by D. B. Green
Horton. I’ve heard that name before. Sometime today. Then it hits me. The girl Maz mentioned at school. “Ellie Horton,” I say, turning to Maz. “The girl you mentioned. The one that saw ghosts.”
Maz turns away from the window, nodding her head. “Yeah. Steve’s boss is her dad. Joseph Horton.” She exaggerates a shiver. “He’s just as weird as Ellie. The entire family is nuts if you ask me.”
Shaking her head, Penny walks over to her newspaper covered desk, clearly disagreeing with Maz’s assessment of the Horton family. “Show some respect. They’re related to one of the founders of Meridia Falls.”
Maz narrows her eyes at Penny. “So, what’s with you two? You seem like a married couple, with how you’re hanging off each other’s words,” she says with a quizzical expression. “You’d never guess you only met each other today.” Her left eyebrow raises as she notices that I’m staring back at her. A small grin forms on her lips as she turns back to the window.
The marriage vision from the chapel suddenly plays through my mind as I watch Penny pour three cups of coffee from the bubbling coffee pot on the desk. The vision of her in the wedding dress sends butterflies through my stomach.
Maz leans back from the window and takes a coffee from Penny. She smiles. “Thanks. I need this.” The color returns to her face as she sips the warm drink. “So, what are we going to do? Somebody must have seen us in that crypt.”
Penny shakes her head. “There was zero surveillance. No CCTV. And the people behind that glass on the balcony didn’t see us…” She pauses and frowns. “They wouldn’t have let us get out of there if they did see us.”
Maz nods. “I suppose so.”
I drop the crypt file on the coffee table next to the medical reports from earlier. Penny’s eyes suddenly open wide. She glances at Maz, then at the medical reports. Putting the remaining cups of coffee on the table, she uses this action as a cover to scoop up the files. Then she wanders back over to the desk and slides them inside a paper tray under the notice board. Turning around, she smiles, mouthing the word ‘phew.’
I sweep my hand across the sofa, checking for stray underwear before I sit down. Penny walks over and sits next to me. She smiles again, realizing what I was doing. Her eyes drift to the open bedroom door. I can just make out her purple bra nestled on the matching purple bed sheets where she threw her clothes earlier. She presses her leg against mine, pulling my attention back into the room. Despite how cold it is, she feels…
“Hot.” Penny’s face goes red with the realization she just blurted out ‘hot.’
Maz spins around. A quizzical grin spreading over her face.
“I mean it will get hotter soon,” Penny says. “The furnace takes time to kick in.” Her distraction seems to work as Maz turns back to the window. Penny wipes her forehead.
“Good save,” I whisper. Despite everything that happened tonight, I can’t stop smiling. I reach forward with my good hand and stroke her cheek. The urge to kiss her becomes strong again. I grab my coffee from the table and take a long sip, trying to force away the temptation. I desperately want to kiss her, but not with an audience watching. Penny half smiles. She’s feeling the same. I can almost sense her thoughts without touching her. Taking another sip of coffee, I turn my attention back to Maz at the window. “Any sign of Steve yet?”
“No,” she says, without turning around. “He better be OK.”
“He’ll be fine,” Penny says. “Steve’s a big boy.”
Maz turns sharply. A deep scowl etched across her forehead. She takes an angry sip of coffee, almost spilling it down her coat.
Penny holds her hands up and sighs. “I meant Steve can take care of himself.”
Maz pulls the cup away from her lips. “I know what you meant.” She narrows her eyes and stares at Penny through the steam from her cup. Then a wide grin forms on her lips. “He’ll probably come back here waving a wrench in his hand like a caveman.”
“Photos.” Penny suddenly jumps up from the sofa. She grabs her camera from the back of the door and darts across the room to the desk, almost tripping over a pile of books on the floor. Pulling out the camera’s memory card, she jabs it into a slot on the nearest computer. “I need to back up the pictures,” she says, panic etched across her face.
Maz saunters over to Penny. “These should be interesting” she says.
