Book by: Cobber

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

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He bolted up in bed and took a deep breathe. Preston looked around, disoriented and unsure of where he was. Slowly, some of the events of the previous night came back to him. He remembered kissing Ryan and being taken upstairs. He remembered their roving hands and the caresses which had made the world shake and had turned his perception of the room red. He looked at the closet and noticed that it was closed and that it was not glowing.

He felt a tug at his finger and slowly withdrew it from under the sheets. It was red and he rubbed it against the sheets, hoping there was blood on the stump. There was none. He stared at the strange glow and moved it in front of his face, like a doctor checking a patient's eyes with a small pocket flashlight.

Had it been a dream, he wondered. Ryan was asleep beside him and he brushed a lock of hair off her face. At least she was okay, he thought.

Quietly, he pushed the covers aside and walked over to the closet door. He looked at it and bent down in an attempt to see under it. This is ridiculous, he thought, it's just a closet door. Yet, he hesitated before reaching out and grabbing the handle.

He expected to feel a throb or tug, or burn in his finger. Instead there was nothing. The knob turned easily and he applied pressure to pull the door towards him. It did not move. He applied more pressure, assuming it was stuck, but it still did not move. Finally, he gave a quick yank and stumbled back as his fingers slipped from the immovable knob, nearly throwing him onto the floor.

It was then that he noticed the footprints. He thought they might be an illusion and he rubbed his eyes to try to make the image disappear. It didn't. Starting at the door and continuing up to the bed and over to the closet were a set of muddy footprints. He walked out to the hallway and found more footprints leading up from the stairs. He followed them down the stairs and to the front door. He opened the door and a gentle breeze rustled his hair. He saw one footprint on the walking path that seemed to lead from the grass that surrounded the house.

Preston shook his head and retraced them up the stairs and into the bedroom. He stood over Ryan and wondered if he dared.

Had she gone somewhere? And even if she had, why would there be mud tracked across the floor? Preston slowly pulled back the covers and followed her smooth legs down to her feet. He didn't need to kneel down to see that the soles were covered with mud.

"Preston, what are you looking at?" He whirled around and could see the concern in her eyes. He didn't know what to say.

"There are muddy footprints in the house and you're feet are dirty." She looked confused.

"What?"

"Look at your feet Ryan, they are filthy. Where did you go last night?" She looked at her feet and became even more perplexed.

"I don't know," she stammered, "I don't remember going anywhere." She looked shaken and he couldn't tell if she was lying or not.

"Ryan, you must remember something, anything?" She nodded her head vigorously and he sensed a big sob about to erupt. To preempt it, he sat at the edge of the bed and pulled her towards him. She sniffled and began to talk.

"It's the dark spells. They're coming for me Preston. I don't know what it is. I really don't know." She sniffled and he caressed her hair, wanting to comfort her.

"Sometimes I will have dreams. Dreams that I'm standing on a cliff by the water, looking over a land I've never seen before. I also dream that a horrible women is in a room with me. I can't see her, but she is screaming at me to wake up." There were more sobs and Preston was unsure about how to proceed. He wanted to tell her about his own dream but didn't. He didn't want to look weak, and the last thing that Ryan needed was to hear about his problems and weird nocturnal hallucinations.

Instead, he walked over to the closet.

"What's inside?"

"The closet?" Preston nodded and noticed the nervous look on her face.

"I don't know."

"Ryan, it's your closet, how can you not know?" he said gently, not wanting to upset her. Her lips began to quiver more and Preston pressed forward cautiously.

"Have you ever opened it."

"No."

"Have you ever tried to?"

"Preston please," she pleaded, "I don't know what's in there. I've tried to open it but its stuck. The wood must have expanded with the warm weather." She wasn't telling him everything and he wondered what she was hiding. She brushed her hair back and Preston walked back over to the bed.

"Do you have any tools in the house, we can try to open it?"

