Finding Maisie
Epilogue
Almost Four Years Later:
I dreamt the abductor came back. I dreamt that I woke up in the night to find Maisie missing again. I dreamt that all the panic, danger, and feelings of hopelessness returned to haunt me. I dreamt I ran outside yelling for Maisie, only to find her dead with Colin standing over her empty body. I dreamt she was lying next to the bloodied bodies of Callum, my parents and everyone else I loved. I dreamt that he started stalking towards me, his hands covered in Maisie's blood, step by step.
I didn't dream anymore. I woke up screaming, feeling engulfed by the darkness in my room. I immediately began searching for Maisie who, of course, wasn't in my room.
'Maisie?' I called out. 'Maisie, where are you?!'
Light came streaming into my room as the door opened. Maisie walked in and hurried to my bed.
'Shush, I'm here, Poppy, it's fine,' Maisie said as she hugged me.
I calmed down immediately at the realisation that I was only dreaming. I hugged Maisie back, relieved at the fact that she was still here.
'Are you okay?' Maisie asked, pulling out of the hug to look at me.
'Yeah, it was just a dream.'
'I know it was a dream, Poppy, but I have them as well. I know how bad they can be,' Maisie said.
I just shrugged, the mental image of Maisie's dead body still etched in my mind. Since the treasure hunt ended Maisie and I often had nightmares of memories or reminders of the abductor and his haunting actions. Of course Maisie would have them more frequently than I seeing as she had had much worse off experiences. And to be honest the nightmares had stopped for a while, especially from me. That's why this dream had caught me off guard. Normally the dreams would be in some farfetched scenario and, even though they scared me, I would be able to know they were not true. But this dream was so realistic - it felt so alive. The abductor came to Maisie's and my flat, everything about the rooms was accurate. Every photo, little trinket and piece of furniture was in its right place. Colin was wearing his classic hooded black coat that shadowed his face and Maisie was even wearing the exact pair of pyjamas that she was wearing now. If the abductor planned on coming back in the night, then my dream was the exact example of how that night would go.
'What happened in it?' Maisie asked.
'The usual really. You get taken and killed, but this dream was different. This felt so.. Realistic.'
Maisie looked at me sadly, 'Do you want me to call Callum?'
I shook my head vigorously, 'No it's been ages since one of us have had a bad dream, I don't want him to worry.'
'Poppy, he's a brother and a fiancé, of course he's going to worry.'
'But he doesn't need to, they are only dreams. And it's not good for his back anyway to be sleeping on our floors all the time,' I said. Of course it made me safer when Callum was here, but it was the middle of the night. I didn't want him to lose sleep when I would be perfectly fine on my own.
'Yeah, I guess you're right. And he does think the nightmares have completely stopped. Why do you think you had this dream anyway?' Maisie asked, still concerned and sympathetic.
'Well, you know..'
Maisie's eyes widened in recognition. She had remembered that tomorrow, well actually the early morning of today, it would be the anniversary of the end of the treasure hunt. But that also meant it would be the anniversary of the day my dad and Heather died. The years would usually be happy and I could forget about the abductor and the full extent of pain and loss that he had brought. But every year on the anniversary of my father's death, all the misery would return and I would be reminded of how our lives had turned out. I even sometimes thought back to the story I was told of Colin and his late childhood best friend Oliver sitting on the railings on the edge of the pier. I would wonder what would have happened if Colin had fallen to a watery death in the place of Oliver. Would everyone the abductor had killed still be alive? Would I have been able to grow up with my whole family there and my best friend? But also would I still have been engaged to Callum like I was now? Sometimes my own thoughts alone drove me crazy.
And of course I was still paranoid that one day the abductor would return in all his glory, that fear had never left me. I always had to check before I went to sleep every night that no one was hiding in our flat and that every entrance to it was locked tight. I was constantly on the phone to Callum and my mum to check they were okay and was telling Maisie to do the same. We had had no word from Uncle Colin in all the years; he was still locked up in prison. But that still didn't stop me from worrying.
