Shadow Cave (43 page)

“
You might be thinking of Haelport
, the
next town over.
It
’
s a quiet little town, but they do have a shop or two.
”

“
That
’
s it
—
Haelport!
”

“
Well, I
—
”

“
Is it protected?
”

“
Yes, but
—
”

“
Is it close to Grandview?
”

“
No, it
’
s just outside of Lerna, but I
—
”

“
Thanks Marta!
I
’
ll see you tonight!
”

“
Annabelle
,
wait!
”

I cringed but slammed the door and raced to the car anyway.

By my calculations, it would take me at least three hours to reach Lerna.
I exhaled sharply and check
ed
the dashboard clock.
It was just after four o clock in the afternoon.
It would be close to midnight by the time I made it back.
I felt a little guilty for not waiting for Mark
, but
I knew that it would be hours before he returned
,
and I did not want to waste so much as a minute of time.
If Mike was being held captive in the meadow or what lay beyond it
,
then every second counted.
Because even though he had gotten himself into the mess, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to him.
I pressed harder on the accelerator and tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

I drove mindlessly for the first two hours before I began to reconsider the wisdom of striking out on my own.
For one thing, I did not relish the thought of another run in with the guards.
I had no weapons, no plan, and no back up.
And if that wasn
’
t bad enough, I was also being actively hunted by Kahn.
Kahn
,
who made John Hanlen look like a mere child throwing a tantrum.
All together, it painted a very discouraging picture.

“
Stop it
,
”
I ordered myself in a firm tone.
It was a rescue, not a funeral, I mentally chastised as I pulled into Lerna.
The last light of the day was beginning to fade
, although if my luck held, there was still an hour of half decent light left in the day
.
I would have to hurry.
I swung the car onto Seventh Street and pulled in to Lerna Express
,
a small coffee house that I had noticed during my first visit to the town.
The woman behind the counter was in the process of closing the shop down when I walked through the door.

“
Is it too late to get a cup of coffee?
”
I gave her a winning smile and a pleading look.

“
No, you
’
re just in time.
Another twenty minutes and you would have
been
too late though.
What can I get you?
”

“
Just a regular coffee will do; cream and sugar
—
heavy on both.
”

“
Coming right up.
”
She chattered happily as she worked.
“
You know, when my husband suggested keeping the shop open an extra hour in the evening, I thought that it was a silly idea.
”

“
Oh.
”
I took a seat at the counter and fiddled with the paper napkin dispenser.

“
For now it is just on the weekends.
We still close at six during the week.
But if business keeps going like this, we might expand our hours even more.
”
She passed a large brown paper cup across the counter to me and deposited the money that I handed over.

“
Mmm. This is so good.
”
I sipped the brew and gave her another mega-watt smile.

“
Glad you like it.
Can I get you anything else?
”

“
As a matter of fact
you can
.
I need directions.
”

“
I can probably help you.
I grew up around here.
Where are you headed?
”

I thought about asking her for directions to Keogh, but quickly abandoned the idea.
I did not feel like getting another lecture on safely.

“
I
’
m looking for Haelport.
My sister just moved there and I want to surprise her.
”
I congratulated myself on my quick thinking and then frowned.
I seemed to have developed a talent for lying since I had come to Terlain.
I wondered when lying had become a virtue.
Although, I reasoned, when in Rome…
.

“
Turn left and you are there.
”

“
Sorry, could you go over that one more time?
”
I put all thoughts of my dormant aptitude for bullshit aside and gave the shop clerk my full attention.

“
No problem
...
you look a little tired.
”

No, I
’
m just an idiot
, I thought with a sigh.

“
Go
south
on Eighth Street and turn left at the fork.
Haelport is a half mile down the road.
There
’
s no sign or anything, but trust me, you can
’
t miss it.
It
’
s very quaint.
”

“
Got it.
Thank you.
”

“
No problem.
Enjoy your visit!
”

“
I will.
”
I smiled and gave the woman a friendly wave on my way out.
I smiled congenially at the variety of young couples milling about on the streets and climbed behind the wheel to try and formulate a plan.
My arm began to sting and I rubbed at it as gently as I could manage.
It was a graphic reminder of why I needed to exercise extreme caution in what I was about to do.

