Hazy View: Souls of the Vanished (28 page)

She could barely hear a soft knocking
and scratching sound covered by a muffled moaning.

The room held very little light. The
on-suite bathroom door’s closed and the dumb light offered very
little relief, the bedside clock was too loud and the wind outside
echoed through her mind. She listened harder up to the point that
her head started to hurt.

The passage light came on. It shone
through the crack under the door. She was sure she had opened the
door slightly so she could hear her son when he called. Still she
couldn’t see or hear anything but the dark and deathly
silence.

“Martin?” She spoke in a soft
crackling voice.

He didn’t respond.

“Martin?” She called a little
louder.

A door slammed.

She jumped to her feet.

Only silence echoed back.

A cold chill ran through her body,
something was wrong, very wrong.

“Martin, are you alright?” She called
and crept towards the door one baby step at a time.

Footsteps and soft cursing echoed from
the other side of the door. Martin was arguing with himself
angrily. No, more than that, he’s also drunk, a deadly
combination.

He stood outside the door.

He must‘ve stumbled. Something fell
and breaking glass ripped through the silence.

Janet closed her eyes and reached out
for the doorknob, fearing what awaited her on the other
side.

She knew something was wrong. Martin’s
not the man she knew. She could hear it, felt it even sensed it.
After knowing him for eight years one tends to pick up on these
little things.

Her chest burned as she still tried to
hold her breath without realizing it. Her heart pounded harder and
harder in her chest. Should she switch on the light? No, her hand
had already found the doorknob. It was cold under her sweaty
palm.

She opened the door slowly. Martin was
standing in front of the door, silent as the night, his face
contorted with anger. Death was in his eyes.

Suddenly he issued a punch into her
face, sending her stumbling backward. She fell hard. Her head hit
the side of the bed.

For a moment he stood watching her,
blood trickled from her mouth and nose. She wept softly. He walked
forward slightly cursing softly. His rage filled the room. Stunned
by the blow she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

Martin was usually loud when drunk but
his stillness’s more unexpected then the punch. He was still in
uniform. His gun belt removed seemed very little comfort. He was
the perfect husband, now he was a demon from hell. He just stood
glaring at her without a word. His silence started to unravel Janet
and his stare cut through her like a knife through
butter.

Janet looked up, her hearing slowly
returning. She knew he blamed for something. The problem was she
didn’t know what. He wasn’t saying much, which was both aggravating
and unnerving. To ask would only pushed him further and made the
situation more difficult. Janet wasn’t a timid, weak person. She
could fight back as she did before. Tonight fear was holding her
down.

He stood silent.

Finally she regained her pose and
looked him dead in the eye. The light from the passage blocked by
his silhouette didn’t reveal what was in his eyes. But she knew
what it was. Just how much rage was there she couldn’t tell. She
tried to stand up but her numb legs won’t allow it. Her weeping
stopped.

“What’s wrong with you?” She shouted
in pure anger.

“Now there’s something wrong with me?”
His speech slightly slurred.

“You are acting insane.”

“Now I’m insane, what’s
next?”

“You think this is how normal people
react. You come home drunk and think you’re above all.”

“Yes, I’m far above you!” Martin
screamed into her face.

“What’s this about, did I do
something?”

“Cheated, you cheating
bitch!”

“I never did, I didn’t.” Janet’s taken
by surprise.

“What is this?” He shouted bending
down towards her.

He produced a chain she had worn just
last week and claimed to have lost it. It was a gift he had bought
her years earlier.

“Where did you find that?” Janet asked
in a whisper.

“Andrew. In Andrew’s house...!” He
shouted loudly. “The truth woman, why is it in his
house?”

“I probably lost it in his car when he
drove me home from your office. He must’ve found it and took it in
the house. I don’t know.”

“Not good enough!”

“You’re going to wake
Christopher.”

“He‘ll never wake up
again.”

Janet jumped to her feet.

A thousand thoughts whisked through
her mind, her body cold almost frozen, his words were like sharp
daggers cutting deep into her soul.

She had heard the words clearly.
‘He’ll never wake up again.’ It played through her mind repeatedly,
like a record stuck on replay. Was he taunting her? Not that he’s
beside himself. He was trying to intimidate her… No, not that. He
won’t harm his own son. He loved him with his whole
being.

It was just a … a nightmare. A real
life nightmare, yes! She would wake up soon and find Christopher
padding across the floor to her bedside. He would jump onto the bed
and land her with the biggest kiss and hug a small boy could
master.

She stood staring at him, trying to
figure out what to do next. Go check on him, go check on
Christopher.

She looked at Martin. His face still
contorted with anger, he was ready to issue the next blow. She must
get past him even if she had to fight him to do it. He was blocking
half the door, enough space to squeeze through. Even if he hit her
again, she must endure it. He won’t hurt his only son. He would
give his life for that little boy. He would face danger head on.
‘Go check on Christopher!’ The thought like an order slammed her
forward. She would push past him. She’d knock him down if the
situation called for it, anything to get to her son.

Martin stepped aside, glancing at her
with a grin on his face that cut worse than the words he had
spoken.

Janet ran past him, but it was too
late. He grabbed her by the hair and tilted her face to
his.

“Going somewhere?”

“Let me go!” Janet screamed and
grabbed his hands burying her nails into them.

It didn’t faze him.

“It’s too late.”

“What did you do?”

“You took him away from me, so I took
him from you.” His voice was cold and sharp, there was no more care
left to give.

