Shadows Rise

by Denise A. Agnew

  Before they could make full plans, Dr. Hollenbeck marched into the rotunda, hands stuffed in his white lab coat pockets. His face had always showed a cold hardness, but his eyes blazed with anger and his mouth drew into a tight, fierce line.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Hollenbeck asked as he waded into the center of the group.

  “Where is Cade Hale?” Annabelle asked.

  Hollenbeck turned her way. “You brought these men together?”

  “Nurse Summit and I.”

  He laughed. “Well, I will give you full respect for such an accomplishment. Few women have the intelligence or fortitude to do such a thing.”

  Annabelle stalked toward him as anger took over. “You have no idea what bravery or intelligence is. I know nurses as brave and intelligent as any soldier. I’ve served with them here and in France.”

  “I can attest to that,” Lopez said as he stepped up beside Annabelle. “You’re damned lucky you didn’t go to war, Hollenbeck, because you’re a spineless lizard.”

  “Why you little—” Hollenbeck moved toward them.

  Two soldiers caught him from behind and held him back. He struggled, but the men had a firm hold.

  “Where is Cade Hale?” Nurse Summit asked.

  “Doesn’t matter,” the doctor said. “The darkness is here. Its evil is too strong for you. For any of you. He’s already dead if the darkness has its way.”

  Annabelle glared at the doctor. “I swear, if you have harmed him in any way, if you’ve harmed any of the patients here, you will pay.”

  “What?” The doctor sneered. “You plan to murder me?”

  “The law will bring you to justice. The way it should be.”

  “Never. You think the sheriff is going to believe these ignorant, insane soldiers above me?”

  “They’ll believe me.” Nurse Summit shook her finger as she walked toward the man. “They’ll believe everyone standing here right now. Every nurse that has seen how you’ve treated soldiers and nurses alike.”

  Fury erupted across his face. “The evil is here and it’s going to stay. There is nothing you can do to remove it. It is part of the earth. Part of the building.”

  Suddenly Annabelle was inspired. “Bring him to the basement. Bring lamps. We’ll flood the basement with light.”

  * * *

  Darkness couldn’t get any blacker. Or could it? Cade wouldn’t have believed it until he saw it himself. In the virtually impenetrable night in the basement, the air went thick and heavy. Cold seeped into Cade, and he stood. He heard shuffling to his left.

  “You feel that?” Ziggy asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “What is it?”

  “The darkness.”

  “What do we do?” Ziggy whispered his question.

  “Build your strength. Deny the darkness. Pray if it works for you.” Cade drew a huge breath and let it out. “I speak to the darkness. You are not of this world, of this life. You can’t control the men here. You can’t control their souls. They belong to themselves, to their families. They are whole men. You have no hold on them or me. We resist you.”

  Cade pushed against the darkness and imagined light surrounding and engulfing the entire basement. The darkness eased slightly, but hovered around the edges.

  “We have to chant our intentions,” Cade told the men. “We have to build a barrier of protection around ourselves while we will the doors to open.”

  Cade believed what he said ... he must.

  Ziggy’s voice broke through the darkness. “I’m ready.”

  “On three.” Cade started to count down. “Three. Two. One.”

  Though the basement went silent for a few seconds, Cade heard a strange sound begin as he concentrated. It was a whine—a purr of a cat—the collective energy surge pouring from the men. Several men murmured the Lord’s Prayer.

  Darkness pushed back, oily hate-filled evil rushed toward him with sharp spikes. Hate surrounded Cade as he braced his feet. Evil pushed at him, shoving. His head pounded with pain.

  “We are one! Darkness cannot defeat us!” Cade shouted his strength. “You cannot win!”

  Cade wrestled with the inky stain as it tried to engulf his soul, to cover his body and suffocate him. He wouldn’t allow it. He pushed at the arctic sensation. He knew, somehow, if he allowed the cold to penetrate his skin, he would fall. Death would take him and swallow everything and everyone he held dear. For this evil had grown over time, and given more time, would expand until it took over the asylum, the entire forest, and all of Simple.

