Sylvie

by Stacy Galloway

  Tom looked at his watch. 11:07. He wouldn’t be able to wait much longer. If Kevin wasn’t there by noon, he’d go find a phone and try to call him. Maybe call the hospital and see if he was admitted. His anxiety grew. He knew that Kevin knew how important this was to Tom. Kevin would never intentionally keep Tom from trying to get Bridgette back. If Kevin wasn’t here it was because something bad had happened to him.

  Tom picked up the laptop. He could check to see if there had been any local accidents. He turned on the power. The screen lit up with a welcome sign that quickly dissolved into a box that said ‘password’. Tom sighed heavily and shut the lid.

  He set the laptop on the coffee table as the front door swung open with a bang. Kevin charged in holding his raincoat over a box shape. He dropped the raincoat on the floor and set the box on the coffee table. He hurried back to the front door and slammed it shut against the wind and rain.

  “It’s pretty bad out there,” he exclaimed as water dripped off his soaked clothes. He picked up his raincoat and hung it in the hall closet.

  Tom exhaled, relieved. He reached over and opened the lid. All three books were safe and dry. He looked at Kevin expectantly.

  “Yeah, sorry about that, I thought I was gonna go to the library and research the books so I took them along. I decided to pick up the stuff we needed first and go to the library after. I was making good time until the storm blew up. Took me twice as long to get back from Carbondale. Had to pull over a few times it was so bad. Came right here because I remembered I had no way to call you. Let me get out of these wet clothes, I’ll be right back.”

  Tom watched Kevin close his bedroom door.

  Tom reached in the box and picked up the brown journal. He held it for a few seconds and promised Bridgette he was coming to help. He promised he would never give up. He gently laid the book back in the box and quietly closed the lid.

  Kevin came out of his room in dry clothes, “I’ve got the stuff in my car. I’ll just leave it there and we can unload at your house.” He looked at Tom, “You got the rope and stuff?”

  Tom nodded and went to the spare room. He grabbed the bag with the rope, carried it back to the living room, opened it and said, “Rope, duct tape, zip ties.”

  “Ready?” Asked Kevin walking to the front door.

  “Yep,” said Tom closing the bag and following him.

  Kevin stopped in the doorway and watched the pouring rain, “I guess I didn’t think through the ‘dry clothes’ thing.”

  “You want me to grab that raincoat for you?”

  “Naw,” said Kevin digging into his front pocket. He pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper and quickly scanned it, “Dammit, I forgot beer.”

  “Don’t worry about it, there may be a few in my fridge.”

  Kevin nodded and they both ran out into the rain.

  Kevin must have left his car unlocked, because he had opened the door, slid in the seat and switched it on before Tom even got the key out of his pocket.

  Cold rain poured off Tom’s head and streamed onto his face as he fumbled the key into the lock. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The downpour intensified. Tom shivered and tried to jam the key into the lock. He glanced up and saw a hunched dark figure walking quickly towards the driveway. It was the young man. Tom watched as he sloshed through the rain. Finally, the key fit in the slot. Tom unlocked the door, opened it, and tossed the bag into the backseat.

  And before he thought about what he was doing he shouted, “Hey!”

  The kid peaked out from under his hood. He gave Tom a quick nod.

  Tom said, “You need a ride somewhere?” The rain beat down on the roof of the car and almost drowned out his words,

  The kid stopped, peered at Tom and paused.

  “C’mon and hop in. No one needs to be out in this crap”

  Thunder crashed and the downpour got heavier. Tom was completely soaked. Cold rain dripped down his back. The rain pelted down like nails.

  The kid ran towards the car.

  Tom got in and unlocked the passenger side. The kid shrugged off the backpack and clutched it with both hands, slid in the seat and slammed the door.

  “You can put that in the back,” said Tom nodding towards the backpack, “It’s not gonna hurt anything in this old car and it’ll give you a chance to warm up your hands.”

  The kid set the backpack in the back while Tom turned on the car. It rattled and heaved before the engine roared to life. Tom cranked the heat on high and the kid stretched his hands towards the vents.

  Tom looked over to Kevin who was holding his hands up in a ‘what are you doing’ sign. Tom rolled down his window. Kevin rolled his eyes and his passenger window slid down.

