by Evan Bond
She realized it was no time for her pessimism to set in and did her best to shake it off. There was still a task at hand and she needed to complete it. For Tara's sake, she needed to make something work. She decided to take it one step at a time.
"First," she whispered to herself. "I need a diversion." She looked around her current surroundings, which was nothing more than a storefront a couple blocks away from the town hall. She thought about lighting the store on fire but had no clue where she would get the fuel to start one, much less a match or lighter.
No, her distraction had to be bigger. A fire could be put out. She needed something that would grab their attention and not let go. Something they couldn't ignore or easily deal with. She racked her brain but couldn't seem to come up with anything. Why couldn't she think of a plan? Her daughter was in danger and she was standing idly by without a single thought to save her. She had never felt more useless and stupid in her life.
As if to prove her wrong, an idea struck her. She was overthinking the situation, as she often did. The town was looking for her. The best distraction was, in fact, herself. Clearly, the town wanted to get their hands on her. They would use every resource available to hunt her down. If she were to make herself seen, they might leave Harrison and Tara less protected. Harrison would be smart enough to know an opening when he saw one. She was sure of it.
It was settled. She would use herself as a distraction to free her daughter. It was only fitting, after all. They had Tara because of Sasha so she had to make it right, even if that meant putting herself in danger.
Silently, yet quickly, she crept towards the town hall. It would only be a matter of time before someone spotted her. Though, she hoped to make her presence known by herself. Luckily, she received her wish. Crouching low behind a parked car in the street, she looked over the decent sized crowd. They murmured and shifted like they were awaiting orders from someone.
Before popping out, she made a mental note of which direction she would run. She didn't know the town all that well but she knew where her home was and the woods behind it. She had hidden there once and she would do it again. That is if the town didn't catch her first.
Without a second further to delay, Sasha sprung from her hiding spot and yelled "Here I am you sons of bitches. Better grab me before I cast a spell over this entire town." After the words left her mouth and hung in the air, she immediately regretted them. Not because of how they would be misconstrued as a false admission of guilt but because of how corny it sounded, even to her own ears. Still, it had been said and now the entire mob had been alerted to her presence. She didn't stick around long enough to see or hear any reactions. Instead, she took off running at a full sprint in the opposite direction.
At first, she thought the plan had failed and no one would come after her. Several seconds went by before she heard the thundering sound of the mob in pursuit. She must have really caught them off guard. I bet they weren’t expecting me to pop out like that she thought. The thought gave her a sense of pride and accomplishment. For once, she may have done something right.
Harrison picked up on Sasha’s diversion right away. Clearly, the woman was using herself as bait to draw away as many as possible. That would make it easier for Harrison to free himself and the little girl. He respected Sasha's bravery but disapproved of her foolishness. Now, she was in direct danger and there was no way for him to help her. Now, he had no choice but to focus all of his attention on Tara.
Of course, that was what Sasha had wanted but Harrison was determined to save both their lives. He refused to let this town win. Carol had stayed behind as well as a handful of men and women. There would be no fighting his way out of this. He needed to stand up, grab Tara, and run. Then he would need to get to his truck. None of it mattered if he didn't choose the right moment to make his move. Too early and they would catch him. Too late and there might be no more opportunity to run.
He looked down at Tara and gave her a wink. The poor little girl was trembling. He couldn't blame her. He was scared himself. Pure terror must be pumping through her veins. It would be a hard road ahead for her, of that Harrison was sure. He could never have guessed how right he was.
Harrison reached out and grabbed Tara's hand tight in his own. When he felt the coast was clear, he stood up and bolted. Tara was pulled along behind him. "You've got to be kidding" he heard Carol yell from the community center. He took great pride in being a pain in her ass.
The remainder of the split mob now chased after Harrison but Carol stayed behind. Harrison didn't have time to wonder why. Instead, he dragged Tara in the direction of where he last saw his truck. With any luck, it would still be there and they would be home free. His thoughts turned to Sasha and he felt a pang of sorrow. They were going to catch her before he could get to her and he had no idea what they might do. He only knew it wouldn’t be good.
Chapter Nineteen
Like a demented version of the running of the bulls, Sasha bolted through town with the mob close at her heels. She had managed to break line of sight a few times but they always caught back up. It was the biggest drawback of her plan. They all knew the town far better than she. But to Sasha, it didn't matter. Catch her or not, Tara would be safe. Of that, she was sure. Harrison was a capable man. She had not known him for long but she knew a good man when she met one. It took years of living with an abuser to develop that skill.
She choked on the smoke as she ran past the left-over remnants of her smoldering home. The safety of the forest was only a few yards before her now. The townspeople may have known the streets like the back of their hands but she knew her chances increased dramatically in the forest.
As soon as she broke the tree line she began to run in irregular patterns. Running straight would make it easier to follow. Instead, she snaked left for several yards, then straight, and left again. Eventually, even she didn't know which direction she was headed. Let's see them follow me now, she thought.
