“She’s gone,” Corey said. “Maybe we thought we saw a girl.”
“Both of us? That doesn’t happen.”
“Look Linda,” he said in a defensive tone. “There’s no girl, and there are no marks on my car. There’s no body anywhere either. How do you explain that?”
Linda walked away from him, biting her lip.
Corey observed the flat tire, then kneeled down so that he was flush with it.
“Is it flat?” she said.
“Yep.”
Corey rose to his feet and kicked the flat tire in frustration. “This is what happens when you listen to a jerk at a gas station.”
“Can you change it?” she said.
“Yeah. I can change it. You should call your sister and tell her we’ll be late.”
Linda sighed disappointedly. “Right.”
Linda called, but she got no reception. She moved about the road, holding her cellphone up to the sky, but she couldn’t get any signal.
“I can’t call her. There’s no reception out here.”
Corey drew out his cellphone and called too. He couldn’t get a signal either.
“Let’s get back on the main road after I change the tire. I don’t like it out here,” he said.
Linda nodded. “I guess we don’t have a choice now, do we?”
Corey opened the trunk and took out the spare, wrench, and jack. He started changing the tire as Linda walked to the tree line again. She peered into the forest, looking for the young girl.
The bushes moved in the distance. She saw someone faintly standing beside a tree. The young girl was pale like a ghost. Her body was transparent. Linda began moving toward her. The young girl spun on her heel and darted away.
“Wait!” Linda called.
She sprinted through the wood as the young girl passed through the trees and bushes effortlessly.
“Don’t run away,” Linda said. “You don’t have to be afraid. I’m here to help.”
Linda chased her into a field, but she was nowhere in sight. Linda moved toward the glade. An oil-like pile of sludge gathered in the middle of the field. It clumped together into a pyramid. The pyramid refined its shape into a cloaked figure, its head bowed.
When it raised its head, she could see that it had yellow eyes like a snake. His face was scaly and green like a snake’s too. He hissed his thin tongue at her viciously. Petrified, Linda didn’t move.
Malik smiled sinisterly, then began marching toward her. Linda’s lips trembled in fear while she backpedaled to the road. Malik picked up the pace and then charged at her. Linda turned around and ran for dear life. She sprinted desperately, blood pumping through her legs as she labored to get as far away from Malik as possible.
She made it to the road and jumped into Corey’s arms. She wrapped her arms around him, unable to speak from fear and exhaustion.
“What’s wrong?” he said.
Linda turned around to see if Malik was still behind her. He wasn’t.
“S-s-somebody was in the woods,” she panted.
“Who?”
“H-h-he was right there. He’s coming for me.”
Corey grabbed the wrench and cocked it back. He went up to the tree line and looked around. He didn’t see anyone.
“What did he look like?” Corey asked.
“He was wearing a cloak,” she said, still catching her breath, “And his face … his face looked like a snake.”
Corey’s countenance changed from seriousness to doubt. “Is this a joke?”
“It’s not a joke, Corey. He was after me.”
“Was it a man?”
“A man?”
“You said he looked like a snake. So was it a man or a snake? Or maybe a man in a snake suit, or snake in a man suit,” he jested.
“You don’t believe me?” Linda said.
Corey shrugged. “Whoever it was, he’s gone now.”
He walked toward the car when Malik appeared behind him.
“Corey!” she screamed.
Malik morphed into a forty-foot long anaconda. He coiled around Corey until he was up to his neck. Corey writhed, gasping for air. Malik squeezed, tightening his body around him. Corey coughed violently, unable to break free. Malik extended his head up high, bearing his fangs, hissing his tongue. In a flash, he sank his fangs into Corey’s neck.
“No!” Linda shrieked.
Malik sucked his blood like a vampire when a blue arrow of light hit Malik in the face. He threw his head back in pain with smoke issuing from his face. Malik uncoiled his body from Corey, who dropped to the ground unconscious.
Malik morphed back into his two-legged form. He turned and faced the road. Ariel stood several yards away, her sapphire pendant glowing.
“Foolish girl!” Malik hissed.
He took out his wand from his cloak. She fired another arrow of light and he deflected it with his wand. The blue arrow zoomed back at her, knocking her off her feet. Malik turned to Linda, who trembled uncontrollably. As he strode over to her, she hastily got inside the car and locked the doors.
Malik punched the glass of the side window. The glass splintered into webs. He punched it again and again as broken bits of glass sprayed onto the seat and floor of the car. Linda shrilled, leaning as far back as she could.
He reached inside with his scaly arm, trying to clutch her throat when she kicked his arm repeatedly. He lurched back, grabbing his sore arm.
He drew out a wand, uttering strange mystical words. The car floated high off the ground—ten, then twenty feet high. Linda looked out the window and then at the ground in disbelief. She quickly sat in the driver seat and buckled her seatbelt. She knew what was about to happen next.
Once the car was thirty feet in the air, he waved his wand down.
The car fell down with a loud crash. Two tires popped. The windows shattered to bits. The airbag discharged, exploding in her face.
