by Mark Lukens
What kind of noise had it been that had woken him up? He tried to remember.
A thumping noise.
His eyes darted to the kitchen and Needles held his breath as he stared at the freezer against the far wall. The noise had come from the freezer, he was sure of it now. A thumping noise.
Thump.
The freezer lid popped up for a second, then it thumped back down, like someone inside was trying to push it open.
Like Tom Gordon was trying to get out.
Needles was frozen with fear. His throat had gone instantly dry, and all of his muscles seemed like they had turned to wet spaghetti. His lips trembled. He wanted to scream out to the others, he wanted to wake them up, but the only sound that would come out of his throat was a breathless wheeze.
It was silent in the cabin for a few moments and just when Needles began to think that maybe he’d been half asleep and still dreaming, the freezer lid flew open and smashed against the log wall of the cabin. The freezer was wide open.
Needles heard Tom Gordon before he actually saw him. He could hear the crackling sound of ice breaking, like the sound of ice cube trays being twisted to break the ice cubes free. Then Tom Gordon sat up in the freezer, he sat straight up like a vampire rising up out of his coffin.
Needles pushed himself back into the recliner, leaning against it, his hands clawing at the floor, searching his body and the floor for his gun. He tried to scream again, but only a whisper of sound would come out of his mouth. It was like being stuck in a nightmare where you tried to scream but no sound would come out, or you tried to run and the ax-wielding killer caught up anyway.
Tom Gordon turned his head to stare at Needles; the frozen flesh crackled with every move, his bluish skin sparkled with ice crystals. Even though Tom Gordon didn’t have eyes anymore, he stared right at Needles like he could see him. And then Tom Gordon smiled.
Needles shook his head no. He tried to scream again, tried to plead with this thing that used to be the owner of this cabin. But he still couldn’t utter a sound, and he still couldn’t move. And he still couldn’t find his gun.
Tom Gordon got out of the freezer faster than Needles would’ve expected. He crawled out, his bent limbs somehow cracking and straightening. It sounded like his bones were popping back into place.
Needles was finally able to move. He turned back to the others. One of them had to be awake by now, one of them had to have heard the freezer lid fly open and hit the wall, one of them had to have heard all of that crackling and popping of frozen flesh and bone.
Needles found his gun underneath the chair – he wasn’t sure why it was under there, and he didn’t have time to think about it right now. His fingers wrapped around the handle and he pulled it out and turned back to the kitchen, but he was suddenly face to face with Tom Gordon who was only inches away from him. Needles was sure that his heart was going to come to a stop, he was sure that his breath was going to dry up right in his lungs from fright. He stared at the bluish skin of Tom Gordon’s face, the deep black holes where his eyes used to be. Tom Gordon’s mouth opened, his mouth was a yawning black maw with jagged yellow teeth; his breath came out in a plume of frost as he whispered to Needles. “You know what to do. You know what needs to be done.”
Needles snapped into action. He brought his gun up and fired. He squeezed the trigger over and over again, just shooting and shooting. He was on his feet without realizing it, holding his gun in both hands, trying to still his trembling arms as he squeezed off more rounds. He was screaming continuously without being aware of it.
The others woke up and jumped to their feet.
Cole was the first one at Needles’ side, and Cole had his own gun in his hand, ready to shoot. “What is it?!” Cole yelled at Needles. “What’s going on?!”
Needles pulled the trigger again and again, but the gun only clicked. He was out of ammo.
Cole aimed his gun into the kitchen where Needles had been shooting; he stared into the kitchen which was lit up somewhat by the light over the stove. There were bullet holes in the logs of the far wall, and two bullets in the freezer. But Cole didn’t see anyone in the kitchen; he didn’t see what Needles had been shooting at. “What was it?” he asked Needles.
“It was the guy from the freezer,” Needles finally whispered in a trembling voice.
“Tom Gordon?”