'Are you ready to go back to sleep or do you want to talk some more?' Maisie asked.
'I'm fine to go back to sleep. I don't want to be tired when I go to the graveyard tomorrow.'
Maisie nodded and lied down beside me. I looked at her strangely.
'I'm not leaving you alone, Poppy. And now you can't have nightmares as you know I am right here beside you.'
I sighed but was kind of grateful for the company, 'Thanks, May, but don't still my duvet, okay?'
Maisie turned around, wrapping herself in my duvet in the process, 'Sorry, can't hear you. I'm sleeping.'
I chuckled lightly before lying down and settling into a dreamless sleep.
I woke to voices coming from another room. Maisie wasn't sleeping beside me anymore, but as she was most likely one of the voices coming from what I presumed was the kitchen, it didn't worry me. After a second of listening to the voices I realised that the other one was Callum. I smiled and entered my bathroom to make sure I didn't look a complete mess.
A few minutes later I entered the kitchen to see Maisie and Callum chatting with Maisie sitting on the kitchen top. Callum had been doing well with his treatment. He was able to walk again, but occasionally it tired him to do so.
'Mrs Miller,' Callum greeted, nodding in my direction.
I laughed as I walked over to hug him, 'No Callum, not yet. I already told you we have to be married for me to have your surname.'
Maisie giggled to herself and I looked at her strangely, 'Care to elaborate?'
'Oh, nothing. It's just I said straight away when I returned that you two would get married.'
'Even after all these years you can still sometimes act like a know it all,' Callum teased.
Maisie just rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink, 'Oh, do you want some coffee, Poppy?'
I scrunched my nose, 'No thanks, but I wouldn't mind a hot chocolate.'
'You'd best have coffee. You're probably tired after last night,' Maisie said before covering her mouth at realising what she had told Callum.
'Why? What happened last night?' Callum questioned, starting to get concerned and protective. 'You had a nightmare again, didn't you?'
'Well.. Yes, but you don't have to worry. I haven't had one in like a year and I slept fine the rest of the night.'
'Why didn't you make her ring me, Maisie? You know I want to know when you have nightmares.'
'No, Callum, I made her not do it. Trust me, it was okay. It was only a dream. Please don't make us argue, this day is already hard enough,' I pleaded.
Callum sighed and hugged me again, 'Sorry. I just don't want you worrying about Colin. He's in prison.'
'I know, Callum. Let's just hurry up and go to the graveyard.'
I went back to my room and quickly got changed. Soon enough Callum and I were on our way to see my dad and Heather. Maisie wasn't able to come as she had to work. We had also stopped to get flowers for each grave. The feelings of sadness intensified when I saw the familiar tombstones as we pulled up into the car park.
'Do you want me to wait here like normal?' Callum asked.
'Yeah, thank you,' I replied. 'I won't be too long.'
I took the bunches of flowers in my hands and left Callum in his car, walking down the gravel path to the gravestones. The sun was shining brightly, contrary to how dark and damp I was feeling inside.
I reached the two graves that we had placed next to each other, placing one bunch of flowers in front of each. I wiped away any dead plants or weeds that had started to grow before kneeling down in between my late family.
'Hey guys,' I said quietly so that if anyone passed by they wouldn't hear me. At first I didn't like talking out loud to people buried under the earth, but now I found it quite soothing. It made me feel like I was actually speaking with them.
'It's been a pretty eventful last few months. Maisie got some of her artwork in an exhibition. I was so pleased for her. Ever since she was little she had wanted to be an artist and now she's on her way to being that. I guess people were more interested in her artwork when she decided she was strong enough to draw about her abduction. Her pain and struggling probably makes a more interesting painting than pretty scenarios. So, yeah. Maisie's doing pretty well and so are her parents. As for mum.. She still misses you. I know you probably think she's crazy as she hadn't seen you for more than ten years when you died, but I guess it's the reality that she can never see you again. And she never got to say goodbye.
