The Dead Game (24 page)

Chapter 39

“W
e should check on your store,” Todd suggested to Linda as they drove down the mountainside.

“Okay—I do want to see if I still have a roof,” agreed Linda.

As they pulled up in front of the bookshop, they noticed that the other shop owners had the same idea. Looking around, Linda was happy to see that the town didn’t appear to have sustained much damage; all the roofs were still intact—except of course, for the church and the town hall. Before entering her shop, she called out to Shana, “Afterward, bring everyone over for coffee and bagels.”

Once inside, Linda realized that her store had been untouched by the storm. She quickly prepared breakfast. As she set each table with an assortment of bagels, spreads, pastries, and a steaming pot of coffee, Todd stood by the window, gazing out at the deserted streets of town.

Soon everyone arrived. Judy, Gregg, and Ryan came in with the others, but appeared uncomfortable, sitting at a corner table by themselves.

Walking over to welcome them, Linda asked Judy, “I’ve been curious for a while: Are you and Gregg really a couple?”

“No. It was just a part of our cover,” admitted Judy shyly.

“Judy and Ryan are the ones who are in love,” explained Todd.

Judy and Ryan looked at each other; Ryan took Judy’s hand and pulled her onto his lap.

“Let’s take it slow!” teased Judy.

“I’m tired of taking it slow!” announced Ryan as he kissed her full on the lips. Their audience clapped and a few whistled, except for Gregg, who sat by himself and just glared at them.

Mike stood alone in the corner. Everyone had found a partner, except of course, for him and Gregg. Gregg seemed to be having his own issues with Judy and Ryan. Mike watched as Gregg eyed the new couple with jealousy burning in his green eyes. 
A man after my own heart
, mused Mike.

After everyone quieted down, Shana stood up and began pacing around the tables.

“What’s wrong, honey?” asked Sam.

“I want to clear the air with the villagers. They deserve to be told the truth about what has happened in town.”

“I agree,” announced Linda.

“You would,” smirked Todd.

David suggested, “Tomorrow we could visit the village. They were the ones who originally explained about The Dead to Linda and Shana.”

Oh no
, remarked Mike to himself, 
now we’re going to bring other people into this demented town with its dysfunctional mix of vampires, humans, and human vampires.

“When did you and Shana visit the village?” asked Todd of Linda.

“Don’t be so bossy. They were very nice,” Linda huffed in response.

Sam firmly informed Shana, “We’ll go as a group—but never do any investigating again on your own.”

That statement left a deep frown on Shana’s face.

On their walk home from breakfast, Shana whispered to Linda, “We should visit the village with Mike and David tomorrow morning, before Todd and Sam change their minds about the merit of our idea.”

“That’s a great idea! Let’s go to my apartment and work out all the details!”

At the kitchen table, Linda brought Shana coffee and milk. But Shana couldn’t eat or drink anything; she was too nervous about their new plan. Maybe they shouldn’t be visiting the village alone without Todd and Sam. She had suggested it only because of Sam’s bossy attitude with her.

Uncomfortable with their decision, she decided to voice her feelings. “Do you really believe that Sam and Todd would ask us to keep everything a secret? Maybe we don’t have to go without them to the village. I really hate keeping secrets; I forget who I’m supposed to tell or not.”

Linda put out a large plate of cookies before sitting down with her own coffee. “We’re not keeping this secret any longer to ourselves. The villagers deserve to know what’s going on right next door to them. They’ve been living in fear for too many years. We’re going there tomorrow—whether the two of them like it or not!” Linda responded vehemently.

“Calm down! I agree with you. I just wanted to know if we were on the same page,” Shana exclaimed as she got up to put her cup in the sink. She’d just have to keep her fears to herself for now. She put on a deliberately happy face. “I have to get going. I promised Sam to make us dinner tonight. I’m going to cook something special—just for the two of us.”

“Good luck! I’ve tasted your cooking before,” teased Linda.

“Very funny…I’ll see you early tomorrow morning unless I sleep in. I’ll call you.” Shana waved as she let herself out.

Early next morning, Shana came over with a big smile plastered across her face.

“Why do you look so upset? I had thought that you’d be thrilled for me.”

“I’m ecstatic for you. I’m just so happy that I feel like crying,” explained Linda.

“Okay, that’s good, I think. Are Mike and David joining us?”

“They’ll be over in a few minutes. Come sit with me in the kitchen while I finish my coffee,” Linda suggested as she led the way into her kitchen. The sun was shining brightly through the kitchen window. Her two cats were lying in their usual spot, in a bright yellow pool of sunshine by the back door.

“Today everything appears clearer and brighter,” exclaimed Shana.

“Of course it helps to be in love,” Linda commented forlornly.

“Why? Is something wrong between you and Todd?” questioned Shana with sudden concern dawning in her eyes.

“He didn’t come over last night and then didn’t even call this morning. I think he might be angry. We’ve been together nonstop for the past week and now we aren’t even talking,” Linda replied sadly.

“Maybe he’s trying to give you some space,” suggested Shana.