“Yeah,” Needles answered. “He got out of the freezer.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Needles,” Cole said in a gentle voice. “Put your gun down.”
Needles kept his gun aimed at the kitchen even though there were no more bullets in the clip. His arms trembled as he aimed his gun at the freezer. “I saw him, Cole. I saw him get out of that freezer.”
“Needles, lower your gun. Let me take it. We don’t want any accidents.”
Needles did not lower his gun.
Stella and David sat up on the couch. Jose stood on his bedroll, his gun down at his side; his eyes were puffy, and he swayed just a bit from the buzz of the whiskey a few hours earlier, and from exhaustion. He looked into the kitchen; he looked at the bullet holes on the wall and at the two bullet holes in the freezer, which was now leaking water from underneath it. Jose looked back at Cole and Needles.
“Needles,” Cole said again, his voice lower and firmer. “Lower your weapon.”
Needles finally lowered his gun, but it was more out of sheer exhaustion than from Cole’s orders. He looked at Cole with red-rimmed eyes. Tears slipped out of the corners of his eyes. “You don’t believe me, do you?”
“I didn’t say that, Needles. Let me see your gun. We don’t want another accident. Remember the old man in the bank?”
Needles nodded as he let out a shuddering breath. He handed his gun to Cole.
Cole took the gun and shoved it into the waistband of his pants. He felt a little relieved now that Needles didn’t have a weapon. He planned on getting all of the extra clips Needles had for the gun, but not right now.
Needles looked back at the kitchen and wiped at the snot and tears on his face. “Go look, Cole,” he said as he stared at the freezer. “Go look and see if that guy’s still in there.”
“It was just a nightmare,” Cole said in a soothing voice. “We’re all scared and tired. Stressed out. You just had a – ”
“No, Cole!” Needles screamed at him and he looked at him with wide frightened eyes. “It wasn’t a fucking nightmare. I know what I saw. It was that guy, Tom Gordon; he sat up in the freezer. I saw him get out and walk towards me.”
“Maybe you were still half asleep,” Cole offered, trying to keep his cool. “Maybe your eyes were open, but you were still dreaming. That happens. Especially when people are very tired and stressed out.”
Needles shook his head no. “I know what I saw.”
Cole looked at Jose and gestured for Jose to check out the freezer.
As Jose went to the kitchen, Cole looked at Stella and David. “You two see anything?”
They both shook their heads no.
“Nothing to say?” Cole asked Stella.
Stella shook her head no.
Jose stood in front of the freezer, his gun still in his hand. He opened the freezer lid and looked down inside.
“Is he still in there?” Needles asked Jose, on the verge of tears again, panic in his voice.
Jose looked back at Cole. “Cole, come over here.”
“Is he in there?!” Needles screamed.
“Yes, damn it!” Jose yelled at Needles, but he looked at Cole. “Cole?”
Cole hurried across the wood floor to the kitchen. He still had his gun in his hand, and he could feel the heat from Needles’ pistol shoved down in the waistband of his pants. He stood beside Jose and looked down at Tom Gordon’s body. He was still in the freezer, but his body looked different. It looked like he was in a different position, and some of the ice that had covered his body before looked cracked now.
Cole and Jose looked at each other, but they didn�
�t say anything out loud and Cole was thankful for that, he didn’t want to hear Needles ranting and raving again. Something seemed strange about this, but Cole was a rational man who didn’t believe in the supernatural. His mind was already coming up with possibilities. Maybe they had forgotten exactly what position Tom Gordon had been in when they saw him the first time. Maybe the bullets from Needles’ gun had shattered the ice all over Tom Gordon’s body. It had to be something like that, Cole thought, something rational.
Jose shut the lid. They glanced at each other but didn’t say anything. Cole noticed a gash in the log wall behind the freezer; it looked like it was from the freezer lid being slammed into the wall. But it could’ve been there before and they just noticed it now.
