. Tears stung his eyes and blurred his vision. His throat constricted. "I'm still here, Jimmy," he said in a tight voice. "I won't leave you. I'll never leave you."

  He leaned against the door and put his hand on it. A oneinch-thick piece of oak was all that separated him from his son. He imagined Jimmy on the other side, leaning against the door too. So close. So blessed close.

  The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of a woman screaming.

  Seventeen

  HIS WAS IT. SHIELDS WAS IN THE ROOM, PINNED down by darkness and fear, vulnerable, helpless. There was no escape this time, nowhere to run. There was only one way out, and that was through the underlings. And that really wasn't an option.

  Twenty-two years in the making, the time had finally come. Every nerve in his body pulsated with feverish excitement. Every hair was on end. Adrenaline-saturated blood coursed through his arteries. His muscles twitched with
anticipation. Salivary glands worked overtime.

  He stood in the corridor, pumping his fists, trying to calm himself before entering the room. This time, he would draw first blood. He would take the life from Shields and discard his body like a piece of garbage. It had to be that way. And when the deed was done, all debts will have been paid, vengeance will have been served, and he will have been vindicated.

  At that thought a smile touched his lips. Free from this burden, the destruction he would bring forth, the mayhem, the death, oh, it was a beautiful thought. The fear he would instill in so many would be a show worthy of an audience.

  The time had come. He sucked in a lungful of air and blew it out, then set off down the corridor, his horde of underlings following silently behind.

  Locked in the lightless room with no way of escape, Juli had time to think and pray. To her right, Rob was asleep. His steady, deep breathing fell into rhythm with the low drone of the turbines. Several times, her eyelids got heavy too, but each time she was able to fend off the attack of sleep and get back to praying.

  The end was coming; she knew it was. Not necessarily The End, but the end of this ordeal. The final showdown, if you will. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous about it. She was. She wondered if Rob was ready and prayed he would be. She wondered if she'd have the strength to be there for him in every way he needed her to be and prayed she would be. She wondered if she'd have the courage to face him and stand her ground and prayed she would.

  She knew he was coming, and the thought of being in this room with him, in such close quarters with someone so vile, made her nervous.

  "This is your calling."

  The familiar doubt was there, gnawing at her insides like a sewer rat.

  Juli thought of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, Him knowing full well what horrors were to come. Fear and doubt and all kinds of trepidation must have been ripe in that garden. A constant onslaught by the enemy. Stress levels were maxed out. Sweat glands worked overtime. His heart pumped like a galloping horse. Capillaries burst.

  And He battled it all with prayer.

  "This is your calling."

  Again, she prayed.

  Sometime later-time was of no consequence here in the dark-from somewhere in the bowels of the dam, Juli heard a scream. The time was upon them. He was coming. Beads of sweat poked through her skin. Her palms were instantly clammy.

  She filled her lungs with the stale air of the room, calming her jittery nerves.

  "This is your calling."

  Yes, it was. And she was ready to accept it. Come what may.

  Another scream bounced around the concrete innards of the dam. It was impossible to tell from which direction it came.

  Juli nudged the sleeper beside her. "Rob ... Rob."

  Rob started and opened his eyes. Juli was saying his name and nudging him.

  "Bad dream?"

  "The worst." He rubbed his eyes and forked his fingers through his hair. The room was still black; he was still sitting against the wall; Juli was still next to him. "What-" He took a look at his watch: nine fifty. "Man, I was really out."

  "I didn't want to disturb your beauty sleep, but... "

  From somewhere in the tunnels beneath the spillway a scream echoed off the concrete. Juli's hand found Rob's again.

  Other screams joined the first one in a creepy chorus.

  "We have to get out of here," Rob said. "I know where Jimmy is."

  "All of a sudden?"

  "Yeah. My dream. I know where he is." He was convinced now: Jimmy was out there, in that shack. The dream was so real, so palpable. Everything about it shouted authenticity. He had to go.

  The screams grew louder, like a gaggle of wailing women in an empty basement.

  Rob stood and wiped his palms on his pants. He felt the wall around to the door. "There has to be a way to open it." His hands slid along the smooth metal, searching for any kind of handle or lock or... "Come on!" But there was nothing. It was just a sheet of metal.

  He hit the door hard, hurting his hand but ignoring the pain. Jimmy was out there in that shack, calling for him. His son needed him, and he was trapped in this blasted room. He struck the door again.

  Now the screams were right outside the room, on the other side of the door. Rob jumped back and found the wall. Juli's hand found his leg. Rob reached down and took her hand in his as she stood beside him.

  Suddenly, silence reigned. The only sound was the moan of the turbines and the rush of water. And that steady dripping that never ceased.

  Something heavy and metal moved on the other side of the door. It sounded like a lock disengaging.

  Rob's heart jackhammered in his chest. He gripped Juli's hand tighter.

