by Gord Rollo
“Maybe I best call her in the morning…just to check in.”
Satisfied, or at least as satisfied as his conscience allowed, he lay back down and tried to get back to sleep, but rest was a long time coming. Malcolm tossed and turned, his mind full of horrible bloody images not just from his recent dream but drawn from a lifetime of guilty nightmares—all of them leading back one way or another to Reverend Miller and the doomed village he’d grown up in. No matter how many years went by, or how long he lived, there was no way he’d ever manage to escape Miller’s Grove. No one who’d been there ever would. Just ask the poor man who’d just been found sealed inside the theater wall. He’d known the fear Malcolm was feeling tonight. That’s what young people like Kelly would never understand. Unless they’d been there before, they couldn’t possibly comprehend that Miller’s Grove left its malevolent mark on a person. Malcolm was tainted forevermore, a black stain on his soul that would follow him to the grave, and perhaps beyond.
By 6:00 A.M. Malcolm gave up and went out to the kitchen to make himself a strong cup of coffee. He couldn’t seem to get Kelly out of his mind this morning and knowing he’d drive himself batty all day if he didn’t do something about it, he decided he’d give her a call. If nothing else, he could hear her voice and know she was okay. She’d probably call him a silly old fool for worrying about her, but that would be okay. Being a fool was something he was used to.
Malcolm forced himself to at least wait until 8:00 A.M. before picking up the phone though. There was no need to wake the whole house just because he’d had a bad dream. Someone answered on the third ring.
“Hello?” a female voice said. It was Kelly’s mother, Janice, a woman Malcolm didn’t get along with very well. Why his son had ever married her in the first place still amazed Malcolm every time they met. She’d tried to have him put into a nursing home two years ago just because it was a few hundred dollars a month cheaper than the assisted-living center he lived in now. He’d never forgiven her for that, and likely never would.
“Ahh, yes Janice, it’s Malcolm. Is Kelly up and at it yet? I need to speak to her if you don’t mind.”
“Oh hi, old-timer,” Janice said, her words cheery but somehow falling flat and losing their humor. “You missed her. Kelly’s already gone. She left about—”
“Gone! What do you mean, gone? Where?”
“Camping, I guess. Her and some of her friends said they’re gonna take off for a few days out in the woods. Said she’d be back by Friday. Why, what do you need?”
Sweet mother of God! Malcolm thought. She can’t be going to the Grove already, can she? She doesn’t even know where to look…does she?
“Malcolm? You there? Everything okay?”
“I’m here. And yeah, everything is fine. Did Kelly say where she was camping?”
“No, not really. I didn’t ask. All I know is she’s meeting her buddies over at Rich and Lizzy’s place and they’re gonna take off from there around nine.”
Malcolm checked the clock on the wall. It read 8:06. There was still time.
“Do you know the address there, Janice?”
“Yeah, but what’s going on? Just call her cell phone, Dad. Is something wrong? You’re acting kind of weird.”
“I told you, everything’s fine, now give me the damn address. I wanna talk to her face-to-face and don’t have time to sit here and yap with you all day.”
There was a big frustrated sigh on the other end of the line, and just as Malcolm was about to start screaming, Janice was back on the line with the information he needed. “Okay, here you go. The address book says 115 Stadler Avenue. That’s just off Riverside. You know where that—”
Malcolm had hung up. He needed to call a taxi and rude or not, he didn’t want to waste any more time talking to Janice. She didn’t like him anyway. She could just add this to her list of complaints she had with him. It didn’t matter to him in the least. All he cared about was Kelly at the moment. He just hoped he wasn’t too late.
Rich’s Ford Taurus was jammed full of camping gear from front to back, so much so it was going to be nearly impossible to fit all five of the passengers inside the car. Dan had joked that they might have to strap Pat onto the roof of the car to make the ride more comfortable, and it would have been a funny joke if Pat had been there to hear it. It was 8:40 A.M. and although the rest of the gang was packed, present, and ready to roll half an hour ago, there was still no sign of Pat.
