“I’m so sorry, Lucy,” he mumbled tearfully, digging his nails into his palms and feeling blood drip onto the carpet. “You have to understand. This is all for you. I’m so sorry, baby.”
There was silence for a few hours as night fell. The windows upstairs were boarded, too, although they were all in the bedroom behind closed doors. There was a drop in the temperature, as the heating wasn’t paid for, and the chill quickly became unbearable.
Daniel’s head began to fog up, and his vision became blurry. His eyes didn’t adjust to the darkness, and everything was blank. There were only shapes, no objects, and there was nothing to see.
A blow to the head and he fell sideways on the ground. There was a pair of feet in front of him. He toppled slowly, and then his temple hit the carpet and he knew who was in front of him. He felt something inside him, something foreign, and knew she had poisoned him. Somehow, someway, She got it into him.
The woman stepped over his body, which was fading out of consciousness and towards sleep.
“You won’t die,” She whispered, leaning down over him. He couldn’t see her face, but felt it pressed against his ear. “But you can’t save her, either. You’ve lost everything, Detective. Kill yourself. Give up. They’re all mine. No need for more casualties.”
The door behind him began to open, and he heard Lucy say, “Daddy…” Then she screamed.
Daniel winced and closed his eyes. There was a dull feeling, and a sharp pain where he’d been struck. Then the door opened and Lucy was gone, her muffled screams resonating into his head.
He reached out one, bloody hand towards the staircase, wishing with every fiber that he had a gun, could use it, could kill the woman… but it was too late, and he drifted away.
Chapter 14
Maplewood
Daniel slumped into the tiny restaurant, a sore thumb among the growing buildings of Hardy’s main street. Outside, there was a rotted sign that read “Maplewood Sandwich and Soda Shop,” faded after hanging lonely for decades and decades. At the counter, there was an elderly man, topped with greasy white hair and his face decorated by cuts and boils.
Daniel ordered, got his sandwich, and sat down with his plate. A while later, it was still untouched and the drink beside was full. A straw lay nearby, still in the wrapper. Daniel stared ahead of him, unblinking, watching as the glass formed a puddle. He was determined not to cry anymore, no matter what happened. Even though everything was gone. He would wait for his meeting.
The seat across from him in the booth was empty, but he’d ordered two coffees and placed one there anyways. Somebody would come, eventually. He was depending on it.
Crystal was still northwards, despite Daniel calling day after day for a week. Since Lucy was taken, he had nothing to do and no purpose. Everything had fallen apart now, even though he held onto it, even though he gave everything. The debt was piling up on the rental house, as he kept extending their time to stay there. He couldn’t bear to box everything up. But he couldn’t remain either.
Now, he was living in the back of their minivan, drinking all day until he passed out all night. That morning, he had taken a shower for the first time in a week. A lot depended on the meeting he was about to have, and it only made sense to look his best, whatever that was now.
He took a sip of his coffee, and found it wasn’t as good as he remembered. His taste buds had been dulled from the alcohol, and he longed for another taste of that tantalizing warmth, for any drink as long as it took him away. I’m not an addict, he assured himself, biting at his nails. It’s just therapy.
The front door opened and a tall, black man walked in. He had on a nice suit, which was clean and pressed. His upper body was strong, but in the middle some extra pounds hung. His left ear had a piercing, and a stud through it. Despite his well-to-do appearance, the man stumbled into the shop, barely staying on his feet.
“Um… this is the Maplewood Shop, correct?” he asked, looking at the old man behind the counter.
Daniel, who was sitting in the booth with his back to the door, could not be seen. He couldn’t see the man who had just walked through the door, but he knew from the voice.
“Read the sign,” the man behind the counter grumbled. “What do you want?”
“I was… I’m meeting somebody here.” The suit man cleared his throat. “Do you… Has there been anybody here? My secretary told me his name was-”
Daniel stood up from the booth and faced the man. “Me.”
