The Dead Game (10 page)

Chapter 14

I
t was early Sunday morning when Linda was woken by loud, insistent banging at her front door. She hastily threw on a robe and scooted down the stairs. She discovered Todd already standing at the front door, staring outside in amazement. She stood beside him and looked out.

Louise was standing alone in the bright sunshine with ripped clothing and a stunned look plastered across her deathly pale face. She began muttering something to Todd about the gazebo and the beach. She said that she was sorry over and over again. She looked so white and lifeless to Linda—like all her blood had been drained from her body.

Todd immediately lifted her up and carried her inside. He placed her on the living room couch and waited for her to speak. But Louise just lay there limp and unmoving—as if life was already over for her.

Much more impatient, Linda cried out, “Louise! You’re alive! We assumed that you were dead! Mike saw you hanging in the gazebo!”

“I’d been so sure that I was going to die. I remember thinking that I was too young to die. Instead I woke up on the sand below End House. But I distinctly remember hanging in the gazebo with creatures dancing around me, chanting in a weird language.”

Todd began throwing questions at her, fast and furiously: “Did you happen to see their faces? Do you remember anything else? Why—”

“I remember recognizing one of the faces,” Louise weakly interrupted. “But I just can’t seem to recall his or her face.”

“Don’t worry; it will all come back to you. We’re so happy that you are alive and well. Mike, David, and of course Shana will want to hear that you’re back. They’re going to help us figure out what’s really going on in town.” Linda carefully tucked the colorful knitted blanket, which had been lying across the back of the couch, around Louise’s shivering body. She was surprised to find Louise’s hands cold, like ice. Placing her hand on Louise’s forehead, she also found it very cold to her touch.

Todd appeared eager to grill Louise with more questions, so she gently pushed him away from Louise; suggesting that he should notify everyone of her surprise return from the dead.

Once Todd left the room, Louise rose up from the couch to announce that she was extremely hungry. Linda led her to the kitchen. Louise walked zombielike with her head down. She seemed much different than before. It had to be because of the traumatic experience that she’d survived last night. But then she remembered that Louise had been moody and unhappy this whole past week. She would just have to accept the fact that they had all changed in some way since that awful party.

Linda almost emptied out her whole refrigerator in her eagerness to feed Louise. But Louise sat before the huge display of food, only nibbling on a breadstick. As Linda watched her, she realized that Louise really didn’t have enough strength to eat anything. Just as she was about to lead her back to the couch, Shana rushed into the apartment. She enveloped Louise in a big bear hug…all the while sobbing about her supposed death. Louise appeared uncomfortable as she feebly tried to pull away.

Linda heard loud voices rumbling in the living room, and then the door burst open with David and Mike eagerly running in. Mike stood back while David sobbingly hugged Louise tightly. Louise closed her eyes and Linda could have sworn that she was smiling contentedly back at David.

Sheriff Sam ran in, joining Todd in the kitchen, where they began to urgently whisper out of earshot from the others.

Shana was dying of curiosity to hear what had them whispering so earnestly. She pulled Linda aside and softly commented, “I don’t trust anyone anymore. We should begin investigating on our own, without waiting for Sam and Todd to plan everything for us.”

“That’s a great idea. I don’t understand how Louise could have survived if Mike clearly saw her hanging in the gazebo. Why was she left alive? But what happened to Tom and Edward? Are they dead or alive? She kept muttering that she was sorry but what was she sorry about? Nothing seems to make sense any-”

“That’s why we can’t trust anyone but ourselves,” Shana eagerly interrupted.

“Let’s begin our search at the church. Since today is already Sunday, we’ll be there anyway. We could question the priest about the town’s residents. I don’t know much about the people of this town or any of the town’s sordid history. The priest has lived here many years and has probably witnessed many unusual things.”

“Everyone else will be too busy to notice what we’re doing: Sam and Todd have their own agenda, Louise and David won’t be up for anything, and Mike is too concerned about himself to worry about anyone else,” agreed Shana.

