Tom took a large piece of the roast and set it on his plate then leaned forward, and inhaled deeply, “Oh, yes, now that’s what I’m talking about.”
Mac smiled as she watched Tom scoop up some potatoes and carrots and then put them next to the slice of roast. “Here’s some gravy,” she grinned, handing him the gravy boat.
When they finished their meal, Mac stood to gather her dishes. “Please leave them, dear. I can get them once we have had our pie,” Marge stood, and walked to the kitchen.
“Please let me help. You’ve worked all day preparing this marvelous meal, so that’s the least I can do,” Mac stood and gathered her dirty dishes then reached for Tom’s plate.
“Besides, I want to make sure I get a bigger piece of the pie than Tom does,” she winked at Tom.
“Be sure to put some ice cream on mine,” Tom yelled to Marge, who was already reaching inside the freezer for the ice cream.
“Don’t worry, I will,” Marge rolled her eyes, causing Mac to laugh. “He says that every time and his pie has always had ice cream on it.”
Once they had finished their pie and loaded the dirty dishes in the dishwasher; Mac and Tom went back to his office.
***
“Marge is a fantastic cook. I can’t believe I ate so much,” Mac groaned, as she rubbed her stomach.
“Yes, I’m a very lucky man,” Tom smiled proudly. “I hate to bring this up, but do you think Erebus will call again?”
“I’m sure he will because he loves to push my buttons. I only wish we knew if John is all right. Damn, I blame myself for all of this!”
Mac knew the only reason John was in danger was that Erebus wanted to finish their game. If she had stopped him in the first place, none of this would be happening.
“Mac, you can’t blame yourself for this. Erebus has played his game perfectly many times so no one could have done any more than you did.” Tom understood how she felt, but he wished she would stop blaming herself.
Mac sat a few moments quietly, trying to shake the horrible feeling growing from deep inside of her when her cell phone rang.
She looked at the number, and then to Tom, “Speak of the devil, this has to be him. Hello.”
“Good evening, Lucinda. I hope you were able to get rested after your flight?”
“Perfect timing, we were just talking about you. Is John all right?” Mac did her best to keep her voice calm, but he sensed her concern.
“My dear, Lucinda you never waste any time; always straight to the point. Yes, John is doing fine.”
“How can I believe you? I want to speak to him.”
“I’m sorry, but he’s a bit tied up at the moment. You need to tell Captain Riggs to check his email; I believe its contents will calm your fears. I’ll call back in ten minutes.” The telephone call abruptly ended.
“Tom, he sent an email to prove John is still alive!” Mac felt her heart pounding in her chest, as she stood and followed Tom to his desk.
Tom booted his computer, and once he was online, he opened his inbox. He scanned through the usual emails from friends and co-workers until he found the one with “Our Mutual Friend” in the subject line.
Tom looked at Mac with a look of apprehension on his face, “This has to be the one.”
He opened the email, and what he found made his heart nearly stop beating in his chest.
“That bastard!” Mac growled as she looked at the picture of John, bound to a chair in the middle of a dark room with a dim, single-bulb light hanging down from the ceiling over his head.
“Well, at least he was alive at the time he took this picture,” she sighed.
Tom was speechless. He had been involved in kidnappings before, but never on such a personal level. “Mac, I have a sinking feeling that Erebus doesn’t plan to let John survive this.”
“Tom, I’m worried about the same thing, but we have to try to stay positive. If we give into our fears, then Erebus has won. Remember, that’s how he defeated John the first time. We need to find out where he’s holding John before he has the chance to take it to the next level.”
Mac hated to agree with Tom, but she had the same feeling herself. She knew Erebus would discard John once he had served his purpose.
“He said he’d call back in ten minutes, so when he does, I’ll turn on my speakerphone. Maybe between the two of us, we can pick up on something to help find John.”
“That’s a great idea, Mac.” Tom then said a silent prayer that her plan would work, as he stared at the picture of John.
After a few long and agonizing minutes had past, Mac’s cell phone began to ring. She looked at Tom, smiled and then answered, “Hello.”
“So, now that you have seen the picture of John do you now believe that he’s still alive? I also hope that I gave you both enough time to discuss your plan for a successful rescue before I called back?” Erebus envisioned them busily making their plans.
“As a matter of fact, we were,” Mac shot back with an air of sarcasm in her voice.
“Wonderful. Good evening, Captain Riggs, I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak with you. Lucinda, I’m impressed that you decided to save us time by using your speaker function,” Erebus chuckled.
Mac looked at Tom and shook her head. “Well, I do try to be helpful,” she said, attempting to hide her disappointment.
“Erebus, this is Tom Riggs. I want to let you know if you harm John in any way, I will make it my personal mission to hunt you down. Have I made myself clear?” Tom did not attempt to conceal his true feelings.
“Tom…, may I call you Tom? I promise that any future our mutual friend may have will depend on what you and Lucinda do in the next twenty-four hours. You see the clock is ticking, and this game has almost run its course. Lucinda, I want to tell you how much I look forward to the next move in our game. Now, I want the two of you to get some rest, for tomorrow will be a busy day.” The call ended without another word.
