Ted and Peter were finally able to calm Darcy. They’d found her sitting straight up in bed, screaming with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape.
When she’d finally calmed down, the child went from terrified to subdued. Looking away from her father, she rested her head back down on the pillow and faced the wall.
“Darcy,” Ted said patiently, “please tell us what happened. Did you have a bad dream?”
She wouldn’t respond and instead wrapped her blankets more tightly around her body.
Peter touched Ted’s shoulder and gently led him away to the hallway outside Darcy’s bedroom. His eyes were filled with concern, and he spoke in a hushed tone.
“Look, I think it might be better if I go in there and talk to her alone. She might tell me more if you’re not around.”
It pained Ted to think that his daughter wasn’t being totally forthcoming with him and would prefer the confidence of a family friend. But he also didn’t want her to remain silent on the matter and was desperate to find out what had frightened her so badly. Was it the cabin in the damned woods? Or was it something else? Something even more sinister?
“Ok,” he agreed, and watched as Peter went back into the bedroom.
Darcy was terrified. She knew now that the boy was evil and would haunt her dreams until he either killed her or took her to that horrible house in the woods. Her most recent dream involved him chasing her through the woods and then grabbing her tightly, shaking her ferociously. She’d screamed for him to stop, but his ironclad grip began to sear through her skin, causing a terrible burning sensation that permeated right down to her bones.
She never wanted to fall asleep again, because that was where he waited for her. And the worst thing about it was that he was starting to enter her mind. She could hear him laughing inside her brain, and though she tried to shut it out, the control he had over her mind was becoming stronger. She didn’t like the way he spoke to her father, but she was having a difficult time trying to get him to stop.
Darcy heard Peter return to the bedroom. She like the reverend and often called him Uncle Peter. Over the years she’d found his presence soothing and familiar.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and didn’t say anything for a moment, just watched her as she stared at the wall.
Feeling bad about ignoring him, Darcy turned around and managed a small smile. “Hi, Uncle Peter.”
“Hi, yourself,” he said jokingly. “How’re you feeling?”
“Not so good,” she replied quietly. “My head hurts and I’m sick.”
Peter was quiet and then moved closer to the little girl. “Darcy, do you feel sick? Or are you scared?”
She sat straight up and glared at him. “I’m not scared. Why’d you ask me that?”
“Well, you woke up screaming. That’s usually the way people react when they’re scared.”
Darcy sighed and looked down at her blankets. She appeared much older than her collective eight years.
“I’ve been having bad dreams.”
“What do you mean? Can you tell me what’s happening?”
“Well, I dream about this forest and there are a lot of trees. There’s this little house in the middle of all of it, and there’s a boy there who’s very bad.”
Peter swallowed hard. “How is he very bad?”
“I think he’s evil. And I think he’s trying to get inside me.”
Ted sat alone on his couch and waited for Peter to finish talking to Darcy. His body ached from exhaustion and he was drained of all energy. Leaning back on the cushions, he closed his eyes and decided to rest until his friend returned.
It was very unusual for Ted to fantasize in the daytime. The divorce had nearly drained him of any romantic considerations or hope. But for some reason, he suddenly (and inexplicably) felt sexual tension and the need to release himself and relax. The situation unfolding around him wasn’t exactly conducive to self-pleasure, so instead—he tried to think about something pleasant until Peter returned.
Ted’s mind began to relax and drift as a strange sensation overtook him. It was as if thick, warm syrup was being poured over his body, embracing him in a cocoon. He knew that sleep was beginning to overtake him, but he was powerless to stop it.
He could smell the perfume of a woman waft toward his nostrils. Opening his eyes, he saw her standing in the center of the living room.
It was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Though he was not normally a fan of redheads, he liked her because she had sensual lips and dark eyes. Her red hair flowed down her back and her round, pert breasts were set perfectly apart, rosy nipples pointing in his direction.
Like two mounds of strawberry ice cream.
Ted felt his penis throb, harden, and lift as she approached him. The sensations running through his body were delicious rivers of melted chocolate that sent sweetened sensations to every nerve ending.
The strange woman sat on his lap and straddled him as she wrapped her fingers around his neck and brought her face to his. He could feel the warmth of her crotch against his pants and moaned, pushing himself against her as they kissed deeply.
