Eldritch

Chapter 26

Martin, Sophie and Lisa clamber out of her jeep and get down to work. They make a grab for the supplies in the trunk, Sophie shining her flashlight toward the clustered rows of thick shadowy trees. She holds her hand mid-air as the light beams on the noticeable large x's smeared on a pair of trees in red paint. She jumps slightly as Martin places a hand to her shoulder. 'You okay?' he asks.

'Not really,' she swallows. 'But, let's do this.'

They approach the trunks together and Martin tosses a bundle of rope in Sophie's direction. Lisa bounds toward them, offering her hand to help them in tying knots.

Once they each have wrapped the rope several times around the trees, coiling each layer on top of each other to strengthen its hold, Lisa throws a pair of heavy duty, thick banded handcuffs to Martin, keeping another set in her hands. With Sophie holding the flashlight, they both secure one cuff of each pair to the tautly pulled rope.

Lisa slowly rises up from her hunkers and dusts her hands off. 'Now, it's time for the trip wire.'

Martin and Sophie nod, and with an overbearing feeling of reluctance, the trio head back toward the jeep. Martin remains stoic while Lisa blinks away the glassiness in her eyes.

----

Marissa tosses and turns from side to side, the frame of the bed creaking with her movements. She re-adjusts her pillows, goes from lying flat on her back to turning onto her side, her ear resting on the palm of her hand. Nothing. It doesn't make a difference. It doesn't relax her. She sighs, flips onto her back again and strips her duvet from her body, tossing it to the foot of the bed.

She brushes her messy hair from her face, pushing it beside what's left of her ponytail. Barefoot, she heads out into the hallway and comes to a stop at the doorway at the end of the hallway. Daniel's room. She wraps her fingers around the door knob, shakes her head and lets go. Then, she treads down the stairs.

Marissa comes to a standstill at the fireplace in the living room. She reaches out for the photograph to its centre, bringing her hand to it at a gradual place, as though it's a sacred artefact she's wary to touch. She takes the photo in her hands; the family photograph, or, the photograph of a once happy family before tragedy struck and ripped it apart.

She sinks into the sofa as she looks over the photograph. Her, encased in Louis' hold, his arm pushing her into his chest from the large of her back, beaming at the camera. Louis with his other hand over Mia's shoulder, who looks to Daniel, both of them giggling at the hilarity at something the other must have done. Daniel, also ducking down to avoid his mother's fingers ruffling his hair.

The emotions elicited from the photo prompt her to place it face down on the coffee table. She wipes her bloodshot eyes dry, swallows, shakes her head, reaches toward the other end of the sofa and grabs the telephone.

'Hey,' Louis greets her. 'You okay?'

'Not really,' she swallows, while fiddling with the twisted cord. 'Did I wake you?'

'No,' he answers. 'I couldn't sleep.'

She nods, brings her hand to the back of her knotted hair and holds the nape of her neck. Just holds it for a few moments. 'Lou,' she says. 'I need someone to talk to. No, no, I need to talk to you. Can you come over please?'

'Of course,' he replies. 'Give me forty minutes.'

----

'I just don't know what to do,' Marissa snivels. 'He's been gone nearly a week, and there's been nothing. I'm going out of my mind.'

'Me too,' Louis says. 'I—No, never mind.'

Marissa looks up. 'No, what?'

He bows his head. 'You'll think I'm crazy, and so would anyone else, which is why I didn't mention it to the Sheriff.'

Louis sees something spark in those brown eyes; something he hasn't seen it years. He doesn't quite know what it is, but it's almost as though her energy levels have been elevated.

'What is it? If there's something that could help us find Dan, you gotta tell me, Lou.'

He nods. 'I know, when we were together, you were always pretty sceptical of my field of work.'

'Of the paranormal?'

'Yes,' he says. 'But, I'm talking something slightly different than that. I'm talking supernatural, Marissa. Just before that person barged in to the motel, the lights began to flicker. And something in the air shifted.  I could feel it. It sent a chill up my spine. Everything felt cold, like someone had sucked every particle of everything from the atmosphere and replaced it with this sense of—'

Marissa takes Louis trembling hands in hers. 'Sense of what?'

'A sense of gut wrenching fear,' he sighs. For a moment, they stare into each other's eyes. Then, Louis pulls his hands from Marissa's. 'You don't believe me,' he says. 'It's okay, I--'

'I believe you,' she states. 'I'm starting to think it's this town. There's something going on. It's like, something evil is crawling out of the woodwork. Kids are going missing without a trace. That never happens. There has to be something bigger at work. And I don't know how Dan and his friends have somehow gotten sucked into this mess, but it all seemed to have started with Abi Prendergast's death.'

'You think her death was the start of this?'

Marissa nods solemnly. 'Yes, and then, after that, actually, the day after it, he--'

Louis tries to catch Marissa's eye, once he notices the wheels in her head turning, the spiral of thoughts flying through her mind as she tries to organise them. 'Marissa, what happened after?'

She gazes back at him. 'He got a note from Annie Caulfield.'

'Annie Caulfield?' he repeats. 'Marissa, he's been making frequent visits to her house the last few weeks.'

They look each other in the eye, a spark of determination flashing through Marissa's. Determination, or something. It makes a change from the hopelessness that has slowly seeped through her fibers over the past several days.

'I'm going to go see her tomorrow.'