by Amy Cross
A moment later, Cowley stopped the video.
“There was no-one else there with her,” he said cautiously. “I'm sorry, Doctor Richards, but you can see full well for yourself. She was all alone.”
“She wasn't suicidal,” Tim replied, still staring at the screen for a few more seconds before turning to Cowley. “None of them were. That's one of the common factors in all of this. Rose, Meredith Cooper, Amanda Clarke, Liz Hooper, the others... They all seemed absolutely fine until just moments before they killed themselves. It's almost as if...”
His voice trailed off.
“As if what?” Cowley asked.
“I'm not a man given to flights of fancy,” Tim continued, his eyes wide with shock, “but I swear, it's almost as if some external force has reached into their minds and made them do this.”
“External force?” Cowley replied, raising a confused eyebrow. “I'm sorry... What?”
“Baxter,” Tim whispered.
“Baxter?”
“John Spencer Baxter. This all started just after he killed Julie Martin. He made some claims while he was in his cell, claims about having seen...”
He paused as he thought back to Baxter's bizarre, nonsensical rant. The lunatic had claimed to have met the Devil, and he'd said that the Devil was planning to have some fun with the residents of the town. Having never been a religious man, Tim Richards had swiftly dismissed the idea out of hand, and he still couldn't bring himself to take Baxter's claim literally. Nevertheless, he was starting to wonder whether there might have been some hint of truth buried in the garbled message, and whether Baxter had met someone who had found some way to drive the town's residents out of their minds.
“I think we should keep our feet on the ground here,” Cowley said after a moment, clearly concerned. “There's a lot to process, but we mustn't go jumping to conclusions.”
“I need to speak to Baxter again,” Tim muttered, before turning and hurrying over to one of the equipment trolleys in the corner of the room. Muttering to himself under his breath, he began to sort through the box of scalpels.
“Baxter's getting ready to be transferred,” Cowley pointed out. “There's no -”
“You have to take me to him right now,” Tim continued, flustered for a moment before pulling out one of the larger scalpels. With wild, fearful eyes, he turned to the officer. “I don't care about the protocol. It's vital that I talk to that man immediately.”
“But earlier, you said -”
“I don't care what I said earlier! It's different now!”
Cowley paused, before shrugging. “I suppose it's possible. You'd better make it snappy, though. I was planning to call the transport team tomorrow and arrange for him to get shipped off to Philly. They were the only people who were willing to take him on such short notice and, well, I really wanted him gone!”
“I need to talk to him first,” Tim said firmly. “I think I know how to get him to tell the truth, but it's vital that I speak to him face-to-face. Alone, just the two of us.”
“Alright, then,” Cowley muttered.
“And one more thing,” Tim added.
He paused, before reaching up and stabbing himself in the neck with the scalpel. Despite the horrified expression on his face, he tore the blade through his own flesh, cutting a curved line from ear to ear. Blood burst from the wound, running freely down onto his chest, and a moment later more blood began to dribble from his mouth.
“Tell him...” he gasped. “Tell Baxter... He was right... In my head... In...”
With that, he fell forward, slumping to the ground and dropping the scalpel. Cowley, too shocked to say anything, stood in complete, stunned silence as the pool of blood grew and reaches first his left shoe and then the right.
Seven
Six months later
“No,” Sarah said as she took a left turn toward the town square, “she's my mother's cousin's... second twice removed... Oh, something. I can't remember, exactly. You know how convoluted my family tree gets.”
“But apparently you have to drop by and see her?” Kate asked.
“My dear mother hasn't heard from Constance for a while, so she's starting to get worried. Plus, Constance's daughter Julie died a while back, so everyone wants me to check up on her and -”
Before she could finish, she saw the town square up ahead, and she slowly brought the car to a halt.
“What the hell?” Kate muttered. “I thought you said this place was quaint?”
“It was,” Sarah replied, peering out the window at the barren, deserted town square. The grass was overgrown and all the stores were dark and shuttered, while a couple of nearby trees were blackened and twisted. Dust and dirt had piled up in some of the doorways, and the entire place seemed not to have been disturbed for several months.
“This... doesn't look like a very busy place,” Kate pointed out after a few seconds. “Are you sure we shouldn't just get the hell out?”
“I have to check on Constance,” Sarah reminded her, swallowing hard as she felt a sense of concern creeping through her chest. “I just... I have to make sure she's okay.”
***
“Maybe there was an earthquake or something,” Kate suggested a short while later, as she slammed the car door shut on a residential street a few blocks from the town square. “Or a hurricane?”
“It's like a bomb went off,” Sarah replied, stepping away from the car and looking around at the nearby houses, all of which had broken windows. “This used to be a twee little place, now it looks more like a ghetto.”
“The ground's cracked, too,” Kate pointed out.
Looking down, Sarah saw that thick cracks stretched across the sidewalk and onto the street itself, and she couldn't help noticing that some of the cracks extended far into the distance, almost as if they ran through the entire town. The cracks had carved the asphalt into several large chunks, each of which sat at a slightly different angle, making the road something of an obstacle course.