Chapter 15

A
fter Sunday morning services, Linda and Shana approached Father John as he cheerfully bid his congregants goodbye on the front steps of the church. He requested for them to join him in his study. They followed him through the main room with its shiny wood benches and ornate statues. The church was bright from the sunshine that shone through its sparkling glass-domed ceiling.

Linda realized that this was the only glass in town that was clear—without the strange green tinting. She has always been extremely curious about the green tinting on the windows of the homes on the hill. Even the stores on Main Street had green tinting on their windows.

The priest’s study was sunny and cheerful with flowered couches, colorful rugs, and a pretty vase holding yellow daisies on his desk. Mrs. Abigail, the housekeeper, kept the church warm and inviting. She didn’t live in town, but in a small town nearby. She was a vibrant and happy older woman, who took great care of Father John and the church.

Abigail set out tea and cakes for them. She closed the door softly behind her as she left them alone with the Father; she never intruded into anyone’s business and always knew when to give the priest’s congregants their privacy.

“Father, we’re faced with a terrifying situation in town. Friday night we had attended a party at End House, but no one was there to greet us except deadly saws and bone-crushing cages. Luckily, we were able to escape—except for Tom and Edward who were last seen going through a doorway in the basement. Afterward, the doorway disappeared and we never saw them again. Later, Louise had been presumed dead in the gazebo, but now she is alive and back,” Linda explained to the priest, stumbling over her words in her haste.

She’d expected the Father to either doubt her words or get angry at her for making up such a morbid tale. However, he just sat down in his chair while slowly nodding his head; he didn’t appear at all surprised to hear about the unusual party.

Father John must be in his late fifties, guessed Linda, but he appeared very strong and rugged-looking for a man his age. He seemed troubled. His eyes darted around as if he expected to be overheard by someone, even though the church was empty and quiet.

After Linda finished with her story, the Father brought forth his own concerns for the town and its inhabitants. “I’ve always believed that there was something dreadfully wrong with this town. I’ve sensed the evil brewing beneath the surface all these years, getting ready to explode at any moment. The older residents are very reclusive during the day. Twice a year, a huge party is thrown at Diane’s house. These peculiar parties are always given at night—just like all their other activities. Secret meetings at their homes take place only in the dead of night. They never attend church, but seem to hide indoors during the day.

“I’ve remained living here only because I’ve wanted to keep a vigilant watch over the town and its strange inhabitants. Every year, a tourist disappears and very little is mentioned about it in the town paper or by the townspeople. Sheriff Sam makes an effort to investigate the disappearances, but nothing is ever solved.”

“Do you believe that the ones responsible are human?” Shana asked. Linda knew that Shana had strange premonitions about the town: her cards had always pointed to some kind of supernatural being.

“Over the years, I’ve asked myself that same question many times. Once I even tried to pursue this inquiry. A few years ago, I decided to follow the line of limousines to one of Diane’s secret parties. I climbed a tree in the dark and peeked into one of her upstairs windows. In a very dark room, men and women were sitting around a long table, dressed in long black robes with hoods covering their heads and faces. It appeared as if they were waiting patiently for someone to arrive and occupy the empty seat at the head of the table.

“The door swung open, and in walked Charles Wolf, who immediately sat in the large empty chair. He was also wearing a long black robe, but his hood was back. Suddenly he glared out the window—right at the spot where I was hiding. Afraid that I’d been spotted, I quickly fled the scene. I’ve never returned to the hill nor spoken to anyone about what I saw or thought I saw.”

“Father John, do you believe that our town can be saved?” timidly beseeched Linda.

“Someone saved Louise…maybe someone good stepped in to help. I don’t know who all the players are in town.”

“What should we do now, Father?” asked Shana.

“Diane’s next party will be this coming Friday night. Maybe you can get invited. Just be very careful with whatever you plan to do: we don’t know who or what we are up against. But I will always be here for you if you ever need any help.”

