by Lucy Swing
Someone was leaning against the trunk of the narrow tree. The bright green eyes stared up from underneath the gray hoodie he wore, which in turn casted shadows over his face. He stood there motionless, not blinking once. He had found me after all. I swallowed hard. The adrenaline had my blood in frenzy, making my head swim in a confusing haze.
―Daddy,‖ I called between clenched teeth. When he didn‘t come I called for him louder. ―Daddy!‖ My voice came out as a loud shriek. The thud of his footsteps came closer until he reached my door. I dared a look back at him and pointed outside.
―He is here,‖ I whispered to him. ―He is outside.‖ Tears began to well in the corner of my eyes. He crossed the room and put one arm around my shoulders as he looked out the window, his eyes searching the ground.
―Who is, princess?‖ I looked at the tree and pointed again, but there was no one there. The yard was empty again. ―Honey?‖
―I -I saw someone there, by the tree.‖
―Did you recognize who it was?‖ He waited for me to answer, but I just kept staring outside, shaking my head in disbelief. Was I going crazy? Imagining things?
I toyed with the idea of the man in West Hollow following me home and now waiting for a way to get to me, but it couldn‘t be. The eyes were wrong. This one had green eyes like... Jude? Maybe his eyes changed color, depending on his mood? Yeah, his eyes are exactly like a mood ring, Bailey, I told myself.
―I will go outside and make sure there is no one there. Why don‘t you call the police? For all we know this guy could be the one kidnapping the girls.‖
I grabbed his arm and begged him not to go; who knew what that person would be capable of? He could get hurt. He kissed my forehead and was out of my room, taking two steps at a time down the stairs. I reached for the phone and dialed the sheriff‘s office. Dad‘s sweep of the grounds had been quite short and within two minutes from calling the police they arrived.
―That was fast,‖ Dad said when he opened the door, and two police officers stood under the yellow porch light, the sound of zapping mosquitoes in the background. He guided them into the kitchen, where he brewed a new pot of coffee.
―Dispatch said there was an intruder?‖ The officer with the red curly hair turned to me with his little notepad open, ready to take notes. I looked down at his name tag before I responded, Lt. Harris.
―Yes. He was leaning against the Cherry tree out back. Just standing there, staring up.‖ I shivered at the memory. Those green eyes were haunting me in the darkness every time I dared to blink.
―Did you recognize the perpetrator?‖ He was still writing on his notepad, not looking up as he questioned me.
―No, he had his hood on and he was far; I couldn‘t see too well.‖
He stared at me as if deciding whether I was lying or not. ―Do we even know heis a he?‖
I thought about it. I couldn‘t really be certain, but his built, just like in my dream, was masculine. ―I‘m pretty sure.‖
―Was he alone?‖
I nodded.
―What happened next?‖ The other officer, Pheitter, asked as he took the blue mug Dad was handing him.
―She called me,‖ Dad said as he stood behind me and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. ―When I got to her room he was gone. I asked her to call you and I went outside to check if he was still around. But there was nothing, and then you were already at the door.‖ He took a sip of his own coffee and then looked at Lt. Harris. ―How come you got here so fast? Usually it takes about 15 minutes from the station here.‖
They both looked at each other, and then sized me up.
―There‘s been another girl reported missing.‖ Lt. Harris said.
I took a seat; my blood suddenly ran cold and a dry sweat covered the back of my neck. Please don’t let it be her, I said to myself. ―Wh—Who is missing?‖
―It‘s Maggie Simmons, from across the street.‖
―No,‖ I said shaking my head. ―You have it all wrong, I just saw her this afternoon. We went to the mall with her mom, and then she was outside in the porch just after six o‘clock. She also came into my house while I was out and left me a note.‖ They were mistaken. She was probably in her bed by now. My smile weakened as I took in their faces.
―May we see this note?‖ Officer Pheitter asked as he wrote something in his own notepad.