“I don’t want space, I…. ” Just as Linda was about to finish her sentence, Todd walked in with Sam, Mike, and David. She couldn’t finish what she was about to say. Todd looked pensive as usual, while Sam had a silly grin on his face—exactly matching Shana’s.

“We heard about your silly idea. We’re coming with you,” declared Todd in his own bossy way.

“Fine! Just don’t get in the way,” replied Linda. She really wanted to wipe his silly grin off his face. She hated when he made fun of her or her ideas. 
Forget about what she was about to say: she didn’t want him anymore!

“Now that’s all settled; let’s go to the village and enlighten them to what’s really going in town,” exclaimed Mike, pushing his way between Linda and Todd.

“We must be much more tactful than that,” warned David.

“Don’t worry, David, I know how to act,” Mike answered sharply, causing David to turn toward him with a questioning look. Mike abruptly turned away. David knew that something had to be bothering him, but he wasn’t sure what it could possibly be.

He’d originally assumed that Mike was jealous of him and Louise, which was why he hadn’t asked her to join them today. She wasn’t here, but Mike was still annoyed with him. He’d have to confront him later about his change in attitude—after their visit to the village.

Making sure that he wasn’t in the same car as Mike, David closely followed Linda and Todd. The rest of the group rode with Sam. They drove through town, past the Oasis Hotel, to the quaint village where the fishermen and their families peacefully resided year-round.

The streets of the village were empty of cars or people. Fallen autumn leaves swirled in mounds around the deserted sidewalks. All was quiet except for the soulful moaning of the trade winds coming off the ocean.

The two cars pulled up in front of the diner.

“I hope nothing has happened to them,” remarked a concerned Shana as she hastily climbed out of Sam’s car.

“What could possibly have happened to them? All the years our town was under attack, they have been living peacefully. It was almost if they were immune to all the chaos happening around them,” stated Mike.

Ignoring Mike’s morbid remark, Shana suggested, “We should begin at the diner. The last time we visited, most of the town was assembled there: eating and gossiping.”

They entered the diner with Shana in the lead. The diner was packed with people to overflowing. There weren’t enough seats for everyone, so most people were standing in the aisles. They weren’t noticed as they quietly stood behind the crowd of people at the front door.

All the villagers were looking at the same thing: at the door behind the diner’s long counter. The door was open and Shana could see a colorful and noisy carnival on the other side. She knew that there couldn’t be a carnival outside the diner; however, the scene looked so real that she could even see a Ferris wheel turning. Then a little girl from the diner walked through the doorway to become part of the scene; she ran to the clown who handed her a large red balloon.

Shana’s surprised gasp caused the villagers to turn around and stare at her in amazement. She knew that she’d been spotted, so she just smiled.

Rose walked over to welcome her and her friends to their village. ”I know that this looks strange, but it is totally harmless. This is how we have dealt with the tragic events that have occurred around us.”

“Is the scene outside real or a figment of our imagination?” questioned Shana in wonder.

“It’s both. First, a person imagines a peaceful scene. Once he opens the door, he walks into the fantasy world of his own choosing. Whoever walks through that door with him or her will experience that same adventure,” further explained Rose.

“How could that happen? Are you witches, or supernatural beings?” asked Shana in awe.

A small, petite, middle-aged woman with kind brown eyes and short brown hair, dressed in a conservative pin-striped blue suit, with low black heels, came over to greet them. “Hi! My name is Irene and I’m the mayor of this village. When the killings abruptly began some years back in Oasis, Leanne approached me, explaining the situation between the good vampires and The Dead. She sadly informed us that it might take some years to destroy all the wicked vampires in town. She offered us an alternative: a way for us to escape the atrocities that were happening too frequently around us.”

“We gladly accepted her offer. She gave us this door, which opened to any fantasy that the person opening the door wanted to imagine. Whoever walked through the doorway was safe from any violent storm or attack on our village,” further explained a tall brown-haired man.

“This is my husband, Jack. He is also the village’s sheriff. He is the one who makes sure that whoever walks through the door comes out again safely.”

“What if a person decides to imagine a horrific scene instead of a fantasy?” asked David.

“Why do you ask such silly questions?” Mike turned to David.

“It isn’t a silly question, because I do have to make sure the scene is peaceful before anyone crosses the threshold. Someone had to remain behind to watch over the door while the villagers escaped through the doorway. It was a huge responsibility that I’m happy is finally over,” said Jack.

“Why is it over?” Todd asked.

“Leanne has just informed us today that we are all finally free of The Dead and their evil games, so we won’t need to escape any longer. We were just coming here to see our door for the last time. Our daughter, Cindy, wanted one more fantasy before it was gone for good,” explained Jack.

Cindy’s laughter could be heard tinkling merrily through the open door. It was the laugh of a young girl who was happy and carefree. That is what Shana desperately wanted for the town and this village: a lifetime full of joy and challenges and many happy endings.

Irene called to her daughter that it was time for her to return. Cindy reluctantly waved goodbye to her new friends at the carnival and ran back through the doorway to her mother. She was only about six years old, but she stated in a grown-up way to everyone clustered around her at the diner, “That was fun, but at least I’ll have all the memories from my great adventures through the magical door.”

