The Revenant: A Horror in Dodsville Read online

  "Though," the man said after a moment's pause. "Not quite the same."

  "What do you mean by that?" She slowly slid her right foot toward the door. The man in the room with her, she convinced herself, was not her brother.

  "I am no longer of your world, Tabby," he said, reaching out a hand toward her, though she was twenty feet away from him. "As I stand here right now, my entire body is chilled. My heart no longer warms me."

  Tabitha took a full step backwards.

  "Wait!" the man pleaded. "I want you to understand."

  Tabitha stopped. "Understand what?"

  "My death was so flagrantly unfair. I should never have died. Never!" A tone of hatred filled his voice.

  "Who are you?" Tabitha yelled at him. "You're not my brother!"

  "I am!" His silhouette seemed to float slightly above the floor. "Your damn boyfriend did this to me!"

  "What?"

  "I wanted to live forever," he replied, more calmly. "But he took that dream away. He held me under water until I was dead. Don't you see? I had to come back. I had to!"

  "This isn't happening," Tabitha whispered. "I'm having a nightmare."

  "Ah, this is no dream, Tabby," the man said. "At first I thought I only wanted revenge. But now I realize that I had too much will to live. No one could take it away from me. Not Randy, not anyone."

  "But that can't--"

  "Can't happen?" he interrupted her. He held out his hands in the darkness. "Well, here I am."

  Tabitha quietly slid her left foot backwards, toward the door. A few running steps and she'd be down the hallway and away from him.

  "He feels his time has come," he said, almost sadly. "And I can't stop him. You have to take the family and leave, Tabby. I can't be responsible."

  Melissa walked in. "This is a big waste of time," she said, "We're not going to--" She noticed the flashlight on the floor. She shined her flashlight at Tabitha in confusion, only to see the horror written on her face. "What's wrong? What happened?"

  Tabitha pointed behind her, toward the window. "Reed," she said, barely audible.

  "What?" Melissa shined her flashlight at the window. It was open and the drapes flapped lightly in the incoming breeze. "Was there someone in here?"

  Tabitha turned sharply to face the window. No one was there. "He was right there," she said, pointing to the spot he had just been standing. She bent over and picked up her flashlight and shined it around the room. "He was here."

  "Who was, Tabitha?" Melissa looked at her in confusion.

  "Reed!" she replied, as she hurried around the room, like a person who had just gone mad. "He was here."

  Panicking herself because of Tabitha's wild behavior, Melissa switched on the light, forgetting about Sly's admonition. Outside, it began to rain. The lightning and thunder had picked up frequency as well as intensity. Melissa walked to Tabitha, who was staring blankly into the closet, and put her arm around her. "You've been under a lot of pressure. Why don't we--"

  "No!" Tabitha flung Melissa's arm off her. She grabbed Melissa by the shoulders. "I tell you Reed stood right over there by the window and talked to me." Her voice trailed off. "At least I think it was Reed." She let go of Melissa. "But it couldn't have been. Could it?"

  Melissa didn't know what to do. Reed was dead, that she did know. Obviously, someone, again, had been in this room. This time pretending to be Reed. And Melissa knew of only one person who could sink low enough to do that. She pursed her lips to tell Tabitha that it had only been Randy, but was interrupted by a scream that reached them from somewhere on the second floor. It was Julie.

  "Come on!" Melissa grabbed Tabitha by the hand and pulled her out of the room. In a daze, Tabitha followed. Before exiting the room, she glanced at the open window on the opposite side.

  The light from the room illuminated their way down the hallway, and as they made their way through the kitchen, they both saw the bobbing flashlights of Sly and Julie as the two of them hurried down the stairs. They reached the bottom at the same time Melissa and Tabitha entered the living room, and kept right on running to the front door. Melissa and Tabitha followed, knowing from the look in their companions' eyes that they, too, had just experienced something maddening. They all stopped at the front door, and waited while Sly dug in his pocket for the key.