The man glanced over Daniel, from his ragged clothes and graying hair to his weary expression. Every inch of him was dirty, unfit for public. But the man in the suit stepped forwards with a wide-eyed expression. His face turned suddenly downcast, as he seemed to connect a thought.
“Not you,” he mumbled, shaking his head. He took another stumbling step closer to Daniel. “She got you. Of course it was you. It makes sense now, but… Why you? Why did you come back? I thought you were gone forever.”
“I was,” Daniel said. “But then I came back, Brandon. I came back. And now I have nothing left.”
Brandon and him both took a seat at the booth. Daniel hunched over in his seat, staring at the table as tears threatened.
“I’ve had this year marked ever since that summer,” Brandon sighed. “I knew something was going to happen. I was curious, in a sick way I suppose. That’s why I stayed around. After I went to college, I came back here, and sure enough the city was growing up. So I found a nice job, and I made some money, but in the end I just wanted to see. I just wanted to be here when She came back.”
“She’s back, Brandon, and everybody’s missed her. They have no idea. They’re all oblivious.” Daniel began to tap on the table frantically. “It’s not like last time. She isn’t toying with us. She takes them, and she kills whoever she has to. It isn’t scary this time. It’s just terrible. It’s just evil. She’s going for the throat.”
“No messing around.” Brandon nodded. “I guess it makes sense. So how do we stop her?”
“Stop her?”
“Yeah, that’s why you met me here, isn’t it?” Brandon asked.
Daniel took a deep breath. “Actually, I met you here to say goodbye. Because I’ve lost everything. My wife’s dead. My kids are gone. There’s no reason for me to stay. I’m just…”
“You’re gonna join your wife.”
Daniel nodded, feeling a tear leak out. “I don’t have anything, Bran-”
“Yes you do!” Brandon shouted, smacking the table. He leaned forwards and got in Daniel’s face. “We all do! I don’t know where Crystal is, but she has a part in this too. We know what’s going on, so we can’t just leave it alone! We can’t. I can’t.”
“There’s no point, Brandon. Just get yourself out of Hardy. I know you don’t have a family. But if you want one, you need to leave. You-”
“I had a family, Daniel.” Brandon took a breath and his heart beat faster. “I had a wife. And you know what happened? She thought I was insane. I tried to tell her about that summer, about losing Michael and Christian. And she left me. She was pregnant with my child, and she left me! I never even got to see her, my baby. I never got to say goodbye to my wife. I just came home one day, and she was gone. She left me.”
Daniel was silent. Both men looked at each other, and for a second it was like twenty years ago, when one was a teenager and the other was an overconfident detective.
“I’m gonna help any way that I can, Daniel. You can’t stop me. I don’t care if you’ve given up. I haven’t. I know you lost everything. So did I. I lost my best friend to that woman. I was depressed for years. It took my childhood. It ruined my life.”
“There’s nothing we can do, Brandon-”
“There is! There always is! And I won’t stop trying until I’m dead.”
“You’re talking like that teenager you were. Not like a business man. Not like who you are.” Daniel groaned. “You have to be smarter than this, Brandon. You’re speaking like a child.”
“And you’re speaking like a coward! You have to be braver than this, Detective.” Brandon crossed his arms and leaned forwards. “Are you done pouting? We have work to do.”
A few minutes later, after exchanging phone numbers, they both stood up to leave. Daniel said he would stay close by in his car, and Brandon told him where he lived in Hardy. Then Brandon went away, limping out of the diner like he’d come in. Only now, his countenance was changed, and his face was no longer full of confidence and eagerness. He was afraid.
“It was the war in Iraq,” Brandon said as he left. “The limp’s my only memory from it. I’m glad for that. It was a terrible time.”
“Thank you for your service,” Daniel answered.
“We’ve both done our part.” Brandon nodded slowly to himself. “I just wish I’d done more twenty years ago.”