Irene bent down and picked up her daughter. “You will have many more adventures in life that will be real, but it will be fun to remember the fairy-tale adventures that we had behind the door. Now go out and play with your friends.”

Cindy eagerly ran out to play. Shana looked across the street and noticed other children also running out to play in the large park. These children didn’t need fairy tales, since they had a very beautiful life right here in their village.

“I agree,” said Leanne who suddenly appeared behind Shana. Quickly turning around, Shana also recognized Reece and Diane in the crowd.

“I forget that you can read minds,” exclaimed a surprised Shana.

“Sorry, we were just arriving to remove the door.”

“Could we have a door just like that in our town?” asked David imploringly of Leanne.

“Don’t act silly!” responded Mike.

“Don’t correct me anymore! If you aren’t happy with Louise and me being a couple, then go find different friends.”

“I’m sorry, I guess I was feeling left out. I’ll leave you both alone if you want,” apologized Mike.

“I want you to be friends with both of us. Just lay off of me a little,” requested David.

“See! You don’t need a magical door to find happiness. You could find it within yourselves and with the people around you. You just have to open your eyes and your heart to the possibilities.” With that said, Leanne disappeared with Reece and Diane and the magical door.

The villagers began dispersing, while waving goodbye to their new friends from town. Irene and her husband thanked them for coming and sharing the special experience with them. The couple briskly walked out of the diner into the brilliant sunshine, hand in hand.

Chapter 40

T
hat night Linda found herself caught in a nightmare that she couldn’t escape from, even when she willed herself to open her eyes. She was afraid that it wasn’t really a nightmare, but a sinister game that had gone tragically wrong. She didn’t know how she’d gotten herself into it or how she was ever going to get out.

The nightmare had begun with Linda passing through the magical door at the diner—but it wasn’t the diner anymore; it was a remote house that she’d never seen before. The house was dark and dreary like End House, but it wasn’t End House. She heard the sounds of waves crashing against the house. She couldn’t believe that she was a prisoner in another house by the ocean.

She didn’t know where she was or what day it was. She didn’t even remember how she’d gotten here. She just remembered following the little girl through the door: she’d been curious to see what was on the other side. She told herself that curiosity killed the cat…and now maybe her, too.

On the other side of the door, Linda found herself at the same carnival that the little girl from the village had visited, except this carnival was much louder and the people were leering at her, trying to force her into their tents. The fat man was waving his pudgy arms at her as he got closer and closer. A clown came at her with his balloons and howled at her. A man began throwing his knives in her direction, but luckily, kept missing. She ran away and quickly dashed behind the tents to the colorful booths of the carnival.

She chose the Fun House. She stepped into a room full of mirrors that made her multiple reflections appear distorted and unreal. She couldn’t figure out why she’d run into the Fun House if in every horror movie the victims were always portrayed as being terrorized there. She hoped this wasn’t another game of The Dead. She was determined to locate an exit, but found only mirrors and more mirrors; they made her dizzy. Her distorted reflections stared back at her eerily—as if they were distinct entities, united against her, instead of her own creations.

She ran until she crashed head-first through a mirror, into a dark place with no beginning or end. The whole experience felt unreal to her—as if she were lost in a different dimension. Behind this mirror, she encountered a man with a white mask and empty holes for eyes, laughing hysterically at her. When he suddenly touched her arm, she horrifyingly realized that he was real and not just a reflection.

She fled from the laughing man, going deeper and deeper into the dark unknown. As she ran, she noticed creatures following close behind her. Some were bats and some were dark shadows, but all were reaching for her. She hoped that these weren’t the same shadows from town that had been haunting her for weeks.

She hit something hard and fell down. So maybe this place did have an end. She raced away with her hands out, hoping to find the mirror that had caused her to enter this dark hell. Ahead of her in the distance, she glimpsed a shiny surface. As she got closer, she realized it was the mirror, patiently waiting for her. 
I hope this wasn’t a trap.

She decided to step through the mirror and worry about the consequences afterward. She had always been afraid of the dark. She wondered how these creatures knew her fears—unless it wasn’t real, but just a figment of her imagination. She stuck her hand out and found that it flowed right through the glass. She followed her hand and slowly crawled through the mirror.

Unhappily, she found herself back in the house by the sea. She was in the main hall, looking up at a long flight of stairs. Quickly racing up the stairs, she ran through the deserted rooms. The house was completely empty of any people or furnishings. All she could hear were her heels clicking loudly on the shiny wood floors.

Panicking, fearing that she was caught in an endless loop like the one at End House, she hurried back down the stairs, all the way down to the basement. Since the top two floors were empty, she decided to try the basement—even though basements were also popular in horror stories, which was exactly what she was in.

The basement was empty. Suddenly the floor she was standing on began to rotate around and around. She reached up to grab hold of something to help her climb off the revolving circle, but there was nothing: the walls were wet and slippery.

As she desperately tried to escape, she instead found herself falling deeper and deeper into the dark hole. The only thing she remembered before she lost consciousness was the sound of a man’s evil laughter as he chanted the words over and over, “It’s not over. I’ll be back.”