The Keeper of the Crows

by Kyle Alexander Romines

  “My mother!” Jezebel shouted, unwilling to leave Emma’s body. Thomas barely had time to pull her inside the kitchen before the wave of crows broke against the house. Windows shattered as the birds tore into the white house, scattering in every direction. Through the open door, Thomas could see the Keeper of the Crows begin to rise. The jack o’ lantern regenerated around his face, once more forging the deformed grin.

  “Where is the car?” Eve shouted. She hadn’t overheard Thomas telling Jezebel that Underhill had abandoned them. After exiting the house, Thomas looked out from the driveway. He could see a blue truck parked at the nearest house several yards away. The crows turned around to encircle the house. Thomas wasn’t sure they would have time to make it across safely.

  We have to try, he thought, running outside. Eve and Jezebel followed, the athletic sheriff easily outpacing the others. The crows were getting closer with each second. When they reached the truck, Jezebel smashed through the window with her gun and unlocked the door.

  “You know how to hotwire a car?” Thomas asked, as he watched her fire up the engine with ease. Just as the truck tires squealed against road, the cloud of crows hit them again. The force of the swarm almost knocked the truck over, but the sheriff managed to correct the vehicle’s course in time.

  “Is everyone OK?” she asked.

  “Just scratched up,” Thomas said. His knife wound from the novelty store still ached.

  A low hiss from outside the truck ripped his attention away from his own injuries. The Keeper of the Crows was outside Emma Woods’ house, running with supernatural speed. Jezebel stepped on the gas and brought the truck back onto the road.

  “He’s gaining on us!” Eve shouted. Even as the truck gathered speed, the Keeper quickly closed the distance between them. Eve fired several shots at the living scarecrow, but each shot went wild. The Keeper jumped over the truck. Instead of hitting the brakes, Jezebel accelerated. The truck ran over Salem, and the scarecrow’s body rolled underneath the car. Thomas saw the creature rise up once more and start up after them again. The thing that kept Salem alive buried under the ground for all those years refused to let him die.

  “Can’t this thing go any faster?” Eve asked.

  “I’m going as fast as I can!” Jezebel yelled. “It’s not my fault he won’t die.”

  This time, Thomas crawled to the back seat of the truck and opened fire with the shotgun. He hit the Keeper in the chest three times, knocking the scarecrow down to the road again. This time, the scarecrow stayed put.

  “That ought to buy us some time,” Eve said. “What now?”

  Neither of the others replied. Thomas could see the sadness on Jezebel’s face.

  “I’m sorry about your mother,” Thomas said. He laid a hand on her shoulder.

  “He did it,” she whispered. “He killed her. I know Salem is still in there somewhere, but that thing has taken him over completely. I can’t let him suffer like this. Eve, what does the book say about stopping the Keeper? Does it mention it anywhere at all?” The truck turned right and headed back toward town.

  Eve shook her head. “Nowhere,” she said. “I don’t think Durer believed the thing could be stopped.”

  “There has to be a reason why Salem wanted the journal so badly,” Thomas interjected. Eve hesitated for a moment before turning back to the map she spotted earlier in Durer’s bedroom.

  “If the cave on this map is the one where the forest spirit dwells, it might have been what Salem wanted to destroy so that no one could find the cave.”

  “Why?” Thomas asked.

  “Because it was afraid,” Jezebel whispered. Her voice grew strong again. “If it was afraid, that means it has something to fear.”

  “We have no idea what the creature would be afraid of,” Eve said. “If this thing is powerful enough to keep Salem Alistair from dying, it would be suicide to go up against it.”

  “Taking the lives of others in sacrifice makes it strong,” Jezebel said. “What’s the opposite of that?”

  “I’m not sure,” Thomas answered. “Don’t forget, fire can take out the scarecrows. It seems to slow Salem down too, even if it can’t kill him.”

  “That’s a stretch,” Eve said.

  “Maybe,” Jezebel replied. They drove in the direction of town. “We don’t have a lot to go on right now.”

  Thomas froze. “Look at the town.”

