Every now and then, I question my life choices. There was the one time when I was in an inmate’s dream and he tortured a man because he owed him drug money. There was another time when I pretended to be a serial killer’s accomplice, so I could discover the grisly details of how he murdered his victims. And now, driving through an imaginary thunderstorm and chasing a demonic, red monster, I couldn’t help but wonder if I might’ve been better suited to be a chef.
I finally caught up with the creature in the field where Beth had been discovered. It was running around in a circle near the same spot I found her lying unresponsive in the grass. I parked Beth’s car by the side of the road. I opened the door and willed another umbrella to appear in my hand. I stepped outside and watched as the beast continued to chase its tail in the same three-hundred-sixty-degree pattern. Every few seconds, the creature let out a piercing shriek as if it had been wounded.
I slowly made my way toward the creature, careful not to alarm it as I approached. When I reached it, I noticed a familiar mist surrounding the area the monster was encircling. Suddenly, the beast ran straight into the haze. It bounced off what, not surprisingly, turned out to be another force field and landed with a thud on the ground. It got up and slammed into it again with the same result. After the monster hit the earth a second time, it started to shriek so loud I had to cover my ears. On the bright side, it wasn’t trying to kill me.
I moved closer to the blockade and noticed that it extended vertically far into the sky. I reached my hand out toward it. The creature watched in awe as I barely touched it with my finger and was met with less resistance. It reacted the way a caveman might when seeing fire for the first time. Whatever lay on the other side obviously held some significance, so I took a step back and closed my eyes. I willed myself to transport into the center of the enclosure.
Once inside, there was an immediate change. It wasn’t raining or thundering. In fact, the sun shone down exclusively on that particular spot. It was calm and peaceful, the exact opposite of the tempest outside. No longer needing the umbrella, I willed it to dematerialize. Through the fog, I saw the creature looking in at me. No wonder it wanted to cross the barrier. I held out my hand and beckoned it to join me. It shook its head and shrieked again.
I cautiously moved my hand toward the inside of the wall. Although it was just as fuzzy as the outside, it didn’t push me away. I slowly put my fingers through the static barricade. They glowed as they penetrated the force field but came out safely on the other side. I extended the rest of my hand and held it out toward the creature. Half-expecting the monster to tear it off, I was pleased when the beast gently took my hand into its own.
“I’m going to bring you in,” I told it, a metallic echo of my voice reverberating as it traversed the otherworldly obstruction.
The creature nodded. I coaxed it into the barrier, and, like my hand, it was able to cross over without incident. The only difference was that as each part of the monster’s body passed the dividing line, it transformed into Beth’s. Eventually, she was standing before me shivering, nude and soaking wet. I quickly conjured a blanket and covered her with it. Her lips quivered as she wrapped the comforter around her.
“That’s the second time you’ve seen me naked, Max,” she said, trembling. “Hardly seems fair. Does it?”
“I’m glad you’re back to yourself again,” I said, ignoring her comment.
“Me too,” she said and shut her eyes. “It’s a lot warmer on this side.” She stopped shaking and the water on her evaporated. She opened her eyes and dropped the blanket to the ground. To my relief, she was wearing clothes she’d willed to materialize. “So, what now?”
“We go back to your parents’ house and try again.”
“No. I just want to get it over with. I remember leaving that night. It was no different than any other time.”
“Okay. Do you remember what happened when you got here?”
“It’s still blurry.”
I motioned outside of the sanctuary she’d created. “Then we’ll have to go out there and retrace your steps.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I just got in here. It’s terrible out there.”
“You said you wanted to get it over with.”
“I lied.”
“Beth, it’s the only way. Don’t worry. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
She stalled, but then realized I wasn’t backing down. “Can I at least have a minute?”
“Of course.”
Beth stayed completely still for a moment as the rain pounded all around us, but not a single drop on our heads. She took a deep breath and exhaled. The force field dissipated as did the storm I thought would never end. The sun that radiated solely on us faded away too. Only the moon provided illumination in the darkness. Beth hesitantly looked at her car by the side of the road.
“I’m prolonging it,” she said. “Aren’t I?”
“That’s not for me to say,” I replied. “But if it’s causing you pain, it may be time to face it.”
She took my hand, and, together, we walked to the car. When we reached the driver’s side, I tried to let go, but she held on tightly, gripping her fingers over mine. She looked at me pleadingly. In that moment, I felt worse for her than I ever had. Not caring how it might be construed, I leaned in and hugged her. She released my hand and hugged me back. I pulled away from her and motioned to the driver-side door.
“Were you in the car when your attacker arrived?”
She nodded. “I had run out of gas,” she answered. “I was going to call Bobby, but my cell phone was dead.”
I opened the car door. “Get in.” After she reluctantly sat down behind the wheel, I closed the door and went around to the passenger’s side. I got in and shut the door. “So, then what happened?”
“I, uh, couldn’t charge my phone, so I decided to walk to the nearest town.” She looked into the rearview mirror. “But then, uh…I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can. What did you see in the mirror?”
She started breathing heavily. “Headlights.”
“Show me.”
The headlights appeared in the mirror, slowly approaching us. The beams were too bright for me to make out what kind of vehicle it was. The light flooded the inside of Beth’s car so much, in fact, that I had to turn away from it for fear of being blinded. Beth hyperventilated. I put my hand on her back to try and calm her down. I considered aborting, but we were so close, and I didn’t know if we’d ever get to that point again.
“Did the driver come to you or did you get out of the car?” I asked.
“I-I-can’t remember,” she said, her breaths getting shorter. “Please don’t make me.” She tried starting the engine, but it only sputtered. “I gotta get out of here!” She went to open the door, but it was locked. “Did you lock me in here?! Why would you do that?!”
“You know that I didn’t.”
She struggled with the lever, but it was jammed. “Look. I changed my mind. Okay? Now open the door!”
“Beth, stop it! If you keep running away from it, it’s only going to catch up with you again. It has power over you. If you face it, you gain that power back.”
She let go of the lever and sat still. She slowed her breathing down and gripped the steering wheel tightly. She looked into the rearview mirror directly at the headlights. They suddenly went dark. I turned around to see the vehicle. There was a haze around it, so it was still difficult to see. Beth opened the car door with no problem. She glared at me with a disdain in her eyes I hadn’t seen before.
“You’re a persistent son of a bitch,” she said. “Aren’t you?”
“I’m only trying to help you,” I said.
“Well, come on then. Let’s end this mystery together.”
She got out of the car and closed the door. I climbed out of the passenger’s side and came around behind her. In the mist, the other vehicle’s door opened, and the sound of footsteps hit the pavement. A shadowy figure closed the door and walked toward us. As it approached, a scraping sound emanated from the concrete, growing louder as it got closer. When the figure finally emerged, standing before Beth as clear as day and holding a shovel in one hand, I froze.
“Daddy?” she said.
“Hey, little girl,” Edward said vacantly then lifted the shovel and swung it hard across her face.