Harvest (20 page)

“
More importantly where
does that leave Amy?” Kelly asked, helpless despair riding and
distorting her voice.

Rachel leaned forward
decisively. “We don’t have the answers, I agree. But, we saw that
whatever was responsible for what happened to Amy, and most likely
Emily too, is beyond the realms of natural explanation. Accepting
that fact makes us a
damn
sight closer to facing up to this than the police or anyone
else that is puzzling this out.”

Rachel’s conclusion bulldozed
purposefully through any thought of denial that Craig or Kelly
could dare to challenge her with. He knew she was right, they had
to accept what had happened if they hoped to understand it. Craig
could see the same vulnerability in Kelly’s eyes that he had seen
at her flat when she had related her worries about what was
happening on their doorsteps. He wasn’t naïve, he knew the Police
had their limitations in the community, but he had always been
reassured by seeing a uniformed copper or a police car, felt safe
knowing they were about. He was surprised at how seeing someone in
uniform look so lost impotent and so human could be so unnerving
for him. For Kelly, he could imagine the discomfort was far worse.
How much security and comfort did she get from her uniform and her
job now?

As if his thoughts had
connected him to Kelly, she looked up into his face, silently
questioning if he was willing to commit to the uncomfortable
direction that Rachel was corralling them into accepting. He gave
her a strong confident smile and shrugged. He looked to Rachel. “I
guess you’re right. Now we have that out the way - what
next?”

Kelly interrupted Rachel
before she could begin. “It isn’t just Amy and Emily...”
she admitted to Rachel before
explaining about
the other disappearances. “Sorry, Rachel. I didn’t tell you before.
It was a police thing. I couldn’t let it out,” she paused
awkwardly. “I only confided in Craig as I needed someone to talk
to. You understand don’t you?”

Rachel flagged her apology down
and nodded. “Of course, dear. So this is not an isolated case.
There could possibly be more to come.”

His skin crawled at the
possibility of being defenceless against an unseen force that could
evidently strike anywhere and at anytime.

“
While
we are revealing withheld truths, I have to make a confession
myself. When Claire called on me, I thought it was a cry for help.
Desperation. If there were to be any activity I would have thought
it more
brought
on
by their troubles at losing Emily, not
the
cause
of losing Emily.
Emotional turmoil, especially with children, seems to be the basis
of poltergeist events, whether they are psychological episodes or
paranormal events.” Rachel’s stared into her empty mug. “Claire
suspected there was something paranormal behind Emily’s
disappearance, but I didn’t believe her until it was too late, and
now Amy is gone too.”

“
There is no blame to be
taken Rachel. You can’t take any responsibility. What could we have
done to make any difference?” Kelly hastily reasoned.

Rachel thanked her for the
pardon too quickly to believe it.

“
If
it’s something paranormal what do we do about something we don’t
even understand? If it is a ghost, then how do we
fight
against a
ghost
?
” Craig
urged.

“
Yes.
And how do we get those children back? Where have they gone? What
does
‘it’
, if it is an
‘it’
, want with them?” Kelly hugged
herself.

“
It seems that at the
moment, all we have are questions,” Craig summarised.

Craig’s landline phone
rang. Craig was relieved to be grounded by the mundane until dread
crept upon him.
The police calling him
back?
Irrational misplaced guilt and fear embraced him
in a crushing hold. His relief returned at hearing Vicki’s
cheerfully abusive voice. She explained she had a job for him. They
made plans to meet and said their goodbyes. He returned to the
table but didn’t sit.

“
So
what do you think we should do? –
What can
we do?”
Kelly entreated.

Rachel slumped back in her
chair looking drained by the plea; Craig saw the burden of having
her insight, although in this situation it offered little help. She
returned to the table, seemingly marshalled, and spoke firmly and
as decisively. “Usually with a haunting, there is history. David
and I might be able to go to the library and do some research, his
girlfriend Kim is a librarian so she will most likely help us too.
Of course, that’s if David is still speaking to me after last
night. Maybe we can uncover any previous disturbances if there have
been any. I can have a walk through the flats and see if I can
sense anything unusual anywhere else.”

Kelly looked inspired by
Rachel’s decisiveness. “I can keep my ears open for any other
strange occurrences... So I guess that’s my contribution.” With the
reminder of her job she glanced at her watch before downing her
remaining tea. “I had better run, get myself out there for work.”
She stood up. “Let me know what you find out will you?”

Kelly arranged to call him
later and said her goodbyes. Looking surprised at the hug that
Rachel gave her.

“
Not being rude,” Craig
started with a wince, “Just got a job come up... And I need to take
it so I can buy bread that isn’t green and furry.” It felt strange
that their normal lives were filtering back in, he was sure that by
the afternoon the events of last night would seem like a dream or a
delusion.

Rachel stood sharply. “Don’t
worry, I should get home and freshen up and do a bit of research;
try and find out what’s happening here. I will call you later”

Craig stood aside as she headed
in to his lounge to retrieve her bag. “Yeah, sure. Call me this
afternoon, I probably won’t be out long on this job but I am gonna
try and get some sleep afterwards, I’m shattered. You should do the
same.” Although the thought of sleep and the bad dreams that waited
there, was far from comforting.

Chapter
Sixteen

Jason stirred from sleep,
slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. The mattress felt firm
and level, as if his mum’s weight had gone from the bed. He snapped
his eyes open and found he was alone. He sprung into a sitting
position, the monster from Amy’s drawing rushing into his
imagination. The terror switched instantly into embarrassment at
the sight of his mum leaning against the frame of the open door
sipping a cup of tea and watching him.

