Struggling to his feet, he steadied himself to go on. He wanted desperately to run, but the pain in his ankle held him to a snail’s pace. He limped on with the determination of a wounded soldier. When he came to a clump of trees, he sat down against one to rest. It was cold; a few snowflakes hit him in the face. His ankle throbbed and he wasn’t sure he could carry on much longer.
The ghostly shadow reappeared over the field. Daniel ducked his head down as low as he could, watching the monstrous form circle overhead. “Oh, help!” he whispered. “It’s searching for me.”
For what seemed like an eternity, the eerie thing hovered over the field until it finally flew off, this time heading west. Though it seemed to be gone, Daniel still had to take caution. This monster, whatever it was, could return at any time. His pulse sped and his heart felt like it was up in his throat.
After looking at his surroundings, he saw only one safe way to proceed. The field’s outer edge was lined with trees. They’d provide enough cover to hide him, though it would take him off the direct path to the cabin. Snowflakes littered the ground as he struggled to stand. He shook from the cold, mucus running down from his nose to his upper lip. He tested his weight on the injured foot and then began his difficult trip to the cabin.
If only my cell phone would work, he thought as he moved through the trees. His thoughts also dwelled on his friends and where they might be. He glanced up to the skies occasionally, always expecting to see the ghostly figure, and was relieved each time when it wasn’t there. Halfway around the field, he stopped to sit and rest. His ankle was swelling quickly, and he had to loosen his boot string.
Rushing wind signaled the possibility of a storm brewing. Clouds had now covered most of the stars and half of the full moon. Daniel knew he had to get to the cabin before the full force hit, but his efforts were limited. He considered crawling there instead, but the thought slipped away as he peered down at the rough ground below him.
With the darkening of the skies, he feared being unable to see the shadowy figure if it returned. His urgency drove him along faster. The cabin came within sight, but he had to cross a stretch of open land between the trees to reach it. He took a moment to compose himself and then made a stumbling dash, almost hopping on one foot to the front door. He tore it open and dove inside.
It was even darker inside the cabin. He tried the switch on the wall—no lights. The power was out again. Grumbling, he picked his way around the furniture. He reached the kitchen and sank into a chair at the table, breathing a sigh of relief. Then he leaned forward to feel around the tabletop. Thankful for small favors, he located the candle and matches from the night before. He hurried to light it. Now he had to make a call for help, and the phone was back in the living room. He checked the side door before leaving the kitchen to make sure it was locked.
With his bad ankle, the trip to the living room might as well have been a football field long. Gritting his teeth, he rose from the chair and limped his way down the hall, holding his candle high. The landline phone sat on the coffee table, away from its mount on the wall. He grabbed it up and dialed 911. Nothing happened. He held it to his ear and found the phone silent. No dial tone, nothing. “I’ll find Nathan’s cell. I bet he left it in his room.” He set out again. The candle flickered and almost went out as he juggled it to keep it level as he limped along.
Nathan’s cell phone sat on his dresser, as expected. Daniel didn’t know how the old man got along without one. But why even own it, when he never used it and always left it sitting around out of reach? At least Nathan’s forgetfulness had come in handy tonight.
He picked it up and opened it, but the screen did not light up. He held it to his ear. “Shoot, this one’s not working either! Now what’ll I do?”
He rested on Nathan’s cot for a few minutes, then made his way back to the kitchen and sat back down, taking off his boot and resting his injured foot on another chair. His foot had swollen to twice its normal size, and it hurt something fierce. He leaned back and muttered, “Maybe Brody and Nathan are safe and sound and will be along soon. I can only wait and see.” He tried the cell phone again with no luck.
He ought to get to the bathroom for some aspirin—it wasn’t going to be easy. Too bad he hadn’t thought of it before. He stood on his good foot and gently placed the other one on the floor. Just the slightest pressure had him ready to yell out loud, but he hopped along the hallway with a groan and grimace, using the wall for support. Reaching his destination at last, he opened the small medicine cabinet over the sink and dry-swallowed two pills.
He shook his head, frustrated. Brody’s SUV was out front, but Brody always kept his keys on him. If he only knew how to hotwire a car … but he didn’t. There was nothing else he could do but wait and keep trying to call for help. Rather than suffer as he speculated about his friends, he took two more aspirin and went to his room. The wind outside howled like a wolf calling its mate. Halloween had turned into a horrible nightmare. Daniel would’ve liked to forget, but it weighed on him like the grip of a heavy steel vice.
When he heard the cabin door slam, he jumped up and hobbled out to see who was there, thinking, At last, they’re here. But the front hall stood empty. Maybe a branch had knocked into the door; the wind had picked up, and the trees bent until they looked like bows. The evil shadow floated among them, circling the cabin faster than any bird could fly. Daniel grabbed a chair to jam under the doorknob and hurried back to his room.
Chapter Four
The dogs were settled for the night, and Rose finally sat down in the living room with a glass of red wine. She took the phone and dialed Brody’s cell number. She’d had no success in reaching him, not even his voicemail, so she called the number for the cabin and again no answer. It was late, after eleven by the clock on the mantel. She hurried to call Debra. “Hi, hope you weren’t off to bed already.”
