CHAPTER IV - "LEFT BEHIND"A Chapter by P_F_COGAN A MODERN DAY HORROR SHORT STORY WITH A TWIST. LEFT BEHIND of the Roberts farm where hundreds of volunteers are gathered for a second day of search and rescue of the two Roberts children.” Julie State, news reporter, held her microphone with one hand while trying to brush her windblown blonde hair from her face with the other. “They disappeared yesterday morning after telling their mother they were going to play soccer in the back yard. Parents, Mr. And Mrs. John Roberts called police after the children missed lunch and couldn’t be found. Now, there has been a report of a sighting of a black van in the area shortly before their disappearance.” The TV reporter looked over her shoulder. “It looks like the search is getting under way, Mark, and I will keep you posted during the course of the search. This is Julie State, channel 6 news” William hugged and patted his younger sister in an attempt to quiet her sobs. looked up at the opening of the old abandoned well to see a hint of sunrise coming down, throwing a small golden beacon on two carrot topped children. to be strong for his sister. His hand throbbed, broken when they fell into the well. Sammy was lucky, no broken bones, but she looked so pale and she couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering. They had spent a long, cold, and scary night in the dark water soaked well. get them out. The noise didn’t come from the top but rather from underneath their feet. The side of the well rumbled while the ground vibrated. One side of the wall gave way and water rushed in. Sammy screamed and felt her brother throw her onto the small ledge of stones that jutted out from the side; the ledge they took turns on during the night to stay out of the two feet of water on the bottom. a quaint New York sidewalk Bistro. One had flaming red hair, the other short-cropped black hair.
“Well, Samantha, how do you like your new job so far?” in New York working for the same law firm?”
going for law degrees, but Samantha dropped out. An alcoholic mother demanded so much of her time she couldn’t keep up with her studies. She opted for a Paralegal certificate instead. opening for a paralegal in the law firm she was working at. Samantha jumped at the chance. themselves in office gossip.
Pamela was always talking about whom she could get into the sack with.
emanated from Samantha's purse.
“You really need to get with the times, Samantha” looked at the ID in puzzlement. The light was on but the screen was blank. and I’m scared.” through the opening in the well when the water had rushed in. His body was never found. a ten-year-old boy brought all the horror of that chilling day back. NO! This has to be a prank. voice shivered. Samantha's daze. Concern filled Pamela's’ face. “What the hell was that? You are three shades from pale.” otherwise. “Well, you should report it to your cell provider.” Pamela decided to leave it alone. home from a long, distracting day. Her mind whirled constantly with the mysterious phone call earlier. She turned on the TV, pushed the button on the answering machine out of habit, and went to the refrigerator. She pulled the door open and tried to decide between a sandwich or a piece of cake. machine. She sounded excited. “I have to work late. Don needs some legwork for a case, if you know what I mean.” She giggled. “Don’t wait up.” the theater tonight. She would have a piece of cake, a glass of milk and vegetate in front of the TV. Samantha cut a large piece of cake. Samantha smiled to herself a little. She wondered if Tony, Pamela's current boyfriend, knew about her wandering ways. Samantha plopped on the couch with a sigh and started flipping through the channels. the ID caller screen. Her mothers’ number. She stood and let it ring two mores times, contemplating whether to answer or not. daughters’ voice. would do that frequently. “I saw William” Her mothers voice was so matter-of-fact and calm that Samantha wasn’t sure she heard right. keep it from exploding out of her chest. “Mama.” Samantha had become the parent and was prepared to reason with her mother. he’s scared and cold and that we need to help him. Samantha, you need to come home, you need to come home and help William” Her mothers voice verged on hysteria. for two weeks.” the accusing glances from her mothers’ blood-shot alcoholic eyes and the innuendos. Why was Samantha saved and not William? mother was always drinking. And Samantha always gave in. uncontrollably now, “mama… mama… stop crying, I’ll come. I’ll catch a flight in the morning.” She sighed as she placed the phone into the cradle. An overwhelming feeling of doom engulfed her. Why is this happening? Does insanity run in the family? She couldn’t very well accuse her mother of imagining William when she herself had received a phone call from her dead brother. looked at the once pretty white and red two-story farmhouse. The paint was peeling and weather-beaten now from years of neglect. The yard was overgrown with weeds and the porch tilted slightly. the “rescue” and never returned. Samantha wondered in despair why her father never took her with him. That’s when her mother turned to the bottle for comfort. And a lifelong vigil for William began. drove away and walked hesitantly up the creaking porch steps. door and knocked soundly on the secondary door. No answer, no sounds of rustling, nothing. She walked to one of the windows on the porch and peered in. Somewhat comforted by the sight of her mother lying on the couch with an empty vodka bottle on the floor, she searched for the key in her purse. helping her Mother from the couch. on her Mothers arms. Her Mother moaned as her head rolled to one side. up. “It’s all right, Mama, It’s me, Samantha, I’m going to put you to bed now.” This same scenario had played hundreds of times in Samantha's young life. with a quilt, She walked back to the living room and looked at the disarray. She surveyed the dingy curtains, the once bright floral couch that had faded to an unrecognizable red stained lump of dirty, dusty piece of furniture and the cobwebs that splayed every corner of the ceiling. Much darker than she remembered. Liquor bottles, glasses, various packages of half eaten food was strewn everywhere. commenced to clean.
