She will do, the man said, his voice rumbling through the basement. She has much more power than you.
Where is he? Rachel repeated.
The man turned back to Rachel. There is a cave northwest of here in the hills. The entrance is a thousand yards south of Indian Rock. You’ll find him there. He’s been separated for years. Don’t expect him to be his normal self for many days. He turned back to face Eliza. When you’re split in two like that, it doesn’t always go back together easily.
Eliza looked at Rachel, confused. Rachel?
I’m sorry, Rachel replied, looking away. I’m so sorry, Eliza. It was the only way.
Rachel turned and walked back to the stairwell. Eliza tried to twist her body to watch her go, but the skulls held her firm, not allowing her to turn.
What was that all about? Eliza asked. Who are you? Let me go!
Per my agreement with her, I won’t be letting you go for a couple of hours, the man said, walking closer. He examined her; she watched as his image shifted rapidly from a fully-formed face to a skull and back again, making it difficult to gauge his features.
You look delicious, he said, a lustful hunger entering his tone. But I cannot expect to receive eggs if I eat the chicken. He raised a hand to her face and ran a finger down her cheek; she could feel it against her skin whenever his body appeared; when it disappeared and the skull replaced his head, the sensation of his finger was gone. Her entire body convulsed in revulsion.
The power that Eliza had felt upstairs, only moments before, now seemed inert and ineffectual next to this creature. It made her feel passive, and she hated it.
What agreement? she asked. Why are you holding me? Why did you let her go?
She’s off to find her Marc, the man replied, walking to her side and inspecting her profile. He’s not quite the man she thinks he is, not anymore. But she was willing to do whatever she could to find him, including betraying you.
Eliza’s mind was a whirl. In her heart she realized that what he was saying was true; Rachel had just apologized to her face, and left. Something, some kind of agreement, had existed between Rachel and this thing in front of her. But what? Why?
You even look like her, the man said, walking to her other side. She saw the feathers of the wings next to his skull ripple and twitch.
Like who?
Like the one who kept me alive for so many years, he replied. The one you’re about to become.
Eliza shook her head, confused. I’m not about to become anything.
Yes, you are, the man replied. You’re one of the few who have the ability to do it. I’ve been hungry for a long time now, and you’re going to solve all that. You’re going to bring me fresh meat every new moon, just like she did. You’ll do it without fail. The chicken must lay eggs, or the chicken becomes dinner.
The wings on the side of his head extended. They were huge, nearly filling the room. She stepped back, frightened, but the skulls held her firmly.
Don’t return unless it’s with meat, he said as he approached. Now, breathe. This will only take a moment.
The bouncing bass of the polka above repeated endlessly, as though it was on a loop. She attempted to pull away from their grasp, but their teeth held firm.
What is happening to me? she wondered, trying to process the flood of events of the past five minutes, but feeling her eyelids shut. A wave of sleep hit her, just as she felt the brush of feathers from the creature’s wings.
Chapter Six
Eliza opened her eyes. Debris stuck to the side of her face, and she brushed at it, feeling it fall away.
It was dark. Around her were faint outlines of a structure. Her eyes were still trying to focus. She rested her hands at her sides, feeling bare wood. Floorboards, she thought. Pressing down on them, she attempted to stand.
I’m in my living room, she thought, looking around, trying to let in light. It’s the future. I’ve been asleep for years, and my living room is dead and abandoned.
She looked into the kitchen. It was empty; no table, no appliances.
Her watch read 3:30. Seeing the numbers on the display helped bring her back to her senses.
This isn’t my house, she thought. This is the Grignon farm, and it’s the middle of the night.
She made her way out the kitchen door. At her home in Spring Green, the old garage would be just across from her; the garage that stood in front of her now was crumbling.
Rachel, she thought, her memory returning. Rachel betrayed me.
She reached down to her arms where the skulls had held her, feeling her flesh for signs of damage. There was none.
My car, she thought. I have to get out of here.
She glanced up, trying to orient herself. There, in the distance, was the roof of Waverly Hall.
If the hall is there, she thought, turning to her left, then the Hocker’s place should be straight ahead. And that’s where I left my car.
She started walking.
She better not have taken my car! she thought, trying to find places to step in the darkness.
As she made her way toward the Hocker home, she tried to replay what had happened at the hall in her mind. It came at me, she thought. That man. He kept changing, his face flipping from normal to skull. He came at me, and I passed out.
The Hocker home came into view, and she was relieved to see her car still parked in the driveway. Pam’s car was gone.
Somehow I woke up at the Grignon farm. I was at the hall, but they moved me while I was out.
The house was dark and silent; the only noise the sound of her feet crunching on the gravel. She considered going to the door and knocking, waking up the house and demanding answers. Instead she fished her keys from her pocket and got into her car.
What do I do now? she wondered. I need someone to talk to.
She thought of Robert. Her hand turned the ignition, and she backed out of the driveway. As she put the car into gear, she imagined talking to him, explaining what had happened, and getting his opinion on things. The idea of it made her feel better.
