Eldritch

Chapter 12

Charlene awakens and tries to call out for help, inhibited by the gag covering her mouth. Her strangled cries for help remain confined to her throat. Tiny beads of sweat drip from around her eyebrows as she thrashes against the chains binding her arms and legs. She's seated on a cold ground of sorts, restrained to her hunched position. She peers around the dark room, trying to distinguish her whereabouts.

Hello, she tries to call. It comes out as a muffled groan. Please help me.

She searches the room for Ella. When she realises she's not present, she begins to heave. And sob. And tries to scream some more. Not knowing where her friend is, whether she's dead or alive, when they were both taken captive at the same time, at the hands of the same man, she feels like her stomach is a hollow pit.

Ella is enduring the same dreadful feeling.

'Is someone there?' she calls. 'Please, whoever you are, and whatever you want, please let Charlene go. Please don't hurt her. She's innocent.'

Frantically, she thrashes against her restraints, which proves futile. Tears stream down her face at the lack of response.

----

'Are you sure this is a good idea?' Martin asks. 'Every time we try asking her questions, she just throws a fit.'

Daniel places his folded fist to the wood of Kooky A's door. 'We have to try. The cops are doing their bit, we need to do ours. She's the only one who seems to know anything.'

Sean swallows and Daniel eyes him with sympathy. 'Sean, dude. I know it's easier said than done, but try to be positive. We're going to find them.'

'But what if we don't?'

Daniel pauses, swallows and takes a deep breath. 'We going to find them,' he affirms.

He just wishes to feel so confident in actuality.

Then he raps on the door and the three boys stand outside the run down shack, waiting for the person who can give them the answers they need.

----

'I'll go back later on,' Daniel says. 'She must have been out.'

Again, Sean exudes a demeanour of downright doubt and apprehension. 'Sean,' Daniel says. 'I'm going to do everything I can to fix this. But, I need everyone to remember not to say a word to anyone. It looks like when Ella told Charlene, that thing took her too. And if we tell anyone, we could be putting them in danger.'

Sean nods and clambers out of his friend's car. He shuffles up his driveway. Martin turns to him.

'Do you really think we're going to find them?'

Daniel cups his hands over his nose for a brief moment and sighs. 'I really don't know,' he says. 'But I'm trying to keep everyone motivated to try. I really hope so, because if something happens to Charlene, I'll never forgive myself.'

'Me neither,' Martin swallows. 'My Mom keeps talking about it, and it's so hard to act like we don't know anything.'

Daniel nods. 'That's just what we have to do, if we're going to protect everyone else.'

After dropping Martin outside his house, Daniel cruises through the streets of Starryton, turning up the radio to keep his mind off the disappearances of two of his friends. It fails miserably. As he unlocks the door to his home, he spots his father, Louis, at the kitchen table, stewing in silence, seated opposite Marissa.

He leaves his school bag to rest in the hallway and strolls into the hallway. 'Hey Mom,' he smiles. 'Dad.'

'I heard about Ella and Charlene,' he says. 'Daniel, I'm sorry.'

He looks to his Mom, who shoots him a look as though to order him to respond appropriately. 'Thanks,' he says.

'Would you like to talk about it?' he asks.

That, and so many different things, he thinks. 'That'd be good,' he swallows. 'Thanks. Can we go somewhere to talk?'

His father smiles. 'Of course. How about we talk over a cheeseburger in the Starryton diner? I know it's your favourite place to eat.'

Daniel can feel the corners of his lips twitching up, but he doesn't want to show any signs of vulnerability; of giving in so quickly. He forces a frown. 'Sure,' he says. 'Let's go.'

Marissa flashes her son a smile as he departs the house with his father. She's just delighted that he finally seems willing to reconnect with him.

----

'Daniel,' Louis sighs. 'I know it's probably something you don't really like to get into, but I feel that I need to explain myself.'

Daniel nods. 'I'm sorry that I left you all those years ago. I'm not trying to justify it, but I want to at least explain why. When your little sister died, your mother and I, we both had our different ways of grieving. And we both couldn't understand the other's reactions to it. So, we ended up fighting constantly. We were constantly at each other's throats. And I don't know if you remember much of it, but we both selfishly always managed to drag you into our rows somehow.'

Louis' eyes are glassy from the tears he's fighting. 'Eventually, we came to agree that it wasn't good for you. So, we did what we thought was best for you. We separated. And I moved to the city. I figured you'd be better off here in Starryton with your Mom. That's why I left. And I'm sorry, I really am. It's the biggest mistake I ever made. I should've stayed closer by, maybe, found somewhere else in town to live where I'd be able to see you nearly every day.'

Daniel bows his head. 'It's okay, Dad,' he swallows. 'I'm sorry too. After Mia died, I didn't really understand what had happened. I just knew I had lost my little sister. And then, when I thought I was losing my Dad too, I just took out my anger on you, and I acted like a total jerk. I'm sorry.'

Louis nods. 'You don't need to be sorry, Daniel,' he says. 'Not at all.'

As their burgers are placed in front of them, Louis and his son chat about a range of topics. Eventually, Daniel digresses to another topic of conversation. 'Dad,' he says. 'You know the way you're a paranormal investigator?'

'Mhm hmm,' he mumbles while taking a gulp of milkshake.

Daniel nods. 'What would you do, if an evil spirit or entity had been let loose to wreak havoc on someone's life?'

Louis furrows his eyebrow. 'Is there a particular reason you're asking this?' he asks. 'Is there something you'd like to tell me?'

'No,' Daniel stumbles. 'I just meant hypothetically, what would you do?'

His father thinks for a brief moment. 'Well, hypothetically, I would try to find out what it wanted. If a spirit is haunting someone, it generally wants something from them.'

Find out what it wants, he thinks to himself. I think Annie could possibly know the answer to that.