  “I’m gonna drop him off,” Tom shouted through the pounding rain.

  “I’ll grab some beer and meet you at your place.”

  Tom was alarmed, “Don’t go in without me!”

  Kevin nodded, “I’ll wait in the driveway with the car doors locked.”

  Tom said, “Be careful and I’ll see you in a few.”

  Kevin’s passenger window slid up. He backed out of the driveway and slowly drove away.

  The kid said nothing about this strange exchange.

  Thunder crashed and the sky darkened. The streetlamp came on bathing the car in a surreal orange light and Tom remembered that he had forgotten the flashlights.

  He peered at Kevin’s dark house and then looked over at the kid and said, “I’ll be right back.”

  The kid nodded holding his hands on the heater vents. He had pulled his hood down and his brown hair was soaked and plastered to his head.

  Tom ran to the front door before he remembered he didn’t have a key. He tried the handle, the door opened and Tom sighed in relief. He quickly closed the door and rushed into the spare room. The blue notebook was balanced precariously on the bag of clothes. Tom picked up the notebook and the bag. He saw the flashlights in there and quickly walked out of the room closing the door behind him.

  The box sat on the coffee table. Tom paused and walked over to it. He opened the lid. He stared at the brown journal and thought of Bridgette. He set his notebook down and gently touched the cover and whispered, “I’m coming, Bridgey, and I won’t stop until I get you back.”

  And then he got an idea.

  He would bring the box with him. It would save some time once they caught Sylvie and neither of them would have to leave to come back to get it. Pleased with himself, Tom looked around for something to protect it from the rain.

  He opened the hall closet and pulled out Kevin’s raincoat. As he started to close the door, he noticed a briefcase and a backpack tucked away in the corner. He put the raincoat back and grabbed the backpack. He hurried back to the living room. He picked up his notebook, shrugged, and set it on top of the brown journal. He closed the box, slid it into the backpack and zipped it up.

  He slung the backpack onto his back, picked up the plastic bag and looked around the room. He didn’t think he was forgetting anything else. He walked out the front door and into the storm.

  He ran to the car, opened the door, tossed the bag and backpack onto the backseat, slid into the driver’s seat and slammed the door. Warm air poured out of the vents. Tom stretched his hands in front of them and sighed. He turned on the headlights illuminating the front of Kevin’s house. The door was closed, but Tom had left it unlocked just as Kevin had.

  Tom turned on the windshield wipers, and looked over to the kid, “Where to?”

  The kid said, “Oakwood Drive.”

  Tom nodded and pulled out of Kevin’s driveway.

  The kid watched the rain through the windshield.

  “So you heading back from your girlfriends?” Asked Tom remembering the rose.

  The kid looked over at him startled. And then recognition flooded his face, “No…,” and the kid looked out at the rain, “My mom.”

  The kid jammed his hands into his pockets.

  His voice cracked and he said so
ftly, “My mom’s dead. I bring her a white rose every month on the 20th. White roses were her favorite… and books. I read to her…. She love to read before…” He trailed off and finished in a hoarse whisper, “She died on December 20th.”

  A lump formed in Tom’s throat, “I’m sorry.”

  The kid nodded and watched the rain.

  “How are you and your brothers or sis-.”

  “It’s just me and my dad,” said the kid. “Turn here. My house is the last one on the right.”

  Tom pulled up and stopped in front of a small brick house. Two neatly trimmed white rose bushes framed the front door.

  The kid pulled his hood up over his head.

  “Hey, take care of yourself…”

  “Wyatt,” said the kid.

  Tom paused.

  “Wyatt, my name is Wyatt. I know it’s weird, but my mom picked it out and….”

  Tom nodded, “It’s a cool name. I mean it. Mine’s just plain old ‘Tom’.”

  Wyatt smiled and held out his hand, “Nice to meet you, Tom.”

  Tom shook his hand, “Nice to meet you too, Wyatt.”

  “Thanks for the ride,” said Wyatt reaching for his backpack from the backseat and opening the door.

  “Any time,” said Tom, “and I am really sorry about your mom.”

  Wyatt paused and nodded towards the windshield. “Be careful out there.” Then he stood, closed the door and ran towards his front door.