The Hocker home slowly receded into darkness in her rear view mirror, and as she left Waverly to find the main road back to Madison, she felt a small pang in her stomach, making her wonder when she’d last eaten.
●
“Eliza?” Robert asked, his hand rising to shield his eyes from the light outside the door. He was wearing a pair of cutoffs. “What time is it?”
She walked to him and wrapped her arms around him. The feeling of his skin on her palms was reassuring. He let the door close, and she felt his arms responding, holding her.
“I’m sorry for the hour,” she said. “Rachel came back.”
“Rachel?” he asked, breaking the hug and holding her at arm’s length. “How is she?”
“It’s a long story,” she replied.
“Come in,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her through the office, into the hallway that opened to his living area. “Let’s get you inside and you can tell me about it. Coffee?”
Eliza entered the large industrial space and walked for a sofa. “Sure, I guess. I haven’t slept. I’m not sure I could.”
Granger, Robert’s father, appeared in the hallway, wearing a gigantic robe. “Eliza?” he asked. “What’s wrong? It’s the middle of the night!”
“It’s almost morning,” Robert replied, walking behind the kitchen counter to begin making coffee. “Rachel’s back.”
“Rachel?” Granger asked, walking to Eliza and sitting across from her. “That’s pre-dawn news?” He rubbed his hand over his face.
“She…” Eliza began, unsure where to start.
“You, my dear, look horrible,” Granger said, suddenly alarmed. “Robert, make her some coffee.”
“Already on it,” Robert called from the kitchen.
“I feel OK,” she said. “Well, maybe not. Something happened. I feel different. Maybe I’m just tired.”
“Tell us what happened,” Robert said. “Start from the top
.”
Eliza related the events of the evening, beginning with Rachel’s appearance on her doorstep and ending with finding herself inside the Grignon farm. Robert delivered the coffee midway through the story, and Eliza wrapped both hands around the mug, occasionally sipping at it. When she was done, she set it down in front of her.
“I can’t believe it,” Granger said. “I can’t believe Rachel would do such a thing.”
“But what?” Eliza asked, feeling her eyelids droop. “What did she do, exactly?”
“We need to find out,” Robert replied. “This creature threatened you, attacked you. We need to find out why.”
“He seemed to think I was going to do something for him,” Eliza said, finding it difficult to stay awake. “He mentioned the new moon.”
Robert saw her nodding off. “Come with me,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up from the sofa. “You need to sleep. We can talk more when you wake up.”
She followed him to his room, where he quickly arranged his bed so that she could lie down on it. She felt her eyes close the moment her head hit the pillow, then the warmth of a blanket being pulled over her.
“I didn’t mean to take your bed,” she mumbled.
“I’m already up for the day,” Robert replied. “You sleep, and we’ll talk more when you wake up.”
She let unconsciousness pass over her, already feeling better now that Robert and Granger were nearby.
●
The blanket fell from her as she sat up. I’m in Robert’s room, she thought, orienting herself. She liked the look of it, wanting to fall back onto the pillow that smelled like him. The clock next to the bed said it was noon, so she forced herself to stand. She had slept in her clothes; they felt disgusting. She wandered into the large open living room and kitchen, but no one was there. The light on the coffee maker was on, so she walked to it and poured herself a cup. It smelled of having been on the burner for a while, but she didn’t care; she wanted to feel the warmth of the mug in her hands and sip on something hot.
She walked back down the hallway until she found the door to the workspace, and entered it. The large rolled doors were up, letting bright autumn sunlight into the work area. Granger was seated behind a desk, and Robert had his head under the hood of a car.
“Eliza!” Granger called, standing up. “How’d you sleep?”
“OK, I guess,” she said, sipping at the burnt coffee. “Thanks for putting me up.”
Robert’s head appeared from under the hood. He turned to Arnie, who was working on another car near the garage doors. “You got this, Arnie?” he called.
“Yeah,” Arnie called back.
Robert walked to Eliza. He was wearing a tank top that was dirty with grease. “We need to talk. My dad and I have been discussing what happened to you. I think we need to go up there.”
“Back to Waverly?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Granger said. “Today.”
“Come on, let’s go inside,” Robert offered, leading them back into the living space. Once they were there, he stripped off the tank top. “Let me get cleaned up, and we’ll go.”
Eliza put down her mug. “Why the rush?” she asked.
“Because,” Granger replied, “based on what you told us last night, I think the timer is ticking on you.”
“Timer?” she asked.
“Yes,” Granger replied, “I think something started last night, and we need to figure it out. If the new moon is involved, that’s only days away.”
Granger and Robert clearly seemed more alarmed than she felt. The past twenty four hours were a haze in her mind; she tried to recall arriving last night, and she couldn’t clearly remember telling Granger and Robert the details of what had happened to her.
“Eliza?” Robert asked. “Are you OK?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “I’m just having a little trouble recalling last night. It’s kind of fuzzy.”
“You told us about Rachel,” Granger said. “Strange creatures in the hall at Waverly. You passed out.”