  The door opened on dry hinges. The sound of steel scraping concrete cut through the room like a serrated knife. Rob fully expected the small space to be flooded with darklings, claws and teeth going like buzz saws, but nothing happened. The door stayed open for a few seconds then shut again. All was quiet on the other side now.

  Someone or something was in the room with them. Rob could sense its presence, and if he listened closely enough, he could just hear its breathing over the turbines. He imagined the big darkling standing there, sucking in air, licking its lips, waiting until they dropped their guard to pounce.

  Metal tinked across the room.

  Juli whispered something Rob couldn't make out.

  Then, a light snapped on. An electric lantern hovered in the air, and behind it, illuminated by a soft white glow, was the dark-eyed man. Wax Man. He lowered the light to the floor.

  As Rob's eyes adjusted to the light, he saw the room they were in. It was about the size he imagined with four concrete walls, a concrete floor, and ceiling. The ceiling was more than ten feet high, and there, in the far corner, at the top of the far wall, was the grated covering to an exhaust duct.

  "You were fascinating to watch," Wax Man said. He was leaning against the far wall, arms folded at his chest, legs crossed at the ankles. His pale skin seemed to glow in the light of the lantern. His eyes looked like two rifle barrels pointed at Rob. A slight grin lifted the corners of his mouth. "I especially enjoyed watching you sleep."

  A cold chill ran along Rob's nerves. He wanted to throw curses at the man, call him every name he could think of, but at the moment he could think of none. His mind was locked up.

  "You don't have to be afraid of me," the man said. "Now them"-he tipped his head toward the door-"be afraid of them."

  There was a moment of uneasy silence in the room. Wax Man stared at Rob with those dark eyes like he was drilling holes in his soul. Then he said, "Are you afraid of me?"

  "You need to spend more time in the sun," Juli said.

  "Shut up!" Wax Man hollered. He pushed away from the wall and walked to the middle of the room. There he stopped and pointed a finger at Juli. His face twisted with hatred. "This doesn't concern you. It never did. You're just an added bonus."

  Almost immediately his features softened, and he looked at Rob. "Are you afraid of me?"

  Rob swallowed hard. No sense in lying. He was sure fear was written across his forehead in permanent marker. "Yes."

  "So was dear Kelly."

  The sound of Kelly's name passing over those thin lips and the way Wax Man said it sent a wave of anger through Rob's body. Juli must have felt it because she tightened her hold on his hand.

  Wax Man walked back to the wall and leaned against it, assuming his previous posture. He ran a finger over his lips. "We had some good times, Kelly and I. She was quite the woman, Robert. Quite the catch."

  Rob jerked his hand away from Juli and clenched his fists.

  "Careful now, Robby. Watch that temper of yours." He glanced at the door. "One word from me and that door opens. And then all hell breaks loose. Literally."

  Wax Man pushed away from the wall again and began to pace across the room. "You're not so much like Kelly, are you? She was polite, courteous, respectful. Do you hate me?"

/>   Rob said nothing. Yes, he did hate him. He wanted to charge him and tear his pale body limb from limb. But he also feared him. And it was that fear that kept him silent.

  The man continued his pacing. "Of course you do. And rightfully so. I took what was most precious to you. Kelly and James."

  "No!" Rob could hold it in no longer. "Jimmy's alive. I know he is."

  "Oh, hush, Robert. Really. If anyone would know, it would be me. I was there."

  Rob fell quiet. It was lies. It had to be. He'd seen Jimmy with his own eyes. Heard him with his own ears. And the dreams. They felt so real. They were real.

  The man laughed. "You know, the funny thing is, I never really even wanted them. They were simply a means of getting to you. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed every minute I spent with them. They were lovely company. But you... " He stopped and faced Rob, chin propped by a fist. "Look at you. Like a scared mouse in a corner. You have no idea how much suffering you've caused me. I find that fascinating."

  The words made no sense to Rob. He looked at Juli, who had her head bowed and eyes closed. Her lips moved silently.

  "I've always found fear fascinating. Do you know why? It cripples. Even the most powerful of men, if ruled by fear, are worthless."

  He paced some more, then said, "Hey, what say we turn this light out and let my friends in, shall we?"

  He turned and reached for the lantern.

  "Wait!" Rob said. "Tell me one thing. I have to know. Look me in the eyes and tell me Jimmy is dead."

  Wax Man turned back toward Rob and smiled. His black, lifeless eyes were two holes in his head. "I killed him with my own hands. Snapped his little neck like a dead branch."

  Rob ground his molars. "You're lying. I can see it on your face."

  Wax Man turned his palms upward. "If you say so." He reached again for the light.

  From Rob's side, Juli said, "Light has come into the world-"

  "Shut up!" The man spun around and faced Juli. His eyes seemed to grow darker, if that was possible.