Anyway let's move on to more happy news. Callum asked me to marry him a couple of months ago. I said yes, of course, so now we've got a wedding to plan. I wish you could both be there, though. It won't be the same. Oh and dad, Callum wanted me to ask you if it was okay that he asked me to marry him. I know that you would've been fine with it, you always liked Callum. I just never imagined that he would be asking you like this.
And Heather, your parents are doing better, I guess. Of course they're still struggling to get their head around the fact that you're gone, but they're slowly getting back to normal. It doesn't help though that Adams not there either. He can't go back, though, or he'd get arrested. Although your parents are disappointed in him, I know they miss him deeply.'
'They do?' Spoke a voice that alerted me away from my conversation.
I looked up to find Adam standing by a tree that stood behind these graves. I hadn't seen him since that time in the hospital, not in all of the four years. He was looking much worse from when I had last seen him. His face was worn and he looked tired. His eyes seemed to have aged years. Adam looked like he had lived a thousand lives when he was only in his twenties. His presence didn't alarm me. I knew that now Adam knew all the facts he didn't hate me anymore.
'They miss me?' Adam asked again, sounding a little desperate.
'Of course they do, Adam,' I replied. 'You're their son.'
'But after all I've done. Betrayed my family, even killed people.'
'You were lied to. Your mind was twisted from a young age so in some ways you're not to blame, and your parents know that,' I explained.
Adam smiled with what looked like true happiness. He mimicked my stature by sitting on the grass but stayed under the trees shadow. This reminded me that he had to be hidden. No one could see him.
'What are you doing here anyway?' I asked. 'The police still want you for murder.'
'I had to,' Adam said as he lowered his head. 'I know that this was the day Heather was killed.'
'Sorry,' I said. 'This is a hard day for me, too.'
'Yeah, I saw your dad's grave when I visited Heathers in previous times. I'm sorry, Poppy, and I swear I had no idea that he was your father when I was working with him.'
'It's not your fault, Adam. It's Colin's.'
We sat in silence for a moment before a question that had been burning in my head for years now came to resurface.
'How was Heather taken, Adam? On the night she died. How did the abductor take her?''
Adam lowered his head again. He obviously felt shame that he wasn't able to save his sister when he was the reason Heather was involved in this in the first place.
'It was simple really. I went out to get our bare necessities of food whilst Heather stayed in our hideout. Whilst at the shops I got a message from Colin saying that we were really not good at hiding. I knew then that he had taken Heather but even so I rushed back to our hideout. Heather was gone. Something in me told me that she was as good as dead, if not dead already. I still looked for her though but, of course never found her. Later that night, around one o clock I think, I received a text from Colin with directions in it. I followed them willingly with some mad part of me believing that I could get Heather back. All I was led to was her body. It broke my heart looking at her. My sister. She was unrecognisable, Poppy. She had a gun shot through her head. Do you know how hard it was to see that?'
'Yes. Yes, I do. I was in the room when she died. I saw the abductor pull the trigger. I still have nightmares about that image.'
This time it was me who lowered their head to the ground. That image was hard to see.
'Hang on,' I said as a thought snapped to mind. 'If you were there on the night, did you not know what we were going through?'
'No, I did know.'
'So why didn't you come and help us then?' I said, suddenly beginning to feel angry.
'Because.. Because I'm a coward, Poppy. I had just seen my sister's dead body and I didn't want to die as well. I'm sorry but it's the truth. And, even if I did stop helping Colin the police would still arrest me. I didn't want to go to prison.'
'So you're going to live your life hiding?' I asked.
'Pretty much, yeah. I'll change my identity and live a clean life away from the law. You're not going to tell the police I'm here, are you?' Adam asked, apprehension growing in his voice.
'No. Like I said before, your mind was twisted by Colin. If it wasn't then I think you would have never killed anyone. You've lost a lot and, dare I say it, seen the errors of your ways. I don't think prison would be much use to you now.'
Adam smiled at me and placed his hand on mine, 'Thank you, Poppy. I'm sorry that all of this has happened because, if things were different, maybe we could have still acted like cousins and Heather would still be with us.'
'I'm sorry, too.'