  "What happened?" Melissa asked. She was breathing hard, and her heart pumped heavily in her chest, though she didn't know if it was more from fright or running. She still held firmly onto Tabitha's hand.

  Julie's eyes were wide with fear as she reluctantly looked back up the staircase. So far, nothing was after them. "Clair Klaus floated out the closet in Stephen's room. She fucking FLOATED!" She spoke without taking her eyes off the top of the steps.

  "I saw Reed," Tabitha said in a tone completely void of emotion.

  "What!" Sly and Julie asked at the same time. Sly had the key in the lock and had been about to turn it.

  A light shone through the window next to the door as a car made its way up the driveway. A second later its engine could be heard. Sly pulled the key back out of the lock.

  "Damn," he said.

  "Oh, no," said Melissa as she put her free hand to her mouth. "I left a light on back there."

  Sly moved to the window and glanced around the edge. "That's the least of our worries." The car stopped and two men got out. Sly recognized both of them. "It's Pierce and Klaus."

  Julie remained staring at the staircase. Tabitha stared at the kitchen entrance. Melissa fidgeted on her feet, only wanting out.

  Something moved at the top of the steps. Julie attempted to scream, but only managed to mutter unintelligibly. Melissa turned to look where Julie was glaring and a low guttural sound emanated from her throat. In the light from Julie's flashlight, a small child was clearly visible floating down the stairs.

  "Look," Melissa uttered. Sly and Tabitha did.

  "Back door," Sly instructed. His feet had turned to water when he saw what was on the stairs, but he willed them to move.

  Tabitha grabbed his arm before he got two steps. "NO!" Going to the back door meant going past the west wing.

  "Why not?" Sly asked, watching the figure on the stairs reach the halfway point. Whatever it was had its attention at its feet and not on the group below it, as if having to concentrate on floating above the steps.

  Detective Pierce and Meyer Klaus reached the front steps and started up. Their voices could be heard now.

  Tabitha reached for the door, but Sly slapped her hand away.

  "Let's go," Julie said tentatively. Clair Klaus had reached the bottom step, and Julie felt her knees start to give.

  When the figure of Clair Klaus finally reached the first floor, she stopped and slowly, as if under water, raised her head to look at the group.

  "To the back door," Sly instructed quietly, as not to be overheard outside. He picked Tabitha up and threw her over his shoulder. She struggled but was no match for Sly's strength, which had double with the adrenaline that had attacked his nervous system. "Sorry, Tabby," he said, and ran into the kitchen. Melissa and Julie were only too happy to follow.

  Tabby screamed at Sly to let her down as they approached the hall that led to the west wing. Sly carried her right on past.

  "You know what," Sly said. "Stephen should be here for this. This he would enjoy. Not me."

  The sound of someone yelling in the foyer reached them, but they couldn't make out what was being said, only that the voice belonged to Detective Pierce.

  They reached the back door and Sly put Tabitha down, who slapped him once on the shoulder, but didn't say anything. Sly dug the key from his pocket and slid it easily into the lock. He turned it--and hesitated.

  "What are you waiting for?" Julie glared at him balefully. "Let's get out of here!"

  Sly opened the door and held it while the other three couldn't get through it fast enough. "Wait here," he instructed while they waited on the lawn for him. "I've got to pull them the wrong way into the mansion, so w
e'll have enough time to escape."

  They looked on as he disappeared into the shadows of the dark house. A few seconds later they heard him yelling something unintelligible in a muffled voice. He burst through the door a few seconds after that and kept right on running. The other three followed.

  Sly led the way, but stopped at the corner of the mansion leading to the front yard, afraid they might have found his car. He held a finger up to his lips for the others to be quiet, and peered around the corner. His rented Grand Prix rested innocently under the big oak tree, where they had left it. No one was in sight.

  "Let's go," he whispered, and took off.

