by Greg Herren
She braked to a stop and pulled over to the side of the road opposite the dark Sterling place. She dialed Candy’s number one more time. Once again, it didn’t ring—just went right to voice mail. Hi, this is Candy and I can’t take your call right now. Please leave a message and I’ll get right back to you!
She thought about calling Tony but decided against it. “You’re procrastinating,” she scolded herself, “because you don’t want to go out there.”
Maybe it was just my imagination, a bad dream of some kind.
Yeah, this time it was a bad dream? You know damned well Candy’s in trouble, Sara has her, and you have got to save her. Tony can’t do anything from a hospital bed. It’s up to you.
She took a deep breath and opened her car door.
The wind almost knocked her off her feet, her hair flying in several different directions at the same time. The wind was cold, and she gritted her teeth as she crossed the road.
“Please let me be in time,” Laney said to herself as she reached the foot of the Sterling driveway. The house was completely dark and silent. Something about the house didn’t feel right to her. She walked up the driveway, her feet crunching on the gravel. The corn rustled to her right and she swallowed, ignoring the growing sense of terror. “I never should have watched those stupid Children of the Corn movies,” she chided herself as she reached the carport at the top of the drive.
The house remained silent and dark.
“Candy?” she called out softly. “Are you here? It’s Laney.”
There was no answer—not that she expected there to be one. She muttered a brief prayer under her breath and started walking around the side of the house. There wasn’t a path; she had to walk through the grass. It was very dark, so dark she could barely see. She pulled out her phone and touched the screen. When it emitted a faint glow, she found the flashlight app, which wasn’t as strong as the real thing but provided some illumination. She held the phone in front of her and walked around to the back of the house.
The backyard was maybe twenty yards across before ending in the cornfield. But the corn wasn’t very deep—maybe three or four rows, tops. And she could see an open field back behind it.
She heard something and froze in place. Goose bumps rose on her arms and the wind made a weird whistling noise as it picked up.
“Candy?” The word came out as a weird croak, and she took another deep breath. The wind blew hair into her face, and she pushed it aside.
“Laney?”
Her knees almost buckled with relief. Candy’s voice was coming from behind the rows of corn. She ran across the yard to the first row of corn.
“Where are you?” she shouted as loudly as she dared. She strained to hear over the wind rustling the corn.
“Go home. Laney! It’s too dangerous!” came the response. “Get away while you can!”
As she pushed her way through the stalks, a dog started baying somewhere nearby. The sound curdled her blood, and she stopped for a moment. It’s just a dog, nothing to worry about, she reminded herself and stepped through the last row of corn into the empty field.
The wind was even stronger out here in the open, and it almost knocked her off her feet. She put her head down and took a tentative step forward. The bare ground was hard under her feet. “Candy?” she called out tentatively. Movement ahead and to the right caught her eye—someone was moving out near a stack of hay bales. She headed in that direction, and as she drew nearer to the bales the wind inexplicably died down. “Candy?” she called out again in a louder voice. “Where are you?”
A figure crept around the bales and into the dim light of her phone.
“Laney?” Candy asked. “Is that really you? What are you doing here?” She brushed hair out of her face.
“I was worried about you.” Laney stepped closer to her. “I had the most horrible dream, that Sara was killing you. I’m so glad to see you’re okay.” She gestured back over her shoulder toward the house. “Where are the Sterlings? What are you doing out here in the field?”
“You need to get out of here—it’s dangerous here.” Candy grabbed her arms. “Your dream was right—she was trying to kill me, but I managed to get away from her—I was hiding out here, waiting for my chance to get away.” She looked around. “I don’t see her anywhere, do you? Maybe your being here chased her off.”
Laney tilted her head to one side. Something—something didn’t seem right. She took a small backwards step. “Candy, is everything okay? Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m fine.” She looked around again. “Now, come on—you need to get out of here. Before she comes back. It’s not safe here for you here.”