“Where the heck is he?” Kelly asked, starting to worry. Pat was a world-class slacker but it wasn’t like him to be late. Disappear early or wander away from things when he got bored, sure, but he was usually the first in line at the start of the day, camera bag on his arm and ready to go. “Anyone talk to him this morning yet? He might have slept in.”
“No, he’s up and coming,” Dan said. “He called and told me he’d be a little late. Said he had a surprise to show us.”
“What kind of surprise?” Lizzy asked, her hair dyed jet-black today with streaks of red in it but still managing to ask a typical Blonde question.
“If we knew that, kiddo, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise now, would it?”
“I guess not. Well, whatever it is, he better hurry up. The bus is leaving in less than twenty minutes.”
Pat made it with ten minutes to spare, squealing to a stop out front in his father’s black Chevy Malibu. It didn’t take long for everyone to guess what his surprise was going to be, because she stepped out of the passenger-side door and went over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Whoever she was, she was younger than the rest of them, maybe not even twenty, and she was dressed more like she was going out on the prowl than someone off on a camping trip. She was a pretty blonde squeezed into a white wool sweater and tight denim jeans. Her skin was ghostly pale and at first glance she looked as delicate as a flower, but when she walked it was with purpose, swinging her hips with both the power and grace of an athlete. She was the kind of woman people noticed; especially the men in the crowd.
“Who in the hell is that?” Kelly asked. “What’s she doing here?”
“What in the hell is that, is a better question…and why hasn’t she been here before?” Rich said with a grin, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from Liz.
“Keep it up, funny guy,” Lizzy said. “See what it gets you. Or doesn’t get you, to be more precise.”
“Sorry, sweets. You know her, Dan?”
“Ah, no. Not really. Think I’ve seen her around though.”
“I’ll bet you have,” Kelly said, and try as she might to make it a joke, she couldn’t keep the hint of jealousy and hurt out of her voice. The others might have missed it, but Dan certainly got the message loud and clear. He shot her a look that said, “Don’t go there, okay?” and she held her hands up in a calming motion saying she understood. Funny how even after a few months apart, they could still communicate so well without ever having to talk.
Dan kissed Kelly on the hand and went to help Pat with his bags. On the outside he kept his cool, but inside he was ready to explode, having been totally blindsided by the unexpected appearance of Kim Jacob. Kim was the blonde bombshell Pat had brought with him, and although he’d told everyone he didn’t know her, that hadn’t exactly been totally honest. The truth was he knew Kim quite well, had secretly dated her a couple of times in the last month when he’d lost all hope of getting Kelly back. He’d never slept with her, thank God, but it hadn’t been for a lack of trying on Kim’s part. She’d been all over Dan from the first time they’d met and for a while it had felt good getting all that attention from such a beautiful woman, but the more he got to know her the less he liked being around her. She was bossy and arrogant and had too big of a mouth. Dan had shut down their relationship in a hurry, but Kim had still continued to call and chase him around town whenever she could.
Dan had no idea when she’d met Pat or why she was here today, but a lead weight was forming around his heart as he walked toward the new arrivals. Surely h
er being here wasn’t a coincidence. She had to be here because of him, didn’t she? And if she was, that was sure going to screw up his plans of winning Kelly back on this trip. She’d been furious for him kissing Tracey at the bar. She’d go ballistic and dump his ass for good if she learned he’d been fooling around with this girl too. Dan didn’t want to lie to Kelly but there was no way he could tell her about this. He’d just have to lie low and hope she didn’t find out. This was the absolute last thing he needed today. He was under enough stress, what with the business going into the tank lately. He was seriously starting to wonder what he’d done to deserve all this recent chaos in his life.
“Hey, Pat,” Dan said when he met them at the end of the driveway. He said excuse me to Kim and walked his friend back toward the parked car. “Who’s your friend? She isn’t coming with us, is she?”