  There were scarecrows everywhere. Many dragged various sharp tools behind them as weapons. He saw backhoes, shovels, and axes.

  The smoke from the fire filled the air, forming a thick cloud in the dark sky. When the scarecrows began following the truck, Jezebel tried to maneuver away, but there were too many of them. The vehicle was almost cornered.

  “Now Salem knows we’re here,” she said. “There’s no way out.”

  Thomas feared she was right. There was no place to run.

  Jezebel pulled into a parking structure and looked for a place to escape.

  “Wait,” Thomas said. “Stop the truck.”

  “Are you crazy?” Jezebel asked. “They’ll be here in minutes!”

  “I know,” Thomas said. Their first meeting mere miles from the Alistair Farm seemed like years ago. “Even if we get out of here, Salem is still going to have every crow in the town searching for this truck.”

  “So we switch vehicles,” Jezebel said, nodding.

  Thomas shook his head. “It won’t take him long to figure that out. Then we will never get to this cave. He’ll have all of the scarecrows there waiting for us.”

  “What are you saying?” Eve asked.

  “There’s another way. I’ll wait in here with truck. When they come out, I’ll fight until the last bullet. You two can still try to escape. Salem couldn’t destroy the other half of the bridge over the lake. I think his power stops at Cavern Lake. If you two can swim across it, maybe you can make it to Thistlewood. I’ll try to get to the cave on my own. You two can take another car and slip away in the dark while they’re all preoccupied with me.”

  “That will never work,” Jezebel said. She tore the map pages out of the book. “You’ve been living here for what, four months? Can you follow that map without getting lost in the woods? I’ve lived in Gray Hollow for my entire life. I’m the only one of us who can make it there. If I destroy the thing in the cave, I can save everyone, including you.”

  “She’s right,” Eve said.

  “No,” Thomas replied. She couldn’t be right. This was exactly what he didn’t want. “Jezebel, you can’t go out there on your own. You’ll be killed. Like Eve said, it would be suicide.”

  Jezebel shook her head. She could hear the concern in his voice. “It’s my responsibility.”

  “No, it isn’t! Just because you’re the sheriff doesn’t mean you have to—”

  “It was my responsibility a long time before I became sheriff. A long time ago, a friend was counting on me and I let him down. I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to make up for it. This is my chance.”

  “Jezebel, it wasn’t your fault! Those boys chose to kill Salem Alistair. They did it. Not you.”

  The louder his voice grew, the softer hers became.

  “There’s no other way,” she said. “Neither of you can get to the cave. I can.”

  “I don’t want you to go,” he finally whispered. She smiled warmly at him.

  “Thomas, you’ve become one of the best men I’ve ever met. Whatever happens, I am glad we met.”

  Eve sat silently, watching the two of them. Jezebel put her hand on Thomas’ face.

  “I’ll see you when this is all over,” Thomas said. Neither one of them, he knew, were likely to make it. If one of them was going to survive, he hoped it would be her.

  “Goodbye,” she said, taking another flashlight, a lighter, and a revolver from the duffel bag. Then she was gone.

  Thomas turned to Eve. “This is the last of the ammo,” he said, reloading his weapon.

  “Then we had better make it co
unt.”

  “You can still get out of this,” he said. “It’s not too late to find a place to hide.” They could see the scarecrows’ shadows as the creatures found their way into the parking structure.

  “No way,” Eve said. The scarecrows were almost on top of them.

  “Then hold on.” Thomas flashed the truck’s bright lights and revved up the engine. The truck plowed over the scarecrows in front of it as they raced back out into the street. Several of the scarecrows hung onto the truck. One grabbed the door handle, its lightweight body swaying in the wind. Another climbed onto the back of the truck using the tailgate, smashing the rear window with a pair of weed clippers. Eve shot the creature, which fell off the back of the truck. More scarecrows spilled out onto the street and surrounded the vehicle as Thomas headed for the edge of the town. He hoped the Keeper of the Crows was lying about there being no escape beyond the fallen bridge.