I rose from my chair slowly, feeling the weight of the news on me as I stumbled into the living room and grabbed the handwritten note off the glass coffee table. I gave it to Officer Pheitter. They both looked at it and exchanged looks.
―Mind if we keep this?‖ Lt. Harris asked, not giving me much choice once he had already placed it in his jackets inside pocket and stood up. He took a long sip of his coffee and gave Dad a slight nod.
What was that?If I didn‘t know any better I would have thought they were communicating telepathically.
―We will look around and let you know if we find anything out of the ordinary.‖ With a quiet goodbye, they walked out through the back door.
Dad leaned against the kitchen counter, holding the hot cup of coffee close to his lips and lost in his own thoughts.
The table felt cold against my cheek. I didn‘t have the strength to hold myself up anymore. It couldn‘t be. She couldn‘t be missing. This confirmed it though, it was the chocolates! Dad approached me.
―Not right now, Daddy. I want to be alone.‖
I rushed into my bedroom and picked up my cell phone, dialing Maggie‘s number for the millionth time that night. Her voicemail came to life as her upbeat voice told me to ―leave a message, or not. Whatever.‖ I closed my eyes and the tears rolled down my face like waterfalls. I couldn‘t lose her, I wouldn‘t allow it. I would find her. The note she had left came to mind, and a sudden rush of heat found my cheeks. It was my entire fault! The chocolates were supposed to be for me and now… she had taken my place in these fateful events.
Sleep never came to me. I tossed and turned for hours; flashes of Maggie with the chains tightly wound around her body played in my head like a fast-forward movie. She could probably be in the same predicament as Carly had been in my dream, or vision. Whatever it was. I bolted up in bed, the darkness danced around me, taunting me. The air felt heavy, and my chest felt constricted.
I needed air.
I got out of bed and moved to the window, casting glances around the yard, making sure no one was there. Everything seemed peaceful, no one was visibly lurking around, so I opened the window, allowing the freezing cold of the night to wrap itself around me. It may not have been the smartest move, but whoever had been down there couldn‘t get to my window. Well, unless he had twenty foot ladder.
The tunnel.
Something clicked in my mind. If I found the tunnel then I could probably find Maggie. I bolted to the desk and turned on the laptop, tapping my finger against its edge as I waited for it to load up. The room beamed with the blue light emanating from the screen. Once the browser was open, I typed what I was searching for and waited for the results. For the most part all that came up were miner tunnels, but none looked anything like the one in my dream.
I kept playing with the wording on my searches until I found a cave that, even though it was not a spitting image of the one I had seen, it came pretty darn close. I was not surprised when the map showed its location, West Hollow. It was about a mile or so into the deep forest, not too far from where the factory remains stood.
I stared at the screen for a little while longer, learning the way around the woods. If I was going to go on a mission to save my best friend, I couldn‘t risk getting lost; that would only get me killed too. I cringed at the thought of Maggie having her body carved into; having to forever carry that symbol on her.
No, I will get her out of there; I thought as I snapped out of the sudden daze and started browsing for the symbol. It obviously has to have great meaning for it to be carved on each one of its victims. I searched for symbols on the web until my eyelids became too heavy. Witho
ut the strength to keep them open any longer, I slid into the cold sheets. My body trembled, and I threw my arms around myself tightly.
I ran through the dark, eerie forest. The trees rushed past me as my bare feet hit the ground. The pain was agonizing, but I couldn’t stop. They were closely behind me. I had been in the tunnel where he kept Maggie, but she was unconscious. She had been pale as a ghost and her body unresponsive to my voice or touch. He had come in as I knelt by her feet crying.
“Again? I thought I told you to mind your own business.” He quickly closed the space between us and pulled me up to my feet. I had no strength to fight it anymore. If he was going to kill me, I wished he would just get it over with already. He slapped me across the face with the back of his hand. The blow was strong enough to knock me unconscious.
I awoke in the middle of the forest, red glowing eyes half hidden in the shadows. The thought of playing possum crossed my mind, but they would know. They would see me breathing. Without thinking twice, I jumped to my feet and allowed my legs to take me away; before I knew it I was running.