  Tom watched him dig a key out of his pocket, unlock the door and close it behind him. The front porch light flickered on.

  Tom turned the car around and drove home.

  As Tom pulled in to his driveway, he glanced at the time. 11:45. He didn’t want to box Kevin’s car in, so he pulled in behind their little pickup truck. He shut off the car, reached in the back seat and grabbed the two plastic bags.

  Kevin motioned towards the house and nodded. Tom assumed he meant to go on in. Tom nodded and opened his door. Kevin opened his door. Rain pelted them as they ran to the front door. They both pulled out their guns. Kevin grabbed the doorknob and turned it. The door swung open.

  Dark, heavy air engulfed them as they stepped into the house. Kevin closed the door. Silence descended. The back of Tom’s neck prickled. He felt like prey being tracked by a deadly predator. He quickly scanned the living room but nothing moved.

  He tried to shake off his uneasiness. He whispered to Kevin, “Do it the same way we did yesterday.”

  Kevin nodded. They searched each room methodically. Sylvie wasn’t in any of them. Tom stood in the kitchen and looked around. Something was off. He couldn’t place his finger on it, but it seemed like little details were different. The whole house had a feeling of being ‘wrong’ somehow. Kevin touched his arm and Tom nearly screamed.

  Kevin whispered, “I’ll check the cellar, you wait up here.”

  Tom nodded and stood near the open cellar door. He glanced around the kitchen. Nothing moved. It felt like the house was holding its breath. Tom heard the muffled clang of the iron door. Seconds ticked by. The cellar was silent. He watched the stairs anxiously. He imagined Sylvie sneaking out of a dark corner and hitting Kevin over the head with an axe.

  Fear engulfed him. He felt eyes staring at him. He turned. Nothing moved. He looked back towards the cellar steps and jumped when Kevin came into view. Tom’s heart hammered.

  Kevin shook his head and said, “She’s not here.”

  Relief flooded over Tom. Kevin came into the kitchen and closed the cellar door.

  “I’ll get the rest of the stuff out of my car,” said Kevin walking towards the front.

  Tom followed him out. Kevin opened his back door, reached in and handed Tom a case of beer, and two bags filled with food. Kevin grabbed a large garbage bag and two smaller bags. Thunder rumbled as they ran towards the front door. Tom opened the door and slammed it behind them muffling the storm.

  “We shouldn’t have both gone out there, she could have come in the back,” said Tom.

  Kevin nodded, “Let’s double check the house again. But I think it’s best for us to stay together.”

  They repeated the same steps as before.

  “Not down there,” said Kevin as he climbed the cellar steps.

  Tom looked out the back door window. He watched the forest. The trees waved violently, bending in the wind. He looked at the Hartman’s empty house. His gaze drew to his own yard. The apple tree’s limbs waved and bent.

  He turned to see Kevin holding a frozen box of lasagna upside down reading the instructions intently.

  “You hungry?” Asked Kevin

  Tom’s stomach twisted, “Not really,” he replied.

  “I’ll heat this up anyway. I bought two.” He opened the microwave door, put the lasagna in and pressed a few buttons. The microwave whirred to life.

  Tom sat down at the kitchen table. He watched the computer’s screensaver whirl and swirl.

  “We’ll take turns sleeping tonight, what do you think of four hour shifts?”

  Kevin shrugged, “Sounds good.”

  Tom thought it over, “We’ll stay together in the living room. We can sleep on the couch. Whoever’s awake for the shift will check the doors and windows every thirty minutes.”

  “Ok.”

  Tom drummed his fingers on the table, “Where is she?” He said to himself.

  “Probably in the shack.”

  Tom looked at Kevin. From what he’d read the shack sounded small and uncomfortable, plus it didn’t exist anymore.

  “How? It disappeared, she couldn’t get into it anymore. And she never got into the mine.”

  Kevin looked thoughtful, “From what I understand, it never really goes away. It might be camouflaged, or hidden from anyone who just happens to be passing by, but it’s always there. Like a vortex.”

  “Vortex?”