Cole looked down at the kitchen floor and noticed ice chips and crystals all over the floor, but the water leaking from the freezer was reaching out for the ice chips and melting them. Cole looked away.
Needles was having a waking nightmare, Cole thought. That’s all. He woke up from a nightmare and panicked, and then he started shooting. Cole had taken Needles’ gun, and that was the right thing to do for now.
Cole turned back to the others. “Tom Gordon’s still in the freezer. Needles just had a nightmare.”
“It wasn’t a fucking nightmare,” Needles mumbled to himself as he crawled back into the safety of his recliner.
Cole glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was almost sunup.
* * *
As the sun climbed the morning sky, nearing the tops of the trees and shedding its light across the blankets of snow on the ground, Cole sat at the dining room table. He’d made more coffee. He made it even stronger. He added even more sugar.
The others had stayed awake for a little bit, but then one by one they had fallen back asleep.
Except Stella.
She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. She sat down in a chair diagonally from Cole, her back to the others who slept in the living room.
Cole glanced at her, but he didn’t feel like questioning her. She wasn’t going to answer him anyway and he was tired of it. He was tired of all of this. His nerves were fried and he was just tired.
“I’m sorry,” Stella whispered to Cole.
He turned and looked at her.
“About Trevor. I didn’t know he was your brother at first. I should’ve seen the resemblance. I’m sorry about what happened to him.”
Cole nodded. She seemed sincere, but he couldn’t be sure with her anymore.
“I don’t know what’s out there,” she told him. “I swear to you, that’s the truth.”
Cole just stared at her.
“What did you see in that freezer?” she asked in a low voice, almost a whisper. She turned and looked into the living room at the others for just a moment, and then she looked at Cole again.
“Tom Gordon’s in that freezer,” Cole told her. “That’s where he’s been the whole time. Needles had a nightmare and freaked out.”
Stella stared at Cole for a long moment and then she just nodded.
“Why won’t you tell me everything that happened down at that dig site in New Mexico?”
Stella thought it over for a moment. “I want to trust you. But I don’t know if I can.”
Cole just stared at Stella for a long moment. There was nothing he could do or say to make her trust him now. She had been right earlier when she asked how he could ask for her help after carjacking her and David and pointing a weapon at their faces.
“Frank will be back,” Stella whispered, catching Cole off guard a little. He stared at her.
“He’s going to ask for something else,” Stella continued, “and you have to give him what he asks for, no matter what it is, or someone else will be taken.”
A sudden anger flared up inside of Cole. “And you’re just telling me this now? Why didn’t you tell us this before, when Frank asked for the money? If we would’ve known to put the money out there, then maybe Trevor would still be alive.”
“You wouldn’t have believed me if I would’ve told you before, and you know it,” Stella answered Cole through clenched teeth. Her eyes burned into Cole’s eyes.
Cole sighed, whether he wanted to admit it to her or not, he knew she was right.
“He still wants the money?” Cole asked Stella in a whisper.
“He doesn’t want the money. It doesn’t have anything to do with the money. It never did. He wants things and you have to give them to him no matter what they are.”
Cole stared at Stella. “What is he going to ask for next?”
Stella stared back, but she didn’t answer.
“You know, don’t you?” Cole whispered. “You know what he’s going to ask for next.”
Stella jumped as someone touched the back of her neck. She whirled around in her chair and she was face to face with David. She hadn’t even heard him walk up behind her from the living room.
And Cole hadn’t seen David walk up behind Stella.
David stared at Stella and Cole. “He’s outside again. He’s calling you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Cole woke Jose and Needles up. Jose jumped to his feet and claimed he’d only been asleep for a few minutes. Cole didn’t want to argue with him.
“What time is it?” Jose asked as he struggled to come fully awake.
“About ten o’clock,” Cole answered as he slipped on his leather gloves.
Cole put his coat on and zipped it up. He checked his gun.
Needles jumped up from his recliner. “I’m not going out there again,” he said. He looked at Cole. “I want my gun back.”
