The Deep Dark Stone Path

Chapter 15 - *James*

Dalilah climbs down the rope and we follow the path. The stones are black and hard. We walk for what seems like forever, hand in hand, until we get to a clearing. There is nothing there but a big, halfway burnt down, two story, house. There is soot and ash everywhere. Most of the grass around the house is burnt and dead. Why does this place seem so familiar? Whatever. We walk onto the porch and crack open the door. We take a few steps in and the door slams shut and locks behind us. I try to open it and it doesn't budge. Dalilah pulls out a flashlight and clicks it on. We look around the bottom floor. This must have been someone's house. It might have been nice at one point. We walk into, what seems to be a kitchen, when we see two skeletons lying on the floor. Dalilah gasps and covers her eyes. I quickly grab her and pull us out of there. She stands there, panting. I hug her and she embraces it. I kiss her temple. I smile and then she pulls away. She takes a deep breath and heads towards the stairs with me on her tail. When we get to the bottom of the stairs right as I step on the second step, the floor in front of the stairs gives out and Dalilah falls through the floor and I hear a loud crack.

. . .

I scream and help her get out of the floor. She is stuck waist deep and is crying. I finally get her out and hold her in a death grip. We move away from the hole and I look at her legs. They are fine all except for... her left leg has the bone sticking out of it and it is purple and blood is leaking out. She looks at her leg and whimpers. She lays there, in my arms and cries. Then I feel like someone is watching me. I look up and see to figures standing before me. I can see right through them! The man and woman look at Dalilah and me while we cower and stare in awe. I shout, "Go away!" Both of them look startled. Dalilah says "What do you want?" The woman smiles and says "I am Elizabeth Meyer. We used to live here. This is my husband, Timothy Meyer. Do you know where our sons are?" I shake my head and Dalilah says "What are there names?" "Peter and John Meyer." Elizabeth says. Dalilah says "How did you die?" Timothy answers "It was horrible. The boys were still at school. Elizabeth and I were in the kitchen making lunch. A man came into the kitchen and knocked me out with a steel pan. When I woke up I was tied to one of the kitchen table chairs and Elizabeth was tied up in the floor. I said, "Why are you doing this?" The man said because I had killed his son. I asked him how. He said "You don't remember the bus accident? Two years ago you were a bus driver. There was ice on the road and you crashed on the bridge on route 79 and the bus flipped down the hill, killing five of twenty-four passengers. One of the five were my son. Now I will take away everything you love!" That really is what happened except there was a deer on the ice road also. I tried to dodge it and slipped off the road. I attended all the funerals of the five children. I felt so bad for those families knowing I was the reason they were mourning. After that I quit being a bus driver and stayed home cleaning. The man cut Elizabeth's wrists and then her throat and made me watch her die. He stabbed me in the chest. Then, moments later, we became ghosts and watched this man. He looked throughout the house, taking all of our valuables. Then he did something to our boys. We know because we heard them screaming, shouting, and crying. We just don't know where they are. We don't know if they are alive. Then the man set the house on fire. Nobody even saw the smoke until two hours later." They both had tears in their eyes. Then realization hits me. "What was the date and day this happened?" I ask. Elizabeth says, "The two year anniversary of the five boys deaths. December 16, 2004 was when we were killed the boys died-" "December 16, 2002." I finish. Everyone looks at me weird as I look at the floor. "My older brother was one of the five that died. I knew all five of the families that had lost a child in that accident. They were all friends of my brother. The man that ki-killed you could have been my dad. He was gone that whole week. He was losing his min I could definitely see him doing this. My mom and me thought he was out drinking at a bar." I say, closing my eyes tight. Dalilah rubs my back and I open my eyes. Timothy and Elizabeth look at me in pity. I stand up and try to pull Dalilah up as well. I get her up on one foot and halfway hold her. "We have to go now but we will be back soon.", Dalilah says, and then I pick her up and carry her bridal style to the door. I twist the knob but the door wont budge. I step back and kick the door as hard as I can, breaking it down. I walk back down the deep dark stone path towards Dalilah's house. She falls asleep in my arms, halfway home. I cant believe my dad could have killed those people and burned down their house. There is no telling what he may have done to their kids. I knew that I recognized that house. It is because: one it was in the newspaper that a house burned down but no one knew if anyone had been in there because they thought it was too dangerous to go in there to see if anyone had been in there and two because the older of those kids had been my only friend up until he went missing. The sun is going down and I can see Dalilah's house in the distance. I can't let her dad or siblings see her like this. How would I explain this to them? Dalilah wakes up and says, "You are sweet, you know?" I laugh and kiss her cheek. "You know you are half asleep now?" She smiles at me. I know what to do. I set Dalilah down and get her phone out of her pocket. I call 911 and tell them to send an ambulance to my house. I pick up Dalilah and head to my house as fast as I can. My dad should still be at work right now.