The kiss seemed to get hotter and hotter until Ted though he might explode in his pants. When their faced parted after a perfect kiss, the woman stared at him with a meaningful look and opened her mouth as if to say something.
But her mouth continued opening until it filled her face and the darkness of her mouth clouded his vision. Now everything was black and he was no longer on the couch.
He was sitting on the ground in the dirt.
Dried leaves tickled his legs, and as the world came into perspective, Ted realized that he was sitting in the woods at night. He was surrounded by darkness, although he could hear crickets chirping in the distance and the wind gently whispering every so often.
Suddenly, a child giggled above him.
Looking up, he could see a small cliff jutting out of the ground. There was a small form standing on the cliff, looking down and laughing at him.
Ted finally found his voice. “Hey,” he called. “Who’s up there?”
The boy giggled again and then ran off, leaving Ted alone in the darkening woods. He sat there for a moment and tried to remember how his fantasy dream had turned into a nightmare. But for some reason, he didn’t feel like he was in a dream. The air seemed normal and everything felt so…real.
Standing up, Ted stretched and decided to find his way out of the woods. He turned away from the cliff and began walking in the other direction. The ground was uneven, so he found himself carefully picking through rocks and maneuvering around wayward branches.
Eventually, the ground flattened and Ted found himself walking quickly through acres and acres of darkness. He was comforted when the telltale sounds of nature began to sing around him. Crickets chirped in the distance and every once in a while he would hear a frog croaking out its contentment.
The sound reminded him that there was probably water nearby. Ted was feeling a bit thirsty, so he kept his eyes open for a pond or stream. But trees continued to surround him on all sides, offering little visibility into the secrets of the woods.
Suddenly, Ted heard something snap behind him. Whirling around, he fully expected to see some horrific creature standing behind him, but instead—he got the shock of his life.
Darcy emerged from the trees and stood before him. She was wearing the same pajamas from earlier in the day…her new Strawberry Shortcake ones. And she seemed disoriented and scared.
“Daddy!” she called out and ran into his arms.
As he embraced her, Ted could smell his daughter’s familiar scent and it comforted him for a moment. But then fear began to set in. How were they both in his dream?
Was she even real?
Stepping back from the little girl for a moment, Ted knelt down and stared at her. “Darcy, how did you get here? Are you just a part of my dream? I think I fell asleep.”
“No, Daddy. I was talking to Uncle Peter and then I must’ve fallen asleep. And now you’re in my dream! I’m scared.” She began to shake and looked as if she was about to cry.
Ted took her into his arms again and held her tight. “Don’t worry, we’ll find our way out.”
“We need to find the cabin,” Darcy whispered.
Ted’s blood chilled within his veins. Darcy was right. He had a feeling that the evil spirits haunting them were connected to the cabin, and that the only way to survive the nightmare would be to deal with them directly.
The idea of bringing his child into danger was making him nauseous, but there was no way he was going to leave her in the woods by herself—even if they were simply dreaming.
He gathered all of his courage and put out his hand to grasp hers. “Let’s go. Whatever happens, we’ll be there together.”
The two held hands and set off into the woods.
Peter was confused. After speaking with Darcy, he’d come back outside to talk to Ted. But the living room was empty. And a quick check on the rest of the house didn’t turn up anything either.
Then, when he’d gone back to check on Darcy, he’d found that she was missing too.
In essence, he was suddenly standing in an empty house alone and knew that couldn’t be a good sign.
Thinking quickly, Peter decided that the only way to find Ted and Darcy was to follow in their footsteps. He went into the bathroom and searched through the cabinets until he found what he was looking for.
Sleeping pills.
He grabbed several tablets and washed them down with a quick gulp of water from the faucet. As the acrid pills flowed down his throat, he knew that he didn’t have much time. Father and daughter had been missing for nearly ten minutes already.
Returning to Darcy’s bedroom, he carefully laid down on her bed. Despite its smaller size, it was able to hold him comfortably. The sheets were moist with Darcy’s sweat and smelled of her, but he ignored everything. Leaning back on the pillows, he waited for sleep to overtake him.
It took a few minutes, but a drowsy veil finally arrived and darkened the room further, pulling Peter into its deep grasp.