She Watches: A Horror Novel Page 18

  Alexander and Jill were standing by the front door, holding hands as they looked at the adults. Michael was seated in a chair, across from Daniel, and Crystal was on his lap. Brandon was on the floor, beside Emma. There had been silence in the living room as the two teenagers walked in and took up their spots by the door, but now that was broken.

  “We came to say goodbye,” Alexander explained. “I know you’re leaving town soon, Daniel. My family’s staying here, at least for a while.” He turned to Jill, grinning. “Both of us are.”

  “My family’s moving to the same street, actually, and we’re gonna be neighbors,” she said, not hiding her schoolgirl excitement. “It’s gonna be good.”

  “Thank you so much for everything, Daniel,” Alexander said at last. “It’s been an insane summer, but all the same. You made it bearable. You taught me so much in the little time we had together, and it’s something I’ll never forget.”

  Jill nodded. “Same for me. Thank you. And thank you for saving him.” She squeezed Alexander’s hand. “It’s the best thing I could’ve asked for this summer.”

  Crystal stood up and walked over to the young girl. She hugged her tightly, and extended an arm to Alexander as well. He joined in.

  “You take care of each other,” Crystal said with tears in her eyes. “After everything that’s happened, you’ll need each other. Even more than you realize.”

  They stared up at her, grinning. Jill was on the verge of tears.

  Brandon walked up, clearing his throat. “I’m not quite as emotional as Crystal is” -he stuck out a hand towards Alexander- “but I will say I’m sorry for misjudging you. You’re both brave, young people, and I think the two of you can accomplish anything.”

  Alexander nodded, and shook his hand. “Any chance you have a going-away gift? Maybe a… sports car?”

  Brandon chuckled. “You’re not even old enough to drive. You remind me of myself though.”

  “Is that good?” Alexander asked.

  “Don’t ask him,” Michael said. “Brandon’s still got the mindset of a millionaire.”

  “I would’ve been a millionaire if I could resist donuts.”

  Daniel stood up from the couch, setting Lucy down. She ran over towards Michael, who pretended to hide behind his hands.

  “Any chance you’ll come visit?” Alexander asked, directing his question at Daniel.

  “Maybe, kid. You never know.” Daniel stuck out a hand. When Alexander went to shake it, the older man pulled him into a hug. “Stay brave, and stay unique.”

  The noise of a car horn blared from outside, and Alexander sighed. “That’ll be my parents. We’ve gotta go.”

  He turned away and opened the door. Jill followed behind him. They stepped out on the porch, as Daniel peeked his head out of the door and waved at the middle-age couple in the shiny car. Alexander walked over and opened the door for Jill, who climbed inside. He waved one last time, then ducked down and scrambled in. The door swung shut, and he was gone.

  “His parents literally hate me,” Daniel said as he came back inside the house.

  “I probably would too if that was my kid,” Brandon said. “You did get him kidnapped by a bat-crazy witch who lives in the forest.”

  “Lived,” Crystal corrected him. “She’s dead now.”

  “She dead,” Brandon cheered. “She dead, she dead, she so dead.”

  “Somebody’s coming out of their shell.” Michael grinned.

  Daniel sat back down on the couch, and Lucy hurried over to sit on his lap and play with his beard again. He glanced at the three of them. Crystal went over to sit with Michael, and Brandon took up a spot on the edge of the couch.

  “So what are the plans for you three?” Daniel asked. “You’re only in your thirties. There’s still plenty of life to live, without that awful cloud hanging over you.”

  “I think we’re all gonna move south,” Michael answered. He looked to Brandon, who nodded. “Yep, apparently so.”

  “How far south?” Daniel asked. “Florida-south, or across the Ohio in Kentucky-south?”

  “Somewhere in between, probably,” Crystal said. “I get to choose. We already decided that.”

  “And you and Michael are… what exactly?” Daniel gave them a confused expression.

  “We’re dating,” she responded proudly. “Hopefully for a long time.”