“No birds, either,” Kate muttered, before turning to Sarah and forcing a smile. “Well, this isn't creepy. I'm not getting a terrifying vibe from this place, and I definitely don't want to get in the car and drive away without looking back.” Her fake smile grew. “I'm completely comfortable being here!”
“I have to see if Constance is okay,” Sarah replied, heading toward the nearest house.
“Seriously?”
“Her house looks fine,” Sarah pointed out, stopping at the bottom of the steps that led up to the front door. “Look at it. Her house is the only one in town that looks like nothing's happened to it.”
“Like the calm at the eye of the storm, huh?”
Making her way up the steps, Sarah reached the porch and turned to look at the street. Now that she was a little higher, she could see that the cracks definitely seemed to extend away from Constance's house, as if the house itself was the epicenter of whatever had happened. In fact, it was almost as if the house had been picked up by some invisible force and then slammed back into place, shattering the ground for miles all around.
“Did we end up in a horror movie?” Kate asked as she picked her way carefully through the overgrown garden. “Like, is this the opening scene of some B-movie, or what? I just can't decide if it's gonna be ghosts, or vampires, or zombies, or flying sharks or -”
“Something's wrong,” Sarah replied, turning and knocking on the door.
“No kidding,” Kate muttered, rolling her eyes.
“I hear someone,” Sarah said after a moment, as footsteps approached the door from the other side. She waited, and suddenly the door swung open to reveal Constance's smiling face.
“Sarah?” the older woman said with a grin. “Is that you? Dear, sweet little Sarah?”
“Hey -”
Before she could finish, Sarah was pulled into a tight hug that lasted several somewhat awkward seconds.
“Hey Constance,” she stammered, waiting to be released. “I wasn't even sure you'd recognize me,
it's been so long!”
“Of course I recognize you,” Constance replied, stepping back and turning to Kate. “And who might this lovely young lady be?”
“Kate,” Kate said, reaching out to shake her hand. “No hugs for me, thanks. I'm allergic to... Things.”
“Mum just asked me to stop by and see how you're doing,” Sarah explained, unable to hide the fact that she was a little taken aback by Constance's cheery demeanor. “No-one's heard from you for a while, and after... Well, you know, after what happened a while back, Mum and Aunt Anne just wanted me to pop in and let you know that we're all still thinking of you. Seeing as how you haven't returned anyone's calls for a while.”
“How lovely!” Constance replied, stepping back and gesturing for them to go inside. “Please, come and have a cup of tea!”
“Actually,” Kate said cautiously, “we -”
“We'd love to,” Sarah said, stepping through the door.
“We'd love to,” Kate added, sighing before she followed her inside. “Yep. Why the hell not?”
***
“I knew someone would drop by soon,” Constance said as she set a plate of tea bags on the dining room table. “Don't ask me how, it was just a feeling in my water, but I knew!”
“So what happened around here?” Sarah asked cautiously. “I mean, the town seems a little... vacant.”
“Really?” Constance asked, heading back to the kitchen where the kettle was almost done boiling. “Whatever do you mean?”
“We didn't see anyone else in the square,” Sarah told her, “and... Well, it's like the place is deserted. You're actually the only person we've seen since we got here.”
“Creepy as hell,” Kate whispered, nudging her arm. A moment later she spotted a set of photo albums on one of the tables, with one of the albums having been left open. “This house smells like those chemicals you use to cover up the stench of cat pee.”
“I'm sure everyone's just busy,” Constance called back to them. “Just wait a moment while I sort a few things out. I'll be back with you in a few seconds!”
“She's nuts,” Kate continued, keeping her voice low as she leaned toward Sarah. “You do realize that, right? She's properly, seriously, out of her mind nuts.”
“Something's definitely wrong,” Sarah replied.
“Duh! We need to -” Kate paused for a moment, before glancing toward the door. “She's talking to herself.”
“What?” Following her gaze, Sarah listened for a moment, and sure enough she realized she could hear Constance nattering away in the next room.
“Again,” Kate whispered conspiratorially, “that's not remotely weird!”
“I should go check on her,” Sarah replied, getting to her feet.
Kate muttered something under her breath, while shaking her head.
“Just be polite,” Sarah hissed, nudging her shoulder as she made her way over to the door. Stopping after a moment, she tried to listen to whatever Constance was saying, but all she heard was a constant, low murmur.
“Should we leave before your crazy relative murders us,” Kate whispered, “or after?”
“Quiet!” Sarah told her, before stepping through into the kitchen, where she found Constance sitting at the table, facing the far wall and still talking to herself.
Edging closer, Sarah stayed as quiet as possible.
“I don't know which one,” Constance was saying under her breath, still just staring straight toward the faded sunflower wallpaper. “Can't you decide for once?”
Sarah waited, but all she heard was silence.
“The other one, then,” Constance said after a moment. “What was her name again? Kate? I choose her. I can't possibly choose a member of my own family.”
“Hey,” Sarah said suddenly, stepping around the table, “are you okay?”
Startled, Constance got to her feet.
