Sherriff Morrison burst through the door, carrying a large, jet black baton. ‘Calvin! Open the door!’ he commands.
Calvin releases Willis and grabs the keys from his desk. He feverishly flips through the keys looking for the right one.
Willis looks over at Calvin. He lets go of Kate’s hair, but his grip on her coat remains tight. ‘Listen, you must remember this. The One Without a Face will hunt you until he takes your life. His finger is a breeze and his hand is a storm. The only way to stop him is to return him to his beginning. His beginning was his end.’
Kate listens to Sherriff Morrison jingling the key in the lock. She looks at Willis. The fury in his face as melted into a tenderness. His voice of vengeance has transformed into a tone of secrecy. She gazes at Willis with curiosity. ‘What does that mean?’ she asks.
She hears the loud clunk of the lock opening. Sherriff Morrison swings open the door to the cell. Willis releases Kate’s coat, ‘You have to take him….’
Sherriff Morrison’s baton smashes Willis in the face. Willis crumbles to the ground, his head bleeding profusely.
‘Get the cuffs!’ Sherriff Morrison yells to Calvin. Kate watches as Willis crawls to the bars. His palms strike the floor in desperation. Sherriff Morrison wrestles the baton under Willis’ neck. He rears back and brings the baton tightly against his throat. Willis looks at Kate. A tear streams from his eye has he gasp for air. His pale skin turns bright red and he struggles to breath from his confinement.
‘Calvin! Bring the cuffs!’ Sheriff Morrison yells. Calvin scrambles around his desk before snatching the handcuffs from a pile of papers and running into the cell. Sherriff Morrison grabs Wills by the wrist and bends them back. Wills tries in vain to escape Sheriff Morison’s clutches. The baton under his neck comes loose and he pulls Sherriff Morrison’s hand and flips over, slamming Sherriff Morrison into the wall.
Willis stubbles to his feet, desperately gasping for breath. He begins to walk over to the opening of the cell. He grabs the side of the door and tries to pull himself out. Calvin runs into the cell and tackles Wills to the ground. ‘Where you think you’re going!” he says while forcefully bending his wrist behind his back.
Sheriff Morrison staggers to his feet and makes his way to the skirmish. He grabs Willis by the ankles and holds tightly.
‘Put the cuff on him!’ he yells. Calvin secures his wrist. He takes the handcuffs and clamps them on. Willis squirms around for a moment. He thrashes back and forth to no avail at freedom.
Calvin stands up and looks down on Willis, ‘You thought you were in trouble before? Well now you brought yourself a whole different set of charges. When the judge hears about this, you die in prison.’ He leans down to Willis’ ear, ‘Now tell me, was it worth it?’
Willis lies on the floor, his eyes slowly blinking. The blood form his head is smeared across the walls and floor of the cell. Kate hears the labored breathing from the trio. Sheriff Morrison limps out the cell holding his back.
‘Calvin, c’mon. We’ll call the medic after he’s finished with the dog. Calvin kicks Willis’ legs before walking out. ‘Can you believe this guy? I mean the nerve on him.’ Sheriff Morrison takes a seat, ‘Well what do you expect. The ones with nothing to lose are the worst ones.’
Calvin pushes the cell door closed. He looks over at Sheriff Morrison, still holding his lower back from the fight. ‘You ok? You should probably get that looked at.’
Sheriff Morrison chuckles, ‘I’ve had worst. You think this old dog gets worn out easily?’ I’ve had some battles. How do you think I got this job in the first place? I’ll be alright.’
Calvin looks over at Kate. Her eyes are still wide with fear and surprise. Calvin walks over and puts his hand on her shoulder, ‘You alright?’
Kate looks over at Calvin. She holds her hands to prevent them from shaking, ‘Yes, I’m ok.’
Calvin leans closer to Kate, ‘Are you sure? Did he hurt you in anyway?’ Kate shakes her head, ‘No, I’m fine. I just want to call my dad and go home.’
Calvin smiles, ‘I don’t blame you after the day you had. Did you get the number for you aunt from information?’
Kate looks at Willis. His eyes slowly close while he lies in an ever growing puddle of blood. His lips move. The whispering is too quiet for Kate to hear. She takes a step towards the bars.
Calvin grabs her and pulls her back, ‘What are you doing? That is how you got yourself in that problem in the first place!’
Kate snaps out of her trance. She looks at Calvin, ‘Yea. Yes, I mean yes.’ Calvin looks in the cell and sees Willis whispering. He pounds his fist on the bars, ‘Hey! Shut up in there!’ he yells. Willis fights to keep his eyes open, but the heaviness of his lids collapses his vision.
Calvin pulls a chair from the desk next to him, ‘Here you go. Have a seat and we’ll work to get you home.’
Kate’s takes the chair and slowly sits down. Calvin noticed how detached she looks. He walks over to the sink and gets her a glass of water.
‘Here’ he says while shoving the cup of water in her hand, ‘drink this. It will make you feel better.’
Kate puts the paper cup to her mouth and takes a sip of the lukewarm water. Sherriff Morrison stands from his seat.