“No, in fact I was just about to call you,” Debra replied. “Have you heard from the guys yet?”
“Not yet. I can’t get an answer on Brody’s cell, or the cabin phone. Those men of ours must be in that old cemetery having a bang-up party.” She twisted the phone cord between restless fingers. “I’m going to put my foot down when Brody gets home and insist he stop these foolish adventures. Enough is enough! He’s forty-five and doesn’t need to act like a teenager anymore.”
“Rose, you’re not fooling me. You’re as worried as I am.”
“All right, all right. I am concerned because usually he calls me, especially after this many hours. I haven’t heard from him since this afternoon.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m more than just concerned, I’m downright scared. I have a terrible feeling they’re in trouble.”
“Look, we can’t start imagining something’s gone wrong, or we’ll go nuts waiting to hear. The three of them are grown men and should be able to take care of themselves.” She was trying to reassure herself as well as Debra, and not doing a great job of either. “Go to bed, Deb, and don’t worry. If Brody calls I’ll let you know right away.”
“Okay. I can’t say as I’ll sleep, but I will lie down and watch a little TV. Call me the minute you hear something. The phone will wake me up if I do doze off.”
“I will. Good night, Deb.”
One more time, Rose punched in the number for Brody’s cell, then the cabin's phone … no answer. She picked up her glass of wine and sipped at it with deepening apprehension. She’d never gone to bed without saying good night to her husband. She decided to stay up for a while longer in hopes she would hear from him.
* * * *
The night lingered on as Daniel rested on his rollaway bed. His rifle lay beside him; it probably wouldn’t do any good against a ghost, but he felt better having it within arm’s reach. He listened for any strange sounds and prayed the pain in his foot would ease up. Between that, and the thought of his friends out there somewhere, possibly in serious trouble, sleep was out of the question. The agony of it all had him twisting
and turning until he sat up and shook his head.
Nature’s call drove him to his feet to limp his way to the bathroom, carrying the candle, which had burnt down close to the bottom and would soon go out. The mirror over the bathroom sink reflected his image. In the dull flickering light, his hair seemed lighter than its normal wheat blond color … it looked almost white. He examined his reflection, amazed. The candlelight must be messing with his eyes. He used the bathroom quickly and headed to the kitchen to search for another candle. The wind whistled through the trees with a sound like he’d never heard, but he kept his cool and searched the drawers until he found the last one.
Daniel managed to doze off and on through the night. When he woke to a trickle of light streaming in through the window opposite his bed, he sighed with relief. He maneuvered his legs carefully over the edge of the bed and stood. From the window, he could see the sun at the edge of the mountain, casting a halo of pink light above it. How good it was to see the dawn.
He took Nathan’s cell phone to the table and sat down, propping his injured foot up on the chair next to him. “I hope this works,” he muttered as he punched in Brody’s cell number. This time it rang through, and he got a message saying the signal was out of range. “Out of range? The guys are less than a mile away … aren’t they?”
Next, he called Rose. She picked up on the first ring, screeching, “Nathan Smith! Where have you idiots been, and why on Earth are you calling me instead of your wife? And where is Brody? We’ve been worried sick! Why, I have half a mind to…”
“No, Rose, this is Daniel!” he shouted, hoping she’d hear his interruption.
“Oh, Daniel. Well, I’m still glad one of you called. Like I said, Debra and I have been worried sick about you guys.”
He gritted his teeth. “So I take it you haven’t heard from Brody. Is that right?”
“No. Isn’t he with you?”
“No, and neither is Nathan. We were at the cemetery last night and something happened. Listen, I have to call for help, but I’ll call you right back.”
“Wait! What’s going on? Why didn’t you call for help right away?”
“I wanted to get in touch with you first in case you’d heard from Brody. I’ll explain later, but right now I have to get help to find the others. I’ll call you back.” Daniel hung up and immediately dialed 911.
An operator answered in an exasperated tone. “911. What is your emergency?”
“Yeah, I’m in a cabin up in the mountain area, and my friends are lost in the old cemetery near here. We went there last night on a whim to investigate the ghost who comes out on Halloween and…” His voice trailed off.
“Are you okay, sir?”
“Yeah, I hurt my ankle when I tried to get away, but…”
“Please, calm down.” The woman sounded more alert now. “Your friends are in which cemetery?”
“It’s the Peaceful something Acres. It’s about a mile from our cabin.”
“I think I know which one it is. I’ll alert the rangers. Please stay on the line, and I’ll transfer you to their headquarters.”
Daniel sat forward, his elbows on the table, the phone pressed tight to his ear. With the sun rising higher in the sky, the kitchen lit up. He blew out the candle and waited for someone to come back on the line.
“Sir, this is Ranger Jones. I need you to tell me your exact location.”
“I’m in the hunting resort right off Route Eighteen, in cabin number nine,” Daniel replied. “Will you be coming soon? My friends have disappeared over in the cemetery, and I can’t get them on the phone. I think something’s happened to them. There was this light…”
“Take it easy, sir. We’ll have someone there shortly. We’ve had the usual number of Halloween calls, so it may take a little time before we get there. Just relax, and if you hear from your friends, call back and let us know.”