I join them at the desk as the pictures load up on the computer screen. Penny double-clicks an image of the white door in the clearing. It’s so strange to see this door that’s haunted my life for so long. To know it’s real and not a hallucination. And to know there are more of them out there. My eyes drift across to the pictures of the other white doors on Penny’s notice board. Something twinkles on the desk, catching my attention. It’s the file we took from the crypt, poking out of the paper tray. A metallic, triangular stamp on the front shines for a second in the glow from the computer screen.
“Looks at these,” Penny says, dragging out each word. She scrolls through the photographs on the screen. It’s like a flipbook animation of the forest clearing, as Miss Slayter and the scientist come into view.
“Now we know why she was coming on to you at school,” Maz says, grinning. “I mean, you’re not that bad looking, but she was a bit too full on.”
“Too right,” Penny says, without looking up from the screen.
My cheeks tingle as embarrassment spreads across my face. “I didn’t notice,” I say.
Maz laughs. “Yeah, we believe you. Not.” She takes a slow sip of coffee. “So, what was she trying to achieve? Why were ‘agitated hormones’ vital to her experiment?”
Penny looks away from the screen. She runs her hand through her hair. Her wonderful green eyes glisten as she contemplates a thought. “I think it’s connected to what happened in the nurse’s room…” Her voice trails off. She smiles and then turns back to the computer screen. Another picture flashes up. It’s one of Mr. Randall, the former history teacher. Frozen in time…
I look from the screen to my diamond gloved hand. It still throbs. Not with pain, but pins and needles. I wiggle my fingers. Will I have this old man’s hand forever? Penny strokes my shoulder. She knows what I’m thinking. Our mental connection will take a lot of getting used to, but I do like this feeling of having someone this close to me.
Maz stares at the computer screen. “Is he still alive?”
Penny scrolls through more images until she finds one of the glowing blue band across his chest. She taps the screen. “I think this pulsating light is some kind of slow heartbeat.”
“Heartprint,” I say. “The hum and the pulsing blue light. They called it a Heartprint.”
Penny nods. “I think this Heartprint is keeping him alive.”
“What about the other blocks - Desino Lapses,” Maz says, correcting herself. “Did they all have people in them?”
Penny zooms into one of her photos, but it’s hard to see anything in the ones hanging from the ceiling.
“Your sister could be in one,” Maz says.
“My brother too,” Penny says, as she spins around.
Maz’s eyes open wide. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
The sudden sound of a car horn from outside breaks the tension. Maz runs back over to the windows. “Is your grandad’s car a rusty, beat-up chunk of metal that looks like it lost a fight with an old gangster movie?”
Penny dashes over to the Maz. “Yeah. That his car.” She fights hard not to laugh at Maz’s description.
“Well, that’s nice and discreet,” Maz says.
I join them at the windows. It’s not just any old rusty car - it’s a classic. A fifties’ Meteor Niagara. I’d recognize that distinctive shape anywhere. “I almost bought one of those instead of my truck.” I tap the glass. “Your grandad had excellent taste.”
Penny smiles and slips the camera strap back over head. Then she grabs a new memory card from the desk. “Come on then. No time to lose.”
I get the feeling she wants
to investigate the door again and not just collect my truck. Who am I kidding? I know it. She grabs my good hand and almost drags me out of the apartment.
20:03 GMT-4
HELLGATE FOREST | MERIDIA FALLS
I squeeze tight against Penny, snuggling close and losing myself in her vanilla perfume. The back of the Meteor is freezing cold, but being this close to her warms me up in ways I’ve not felt before. It’s like a fire burns deep inside me. A fire that will never go out.
I slide my arm over the back of the leather seat and stroke the side of her neck. She tenses and closes her eyes, enjoying the sensation. I can almost feel her joy as I run my finger over her skin. The soft interior light shines on her face. She’s glowing like a movie star. My movie star. My stomach tingles with butterflies again. It’s like we’re on a date. She holds my injured hand, stroking her fingers over my swollen knuckles. With every delicate touch, more feeling returns.