Laney stared at her in shock. “If it’s not safe for me, it’s not safe for you. You said she’s already tried to kill you. Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m not leaving here without you. Tony would never forgive me if something happened to you.” She grabbed Candy’s arm, but Candy shook her off.
“I can handle her,” Candy insisted. “Now, you need to get out of here. Go!” She pushed Laney a bit, and Laney took another step back.
Something is definitely wrong here.
“You think you can handle her?” Laney stared at her, taking another backwards step. “That’s crazy, Candy, and you know it.” Turn and run, get the hell out of here, something’s really wrong, Candy is not acting like herself, why would she want me to get out of here but want to stay herself?
“She hates you a lot more than she hates me,” Candy replied, smiling. “I never did anything to Glenn. That’s what she’s doing, you know.” She took a step forward. “She’s punishing them all, everyone who ever hurt him, was mean to him, did anything to cause him pain. You think she wants to kill me? You have no idea how much she hates you.” Candy took another step forward. “You hurt him more than anyone else. The way you just kept him on a string last year, playing him? Does she love him, does she not?”
Run! Every instinct in Laney’s body was screaming at her to get out of there, to turn and run, to get in her car and not stop until she was as far away as she possibly could get, that she was in danger.
But somehow she couldn’t. She couldn’t turn, she couldn’t take her eyes off Candy as she took another step forward, still talking.
“He was gay, he always was, but he still cared about you a great deal.” Candy’s eyes were locked on hers, and Laney tried but couldn’t look away. “And you made him the laughingstock of Southern Heights High School, didn’t you? You always said you cared about him, didn’t you? But where were you last summer when he needed you? When he came out and everyone was calling him names, where the hell were you?”
“You—you’re not Candy.” Laney finally managed to get the words out. Her mind was racing. Everything Candy had just said, was it true? That’s what Glenn thought about her?
“So, you’re not as stupid as you seem.” Candy threw her head back and laughed.
It took all of Laney’s self-control not to scream in horror.
She—she wasn’t Candy.
Candy or whoever or whatever she was grabbed Laney’s arm. Laney tried to pull away but Candy was too strong. “Now you start to understand.” Candy’s mouth opened in a broad smile, and to her horror Laney saw that Candy’s teeth weren’t normal—they were sharp, like a wolf’s.
“Of course I’m not Candy.” Laney choked off a scream as the red hair began to grow longer and her face started to move and shift, like the skin was made out of plastic. It bubbled and boiled, the bones changing shape right before her very eyes. The red hair drained of color, getting lighter until finally it was the silver-blond she knew so well. The skin and bones in her face stopped shifting.
Laney pulled her arm free and screamed.
“Now, when it’s too late, at last you begin to understand what I really am.”
Laney turned, and began running. She made it about three steps before she tripped on something in the dirt. She immediately sprang to her feet and started run
ning again, heading for the rows of corn separating the field from the Sterlings’ yard.
Behind her, she could hear the laughter, that evil sound that pierced to her soul.
Candy must be dead, oh my God, what is she? What kind of demon is she? And what does she have to do with Glenn? I have to get out of here, I have to get back to my car, I’ve got to get as far away from here as I can, she wants to KILL me, my God, my God…
She was muttering prayers, long-forgotten prayers from her childhood as she raced toward the corn, her mind racing. She ran as fast as she could, tears of terror running down her face.
But the cornfield seemed to stay just as far away as it was when she was at the hay bales.
She looked back over her shoulder and saw Sara hadn’t moved. She was still standing where Laney had left her, her arms folded, almost glowing in the dark, the wind blowing the hair around her head so it almost looked like a halo.
She turned back to look at the corn rows and almost sobbed with relief when she saw that she had almost reached them, and then she was there. She pushed two stalks aside and stepped through them, almost stumbling, and—
Strong hands grabbed her.
She screamed.
