Skylar has been gone from my side for a long time. I start to wonder if she is okay until she comes up and nudges me. She places something in my hand, and when I look down I see it is a large knife.
“Where did you get this?”
“Your shed around the back.”
“What's it for?”
“You're going to cut the chain.”
I look at her in disbelief.
“You really think this will cut it?”
“I don't know, it's pretty sharp, it's worth a shot Nessie...”
“Skylar, there's no chance...”
“Just try, Nessie!” her tone is fierce now.
“But why me? What if I go crazy again? What if...I make a mistake?”
“Nessie, I trust you more than anyone; it's going to be okay, you just have to try.”
I suddenly feel like a hundred pound weight has just landed on my shoulders. Could it really be that simple? Could I really just cut the chain and everything will be fine? Skylar taps my arm to bring me out of my thoughts.
“Okay, I'll distract him, you go cut the necklace, but I'll watch you just to make sure you don't get all crazy.”
“Okay...” My hands shake violently as I take my first step towards the chain. This necklace and I have had a history. I have gone from hating it, to nearly killing for it, and now to hating it all the more. I hear Skylar begin to speak to the shadow man.
“Look you invisible freak...” Oh Skylar, she has always been so outspoken, “Why don't you just get out of here, go try another house or something... Or just quit. I mean, that's what I would do, but of course you're not as intelligent as me. Like seriously, you have really made a mess of this whole thing. I mean I don't know all that has happened, but I can just tell you've done a horriblejob. You know...”
Skylar rambles on, actually being an adequate distraction, as I inch closer and closer to the evil chain. As I get closer, my mind starts to get foggy again but I fight, and now random thoughts swim in my mind at a million miles an hour. I see myself in the woods when I first found Annie. I hear her tell me how the shadow man had grabbed her to prevent us from meeting. I think of Mr. Marsh in the cave. Broken, lifeless, hurt, and lying there against his will. Then the most random thought comes to me. I feel that moment rush around me, with new meaning and adrenaline. That simple day when we moved in, and the Realtor handed us the keys and said, “...never go out alone...” Then suddenly the light bulb turns on. I let that word settle on my mind. I take it in and absorb it until I am forced to let it out into the atmosphere with new meaning.
“Alone...”
“Whatssz arez you talkingz aboutz?” The shadow man speaks, ignoring Skylar and now focusing completely on me. Skylar looks at me with nervous eyes, but I nod at her to tell her it's okay.
“You need us to be alone... That's why you can't put the necklace on any us...”
“Ohhz Nezszie, youz truly arez going crazzzy...”
“No, I'm not! In fact I'm more sure of this than anything! It makes so much sense now! When Annie was out here she was alone, but it wasn't your time yet. Then suddenly your time came, but Mr. Marsh came after her. She didn't know he was there, but he knew she was somewhere. You knew you couldn't let them find each other—that would give them hope. You knew you could get rid of one of them easily. So you beat him and broke him until all he could do was lay there in that cave helpless, but you couldn't touch him, he knew his daughter was out here somewhere—he wasn't alone.”
“You arez inzanez Nezszzie! You're weakzsz!” I ignore him.
“So what do you do? You go for Annie—she is helpless and scared and has been out here two years practically mocking you—but before you can get there you see me—the perfect target. You chased me and terrorized me and were about to get me, but I fought back and lost you somewhere in the woods. You knew you had to find me soon, but before you found me, you found Annie. So you went for her instead, but I was restless that night, and I had dreams of the girl—that I later found out was Annie—but they meant nothing to me at the time. I started back to my house, but then I heard Annie. We had found each other,and we weren't alone anymore so your plans were ruined. However, this detail would never be revealed by you, you had to keep it a secret, you had to keep us weak!”
“Shut upz Nezzie! You're weakz!”
I push on harder. “So we struggled and fought until I got you to let Annie go. You were so happy, now you had me alone, really, and I was convinced I was alone, but I wasn't truly the only one out there, Mr. Marsh was still in the cave. You knew you had to get rid of one of us, so you made the deal."
“Ifz I werez youz I'd stopz talkingz now Nezzszzie!” My arm with the knife suddenly jerks, but I hold it down with my other arm and keep talking.
“And then everyone else came out, and completely ruined your plans, but you started messing with them, and you kept trying to get rid of them, until you got it down to four: Annie, Mr. Marsh, Skylar, and me. When we all started back towards our house, you decided to let us go, hoping you could separate us then, but Skylar was too strong for you and we got inside. By now, they were all pretty strong, but I was still weak and you saw the potential to strike and you did. First you tried to take me by force, but then you messed with my mind, and if you haven't noticed: THAT UPSETS ME.”
My arm is now spazzing out of control, and I wave the knife around in the air.
“NEZZIE STOPZZZ!!!!”
“But you see, I don't even care anymore because I figured it all out. When they said don't come out alone, they meant that we couldn't be out here alone. We can't be the only one in these woods. But I'll tell you what you freak! As long as we have each other, we will never, ever, ever, be alone!”
Silence. I look at everyone around me. Skylar looking slightly nervous, Jason at Skylar's side, Mr. Marsh still hurt on the ground.
Suddenly my arm starts flying around in the air, the knife slicing through the air like crazy.
“Nessie, drop the knife. Now!” Skylar screams at me, but I can't drop it, it is firmly grasped in my hand, and won't fall.
“Do youz reallyz wantz to bez alonez Nezzssie? Cauze I canz arrangez thatz!!!”
All of a sudden the wind picks up, and somehow the door of my house closes shut. The wind carries Mr. Marsh somewhere far away. Then the knife in my hand suddenly flies up over my head, and I almost recognize what is happening, but I'm too late to stop it. I can't control what I'm doing anymore.
“SKYLAR! JASON! LOOK OUT!”
But it's too late. It flies out of my hand, and I hear their screams as the knife hits in the darkness.
YOU ARE READING
The Endless Night
Action"...never walk out alone..." Rumors have haunted the property around the little cottage for years. Vanessa Görtz and her family have just moved in and her parents are taking these rumors seriously. Vanessa decides to take matters into her own hands...