The short drive to Haelport did not allow much time to think or come up with a plan that
had
any substance or merit.
This, to my way of thinking, was probably just as well.
If I ended up having to do more than look at the town from a safe distance, I would be screwed either way.
I believed in optimism just as much as the next person
—
maybe even more so
—
but I also knew my limitations.

The country road gave way to a smattering of buildings and houses.
I pulled into the first empty parking lot that I came to and eyed my surroundings with a sense of disbelief.

When the owner of the coffee shop had referred to the town as
‘
quaint
’
she had not been kidding.
From what I could see, the layout of the town was similar to the grid formation of Lerna.
The town square was the most prominent section of the town, with a smattering of houses that framed the shops and municipal buildings.
The only difference was, oh, a hundred years or so.
If I had not known any better, I would have thought that I had just stepped onto the set of an early nineteen hundreds film.
The building design was old
, the
home design was old
,
and
there
were no streetlights
; in
fact, I was almost certain that there was no electricity in the entire town.

The only light that was visible through the windows of the homes I could see was a gentle glow.
The people who lived in the village probably used lamplight and candlelight instead of electricity.
I wondered if the towns
’
people were motivated by a love of the old ways or by abject poverty.
There were only a few people still walking the streets at that hour, but the ones that were still out were clad in lace up boots, long dresses, and either leather or pin striped vests.
They did not look impoverished.
Personal choice then
, I mused.

“
Interesting.
”
I got back in the car and drove the length of the town.
The
west
end of the town did not appear to be used for much of anything.
A long row of tall bushes ensured that Haelport remained unseen by neighboring Keogh.
The fence on the other side of the landscaping separated the towns.
I leaned over the fence rail and peered at the town known as Keogh.
It looked abandoned and run down.
Years of neglect had taken a severe toll on the structures that remained standing.
I had promised myself that I would not do any more than look around the town from a safe vantage point.

I saw the little girl out of the corner of my eye.
She looked to be about five years old and she was very thin.
Her hair was a light blonde color and she wore an old fashioned dress and a pair of battered lace up boots on her feet.
She was skipping near the fence
, then
stopped and looked to her left and right
,
and slowly undid the latch on the gate.

“
Hey
...
stop!
”
I yelled. But the gate was already swinging in her wake.
She disappeared down the path.
I darted over to the gate and leaped over the top rail.
I had to find that little girl.

“
Damn it, why isn
’
t anybody watching her?
”
I cursed as I scanned the path.
Faint orbs of light began to pulse rapidly along either side of the path.
I stopped and fixed my gaze on the lights, backing up slowly and wondering what was about to attack me this time.

The lights began to dim and take shape.

“
Oh no way.
This is not happening.
”
I closed my eyes and opened them again, but the ghosts refused to leave.
Hundreds of them lined the path as far as I could see.
They were all dressed in old
-
fashioned garments.
They were all dead.

“
What are you?
”
I whispered.
I didn
’
t dare touch them
,
and thankfully they didn
’
t touch me.
They spoke to me though.
Some of them cried and some of them shrieked
, but
most of them talked
, the
sounds rising and blending together like a broken symphony.

“
Go back, go back.
”

“
You have to stop her.
You have to help her.
”

“
She
’
s dead now.
Run away…
.
”

“
She
’
s gone, she
’
s gone…
.
”

I did the only thing I could think of.
I promised to never drink an extra-large coffee again and
tried to
ignore the dead girls.
I ran headlong down the path, my eyes scanning the forest for signs of the little girl
,
finally spott
ing
her several yards away next to a large tree.
She was reaching up, trying to pick an apple from one of the lower branches.
In the distance, I saw the guards.
I could not tell if they were the same ones I had met before.
There were four of them gathered around a campfire.
Ten yards away, I saw my brother.
He was lying on the ground with his arms tied behind his back and a gag in his mouth.