After the car had stopped shaking, Linda looked about confusedly. She couldn’t quite see straight. Every muscle in her body felt sore and bruised.
Smoke steamed from the engine in wispy ribbons. She deflated the airbag and coughed. She could hear the sound of gasoline dripping. It would only be a matter of time before the car caught on fire.
Linda unbuckled the seatbelt. She tried to open the driver’s side door, but it wouldn’t budge. She tried the passenger door too, but it was stuck. She looked at the doorframes and figured out why. They were completely bent out of shape.
Malik stood on the road, enjoying her helpless attempt at escape. He knew she had nowhere to go. She was trapped. He transformed into an anaconda and slithered to the car.
Linda moved to the backseat. Her muscles seemed to regain their strength all of a sudden. Malik’s head slid in through the broken window. She kicked him across the face and he cocked his head back. He bore his fangs, eager to sink them into her. Just before he could, a blue beam of light zapped his body. He morphed back into his two-legged form and made his way toward Ariel.
The engine sparked and the gasoline caught fire. Flames spread in and around the car instantly. Smoke filtered in through the vents, and Linda started to cough. It streamed into her eyes and lungs. She choked on the smoke and struggled to stay conscious.
She tried to open the back door, but it was stuck. It whined as she pushed it. She put her back to the door and pushed her feet against the floor. The door yawned and then stretched until it opened wide. She fell onto the asphalt with a thud and felt the heat of the flames.
She lay on the ground, choking on the smoke that was still in her lungs. In the distance, she saw a car speeding up and then pulling over to the shoulder.
Mark Sinclair jumped out of the car and carried Linda away from the fire. He ran back to get Corey, and carried him to safety too.
“Can you hear me?” he sai
d to Linda.
She squinted at him, barely able to focus.
“Blink your eyes if you understand.”
She blinked.
“Good. Is there anyone else … ”
His voice trailed off. Linda could barely open her eyes now. Mark was a blur, an ambiguous figure in the foreground.
Boom!
Corey’s car exploded into flames. A gale of heat swept over them like dragon’s breath. Dark smoke coughed up from the fire and smothered the blue sky. Linda’s ears rang with a whistle and then went numb. Shapes turned into abstract sprites. Her vision slipped away. Second by second, Linda’s mind marched into silence.
Chapter 25
Red light gleamed into Linda’s eyes as she woke up. She looked out the window and saw the sun was setting. She propped herself up on the twin-size bed.
Where am I?
Linda crawled out of bed and stood up. She opened the door and went down the hallway to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed small lacerations on her face like paper cuts. She rinsed her face with water and then opened the door.
Thud.
“Ouch!” Mark grunted.
Mark jumped back, hitting his back against the wall in the hallway.
“Who are you?” Linda said in shock.
“Sorry to startle you,” Mark said. “I’m Mark Sinclair. I was coming to check on you. How are you feeling, Miss?”
She recognized him from earlier that day. “I’m fine … thanks.”
“What’s your name if you don’t mind me asking?”
“My name’s Linda Dorene. I’m sorry if I hurt you with the door. I didn’t know you were behind it.”
“It’s all right,” he said, rubbing his elbow.
“Do you know where Corey is?” she asked.
“He’s in the other room. He’s got a nasty snakebite. My wife said he’s real lucky. She treated him with antivenom already.”
Linda raised an eyebrow.
“She’s a nurse at the health clinic,” Mark concluded.
“How come you didn’t take us straight to the hospital?” she asked.
Mark blushed. “Well … um … ”
She could tell he was hiding something.
“I would’ve taken you two to the hospital, but our house is just ten minutes away from the site I found you at. Besides, the hospital is an hour away.”
“An hour away?” she said in disbelief.
“Yes. We don’t get that many visitors in Kitewell.”
“Can you show me where Corey is?” Linda said.
“Sure. Right over here.”
Mark showed her to the adjacent bedroom. It was filled with Braves collectibles such as posters and jerseys. It looked like a teenager’s room by how untidy and smelly it was. Corey was sleeping in a twin-sized bed. His wound had been bandaged around his neck. Linda went over to him and sat at the edge of the bed. She ran her fingers through his hair.
“Will he be all right?” Linda asked.
“Yes. He just needs some rest.”
“Did you see a girl where you found us?”
“Excuse me?”
“A small girl with light brown hair.”
“No. You two were the only ones on the road.”
“Did you see a man that looked like a … ” She gulped. “That looked like a snake?”
Mark gritted his teeth. “In a black cloak with bright yellow eyes, right?”
“Yes,” she said, stunned that he knew what she was talking about.
“Malik is a myth,” Mark said. “A story the elders tell the young to scare them from wandering too far from town.”
She looked at him strangely. “A myth … elders? But I saw him with my own eyes.”
“I’ve never seen him before,” Mark said. “It had to be someone else.”
She couldn’t deny what she saw. Malik had morphed into an anaconda and then changed back to human form. “I’m positive I—”
Mark quickly changed the subject. “Where are you from, Linda?”
“Oh, I’m from Arlington, Virginia.”
“You’re a long way from Virginia. Where were you two headed?”