  They reached the car and quickly got into it. Sly put the key in the ignition and turned it over. The engine spurted a few seconds before kicking into life. Hoping Pierce and Klaus were still deep inside the mansion and wouldn't hear them, he crammed the shifter into reverse and kicked up grass as he backed onto the driveway. Without turning on the headlights, he sped down the driveway and toward the closed gate. He slammed on the brakes when he reached it.

  "Let's hope it's not locked," he said, opening his door. "Because I left the key in the back door." He ran up to the gate, fighting the wind in his face. Large raindrops splattered on his forehead. He grabbed onto the gate and pulled back hard. It wouldn't budge. "Okay, just keep calm," he said to himself. Pierce's station wagon remained parked in front of the mansion, and, as of yet, no one had come out the front door.

  "Get in," Julie yelled, leaning out of Sly's open door. "There's another way."

  Sly slid back in the driver's seat and slammed his door. "Where?" he asked, turning to face Julie.

  Melissa replied, "Behind the rec building, there's a path leading down the hill and into a field of corn."

  Sly only stared at her, not responding.

  "Really," Melissa said. "Stephen told me about it the night we walked around the grounds."

  "Stephen again," Sly muttered, turning the car around and heading back toward the mansion. "Why isn't he here?" He pulled onto the lawn halfway up the driveway and sped toward the rec building in back of the mansion.

  Tabby stared at the house as they passed the side of it. A drape moved in a second story window, and she immediately turned her gaze to her lap. She had seen enough for one evening.

  "Which way now?" asked Sly as they reached the back of the rec building.

  "I don't know," Melissa replied. "Stephen just said it was back here."

  "Great." Sly reached down and turned on the headlights, slowing the car and shining the lights into the woods alongside of the lawn.

  "Wait," Julie said. "See it? Over there where there's a break in the trees."

  Sly saw it and drove toward the opening. Brush about three feet high blocked their view of any path. "You sure this is where it is?"

  Melissa opened her door. "I'll find it." After all, she thought, it was her idea that they came back this way.

  The forest was in complete darkness around her. So dark, in fact, that anything could be hiding just out of range of the beams from the headlights, she thought. She did her best to shut the forest out of her mind and walked around to the front of the car. As the wind whipped around her she pushed her way through the raspberry bushes, which clung to her like little kittens. She didn't have to go far, as the bushes ended after ten yards and high grasses took over. A flash of lightning lit up the skies and she saw the two paths winding down the hill, the exact width of a car. She turned and fought her way back through the raspberry bushes.

  "Through here," she said and motioned for Sly to drive the car into the bushes. "The path starts a little ways in." She wasn't sure if she had been heard above the wind. The trees were bending now, but the rain was still no more than a heavy sprinkle.

  Sly put the car into first and drove into the high bushes. They scraped along the side of the car and he silently wondered if his credit card insurance would cover the cost of repainting any scratches. As he came through the other side, Melissa climbed back into her seat. The tracks winding down the hill were visible as far as the headlights reached. From there darkness again took over. Sighing, he started down the hill.

  At about the halfway point to the bottom, they came across a birch tree that had fallen in their path. The leaves on the tree were still green and fresh. Sly swore under his breath and stopped with his bumper up against the first branches.

  "Take the wheel, Julie," he instructed. He turned to the back seat. "You two come with me."

  Sly got out and looked back up the hill. They were far enough below the top to block out the view of the mansion. Unless Pierce and Klaus were standing on the roof, they would not be able to see the car even if they were looking out a window in this direction.

  With the aid of Melissa and Tabitha they had little problem in dragging the tree out of the way. The two girls ran back to the car while Sly stared solemnly at the base of the hill. With the tree no longer blocking the headlights, a large area of standing muddy water was now visible. From Sly’s perspective, it looked more like a small lake. The rain picked up intensity suddenly and whipped into his face. He started down the hill, waving for Julie to follow with the car.

  When they came to the brink of the water, Sly swore again; though this time much more loudly. The water was deep enough for the wind to cause waves. He walked back to the driver's side window. "I think this is as far as we go," he said, almost having to shout to be heard above the roar of the wind in the trees around him.

