Blackwater Springs

Chapter Twenty-Four

1

"Are you sure?" Bradley asked Eileen. "Maybe you didn't get a good enough look at the guy before."

"No, I'm sure. For one, the man was bigger, like I told you. And for two, his hair wasn't brown. It was black."

"What about his facial features? Any scars, tattoos, anything that might help us find the guy?" Bradley was in full-blown cop mode now, even though he looked as if he didn't quite believe Eileen.

Eileen looked to Audrey for help, but Audrey just shrugged her shoulders. "I- I don't remember anything else like that."

Audrey could tell Eileen was nervous, but Bradley took the hesitation different. "Are you protecting someone? Were you in on it? Did you help kill your husband?"

"Bradley," Audrey said, a hint of warning in her voice.

"What?" Eileen was outraged. "Of course not." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she ran to the house.

Audrey turned on Bradley. "Why did you do that? Couldn't you see you were upsetting her?"

Bradley stepped into the car. "I'm doing my job. I can't help it she's so sensitive. I'm taking John in, I'll be back for my truck later." He started the car and pulled out, leaving Audrey shaking with anger in the driveway.

2

Fifteen minutes later, Audrey was in her kitchen. She banged pots and pans while muttering. She put the biscuits in the oven and slammed the door. "Thinks he's gonna get breakfast. I'm not making him a damn thing." Eileen heard the noise and came downstairs to help, but backed out of the room without a sound once she saw how upset Audrey was. Instead, she went to the living room and flipped through the channels on tv. She made sure to turn the volume up loud enough to drown out both Audrey and the banging. After a few minutes, she gave up on finding anything worth watching and settled for the latest reality-show disaster on MTV. The channel wasn't clear, but she chalked that up to the storm the night before. They're probably just working on the cable lines, she told herself. But shouldn't the picture be getting better, not worse? The channel was so blurry, she couldn't make out what was going on.

"Eileeeen," a voice whispered so low, she couldn't tell what direction it came from. She spun around,expecting to find Audrey behind her.

There was no one.

"Eileeeen. I'm coming for youuuu."

"Who's there?" Her voice came out more confident than she felt. "I have a gun." It was a lie, but it might ward off the intruder.

The androgynous voice laughed. "No you don't. You're sitting on the couch, trembling in fear." Eileen looked around the room. It was empty. "Wondering how I knew that? Look at the tv screen."

Eileen did as instructed. The channel was nothing but static now, but the snow had congealed in places to form a face. Its black eyes bored into Eileen, and she watched in horror as it parted its lips and licked them in one slow motion. "I bet you're gonna taste so good."

Eileen screamed and fled the room, as the thing on the screen threw its head back in laughter.

3

"I'm telling you, there was a face on the screen," Eileen said, dragging Audrey into the living room. "It threatened me."

"Eileen, maybe you dozed off and had a nightmare?" Audrey didn't want to believe that someone else was seeing things in her house.

"No. I was watching a show, then it went staticky. Then I heard a voice."

Chills ran over Audrey's body. She remembered the face she'd seen in the static at the hotel, and she had a feeling that what Eileen saw had nothing to do with stress. She also knew that telling the girl about her own experiences in the town wouldn't help things. "Come on I've got breakfast ready. I know you must be starving."

Eileen cracked a smile, but her eyes were still wary. "Yeah, breakfast sounds good." She followed Audrey to the kitchen, casting backward glances to make sure nothing was behind her.

Audrey had their places set and the food already on the table. The smell was mouthwatering; Eileen's stomach grumbled as she looked at the meal spread before her. But there was a question that nagged her. "Shouldn't we wait for Detective Stevens? He said he was coming back."

Audrey's smile fell, but only for a second. She plastered it back on before Eileen noticed. "Nah. He can stop somewhere and get breakfast if he wants some," she said in lighthearted tone.

"But aren't y'all, you know, together?"

The question stunned Audrey. How in the world do I answer that? What are me and Bradley,anyway? "No, we're just good friends."

Eileen looked at her in disbelief. She looked like she was about to challenge Audrey, but before she could say anything, they heard a loud crash from the living room. Both women jumped up from the table and ran to the other room as fast as they could.

The tv, John's prized sixty-five inch set, had toppled from its stand to the floor. The shattered screen emitted a frenzy of blue sparks, but that wasn't what held the women's attention. Above the television stand, etched into the drywall, was a poem.

Death to the ones who live here

Soon everyone, both far and near

Will know the power the Blackness holds

Thanks to the One we have chose

Death to the ones who live here

And all others best beware

The power of the Black