  Ziggy’s hoarse cry rent the air. It wasn’t a word, but a guttural, harsh sound that tore at the ears and pierced them with defeat so raw Cade wanted to cry out as well. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. To cry now meant defeat, and he refused to lose. Ziggy cried out again.

  Cade shouted at the top of his lungs. “Ziggy, bear up! Bear up!”

  Ziggy whimpered, then managed a few words. “Too strong. It’s too strong.”

  “No it isn’t. No it isn’t. Bear up! This is a battlefield, Ziggy. You’re in battle, soldier. You can do this.”

  Cade heard the door burst open at the top of the basement stairs followed by voices shouting his name. Light streamed in from upstairs as lamplight invaded the darkness.

  As if the collective of good had won out, the cell doors burst open with a whoosh and clang. Soldier’s ran out of their cells as footsteps tromped down the stairs. Cade saw Annabelle leading a pack. At the back, corralled by two men, was Hollenbeck. Cade’s relief upon seeing Annabelle overwhelmed him. He couldn’t speak or move.

  “Cade?” Annabelle’s whisper broke through his stupor. “Oh, God, you’re hurt.”

  She rushed into his arms, and the ceaseless pounding in his head eased. “I’m all right now.”

  A hoarse cry from Hollenbeck alerted Cade. Hollenbeck jerked loose from the men holding him and charged Cade and Annabelle, pistol in hand. Before the doctor could pull the trigger, one man wrested the gun from his hand. Another man slammed a fist straight into the doctor’s face and he went down like a rock.

  Before Cade could say a thing, the gathering grew ripe with revenge. Soldiers from the cells grabbed Hollenbeck and dragged him along the floor. Their eyes glowed with red, overtaken by the very thing Cade had warned them against. Their salvation had been short, their hate too strong. Nurse Summit moved forward, but several soldiers blocked her way.

  “Wait!” Annabelle reached out. “No! Don’t kill him.”

  Many of the soldiers who’d come downstairs with Annabelle started to move toward the doctor as if to save him.

  “Stop!” Cade drew their attention. “You can’t help him. They’re too far gone.”

  “Oh, God.” Margaret crossed herself as the soldiers who’d been imprisoned in the basement dragged the screaming doctor toward the room in the back. Hollenbeck’s shrieks reached a peak.

  Annabelle shivered in Cade’s arms, and he turned her head toward his shoulder. “Don’t look.”

  “Let’s get out of here.” Ziggy gestured toward the stairs. “When they’re done with him they may come after us.”

  Lopez headed upstairs first with the other soldiers close behind. Sheer misery filled Annabelle’s face, and Cade knew the sight of Hollenbeck dragged off by evil incarnate would mark her for life. Cade kept her close in his arms. No way in hell was he letting her anywhere near the soldiers who had lost their souls to an evil so potent it could command several men at a time. He pulled her with him and they raced up the stairs, Margaret close behind.

  As they left and slammed the door behind them, Lopez called out, “Where’s the damn key?”

  “Shit,” Cade said, “Hollenbeck has them. He took them from me when he shot me. We need to barricade the door.”

  Nurse Summit, Margaret, and Annabelle huddled close as Cade and the other soldiers pulled furniture from other rooms and piled it high in front of the door. Shrieks and cries of an unholy nature rent the night, rolling upward from the basement l
ike a wave.

  Once the barricade was done, Cade returned to Annabelle and drew her into his arms. No one seemed able to leave the area, to shrink any further from the horrible screams issuing from the basement.

  “Cade?” Annabelle looked up at him with tears in her eyes. He kissed her, a tender attempt at comfort. They’d escaped the horror and must bear witness to the last of it.

  The cries drifted away into the night until a deathly silence filled the asylum. With it the heaviness and oppression lifted. The soldiers appeared as shell-shocked as they had the moment they’d first entered the asylum. A different war had scarred them.