‘Calvin, can you go see if Roy needs any help with her dog? If he does, stay there and help him. If he doesn’t, stay there until he finishes and tell me the second he is.’ Calvin takes another look at Kate, then turns and walks down the hallway.
Sheriff Morrison pulls his seat beside Kate. He slowly sits back down, winching his eyes from the pain in his back.
‘Agh,’ he groans while trying to sit up straight in the chair, ‘I might be getting too old for this.’
He looks over at Kate. Her shaking hands are clenched together and pulled tightly into her body. The blush of her cheeks has faded into a clammy, pale complexion.
‘Kate?’ Sheriff Morrison whispers quietly. Kate slowly turns her head. The fear of the event still resides across her face. Sherriff Morrison reaches for the phone, ‘Did you get your Mom or Dad?’ Kate shakes her head no.
He hands the phone to Kate, ‘I know you’re ready to go home. Go ahead and call your parents. Roy is probably almost finished.’
Kate takes the phone. Her trembling hands are not steady enough to dial the numbers. Sherriff Morrison gently moves her hand out the way, ‘I can dial the number for you. Just tell me what to dial.’
Kate bows her head, ‘I don’t know the number. I was going to call information for the number but I didn’t get around to it before...’ She stops and looks over at Willis lying face down in the cell. Her voice quivers.
‘My aunt’s name is Lucy Newberry. 493 Cunningham rd. My Dad and Mom should be there. If not they have to be home. My number is 827….’
Sherriff Morrison stops Kate, ‘We’ll start with your aunt. Just relax; I’ll take care of it.’ Sherriff Morrison dials the number. He waits a minute before hearing a distorted voice breaks through. Sherriff Morrison clears his throat, ‘Hello. I’m looking for the number for Lucy Newberry…’
The muffled grunts from Willis echo through the cell. Kate begins to think about what he said. She looks at his torn, tattered clothing, his unkempt hair, his unclean appearance. His hands are rough and littered with old scars. His shoes are almost worn down to the sole.
‘He’s a crazy person,’ Kate says to herself over and over in her mind, ‘There is nothing he said that can be true. He’s nothing but a crazy, old homeless person. He’s a liar, he knows nothing. He’s only trying to scare me.’
Kate looks over Willis again. She thinks back to something her Grandfather once told her years ago when she was a small girl, ‘Sometimes it’s the least of us that holds more value.’
Sherriff Morrison hangs up the phone. He looks at Kate, staring into the cell. ‘Well, good news,’ he says, ‘I got ahold of your father and he’s coming down as we speak. I told him about what happened, just in case he asks you any questions about it
.’
Kate continues to look into the cell.
Sherriff Morrison leans over to Kate, ‘When I came in, I saw him whispering something through the bars. What did he say to you?’
‘Nothing,’ Kate replies, ‘just rambling.’
Sherriff Morrison stands up. He grabs his coat and puts it around Kate’s shoulders, ‘I don’t know when your Dad will be here and it’s getting late. If you want, you can lay down on the bench in the lobby. I think you should get a little sleep, seeing how there’s school tomorrow.’
Kate stands and wraps the coat tighter around her shoulder. She solemnly follows Sherriff Morrison to the lobby. Before she leaves, she takes one more looks at Willis.
‘He’s a crazy old man,’ she says to himself, ‘he doesn’t know anything.
Chapter 9
The hallways of Maplewood High school are overrun with rushing students. Linny looks apprehensively at her watch while leaning against Kate’s locker.
‘15 minutes to the morning bell. Is she coming or not.’
Donavan bounces a small tennis ball against the adjacent wall, ‘Can’t you call her? This waiting around game is ridiculous. I have things to do.’
Linny’s eyes are glued to her watch, ‘You’re telling me you can’t wait here with me for 15 minutes without bitching? Do I complain when I have to wait around for you when you go sneaker shopping?’
Donavan chuckles, ‘First of all, sneaker shopping is an actual fun activity. You’re engaged in shoes. Second, girls love shoes. So don’t tell me that you hate shoe shopping.’ Linny rolls her eyes, ‘Nothing you just said made any sense.’
Donavan continues to bounce the ball against the wall, ‘You know, the way people talk in this school, this whole thing could be a rumor.’
‘So what if it is?’ Linny replies, ‘If it is, no harm no foul. If it isn’t, then I should be there for my friend. You probably don’t know anything about real friends seeing how yours only use you for rides and stolen liquor.’
Donavan shakes his head, ‘The liquor isn’t stolen, and it’s from my Dad’s cabinet. Shows how much you know.’ Linny stares down the hallway, ‘Yea, stolen from your dad’s liquor cabinet.’
Donavan begins to open his mouth and Linny quickly cuts him of, ‘And don’t say how it’s “family liquor” because I know if your dad knew, he’d punch you in the face and ground you.’
Donavan begins to cozy up to Linny. He puts his hand around her waist, ‘But if it wasn’t for family liquor, we would have had that great time under the bleaches after homecoming last year.’ He leans in to kiss Linny. Linny pushes his face away, ‘Oh please. Get away from me.’