And she was slapped, so hard her ears rang. Her right hand flew up to the cheek that had been struck and was still stinging.
“I’m sorry,” Glenn said. “But you were screaming right in my face. What the hell’s going on?” He looked over his shoulder. “I saw your car parked on the road and stopped to make sure you were okay. And I heard you yelling.” He raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
Her knees buckled and she threw her arms around him, sagging against his body in relief “I’ve never been so glad to see someone in my life.” She kissed his cheek. “Come on, walk with me to my car. We’re not safe here.”
“You’re shaking like a leaf.” He hugged her back. He was so warm—she hadn’t realized how cold she was until that moment, and her teeth started chattering. “What do you mean, we’re not safe here?”
Get away from him, Laney—remember what you found online! He’s not here to help you!
But looking into his warm brown eyes, the concern written all over his face, she couldn’t believe what she’d been suspecting.
Not Glenn.
She tried to pull away from him, but he held on to her. He was too strong.
“Let me go, Glenn.”
His face changed, a smile creeping across his lips. “Did you really think you were going to get away?” His eyes changed, and the Glenn she’d always known was no longer there.
She didn’t know this Glenn, didn’t recognize him.
“It really was you all along,” she whispered. He’s too strong for me, but I’ve got to get away, think, Laney, think.
“What are you talking about?”
She licked her lips. “Noah Greene. That was you, wasn’t it? She does what you want her to, doesn’t she? What is she, Glenn?”
“Are you listening to yourself?” He kept smiling at her, but it wasn’t a pleasant smile—not the smile she was used to seeing on his face.
This was a predator’s smile.
“You sound crazy, Laney.” His voice mocked her. “Noah had a car accident, everyone knows that. He wasn’t wearing a seat belt and he got thrown and the truck rolled over him.” He made a tsking sound. “A tragedy, but he drank too much and was driving too fast. Never a good combination.”
She ignored what he said. “And you killed Zack.”
“Zack hanged himself.” His smile got wider. “I suppose you think I somehow drowned Randy Froelich, too? Wow, I had no idea you had such a low opinion of me.”
“Let me go,” she panted.
“Okay.” He let go of her and stepped back, holding up his arms. “Are you sure you’re okay, Laney? You’re talking crazy, you know. Maybe I should get you home.” He took a step toward her.
“You stay away from me!” Laney had never felt so cold in her life. “You, the two of you, you’re in this whole thing together, aren’t you?”
“Have you lost your mind?” Glenn stared at her. “What’s wrong with you, Laney?”
“You—” She was gasping, tears forming in her eyes. “You killed all those kids in Farmington, didn’t you? And everyone here, you and Sara killed Noah, and Zack, and Randy, and now she’s killed Candy, and now the two of you are going to kill me, and she’s some kind of monster—”
He grabbed her by the shoulders, and began shaking her. “Laney, get a hold of yourself. I haven’t killed anyone, and Sara’s not a monster! Can you hear yourself? You sound like you’ve lost your mind!”
“Let go of me!” she screamed, and it seemed to echo through the dark night. He let go of her, and she staggered backward.
“You need help, Laney,” he insisted. “Maybe I should take you to the hospital?”
“Of course she does, dear.” Sara stepped out from the cornfield and smiled at Laney. “I was just telling her she sounded deranged. The things she accused me of? Tsk, tsk.” She shook her head and slipped her arm around Glenn’s waist.
Laney shrank back from the two of them. “You two are evil—”
“Laney, Laney, Laney.” Sara shook her head, the silver hair floating around her head. “We’re both sorry Noah died, of course, but I’m starting to think his death unhinged you a little bit. It’s understandable, especially since the two of you fought the night he died, but it’s just your own guilt, don’t you understand?”
“I am not crazy.” Laney wrapped her arms around herself. She was so cold, she felt as though she would never be warm ever again, even if she managed to live through this night. “You threatened me. You were going to kill me!”
