15: THE SONG

CLAIRE AND HANNA appeared on the same street in Neverhill. It was still night. All of the lights were still off. All of the houses were still dark. And the glowing moon was still the only source of light. Further down the street, there was the same cul-de-sac they had seen before.

“Now, we just need to find Eileen,” Hanna said, turning to look the other way. The road stretched to the horizon with no apparent end. “This time, we walk this way.”

“How do we find her?” Claire asked, walking beside her.

“I spoke with her yesterday. She told me that after we sedated her, she appeared in Neverhill.” Hanna gestured to the houses around them. “This is Neverhill. So, we walk until we find her. She shouldn’t be far.”

There was a distant scream, just barely audible.

“What was that?” Claire asked.

They stopped, staring at each other with their ears turned. There was another scream from what sounded like only a few blocks away.

“That’s her,” Hanna said. “Remember the plan. She needs to think we’re disobeying orders. They sent us in here to torture her, but we’re actually here to help.”

They jogged along the empty road, coming across a four-way intersection. Straight ahead, the road stretched infinitely. To the right and left, the same thing. They stood at the center of the intersection, waiting for another scream.

When it came, they turned left and dashed toward the hollering voice. They passed rows of identical houses. The same blue door. The same white vinyl siding. The same brick chimney. Over and over. House after house. Eileen’s voice grew louder. Clearer. Closer. Until they finally reached another cul-de-sac, and at the opposite end of the circle, standing on the concrete sidewalk, was Eileen.

She squeezed her arms around her body, trembling as sweat dripped from her face. She stood under the only working streetlight, which shined with blinding intensity. A low but audible hum buzzed from the bulb as it cast down a ray of light.

Before she could let out another scream, she noticed Claire and Hanna standing across from her. “No,” she mumbled. “Not you. Anyone but you.”

“It’s okay,” Hanna said, approaching with caution. “We’re here to help.”

“Get away from me.” She backed away, stepping out of the light, and as she did, the sky darkened. The moonlight faded. The frightening growls emerged. “Oh, no,” she said, scrambling back into the light. The growls silenced, and the sky returned to normal. She stood still and held her palm toward them. “Stay back. Don’t come any closer. I don’t need any more trouble.”

“We’re not here to bring trouble,” Hanna said. “I told you, we’re here to help.”

“Why would you help me?”

“Because I believe you’re innocent.”

Eileen’s eyes widened. “You what?”

“She believes you’re innocent,” Claire said. “And so do I.”

“You’re still the prime suspect,” Hanna said. “At least according to the SCB. They sent us in here to use your fear of the dark against you, but we’re not going to do that.”

Eileen flipped her hair back. “Why the change of heart? Yesterday, you threatened me, and now you want to help?”

“We think there was an error with the evidence, but none of the others believe us. Right now, we’re working independently of the SCB. None of them know what we’re really doing in here.”

“They can’t see us?”

“They cannot. This conversation is private. They can’t see or hear anything we do.”

“But she knows,” Eileen said, pointing at Claire. “She’s with the SCB. She’ll tell them.”

“No,” Hanna insisted. “We can trust her.”

“I don’t even know if I can trust you. You drugged me up and trapped me under this light.”

Hanna glanced at the lightbulb above. “You’re trapped?”

“That’s what I said. When I step out, that monster comes back, so I’m stuck standing here alone in the middle of the night. I hate being outside at night. It freaks me out.”

“You’re afraid of the dark. It’s your mind’s way of manifesting your fear. You can leave, but you have to confront your fear.”

“That creature bit off my pinky last time.” She shook her head. “Nope. Nah-uh. I’m not letting that happen again. I’ll stay right here until I wake up. I hate standing under this goddamn light, but it’s better than being eaten alive.”

“We saw your father,” Claire said.

Eileen tilted her head. “You what? How is that possible?”

Claire stepped forward and leaned against the base of the light. “We saw him in one of your memories. We know what he used to do to you.”

“The man was a coward,” Eileen said. “He didn’t deserve an ounce of respect. I only wish I had realized that sooner. I spent my entire childhood fearing the man. If I could see him now, I would tell him how worthless he is.”