“What? Of course she’s coming. Her name’s Kim. We met a few weeks back at the pub. I ended up having dinner with her last night and mentioned we were going camping today. Don’t worry, man, I didn’t say nothing about the treasure…well, not much anyway.”
“Dammit, Pat. What’s the matter with you? Can’t you keep your trap shut for even one night? Who else did you tell?”
“No one, I swear. Gimme a break, Dan. I like her, okay. She’s a hottie if you hadn’t noticed. And you guys are gonna like her. Even the girls. Kim’s a lot of fun.”
“I’m sure she is, but Christ, you didn’t have to bring her with us on this trip.”
“Why, what’s the problem? You and Rich have your girlfriends with you. Why should I go without? You think I wanna sit and listen to you guys making monkey noises in your tents all night? Screw that, man.”
It was hard to argue with that logic, Dan thought. Besides, he knew when he was beat. Kim was already here. She wouldn’t be going anywhere so he may as well get used to the idea. “Fine, but you’re going to have to drive your own car. Rich’s car is packed to the rafters already with just the four of us.”
“No problem. It’s only a few hours, right?”
“I guess. You better go introduce her to the gang then.”
Pat clapped Dan on the back and ran off to go talk to Rich, Liz, and Kelly. Dan seized the opportunity to walk over and talk quietly to Kim.
“You and Pat an item now, Kim? Good to see. I’m happy for you.”
“Not sure yet, Danny. Maybe we are…maybe we aren’t. Have to see how the trip goes. Why? You jealous?”
“Nope. Terrified though. You better be cool, you hear me? I’m trying to get back together with Kelly and you damn well know it. I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention nothing about us…not that there’s anything to tell.”
Kim laughed, tossing her hair to the side in a way she knew was sexy, licking her lips as she moved in close to Dan’s ear. “Don’t worry, lover boy. I’ll be good. In fact, I’ll be anything you want me to be.”
With that, she giggled and moved up the driveway to be introduced to the gang. Dan watched in horror as she and Kelly shook hands. The seconds ticked by slowly but Kelly soon smiled and laughed at something Kim had said and the disaster Dan had been expecting didn’t happen. Everyone was getting along just fine, in fact, so maybe he had nothing to worry about after all. Time would tell, he guessed.
Behind him, another car pulled to a stop out on the road.
Now who’s here? Dan wondered, turning just in time to see a little old man climbing out of the backseat of a blue and white city cab. It was Kelly’s grandfather, Malcolm Tucker, oddly dressed in track pants and dress shoes, wearing a big brown bomber jacket over the top of everything. The day was getting stranger by the minute. What the heck was Malcolm doing here at Rich’s house?
The cabdriver shut off the engine, obviously intending to wait for the old man to get back in whenever he was ready to return home.
“Kelly,” Dan shouted, but she was already way ahead of him, heading toward her grandfather with a concerned look on her face. He hoped there was nothing wrong, but just in case, he decided to give them some space and left them alone. Dan went up to talk to Rich and see how Pat’s “surprise” was fitting in.
Kelly saw her grandfather exit the taxi and immediately knew why he was here. She was busted. Somehow he’d found out what she and her friends were up to and was here to try stop her from going through with the plan. She met him at the end of the driveway, hoping to defuse him before he started ranting and raving about the Man in Black, embarrassing himself in front of all her friends.
“Thank God I found you in time,” Malcolm said.
“Stop, Gramps. I know what you’re going to say, but save it, okay? This isn’t what you think.”
“It isn’t?”
“No. We’re just going camping. Honest.”
“You think your old grandfather’s a fool, huh? I’m not, so cut the crap.”
“No seriously. All we’re doing is—”
“Is going treasure hunting in Miller’s Grove. I know…and it’s okay. I’d probably do the same thing if I was your age. How did you find the location?”
Kelly considered continuing to deny things, but saw no point in it. “Pat’s dad is a geography buff. His basement’s full of old maps and journals. He found it, not us. We’re not even sure if he’s right.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just north of Rock Creek State Park. It’s west of here, but not all the way to Des Moines. Sound like we’re on the right track?”