  ***

  Jezebel wasted no time after leaving the truck. She prayed Thomas would remain safe. It would not take Salem Alistair long to reach the town. Most people would have tried to escape, but Thomas was risking his life to give her a chance. She wasn’t going to throw that opportunity away.

  As the scarecrows raced after the blue truck, the sheriff ran across the dark street. Jezebel carefully opened the door to the abandoned diner. Exiting through the other side, she found a small red convertible in the back parking lot. The vehicle would be perfect for her purposes. She took a careful look at the map then eased the car onto a back road. She had to find the cave before it was too late.

  Jezebel kept her lights dim to escape the notice of the crows flying above. Her car sped through the whistling winds, quickly gaining momentum. She came to the old farm in minutes. Jezebel hastily parked and got out of the car, then bent down behind a cluster of trees and peered into the field in front of her. A massive cornfield covered the nearby pasture. On the other side of the cornfield was a dark forest, above which hundreds of crows soared.

  Jezebel turned on her flashlight. She was almost into the cornfield when she heard the snapping of dry leaves behind her.

  Then, nothing, as she felt the bullet tear into her back.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The figures were everywhere. Blackness poured down from the heavens as the scarecrows approached. Each wore a malevolent sewn smile. The blue truck spun around. The screeching sound of the tires failed to drown out the jeers of the scarecrows.

  The truck’s engine roared as the vehicle headed toward the bridge. To Thomas’ surprise, the colossal structure was virtually destroyed. An enormous hole loomed in the heart of the bridge; a black, empty space separating the sides leading to Gray Hollow and Thistlewood.

  The scarecrows were drawing nearer. Thomas tried to throw the truck in reverse, but as he did so one of the creatures slid its hand over the handle and opened the door. The scarecrow wrapped its thin fingers around his arm in an attempt to pull him out.

  “Thomas!” Eve shouted. From the passenger seat, she grabbed his other arm. Suddenly, the end of a farming hoe shattered Eve’s window. Glass spilled into the truck. Time seemed to slow as the truck rotated around the edge of the bridge. Finally, the vehicle collided with one of the concrete columns at the base of the ruined structure.

  Eve’s grip gave way. Thomas fell out of the truck alongside the scarecrow. The pair rolled over the cement, and the creature ended up on top of Thomas. It stared down at him with lifeless eyes. The scarecrow wrapped its hands around his neck to choke him. Thomas almost lost consciousness but at the last second managed to kick loose from the creature’s grip. Coughing, he scrambled to his feet.

  “Get in!” Eve shouted. She had climbed into the driver’s seat and was attempting to reverse the truck away from the wall. Thomas watched as a scarecrow latched onto the other door reached into the car and yanked her out of the window by her hair. Thomas shot the creature with the revolver, amazed he was able to hit the scarecrow with any accuracy. Unfortunately, the creature stayed upright. The monster did, however, release its grip on Eve. She rolled down the hill toward the lake and out of sight.

  “Eve!” Thomas shouted. She didn’t respond. As he turned to go after her, he saw the rest of the scarecrows drawing nearer. He returned to the truck and rummaged through the duffel bag in the back. There was only one flare gun left. Then his hands brushed against the lighter fluid containers Jezebel had placed in the bag.

  Perfect, he thought. He quickly removed the containers from the bag. Straining from the force, Thomas hurled the containers toward the approaching creatures.

  “Here goes nothing,” he said. He squeezed the trigger on the last flare gun. The canisters exploded. Fire shot out into the night sky. Aflame, several of the monsters continued advancing. Thomas grappled with one of the creatures as it reached for him.

  He heard a soft hiss carried by the wind and saw a tall form sailing through the air right at him. The creature hit Thomas with incredible strength. Thomas fell and hit his head hard on the pavement. His vision blurred. The Keeper of the Crows towered over him, flames licking his stained patchwork of rags.

  Thomas pulled the trigger on the revolver. It clicked empty. He was out of time.