Janet tried to turn her face away from
him, but his grip was too strong. She didn’t want to know what he
had done. Somewhere a voice was screaming inside of her. She was
more than a hundred percent sure he was trying to intimidate her.
He did this before to belittle her. He got a kick out of making her
feel like a child, making her feel vulnerable. For God sake, she’s
a mother and her instinct was telling her, no screaming at her to
fight back. Fight back hard with everything you have, Christopher
deserved it.

She couldn’t break free, as hard as
she tried, it felt pointless. His grip tightened to the point where
he pulled hair from the roots.

The feeling deep down in her, the
voice that kept screaming that got even louder, even more
desperate. It was a raspy, cold nasty voice that was telling her
something was desperately wrong.

Why won’t he let go?

She glanced at him. He let go, shaving
her towards the door, hard. Her head hit the post hard, blood
trickled from her eyebrow.

She reached for the doorpost to
balance herself and stumbled into the passage.

Janet had the aching feeling that
something horrid happened in Christopher’s room earlier this
morning, something more than just getting even with her, or
settling a score. He was more than intimidating, not just someone
who blew off steam. Something that would rip out her life and
dangle it in front of her if she dared to set her eyes upon
it.

Martin’s behind her again.

Biting down on the cut on her lip,
determined not to lose control like a helpless person, she trusted
herself forward and ran for Christopher’s door before Martin could
react and stop her.

Her emotion‘s suddenly seized and
held. Her hand rested coldly on the doorknob. Janet saw Martin
rushing forward from the corner of her eye. She couldn’t move. She
struggled with her emotions and turned the doorknob. Martin
vanished around the corner as she entered the room.

Janet exploded into the dark room,
only the light from outside shone dull on the bed. She couldn’t
remember moving until she stumbled against the bed on her hands and
knees. Slowly she pulled herself up to the head of the
bed.

The little boy lays still, eyes open.
His lips had turned blue his eyes cold and lifeless. The pillow he
had slept on lied at his side.

She was ready to scream out loud, grab
the boy and shake him, more than ready. She did scream, she did
grab the boy, but his lifeless little body lied numb and cold in
her arms. Softly she rocked as her cry became a desperate sob.
Anger filled her with every tear that fell. Her life itself slipped
away, her spirit drained from her.

“This isn’t happening. This isn’t
real, wake up Christopher, and wake up boy. Please boy open your
eyes for mommy, please no...” Janet sobbed loud and
hard.

Janet heard a familiar creaking sound,
the door, the hinges needed oil.

In the darkness the gloom surrounded
her. She noticed the light from the passage breaking through the
darkness. For a moment the door moved slowly, and then swung open.
Now almost certain, it was standing wide open, the door now silent.
She turned around with urgency. The boy clutched in her
arms.

Martin‘s in the doorway, silently
standing at the threshold.

Their eyes met. Deathly silence fell
between them.

“Why?” Janet asked between
sobs.

“He’s not mine.”

“What?” She gasped.

“It’s all over town. All about you and
him, you can't deny it anymore.”

“What are you talking
about?”

“You thought I won’t find out about
you and Andrew. For all this time, every time I went out of
town.”

“It’s a lie, it’s not true, I
never…”

“Isn’t it?”

“Christopher is your son.”

“Liar...!” Martin issued a horrid
scream.

He stormed forward.

Janet went down to her knees shielding
Christopher with her body.

Martin struck out.

She let go of Christopher, laying his
lifeless body gently onto the floor.

Martin grabbed her by the hair again,
harder and deeper than before. He dragged her to her
feet.

“Get out!” He screamed loud and cold,
he surrendered all emotions towards her.

Shoving her towards the door he forced
her into the passage and to the top of the staircase.

“Get out, and never come
back.”

He issued a blow to the back of her
head with something harder than this fist.

Janet grabbed for the railing. The tip
of her fingers made contact, but it wasn’t enough. The railing
vanished, her balance faded. She tumbled.

*~*~*

*VII*

Janet’s startled as she heard a sudden
noise behind her. Andrew or Brat didn’t hear the noise. It was too
fine for their hearing, but sure enough Janet heard it. She pulled
away from Andrew rapidly and turned to the direction of the noise.
She released Andrew and moved into the bushes slowly. Her rage and
anger was swelling as she sensed someone a distance
away.

Andrew fell to his knees. He’s
weakened by Janet’s touch and what she had revealed to him. He was
bitterly cold although the heat was now returning to him slowly.
He’s locked in a blind stare and shivering
uncontrollable.

Once Janet disappeared into the
bushes, Brat stormed forward to lend assistance to the almost dazed
sheriff. Even with Brat assistance Andrew found it almost
impossible to get up. He fell back speechless. Moments later Andrew
managed to get to his feet.

A horrid scream sent Andrew to his
feet with renewed strength. He stumble thought the bushes following
his anchor rope back to where he left Mel and Martin. Brat stayed
by his side, steadying him with every step that seemed too
difficult to place. Brat had the look of horror and found he was
deeper in the event as he thought he would be. His heart was
pounding and his hands shook. His eyes were as wide as sources and
he just wanted to move. He’s terrified but grateful that Janet
didn’t even notice him or tried to attack him.

Rain still hammered down and echoed
off the vegetation. A gust of wind still ripped through everything.
It was still cold but at least Andrew felt warmer with every
shaking step he took. He tried to hurry as more screams of horror
and fear rose into the night, cutting through the rain and
occasional thunder. Branches and shrubs grabbed him and pulled him
back a few steps but he recovered quicker every time and made up
for lost time as a life depends on it.