by Brian Harmon
“I’m losing time.”
“What?”
“It hasn’t been that long for me. Time isn’t consistent in and out of the fissure.”
“That’s not possible, Eric.”
“Of course it is. It’s a well-known scientific theory that time can be distorted, though it’s usually on cosmic scales. Black holes, light speed...”
“Every third or fourth episode of Star Trek?”
“Well…yeah…”
“Whatever. If you say so. What’s going on in Wonderland?”
“Right, well, after I got off the phone with Paul… Wait… If it’s been three hours, did Kevin ever get there with the PT Cruiser?”
“He got here a while ago. Gave me back my key, had some cookies and then Damien came and picked him up.” Damien Glowstern was Kevin’s best friend. He was practically a member of the family.
That was one less thing he had to worry about, at least.
“I don’t know where Paul is.”
“Paul’s in the fissure,” he told her.
“He’s what?”
Eric turned away from the fence and started walking again. He didn’t care to stay in one place very long. That seemed like a good way to invite trouble.
“He called me right after we hung up last time. Told me he was poking around. He’d already found his way through the barn.”
“Oh my god… Is he in any danger?”
“Yeah. I think he is. But he might be all right if he doesn’t do anything really stupid.”
“That’s really not at all reassuring.”
“I know.”
“You haven’t heard from him since?”
“I just got my reception back when you called. I haven’t checked messages.”
“Great… Now I have to worry about both of you.”
“I told him you’d be mad.”
“Good.”
“I threatened to cut off his cheesecake privileges.”
“That would serve him right.”
“I know. Anyway, I hung up with him and then promptly ran into the corn creeps.”
“Corn creeps?”
“Ugly things. Mean. Lots of them. They chased me to this old church. I got to spend some quality time with Father Billy.”
“A priest?”
“No.”
“Oh…”
“Long story.”
“I see.”
Eric noticed that his arm was bleeding and recalled that he had gouged himself on something while running through the woods. Fortunately, it didn’t look that bad. Next to the claw marks on his arm, it hardly warranted concern. “We had a visit from the foggy man while I was there. He left a present for us. Another one of those monsters.”
“Scary.”
“Yeah. But we took care of it.”
“How’d you do that?”
“Dynamite.”
“Sounds effective.”
“It was. Eventually.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.” He didn’t bother telling her in detail just how narrowly he’d managed to remain okay. Maybe once he was back home and safe, but not now.
“Do you think you’re getting close?”
“I hope so.” He was making his way across the pasture now. There were a few dozen cows at the far side of the field, but none seemed remotely concerned with him. Still, he kept his eyes open for anything that might like to eat him. After all that he’d seen, he wouldn’t have been entirely surprised to see those very cows stand up on their hind legs and start stumbling toward him, clutching knives and forks.
“How’s the dream coming?”
“I think I missed something. The corn creeps weren’t supposed to chase me to the church.”
“Really? That’s what they’re called?”
“I didn’t come up with it. Father Billy did. And he seemed a little touchy about it, to tell the truth.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“I think I was supposed to stay on the road. I think there was somewhere else I was going to go. Now I think I’ve missed it. I’m not entirely sure, but I have a feeling I might’ve gone around it instead.”
“Do you think you’ll need to go back?”
“I don’t think so. I feel like it’s more important to get to the cathedral. But I’m not sure anymore. Father Billy thinks I need to stay away from the cathedral.”
“Maybe he’s right.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. He saved my life back there. Twice, actually.”
“I like him already.”
“Yeah… I lost him, though. I’m not sure what happened to him.”
“You think he might be dead?”
“It’s possible. I don’t know. I hope not.”
“Me too.”
“Whatever happened, it’s done now. I can’t go back. He told me to keep going. No matter what. He’s not the kind of person you care to disobey. And who knows if I could get back there even if I tried. The path might not lead back there anymore.”
“That’s so weird to think about.”
“I know.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah. Just… Tired.”
“I should let you catch your breath.”
“Yeah.”
“And you should call your brother.”
“I should.”
“Call me back and let me know he’s okay.”
They said goodbye and hung up. Eric made his way to the far side of the field and climbed another fence. There, he stepped onto another dirt road and found that it was familiar. He’d been here in his dream. He was back on the path.
He wondered what he missed by taking his detour by the church. Hopefully it wasn’t anything important…
He dialed his brother’s number and continued walking.
Paul answered on the first ring.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at that Gold Sunshine place.”
“Still?”
“Yeah, still! I’m hiding in one of those little cabins.”
“From what?”
“I don’t even know! Absolutely no idea! Damn thing came out of the corn! Looked kind of like a little bitty rhinoceros…”
“Rhinoceros?”