Linny sees Kate walking down the hallway towards them. Her hair is disheveled. The pronounced dark circles under her eyes greatly contrast from her pale face. Linny runs over to Kate. She throws her arms around her and tightly squeezes her semi limp body, ‘Oh my God! I heard the news! Are you alright monkey?’
Kate lifts her arms and weakly squeezes her back, ‘Yea, I’m ok. Why wouldn’t I be?’ Linny begins to comb through Kate’s hair with her fingers, ‘Oh, your hair is a mess, you poor thing.’
Donavan puts the tennis ball in his pocket and smiles at Kate, ‘I heard you got molested by that hobo they’re holding down at the jail. Was it good for you as it was for him?’ he says with a smirk.
Kate takes a step back and looks at Linny confused, ‘What? Who said that?’
Linny puts her arm around Kate and walks her over to her locker. She stomps of Donavan’s foot while passing him, ‘Why don’t you tell the whole school. You insensitive prick.’
Kate pulls Linny close, ‘Who said I was molested?’ she ask firmly. Donovan hobbles over and leans into Kate’s ear, ‘Not really molested. More like, aggressively felt up.’
Linny elbows Donovan into the locker, ‘Don’t you have somewhere to be?’ Donovan throws up his hands in surrender. He picks up his backpack and begins to back away, ‘Yea, I have to be….not at school. I’mma skip today babe. Call me later.’
Linny closes her eyes in frustration as Donovan walks away, ‘By the time that kid’s a senior, he’ll be paying for his lunch with his pension check.’
‘Linny!’ Kate says snapping her fingers, ‘What’s this molesting business you were talking about?’ Linny reaches for Kate and gently places her hand on her shoulder, ‘Before I tell you this, you might want to sit down.’
Kate grinds her teeth and glares at Linny, ‘Yes, maybe we should sit down in a crowded hallway and get trampled to death. That’s a great idea Linny, I see Donovan’s stellar intellect is rubbing off on you.’
Linny purses her lips, ‘Ok, ok. You don’t have to get snippy with me. I was just trying to provide a relaxed environment. That’s what they taught me to do in therapy.’
Linny twist her head and looks around her for prying ears. She leans to Kate and begins to whisper in Kate’s ear.
‘Well, my Mom heard from her cousin who works with a guy that lives in the same apartment building as someone who works at the police station that the old dirty guy who was yelling around those reporters that he attacked you. He said that you were walking your dog and he jump out the bushes and hit you in the face with a bar and tried to rip your shirt off.’
Kate takes a deep breath. She looks at Linny’s giddy face, waiting for her to confirm the story. Kate pinches the bridge of her nose and hangs her head.
‘That…sounds…so…absurd and bizarre. I couldn’t imagine anyone believing it.’ Linny looks at Kate offended, ‘Why does that sound bizarre? That is what crazy old people do.’
Kate begins to turn the combination lock on her locker, ‘First of all, they guy is in jail. So how would he be free to jump out of any bushes?’
Linny stands silent. She looks at the ceiling in thought, ‘So you didn’t stab him in the hand with a with a pocket knife either? I heard that happened to. And if you did, that would be pretty bad ass.’
Kate shakes her head, ‘No. Sorry. What happened is I was walking in the woods, Nibbles got something stuck in his paw, I went to the police station and they took it out. Nothing more…nothing less.’
Linny scratches her head, ‘So where does the old man come into the story?’ Kate unzips her backpack and begins to take out her books, ‘He doesn’t.’
‘Well,’ Linny says as she leans against the lockers, ‘I guess you can’t trust people anymore with the truth. Anyway, what are you doing after school?’
Kate carefully slides a folder from her backpack. Linny watches as she delicately places it between her books.
‘What’s that?’ she asks while pointing to her books. Kate acts as though she doesn’t hear the question, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing after school. To be honest, I might just go home and work on that report Mrs. Fynus assigned us.’ Linny nods her head, ‘Sounds great, but what’s that….’
The warning bell rings and resonates through the hall. The students quickly begin to fill their homerooms as the dense of the hallway begins to thin. As Kate begins to close her locker, Linny grabs the door. She checks her hair in the magnetic mirror stuck to the inside. Kate waits as Linny primps herself, ‘You look fine. Hurry up; we’re going to be late.’
Linny gives her hair one more run through with her fingers before closing the door, ‘I’m not going to be here for lunch. I’m skipping out early to take my grandmother to the doctor.’
Kate looks at Linny puzzled, ‘Why can your mom do it?’
Linny closes the door to Kate’s locker, ‘You know how she is. She assumes responsibility for her so she can control her finances and then puts the responsibility on me with the whole “you’re gonna need me before I need you” shtick. I’ll call you later.’
Kate hugs Linny and watches her as she makes her way down the hall. She waits until she disappears out of view and begins walking in the opposite direction. She sees the door at the end of the hall, “Photography Darkroom”.
The Slender Man Game of Myths Page 8