Shana stood up to shake his hand. “Thank you, Father, for confiding in us. If the secret meetings are being held at Diane’s house, then this must mean that the original residents are involved. We have to figure out if they are just some evil group, or if they really do have supernatural powers. And how do the shadows lurking in town fit in with this whole scenario? Are there two groups involved? And if there are two groups, which group is good and which one is bad? And….”

Linda pulled on Shana’s arm to stop her from continuing. “Shana, you are giving me a headache. We’ll figure everything out, and then we’ll notify the Father about our findings. We are leaving now, Father. Thank you for all your help.”

Linda hastily descended the church’s front steps, with Shana lagging slowly behind her. “I’m sorry for shushing you, but we need to begin our investigation on our own. Asking endless questions will only lead to more endless questions. And I don’t want to alarm the Father any further.”

“You’re right,” agreed Shana. “We need to focus on what we are going to do next. We must look into everyone’s background—even our own friends— if we intend on finding out the truth.”

On their walk home, Linda noticed that most of the stores on Main Street still remained closed. People must have heard about the party at End House and decided to remain close to home.

As they strolled along the deserted walkway, Linda decided that it was time to come clean to Shana about the destruction of her store and Todd’s strange request for a cover-up.

“I had an incident at my store this Thursday,” Linda began, watching Shana’s face for her reaction. “The bookcases toppled over…one on top of the other…like dominoes. Then the shaking abruptly stopped, leaving the store a total mess. No one else was around except for Todd, who just happened to walk in at the precise moment that the rumbling stopped. After helping me clean up, he calmly suggested that I should keep quiet about the incident for now; that I should wait until he, along with the sheriff, found some answers.”

Now that she said it out loud, the whole story began to sound a little silly to her. She shouldn’t have agreed to hide the truth from everyone. She should have confided in Shana and her friends right away. And who knew if Todd and Sam were actually going to research the matter further? Maybe they were just going push the whole episode under the rug—like they had done with all the other unpleasant episodes in town.

Shana, who had remained silent during her brief monologue, quickly spoke up. “I also found my store in shambles when I’d returned from lunch on Thursday. All my bottles and furniture had been thrown around and smashed into pieces. I’d just assumed that my store had been vandalized by the people in town, who’ve always tried to close me down. I don’t even know who these people are, but I’ve heard from Sam that anonymous complaints against my store have been filed with the Town Council. I didn’t want to worry you about all this…so I just cleaned it up by myself. I haven’t told anyone either…”

Linda promptly responded, “Since we’re both being totally honest with each other…I believe I should also tell you about my attack on Friday morning by a masked swimmer. I had swum out too far by myself. Luckily, Todd was there to jump into the water to scare away this person and save me from being drowned.”

“Did you see who the attacker was?”

“No…but it appeared to be a big strong man, who seemed very intent on drowning me.”

“How did Todd happen to be in both places at the exact times that you needed help?”

“I don’t know,” replied Linda. “He always seems to know when I’m in trouble.”

“He’s almost superhuman—just like Sam. For instance, just last night I found myself balanced on ledge of the church’s bell tower. Fortunately, Sam found me and not some stranger,” confided Shana.

“Why on earth would you climb to the top of a tower if you’re terrified of heights? And why would you think of jumping? You’re not suicidal or depressed? Are you?”

“No, of course I’m not! Somehow…but I can’t figure out how…I’d been hypnotized. I don’t even remember climbing up there. I would never climb to the top of a tower—even in the daylight. But this was much worse—this was the middle of the night when it was dark outside with strong winds blowing. It was much more than just sleepwalking. When I heard Sam’s voice calling me, I abruptly woke up to find myself balanced on the narrow ledge.”

“These awful events can’t all be coincidences. Maybe we were supposed to be have been killed or scared off even before the deadly party.”

“There has to be some kind of pattern to all these supposedly random events. Let’s start doing some research on our own.”

Linda hastily agreed, “Come to my apartment and we can begin right away.”

Chapter 16

T
he sun’s brilliant rays were streaming through the kitchen window, illuminating the papers that were thrown around Linda’s kitchen table. Her cats were sleeping peacefully by the back door in a pool of the same dazzling sunshine.

