Matthew Cornachione - Dansk Bay Hotel

I forced my arms to unravel. My hands trembled, but obeyed. I pressed a palm against the wall and rocked forward, standing up. Weak legs shook, but held. I was alive and, as far as I could tell, unharmed.

I stumbled back to the cabin, locked the door behind me, and climbed up to the loft bed. I didn’t even take off my poncho, nor my shoes. I couldn’t think straight anymore. All I could do was curl up and tell myself that everything would be okay in the morning. Everything had to be okay.

I dreamed of Lena. There we were together, back in Boston Commons, following the Freedom Trail. We diverged from the beaten path to explore a “haunted” tunnel network. At that moment, we were holding hands, laughing, and smiling. We even turned off our flashlights for a private kiss.

Then we both saw it. A white cloud, somehow light even in the dark. It let out a piercing wail, chilling me to the bone. I ran.

I thought Lena was behind me, wanted her to be, but I reached the sunlit exit alone. I waited. She never came out.

Police cars materialized, sirens flashing. An officer led me inside, and there she was, lying still. Not dead, yet not really alive anymore. She was a body breathing, but no mind to go with it.

She probably slipped and fell on the way out, the officer said. Damaged her brain. Except she had no bruises. And I’d seen that white cloud.

I woke up with a start, the guilt I’d felt that moment as tangible now as ever. Years of rationalizing it away had done nothing. I’d abandoned her to her fate. To what I now firmly believed was a ghost.

I blinked and shook my head, clearing the awful memories. The early morning sun filtered through the window, illuminating the cabin and clearing my mind. Past mistakes notwithstanding, I was in a bad place now. If I didn’t watch out, I had a feeling I’d end up just like her after all.

I didn’t fully understand what the hell was happening around me, but one thing was obvious. I had to get out of town. No hotel, no job, was worth this. I’d make up some excuse for Regina later. That was a problem I could handle.

All my follow-up plans with Nekker faded as I hurriedly stuffed my pack. I tossed my dinner basket and beer bottle into the trash can, slung my bag over my shoulder, and pushed out the door.

My hands trembled as I scanned the front porch and the outhouse. If the spirit could get me here, then nowhere was safe. Could ghosts appear outside in the day? I had no idea. For now, at least, everything was clear. I hurried down the road.

I passed back through town and up the hill to the train station. Nothing jumped out at me. No one tried to accost me. So far so good.

Cresting the hill I spared a glance for the run-down mini-mart. Still a mess. Last time I’d see it. My heart lightened as I finally reached the train platform. It was clean, modern, familiar. Not a part of the nightmare in town.

I walked to the automatic ticket kiosk. The screen lit up and I pressed the button for one adult ticket on the next train. I dug around for my credit card, but before I found it, a red box showed up on screen:

Train service to Dansk Bay temporarily suspended. Please check back later.

What the hell? I navigated back to the main screen and tried again. Same message.

I pulled out my phone. There was a customer service number on the kiosk. I tapped it in and held the phone to my ear. Silence stretched. I looked at my phone screen and saw the little “No Service” indicator in the top left corner.

A knot grew in my stomach. I jabbed at the poor phone a few more times, willing the call to go through. I knew it wouldn’t work, but I had to try. Again, nothing.

Now feeling full-on sick to my stomach, I stepped back and swiveled my head back and forth. I don’t know what I expected to find, some sort of help maybe, but no one was there.

Rationalize this thing. Dansk Bay was a remote town. They probably lost train service all the time. And, cell service. There had been a storm. Maybe the cell tower had fallen onto the train tracks. No one would be able to fix it right away; a technician would have to come down from Anchorage. Not a big deal, right? They’d get to it soon.

I wasn’t convincing myself, but hey, it could happen.

My thoughts drifted right back to the evil spirit. If this thing could block the trains, what else could it do? I didn’t want to find out.

So, how else could I get out? There was no road, but maybe a boat? I could hitch a ride with the fishermen. But, could I trust them? Were they all in on this?

Thea. She’d know. She’d seen all this coming, I was sure. She could set it right.

My mind made up, I set off back to town. This time I couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the ocean view. I knew on some level that it was pretty, but now I felt the taint of evil across the scene.

A couple minutes later, I burst into Thea’s shop. “Thea, are you here?”

Silence. I waited, listening to my own ragged breathing. My arms trembled as the quiet dragged on. Then, just before a full panic set in, the back door opened and Thea emerged.

“You’re alive.” Her wise old eyes stared into mine with disbelief.

“Um, yes, of course. But I saw—“

“The spirit.” She nodded her head. “That’s why I’m surprised you’re here. You’re either lucky or strong. How did you stop him?”

“Stop him? I didn’t do anything. It… he just left.”

“That’s not like him. Are you sure you didn’t do anything special? What was your last thought?”

“I was thinking of… of someone.” I didn’t want to talk about Lena right now.

“You care about her.” Thea smiled. “He cannot handle compassion. There might be more hope for you than the others.”

“Others? What others?”

“Oh, you’re a smart man. Evil has reigned here for a long time. I’m sure you can put it all together.”

A chill ran down my spine. “How many?”

She shook her head. “I don’t keep count. It’s better that way.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You wouldn’t have listened.”

Damn it, she was probably right. But, still, I wish she’d said something.

“But some must have survived, right? Some got away?”

Her eyes met mine. “None yet. But, you’ve survived an encounter so maybe you’re different.”

“I want to be. I need to get the hell out of here. The train is out of commission. Can you get me on a boat or something?”

“That won’t work. The fishermen are all too scared. None will cross him.”

“Seems like you’re too scared yourself.”

That earned me a glare. I mean a serious glare. I felt my heart tighten as Thea stared me down.

“Don’t presume to know my mind.”

I held up my hands. “Okay, I crossed a line. Sorry. But, there’s got to be a way for me to get home alive.”

“Hmph. Me, I’d just walk. Only thirty miles to the next town as the train runs. You might be able to make it before night.”

Thirty miles? I’d been exhausted after a 5k last year. “I can’t make that.”

“Well, there is one other way. Of course, I doubt you have the fortitude.”

“Tell me. I’ll try anything else.”

“If you want to know more, check out the Net Profit .”

“Net Profit?”

“The boat at the far end of the marina. It’s an old museum from the tourist days. Maybe you’ll find something helpful.”

“A museum? How will that help?”

“I’ve given you all I can Kyle. I don’t expect you to understand. From here, the choice is yours.” She bowed her head to me and shuffled into the back room.

“Thea! Wait!”

She didn’t stop. I was left alone in the trading post, alone to face a spirit that had murdered other unsuspecting travelers. I had no idea how to stop it, how to escape.