I ran as fast as I could, but they seemed motionless, constantly behind me. Their white dresses flowed behind them with the wind that rushed by. I had dared to turn around once to see them and instantly regretted it. Not only did I lose speed, but I had gotten a clear view of who was chasing me. It was Carly, Lisa and Marie, the girls who had gone missing within the past ten days. I was unsure of what they had been turned into, but the realization that I didn’t want to become one of them kept me running.
A cold hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to the side. ―Bailey!‖ Dad‘s hands were on my shoulders, shaking me. I sat up and wrapped my arms around him. The warmth of his body begun to work its magic, chasing the memories of the nightmare away. ―Your alarm has been going off for a while. I didn‘t mean to scare you.‖
I lay back down, rubbing the tears off my eyes. ―I was thinking if you would like to stay home today I can call the school. You can make up your test some other day; I am sure they will understand.‖
I shook my head as the tears welled in my eyes and the sobs became loudly unbearable. I closed my eyes and turned onto my side, facing the wall, away from him. He stayed there for a moment; his hand rested on my shoulder in a silent show of understanding. After all, he had been in this same position only seventeen years ago.
When my mother left he said he had been devastated and blind-sided. He had never seen it coming and he never found an answer as to why she left us. At least that is what I had been told all my life. I wonder what had made her feel that abandoning us would be the best choice.
I went through the motions in the morning and Dad drove me to school. Word had gotten out about Maggie, and I was forced to face the whole school body and their pitying looks. As if they could understand.
I soon learned that Maggie wasn‘t the only one that had gone missing last night; Felicity and her minion had never made it home after school. I was now one hundred percent sure that it was the chocolates that were the cause of it, even if I did not understand why. I was now in lit class and so not in the mood to read Edgar Allan Poe; I closed my book and rested my head over my arm on the desk.
Why would Jude be doing this? What could he possibly want with the girls? I closed my eyes and thought hard about it, visualizing Jude in my head and what his intention may be. Suddenly the air around me shifted, and I realized the voices I heard were not from my own classroom, as what all I heard now was about the Civil War. I opened my eyes and found myself standing in the middle of history class. I looked at the other students in a panic, but no one was looking at me. Only one set of bewildered eyes were digging through me.
Jude‘s.
He seemed as perplexed as I was, shifting his weight on his seat uncomfortably. I turned around and looked at Mr. Robins as he wrote some dates on the board. When he turned around he looked right to me. No, right through me. He just kept babbling in his monotone voice.
―Hello.‖ I shook my hand in front of him. Nothing. He couldn‘t see me. No one in the classroom could, except for Jude who was now in a rush, putting his books in his bag. All the color had left his skin.
―Jude.‖ I whispered to him.
He looked up at me but didn‘t falter what he was doing.
―What is going on? Why can‘t they see me or hear me?‖
He shook his head, closed his bag and tossed it over his shoulder. Without acknowledging Mr. Robins‘ pleas to stop, he walked out of the classroom.
I followed him out but stopped once he disappeared into the boys‘ restroom. ―Screw it,‖ I muttered to myself as I pushed open the door and barged in.
―What are you doing, Bailey? This is dangerous!‖ He was pacing the space in front of the sinks, his hands digging into his hair, messing it all up.
―What the hell is going on? How did I get here?‖ I searched his face, wondering if he really knew what was going on.
―Get back. You have to get back before they notice it.‖ His eyes were wild; the green was being hidden by a charcoal color I had seen before.
―Get back where? To lit class?‖
―To your body! You need to get back and you need to do it now!‖ He barked the last word as he got inches away from me. His hands tightened around my shoulders as he shook me. I stared into the dark eyes, wondering why they kept changing colors. He slapped me.