“Lots more teeth, though… Funny little legs, too. No bigger than my dog… Came charging right at me! Mean little bastard! Bit me! Tore my pants leg all to hell…”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Just a few scratches. But I almost didn’t make it to this cabin! You didn’t tell me about those things!”
“Mutant mini rhinos are a new one to me.”
“Grunting and snarling… Scared the holy hell out of me!”
“I warned you it wasn’t safe. Should’ve listened to me.”
“I know.”
“Is Kevin on his way to pick you up?”
“Not yet. Him and Damien were still looking for this place when I called him.”
“And you haven’t worked up the guts to go back out so you can make a break for the driveway?”
“Can’t! Stupid thing’s standing guard out there!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! I’m looking at it right now, through the window! It’s just sitting there, dozing in the grass, waiting for me! Little freak!”
Eric laughed. He couldn’t help it.
“It’s not funny!”
“It’s exactly what you deserve.”
“It’s still not funny!”
“Well it’s got to go away sometime.”
“You’d think…”
“Well, as long as you’re safe…”
“Safe, yes. Free to leave this smelly old cabin, not so much. Hot as shit in here, too.”
“Should’ve gone home when you had the chance.”
“I know…”
“Keep an eye out for Taylor. He was there when I went through. Maybe he can help you out with your little…rhino-thing.”
“I haven’t seen an
ybody all day.”
“Well keep your eyes open.”
“Right.”
“Could be worse.”
“I’m sure it could.”
“At least it wasn’t corn creeps.”
“Corn creeps? What the hell’s a corn creep?”
“About a hundred times scarier than a mini-rhinoceros.”
“I’ll have to take your word for that.”
“Yes, you will. Did you get a picture of it?”
“About twenty of them. Not much else to do in here.”
“Send it to Karen. Let her know you’re safe. She’s worried about you.”
“You told her I’m here?”
“I did. She’s pretty pissed.”
“Well, shit.”
“I told you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Let her know.”
“I will.”
“I’ll check on you again later.”
“Okay. Chances are I’ll be right here. Stupid…whatever the hell it is…”
Eric hung up and stuffed the phone back into his pocket. He had to admit, it gave him a chuckle to think of Paul being held prisoner in one of those little cabins by a pint-sized rhinoceros.
He gazed around at the surrounding pastures. No dwarf rhinos were charging him. No corn creeps were stalking him. There weren’t even any coyote-deer watching him. He seemed to be alone except for the cattle, and so far they seemed to be nothing more than ordinary cows.
Hopefully it would stay this way for a while. He needed a break.
He kept wondering about Father Billy. Was he okay? Had he escaped the golem? He hated to think that his untimely arrival had brought tragedy to any man, much less one with such a unique relationship with God.
His phone rang again.
When he checked the number to see who was calling, he found it blank again, like it had been when he received the broken call in the church. Curious, he opened the line and pressed it to his ear. “Hello?”
“Eric! I think I finally got the hang of this! Sorry I cut off before.”
“Who is this?”
“It’s me, silly. Isabelle.”
Eric stopped walking. He was shocked. “Isabelle?”
“Yeah! I got out!”
“Away from Altrusk?”
“Yeah! Well… Sort of… I mean I’m definitely well away from Altrusk. He’ll never find me now. But I’m still kind of stuck.”
He couldn’t believe it. He’d honestly believed that he’d never hear the girl’s voice again. “How?”
“Remember that room I told you about? The one with the door I was afraid of?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I did it. I went in. It didn’t let me out, like I’d hoped. And it hurt really bad…but it sent me somewhere else. Apparently, there’s lots of places out there like Altrusk’s house. And I guess I can move between them.”
“That’s…kind of cool.”
“I know, right? After you left, Altrusk was insanely mad. He couldn’t really hurt me—he’s already done all he can possibly do to me—but I decided I had to do something. So I went to that room with the door and I just went for it.”
“That was very brave of you.”
“Thanks. But…I have you to thank for that.”
“Me? I didn’t do anything.”
“Yeah you did. You were my friend. I needed a friend. Plus… Well, this is kind of weird, but do you remember how I told you I had that connection to my family? I could feel them? I was in their thoughts?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, after you left, I realized I have that with you now, too.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. So I’m kind of in your thoughts now.”
“Oh. That’s…”
“Weird and kind of creepy? Yeah. I know.”
“I wasn’t going to say that.”
“I know you weren’t.”
“Okay, yeah, it’s weird and kind of creepy.”
“I know. But hey, I may not be able to get back to my family, but I can at least move around. And I found out I can talk to you.”
“Yeah. How exactly are you doing this?”
“I found a way to hop into the phone lines. And since I’m in your thoughts, I know your number. I’ll be able to talk to you any time I want, as long as you have a phone. Any phone.”
“That’s…cool,” he replied. And he meant it. After assuming she was lost, it was incredible to actually be able to talk to her again.