Linda moodily contemplated the irony of this scene: their research into the dark events surrounding End House was cast in the same bright light from the shining sun as her peacefully sleeping cats. The whole town was full of contradictions, she gloomily reflected—like the beautiful scenery of the town during the day being replaced at night by creeping shadows.

Shana interrupted her morbid thoughts with her new suggestion. “We should focus our internet search on the inhabitants of the town, with an emphasis on the residents living up the hill. These residents appear to have the most to hide.”

“I agree.” Linda turned her attention back to the task at hand. This was not the time to ponder about their unusual predicament.

For the next six long hours, they researched old newspaper and magazine articles, covering stories in town and in neighboring towns over the past ten years. Just as Linda was beginning to despair, Shana stood up shouting, “I finally found an article about End House! It says here that the current owner is a large holding company. And listen to this! One of the names on its Board of Directors is Charles Reynolds—who is described as being a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And wait! There is more! You have to get a look at this guy!”

Shana brought up an old black and white picture of Charles Reynolds on the computer screen. Linda gasped in surprise when she realized how closely he resembled the Charles Wolf who lived on Oasis Hill. She definitely didn’t believe in coincidences; he had to be the one who had set up the whole party and the deadly game. She just couldn’t figure out why he wanted them all dead.

“Do you remember those dreary pictures on the walls at End House?” asked Shana as she scanned the fuzzy picture of Charles Reynolds.

“Yes…kind of…they were portraits of people with some large animal in the background.”

“That animal was a wolf, and the design on the ceiling of the library was also of a wolf,” clarified Shana, “and the lever to the trap door was a wolf’s tongue.”

“I guess that means that we’ll be paying Charles Wolf a visit to find out if he was the one who arranged the deadly game at End House. Father John had seen Wolf leading the secret meeting at Diane’s house. Whatever is going on, he’s definitely involved; but I don’t think he’s working alone.”

“Then we shouldn’t go alone: we don’t know how dangerous he really is. Let’s ask Todd and Sam to join us.”

“I thought you didn’t trust anyone, especially not Todd or Sam.”

“I still trust them…even though I know that they hold back important information from us,” confided Shana.

“I’ll ask Todd in the morning, since he seems intent on sleeping at my house until this whole business is resolved.”

“I’m sure you don’t mind Todd sleeping over—just like I’m getting used to having Sam at my house,” remarked Shana with a wink.

Linda was eating breakfast with Todd the next morning, both cats snuggled contentedly on his lap, when she quietly asked, “Would you like to join Shana and me when we visit Charles Wolf?”

“Why on earth would you visit him? It’s not safe for you to go there!” responded Todd, his dark eyes flashing at her.

“Don’t be angry…that’s why we’re asking you to come along with us. His name came up when we’d conducted a search of End House on the internet; he sits on the Board of Directors of a holding company that owns the house,” patiently responded Linda.

“I’ve never liked or trusted Wolf, but I’ll come with you. Never go anywhere like that without me! Promise me!”

“I promise. Can we go right after breakfast and bring Shana with us?” requested Linda politely.

“Of course, I’ll do whatever you want; just as long that I know that you’re safe. Sam won’t be able to join us today, but I’ll inform him later of our visit.”

When he looked at her with those big brown eyes, all she wanted was to be in his arms, safe and sound. But for some unknown reason, he was determined to keep her at arm’s length. They never discussed anything personal—that is, outside of End House or Oasis. But he seemed to care about her…and worry about her. When she got up from the table, she felt his eyes on her…following her…silently watching her.

While Todd drove, Linda thought about Wolf’s house with its stark concrete walls and blacked-out windows. Was he blocking people from looking in or out? 
Maybe we’ll find out something useful in the house,
she reflected moodily. 
That is, if he allows us inside. Of course he’ll let us in, since he is such good friends with Todd.
Glancing across at Todd, she ardently hoped that he was one of the good guys—but she wasn’t too sure of anything anymore.

As they approached the house, the weather turned colder and windier. Leaves and dust blew into the car. While Todd shut all the windows, Linda was sitting quietly in her seat, panicking that Wolf was expecting them.