  ***

  Jezebel collapsed into the cornfield, losing her grip on the flashlight. Her body fell to the ground with a thud. The cool soil seemed to still the pain for a moment. She crawled farther into the cornfield. Her body felt incredibly light, like she was being lifted into the air. Was she dead?

  The gruff voice from somewhere behind her caused her to regain her focus.

  “Come on out, Jezebel,” Charles Underhill said lightly. She could see him standing just outside the cornfield as he glanced up at the multitudes of crows covering the black sky.

  “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” The judge stepped into the cornfield after her, glancing around in every direction. She took momentary solace in the fact that the place was a labyrinth; she realized he couldn't see where she had fallen.

  “I’m sorry it had to be this way,” Judge Underhill said. “But you heard what the woman in the car said. The Keeper requires sacrifice. He wants you. When you’re dead, I’ll be free.”

  She could hear his voice getting closer. Jezebel prayed it was too dark for him to see her, but she started inching away. Blood was pouring from the bullet wound.

  “This isn’t personal.”

  She heard him cock the gun.

  “I always enjoyed working with you.”

  She watched as he stopped for a moment, apparently listening to the rustling of stalks as she backed away. Underhill fired again into the night.

  “I didn’t want to shoot Logan Randall either. We were actually planning to kill you together. When I heard you talking about Durer, I had to change my plans.”

  She couldn’t see him anymore. Jezebel turned around and started heading back the way she came. If she could get out of the cornfield and back to her car, she might have a chance. The pain was almost overwhelming. When she rounded the corner, she saw that Underhill was waiting for her. He pointed his gun at her, wearing a cruel grin on his face.

  “Tell me why,” she whispered.

  “I was in the car that Halloween night. I went to the Alistair Farm with the others. Why do you think I gave Rick a job? Or covered for Logan all those times? We killed Salem Alistair. And I’m not about to let that freak get me now, after all this time.”

  “You deserve this,” Jezebel spat.

  “You think I was going to allow something that happened twenty years ago get in the way of my success?” the judge asked. “Once I kill you, the Keeper will let me live.”

  A second gunshot echoed in the night sky.

  ***

  Thomas’ eyes opened, and he saw the jack o’ lantern face glowing in the dark. He felt himself being dragged along the street.

  “You aren’t even from Gray Hollow,” the Keeper hissed. “Can you see the way this town infects you?” Thomas clawed at
the pavement in an attempt to free himself. Salem threw him against the blue truck.

  “I’ve had my eye on you for a long time now. At first, I was willing to let you go. That part of me has been getting weaker and weaker with each killing. Salem would never have allowed me to kill Paul Morris.”

  Thomas spotted the sledgehammer inside the vehicle. He played dead, waiting for the scarecrow to draw closer. When Salem neared the truck, Thomas grabbed the sledgehammer and slammed it into the pumpkin head. Thomas stumbled backward from the impact. The Keeper reached up and dislodged the weapon from the remains of the pumpkin. His face was exposed once again; the twisted version of Salem Alistair swung the hammer back at the reporter. Thomas hurled himself to the ground and barely avoided being struck. He climbed to his feet and ran into the darkness beyond the bridge. The Keeper followed behind him.

  “Now I am so much more than I—than Salem—ever dreamt of being. With each passing day I am more and more in control. The spirit of the forest will be pleased when I deliver your head.”

  Thomas could hear the monster laughing, a shrill, raspy laugh that made his skin crawl. Then a flock of crows passed by and flowed over the scarecrow standing in the street. The Keeper of the Crows allowed the birds to flock around him; Thomas supposed that was how they passed knowledge to him.

  The Keeper roared with anger.

  “Jezebel,” he hissed. “You tricked me!” he screamed.

  He knows what we’re up to, Thomas realized. He knew he had to keep the scarecrow distracted.

  “That means you’re ugly and stupid,” Thomas shouted. His voice echoed loudly. He backed into the night, watching the Keeper carefully. With the scarecrows gone, the Keeper was having difficulty finding him. “Everyone I talked to was right. You are a freak.”

  “Your blood will join theirs, and then I will rip Jezebel limb from limb. The boy would enjoy that.”