Adam stood up, 'Tell my parents I love them. I don't know whether I'll see them again or not.'
And with his message told Adam walked off into the shadows of the trees leaving behind with me the thoughts of a different, happier life. One where Colin was a happy child and we could all be a family.
I said goodbye to my father and Heather, telling them I would see them soon, and walked back to the car to Callum. He smiled at me sympathetically and I told him I was fine before we started driving home. Seeing my cousin again was strange. He had caused me many years of confusion and rejection when I was younger, and I had clung to the hope that one day Adam would talk to me again. And there I had just been having a conversation with him, all misconceptions put aside. And now I was probably never going to see him again, if he was any good at hiding, and I didn't quite know how I felt about that.
Callum turned a corner leading us in an opposite direction from my flat.
'Where are we going?' I asked.
'Thought it might be nice to have lunch outside today,' Callum replied.
'But my mum... She's meant to be coming over.'
'Don't worry, already called her. She's coming with us,' Callum explained.
'Thanks,' I said, smiling. I didn't want my mum to be alone today just as much as I didn't want to be alone.
We carried on driving for a little while before we pulled up at a quiet looking field. Callum went to the car boot and took out a picnic mat and a bag of food. We walked up to about halfway up the hill before settling down. I was hungry enough that I didn't wait for my mother to arrive before tucking in.
'Poppy, you have no manners,' Callum chuckled.
I just rolled my eyes before noticing my mother's car pulling up at the bottom of the hill. I smiled as she got out the car but her face told me that something wasn't right. As she spotted us she started to hurry up the hill. The closer she got the more panic and worry I could make out on her face. I couldn't wait for her to run up the hill. Seeing my mother so stressed made me anxious. I ran down to her with Callum at my tail. I immediately pulled her into a hug.
'What's wrong, mum?' I asked with a stressful voice.
My mother had to slow down her breathing before answering, 'It's Maisie.'
In an instant my heartbeat picked up and I could feel Callum tense up at my side. A million things could have happened to Maisie but, of course, I could only imagine the worst things. Was Maisie dead? Had she been in an accident? No, she couldn't be. Surely my mum would be more upset if that had happened. Or perhaps the shock was too much for her mind to comprehend for emotion.
'What's happened to Maisie?' Callum asked his voice strained away from feelings.
My mum looked at us with empathy that only made my worry grow stronger, 'She's gone missing.'
And then the fear, the pain, the worry, and the emptiness of not being able to do anything returned. I couldn't go through all that again. Callum couldn't go through that again. And whatever way Maisie was going missing she wouldn't be able to go through being away from her family, life and freedom again. We were probably overreacting. There were many reasons that could explain Maisie's disappearance. We couldn't get ahead of ourselves, but it was because I knew the rock bottom that a disappearance could bring that I jumped to conclusions.
'Explain everything,' I said.
'I was with your mum, Callum, and we tried to ring her. She wouldn't reply so we rang her work. They said that she never arrived at work and that they haven't been able to get hold of her.'
'But she left for work. We saw her leave the house,' Callum murmured. His mind was in another place. He was probably doing the same as me. Imagining the worst case scenarios that could have happened.
'Something must have happened to her,' I stated.
'That's what we thought,' mum continued, 'So we called your father, Callum, and he hasn't heard from her. We went back to your flat but there was no reply. Your mum went to search the streets whilst I came here to check if she was with you, which she isn't. If it was anyone else we wouldn't be panicking as much, but it's Maisie. She's been gone before.'
'By Colin,' I said. 'What if he's taken her.'
'He can't have, Poppy. He's in prison, locked away. He's far from us,' Callum reassured.
'Yeah, I guess.'
Mum held onto my hand, 'She can't be gone again.'
'I know, Mum, we'll find her,' I said, giving my mum confidence that I didn't know I had. 'We'll go back to my flat. She may be asleep or left a note. And if not we'll ask all our friends and try not to panic.'
'Okay, but I'll join Callum's mum in searching the streets. That way we'll be split evenly,' mum said.