“You deserved better.”

“Do you think I wanted the life I ended up with? Of course not. But what other choice did I have? Sure, I did well in school, but he didn’t support a single thing I did. I wasn’t going to college. I had no future. He wouldn’t have let me.” She glanced at her feet. “If I could see him one more time. Tell him he’s trash. Show him how much better off I am without him.”

“You can,” Hanna said. “We can bring you to a memory of him, and you can say whatever you want.”

“Why would you do that for me? What’s in it for you?”

“I don’t want to see an innocent woman go to jail. I want to clear your name, and to do that, we need you to bring us to your dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It’s where your truths are stored. If you’re innocent, which I believe you are, we should find definitive proof there. It’s a very personal part of the brain and you should only bring us there if you trust us completely. I realize you may not be there with us yet, but we would like an opportunity to earn back some of that trust.”

“So, you bring me to my father, and then I bring you to this dorso place?”

“If you trust us, yes. But first, we have to get you away from this streetlight.”

Eileen looked down at the perimeter of light around her. “What about the monster?”

“This is your mind. You have control. If you focus on overcoming your fear, the monster won’t hurt you.”

Eileen inhaled through her nose and released it through her mouth, stepping closer to the edge of the light. Her second step crossed the threshold into the dark. The sky dimmed and a dark mist overcame them. The ominous whispers returned, speaking nonsense in a low, grumbling tone.

Hanna swiveled her head around, watching the shroud of darkness invade. “Focus, Eileen. Don’t let your fear overwhelm you.”

Eileen took another step, this one bringing her completely out of the light. The world darkened more as the eerie cloud consumed them. The grumbling whispers transformed into growls, a noise Claire and Hanna both dreaded.

Hanna could not see the creature through the dense fog, but she could feel it brush against her leg. “You have to focus, Eileen.”

“I am focusing, goddamn it. It’s not working. And that fricking monster is back. I can’t do this. I’m going back.” She spun around to return to safety, but the streetlight had turned off. Now, there was only darkness. “It’s not there. The goddamn light is gone.”

“Stay calm. Panicking will only make it worse.” The growls transformed into roars, and she could feel the pricks and pins on her hand.

“How can I stay calm when the only thing that’s been keeping me safe has disappeared? This is your fault. I should have ignored you and just stayed under the light.”

There was a nibble on Hanna’s leg. “Please. You have to stay calm.”

“Stop saying that!”

Hanna could no longer see Eileen or Claire. The darkness had engulfed everything. She could barely even see her own body. A set of sharp teeth poked at her skin, ready to chomp at any moment. She prepared for the unbearable pain that would come once the creature decided to take another bite out of her torso. Eileen was not in control, and things were about to get very dangerous. It was time to give up. “Claire!” she yelled. “Extract!”

She waited for an answer, but did not receive one. Another set of teeth scratched against her arm, puncturing her skin. There was no more time. She had to get out. She recited the sequence in her head. The ship. The water. The clouds. She was nearly done, but then she paused, hearing Claire’s voice.

Claire was singing “Love Me Tender,” the delightful Elvis tune they had heard on the CD player. Her melodic voice was soft and soothing. There were many words to describe her singing, but for Hanna, only one came to mind: angelic.

The sharp teeth disappeared. The guttural growls subsided. The night sky returned to its normal moon-lit hue. Eileen stood in front of the curb, staring at Claire with entranced eyes. She mouthed the lyrics as Claire sang them, swaying her head to the soothing tempo.

“That song,” Eileen said. “I’ve loved that song ever since I was a child. Whenever I had the chance, I would flip on the old black and white videos of Elvis. I loved all of his songs, but that one was always my favorite.”

Claire reached the end of the song and smiled. “You did it. You’re in the dark, and there’s no monster. You’re not trapped anymore.”

A surprised smile crept onto Eileen’s face. “Would you look at that?”

“You did well,” Hanna said. “I’m sorry I pushed you.”

Eileen shrugged. “It got me out. So, thank you, I guess.”

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s find your father.”

Eileen turned around and stared at the house in front of them. A light in the window flickered on. “Right, my father.”