He smiled feebly, mumbled something about a book, and then left the shop.
“Children can do things us adults never can,” Daniel muttered to himself, exiting the shop a moment later. He turned left and walked to the end of the block, where his minivan was parked.
Climbing inside, he started the engine and pulled ahead. Stuck in his windshield wipers was a picture of their family and a short note from the woman. It read: “Give up already?”
He focused on the road ahead.
<><><> <><> <>
“Alexander, I need to see that book. Please.” Daniel was standing in front of the register at the book shop, both hands on the wood table and leaning forwards.
“I told you already, we don’t have it.” Alexander looked at him unusually. “Are you… okay? You look pretty beat up. Is it insomnia or something?”
“I don’t know how to explain it. I need the book first, and then I can. But until we have that, I… I can’t.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do my best. When my manager comes in later, I’ll ask her. She would know.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “She’s that old woman who was in here once. I think you saw her.”
“And she’ll know more about it?”
Alexander shrugged. “She might. She’s smart. And good at finding lost books. This one time-”
“Here.” Daniel snatched a random piece of paper from in front of the boy. He pulled out a pen from his pocket and hurriedly wrote on it. “This is my number, at the top, and this is my address.”
“That’s not a home address? It’s-”
“I’m staying in my car. I can’t stay at home.”
Alexander gave him a suspicious look. “Why not?”
“You’ll find out everything from me when you find the book. Until then, I can’t tell you. I’m sorry.”
There was a moment of silence, and Daniel sensed the conversation was over. He turned away from the desk and went outside. Down the street a bit was his car, and he lazily got in.
The city was bustling around him, most people going out for their lunch break. It was hot, uncomfortably so, and his car was sweltering even though it had only been off for a few minutes. The pavement was baking, and he was eager to feel the fresh air conditioner. He turned on the engine, opened the vents, and blared cool air.
As he was pulling away into the road, Alexander came sprinting down the sidewalk, waving his arms around. Daniel stopped the car, rolling down his right window.
“Sir! Hey!”
“My name’s Daniel. What do you want?”
“I just thought of something!” Alexander exclaimed. “There’s this girl I like, and her name’s Jill, and we hang out a lot. Well, she said her grandpa or great-grandpa or something was an author for a while, and he wrote a book about all the ghosts and legends of Hardy or something. I bet it’s the book you’re looking for!”
Daniel perked up. “Do you think their family still has copies?”
“I don’t know, but it’s probably our best bet.”
Daniel nodded, thoughtful. “Can you get ahold of her and ask? Then call me whenever you do. I’m not doing anything this week.”
“I’ll do it today. And I’ll call you whenever she answers me and tells me.”
Daniel smiled at the teenager. “You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. That’s a good thing.”
“Who is it?’
“Maybe I’ll tell you someday. For now, just do what I need you to do.”
Daniel began to pull away from the curb, and Alexander stood there for a minute, thinking. Then he darted off back to the book shop. As Daniel drove past, he saw the boy with a cell phone up to his ear, waiting anxiously.
“Good kid.”
Ten minutes later, Daniel arrived in Hardy at one of the few fast food restaurants in town. He drove towards the double, golden arches and parked as close to the door as possible. Just as he shut off his car, his phone began to ring.
He answered it. “This is Daniel-”
“It’s me, Alexander.” The voice on the other end was breathless. “Come back. Now. I got the book! She had a copy!”
Daniel grinned. “I’m on my way.”
“That’s not it. There’s something else you should know. The copy Jill brought me isn’t hers. It was checked out by Olivia Frazier first, and then by Michael Walker. But it was in Jill’s house. It’s the one from the library.”
“I’ll be right there,” Daniel said, then threw his phone down on the seat beside him.
The minivan raced back towards Marcy, well over the speed limit. Daniel kept his eyes on the road, trying not to think about getting pulled over. Just as he was worrying, he heard sirens behind him coming closer.