"No!" she exclaimed. "Why are you so interested in the closet!" she screamed. The sunlight reached the window and it began to stream into the room, cutting patterns across the bed where Ryan lay. Her hair glowed and Preston had to concentrate to shut out her beauty.

"Ryan, what are you hiding?" he pleaded, wanting her to confide in him. She covered her face with her hands and rocked gently in her bed.

"Preston I'm scared. Please come here and hold me?" He took her in his arms and welcomed the touch of the warm skin. She kissed his neck and began to talk again.

"There is something in the closet. I don't know what it is but there's a strange red glow. It comes from under the door and bathes the entire room. It makes me feel different, strange. It's a power, an energy and it can do wonderful things."

"Like what?" She held his damaged hand.

"You wanted to know how I healed your finger. The door did it. When I found you, I knew you were dying. Something drew me upstairs and I slipped my fingers under the door. The energy came to me and I brought it down and covered your hand with it." He remembered the glowing red aura around his finger.

"How does it make you feel?" Ryan smiled as she thought of the sensation.

"Actually, it's really quite wonderful. I feel completely alive and in touch with nature. My body feels like it has reawakened and is charged with some type of energy." Instead of the doubt or disbelief he would have expected, there was a strange sense of happiness at her words. He was not the only one having an experience outside the realm of normal, and that realization relieved him and bonded him even more closely to Ryan. At the very least, her words were proof that he wasn't the only one going insane in Wellow Falls.

"Why didn't you tell me Ryan?" He looked into her eyes and stroked her hair. It was amazing how she had gentled him. "Why didn't you say anything when I told you about what happened to me? You didn't believe me."

"No Preston, that's not true. I didn't want to believe you. I didn't want to think that what was happening was real. I still don't want to, but..." Her words trailed off.

"But what?"

"It has to be true. The dark spells, whatever is behind the closet. For my whole life I've been trying to be normal and maybe it's just not possible."

"Ryan."

"No Preston, I don't think you can understand." He resented the statement but bit his lip. He understood, he had understood from the moment his mother had left him orphaned to an abusive father. He knew what it was like to feel different and separate from everyone else. He channeled the anger away from Ryan and bounded up from the bed.

"I'm going to open that closet door." Ryan shrugged.

"Look around, there may be some tools in the basement."

"Another lie?" he asked, remembering that she had told him differently just minutes before.

"No, just an attempt to prevent you from embarking on a futile endeavor."

Submitted: October 18, 2006

Horror fantasy horror evil forces monarch

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Comments

Donald H Sullivan

This is a real thriller, Phil. A page turner. Through Chapter 11 I have really enjoyed it. Only one negative comment, a minor one. I thought a few parts were a mite overly dexcriptive, for example Luis's relation with the news paper was a little overdone. But it's no biggie, just my take. Even when I read King or Koontz I tend to skip over the long descriptions. A great story, and I'm looking forward to more.

Sat, October 21st, 2006 5:42am

Author
Reply

Thanks Donald. I do see what you mean about Luis and maybe I'll pare those parts a bit. I'll be posting another chapter sometime this weekend or early next.

Phil

Fri, October 20th, 2006 11:29pm

lainie

I hope you intend to publish this when it is completed. Masterpiece of work! Lainie

Mon, October 23rd, 2006 3:15am

Author
Reply

Thanks for your comments. I plan on publishing the first part here in its entirety. Then, depending on the response, I'll decide what to do with the second.

Best,

Phil

Mon, October 23rd, 2006 11:35am

zairafirefly

I am enjoying this, but want to point out that breath and breathe are two different words. For example of when to use them, "Preston tried to breathe deeply" and "Preston took a deep breath." Only use the e when you want the extra "e" sound in breathe. I'm looking forward to hopefully finding out what's in the closet!

Wed, June 10th, 2009 2:25pm

Author
Reply

Good point. My spelling has always been suspect. Thanks for the feedback!

Thu, June 11th, 2009 12:16pm