The Woods

Chapter 24

(Day 7-Night 8, Diane)
"She didn't do anything, she has had a very hard few years. But she has kept her smile strong. Unfortunately, she no longer smiles."
"What do I do?"
"You go get the police, you'll know where and when to attempt the save. But first a few people need to talk to you. Return to your house, deal with that, then go find Vivian, the rest, you will figure out on your own. I need to move on now. I can't stay on the plane any longer. Good luck my dear Diane."
"Don't!"
     It was too late, her spirit was gone and I still didn't know how to get out of these woods and back to Everport. I looked around for a moment stunned. Then I saw it, a note. I retrieved the note and looked at it.
     It was a small map with an arrow that led to town. She must have been planning on giving this to Madeline, before everything happened. I looked around at the burnt debris of the house. Checking the note one more time I began my journey from the woods.
"Madeline, please just hang on a little longer, I'll be back with police and mom and Amber and everyone and you'll be safe once again."
     I said to the wind as I hiked home. I passed the crystal clear pond, stopping and kneeling at its side. Looking in I saw my reflection again, the rugged figure of a woman stating coldly back at me. My fingers dipped into the water and the coldness caught me by surprise.
     I moved my fingers in circles softly. The pond's clear water was slowly being tainted by mud. How did it stay clean for so long? My question remained unanswered in my head. I stood and waited for the water to clear up, the mud to settle. But it didn't. It stayed filthy and contaminated.
     With a quick step I looked curiously once more before leaving the filthy water pool. I checked the map again and followed the arrow to a large open area. The clearing where Madeline was first stabbed. In the middle I watched it play over again, the stab, the running. However Parker didn't follow her, instead he headed to town, away from Madeline. The vision ended.
"What? He didn't stalk after her? But why?"
     The area around me dropped significantly as I approached the middle of the clearing. Voices and noises around me surfaced. The apparitions of children appeared around me. The same from earlier. They talked amongst themselves before one approached me.
--------------------------Later-------------------------------
     I stumbled out from the woods in front of my house. What is inside? I shoved the map in my back pocket and crossed the street without any caution of traffic. The light upstairs was on.
"Who's in my home?"
     I opened the car door and grabbed my phone finally. The battery was dangerously low. The front door was cracked open and I hesitated to go inside. Maybe this was a bad idea? I wondered as I stepped away from the door.
"Come inside."
     A voice demanded and I listened coming inside and heading straight up the stairs. They creaked like usual. Finally in the hallway I noticed a light being emitted from my room. I was a mouse as I approached the door and went inside. A figure sat in my rocking chair, slowly rocking back and forth.
"Why are you in my house?"
"Because you need me."
"I don't even know who you are!"
"I'm your father."
"What?"
     He stood and turned around. Flashes of him appeared in my head and my eyes widened.
"But I barely knew you!"
"We shouldn't have given you away. We failed you as parents and I'm sorry. I couldn't even protect your sister. I failed at being a good father. I wish I could help, but I can't. And I can't move on either."
"Why not?" Tears hid behind my eyes.
"I haven't been able to forgive myself."
"I-I forgive you."
     I felt my heart rip into pieces. I just met my father and he is already going to leave me. I looked up at him broken, like a lost puppy.
"You have been so brave, so strong. I'm proud of you."
     He smiled as he waved goodbye, forever to disappear from my life for the second time. I still moved on as tears rolled over my cheeks. Vivian next. I thought.
     I left the house in a hurry, rushing to Parker's house. Once inside I tossed the machete onto the counter and ran upstairs to find Vivian. She appeared from around a corner before darting back into the room. I chased after her, but when I entered the room, she wasn't there.
"I told you to ask him."
"He lied!"
     I spun around to face the voice, but it came from nowhere, Vivian was not to be found. I stepped into the hallway and walked down it listening and watching.
"I'm tired of aching-!"
     She screamed loudly into my ears. I covered them and fell to my knees as her screams fill the entire house. She appeared in front of me, her body twisted and contorted. Finally her bottom half broke away, leaving her as just a floating torso and head.
"She did this to me!"
"Who did this to you?"
     I asked loudly over her yelling and screams of pain.
"The one you seek, your sister. Madeline!"
     Her head fell backwards as she howled in pain, her head getting crushed slightly and then deforming to become what I saw the first night I arrived at Parker's house.
"Is that why Parker is trying to kill her? Because she killed you?"
"Let me move on! You keep me here! Bound to you because of your obsession!"
"Then tell me!"