  “They’ve got the next 30 years of their lives planned out,” Brandon put in sarcastically. “Pretty sure it includes marriage, a baby, the works.”

  “That’s fantastic,” Daniel said with a grin. “You’ll have to keep me updated. All three of you. I want weekly letters, if not daily.”

  “Email?” Brandon asked.

  “Nope. Letters. I’m not a fan of emailing. Too fast.”

  “What the heck is ‘too fast?’ That’s not… what?” Brandon stared at him.

  “You’d know what fast is if you didn’t eat so many donuts,” Michael said. “You might as well be a cop.”

  Daniel raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”

  The banter continued for half an hour, as they discussed plans and memories. Lucy and Emma took to their own business, letting the adults talk. After half an hour, they stopped to eat lunch, which significantly depleted Daniel’s pantry.

  The future was laid out on a silver platter. Daniel would move by that weekend, and go towards the south with them. He would set up shop in Florida, where Lucy and Emma could experience the beach. The other three would take their time and move to South Carolina, once Brandon could sell his business and house.

  However much of that would come true didn’t matter. For the moment, their future was bright and perfect. And if anything didn’t come to pass, it would be their decision. This time, an old lady in the forest wouldn’t decide for them. This time, they were free.

  “I guess we should be going,” Michael said finally, as the clock ticked to six. “I don’t think you have enough food to give us all dinner.”

  “Hopefully I’ll see you guys soon?” Daniel asked.

  “Of course.”

  Everybody got their fair share of hugs and tears. Brandon went outside to start his car, and sat in it while he waited for Michael and Crystal. They were at Daniel’s front door, talking with him.

  “You know, I think I’m gonna keep that Hyundai we got,” he said. “I’ll probably drive back up to Columbus and buy it permanently.”

  “Like it that much?” Michael asked with a grin.

  “Yeah,” Daniel responded thoughtfully, “but I also want something other than the minivan. I don’t need it anymore, and it’s not the best for gas.”

  “What are you gonna do with it?” Crystal raised an eyebrow.

  Daniel stuck his hand into his coat pocket and found the pair of keys. He grabbed it and pulled it out. There were two keys on the chain, as well as the clicker to unlock and lock the minivan.

  “I want you to have it,” he said, handing it to them. “There’s two keys on it, so each of you can have one. You can probably get another one of these fancy clickers. It’s fairly clean, although it might need a good wash to get the smell of liquor out. There’s nothing too bad about it, and nothing’s broken that I know of. I don’t know how many years are left on it, but there’s probably a few. Enough to get you started.”

  Michael stood there, gaping. He struggled to find words, but all that came out was a choking noise. Crystal hugged Daniel again, thanking him breathlessly.

  “You’re really just gonna give it to us?” Michael said. “I just… it’s got memories for you. It’s important to you. And we can… we can get a different one. You really don’t have to-”

  “Take it, Michael.” Daniel stared at him, nodding. “I got that minivan when I found out my wife was pregnant. My family really started the day I bought it. Now it’s your turn. It’s your two’s turn.”

  A couple of minutes later, they walked out of the house, beaming. Michael was twirling the keys on his finger, and Brandon got out of the
car with a curious expression on his face.

  “You gonna ask?” Michael laughed.

  “Do you want me to?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  Crystal said, “Daniel gave us his minivan.”

  “You two might as well be an old married couple now!” Brandon said. “I always thought you’d be the one driving a sports car while I was in a minivan.”

  “Guess you were wrong,” Michael said. “You were always the player of our group.”

  Brandon sighed. “I was actually thinking of trying to talk to my ex sometime…”

  “That’s awesome Brandon!” Crystal exclaimed.

  He smiled feebly at her, before looking back at Michael, his head hung in shame. “I have no idea if she’s married, if she’s dating, if anything. I just want to give it a shot.

  “You might as well,” he said.