I nodded and we started running back down to the cars. I grabbed Callum's hand for support. If we didn't find her, I didn't know what we would do.
The drive back to my apartment was excruciating. All it did was give me time to think and imagine more and more terrifying scenarios explaining Maisie disappearing again.
Callum pulled up his car by my house. Maisie and I had the downstairs of the house so it wasn't far to run. I jumped out the car before it had fully stopped and pulled out my keys unlocking the door.
'Maisie!' I called as I ran through the different rooms. 'Maisie, are you here?!'
I was about to push open my already ajar bedroom door when we both froze. Someone was unlocking the front door. Callum and I ran to wait for the door to open.
Maisie walked in and we rang to hug her. I pulled away slightly to look at her face. She had been crying.
'Maisie, what's wrong?' I questioned.
Maisie said nothing but only smiled sadly.
'Come sit down, Maisie,' Callum said as we all walked to the sofas.
Maisie took a moment to compose herself before speaking.
'I've been in a park somewhere,' Maisie explained.
'Why?' Callum asked as he texted our parents saying that Maisie was fine. We would call them after to make sure they got the message after we had spoken to Maisie.
'Because I was scared and tired. I couldn't go to work.'
'But, Maisie, you've been fine for ages. What's changed?' I asked. It was true. If you looked at Maisie you would have no idea that she spent all of her childhood locked away.
'I received some flowers.'
Callum looked up from his phone and moved closer to Maisie, 'Flowers from who?'
'Well I was walking to work when someone stopped me. The way they smiled at me... I could tell they weren't there to be my friend. Well they gave me flowers, they were poppies to be exact, and then relayed a message. The man said that Colin wants to remind me that even though it has been four years he will always be in my memory. I couldn't go to work after that. It reminded me that he still had control of me. Even locked away Colin still haunts me.'
Callum face grew angry, 'How can he do that? How could he get flowers sent to her?!'
'He has connections, Callum. He is very able to do that,' I responded.
'It still shouldn't have happened. He's meant to be away from us not communicating with us,' Callum grunted.
Callum pulled Maisie into a hug. He was very protective of his sister, of the both of us.
Something didn't feel right though. Not about Maisie's story as that seemed perfectly plausible, but about my surroundings. There was something different about our flat. Something that wasn't usual.
It hit me like a wall of bricks. My bedroom door was open. I specifically remembered closing my bedroom door before we left for the graveyard. So why was it open? There was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation. Maybe Maisie had wanted to borrow some clothes and left it open. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad had happened.
The phone started ringing.
'I'll get it, it's probably my mum, she'll have got my text,' Callum said, reaching for the phone.
I left Maisie and Callum on the sofas and walked back to my room. When I walked in there I knew something was definitely wrong. My large window, the window that I never opened as I had smaller ones, was wide open. The fresh air was pouring into my room filling me with fear.
'Maisie, did you open my window?' I called.
'No,' she called back.
That meant one thing. Someone had been in our flat and escaped through my window. But the question was, why escape through my window? Why not use the front door? Had they still been in here when we arrived back? I searched around my room to see if anything had been taken and felt my blood run cold as I saw a folded piece of paper on my pillow.
The abductor.
No, it couldn't be. He was in prison. Maybe he could have got someone to do it for him just like Maisie had received the flowers. Maybe it was a reminder that he was in control.
The abductors warning four years ago rang out in my mind. He was going to kill us, no matter how long it took. Maybe his return was quicker than I thought.
No, it wasn't possible.
I heard my door creak and I spun around. Callum was standing there looking ever so pale. I knew what he was going to say before he said it.
'Poppy...' Callum began. 'The abductor was being transferred to another prison. Something went wrong..'
'Just say it, Callum.'
'He escaped.'
Immediately I ran open to the piece of paper on top of my pillow, ripping it open. The words made everything go still, everything go silent. The words rang out in my head. The words reminded me of the past. The words prepared me for the future. The words displayed one clear message:
'Dear Poppy,
See you soon.
Love,
The abductor.'
The abductor was back.
THE END
***
And that's the end!!
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