"I can't!"
     She shrieked deafeningly. Her body finished transforming and she fell to the ground, lying there a convulsing mess. She raised an arm and pointed at me with a bent and broken finger.
"You keep me here. To suffer, until you get over your obsession. Now leave. I can't speak anymore."
     She muttered something else before I left the room. I felt broken inside, like someone had tried to claw their way out of me. My heart ached at the thought of keeping Vivian trapped here because I wanted to kill Parker.
"I'll kill him, and you'll be set free."
     I grabbed the machete and kicked open the front door, but stopped. I turned on my heel and walked back inside to the counter. On it was a dead bird, hit by a car.
"Where did these files go? Where do I even go? The police station? Alert the police of the concrete building? Go find and kill Parker? Go find Madeline?"
     The front door still hung open and I stepped into the door frame, stood for a moment, and then stepped out. Where are you Parker? I imagined all the places he could be, but ultimately decided I would go inform Amber of the good news. Walking there tired me out quickly and Amber met me on the porch, handing me a cold water bottle as I stumbled inside, sitting down gently on the couch.
"What happened?"
"Where's my mom?"
"She is resting, now what's going on? Did you find Madeline?"
"I found her, but then we got separated, I don't know where she is anymore. Not yet anyway."
"Should we go get the police?"
"Not yet! There's something I have to take care of first."
"What?"
"It's personal."
"Fine, just please hurry."
"I will."
     I waved goodbye to Amber and bolted out the door. I went straight for Madeline's old house. The one that had collapsed underneath all of our feet. Me, Victoria, Amber, Janet, and Parker.
     My legs screamed in pain, but I continued onwards, trying to get there as fast as possible. As the house came into view the sun began to set. I charged inside, vaulting anything in my way as I headed to the steps. I stopped at the base of the staircase and readied my machete.
     Quietly I scaled the mountain of stairs and at the far end of the attic stood the one I wanted. My obsession. The one who deserved death, the one who killed Janet. The one who caused all of us to go through hell.
     I sidestepped the hold in the floor and raised the machete. A frown crept onto my face. I was pissed. My mind went over everything he had done, every pain he had caused for us. For the people years ago. For every child and adult he killed, for the people still alive who suffer everyday.
     I vowed to kill him. For Madeline. For the ghost children. For Everport. For Janet. I brought the machete down with all of the force in my body. It will finally be over. The blade went through without any hesitation and I felt it get stuck in the wall. I looked up and watched as Parker turned to face me. I dropped the machete and stumbled backwards in shock.
"Diane, it's about time we talked again."
"I was supposed to kill you! You deserve this! For what you did!"
"Maybe, but not for the reason you think."
"What do you mean?"
"You are only partially right in your little investigation."
     He paused as he turned away from me and touched the cracked window, looking out at the setting sun before continuing.
"I was planning on marrying Vivian, she was the nicest anyone has ever been to me. She believed in me, in everything I did, and then that one night. She was going to come pick me up from the police station, it was late and there was snow. Suddenly I-I get that phone call. She has been in an accident and it was so severe, she was just barely alive. I left the station, as fast as possible and ran, ran until I got there. Tears filled my eyes. Her body was broken, battered, contorted. I tried to comfort her until she passed. She told me that she wanted me to stay safe, to be a good person, but I was so upset and stuck in my own sad head. Alone. No one was there for me anymore."
     He stopped as he turned back to face me. He couldn't cry, but I could see the hurt in his eyes as he looked down at me. I stared up at him, frozen with tears in my eyes.
"With her final breath I kissed her. When I learned that it had been Madeline's mom I was so confused and lost that I contacted Victoria's parents as you know them. I asked them to kill her, said I'd give them money. They were busy then and then awhile ago I sent them a second letter. Kill Madeline. You missed the dates on things. I wanted revenge so badly and they agreed. Once I got that letter I knew it was the wrong thing to do. I knew I had to try and stop it, after this building collapsed I went into the woods to try and call off the deal, but I learned that once they have been asked to kill, they don't stop."
     He frowned as he moved a bit closer to me.
"I then tried to collect evidence to give to the police to stop them. On my way back to town I found Madeline, I chased the person hurting her away and carried her out of the building, which looked like more evidence, but as I tried to get back to town their murderer found me. Killed me on the spot without any words."
"So then who is the killer?"
"The killer is-"
---------------------------Before-----------------------------
"Go back to where everything started. It is there that you will find the one that you seek. But what you find may not be what you expect and what you learn may upset you."