  “Yeah, paranormal researchers call some places ‘vortexes’. It’s a catch-all term for places that are conducive to paranormal phenomena. Almost like a wormhole. Easy passage for spirits and stuff to enter our world from other dimensions.

  “So, the shack would fall into that category. It and the mine would be the wormholes. Places like this exist all over the world. People think Stonehenge is one. Actually, I believe it’s more prevalent than that.

  “People get uncomfortable in haunted places. This could be psychological- they know it’s haunted so they get scared. But in addition to that, some people get uncomfortable in places they have no idea are haunted. It’ll happen when they first walk into a place. They might get ill, or sleepy, or not want to stay there. That place may be a vortex. Hidden to the casual observer, but available to those who know about it.

  “That’s where the shack comes in. True, it’s been a legend for years, but let’s say someone’s out strolling through the forest. They might unknowingly get close to the shack. Suddenly, they feel sick to their stomach. Or maybe they feel like they’re being watched. They quickly leave, not knowing they were near a vortex.

  “So you think that’s where she is.” Tom stated.

  “Yes. I think it’s why she’s here. She didn’t want to die. She wants the power and riches in the mine. She did Locum Tenens to get out of dying and to lay her claim to the shack.

  “Performing a spell like that gave her power. Plus any time spent in the shack would have given her more power. Like constantly being exposed to certain chemicals can make us ill. Instead of chemicals, she was constantly being bombarded and absorbing knowledge and power. She’s human and supernatural at the same time.”

  The microwave beeped. Kevin opened it, poked at the lasagna, closed the door and started it again.

  “It’ll take a few more minutes, it’s a big one.”

  Tom watched the screensaver whirl and swirl, “So, you think she can get in the shack and mine now, even though the shack crumbled around her and she could never get into the mine.”

  “From everything I’ve read the shack and mine are linked,” said Kevin, “mayb
e it wasn’t her time to get into the mine. Maybe they used it as a lure to keep her coming back to the shack.”

  “They?”

  “The dark powers, the Rumilures, whoever,” Kevin shrugged, “Maybe ‘they’ isn’t the right word. Look, if nothing else, any power needs energy and more power to survive. Maybe it wasn’t a ‘they’ as much as a way for that power to grow. It fed off her, she fed off it and got stronger. Like a parasite and host. They both need each other to survive.”

  “But then the host can kill off the parasite whenever it wants,” said Tom

  “Not if the parasite is too strong. Sometimes the parasite kills the host.”

  Tom thought about this, and then said, “So she did Locum Tenens to get out of her dying body. She came to the future to claim the powers and riches in the shack and mine. Why now? Why 100 years? Why not just jump a few years into the future?”

  “There are some absolutes when it comes to Locum Tenens. First, you need the book. If you attempt to do it by remembering how you did it before, it may or may not work. The book virtually guarantees it. Second, you will ‘switch’ with someone of the same sex. Third, the switch will happen within proximity. Basically, you won’t end up in Russia. You’ll end up close to where you started. And finally, you get to choose how many years into the future you want to go. She might not have known she had a choice. But I bet she knows that now.”

  “Because you think she’s been to the shack and would ‘know’ that somehow.”

  Kevin nodded, “She’s cunning. It wouldn’t take much to realize that you can choose any amount of years.”

  “So, you think that now that she’s here, she’ll be able to go to the shack whenever she wants to and gain more power and get to the jewels she knows are hidden in the mine.”

  “No. I think she will want to stay in the shack. It has everything she needs. She has nothing to lose by staying there.”

  Surprised, Tom said, “And not ever come back here?”

  “Think about it. Why would she? I’m not trying to offend you, but…” Kevin paused, “Well, there’s nothing here for her. You don’t have any money, she would have to work on pretenses and learn everything about the ‘here and now’ just to function. Technology is everywhere. You can hardly do anything without a camera catching your every move. It would be much easier for her to live in a place that’s hidden, where she doesn’t have to worry about nosy neighbors or friends dropping by. It’s a win-win for her. Live in the shack, gain more power and knowledge. Think about it. It’s really to her advantage. The more power she gains the more she can achieve. And all that without having to mess with the details of everyday modern life. She knows how to hunt and gather food. There’s water everywhere: the river, rain, old wells. She has everything she needs out there.”