Charles Wolf was standing at the front door of his house…standing ramrod straight…waiting for them. But how did he know that they would be visiting today?

“This is very disturbing,” announced Shana. “Maybe I can remain in the car while the two of you check out the house…” she quietly suggested.

“Don’t be afraid; we have big bad Todd to protect us,” teased Linda.

Todd smirked at Linda as he got out of the car and opened the doors for both of them. He had to pry the door handle from Shana’s tight grasp as she held on for dear life. Finally giving up, she stepped out of the car to join them as they marched up to the front door.

“Welcome to my humble abode! I had a strong feeling that I was going to have visitors today so I had my housekeeper prepare tea for us,” boomed Wolf in a deep voice. Linda hadn’t realized that he was so overpowering, with his thick dark hair and cold black eyes. He stood proud and tall, carefully watching their approach.

Linda remembered him from her early-morning jog when she’d seen him walking his dog and he’d refused to acknowledge her cheerful greeting. She feared that he would make a very dangerous adversary. Gazing up at Todd, she was happy to see that he was staring back at Wolf—just as arrogantly. Todd was as big and looked much smarter, beamed a proud Linda.

“We’re not here for tea, Wolf. We’re here to question you about Friday night when our friends went missing from End House,” retorted Todd sharply.

“What could I possibly know about that?” responded Wolf as he moved closer to Todd, coldly staring him down.

“Not only is your house the closest to End House, but you’re also on the Board of Directors of the company that owns the house,” gruffly answered Todd, glaring back at Wolf.

Shana was upset that Todd had just revealed to Wolf all the information that they’d just painstakingly discovered on their own. And she was annoyed at Wolf for his arrogant manner.

“Did you hear or see anything that evening? Did you know about the party beforehand?” prodded Shana.

Wolf answered with a snarl, “Of course I knew about the party, but I didn’t know who had planned it. I’d asked around the company, but no one else seemed to know, either. That night I noticed flashing lights in the sky, but I couldn’t hear anything over the raging storm. All I heard was the crashing of a tree into the house, shattering one of my windows.”

I feel so bad for you,
sarcastically thought Shana. Outwardly, she attempted to appear pleasant and calm. “Could we have a tour of your beautiful house? It looks very unique and interesting from the outside.” She decided to play good cop since Linda and Todd were already badly failing as bad cops.

“Sure! Come in!” exclaimed Wolf, sweeping back his arm to indicate that they were welcome to enter his home. All of a sudden, he was drastically switching gears to act like their friendly host. Shana wasn’t sure whether he was buying her act or not, but she felt that it couldn’t hurt to continue with it.

They stepped inside. They were standing in an enormous gallery with a huge array of life- sized statues prominently displayed all around them. Huge portraits hung on the sparkling white walls under glaring overhead lights. As Shana walked past a portrait, she morbidly realized that the person in the picture was staring straight back at her—no matter where she moved in the room. The eyes didn’t shift, but they somehow closely monitored her every step.

The atmosphere of the house was beginning to feel extremely confining and stifling. Shana had to hold back the chills that were threatening to stream through her body. Despite being scared and claustrophobic, she was determined to weather this encounter—without appearing afraid or the least bit intimidated.

Glancing up at the high vaulted ceiling, she noticed that its dark-green tinted glass gave the house a strange green color that reflected on everyone and everything.

“Let me show you around my house,” abruptly invited Wolf, frowning at her.

I can’t wait,
silently answered a cynical Shana.

They were led to rooms to the left of the main entrance. They entered an empty dining room with green colored wallpaper on its dreary walls. Just like End House, reflected Shana, with its eerie bare green walls. At the rear of the house was a huge kitchen, which was creepily empty of any furniture, appliances, or even doors to the cabinets.

“I don’t spend much time at home,” remarked Wolf, explaining the useless dining room and kitchen.