clean. She could hear her Mothers deep, elongated snores from the room next door. would creep and coil around her brain like a snake. She beat the snake back and reached for the door. It’s just another room, she told herself. She had her hand almost to the knob when a piercing chirping noise split the air causing her to jump. The noise rang through the stillness again. Relieved when she realized it was the phone, she ran to answer. of William echoed in her head, but different somehow, lower, raspier, almost…evil. “Why did you do that to me? I never hurt you…yet.” Her heart racing in stark fear, she slammed the phone down into its cradle. the door jam of her room. Samantha stared at her, unconsciously taking in the disheveled, torn pink housecoat, and frizzed, messy red hair. She took her kerchief from her head and wiped her face and neck. across the room past Samantha, her flip-flops making a slapping noise against her feet. in New York?” Her sarcastic tone wasn’t lost on Samantha She just doggedly made her way to the kitchen and busied herself searching for a bottle of vodka and a glass. Samantha followed, staring disapprovingly at her mother as she poured a glass full of vodka. we can talk.” almost laughingly. “Good luck with that.” She schlepped back to the living room. liquor, beer, mixers for the liquor, a few take out containers with half-eaten food and a jar of pickles. The pantry held two cans of tomatoes, a box of noodles and a canister of Christmas cookies. She didn’t even want to look in that, this was August, and they were probably green by now. watched TV. store and get a few things for dinner.” at the TV screen. knew the answer. this is a figment of both our imaginations. But she couldn’t shake a feeling of dread and doom. Told me I shouldn’t have left him. That we should have found him.” Christina turned to her daughter, tears welling in her eyes, bottom lip trembling. “We looked, we looked for weeks, we tried so hard to find him, so hard” She placed her face in her hands and sobbed. of her housecoat and dabbed at her eyes. She stuffed the handkerchief back in her pocket and reached for the phone as Samantha held her breath. silence for a long time. were finally found. Samantha's cell rang twice on the way to the grocery store but she ignored it. Driving through Doyens's one main street with three red lights brought back memories of cruising on Saturday nights looking for any kind of action. sloping hills of upstate Texas. Population was 4567 at last count. Doyens was the type of town where the population count went down every year. She pulled into the parking lot of Herniation's grocery, the only grocer in town. If you wanted a bigger variety, the drive to a larger town was only twenty-five miles. But Samantha didn’t want to take the chance with her Mothers old 78 Oldsmobile. her as she walked into the store. She turned to face a large dark-haired flushed-faced young man. He grinned from ear to ear. He looked very familiar, but she couldn’t remember his name. She smiled back at him hoping he would give a clue to his identity. for his identity. father of Doyens, she reveled in her sudden insight. But what are you doing in Doyens? I thought you moved north to go to Pent State.” my life. I am a veterinarian. Plenty of farm animals around here.” He laughed, as he followed her into the store. looked at him with a subtle quick questioning. every week. She’s ninety-three and feisty as hell.” He laughed. she thought. But she couldn’t remember much of him. He had gone to the same high school and college she had but he was two years older than her and she only knew him by sight. and laughing, Samantha felt lightness in her heart that had been absent for years. was paying for her food. He had gone through the line and was waiting for her at the end of the checkout, cradling two bags of groceries in his arms. evening. This was really only a short visit.” bagged groceries through the doors to her car. Todd Doyens followed eagerly, like a puppy expecting a treat. She opened her trunk to the battered old car and started packing the groceries in. me for breakfast in the morning? We could meet at Rosa's, catch up on some old times.” pleasant man, and thought, why not? It was only an hour out of her day, an hour that promised to be enjoyable. non-discrete tune. Samantha smiled, closed the trunk and drove home. straight up, in one hand and a cigarette in the other, taking a bite of food here and there. conversation with a safe subject. “We’re going to meet at Rosa's in the morning for breakfast. Would you like to join us?” of whiskey. She was still in her ragged, faded housecoat. school when you were little, after…………” Her Mothers voice trailed off into silence. They both knew what she was going to say. cigarette in hand, started toward the living room. “Let’s watch some TV.” Mother poured one drink after another and chain-smoked, then finally succumbed by falling asleep. After putting her Mother to bed, Samantha found herself once again standing in front of her brothers’ room. dread slithering through her body. Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and threw open the door, to be greeted only by darkness. She fumbled for the light switch and turned it on. She stood on the threshold and gazed around in astonishment. The room was exactly as it had been fifteen years ago, except clean, very clean. Baseball banners hung on every inch of the wall. Several baseball caps were lined up neatly on the dresser and various toys and action figures stood stoically on a shelving unit in one corner. The rest of the house was hot, but this room seemed chilly, or maybe it was just a shock reaction, Samantha thought. Her eyes fell on the picture of her brother on his night stand. A very cute redheaded freckled-face boy stared at her with that crooked smile Samantha remembered the most about him. Candles and fake rose-garland surrounded the picture. Her Mother had turned this room into a shrine! whirl around toward the door. Her stomach wrenched. from different parts of the room. Samantha felt like a whirling ballerina on top of a music box. louder and deeper, infusing her body, until she placed her hands over her ears in an attempt to quiet the voice. to be right over her head. The voice stopped so abruptly and the dead silence that followed made Samantha doubt her sanity. clock ticked steadily, a muffled dog bark from far away, and the whirring of the air conditioner brought Samantha back to reality. She would make herself a cup of tea. That should calm her down. She ran water into a teakettle, put it on the stove and turned the knob to ignite the gas flame. While she was looking in the cabinets for the box of tea she had bought at the store today, an almost imperceptible scratch on the window over the sink caught her attention. Jerking her head toward the sound, she walked gingerly to the window and gazed out. The wind was picking up. Maybe something blew across the window. Without warning, William's gray menacing face appeared in the window. Samantha gasped, dropped the box of tea, and stumbled back almost falling over a kitchen chair. And then it was gone. Clutching her chest as if to keep her heart from tearing through, she heard another sound. A thud, as if something heavy had been dropped on the porch. Her heart was pounding so loud she thought it would wake her mother. a stronger emotion, curiosity. Then anger vibrated through her body. If she found out one of the kids in this area was playing a trick on her, there would be hell to pay. Expecting to see a bunch of kids running away across the yard laughing and giggling, she walked to the door and flung it open. The cold blast of wind that struck her face was surprising. Catching her breath, she peered across the yard. Seeing nothing she stepped out onto the porch. A full moon and the light from the kitchen window illuminated the porch quite well. There was nothing on the porch to indicate something had fallen. little further. She squinted into the white-gray moonlit darkness across the yard toward the open fields. Is that a person standing out there? Or were her eyes just playing tricks on her? Her questions were answered almost immediately when the figure turned and moved away from her. rocks and ground roughness on her bare feet she concentrated on keeping the figure in sight. She hadn’t even noticed the kitchen door slamming shut from the wind or the gas eye blowing out underneath the teakettle. what direction she was going. Her only thought was to find out who the figure was and put this insanity to rest forever. and her brother had fallen into fifteen years ago, she stood and stared at the cement cap that had been placed over it soon after the incident. Only something was different. The cement cap was askew, leaning to one side, exposing a hole about three feet wide. She looked all around, no sign of the child. Could the child have fallen in? Hesitantly she approached the opening and gazed down. rustling in the dark bowels of the well. She settled on her knees, placed her hands on the topsides of the short cement wall that held the cap in place. to back away, but the grip of the thing tightened and pulled. Using her hands on the walls to brace herself she tried to pull away again. She couldn’t scream now as the thing had found its way to the front of her throat and was slowly choking the life out of her. Her last thought was of falling, falling into the darkness to meet whatever was the owner of the slithering arm. A small white-haired woman of about ninety years of age was flipping through channels with a remote. Todd Doyens came in carrying two cups of tea and sat them down on the coffee table. The old woman couldn’t seem to find the channel she was looking for. Todd took the remote from her. handed his aunt her cup of tea. minutes of weather and uninteresting stories of local fluff. that completely devastated a farm house. It is believed to be one fatality in that explosion.” A bland looking newsman related his story with no emotion. “Brett Carillon is on the scene now with more details, Brett.” They all looked alike. hearing the explosion about twelve-thirty this morning. There are reports that the explosion could be felt as far away as Cornice. As you can see behind me there are still fire trucks and police cars on the scene. They did find one body that is believed to be Mrs. Margaret Roberts. An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact identity of the body. The only other relative that Mrs. Roberts had was a daughter, who was visiting. The police are still trying to locate her daughter, Samantha Roberts. Here is a picture of Samantha Roberts.” He held up an 8x10 photograph. “If anyone has seen her please call the number you see on the screen.” was there and is now missing”? is ongoing and has described Samantha Roberts as a person of interest.” camera. “We will continue with this story as more information becomes available.” was a rumor that John Roberts didn’t leave, but that Margaret killed him, threw him down the well, and that the farm is haunted. Yep, blamed him and Samantha for the death of her son, William. Never was the same after that, never the same.” but she never showed up. I just thought she had changed her mind. Never thought something could have happened to her.” He reached for the phone to call the police, they needed to know he had seen her last night.
© 2008 P_F_COGAN |
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