“Not right now, Needles,” Cole said and looked at Stella. “Get your coat on, I want you out there with us this time.”
Stella stared at Cole. “I’ll get David’s coat.”
“Leave him inside this time. Needles will keep an eye on him.”
“I’d rather not let David out of my sight,” Stella said.
Cole didn’t say anything – he wasn’t giving her a suggestion.
“I’ll watch him,” Needles said and then he glanced at the front door. He seemed to be trying to be helpful, but Stella could see something else in Needles’ eyes, something buried deep inside there, something sinister.
Jose’s words from last night echoed through Cole’s mind – “If I see Frank again, I’m going to get some answers out of him. I promise you that.” Cole didn’t want David outside if Jose started shooting at Frank and Frank or whoever else was out there in the woods decided to shoot back. But he didn’t want to go into a long explanation about it with Stella.
Stella got her coat on and she walked over to David who sat rigidly on the couch, his spiral notebook on his lap. She crouched down in front of him and smoothed his long hair back. She looked into his dark eyes. She could see the fear in those eyes. “You sit right here,” she whispered to David. “Don’t come outside no matter what you hear. Okay?”
David just nodded.
“We’ll only be out there for a few minutes.”
Again David nodded. Stella hugged him, and then she stood up and looked at Needles. She didn’t have a good feeling about leaving David in here with him, but she could be back inside in a few seconds if she needed to. At least Needles didn’t have his gun with him anymore.
Cole, Jose, and Stella gathered at the front door, bracing themselves for a moment before Cole unlocked and opened the door. Cole and Jose checked their guns again, making sure they had full clips and making sure a bullet was chambered and ready. Cole had reloaded Needles’ gun and he had it stuck into the back of the waistband of his pants. He had Trevor’s gun in his coat pocket.
Cole glanced at Stella. She had been about to tell him a few minutes ago what Frank was going to ask for – but now he was going to find out for himself.
Cole unlocked the door. He opened the door. He stepped out onto the front porch. Jose and Stella followed him, and the three of them stood close to each other on the porch.
Stella closed the door, but she left it open just a crack. She didn’t want to shut the door all the way, and she wanted to be close to the door.
The three of them stared out at Frank who stood in the same spot in the snow as before. He looked the same, same blue flannel shirt, same pants, same unanimated face, his head cocked to the side at an odd angle. He looked like a puppet waiting for his strings to be pulled.
Frank came alive, and that creepy smile was on his face in an instant. “Hi, everyone!” he shouted and gave them a mechanical-like wave of his hand.
“What did you do with Trevor?” Cole shouted.
Frank’s smile drooped and his face dropped in an exaggerated frown. “Oh, that was unfortunate,” he told them.
“What did you do with his body?!” Cole yelled.
“You have to give him what he wants!” Frank said with the frown still on his face. “You have to give him exactly what he wants or bad things will happen.”
“We’re not doing anything anymore until you tell me what you did with Trevor!”
Frank stood motionless in the snow, his head cocked to the side, almost like he was listening to something no one else could hear. “You really want to see Trevor again?” Frank asked.
“Yes, right now! Where is he?!”
But Frank didn’t answer.
“Who is doing this? Why doesn’t this person come out and show himself?!” Cole yelled; he could feel the rage building up inside of him again, he felt like he was going to snap at any second. “I want to see him!!”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Frank said. “It has to be this way.”
“I want to speak to this person directly!” Cole said.
“You are,” Frank answered. “Through me.”
Cole could tell that Jose was getting antsy beside him, fidgeting, ready to go for his gun. “This is bullshit,” Jose whispered. “Let’s just rush him. Make him talk.”
“What do you want?!” Cole yelled out to Frank
Frank stood motionless in the snow, impervious to the freezing weather even though he only wore pants and a flannel shirt. “He wants two human eyeballs on the front porch by sundown,” Frank told them.