“We were going to a wedding … ” Her eyes lit up.
Linda quickly drew out her cellphone and dialed her sister’s phone number. She got a busy signal. She called again, and she still got a busy signal.
Mark watched impatiently. He already knew what the result would be.
“It’s hard to get any reception out here,” Mark remarked. “We have a landline if you need to make a call. With all the rain we’ve been getting, it goes in and out though.”
Linda sighed with a disappointed expression on her face. “I see.”
“My wife just left to get some groceries. When she gets back, she’ll check on Corey and see how he’s doing. Both of you are welcome to stay as long as you need.”
“What about the car?” Linda asked. “Where is it?”
“The car?” he was surprised she asked that. “It’s at a junkyard, Linda. It burned to a crisp after the explosion.”
“Right.”
She looked at Corey and then kissed him. He lay asleep as if he was comatose.
“I have an errand to run,” Mark said. “Make yourself at home. There’s plenty of food and drink in the fridge. If you need to shower, there are towels in the drawer, and my wife left you some clothes in there as well.”
“Thank you,” Linda said softly. “That’s very kind of you and your wife.”
Beanie stepped out of her bedroom. She stared at Linda suspiciously. Beanie held her doll horse, Nighthawk, under her arm. It looked like it had been stapled together.
“Beanie, come along and let the nice woman rest. We’re going to see your brother.”
Chapter 26
“This smells good, Mommy,” Beanie said as her mother brought a plate of steaming asparagus to the table.
“Looks delicious,” Mark said.
Linda smiled graciously. Her eyes moved from the steaming meatloaf to the asparagus to the rolls and all the way to the Caesar salad. She couldn’t wait to eat.
“Will Corey be joining us?” Hemlock asked.
Linda shook her head. She had been upstairs with him for the past hour, debriefing him about the situation. Corey was reluctant to get up with the pain in his neck agonizing him whenever he moved.
“He’s not feeling well,” Linda said.
Hemlock nodded. “I’ll save him some leftovers and leave it in the fridge for when he’s hungry.”
“Thank you,” Linda said.
“Let’s pray,” Mark said.
They clasped each other’s hands and bowed their heads in prayer. Toward the end of the prayer, Mark said, “… and we pray for Bram to get well … to heal. Amen.”
After the prayer was over, Linda wondered about the elephant in the room: who was Bram? She decided not to ask until after she finished her food.
They ate in silence, and Linda could not believe how delicious the home-cooked meal was.
“How is the food?” Hemlock asked.
“Very good,” Linda said earnestly.
Back in her apartment in Arlington, she would cook frozen food or eat out. She hardly had time to cook since she was constantly studying and memorizing facts for her graduate courses in chemistry.
“Bram would’ve liked this,” Hemlock brooded.
Mark coughed, then dropped the fork on the plate with a ding. “Please, honey. Let’s not talk about him at the table.”
“Meatloaf was his favorite,” Beanie said. “Too bad he’s not here to eat it.”
“Beanie,” Mark said.
“But it’s true.”
“Who’s Bram?” Linda asked.
“Bram’s my brother. He
never liked to share,” Beanie said.
“That’s not a nice thing to say,” Hemlock said.
“Bram didn’t listen and now he’s in the hospital,” Beanie said whimsically.
“Bean-Bean!” Hemlock cried.
“Is he all right?” Linda asked.
“He was a very bad boy,” Beanie added.
“That’s it!” Hemlock shrieked, clenching her folded napkin into a ball. “Go to your room.”
“But I’m not finished,” Beanie said.
“Then you should’ve thought about that before you spoke ill of your brother. Go!”
Beanie grimaced. “He hurt Nighthawk! He deserved what he got and I’m not sorry for what happened to him.”
“Go upstairs now!” Hemlock yelled. “And stay in your room for the rest of the night. I expect an apology tomorrow morning.”
Beanie flushed crimson, then stomped her feet as she went upstairs. She slammed the door behind her.
“Please excuse my daughter,” Hemlock said. “She’s having a hard time coping with everything that’s been going on.”
“Oh. What happened?” Linda said.
Mark and Hemlock were silent, exchanging looks, waiting for the other to speak.
Mark cleared his throat, and then drank his glass of water. “Beanie and Bram got in a huge fight a couple of weeks ago. He took a pair of scissors and cut up her favorite doll, Nighthawk. Strangely enough, she said she had a dream about this … Anyway, the doll was a thoroughbred horse and she always wanted a real one. Ever since he did that, she won’t get over it. She hates him now.”
“I see,” Linda said softly. “Where is Bram?”
“He’s resting at the health clinic,” Hemlock chimed in. “Well … a lot of people are. There’s been a spate of snake attacks in Kitewell. The snakes are everywhere now. Bram received multiple bites and one of them turned out to be poisonous.”
“I’m sorry,” Linda said.
“That’s why I didn’t take you to the clinic after I saw you on the road,” Mark said. “There are no more beds there. They’re all used up.”
“Why don’t you just take the patients to the hospital?” Linda said matter-of-factly.
Kitewell Page 13