“In fact, even without a phone, you can always talk to me. I’ll always be able to hear you. And I think I can help you, too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’ve learned a lot after all these years of being stuck in Altrusk’s house. I have all that he knows, for starters.”
“You do?”
“And the knowledge of all the other people trapped in that house. Plus, I think the house itself gave me an intimate connection to the fissure. I could even feel Father Billy a little bit. I’m not sure if it was because he’s in the fissure or because he was with you, but I could see where he was and how to guide you back to him.”
“Wait… So that was you sending me those text messages?”
“Yep!”
“How did you—?”
“I’m in your head, remember?”
“Right. That’s useful. Thanks.”
“By the way, Father Billy’s fine. He might’ve lost some of his hearing, but he’s definitely not dead.”
“That’s good news. I was worried.”
“I know.”
“This you-being-in-my-head thing is a little weird.”
“I know that too. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m just happy you’re safe.”
“I’m just super excited to be able to talk to you!”
“Me too. Where are you? You said you could go to other houses like Altrusk’s?”
“I can. And not all of them are super-scary. This one’s kind of nice. It’s in Australia.”
“Australia? Really?”
“I know, right?”
“So there’s a fissure in Australia?”
“There’re fissures all over the place. They’re not all well-defined. And they don’t all connect to nightmare worlds like the one you’re in. Like I said, it’s nice here.”
“Cool.”
“But I should go for now. You need to concentrate on the path. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Sure.”
“Oh. And can I call Karen?”
“What? Oh. Yeah. I guess. You can do that?”
“Of course. I can call anybody now.”
“Even your parents?”
Isabelle paused. “Um. Yeah. I can. But…”
“What would you say?”
“Yeah. They’d think it was a cruel practical joke. And that wouldn’t be cool. But Karen’s a real nice person. And she already knows about me. I’d like to talk to her.”
“Knock yourself out.”
“Thanks!”
“But she’s going to be a little surprised to hear from you.”
“I know. But she’ll be cool with it. I’m sure of it.”
“Me too.”
“I’ll talk to you later. Bye-bye!”
“Bye.” Eric hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. That was probably the single strangest telephone conversation he’d ever had. But it was also very likely the happiest.
Smiling to himself, he continued on.
Chapter Twenty
The road carried him past more pastures and a lot more cornfields. There was even a soybean field. That made for a nice change of scenery.
Yet the usual peacefulness of the rolling farmland was gone. He was constantly watching these fields, waiting to see something dark and green rise up above the corn stalks and peek at him. And of course, if there were such things as corn creeps, why not soybean creeps? Cow creeps? Hay creeps? Or even just another pissed off monkey.
The sun had
begun to sink in the western sky, but he still had a few hours left before dusk. The temperature had not even begun to drop yet. He considered what Father Billy told him about the corn creeps not coming out at night and wondered if it would really be safer after dark, or if those horrors would only give way to even more dangerous creatures.
He had a feeling that, regardless of the time of day, there would always be something in the fissure to fear.
For the time being, however, the only threat seemed to be sunburn. His arms and neck had grown noticeably hot from his time in the August sun. It was going to be an uncomfortable night. But at this rate, he’d count himself lucky if he lived long enough to suffer through it.
He was also starving. He’d now missed both breakfast and lunch. If he was stuck out here much longer, he might find that he’d gladly go a round with Furious George for a McDonald’s drive-through.
In the dream, he recalled making his way along this path. He also began to recall something else. An injury. His arm was bleeding. It wasn’t bad, but in the dream he kept looking at it. It burned.
Looking at his right arm now, in the waking world, Eric saw no sign of the injury, of course, but he could remember it vividly. It looked like teeth marks.
During the time he was off the path, taking his unplanned detour through Father Billy’s church, he was supposed to be continuing along the road, across that wooden bridge. Because he hadn’t gone there, the memory of that part of the dream never came back to him like it did in the other places he’d visited. Only vague snippets recurred to him.
He wondered why he’d been able to recall perfectly the details of the rooms back at the resort building without entering them. Merely standing in the doorway and looking toward those rooms had brought back vivid recollections of the dusty, empty spaces behind those doors. Similarly, he realized that he’d remembered much more of the grounds surrounding Altrusk’s house than he had actually seen. He’d even used the memory to save himself the trouble of searching for the path leading away.
Perhaps it was his proximity. After all, he recalled getting as far as the wooden bridge, though he never saw that structure during his flight from the corn creeps.
Maybe it had to do with straying so far from the path he took in the dream.
All he could recall was some sort of building. A house, he thought, but he couldn’t quite be sure.
A series of incoherent images rolled around deep in his mind. A porch. A driveway. A decorative well. Something strange about a tree… Something watching him…? Noises. Panic. Running.
