"The person you are calling is not available at the moment. Please try-" I hang up. I've been trying for an hour. His phone is off. Any other day I would dismiss it. It's Saturday afternoon, he could be just sleeping off his hangover, but the new information about that cheery fuck makes my stomach churn.
I already called Clyde, who hasn't seen Wade since Thursday night. I asked him to check his house, and reluctantly he did, but no one's there. I called a few other of his buddies, places he hangs out frequently but nothing. Fuck! I can feel it. Something's not right. I even thought about calling Trevor, but eventually dismissed the thought. It's very unlikely I'd find my brother there. I really don't know who, or where else to call. I go back to Lana who's still in my room. She calmed down but got quiet after that, too quiet. That's why I called Wade instead of going there in the first place. She's too out of it.
I find her in the exact same spot I left her an hour ago. Sitting on my bed, staring out of the window. I drag a chair to sit in front of her. Petting her legs I try to get her attention.
"Lana, I need you to focus now. You said he just stood there, looking at you? He didn't even try to get closer? To talk to you?" Nothing. "Lana!" I raise my voice a bit. Nothing. I don't have time for his shit, so I slap her. Not very hard, just enough. "Come on! I need you to wake up from this!" She jerks back and her eyes slide to me. There we go. I reach for her face but she flinches away, making me sigh.
"Hey, hey, easy. I'm sorry 'bout the slap, okay? But I've been trying to get a hold of Wade for the past hour and I can't find him. You need to talk to me."
Her eyes drop, she takes a deep shaky breath as if to start talking, but eventually just shakes her head.
"Darling? I'm sorry but I have to insist. I know I told you I won't ask about that, but I think we can agree on the fact that the situation has changed. I need you to tell me what you know about the guy. NOW!" I'll be damned if something happens to my brother only because she's too scared to talk about shit!
A single tear slides down her cheek and she whispers. "I don't know where to start. And all those memories, it's just- it's just too much. Too-"
"-You have to. This all, it's no fucking coincidence. Did you know he's still after you?" I'm really trying to be patient, but I'm anything but. I'm angry! I don't know if it's at her, at myself, at the situation, I'm just raging inside. I think I'm angry mostly because I don't know what to do. What can I do?
"No, I didn't! I didn't hear from any of them for more than six years."
"Them?" Why didn't I ask her about anything? "FUCK! Lana, darling, I like you, I really do, but I won't be responsible for what I'll do if you don't start talking and I mean now! If you didn't notice my brother is fucking nowhere to be found! Wade, remember him?" I'm yelling at this point, Wade seems to be missing and my patience got to its limit.
But she does start to explain. "Okay, okay! I didn't say anything when you saw the scar because I honestly thought it's behind me. Like I said, it's been six years."
"Tell me now! Who's they?"
"They are-it's this cult." She looks at me through her tears as if checking my reaction. So I motion for her to go on. I need to know whatever I can find out from her. "These people, they are crazy, obsessed with death. I-I watched them, I saw- they are sick, Jackson! But I thought it was over, I thought I'd never see any of them again."
"Stop, just stop! You are not making any fucking sense! Were you a member or something?"
"No, no I wasn't a member."
"What's the deal then? Start from the fucking beginning for Christ's sake." At least she seems to sober up after I mention Wade, but this is taking too fucking long for my liking.
"Okay, I'm sorry, I'll tell you everything..."
"Any time this year, darling!" I raise an eyebrow in expectation.
"I'm sorry, okay? I just never talked about it. I'm really trying here." You and me both! "I-I think it all started when my mom died, breast cancer. The doctors said they got it soon enough and that she'd be alright. Well, they didn't, she wasn't alright and she died. And I didn't know how to handle it. My dad closed off on me and I was sixteen and stupid and I didn't have anyone else. Suddenly everything my friends talked about seemed to be so fucking shallow and pointless. So one by one, I stopped talking to them, until I was all alone." She takes a deep breath before she continues. "And then I met Jacob. I was just sitting by myself at the park and he sat beside me. I got up to walk away but he convinced me to stay, and we started to talk, and I don't know how, but I started to talk about my mom, about her death and he was the very first person to really talk about it with me." Her eyes focused on the window again as she seems to lose herself in the memories. "He told me, that if I was interested he would introduce me to some of his friends, that they all have bad stuff in their lives, that I could talk freely there, that they would get me. And I was so glad I found someone, someone with whom I wouldn't have to pretend everything was okay, that nothing happened. Everyone else acted like my time to grieve had passed and I should be okay. So I said I'd love to meet them, I agreed right away."
"So those friends, they were from this cult you were talking about?"