  "Get behind the car and be prepared to push," Julie said, staring out of the windshield. Without giving Sly a chance to argue, she let go of the clutch and drove into the muddy water. Almost immediately the back tires began to spin.

  Sly ran up to the trunk of the car and began pushing. His footing kept sliding out from under him, but he managed to shoulder the car forward. The tires kept spinning, splattering him with mud and water.

  "Whatever you do," he yelled to Julie, "don't stop." Some mud flew into his mouth and he coughed while trying to spit it out.

  Without warning the intensity of the rainfall increased prodigiously. Lightning struck a tree nearby in the forest and the loud clap of thunder that followed on its heels caused Sly to jump and lose his footing. He fell backwards into the knee-deep water but managed to plug his nose before going under. He sat up in time to see the car pull up onto dry land in front of a cornfield. Standing, he looked back toward the mansion. Even with the aid of an occasional lightning stroke he couldn't see it through the heavy downpour. The rain was like a blanket in front of him.

  "What the hell is going on?" he asked out loud to the thunderstorm. The downpour acted like a shower, rinsing him of the muddy water. "What the hell is going on?" he repeated. Something not right with the world was happening in Dodsville, he knew. But what?

  He heard his name being called from the car. He raised his right fist in defiance toward the mansion, and then proceeded through the water and rain to the car.

  Melissa got out when she saw Sly approaching. Any other day she would have laughed at what she saw. But not on this night. "You all right?" she asked as she held open the front passenger door for him.

  Sly plopped down onto the seat. "Oh, just fine," he replied, staring out the windshield and into the cornfield. The stalks were less than knee high. "Just fine and dandy.”

  "Where now?" Julie asked.

  Tabitha softly replied from the back seat, "Away from the mansion." Without the aid of lightning their surroundings were completely draped in darkness.

  Hail began to fall as Julie put the car in first and headed down the path through the corn. She turned on the radio in time to catch the tail end of a severe weather warning. The entire county was under a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning until midnight. It was now shortly after eleven.

  Julie drove the car cautiously through the field.

  "Better go a little faster," Sly said. "This field is going to turn into a mud bath before too long. Just drive straight ahead.
We have to come out someplace."

  Julie increased the speed from five to fifteen miles per hour. Occasionally, the back tires would spin out in the mud, but not enough to get stuck. About five minutes after they entered the cornfield, a paved road came into sight in the headlights. Julie picked up speed and pulled up an embankment and onto the pavement.

  No one spoke as they drove back into Dodsville. On the way they passed the Wickerman Place. Nobody bothered to comment.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN:

  Late Night

  The rain pelleted against the window of Stephen's hospital room. The curtain was pulled between him and Matthew Hansen, but a soft, rhythmic breathing of a sleeping man reached Stephen's ears. The lights in the room were out, except for the table lamp next to his bed. He read a book, looking up from the pages every so often to stare absentmindedly out the window.

  He had asked Julie to bring him some H. P. Lovecraft, but she told him he should be reading literature. So, she brought him a Jane Austen novel instead--Persuasion. His concentration wasn't on the book, as he wondered about his friends up on the Hill. Pierce had left his room to go in search of them, even though Stephen had told him the gang had planned on going to Wausau to take in a movie. He didn't believe him, but, hopefully, Pierce wouldn't think they were foolish enough to go back to the mansion. Yet, Pierce was a smart one, and there was no telling what ideas were running through his mind.

  The door to his room opened, but Stephen didn't look up from the book, expecting it only to be a cranky nurse who was about to tell him to shut off the light and get some rest. He had had it with rest. What he craved for was action.

  Melissa stuck her head around the curtain. "How's the invalid doing?" she said.

  Stephen dropped his book on his lap and looked up. Melissa was smiling at him, but something intangible in her eyes revealed that something had gone wrong. "Hi. How did you manage to get past the desk nurse?"

  She sat next to him on his bed. "Wasn't hard at all," she replied. "Lately I've been getting a lot of experience at sneaking around."