“I hate when he does that!” Mac groaned as she put her cell phone back into its case.
“Tom, we have twenty-four hours to save John. Shit, I hate this feeling of helplessness!”
Tom sat quietly at his desk and went over in his mind what Erebus had said, “Mac, what can we expect from him?”
Mac looked at Tom, and she saw the fear clearly in his eyes. “I’m not sure, but I know he’ll have a trap set for us tomorrow. Tom, I’m not sure if I’ll be as lucky this time. He had time to rethink his game with me, so I’m afraid he’ll be ready for anything I might try to do this time.”
“I’m worried about that myself,” Tom said as he powered down his computer.
He then looked at Mac, “Come on, it’s late and from what he said tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”
Chapter 6
“I just had a pleasant conversation with Lucinda and Tom,” Erebus grinned, when he returned to the room where he left John.
“Tom? Why do you want to involve Tom in this?” John cringed at the thought of Tom pulled into The Game with Erebus.
“I told you because he has freely put himself in the middle of it. I do have to admit that I’m a bit worried about him, though. A man of his advanced age should not allow his emotions to control him.”
John could no longer stand to hear Erebus speak of Tom, so he decided to change the subject. “You were about to tell me about your family before you left earlier.”
Erebus looked at John and smiled. He knew this was merely a diversion, but he found himself enjoying this time with John. He pulled a chair over to face John then began.
“Ah, yes, my family, let’s see, where do I begin. As I told you earlier, my parents were good and decent people. I’m sure this may surprise you, but I come from a long line of nobility. You see, my family is linked to the Royal Family of England, and truth be told, I happen to be in line for the crown. Now, I must admit that there are over one hundred people in front of me, but there, you have it,” Erebus laughed, seeing the shocked look on John’s face.
“I don’t understand. Why would you do this if you’ve lived such a privileged life?” None of this made any sense, but he wanted to keep Erebus engaged in the conversation.
“Simple; because I enjoy it, I need no other reason. You see, I’ve always enjoyed toying with how others envision their reality. To have the power to force someone to destroy themselves such as you did willingly; now that is real power.” Erebus smiled, remembering the first time he played his game.
***
“Millie, have you seen Caleb?” Elizabeth groaned as she walked into the kitchen where Millie was preparing the evening meal.
“No ma’am, I haven’t seen him since breakfast,” Millie paused to look at Elizabeth before she put the standing rib roast in the oven. “I’ll be serving the noon meal in about fifteen minutes. I’ve prepared a Chicken Caesar Salad, as you requested. Will Miss Miranda be joining you?”
“I believe so. She said she would return from the library in time to join me for lunch.” Elizabeth looked out of the kitchen window to the small outbuilding where Caleb would often hideaway to work on his secret projects. “I wanted to speak with him about his preparations for school. I know he’s upset about leaving, but it’s the finest school. Oh well, I’ll inform you once Miranda has returned.”
***
As Caleb walked down the long hallway at the boarding school, he could feel the rage stirring up from deep inside of him. It was bad enough his parents had shipped him off as if he was some crazy uncle, but his father had also decided it would be best for him to share a room. His father had said that he needed to learn to get along with others, but that was something Caleb never desired.
“Father, why do I have to stay here?” Caleb groaned.
“Son, we’ve spoken of this at great length, and you know how important a proper education is for someone of your place in society. Now, I want you to work hard, get along with your roommate, and we shall see you for the holiday,” Charles smiled.
“Here’s your room. I’m sure once you’re settled in; you will find that you like it here.”
“Yes, father, but I am not going to enjoy myself,” Caleb groaned.
He opened the door and looked inside. The large room was just as Caleb had expected. There were two twin-sized beds along opposite walls, a long table under the window, and two dressers sitting next to the door of the large, walk-in closet.
“You see, this room is more than adequate. Now, I want you to get those negative thoughts out of your mind, and enjoy yourself.”
Charles knew Caleb was upset, but this was for the best. He walked toward the empty dresser and set the large suitcase he brought with Caleb’s clothes down next to it.
“The rest of your belongings should be here in a few minutes, so why don’t you use this time to put your clothes away? Son, I know you will in time realize this isn’t such a horrible place, so work hard and make us proud.”
“I will, Father,” Caleb tried to smile, but he knew he would never enjoy himself.
Charles gave Caleb a playful wink and then turned to leave. “I look forward to your telephone call this weekend.”
“Yes, Father,” he glared at his father, as he watched him walk out the door.
***
Caleb had finished putting his clothes away when a wild-eyed boy burst through the door.
“Oh, hello, you must be Caleb. My name is Russell.”
The boy quickly walked to the dresser on the right side of the closet door and retrieved a small camera from the top drawer.
“I forgot this earlier. Several of us are going to collect some tadpoles for science class at the creek. Would you like to join us?”
Caleb looked at this strange boy and wondered how he was ever going to put up with his foolishness.