“You thought I was Candy.” Sara laughed softly. “I don’t know what you and Tony have been cooking up in your heads about me, but it’s crazy. Tony had a head injury and is not thinking clearly, and you’ve been pretty distraught since Noah died. That’s all it is, Laney. You’ve got to accept and understand that.”
She sounded so plausible, so convincing.
Laney faltered. Maybe it was all her imagination. But the dreams—
“The dreams were just group self-hypnosis,” Glenn answered her. “Like hysterical girls during the Salem witch trials. You remember? You did your term paper on it for psychology last year.”
“How did you know about the dreams?” Laney began backing away from them. “I never told you, and I know Candy and Tony never did either. How did you know?”
“Of course Tony told me about the dreams,” Glenn replied. “He’s my best friend. We tell each other everything.”
“He didn’t tell you about this.” Laney could feel the fear creeping up her spine again. The hair on her arms was standing up. They are going to kill me. “How did you know?”
Sara shrugged. “Glenn, I tried. I know how much she means to you. But she’s going to have to die now.”
“What are you two?”
“Does it matter now?”
Laney turned and shoved her way through the rows of corn, then took off running. She could hear them behind her—it sounded like they were right on top of her.
She ran as hard as she could, trying to get away, stumbling over the uneven ground.
They caught her at the hay bales.
Chapter Sixteen
It seemed like it took forever for me to maneuver my way out of the hospital to the parking lot. All I could think of was that the girls were in serious trouble. I cursed every second I waited for Mr. Lockhart to get his car. I tried to stay calm, knowing that panicking and freaking out wasn’t going to get us there any faster. Mr. Lockhart pulled his big Suburban around to where I was standing. He leaned across and opened the door for me. On one foot, I placed the crutches in the car and then pulled myself up into the passenger seat.
I’m getting better at using these stupid damned crutches, I thought as I fastened my seat belt. Mr. Lockhart took off before I was finished buckling it, and I closed my eyes, leanin
g my head against the car window. As soon as I closed my eyes—
—I was standing in a field. The wind was blowing and it was really cold. The field was empty, just hard dirt with the occasional stack of hay bales. Off to my right was a cornfield, and as I turned my head, I could see there were a couple of rows of corn behind me as well. Just beyond those rows I could see the roof of a house. There were no lights on there, but I knew somehow it was the Sterling place.
I walked around the hay bales and stopped in horror when I reached the other side. Candy lay on top of a hay bale, her ankles and wrists tied together, a handkerchief tied around her mouth. Tears were streaming out of her eyes, and I smelled gasoline. Two empty cans were turned over on their sides just a few feet from where she lay, and I realized the hay bale was drenched with it.
She looked right at me and didn’t react. She couldn’t see me.
I opened my eyes. We were on Sixth Street, heading out of town. “We need to hurry,” I said. “Candy’s in serious trouble.”
“I can’t risk getting pulled over,” Mr. Lockhart replied. “If you’re right, we have to get there as fast as we can—but we can’t risk getting a ticket. If you’re right—your friends need us right away.”
I watched the street lights passing by. We passed the McDonald’s, Arby’s, and Pep Boys. We got caught at the light at Prairie, and Mr. Lockhart swore under his breath. I was ready to climb out of my skin myself.
I closed my eyes again and let my head tilt back against the headrest.
I could hear voices, and the corn stalks brushing against each other in the wind.
“What are we going to do with them?” It was Glenn’s voice, coming from the other side of the hay bales. Candy’s face—the look on it broke my heart, but I wasn’t really there, there wasn’t anything I could do to help her. I moved around the hay bales and froze at what I saw.
Glenn was standing there in a pair of jeans and his letter jacket. He was watching as Sara tied Laney’s wrists together. Laney was already gagged, and her ankles were also tied together. Sara looked up at him once she finished knotting the rope and smiled—but it was a terrible smile, one that made my blood run cold and my heart almost jump out of my chest.