The sudden glare from a street light shines on the diamond glove on my knee. It sends a sparkling star field of light, spinning onto the faded interior roof. The white door jumps back into my mind again. The desire for a normal life with Penny hits me like a blow from a sledgehammer. Why didn’t we go on a proper date like a real couple? There’s nothing proper about our relationship.
Steve makes a left turn and the car shakes as it drives over a rock. “We’re off the forest road now.” He glances over his shoulder. “The track may get a little bumpy.” The work he’s done on the engine is unbelievable. It’s purring like a contented cat. Like Izzy with her salmon earlier.
“You’ve done a great job with the engine,” Penny says, sensing my thoughts. Her voice wavers a little. “My grandad would have loved a last journey in his car.”
I squeeze her shoulder as a tear rolls down her cheek. Her sadness overwhelms me like a dark cloud. It’s difficult to draw breath - my lungs feel full of ice. I blink as my eyes fill up, too. Penny slowly strokes my cheek, catching a tear on her fingertip. A sad, smile spreads across her face and the cloud lifts.
“He wanted me to drive his car,” she says. “And, he’s going to get his wish.” She taps the back of the driver’s seat. “When you get a move on and finish the bodywork, that is.” She sniffs away her tears and laughs.
“Give me a break! I had to rebuild the entire engine first,” Steve says, as the headlights illuminate the back of the Horton Garage pickup truck in the distance. The yellow winch on the back shines like a star at the top of a Christmas tree.
“Here we are,” Maz says. She turns around and rests her chin on her hand, staring at us like she’s watching her favorite TV show. “I suppose I’m gonna have to drive this hunk of junk.” She sighs. “There’s no chance of breaking up you two lovebirds for the drive back?”
Penny glances at me. My face tingles with embarrassment. Even in the low light, she can’t hide her bright red cheeks. She pulls her coat tight as a chilly breeze whips between the trees outside. I pull her in close for a hug.
Still staring at us, Maz grins. “You two are so sweet.”
“You need to drive it anyway, Babe,” Steve says. “I’ve got to get it back to the repair bay in the garage. Joseph will kill me if he finds out I took a customer’s car without permission.”
“Hello,” Maz says, pointing at Penny. “The customer.”
Steve shakes his head. “No, Babe. I meant without Joseph’s permission. He’s funny about things like that.”
“Funny is the key word.”
“Don’t start,” Steve says. “It’s just one of Joseph’s quirks.”
Maz glances at me, swirling her finger in a circle next to her ear.
I pull the worn silver handle and the door swings open, making a soft clunking noise - the sound of a heavy, solid door, just like my truck’s. I run around to Penny’s side and open her door. Taking her hand, I guide her out. She strokes her finger across the door as it closes.
Maz stomps around the car to join Steve. She whacks him in the arm and points at us. “Why don’t you do that for me,” she says.
“You didn’t give me time.” Steve smiles, rubbing his arm. “Next time, Babe. I promise.”
Maz whacks him again. “You better.”
“I parked at the end of the track,” I say, as Penny gives me back my flashlight. I aim the bright beam at the back of my truck in the distance.
“Mid-eighties GMC,” Steve says. “Nice ride.” He jangles the Meteor’s keys and gives them to Maz.
“Be careful with my grandad’s car,” Penny says, pointing her finger at Maz. A hint of a grin spreads across her face.
Maz grins too. “It’s a good job Steve has the garage truck. He can tow me when this thing breaks down.”
For a second, there’s deathly silence. Just the whistling wind between the trees. Then we all laugh. Not a nervous laugh. A bonding laugh. We experienced something tonight. Something that brought us all together.
Steve nods his head at me. “Nice meeting you, Logan.”
“Likewise,” I say.
Maz and Penny stand still in the glow from the Meteor’s headlights. Their elongated shadows stretch across the gravel into the darkened trees. It’s like a standoff. Suddenly, they both lunge at each other, embracing like old friends.