  “It’s gone,” Margaret whispered.

  Nurse Summit covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Ziggy slid down a wall and sat, staring into space.

  “For now,” Cade said. “It’s gone for now.”

  * * *

  November 11

  Denver, Colorado

  * * *

  Annabelle rushed up the stairs of the four-story apartment building, happiness ringing through her mind and heart. God, she couldn’t wait to see Cade. It seemed like forever, but it had only been a few days. She’d left her aunt and uncle’s home after Cade had called her to come and see his new apartment. Her aunt and uncle hadn’t approved. She hadn’t cared. Taking the taxi to the apartment was as imperative as breathing. She carried her pocketbook over one wrist and hadn’t bothered to wear a hat when she’d left her aunt and uncle’s home. It didn’t seem important. Nothing that formal or simple would ever seem important against the larger things she’d experienced.

  She came to the top of the stairs at the second floor and made her turn down the right hall. Apartment number eight was first on the right. Heartbeat hammering in her chest, she knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately.

  Cade’s crooked grin charmed her once more, just as it had the first time he’d ever smiled at her. “Annabelle.”

  His voice made her tingle, her heart afloat with joy. “Captain Hale.”

  She reached out, and he drew her inside. He closed and locked the door. Cade looked more handsome than ever. His hair, once soldier short, was curling and growing longer. She wanted to run her fingers through it. Today he wore a long-sleeved shirt and trousers. He still had the bearing of a soldier, and she thought perhaps he always would.

  Annabelle smiled as Cade slipped his arms around her and drew her close. “Sir, what do you think you’re doing?”

  He grinned wickedly. “Kissing my best and only girl.” He delved into a deep, hungry kiss that tossed her into a sea of desire.

  Cade allowed her up for air. She brushed his hair back from the scar on his temple. It was healing well.

  He took her hand in his and kissed it. “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?”

  “Think about what might have happened.”

  “That’s difficult not to do.”

  “All right, then don’t think of it right now. Not today.” He drew aside her collar and kissed her neck.

  Delicious shivers trickled through her body. He could undo her with a mere touch or the smallest kiss. “Fifteen days, Cade. It’s been fifteen days. That isn’t long enough to forget. And that paper is spreading ridiculous stories about what happened at the asylum. They’re making it all up.”

  “You didn’t think they’d believe us when we told them what really happened, did you?”

  “No.” She looked out the window, her delight in the day dimmed the slightest bit.

  He shook his head. “We’ve told the truth and done all we can. We need to live our lives. I’m healing with you by my side. The war will fade and the memories, too. People will even forget the influenza. They always forget things like this given enough time.” He kissed her forehead. “We’re alive, Annabelle. Alive and together. That’s all that matters.”

  Life had changed since the horrible events at the asylum in so many ways she could hardly keep track of them. Margaret and Penelope had returned to their respective families in an attempt to salvage their lives. Both women seemed damaged in ways Annabelle didn’t know how to help them overcome. Penelope had a relapse of the enza a few days after Hollenbeck died at the hands of the soldiers. She would recover in full someday. Ziggy had become a good friend to Cade and had returned to his family farm. Nurse Summit had retired from nursing and planned to move away from Simple as soon as possible.

  She saw the paper lying on Cade’s dining table and picked it up. Headline screamed Asylum of Terror Closed Forever. “What is this?”

  “Article about Tranquil View. You don’t have to read it.”

  “Don’t think I want to.”

  She eased from his arms long enough to peruse the apartment. It was simple and clean—a soldier’s abode. “So this is your place.”

  “It’ll do for now. Until I get on my feet. The Denver Post has this crazy idea I might be a decent journalist. I don’t know what I want to do, but that might be a good start.”

  “A reporter?”

  “Maybe.” He shrugged and laughed. “Maybe not. I think they want me to work for them as a novelty. My name might sell newspapers.”

  “And so it should. You’re a hero.” She caressed his strong arms and shoulders, delighting in the feel of them.