She could hear them crunching through the forest in a desperate attempt to find her. Tracking her would be difficult, sure. But Sasha realized they had the numbers to fan out and cover more ground. If they did, as they surely would, she would be caught. She needed a plan B.
There was no other option than up. She had to climb a tree and hide there. It was risky, sure, but it was the only option she had. Getting cut off would mean the end. At least up high she had a chance of not being seen.
As she continued through the woods, she kept her eyes open for the perfect tree. It needed to be tall with a lot of branches and a lot of cover. The darkness would be her ally. High enough and it would shroud her from those below.
Her lungs burned as she raced through the woods until she finally came upon a tree she felt she could use. It stretched high up into the heavens with branches that twisted and turned in all directions. The thick, green leaves would provide all the cover she needed.
Though her heart pounded in her chest and her mind screamed for her to move her ass, Sasha had to take a moment to breathe. She was winded. Climbing a tree in this condition and she would be likely to fall. On the positive side, it would be the fall that killed her and not the town.
It was now or never. The ever-approaching sound of the townspeople drew closer. Sasha reached for the lowest branch and gripped it with both hands. It took all of her strength to pull her legs up and wrap them around. Once secured, she was able to pull herself up on to the branch.
There was plenty of room for her to stand. She did so, reaching for the branch above her. Unfortunately, it was just out of her reach. There was no time to climb around the base and find another branch. The mob was almost upon her. Instead, she did the only thing she could think of and prayed it worked.
She leapt as high as she could and grasped at the branch wildly. Her arms wrapped around it but the bark scratched up her forearms. Ignoring the pain, she pulled herself up and took a deep breath. Accessing the damage, she realized she was bleeding. There was no time to nurse the wound,
however, and she kept climbing. Luckily, she was able to reach the next branch with no issue.
Feeling like an expert now, she climbed several more branches until she was higher than she was comfortable with. Directly in front of her face was a bundle of leaves which almost camouflaged her totally from the ground. It was the best cover she could have hoped for.
Her muscles tensed around the branch as she lay her body down and gripped it with all four limbs. She could feel it sway up and down with her weight. Her mind conjured up images of the branch snapping and falling to her death, but not before taking a beating from every thick branch on the way down. But the branch would hold, she was certain of it. At least, she wanted to be certain about it.
She heard voices below her but couldn't quite see anyone in the darkness. They seemed to be staying in the area under her tree and she grew nervous. Had they seen her climb the tree? Were they figuring a way up? Then an even more sinister thought came to mind. What if they lit the tree on fire below her? There would be no escape and she would burn alive. She shuddered at the terrible thought.
Her fears dissipated when the voices below began to disappear into the distance. She wanted to hop down then and there but decided she should hide longer. After all, they hadn't seen her. It must have been a good spot. Sasha, however, was unaware someone had seen her climb the tree. Someone far worse than any of the townspeople. They simply watched the tree from the darkness and waited for her to come down.
The truck stood against the backdrop of the night like a beacon of hope. Harrison knew what he had to do now. Sasha did not buy him time in order to save herself. She wanted Tara taken to safety and that's exactly what he was going to do.
He helped Tara into the backseat and tightened her seatbelt around her. With the way he intended to drive, she was going to need it. This town needed to be in his rearview mirror immediately. Of course, he couldn't help but feel a sting of guilt for leaving Sasha to whatever fate she might endure. Once Tara was safe, he would be back for her. But something told him it would be too late.
Harrison's foot touched the floor as he rammed his foot against the pedal. The tires squealed like a banshee as they headed straight for the town border. Luckily, the road was straight and empty. It allowed him to fly as fast as he could. Within no time, they would be in the next town.
A patch of standing water in the middle of the road caused the truck to jerk to the left and nearly fishtail. He was able to correct it before spinning out and decided to lower his speed a bit. If he killed them both in a fiery wreck, it would mean Sasha traded her life for nothing. If he couldn’t save her, he would at least save her daughter. Though, he kept telling himself everything would be fine. He would be back in time to find Sasha and bring her to her daughter. His heart raced and it felt like every nerve in his body fired simultaneously.
Before he could do more to dwell on his thoughts, his cell phone began to ring. Forgetting where it was, he patted his pants pockets until he found it. Nearly dropping the buzzing device on the floor below, he pressed answer.
"Yeah?" He said with an inflection of impatience in his voice.
"Sheriff Harrison? It's Brian, from the lab. I've got your results from the prints you sent us. Thought you'd want that."
"Yes, please. What've you got?"
"It's kind of strange and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I thought maybe it was a mistake but I was told to get you the info right away. You must have a few friends working for the FBI."
"This is time sensitive."
"Right, sorry. We have a print match for a Mr. Corey B. Hall."
"Who the hell is Corey Hall? I've never heard of the guy."
"He actually comes up as a missing person."
"Are you suggesting some random missing person showed up in my town and started killing people?"
"Looks that way, Sheriff."
That couldn't be possible. Harrison chose not to believe it. After all, why would he believe it? The killer had targeted Sasha. Why would a complete stranger to the town target another complete stranger? None of it made any sense.