“Please, I’m worried about them. There was a strange event last night in the cemetery and they could be in danger. I tripped when I ran away and I think I have a broken ankle.” He lifted his injured foot to inspect it.
“You have to understand, sir, there’s always something reported on Halloween. When we get there, we usually find nothing. Your friends may have taken off just to scare you. Now rest and keep your foot elevated. We’ll get there as soon as possible.”
Daniel hung up. “Great, they don’t think this is serious,” he mumbled. “I know the guys wouldn’t leave to play some prank on me. They’re in trouble; they must be. What can I say to Rose?” He cleared his throat, then picked the phone back up and dialed.
“Hello, Rose? It’s Daniel.” He fought to keep his voice steady. “I called for help, and they’re sending the rangers as soon as they can. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” she demanded, “Or just leave me hanging?”
“I’m sure there’s a simple explanation for this, and we’ll find out soon. I think they got lost last night, and maybe Brody decided to stay put until morning.” With no better explanation of the events, he was starting to have doubts of his own. “I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ll leave it up to the rangers to sort it out. I can’t help much anyway; I hurt my ankle getting back here, and I’m in a lot of pain. Can’t hardly walk. I’ll call you after help arrives and let you know what’s going on.”
“Hold on, Daniel! I want to know what happened while you were in the cemetery last night.”
“Please, Rose, I can’t talk about it right now. I’ll call you after the ranger gets here and we find out where the guys are.”
“So you’re telling me they’re missing?”
“Well, not maybe missing, but not where they should be. I gotta go.” Daniel hung up before she could question him further.
Less than a minute passed before she called him back. “Daniel Watkins, you listen to me. I want to know what’s going on. You’re not going to leave me wondering what went on in that cemetery. Now talk to me!”
“Rose, I don’t know what happened. There was a bright light, and I got scared and ran.”
“So where are they? Where’s my husband?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I called for help. Now please, I’ll call you when I know more.”
“All right, but you’d better call me back.” There was no mistaking the threat in her voice. “I’ll be waiting.”
* * * *
Rose wasted no time in calling Debra. “I just talked to Daniel. He’s at the cabin, but the other two are missing—he doesn’t know how or where.”
“Oh, no!” Debra gasped.
“I know.” Rose blinked back tears. “He’s waiting for the rangers to come and help locate them.”
“Nathan, that fool! He should’ve known better and talked the guys out of it. What about Daniel? How did he get to the cabin without them?”
“I’m not sure. He said something about seeing a bright light and running away, but the other two didn’t.” Rose stood at the kitchen sink, trying to fill the coffeepot with water. Although she kept an even tone to her voice, she trembled at the thought of what might have become of the men. Could they be injured, too, unable to reach the cabin? Or worse? Did she dare think such things? “The rangers are headed for the cabin and will get the lowdown from Daniel. That’s all I know for now.”
“I’m going to get dressed and come over. Put on some coffee.”
“I already have.” She smiled a little in spite of her fear. How well her friend knew her. “It’ll be ready by the time you get here.”
* * * *
A car pulled up to the front of the cabin, and Daniel hobbled over to drag the chair away from the door and unlock it. A tall, well-built ranger got out of the car and headed for the cabin. Daniel couldn’t suppress a relieved grin. With any luck, this whole nightmare would be over soon. “I’m so glad to see you. Come right in.”
The man walked in and shook his hand. “I’m Ted Cummings, and you’re Daniel Watkins, correct? Are
you here alone?”
“Yes. Have a seat.” Daniel limped to the table and motioned to the ranger to sit across from him.
Cummings followed, asking, “Now, what is the situation here?”
Daniel shook his head. “We went to the cemetery last night as a joke, kind of. A Halloween story we’d heard about. You may know the tale about the ghost of Herbert Grezley? I know we shouldn’t have gone, but we didn’t expect to find anything—it was unbelievable. And now my friends are lost, and I’m hurt.” He rambled on about the light and the flying shadow.
The ranger listened carefully. “I think it’s best to get you out of here, and then we’ll check the cemetery for your buddies. Do you have anything you want to take with you?”
“Yes, I’ll get my things from my room, and I’d like a minute in the bathroom.”
“Go right ahead. I’ll call for a crew to go to the cemetery. I need names and descriptions of your friends. Go take care of business first, and then you can give me the information.” The ranger sat at the table and opened a notepad to begin his report.
Daniel limped to the bathroom, his bad foot lagging behind. Once inside, he looked in the mirror and choked at what he saw. In the daylight, it was undeniable. His hair really had turned snow white. “Oh!”
He hurried to get done and round up his stuff from his room. By the time he returned to the kitchen, he shook all over. “I want you to know, as of yesterday, I did not have white hair. My hair was dark blond. Not like this.” He ran his fingers through his thick locks. “This is crazy! I can’t believe we ended up with so much trouble over a simple trip to a graveyard.”
The Ghost of Herbert Grezley Page 4