Suddenly it came back to her, and the ease of the morning was replaced by a low panic. “I remember now,” she said. “I’m glad I told you everything last night. It all seemed so hazy.”
“You said Rachel went to a cave to find Marc,” Granger replied. “I think that’s where we should start. Let’s head up there and see what we can find.”
“Wait,” Eliza said. “I haven’t been home since last night. I’m in my same clothes. I feel gross. I want to go home first.”
“Alright,” Granger said. “Robert, take her home, then come back and we’ll head up north.”
Chapter Seven
“You’re sure?” Robert asked, re-folding the topographic map in his hands. “A thousand yards south of Indian Rock?”
“That’s what she said last night,” Granger replied.
“There might be a dozen places around here called Indian Rock,” Eliza said as they marched through the trees. “It’s not exactly the most unique name.”
“But not one that’s northwest of Waverly,” Robert said, his finger running along the lines of the map. “It must be in this general area. We should spread out. Eliza, you be in the center; we’ll make sure we can see you from each side. If anyone finds it, don’t go in until we’re all there.”
Eliza stayed in the middle as Granger took her right and Robert her left. She could just barely see them in the distance. She walked forward, looking for anything that might indicate a cave.
A rock outcropping appeared on her right, and she walked to it, exploring its surface, looking for any sign of an opening. There was none.
Standing up again, she turned to see Robert in the distance to her left. She kept walking.
After they’d trudged another ten minutes through the forest, she heard Granger calling, followed by a loud whistle. She turned and saw Robert approaching; she waited for him so they could walk together to where Granger was standing.
“Something here!” Granger said, pointing to a low entrance in the rock next to him.
“Oh god,” Eliza said, lowering herself to look in. “It looks like an animal cave. This might not be a good idea.”
“I’ll drop and drift into it,” Robert said. “Stay out here until I come back.”
Eliza and Granger took a place on either side of Robert as the man closed his eyes and dropped into the River.
Eliza noticed that his body didn’t slouch or change in the least while he left it; his breathing remained solid and steady, and no facial expressions gave away what he might be experiencing. I wonder if I look the same when I drop, she thought.
His eyes opened, and he turned to her. “Nothing but a raccoon. He didn’t look happy, either.”
“Let’s keep going,” Granger replied, and they spread out again.
“Circle to the left, Eliza,” Robert called as they walked. “We’re getting too far from the thousand-yard point.”
Eliza walked another couple of minutes, arcing her path toward the left as Robert instructed. To her right, Granger was hurrying to keep up, so she slowed down a little to give him extra time. After another ten minutes, she heard another yell — this time from Robert.
She waited while Granger joined her. He was huffing and puffing while they walked to Robert. They found him standing by a large rock outcropping that was taller than any of them. A section in the middle of the outcropping held a path that twisted, obscured by trees.
“It’s in there,” Robert said. “The opening is a few feet beyond those trees.”
“Same routine?” Granger asked. “Seems like the safest way to check it out.”
“Sure,” Robert said, closing his eyes. Eliza watched him again for any sign of facial disturbance, but Robert remained as still as a statue until he opened his eyes a minute later.
“It’s large,” he said. “No sign of animals, which is strange, since it would be perfect for them.”
“Something has scared them away,” Granger replied.
“Yeah,” Robert replied. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
“How far did you go into it?” Eliza asked.
“Not far,” Robert replied. “I think this is it.”
“Let’s go,” Granger said, reaching for his flashlight and walking toward the trees.
Eliza and Robert followed. After traversing a short path that twisted behind the outcropping, Eliza saw the cave opening; it was a large crack in the side of the rock, wide at the bottom, tapering to a point at the top. They could enter without crouching, and Eliza followed Granger as he slipped inside.
It didn’t take long for the light from outside to become useless, and Robert and Eliza each turned on a flashlight. The cave path angled downward and opened into a large chamber.
“This was as far as I went,” Robert said. “There’s a pathway continuing on at the far end.” He swung his flashlight beam around, pointing to the other end of the rock room.
“Oh,” Eliza said, feeling a familiar tug in her stomach. “This is it. You’re right, Robert. Something’s down there.”
She stopped walking and dropped into the River. Instantly she heard the moaning, coming from the passageway. She noticed that Robert and Granger had joined her. You hear that? she asked.
I do, Granger replied. Sounds like someone’s in pain.
A man, Robert added.
Well, that’s what we came to see, Eliza said, drifting forward until she was at the other end of the room. It was dark, and she wasn’t able to see into the passage, but the moans increased in volume and intensity.
We’re going to need light, Granger said. We’ll have to move our bodies in there.
They dropped from the River and Eliza walked toward the passageway entrance, shining her flashlight into the dark space. It was barely tall enough to allow them entry without bending. She followed the path with Robert and Granger behind, coming to a stop when she entered a small room.
“Look,” she said, pointing with her flashlight. There were three mounds on the ground that looked like graves. Two were perfectly shaped, but the third had been disturbed.
The Haunting of Waverly Hall Page 5