"No, that can't be right."
"I'm reading you the results clear as day. According to this, Corey Hall is walking the streets of your town. Maybe you can track down his relatives and see what you can learn."
"Do you have a name of a closest relative?"
"In fact, I do. Hang on, I put them around here somewhere."
Harrison heard the technician shuffle through papers and grunt as he knocked something off of his desk. Finally, he found what he was looking for and congratulated himself with an audible clap and a snicker to himself.
"Alright, looks like he has a wife and daughter. Sasha and Tara Hall."
Harrison had to stop himself from slamming on the brake. It took every fiber of his being not to overreact and startle Tara in the backseat. His heart thudded wildly in his chest and he was certain his blood pressure had risen dramatically.
"Are you certain about this?"
"God damned positive," the technician said. Harrison thanked him for his time and hung up. It took nearly another mile for everything to settle in and Harrison realized he needed to go back. Sasha's husband was responsible. If Harrison could expose him, he'd save Sasha and stop the town from becoming the monster he already knew they were capable of being. Finding the man would be difficult but not impossible. It was a small town. He was bound to turn up somewhere. More amazingly was the fact no one had seen him thus far. Word spread quickly in the quiet little town of Carlisle, Maine.
Sheriff Harrison stomped on the brake pedal and spun the truck around. Headed back towards town, he pressed the accelerator as far as it would go. Time was no longer a commodity he could afford to waste. Corey would undoubtedly make his final move soon. Sasha was like a rat trapped in a maze. The closer she came to the cheese, the fewer chances she had for survival. But Harrison intended to increase her chances. In fact, he planned to raise them to one hundred percent.
Too many people had died. Far too much destruction had been caused. Harrison had been unable to stop any of it. He would be damned if that trend continued. He figured it would be with his dying breath he stopped this madness. Either way, it would all end. The town would stop its manic witch hunt, Sasha and Tara would be safe, and Corey Hall would be arrested or dead. Of course, he preferred the latter. Considering he had taken so many lives, Harrison didn’t see the harm in killing Corey himse-
The truck smashed a dark figure in the center of the road, crushing in the front end severely. Something penetrated the windshield and pierced through Harrison's chest. The truck skidded down the road several more yards before coming to a stop; tires squealing on the pavement. Mangled bits of debris littered the grass and road about the area. Fluids leaked from the bottom of the truck and pooled in a dark circle. A crimson liquid ran from the grill of the truck where a large moose was embedded and pooled in the center of the road. Its antlers had gone through the windshield and struck Harrison square in the chest. He wriggled and pulled, trying to get free of the obliterated animal but it was no use. He was pinned to the seat behind him. Even worse, he could hear the wheezing sound of one lung desperately trying to keep inflated. Blood welled up in his mouth and poured into his neatly trimmed beard.
Through the pain and lack of functioning lungs, he was able to only utter one sentence. "Tara...are you...alright?" When he heard a faint yes come from the back seat and a quick check of the rearview mirror confirmed this, he allowed the darkness to take over his body and pull him down into the deep recess of death.
Chapter Twenty
Everyone had cleared out of the small patch of trees Sasha had climbed up. Once she felt it was safe, she climbed back down. A couple of times she lost her footing and nearly slipped off a branch. Luckily, she was able to catch herself before any real harm could be done. When her feet finally touched firm ground, she let out a sigh of relief. Anxiety shook her hands but she was relieved to have made it.
She was
unable to revel in her accomplishment for long. She turned around to flee into the safety of the dark night but something seized her. A hand had shot out from the darkness and wrapped its long fingers around her throat and squeezed. She couldn’t scream. She could hardly breathe. She kicked and scratched but nothing seemed to subdue the assailant.
Like a creature surfacing on a murky lake, a face came into view. It was a face she was all too familiar with. One that still haunted her dreams nearly every night. Her knees gave way. She would have collapsed to the ground if not for the grip around her neck from the man she had remembered burying in the woods.
The familiar face of her husband sneered back at her from the darkness only there was something different about it. It was twisted and distorted, like someone wearing an ill-fitted mask. Deep dark sockets had formed around his eyes giving them the appearance of retreating into his skull. His cheeks caved in grotesquely on both sides like they had collapsed in due to lack of a jaw. A theory which he confirmed when he gave her a toothless grin. Only, it wasn't just toothless. The entirety of his mouth looked brown and rotten like the inside of a bad apple.
"Take a good look." He sneered. "You did this to me."
"Me? How?"
"Turns out your little trick hadn't been enough to kill me." He spoke with a hiss from the many missing teeth. Spittle ejected from his mouth with each new word. The scene disgusted Sasha to the verge of vomiting.
"I...I... buried you. You were dead. This isn't possible."
"Yes, yes you did bury me. But I wasn't dead. I clawed my way out of that pile of dirt. I escaped death but not without a few scars." He pointed to his face and laughed. "Ironic, isn't it? Your past is literally back to haunt you. Tonight, I’m burying you in the woods but you’re not coming back."