  “I want you to come with me, Michael. I wanna tell her about what’s happened. And if I have you with me, then maybe she won’t think I’m quite as insane as I sound.”

  Michael nodded. “Yeah, you do tend to sound pretty nuts.”

  “So that’s a yes?”

  Glancing at Crystal, Michael waited for her expression. When she nodded, happily, he did the same to Brandon.

  “Awesome. I’ll get in touch, once I find out where she lives.”

  “Stalker,” Michael coughed under his breath.

  Brandon grinned. “Whatever.”

  There was a slight breeze in the air, which was already getting colder by the day. It was clear that August was coming. The summer was almost over. It was finally almost over.

  They all stood there awkwardly, as Brandon turned to face his running car. “So I guess I’ll see you guys around?’

  They both nodded, and hugged him in turn.

  Brandon sighed. “I’ve had more hugs today than the rest of my life combined.”

  With that, he hopped into his car and put on his designer sunglasses. He clicked his fingers towards Michael, and zoomed out of the driveway, nearly hitting the mailbox on his way.

  Michael got into the minivan, with Crystal in the passenger’s seat, and started the engine.

  “Our own car,” he said with a wide smile.

  “You know what comes next?” she asked him.

  “What’s that?”

  She leaned over and kissed him, pulling away with a sly grin. “Our own kid.”

  “Cannot wait for that,” he said, putting the car into reverse. “Definitely cannot wait.”

  Chapter 30

  Goodbye

  Alexander stood on the sidewalk, watching Daniel pull away. He had gone into town to talk with the new owner of the bookshop, who was a much younger, less creepy lady. She said he could basically run the place, under her of course, and that they were even gonna give Jill a job.

  “The camera stays on, though,” the lady had said. “The camera always stays on.”

  As he was exiting the shop, he found Daniel’s Hyundai parked by the sidewalk, and the man himself was inside an ice cream shop with his two daughters. Alexander popped in to say hi, and ended up staying for half an hour until the dessert was finished.

  Now, the car rolled away down the road, and there was nothing left to see of the former detective who changed his life.

  Walking up the sidewalk quietly, Alexander found a boy about the same age as him sitting on a bench. The teenager was bent over, staring at the ground with either an angry or sad expression. It was hard to tell which.

  “Hey,” Alexander said shyly, sitting down.

  The boy turned to stare, from the corner of his eye. His hair was longer now, falling into his eyes. It looked as if he hadn’t showered in days, and the smell coming from him was barely covered by a wide array of deodorant.

  “Hi.”

  “You want ice cream or anything?” Alexander offered. “I’ve got some extra cash.”

  “You work in the bookstore, right?” the boy asked.

  “That’s right.”

  “Ever met a boy named Xavier?”

  Alexander thought for a second. “Yeah, actually. He used to come in all the time. Stopped about a week ago. Why?”

  “I’m the reason he left.” The boy shrugged. “Just wondering if you knew.”

  “You’re Caleb, right?”

  The boy nodded. “That’s what most people call me.”

  “And what does everybody else call you?”

  “Doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “Nothing matters.”

  “You got a phone?” Alexander asked.

  He nodded. “Course I got a phone. Everybody’s got a phone.”

  “Can I have your number?” Alexander shook his head. “Sorry, not like that. Just, like, to be friends.”

  “Friends, huh?” Caleb shot him a penetrating glare. “Where’d you sleep last night?”

  Alexander looked taken aback. “My house?”

  “You sleep there every night?”

  Nodding slowly, Alexander began to fidget. “Yeah, every night. Why?”

  “Ever have spots of your memory that you can’t forget, or wake up places you don’t know how you got there, wearing clothes that you don’t remember buying or ever owning?” Caleb asked all his questions rapidly, and then sat in silence, waiting for the answer.

  “No. To all of those…”

  Caleb nodded, and pulled out a paper. “Alright.” He grabbed a pen from the ground, and scribbled some digits. “This is my number.”