“Chicks,” Steve says, rolling his eyes. “As soon as I get home, I’ll tell my dad about the crypt.”
“He won’t believe you,” I say. “I don’t believe it - and I was there.”
Steve rubs his chin. “Yeah. I might leave out a few details.”
“Just tell him you saw someone carting a body into the church,” Maz says. “And that you followed them into a secret room underneath, where you found lots of bodies.”
“What? Like a crypt,” Penny says, swallowing a laugh.
“Shit.” Maz taps the side of her head. “Oh yeah.”
Steve rolls his eyes. “I’ll think up something and make sure he checks that place out tomorrow… Whatever that place is.” He opens the car door for Maz. She winks at me as he helps her inside. He closes the door and glances at Penny, then back to me. “I’ll let you know how it goes with my dad.”
Maz winds down the window and sticks out her cell phone. “Text me your number, Newbie,” she says. “And don’t forget to pick me up in the morning.”
“Eight fifteen,” I say.
Steve climbs into the garage truck and starts up the engine. It purrs just as sweetly as Penny’s car. I shine the flashlight down the track. “I’ll never get my truck sounding as good as that.”
Maz drives the Meteor back down the track with Steve following in the garage truck. Their taillights disappear into the cold, misty darkness.
Penny slides her arm around mine and we head down the track towards my truck. “We’re not just gonna get in and drive back? Are we?”
“Nope.” Penny shakes her head. “I want to take another look at that door… And get my satnav back.”
I shine the flashlight longingly at my truck. “We could go for something to eat instead.”
Penny holds up her camera. “Just a couple more shots,” she says. “I promise.”
I turn the flashlight on the crooked trees, finding the gap we walked through earlier. “This feels weird.”
“Tell me about it,” Penny says, burying her head in my chest. “But this feels so right.” She looks up, her emerald green eyes twinkling.
“You’re beautiful.” Her lips press against mine before I finish speaking and my stomach explodes with joyous butterflies. The rush of the connection builds in my feet, rising like a volcanic eruption as it engulfs my entire body. As our tongues flick together, our minds connect in an explosion of euphoria.
I am her. She is me. We are one.
I witness the evening from Penny’s point of view. Her excitement when we kissed to the sadness of my injury. Our memories catch up and then stop, leaving us lost in our kiss. Lost in pure bliss. It’s like we’re floating on air…
We are floating on air.
; I thud back onto ground, landing on my back in a pile of leaves. Penny falls on top of me, forcing all the air from my chest.
She rolls over and stands up.
“Wow,” I say, trying to control the euphoric judder in my stomach as I get to my feet. “Did we just… float?”
Penny nods and then looks up into the night sky.
“This just gets better and better,” I say.
Penny puffs out her cheeks. “I know.” Her eyes sparkle orange. They look like they’re twinkling stars in the night sky. Mesmerizing stars.
I stroke the side of her face. “I could stare into your eyes forever.”
“Me too.” She lets out a long, icy breath and smiles. “I wonder what it will be like when we—”
“—make love?” My face tingles. I finished her sentence without thinking about what I was saying.
Still smiling, she reaches up and pulls some leaves out of my hair. Then she kisses me quickly on the lips, pulling away before our minds connect. “It will be earth-shatteringly wonderful,” she says.
The judders in my stomach shift into an even higher gear. “I’ve never…”
“Me neither,” Penny says. She grabs my good hand and leads me back to the truck. “Screw the door… And screw the satnav. Let’s have one perfect night together before all hell breaks loose.”
“I can’t argue with that,” I say, as I pull more leaves out of my hair.
She smiles, licking her lips. “Let’s get something to eat. I know the perfect place.”
“McDonald’s,” we both say in unison. “McDonald’s.” Our laugh echoes through the darkness.
21:32 GMT-4
THE MERIDIAN CINEMA | MERIDIA FALLS
I rub the towel through my hair as I walk back into the Penny’s living room. Warm water drips down my back under my shirt, tickling my skin. A few drops land on the wooden floorboards, and I sweep them away with my sock.