Her head snaps to me as if she forgot I was there. "Yes, they were. I was just hanging out with some of them for like six months. I got closer to Jacob and we started sort of dating. It was all cool, we talked about everything and I talked about my mom, about my dad, who got better by then. But then they took me to their communal house, saying they want to introduce me to someone special. There was this guy, older than all of them. They called him Richard. I didn't like him but they looked at him as if he was God, they worshiped him. And the house... there were creepy pictures and symbols everywhere and other stuff. So as soon as I could I just took off. The next day I told Jacob I won't be seeing him anymore and he got so mad. He told me that I can't leave them now. He was freaking me out, so I ran. I ran home and told my dad everything."
"Then what?"
"He took me to the station, we told the cops everything and they sent us home, saying and I quote 'it's not our job to watch who your kid talks to or what unusual hobby they have.' So we went home and my dad told me to just call him if any of them show up. And they did. They were everywhere. They were in front of my school, the store when we went grocery shopping, the movies, the park, everywhere I went, they were there, just watching. We went to the police once again and they told us that they can't go and arrest people for standing and looking around. When we got home one day and found our cat gutted on the kitchen table, we called them again, but they said there is no proof to link it to them and did nothing, again! They showed up so regularly that dad started to recognize their faces. And one day, they didn't just watch. They took us. All of that time I thought, they were mad because they wanted me to join, but no. They had some sick plan and wanted me to be part of it, only not as a member but as some kind of sacrifice. The leader wanted them all to kill someone and that night was Paul's turn, he was supposed to be the very first. They-" her voice breaks and she stops. I have a pretty good idea about what happens next. But I need her to say it. To say it all. I need to know.
"Go on, they what?"
"They killed him. I watched the leader kill my dad. He was presenting the ritual and the rest of them, they fucking applauded while my dad's blood spilled all over the place." She's visibly shaking again now, I hand her a handkerchief so she can blow her nose but keep my distance to leave her some space. "Then Paul's turn came. I remember how, when he stabbed me. At first, I didn't feel a thing and then he started cutting and the pain started. I screamed and screamed, and the next thing I know, I'm in the hospital. It turned out, my dad managed to dial 911 when it all started, but they were too late. My dad was dead. I remember the officer telling me how Richard, the leader, will get life in prison at least, but I didn't care. It didn't bring my dad back."
"Did you see any of them after that?"
"No, not outside of the courthouse. That's the thing, I had several surgeries and then I moved to my grandma's. I testified at the trial and Richard was sentenced to death. He's in prison though, still waiting for it. They arrested more of the members, they ended up in prison too, but the rest of them. It was like they vanished. I never heard from any of them. I spent at least three years after that constantly looking over my shoulder, but when no one came I convinced myself that it was over. My grandma died soon after my nineteenth birthday. I didn't have any money left, most of it was spent by paying hospital bills, first for my surgeries, then for my grandma. So I just kinda kept moving, until I found this town. I liked it here enough and decided to try to do something with my life and start the school." And eventually ended up with me. Lucky girl indeed. Well, she's mine now, nothing to do about that.
"What about that ex of yours? Could he have anything to do with any of it?"
She shakes her head instantly. "No, he got into drugs and changed, turned out to be an asshole, but no, nothing like this. He's a golden boy, with a chair waiting for him in his father's company. So no, I don't think he has anything to do with this."
"I don't get it, why would he seek me out if he was after you? Something's off about this. Was he always this creepy cheery bastard?"
She gives me confused look. "Cheery? What do you mean cheery?"
"When he was at the garage he had this stupid smile on his face. He was acting weird, like a fucking Christmas commercial."
She let out a very unladylike snort. "No, I never saw him even smile. Not even at the time they were trying to lull me in."
I stand up and start to pace.
What do I do, what do I do?
It looks like this guy is a fucking nut case. There's no way this is all a coincidence. He's up to something, but what? I turn back to Lana. Her eyes are puffy, but she stopped crying and is nervously watching me.
"Alright, here's what we do. I left messages for Wade in every fucking shithole he's usually hanging out. I'm gonna check out his house, just in case Clyde overlooked something. You stay here, lock the door and wait in case Wade comes here. If he does, you call me the minute you see him."
"I will. Jackson, I'm so sorry. I never thought-I-"
"-it doesn't matter," I cut in. It's not like she did it on purpose or something. I got my secrets too. "It's not on you, okay? If anything happens-just-it's not on you, alright? Lock the door!" I tell her again to be sure she heard me the first time. She nods and I get out, checking the door once I hear the lock. Then I'm off driving to Wade's.
I hope you enjoy the story. If you do, feel welcome to push that little star to let me know, or better yet, leave me a comment ;)