by Jordan Shay
“Why do you hate it? It’s pretty good work, isn’t it?”
I shrugged. “I’m just over it.”
Caleb laughed. “You just get bored easy. You’re a free spirit. You need a more interesting job, probably.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right.” I looked over at him and caught his eyes lingering on me. He realized he was caught and quickly snapped his head back around. I wasn’t sure if I should say something.
“You’re a beautiful girl Anna. I hope you will find the happiness you are looking for. You deserve it, you know?” He kept his eyes on the road after that, and soon we arrived at the deserted cabin.
We parked the buggy and walked to the cabin. There was a light on in the cabin, shining through the windows, and my heart was racing in excitement at seeing my love. I jumped out of the buggy and told Caleb thank you.
“I’ll be back in a few hours.” He nodded at me. “Go on. I’ll make sure you get in.”
I ran to the door and tried to turn the knob. It was locked. I laughed. Just who did he think would be coming in way out here? I knocked on the door and looked back at Caleb. He was watching me.
There was a light flickering inside, but I didn’t see any movement. I knocked again. After a couple moments, I started to worry. Why wasn’t he answering? Was he okay in there? I knocked again, this time a little longer and a little harder. Still nothing.
I heard Caleb come up behind me. “What? Did he lock you out?” Confused, he dug in his pocket to get his key out to unlock the door. I started to go in, but then he stopped me. “Wait. Let me check first.” He went in and I waited on the porch. It was dark, and the noises in the woods started to scare me. The cold air was also making me shiver.
A few moments later Caleb came back to the door.
“Sorry, Anna. Derek’s not here. No one is.” He looked perplexed. I felt confused, sad, angry and worried. All at once.
What the fuck is going on? Where is he?
“I’m sorry. He told me he’d be here.”
We got back in the buggy and sat there for a few minutes. “Do you want me to take you home?” he asked.
I had an idea. “Can you take me to Derek’s house? Do you know where he lives?”
Caleb nodded. “I do, but it will take us an hour to get there by buggy, Anna.”
I wasn’t sure what to do.
Then, my impulsive self said, “Yeah, let’s go.” I was worried about Derek. Something didn’t feel right.
Caleb sighed. He took a few minutes to get his horse some water and then we were on our way. I had no idea where we were going or what we would find when we got there. Caleb reached over and held my hand tightly as we rode on through the cool, dark, night, unsure what the darkness held for us.
We rode for what felt like hours. We had to leave our little town and head through the city. Well, to most folks, it wouldn’t be referred to as a city. But, to us, to those of us who live in the country, we called it the city. We rode down the main road, Route 22, also called Main Street. It was of course, the center of town. Little small businesses lined the main road. The lights were bright, and lined about every ¼ mile. People were in cars, hustling and bustling around. We saw a few other buggies out. It was hard to make out who was in them though.
Finally out of the town, we hit country again. The houses become further and further apart. It became darker, once again. Caleb made a right, then went around a curb, took a left, and traveled a bit more. Two more right turns, and he started to slow down.
“Are we there?” I asked.
“Yep. He lives atop that hill. Gotta go down this driveway.”
It was a smooth driveway, made of asphalt, I think. The horses clattered their hooves loudly on the pavement, and we wisped down the drive, up the hill, and arrived at this darling cottage. It had several outdoor lights illuminating down from the underside of the roof, lighting up each side of the house. It was white, with fancy Victorian-like trim. Trees speckled the property, but allowed for much of the sky and moonlight to be seen. It was beautiful.
“Anna, I’ll hitch the horses, then we will go see if Derek is here.”
“Okay. Caleb?” I had a bad feeling. Caleb’s soft eyes met mine and lingered. “I’m scared,” I wanted to say more, but I couldn’t get past the lump that had formed in my throat.
Caleb quickly jumped down, led the horses and buggy over to a tree, and hitched them. I think he was just as perplexed as me about the situation. He ran back to my side, helped me down, and we made our way to the house together.
“Stay behind me, Anna. I don’t know if anyone is here, and I don’t want to startle them.” I squeezed his hand, frightened at the thought. He squeezed back. “I won’t let anything happen, don’t worry. Just let me go first.”
I obeyed. I wasn’t going to pull my ‘miss independent card’ now. I felt protected with Caleb. And I was so happy that he was here with me.
As we approached the house, Caleb started looking around. His pace slowed, and his face looked worried.
“What is it, Caleb?”
“Someone’s been here. Look, someone rode right through his gardens. Amish. See the tracks, horse and buggy.”
I focused my eyes on the gardens. They were wilted from the winter approaching, but nonetheless, gardens. They were torn up by hooves and wheels. The yard was damaged too. Dread filled me. Why would an Amish person come out here to Derek's? Everyone loves Derek. He is welcomed in our Amish community. I just don’t get it.
“Let’s try and get in, Anna.”
We headed over to the front door. It was open, but just by a crack. I’d never been to Derek’s house before. Come to think of it, I wasn’t even sure if he lived alone. He had never mentioned anyone else.
