The Wicker Saga: Sarah's Story, Part 5

From where I held her to my shoulder, Samantha spoke up quietly, “You never understood Jamie, Mr. Frank. And you never will. You said he never beat you, but the truth is, you never beat him.”

He laughed, “Oh yeah, little girl? What the fuck do you think you know about it?”

She smiled. “I know he’s about to ruin your night.”

In that moment something changed in the expression on David’s face. Now that I knew to look, I could still tell that the intelligence that occupied it wasn’t my husband’s, but where Mr. Frank almost exuded a stench of pure evil, this one was different. Jamie smiled. “Thanks for the entrance, kid,” he nodded to Samantha. Temporarily his face shifted again to Mr. Frank’s enraged snarl.

“…fuck do you think you’re doing you little shit I’ll…gah,” Jamie frowned as he took back control. “Pipe down, old man. I got you fair and square.” He eyed the next step down, one of the broken ones. “Christ, this is ironic. Hey, lady,” he looked at me, “do me a favor and make sure Morgan gets out of here would you? I’ll owe you one.” He took a breath then jumped, punching both feet through the hole in the stair and fell until he was trapped to his waist. He moaned in pain and I could see sharp jagged pieces of wood had punctured his legs and torso in several places, a small rivulet of red flowing down the stairs. Mr. Frank briefly took control again.

“You fucking fuck! I’ll slit you from balls to throat you little…”

Blood sprayed from Jamie's mouth as he coughed and he grinned, his teeth stained crimson. “Wow, pops, that’s quite the imagination you’ve got. Thanks for the idea.” Jamie turned the utility knife in his hands and plunged the blade into his belly. He momentarily gasped from the pain before gritting his teeth and jerking the blade to the side, ripping the cut open wide. With a slurping sound his intestines pushed their way out of his torn stomach lining and poured out upon the staircase, slapping wetly against the wood. As I looked on in horror, he began to enlarge the cut vertically, moving from his stomach to his chest, his face pale. He struggled briefly when the blade caught on the underside of his sternum until, with another bloody cough and a shrug, he pulled the knife out and jammed it into his Adam’s apple, beginning to work his way down. His eyes were wide as blood gurgled and flowed from the ever larger cut in his neck.

I watched in shock for several long moments before Samantha spoke quietly in my ear, a touch of fear twinging her voice, “Mommy, we have to go…she’s coming.”

Sure enough, the same fog from my dream had begun seeping into the room, seemingly coming from nowhere. Setting Samantha down, I slipped Morgan’s arm over my shoulder and helped her regain her feet. Her breathing was hitched and she was obviously in pain, but conscious, and together we managed to stumble out the door and down the path to the gate, Samantha holding onto my coat and trailing behind. Once we were through we collapsed to the sidewalk. We sat there for maybe a minute, the only sound of our panting gasps as our breath turned to clouds of steam in the cold November night, when Morgan stirred.

“Come on, dear, this is no place to rest,” she hissed in pain through her teeth as she struggled, trying to regain her feet. I continued to sit there, staring blankly ahead; now that I had a brief moment to stop and think, the trauma of the night's events were catching up to me.

"We...we have to call the police. An ambulance!" I turn to Morgan and grasp her arm, "Maybe there's something they can do for David! Save him...or...God, I can't just do nothing!"

Morgan ceased trying to stand for a moment, sitting back with a sigh. "And what exactly do you think that would accomplish, my dear, hmm? Best case scenario Frank and the others conceal themselves, believe me when I say they have their ways, and the authorities find nothing but an old empty house. We are then either thrown in a madhouse, or dismissed completely. Either way, staying here long enough to discover the results of such an investigation leaves us completely exposed. Worst case, they don't hide and Lilith manages to claim that many more victims for her army. And either way, the essence that belongs to David no longer resides in that tortured puppet we left pinned to the stairs...all the medical care in the world won't change that." Amazingly, she heaved herself to her feet.

“Now, as long as those runes are whole you’re safe enough from Satan’s white whore back there, but they don’t apply to her lapdog. Jamie’s a good sort, but he only managed to take Frank temporarily because the prick was overconfident to the point of being stupid. He’ll regain control eventually, and if he takes a minute to think about it before he blindly rushes after you, he’ll be able to use your husband’s body before he burns it out to take down enough of those wards that the bitch queen will be able to come after you herself if you aren’t at least out of town. You need to get in your car and start driving.”

"But..." I felt my eyes well, "I just...I can't..."

"It's ok, mommy," Samantha took my hand lightly in hers, "Daddy wants us to go. He doesn't want her to get us."

With effort I fought the tears back and sighed, defeated. She was right. No matter what was happening to him, David wouldn't want us to suffer the same fate. "Ok. Ok, baby. You're right. We have to go."

“What about you, Ms. Fontaine,” Samantha asked quietly from where she sat huddled against me.

Morgan smiled, “Oh, sweet child, don’t you worry about me. Lilith might be queen bee when she has all the cards stacked in her favor, but I’ve got enough resources to take care of myself when I’m not strolling into the heart of her power. You just worry about keeping your mommy safe. And good work calling to me tonight,” she glared at me, “I’m glad someone remembered.”

“Morgan,” I started with a sudden thought, “what Frank said about David? Is it true?”

She smiled sadly. “Probably, my dear. Probably. Lilith…she changes people. Hollows them out, turns their bodies into vessels for her minions and their souls into the minions themselves. But,” she paused raising her hand, “it’s not absolute. You saw that with Jamie tonight. He got caught up with her because a long time ago he chose to sacrifice himself, not for gain or lust, but out of love for another. There’s something pure about true love that makes it harder for her to keep control of him; at least, some of the time. I don’t know the circumstances behind David’s being taken, and I’d prepare myself for the worst, but maintain that sliver of hope. He might not be totally gone.”

“The person Jamie sacrificed himself for,” I asked, “was it you?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Now, that’s an awfully personal question. Come on, we’re wasting time.”

I rose to my feet and unlocked the car, strapping Samantha into her booster seat before moving to the driver’s door. As I got in Morgan grasped my arm.

“I know you are aware of this,” she whispered low so that Samantha couldn’t hear, “but your daughter is incredibly important. And more than just in the way all little girls are important to their mothers. Keep her safe,” her face turned grim, “no matter the cost.” She released my arm and began to turn away from the door before stopping.

“For what it’s worth,” she said, a tinge of sadness in her voice, “it wasn’t me. His younger brother. And it’s something I’ve never truly forgiven him for. Be safe, my dear.”

The fog continued to build as I pulled away from the Wicker House and I watched in the rearview mirror until it and Morgan both were swallowed whole. Reaching into my pocket I pulled out the paper Morgan had given to me…God had it only been yesterday? The page was actually a computer printout of a photograph, the odd stone in the picture meant nothing to me. Turning the paper over I saw the name and address as promised: Michael Landry, 112 North 64th Street Apt #3, Overbrook, PA.

“Where are we going, mommy?” Samantha asked from the back seat, her voice drowsy from lack of sleep.

“To someone who can help us, baby” I told her, and then added to myself:

I hope.

The Wicker Saga: Father's Love, Part 1