Malcolm never acknowledged the directions one way or the other. He just gazed down at the ground and looked like he might start crying. The look on the sweet old man’s face nearly broke Kelly’s heart. The poor thing. He was so afraid of the things he’d learned as a child but still here he was, dressed like a hobo trying to protect her as best he could. “You shouldn’t be here, big guy. You should go home and wait for me to get back. I’ll be careful, I promise. Soon as we’re back I’ll come have coffee and tell you all about it. Deal?”
“Fine, I’ll let you go in a minute. I didn’t come here to try and stop you anyway. Well…originally that was my plan, but on the ride here I changed my mind. I realized there was nothing I could say that would convince you guys that place is cursed. Young people don’t believe in evil anymore.”
“Then why’d you come?”
“Two reasons. First, I just wanted to warn you to always stay alert. At the first sign of trouble get your ass out of there. Don’t be too proud to run. Something’s not right in the Grove. Never has been and never will be. You’re never alone even when you think you are. You’ll feel the darkness surrounding you in those woods. Eyes burning into your turned back. Laugh now, but you’ll know what I mean when you get there. When you see the fields. The crows. The church.” A shudder ran down Malcolm’s back, memories of his youth flashing through his troubled mind.
“What’s the second reason?”
“I wanted to give you this…”
Malcolm reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small white leather case that separated in the middle with a flip-top lid. Inside, on a blanket of soft cotton, was an intricate silver ring in the shape of a five-pointed star, with a polished gold triangular piece attached on top. When Kelly looked close, she could see there were tiny geometric symbols carved into the metal, strange letters and pictures she’d never seen before. In the center of the triangle, a lifelike representation of an eye stared back at her. Kelly had never seen anything like it before. Instinctively she knew the gold and silver pieces were real. Fake jewelry never had this type of craftsmanship, this attention to detail. It wasn’t what she’d describe as beautiful, but it certainly wasn’t ugly either. It was clearly old and unique, timeless even, probably worth a fortune if it were ever sold on the open market.
“It’s incredible, Gramps. What is it?”
“Protection,” he said, meaning it. “It was my father’s, the last thing he gave to me on his deathbed. I was planning on giving it to your dad when I died, but I think you’re going to nee
d it more than him.”
“How can a ring protect anything? Doesn’t make much sense if you think about it, does it?”
“Real magic hardly ever does, angel.”
“Magic? Come on, Gramps…we already went through all this good-and-evil mumbo jumbo. I’m just going camping for a few—”
“Humor me, okay? That’s all I ask. My father swore this ring is blessed by the Holy Spirit and it’s been passed down through our family for hundreds of years. The Knights Templar believed in what they called White Magic, a power source they could use to battle evil in all its forms. My father believed it too, and even though I know even less about this…what did you call it…mumbo jumbo, than he did, I believe in it too.”
“Fine, I’ll wear it if it makes you happier, but I still don’t quite see how it can do anything. Does a laser beam shoot out of the eye if I’m attacked by a madman?”
“Don’t joke about things like that. And I doubt it, no. All I know is there was also a matching amulet to this ring that my father used to carry around and pray over all the time. They both were infused with White Magic, and he believed they’d keep our family safe in times of trouble.”
“What happened to the amulet? Do you still have it?”
“From what I was told, it’s hanging on a chain around the neck of Joshua Miller. My father always told me the power of the talisman was the only thing that contained the reverend that night, and that without it the elders might have all been dead.”
“Wow! Cool story anyway, whether it’s true or not. Think it’s still there? Inside the church, I mean?”
“Probably, yeah, unless someone has found it before you get there. You can’t touch it though. I can’t stop you from going and looking for the treasure…hell, I can’t even blame you for trying that, but you’ve got to promise me you’ll leave that necklace alone. Please, I’m begging you. You’re probably right that my dad was full of baloney and his head was full of nonsense, but why tempt fate? It isn’t worth it. Not in a place like Miller’s Grove, it isn’t. Can you give your old grandfather that much, at least?”