Caleb and I walked in the front door, standing in the living room. Simple beige furniture, a deer head about the tall peaked wall, and a large TV. The living room opened up into the kitchen. Derek had dark cabinets with gorgeous stainless steel appliances. I’d never seen stainless steel appliances in a real house. I only saw pictures of them in magazines. The magazines I was forbidden to read, but I read them anyway when I’d go to an English store.
“Derek! Derek, are you here?” Caleb’s voice rang through the silence.
We listened for a response, but heard nothing.
“Anna, I’m going to go look upstairs and see if he’s up there. Wanna come or wait here?”
“I’ll wait here.”
“Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
Caleb ran out of the kitchen, through the living room, and up the stairs. I could hear him walking around up there, and calling Derek’s name. Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to live here. In this house. With Derek. This is the kitchen where I would make wonderful meals for him. He’d be sitting at the kitchen table talking to me as I cooked. I would steal kisses in between mixing mashed potatoes, and plating the food. I could totally picture myself living here, with that sexy man at my beck and call. Day and night.
But, where the hell was he now?
Caleb returned to the kitchen. He shook his head. He hadn’t found Derek.
“I’m going to go to the basement.”
“I’m going with you, Caleb.” No sense in me doing nothing. I should be helping.
The stairwell to the basement was dark. Caleb led the way, and again, I followed closely behind. At the bottom of the steps, Caleb found a pull-string light. He pulled the string, and the light bulb popped on. I couldn’t see beyond Caleb, I could only see shadows of stuff, outlines of things that I guess Derek was storing in the basement.
Caleb immediately stiffened and thrust his arm behind him to stop me from getting any closer.
Closer to what?
“Anna, go back up to the kitchen!” he yelled.
With that, I pushed through Caleb. Ignoring his direction to return to the kitchen, I did just the opposite. And what I saw sent me in a frenzy. Caleb was reaching for me, but I pushed him away.
/> “Oh my God. Derek! Derek!”
I felt out of control. Crying. I ran over to Derek, who was hogtied and lying bloody on the floor, and knelt at his side. I laid my head on his knees. Sobbing. I could feel Caleb right behind me, but I couldn’t see him through my river of tears. He was dead! I was sure he was dead! All the blood. Oh my God, the blood! Like I have never seen before. All over him, all over the floor. Now, all over my dress, as I knelt in it.
“Move over, Anna! We gotta get him upstairs!”
During my breakdown, Caleb must have felt for Derek’s pulse. He felt confident that Derek was alive. To me, he looked dead. Pale and bloody.
Caleb untied Derek, and with strength I’ve never seen of him, he lifted Derek over his shoulder and took him up to the living room. He managed to lay him on the beige couch and kept repeating, “Derek, we are here to help you. Can you hear me? Anna’s here too. Derek? Can you hear us?”
“Oh my God, Caleb, what happened?”
“Anna, go get some hot water and towels, and a glass of water.”
I had no idea where to look for what Caleb needed. Like a mad woman, I ran to the kitchen and started flinging open cabinets and drawers until I found what I needed. A bowl, and some towels. I filled the bowl with hot water, and filled a glass of drinking water, as Caleb instructed.
Caleb began cleaning up all the blood on Derek. He dunked the clean towels into the bowl of hot water. Then, wiped up Derek’s face, head, neck, and arms. He rung the towels out, back into the water. It turned a pinkish-red. Derek began to move his eyes, fluttering them open and closed. But that was all he moved. The rest of him wasn’t budging. Not even a twitch. He just laid there. Listless. Helpless. In pain. I held his hand, my heart ached inside.
“Derek, try and take a drink.”
Derek raised his head, just a bit. His eyes clenched from the pain he felt. Caleb brought the glass to Derek’s lips and helped him to take a sip. I was taken back by Caleb’s sincere ability to care for Derek. He expressed such compassion and calmness. He just kept reassuring Derek, that he would be okay.
“They hit him good, Anna. So many times.”
I asked, “Where’s all the blood coming from? Should we get him to a hospital?”
Derek then managed to blurt out a muffled word that resembled, “No.”
“He’s bleeding from this cut on his arm.” He now had the towel pressed firmly on him. “They got him with a utility knife or something. See this straight line?”
I nodded my head.
Caleb lifted the towel, just long enough for me to see the slice. It looked about five inches long, and straight as an arrow. They cut his arm open like a filet.
“The other cuts will be fine. But this one, it needs stitches. It won’t stop bleeding unless we get it closed up. He’s been beat hard, but it doesn’t look like anything is broke. They must have beaten him a long time,” explained Caleb.
“So should we load him up and get him to the hospital?”
Derek manages another muffled “No.”
“Fuck it, Derek. You need a doctor.” His stubbornness made me angry. But I knew he was protecting someone.
He was protecting me.
Caleb blurts out, “I can sew it.”