He then directed them back through the gallery, to the rooms on the right side of the house. The first room turned out to be a greenhouse, full of plants and trees. The air was very humid and much hotter than the other rooms. The plant life grew wild, without any concern for design or pattern. The path, which snaked through the foliage to the back, was so overgrown with bushes that it was barely visible through the verdant greenery. The trees were huge and tall, their tops almost reaching the high domed ceiling.

Squawking sounds echoed from somewhere inside the tight growth of trees. Leaves rustled while scurrying noises emanated from inside the thick knots of branches. Shana didn’t see any animals or birds, but only spotted leaves and branches moving in unison with the sounds. She was becoming more and more unnerved by the minute.

Then she heard a weird crunching sound by her feet. Looking down at the floor, she was shocked to find alligators snapping at her feet. Their jaws were wide open, their black eyes staring up at her from a deep pool of green water. She jumped back in shock. Then she realized that the floor on which they stood was clear glass, protecting them from the snapping alligators. She watched as the alligators munched on pieces of food that left bloody trails behind them in the water.

“Don’t be afraid. They can’t reach you,” Wolf assured Shana. As he stared down at her, she noticed that his eyes were glowing bright green. 
Like a reptile
, she thought.

At the back of the room, spotting row after row of cages, she fearfully asked, “What’s in those cages?”

“Come and look,” offered Wolf cheerfully.

Turning away from her, he approached Linda, who was cowering in the corner. Bowing to her, he gave her a very charming smile. In a very gentlemanly manner, he slipped her arm through his own, to escort her through the overhanging trees and wildly growing greenery. Shana overheard him whispering softly to Linda, “I’m taking you to my own special place.”

Wolf could be very charming and appealing when he wanted to be, realized Shana. Linda was falling for his ploy; she was following him—as if in a trance.

Wolf leered over his shoulder at Todd. Looking over at Todd, Shana noticed that he was brimming with anger, but was gallantly fighting to hold it in check.

Wolf, still possessively holding Linda’s arm, led them through the tangled trees and shrubbery. The greenery seemed to be leaning closer and closer toward them, thought Shana, as she quickly followed the others.

The back wall was filled with cages holding large snakes. The snakes coiled and slithered around each other, their tongues slipping quickly in and out while emitting hissing sounds. Shiny heads were slipping through the openings of their cages, attempting to reach the unwelcome intruders.

Linda shrieked and backed away in fear. As soon as Todd noticed her terrified reaction, he pulled her away from Wolf.

They turned to leave except for Shana—who stood as still as a statue—mesmerized by a huge plant that was bending closer and closer to her. She felt like it was trying to tell her something.

“I would stay away from that plant; it’s a Carnivorous Pitching Plant that will eat anything or anyone within its reach,” laughed Wolf, obviously enjoying her discomfort.

Shana backed away…but at the same time couldn’t keep her eyes off the intriguing plant. It was tall with a long, white tube and red spots. It stood watching her. Its large, oval-shaped, red-rimmed opening was aimed at her—ready for its next meal.

Wolf continued with his tribute to the man-eating plant. “I have a whole collection of pitching plants that I have imported from South Korea. They keep me safe from intruders. I just have to teach them how to move and attack.”

Shana didn’t know if he was being serious or not. But she believed that he was sick enough to develop his own army of attacking plants.

When she jumped back from the plant, she noticed him smirking at her fear. She hated the man and his know-it-all attitude. She prayed for the day when his plant army learned to hate him and eventually attacked him. Out loud she merely suggested, “Let’s visit another room in this fascinating house.” Todd shot her an annoyed look. But she just shrugged and turned to follow Wolf to the next room. Todd and Linda had no choice but to tag along behind her.

Wolf quickly responded, “I have another surprise waiting for all of you.”

I can just imagine,
thought Shana.

The next room they entered was small and dark. “This is a manmade cave,” explained Wolf.

“What’s in this manmade cave?” abruptly demanded Shana, finally losing hold of her fake bravado. She was extremely irritated at him and the game he was playing with them. And she really couldn’t understand the hold he seemed to have over Linda. She, on the other hand, found him to be annoyingly loud and overbearing.