―Are you okay?‖ Miss Langley asked as she gently rested her hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her confused. ―You must have fallen asleep during class. Are you feeling all right?‖ She pressed her cold hand onto my forehead. ―You don‘t have a temperature.‖ She was about to walk away when I lifted my head fully, and she gasped. ―What happened there?‖ My hand followed her eyes to the side of my face where the stinging from Jude‘s slap was. ―Is that a handprint?‖
―Probably my own, from laying my head on it so long.‖
She looked at me for a moment longer and shrugged her shoulders. I picked up my bag and rushed toward the cafeteria, glad to be able to see Chance, if for a little while. My cheek was still hurting, and I was trying hard to wrap my head around what had happened.
I need to figure out what the hell is going on. But who could I ask? My best friend was gone, probably tied up in some tunnel, and even then, I doubt she would‘ve believed me. Jude seemed to know what to do though. He is the enemy, you idiot! I told myself.
I sat down in the cafeteria next to Chance, who was demonstrating how he had tackled Tyler House on last week‘s home game. Once he was done and the crowd had scattered, he turned towards me.
―Oh, come on. None of that moping shit, Bailey. I am having a good day.‖
I had no idea how to respond to that. I was appalled by his choice of words and how little he cared about me or what was going on in my life at the moment. I picked up my tray and began to walk away, knowing that looking at him one more second would cause for my anger to take over.
―So, now you are leaving?‖
I turned around and scoffed. ―I cannot believe you. My best friend has gone missing, and you don‘t want me to ruin your mood? Are you kidding me?‖ I started walking away but he grabbed my hand.
―I am picking you up at 6:30 for the dance. Be ready.‖ His voice was low but demanding, and so I made sure to match it with my own.
―Don‘t bother. I am not going, especially not with you.‖ His hand tightened as I spit the last word before he let me go and I was finally able to walk away.
By the time Dad got home, I was already dressed in my little black dress and shimmery stiletto shoes.
―You look beautiful!‖ Dad took my hand and twirled me around. Although PG-13, I still felt the dress was too revealing to be around him. ―Is Chance coming now?‖
I followed him into the kitchen and pretended to check my make-up on the mirror, swallowing the disgust that came with his name. ―I am actually meeting him there. With all that is going on, I want to have the freedom to leave earlier if the need shoul
d arise and, I don‘t want to ruin his night.‖
―Sounds like a smart move. Are you sure you are okay to go? Maybe itwould be best you stayed home; I don‘t think I will be able to relax until you get home.‖ He turned and faced me, worry displaying all over his face. I half smiled and nodded. ―It‘s not safe out there, honey…‖
I cut him off. If he finished what he wanted to say it would make it impossible for me to leave and follow through on my plan. ―I know Dad, but... it will help distract me a little, you know?‖
He raised his eyebrows giving me his best condescending look. ―There will be absolutely no drinking, understood?‖
―Yes, Daddy. I would think you‘d know me better than that.‖ I walked over to the table and picked up my backpack. ―Love you.‖ I gave him a tight hug and allowed it to last a little longer than usual.
It was strangely warm for a February afternoon. The sun was almost setting when I got in the car and threw the backpack onto the passenger seat. I sat in the driveway for a moment longer, looking up at the house, hoping everything would go as planned, and then I made my way onto highway 56 towards West Hollow.
I felt horrible that I had lied to my Dad, but he had at least bought the scheme of me going to the dance. I just hoped Chance wouldn‘t have the nerve to come over to coerce me into going with him. It would put an end to my plans way too quickly. Dad would have the whole town looking for me in a matter of seconds. I had now bought myself enough time to look for my best friend and, possibly, all the other missing girls. The memory of Carly‘s misshapen and sharp teeth kept nagging at me. I couldn‘t get side tracked, or even scared about what I may find, I needed all my attention into finding Maggie.
By the time I got to the edge of the forest, it was dusk; the last of the orange colors of the horizon disappeared and the purple shades emerged, blending into the darkening sky. I parked the car on the side of the road, hidden from the passing traffic. I held my breath as I looked at the dark forest that lay in front of me.