He grimaced and began pulling towards the side of the road, but then the police car turned onto a side street. With renewed vigor, he sped out of Hardy.
Ten minutes later, he parked his car in front of the bookshop and jumped out. He hurried around the vehicle and went straight into the store.
Alexander was sitting at the desk, a girl about his age on the right. They were both leaning over a hardcover book, and the girl’s eyes were filling up with fright. Alexander was intrigued, and mouthed the words as he read. Neither of them saw Daniel enter.
Standing at the doorway, Daniel cleared his throat, and Alexander glanced up. He nudged the girl, and she did the same.
Jill had the same color hair as the boy, with a light blonde. Her features were sharp, and her eyes seemed to glow in her head. They were bright enough to see across the room, a haunting and fascinating sight.
“Daniel. Hi.” Alexander tapped the desk nervously. “This is Jill. She’s my, um, friend. Jill, this is Daniel. He’s the guy who needs the book.”
“Why do you need my grandpa’s book?” she asked skeptically. “It’s not popular…”
Daniel stepped forward and stretched out a hand. She looked at it and reluctantly handed over the book.
“This book,” Daniel said, “is important to me. You can’t understand unless you’ve gone through what I have. Twenty years ago, it was important. Now it is again.”
“Will you just tell us?” Alexander asked. “You said you’d tell me.”
“Not her.” Daniel nodded towards Jill. “She can’t know.”
“Why not?” Jill huffed. “I can handle anything you can!”
He slammed the book down on the desk, making Alexander jump. “Do you really want to know?” Daniel asked.
“Yes,” they both said.
“Fine. I’ll tell you. After we read the chapter.”
“What chapter?”
“The only important one. The one about the lady.” Daniel flipped to the table of contents and scanned the chapter names. He cleared his throat and turned to a page quickly. Then he sighed and handed the book over to Alexander. “You can read it.”
Jill looked at Alexander sideways in a way that made Daniel smile.
“The Lady in the Woods?”
“That’s the chapter name, yes. Now read it,” Daniel commanded.
The rugged, ripped book was laying there. It was tattered and browned with age. The pages were stained yello
w, and the words looked as if they were sinking down into the pale ocean. Random dots on the page made certain parts difficult to read. But still the teenage boy started, and read until the story was finished.
Chapter 15
Chapter
“There is a legend in the Marcy-Hardy area, and I have taken a special interest in it. Unlike the other legends recorded in this book, I have seen the evidence and witnessed the stories firsthand. When you finish reading, you will understand greater what I mean, and how it is that I could understand and believe completely the stories and myths surrounding the Lady of the Woods.
“It started in the mid-1700s, although nobody can say exactly what year or when. This woman has no name that I have heard, and so for the purpose of learning we will call her the Lady.
“The Lady was less than 20 years old when it all began, and she had mental issues that nowadays would result in her being sent to an asylum or psychiatric hospital. When she lived in the woods, she had one child, but the father of her child soon left when he realized how unstable and dangerous she was. He left her alone in the woods with the baby girl, in the middle of the night.
“While the baby girl grew up, she and her mother became especially close, and that child was the jewel of her mother’s eyes. The Lady loved her daughter, and lived a happy life on the unsettled land. It was not easy, and yet she enjoyed it very much, never wanting to belong to a town or a village. The woods were her home. Of course, that child grew up, as all children do, and became a toddler.
“While the Lady was gardening by her house, one day, growing some little plants, nothing special, the child was playing out in the woods, still in sight of the shack they had built in a clearing. Apparently, the child wandered too far into the woods, and when the Lady looked up, she was gone, never to be seen again. Still, to this day, nobody knows what happened to the child. Some think she was taken by indians, or fell into a deep hole and died. Other say she was killed by a wild animal, or drowned in a river. Whatever happened, the Lady lived on her own for years after that, growing more regretful and more sorrowful every day, while all around her other people settled and a small village began to grow around her small shack.
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