“I'm fine,” she stammered, “I just...” She looked around, as if she half expected to see someone else in the room with them.
“Who were you talking to?” Sarah asked.
“No-one,” Constance replied, shaking her head. “Why, did you... Did you hear someone else?”
“I only heard you,” Sarah told her, feeling a growing sense of concern. “Have you been living here all alone since Julie died? When was the last time you went out of the house and met other people?”
“I've been very busy,” Constance said, forcing a smile and suddenly seeming a lot more perky. “Life around here can be rather frantic, you understand. You might find that hard to believe, but I've been rushed off my feet.”
“But if -”
Stopping suddenly, Sarah realized she could hear a sobbing sound coming from the dining room.
“Never mind any of that,” Constance said, grabbing her arm and trying to get her to sit at the kitchen table. “Why don't you set yourself down and tell me all about yourself, Sarah? It's been so long since I heard anything about you, and I'm sure you've been up to so much! Why, I remember when you were just five or six years old, and you used to come and play in my garden when your mother brought you to visit. Oh, those were wonderful days, weren't they? You and Julie were such good friends.”
“We were, but -”
“And you look a little alike, you know. Not much, but just enough that I can see it in your profile. Those Martin family genes must be pretty darn strong!”
“Sure,” Sarah replied, before turning and looking back toward the doorway. She could still hear the sound of sobbing. “I think -”
“Don't worry about her,” Constance snapped, suddenly placing a hand on the side of Sarah's face and forcing her to turn away from the doorway and meet her gaze again. “Tell me all about your wonderful life. I bet you're always so busy, aren't you? Young people these days just make me dizzy.”
“Just wait a moment,” Sarah replied, getting to her feet and slipping free from Constance's grip, before heading back through to the dining room. Stopping in the doorway, she was shocked to see Kate sobbing at the table. “Kate?” she said cautiously. “Are you... What's wrong?”
“Nothing's wrong with her,” Constance said quickly, grabbing her arm again and trying to lead her back into the kitchen. “Just leave her be for five minutes and let's talk, just the two of us. I'm sure you've had plenty of time with your friend, but when was the last time you and I talked, eh?”
“Kate?” Pulling away, Sarah hurried around the table and knelt next to Kate, who was weeping uncontrollably. “Kate, what happened? Kate, talk to me!”
Although she tried to say something, Kate was trembling too much to get any words out. Tears were streaming down her face, and she seemed completely consumed by a sudden wave of sorrow. After a moment, she reached out and grabbed one of Sarah's hands, squeezing it tight..
“What happened?” Sarah asked again, trying not to panic. “Kate, talk to me!”
“Just leave her be,” Constance said merrily from the doorway. “Stop fussing over your friend, she's absolutely fine! Come through and -”
“Kate!” Sarah hissed, shocked as Kate began to let out a low wail. “Seriously, tell me what the hell's going on! Why are you -”
Before she could finish, she felt a hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her back.
“She's fine!” Constance purred. “For pity's sake, let your friend be and come talk to me!”
“I think maybe we're going to have to hit the road,” Sarah said, getting to her feet and turning to Constance. Filled with panic, she was starting to think that something was seriously wrong. “I'm really -”
Stopping suddenly, she saw a man standing in the kitchen, watching with a smile on his face.
“Come now,” Constance continued, taking her hand and stepping past, briefly obscuring the man. Trying to pull Sarah through to the kitchen, she forced a smile. “I can't possibly let you leave yet, not when there's so much for us to talk about. We need to have a good, long catch-up!”
Peering past her, Sarah saw that the man was gon
e, as if he'd vanished in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly Kate stumbled to her feet and pushed past, rushing through to the hallway.
“Wait!” Sarah shouted, trying to pull free from Constance but finding that the older woman's grip was too strong. “I have to go after her!”
“Just let her do her thing,” Constance replied, still trying to get her to the kitchen. “We'll sit down and have a nice little chat about -”
“No!” Sarah yelled, finally slipping her hand away and hurrying to the hallway, just as Kate staggered out through the front door.
“Come back!” Constance screamed, racing after them. “You can't leave me here! There's no-one else left!”
By the time Sarah caught up to Kate, they were at the front of the house, next to the car.
“What's wrong?” Sarah asked, grabbing Kate's shoulder.
Still sobbing, Kate seemed unable to get any words out.
“We're leaving,” Sarah continued, opening the car door and half helping, half forcing her to get in. “I don't know what's going on here, but it doesn't feel right.”
“You can't take her!” Constance yelled, running down the steps in a state of sheer panic. “I need her to stay! You can go, Sarah, but leave your friend! She's mine now!”
Pulling the door shut on the driver's side, Sarah started the engine and floored the throttle, as Kate let out a series of agonized cries from the passenger seat.
“I'm gonna get help!” Sarah stammered. “I'm -”
Before she could finish, Kate lunged at her, grabbing the wheel and trying to force the car off the road. Barely keeping control, Sarah forced the wheel back the other way, swinging the car wildly from one side of the street to the other, almost hitting an oak tree before speeding out across the deserted junction.