“We are going to sew Derek up? On the couch? Oh, hell no...” My voice was shaky. I don’t do well with blood, especially on someone I love. But what options did I really have? Derek needed stitches.
“Anna, we need two small washcloths, alcohol, a sewing needle; a curved one if you can find it, and fishing line.” Caleb was direct and confident. He knew what he was doing. I wondered how he knew so much, but now was not the time to discuss.
“Fishing line? We are going to sew fucking fishing line into Derek’s arm?” My head was starting to pound.
I had reservations, and questions in my head, but Caleb was plunging right ahead. Derek didn’t argue. He didn’t have the strength to.
Now where in the hell am I doing to find these supplies?
I quickly darted around the house, looking in areas I wasn’t familiar with, and somehow I managed to get all the items that Caleb needed. When I returned to Derek’s side, his face looked a bit more pink, less pale. I gave him a kiss on the cheek and handed Caleb the supplies.
“Ok, Anna. Are you ready?”
My mind said no, but my mouth opened up and said, “Yes.”
Caleb looked directly at Derek and said, “I’m not gonna lie. This is gonna hurt. Hurt like hell. But might not be as bad as what you went through. Okay?”
Derek managed to get out, “Okay.”
“Anna, take one cloth and soak it with the alcohol. Take the other one and shove it in his mouth.”
Shove it in his mouth? What? Suffocate him? We are going to suffocate him to sew him up? No, that doesn’t make sense...
“He’s gonna scream, Anna. This will help muffle the sound. Trust me.”
I did as he instructed, I soaked a washcloth in alcohol and handed it to Caleb. Then, I took the other and put it in Derek’s mouth.
“I’m so sorry, Derek.” I begged for forgiveness as I shoved the washcloth in his mouth.
Caleb took the alcohol soaked washcloth and rubbed the cut with force. Derek screamed, but we barely heard it. I watched as his face turned beat red and his fists clenched up into balls. The veins in his neck popped out, and his muscles tightened. It was horrific to watch and I started to feel nauseous. Caleb worked fast. He then took one of the longer towels from earlier, and tied it around Derek’s arm; to make a tourniquet. Carefully, Caleb sanitized the fishing line and needle. He then threaded the needle so eloquently, slowly pushing through the fishing line, and began sewing. He sewed like a seamstress, with precision and perfection, slow and meticulous.
“Anna, see if you can find some tape. Big tape. And a hand-towel.”
“Ok, Caleb.” Big tape? What the fuck does that mean?
For the final time that night, I rummaged through Derek’s house. I had to go to the garage to locate some duct tape. I found another hand-towel in the kitchen, and returned to the men.
Caleb was done. Derek’s eyes were open, and the washcloth was out of his mouth. Caleb took the clean towel and wrapped it gently around Derek’s arm. He then secured it with duct tape.
“He’ll be ok, Anna. He just needs to rest.” Caleb sat back and took a deep breath. I was fully aware this had taken a toll on him, and the stress and exhaustion was now completely caught up with him. He had worked on Derek with sheer adrenaline,, and it had worn off. He rubbed his temples, and I noticed some sweat on his brow. “I should get you home. I can come back and stay with him.”
“No way.” I blurted out.
“No?” asked Caleb.
“No. I’m not going home. I’m not leaving Derek. We can’t leave him here all alone. What if they come back? What if they come back and kill him?”
My mind was racing in circles. Thinking the worst. Imagining the worst. Expecting the worst.
“They’re not going to come back. Not tonight.”
Taking a deep breath, I knelt beside Derek, holding his hand. I asked Caleb, “Who would do this? Why Derek? Everyone in our community loves Derek. They even invite him to dinners, benefits, barn raisings…He’s like one of us.”
Caleb interrupted me, “Someone knows. Someone knows about you and him. They are trying to scare him off. Discipline him. They won’t kill him, but they’ll come close. Anna, other than me, does anybody else know? About you and Derek?”
I felt sick. My mind swirled. Mama? She saw me making eyes at him. Then heard me blurt out his name from a dream. Would she do this? No. No way. It angers her, but she wouldn’t do this. She wouldn’t hurt another human being ever.
My mind was racing through relatives, friends, people I’ve passed. God! Who did this? Who knows about Derek and me? Dammit, think Anna, think!
Then, it hit me. Hard. The video. Son-of-a-bitch. That bastard. That fucking bastard who tried to put his hands up my dress. He did thi
s.
I looked up at Caleb. Derek had fallen asleep. He looked at me, eyes wide open, waiting for me to speak.
“Caleb. I’m full of sin. I know that. Please, I hope you won’t judge me.”
“I won’t judge you, Anna. I Promise. I may be Amish, but I guess I’m sinful too. I keep your secrets, and I’m okay with that.”
“It was Mr. Johnny. He had to have done this.”
“What? The man you work for? The furniture store guy?”
“Well...he is the man I worked for.”
Caleb looked confused. Last he knew, I wanted a new job. He didn’t know I didn’t have a job.