“
Bad dream?”

He nodded.

“
Is that what made you
come into my bed last night? You haven’t done that for
years.”

Jason hesitated, unsure
of how to explain what he had seen and sensed. “I –
saw something...
”

She rolled her eyes at him and
she gestured for him to get up. She made the bed behind him as he
clambered out. “Nightmares. Probably all those computer games you
keep playing,” she breezed before her face became serious. “It has
been difficult lately. Don’t worry, we all need comfort and
reassurance from time to time.”

In a moment the look had
passed and she strolled from the room, leaving him wanting more
from the moment of openness, although he knew her understanding
would only go so far. He couldn’t explain what had disturbed the
darkness in the lounge, and even if he could his mother wouldn’t
believe him. No one would. He was alone with his fear. Suddenly he
realised that he was
actually
alone. Jason rushed after his mother and
the security of being in company. Somehow he was sure that monsters
would only come if he was alone. Maybe that was how monsters kept
their existence secret – the monsters could hide within the
conspiracy of disbelief that adults and parents relied upon to
reassure children. He understood Amy’s silence. How could she talk
about the things she had seen? Or explain about the things that
frightened her? He decided that when he saw her again he would
reassure her that she wasn’t alone.

Jason entered the lounge
and kitchen area and the chatter of the morning radio show greeted
him. The morning was bright and the smell of toast and sugary
cereal stirred his appetite. He paused by the window and shared the
view with pigeons perched on the ledge beyond the glass. Traffic
filtered through the streets below, people came and went – but
monsters existed! and the world carried on. He wanted to shout out
to the neighbourhood, warn them, say it out loud to prove it again
to himself.
The Foundations
started singing from the radio
‘Why
do you build me up’
.

“
It’s the start of your
summer break – you have the whole day ahead of you. What are you
going to do with yourself?”

He didn’t know. What do you do
when you have a realisation that changes the world? He had imagined
a summer of X-box to numb the memories of his primary school
anxieties and his more recent worries about secondary school. He
couldn’t imagine his X-box providing much distraction from what he
had seen in the night. He shrugged in reply and sat down to the
breakfast his mum had prepared for him at the small kitchen table.
The phone rang, heading off his mum’s predictable ineffectual
warning about how she didn’t want him playing on the X-box all
day.

He was hungry and taking in the
food felt good. Even his body carried on its demands as normal
despite his experiences, despite the danger he felt he was still
in. He became aware of his mum on the phone, her sentences starting
and breaking around whatever was said in her ear, stammering, her
hand raised to her mouth, her eyes looking anywhere but at Jason. A
diamond sparkling tear clung to one of her eye lids before falling
onto her cheek. She snapped the radio off and suddenly the world
seemed serious.

“
Brian... Okay – I will
come up straight away. Just try and calm her down... I’m so sorry,
Brian. I’m coming now...” His mum absently slid the handset back
and forth across the phone until it hooked back in
place.

Jason slipped from the table
before he could swallow his mouthful of toast and ask what was
wrong. His mum dropped to her haunches before him and held his arms
to his side, holding him in place like she had before when she had
told him something he would find difficult to hear. Her lips pulled
tight around her words as she struggled to talk through her tears.
“I have to go and see Claire. Something has happened. Amy has...
Gone.” Jason couldn’t blink, couldn’t swallow the pulped toast in
his mouth, all he could do was try and process what he had been
told.

“
I need
you to entertain yourself. I er...
Don’t know how long
I will be. If you need anything just call my mobile. Don’t worry if
I don’t answer straight away. I might be talking with
Claire.”

He stood dumb and allowed his
mum to pull him close.

“
I love
you... Don’t you worry too much, okay honey?” she whispered through
hot moist lips at his ear. Jason heard her ask if he was alright
and he nodded distantly.
Losing
Emily was
impossible to understand, but now Amy too… With his dad also gone
his world was being eaten away, as if parts of it were being
systematically erased. He wanted to scream and give into the grief
that always seemed to be in the back of his mind and the bottom of
his heart. He needed to be strong for his mum, be strong for
himself.
She kissed him, pulled away, grabbed her bag
and headed for the door. He knew his mum needed to be with Claire,
but he wanted her too. The door slammed behind her and he listened
to her hurried steps fading into the quiet of the
corridor.

Silence.

Fears stirred in the dark
corners of his mind. Terrors hid behind the furniture and the
closed doors of the flat, slinking out from behind thoughts of
distraction in music, cartoons or Xbox. The crayon creature from
Amy’s picture haunted him. First the safety of his family had gone,
and now he no longer felt safe within the walls and comforts of his
home.

Rachel’s lift rattled up
to the fourteenth floor and the doors slid open onto the communal
corridor. Rachel stepped out hesitantly. She swallowed her
apprehension that nagged her incessantly.
She had
wanted to make this visit the first time she had been invited into
the high-rise building, a building that seemed like a fortress to
the uninvited,
but after last night there was no
guarantee she would be in the position to gain access to the flats
again. The doors squealed shut behind her and the lift rumbled
downwards and away, stranding her should she need a hasty
retreat.

On this uppermost level the air
howled around the corners of the hard concrete tower and whistled
through a crack in the far window that framed a square of cool blue
sky at the end of the corridor. At the opposite end a window panel
rattled with the scrabbling fingers of air that pulled upon any
relief on the buildings surface. From that window the morning sun
pushed its bright warm yellow light almost half the way up the
hall, far brighter than the other floors she had been on. Beneath
the sound of the whispering currents of air there was a quiet that
lent this floor an atmosphere of being deserted and isolated.