Still, in her black dress, Isabeth trekked through Poe Woods under the moonlight's glow. She clinched the flashlight in her hand as the clock ticked past eleven fifty-five. She hoped the writer of the letter wasn't a stickler for punctuality since she had another mile to go.
Isabeth knew Poe Woods like the back of her coconut butter smooth hands. She didn't need a map to find the old church. Her feet led her there as her memory recollected her first visit to the sacred grounds. They were children in an intense game of' hide and seek'. While without the permission of their parents or supervision of an adult or nanny they crept off to the hinterland after Gavin declared himself the best seeker of all. They were seven; being the best seeker was a very high regard for them. It was Faith who found it, adamant on proving Gavin wrong. It took Gavin forty-three minutes and the help of Isabeth, Troy, Malachi, Harper, Kevin and Fiona after they relinquished their own sought after spots to find the superannuated stone constructed chapel with the rusted brass bell in the steeple and a tarnished block-wood door being eaten by layers of moss.
They would have told someone they found a temple that was probably built by early settlers from the Mayflower but they didn't want to risk being grounded so they kept it to themselves. As years passed and they grew into teenagers their little fortress of privacy became the place they blasted music and drank beer.
The woods cutaway placing Isabeth in a scant meadow. She clicked the flashlight off for a lantern that was already lit, chasing away the dark that would've cloaked the vicinity.
"What are you doing here?" She asked approaching Benny. "And you." She narrowed her eyes at Faith.
Benny pushed himself off the grassy floor, "You got a letter, too." He brushed the dead leaves off his pants.
"When is Troy coming?" Faith asked pushing herself off the church's barely standing wall.
"Shouldn't you know." Isabeth pushed the creaking wooden door open.
"No." Faith swatted at a spider-web hanging near the doorway before she forged deeper into the dilapidated structure. "He's your best friend."
Isabeth huffed as she dropped the tote bag from her shoulder and Benny took a mental note.
"Why would Troy be coming?" Benny leaned against the rotting pew as he watched Isabeth lit the candles stacked in metal platters on the altar.
"Cause this is right up his alley." Faith unfolded her letter and the letter she snatched out of Benny's hand earlier. "That little sick fuck." She handed the letter to Benny then cleaved her arms to her body as an eerie chill coursed through her. She didn't like coming out there at night, not anymore; not since Troy led that séance four Halloweens ago.
Isabeth wanted to say Troy wasn't a sick fuck when you were screwing him in Peter's room but she bit her tongue as she lit the second to last candle.
"Isabeth, where's your letter," Benny asked taking the crinkled sheets of paper from Faith.
"In the tote." Isabeth pointed to the first pew as she lit the last candle emitting the church in a flickering glow.
Benny dug through the tote until he produced a piece of paper. He studied the sheets flipping from paper to paper, "I think it all goes together." He flipped to the page he thought was first as he walked closer to the altar in need of more light. "Fear and Terror. Chaos and Strife." He began to read. "We bring you thee, dread and disdain. Death and Despair. Wreaking havoc on those that we loathe. That posses a gift, not at our dispose. Screw you and your soul. Ridiculing us for our empty hole. You can keep your love, hope, and compassion." Benny's tone remained steady as the girls became uneasy. "We rather have turmoil, anguish, and trepidation. Making you pay for being blessed with what we cannot bear."
"That's creepy...as hell." Faith jumped up from the pew, snatched the papers from Benny and threw them into the flame.
Benny's scowled at Faith as the fire surged higher, engulfing the paper. "Why'd you do that?"
"Did you want to keep it?" Isabeth inquired.
Benny threw up his arms not knowing what to say since his answer was yes and no.
"Who would write some shit like that?" Faith rubbed the goosebumps rising on her forearms.
"TPM." Isabeth declared drawing both Faith and Benny's eyes toward her as she stood behind the pulpit.
Faith took a step closer to Isabeth, "Who?"
"TPM," Isabeth repeated holding up an envelope that was sitting on the podium. Faith and Benny read the initials before Isabeth flipped the envelope over. She ripped it over and dropped the envelope once she pulled out the letter. Silence took over as Isabeth's eyes rushed over the words.
"What does it say?" Benny questioned stepping behind the pulpit. Isabeth handed him the letter. His finger lightly grazed hers as he pulled the paper from her grasp. Isabeth stepped down from the altar and she and Faith look to him as if he was a preacher speaking the good word on a distant Sunday. Benny held the paper against the podium as his eyes fell on the first line, "I assumed you already put your letters together. Daunting isn't it." Benny stopped, looked up at them and took a breath before he continued reading.
"I'm a Shepard seeking its flock. The problem is...my flock is locked away, trapped behind cages and guarded by sentinels. I auditioned the student body, seeking the individuals that could fulfill such a task. I choose the three of you, my little trifecta." Benny rubbed at his neck, feeling the hair rise on the delicate skin. "If you have a will to rebel, I ask you to reflect upon this day. For you lost someone dear to you. And the great thing about my trifecta is...you all have parents, siblings, friends, and family of immense proportions and if you utter my existence or fail me in any way I will wipe them from this Earth. One by one. Day by day. With love, The Psychopath Maker." Benny's eyes slithered a little lower on the page. "P.S. the boy knows where my flock resides."
"What...the...unholy hell." Faith gasped out as she backed away from them.
Isabeth held her face and exhale into her hands before asking. "Where are they? Where are they locked away?"
Benny folded the letter back up. "Everclear Asylum." He folded the paper again and stuffed it into the pocket of his suit pants. "On the bottom floor. It's virtually impossible." He stepped from behind the pulpit. "They are the best at what they do which makes them the worse of the worse."
"We're not doing this." Faith gawked at them like they were losing their minds. "We're not breaking into an asylum to free a bunch...of loonies." She massaged her neck. "And how do we know if this is real. It's probably just a prank."
"It's not a prank!" Isabeth swallowed as the bitter taste of bile rested at the bottom of her throat. "This person killed Kevin. You lost someone dear to you." Isabeth swallowed once more but the action didn't help. Her hand flew over her mouth as she raced past Faith and out the church. Once outside, she emptied all of the contents of her stomach onto the unruly grass.
Faith frowned at Isabeth as she stood back up. "What are you pregnant?' Faith took a couple of steps before turning back to them and then trained her sight on Benny. "I don't like you. I don't trust you and I'm not breaking some crazies from their bin. Fuck this shit." She declared before walking back amidst the trees.
Isabeth wiped her mouth and feeling Benny's eyes upon her she said, "It's just a stomach virus."
"The same virus you had two weeks ago." Benny neared her, seeing the fear in her eyes. Isabeth nodded. Benny scratched his eyebrow before uttering, "Viruses don't last that long."
So, you've finally met The Psychopath Maker. Yay! Or, probably not. What'd think?
Is Isabeth pregnant or does she have some superbug?