“No, thank you. I’m waiting for the delivery of the rest of my belongings, so I’ll have to pass this time.”
“Of course, how silly of me, maybe next time,” Russell grinned, and then rushed back out the door.
“Father, you’re going to pay for leaving me in this terrible place.”
Caleb sat at the long table by the window and looked through the items neatly placed on the right half of the table. “Well, at least he’s tidy.”
Chapter 7
John looked at Erebus, realizing his thoughts had distracted him.
“Since you like to destroy people so much, when did you start?”
Erebus smiled. He was surprised at the enjoyment he felt at sharing his past with John.
“I studied for quite some time before I played my first game, as I wanted to have the knowledge I needed to perfect each move. It was quite simple as my parents were very trusting, and never suspected what I was doing in my little hideaway. You see, I was a huge fan of the dark, criminal comic books. Not for the reason most children were. I wanted to know how the villains performed their deeds. For this reason, once I found a willing person to check certain books out of the library for me, I was on my way to fulfilling my destiny.”
“So, you’ve always manipulated people?” John had to admit he was surprised how this had gone on for such a long time.
“If you want to call it that, I guess I have. I like to think of it as opening their eyes to a new reality. At first, I tested my theories by doing small games, such as taking a teacher’s favorite pen, then leaving it to be found on some poor, unsuspecting student. The look of shock on their face, when the teacher would pull them aside for their punishment, was exhilarating,” Erebus chuckled with a satisfied look on his face.
“But that doesn’t destroy them. All of us have played simple gags like that when we were children.”
John found himself confused at the direction this conversation was going.
“True, but I did enjoy them never the less. I guess it will do no harm to tell you of my first little game,” Erebus smiled, thinking back to that glorious day.
***
“Caleb, you are so strange, no wonder no one likes you.” Michael pointed down at Caleb’s books that he had just pushed to the floor. “You better pick those up before Mr. Thornton sees them.”
Caleb reached down to pick up his books while listening to the rest of the children laugh at him.
“Be careful, Michael, you never know what will happen to you,” Caleb said, struggling to remain calm while gathering his books while a fury burnt deep down inside of him.
“Was that a threat? Like I’m scared of a freak like you,” Michael laughed.
“No threat, merely a simple statement.” Caleb looked up and saw the instructor walk in the classroom, so he decided to bide his time until later.
“Alright, let’s all take our seats,” Mr. Thornton said while walking to the chalkboard.
“As you all know the semester is nearly over, and time for your final examination. It will be a one hundred question test on everything we have covered this semester; for this reason I recommend that you study well because this will be half of your final grade.”
The moans from the students made it apparent they were not looking forward to the test, all except for one. Michael had always been a straight A student, as well as a favorite among the instructors.
“The examination will be next Monday. If you wish to pass this class, I recommend that you spend this week studying everything we’ve covered. Am I understood?”
Michael raised his hand and waited for Mr. Thornton to call on him. “Yes Michael, do you have a question?”
“No sir, I only wanted to thank you for preparing us for this test. You have been an outstanding instructor, and I know we are all confident we will do well,” Michael’s comment was followed by groans of disagreement from the other students.
“Why thank you; it’s students like you who make it all worthwhile.”
Mr. Thornton enjoyed having Michael in his class, and he wished more of his students would take as much pride in their work as he did.
Caleb sat watching Michael and planned what he would do to destroy the ima
ge of the perfect student Michael had created for himself in the eyes of the instructors.
This is going to be too easy; he thought to himself with a smile of satisfaction on his lips.
Caleb appreciated how predictable and trusting Mr. Thornton was with his students. He had a beautifully carved, wooden box on the corner of his desk where he kept all of his examinations for the year. Mr. Thornton was not like the other instructors. He believed a student ought to know every detail of a subject he taught in his class, and, for this reason, he never used a multiple-choice test. He preferred to read his tests aloud to his students, to force them to know the answers. He never believed in allowing a student to make a random choice during a test. By doing this, it all worked perfectly for Caleb’s plans for Michael.
Michael was the proud son of a United States Senator, and he would often brag that someday his father would be President of the United States.
“Let’s see what daddy thinks of you after you’re proven a fraud,” Caleb laughed softly. He then opened the door to Michael’s room and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “This is going to be priceless.”
Caleb planned to frame Michael for cheating on the final examination. He knew Michael would be at soccer practice for at least two hours, making this the perfect time to put his plan into action. Caleb had already managed to make a copy of the final exam taken from the box on Mr. Thornton’s desk. Now he needed to use Michael’s typewriter to create the proof of his cheating.
Caleb sat at Michael’s desk, looking around the room at the numerous awards and trophies on the shelves along the walls. “Let’s see how people think of you after this. The best part is you will never be able to deny this is not your cheat-sheet,” he chuckled at the brilliance of his plan.
Caleb was thankful he had noticed how Michael’s typewriter would always drop the “e” slightly lower than the other letters. It was this that provided the proof of Michael’s guilt. He finished typing the copy of the test and was careful to make sure everything was replaced to its proper place before he left.
Erebus Page 5