  He sobered, eyes darkening. “No. I just did what I had to do. Nothing more.”

  “I don’t care what you say. You’ll always be my hero.”

  “Say that again.”

  “You’ll always be my hero.”

  He chuckled. “I could get used to the sound of that.”

  She teased him, poking him in the chest with her index finger. “You said it was very important that I see you today. Why?”

  “Other than the fact I miss you so much I can hardly stand it?” He took her right hand and gallantly kissed it again. “Other than that ... I wanted to show you the apartment. Would you like it to be your place, too? Would you share it with me and share my life?” He swallowed hard. “I vowed when I was in that damned basement that I’d tell you how I feel. So much has happened and words like this don’t come easy.” His eyes burned with an intense emotion and passion. “I love you. I love you, Annabelle. Please stay with me forever.

  Her eyes prickled with happy tears. “I thought you’d never say you love me. I hoped you did, but ..."

  “I know. A woman likes to hear it.”

  She laughed softly. Her heart felt like it might stop. She cupped his face. “I love you, too. More than anything.”

  A commotion came from outside the living room window. Shouts and cries, but not of people in trouble. It was people rejoicing and loving their life, a sound almost foreign not long ago while disease ravaged the streets. Enza had torn through the country in October, and although it hadn’t disappeared, the worst had passed.

  They both went to the window and Cade pushed it upward and leaned out. The neighborhood exploded into happiness. People laughed, cried, and hugged.

  “What on earth is going on?” she asked.

  “Maybe they’re just happy I proposed to you.”

  She playfully punched him on the shoulder. “So that was a proposal?”

  “A very sloppy one, I’ll admit.”

  Tears filled her eyes and poured over.

  “Oh, no,” he said with a groan. “I’m sorry darling. That really was a horrible proposal. I didn’t get a ring because I want you to come with me to the jeweler to pick what you want.” Uncertainty crossed his face as he pulled her back into his arms. “That is if you do want to marry me.”

  She hugged him fiercely as she cried. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  He laughed softly. “Thank God.”

  More cheering from outside made them draw apart and stare at the window. Cade leaned out and called to a boy he was running down the street shouting his joy. “Hey boy! What’s going on? What is everyone happy about?”

  “It’s over!” The boy flung his cap in the air. “The war is officially over at the eleventh hour!”
The boy ran away before Cade could ask another question.

  “It’s over.” Annabelle repeated the boy’s words with a soft, amazed tone. “I can’t believe it is finally over.”

  Cade’s eyes looked moist, his expression a mix of amazement and tears. He cupped her face. “I’m the happiest man on earth, Annabelle. All I want is to spend my life with you.”

  Overwhelmed, she laughed through her tears. “And I with you.”

  He kissed her again. When they parted, she sighed. “So, Captain. How do you think we should celebrate both momentous occasions?”

  “I have a few ideas. First, let’s just forget that Tranquil View, the damned enza, and the war ever happened.”

  “It’s a deal. Show me how to do that.”

  He led her into his bedroom, and as they fell onto the bed in each other’s arms, he showed her slowly and deliciously just how to celebrate.

  * * *

  November 25

  * * *

  Buried on the back page of The Denver Post:

  * * *

  State Plans To Reopen Terror Asylum

  * * *

  The state of Colorado confirms that it plans to reopen Tranquil View Asylum near Simple, Colorado after a full investigation into the horrendous events that took place there in October. While rumors have always abounded that Tranquil View has participated in illegal or at the least unwise medical treatments on patients, it wasn’t until this latest horror that proof came to light.

  Readers of this publication will recall our earlier reports on Tranquil View Asylum. On October 31 a call was made to Simple, Colorado by Captain Cade Hale of the United States Army describing a riot within the walls of the asylum after influenza struck down many of the soldiers. Two doctors were killed by soldiers insane with the influenza and perhaps madness influenced by war experiences. Influenza killed many soldiers, as well as sickening numerous staff.