  Alexander nodded, taking the slip. “Thank you. I’ll text you soon, then.”

  “If my therapist ever comes to talk to you,” Caleb said, “tell him I’m doing good. He tends to worry a lot about me.”

  “If you ever see a lady watching you at night from your street,” Alexander countered, “tell her I said hi. She tends to follow me around a lot.”

  Caleb grinned at him, cracking open his dry lips. “I like you, Alexander.”

  “Call me Alex.” The teenage boy -with blonde hair, brilliantly bright eyes, and slightly pimpled cheeks that showed he was older than his appearance stated- stuck out his hand. “We’re friends now.”

  Caleb shook it eagerly.

  Epilogue

  (2025)

  Daniel sat alone on the front porch his cabin in the forest. He was holding a book, reading it, taking in everything on the pages. It was one he had read probably ten times in the last year, and yet that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. There were only so many books he could keep in that tiny cabin.

  There was a rustling in the distance, and he could see a shadow walking toward the house. He remained focused on the book, pretending not to see it. It was dark outside, and this had been going on for the past couple days. Each time, the shadow would come toward his house.

  At first, it was stopping far off. Every night it got closer and closer. A week ago, it started coming onto the porch. Then it stood in front of his chair. And last night, it reached out and touched him with one finger. Gently.

  Today, the figure came all the way up to his porch and stood in front of him. Daniel kept his eyes fixed on the book’s pages, as he sat in the light of a small lantern he carried around with him for the sole purpose of reading. He felt safer in the light, as well. Even if that was a fantasy.

  There was a deep silence for a few minutes, as the figure stood in front of his wood chair. It turned around and stared at the open area in front of his cabin, where for twenty or thirty yards there were no trees. It turned around to face him.

  “Are you Daniel Smith?”

  “You know the answer to that,” he countered.

  The figure nodded, slowly. He knew it was smiling.

  “And why have you come to live in my woods? All I wanted was to live out my days in peace. After you and your… followers defeated me. This was the only thing I wanted.”

  “I had to make sure you were dead. I had to see you die.”

  The figure shrugged. “Death is… often overstated. Your good friend will know about tha
t. Or do you still talk to the three children? The ones that got away.”

  Daniel set his book on his lap. “I’m not here to talk about them.”

  “You’re bitter,” the stranger taunted. “You don’t talk to them. You don’t talk to anybody anymore. You’re alone. Even your two daughters don’t talk to you.”

  “No, I am not alone. My legacy will go on. You, however, are done. You’re the last one, aren’t you?” Daniel smiled as he asked the question. “Even if you kill me, I’ve won. You don’t have the strength to take children anymore, and you don’t have the time to raise another one. So you will die. You’re finished, one way or another.”

  “You are still scared of me, Daniel. Scared of what I am.”

  Daniel folded his arms and smirked. “What are you exactly?”

  “I am somebody’s daughter. I am somebody’s demon. I have taken somebody’s children and killed them, too.” She bowed her head. “But I am the last of us, yes. I am the last somebody. I have taken no children, not since your own.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  She stepped forwards into the light, revealing her hideous face, her long, white hair, her crooked nails, her wrinkled skin, her terrible, rotten teeth.

  “You’re here to kill me,” Daniel said.”

  She grinned widely.

  With a quick movement, he drew out a gun from beneath the book, held it up, and fired one shot into her skull.

  There was a moment of shock on her face, and then She fell, smacking her head against the ground. She was somebody’s daughter. But it was a long time ago when that had changed. She had been just a monster for many years.

  Daniel sat back down in his chair, taking a deep breath. He reached over and grabbed the letter from Lucy and Emma. They were all grown up now, but they kept up a regular conversation with their dad through letters. That was the only time Daniel ever went into town. For letters and food.

  Reading the address on the envelope, he wrote it down on a scrap of paper. Soon, he would make his way and visit them, for the first time. Find somewhere else to live, somewhere near them. That’s where he would live out his days.