Peter Grist - Flashback

“Josh, why are you out of bed?” Her words died away as she saw the masked man coming towards her. For someone in their late 60s Esther was very sprightly and fit. She quickly jumped up and hurled the heavy-bound book at her assailant’s head. He deftly ducked and came at her. He was surprised that she showed no sign of fear but it didn’t slow down his assualt.

“Get the hell out of here!” she screamed as she squared up to the oncoming attack. Unperturbed, he came on, the nightstick raised higher ready for the attack. Esther grabbed the first thing to hand, which happened to be a metal poker for the fire but she failed to see the spray can in the attacker’s other hand. Instead of bringing down a heavy blow towards her, he simply extended his left arm and sprayed mace straight into her face. Dropping the poker, she clutched at her eyes, a scream braking from her lips. Before the scream could reach any volume, the attacker followed through with his right hand, bringing a hard blow across the side of Esther’s head. She dropped to the floor, instantly unconscious, the scream stopped almost before it started. He looked down at his handy work. A small pool of blood was spreading across the floor, quickly absorbed by the carpet. He kicked her hard in the back, to make sure she wasn’t faking, and then walked out of the room towards the stairs.

The Jeep made rapid progress along the empty country road. Ed pondered that except for a few billboards and a signpost reading State Farm Road, the land looked the same as when he drove this way just a short while ago in his dream. As they approached the intersection he pointed right. Linda hardly slowed for the yield sign as she took the corner and gunned the 4.0li high-output engine, thrusting the sturdy SUV towards the hills. As they came into the treeline, Ed leaned forward in his seat, paying closer attention to the road. After a few minutes he asked Linda to slow down a little. She glanced at the map Buster had scribbled down.

“This is nowhere near where they found the bike. That was over the other side, much closer to town.”

“That’s what I figured; it was a decoy, put folks off of where to look. None of this seems accidental or spur of the moment. It all feels, well, organised you know, pre-planned?”

“Yes, I’m afraid I do.” She replied.

They drove on in silence for a few more minutes before Ed asked: “How long was I out for back there?”

“About twenty minutes, you moved a lot, like you were having a nightmare. I didn’t want to try and wake you just in case, well you know, just in case…”

“Just in case it killed me? I think that’s supposed to be for sleepwalkers and I’m not sure that’s true, but thanks.”

“I didn’t know what to do, the train passed and I just sat there watching you, I was thinking maybe we should turn back but then you seemed to get calmer so I drove over the tracks and waited, you came round just after.”

“Twenty minutes? It seemed much longer, like real time you know?”

They fell back into silence as they drove higher into the hills. They passed a turning that Ed thought might be the one they needed but as they slowed he could see it was a newer intrusion into the trees. Looking up the turn he could see it lead to a cement base holding a cell-phone mast ringed by chain link fencing.

“Umph!” he grunted at the ugly erection. “That definitely wasn’t here last time.”

“That’s progress for you.” She replied.

After another minute and a half he saw the turn. “Here, here, go left!” he pointed excitedly at the small turn. She slowed and took the left turn then following Ed’s directions continued up into the hills.

With each fork in the trail the tracks got smaller and rougher. At one point they had to stop so that Ed could drag the dead trunk of a Buckeye out of the way. The Jeep rocked and rolled through the dips and troughs of the rutted track.

“We’re nearly there…… Yes! That’s where I parked the DeSoto, behind there.” He pointed over to the right to an overgrown cutway. “Go up a bit further, we’ll stop where he parked the pick-up.”

She looked across at him. “A DeSoto? Do they make those things anymore? What were you doing in a DeSoto?”

He smiled ruefully. “I honestly don’t know, it’s the car I always seem to be driving when I have the dreams. I guess it’s because I learnt to drive in one, but really, I just don’t know.”

He pointed ahead to where the track got just a little wider. “That’s it. Stop over there.”

She pulled in to where he had pointed and cut the engine.

“We won’t get any further, even in this.” He said. “It’s through there.” Pointing towards the dense, overgrown woodland.

“How far from here?” she asked.

Ed looked at her; she seemed a lot less certain now, her resolve starting to crumble. He couldn’t think of anything to reassure her that wouldn’t sound patronising. He gently took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She gave him a lame, sickly smile that reminded Ed of Pinnochio in the poolroom on Pleasure Island after he’d had a large drag on a cigar that made him go green.

“Not far, maybe twenty minutes, depending on how overgrown it is.” With a last squeeze, he added, “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

“Ed, I don’t know if I can…”

“Yes, we can,” he interrupted with more certainty than he felt. He opened the passenger door and slid out of the car. As Linda exited on the other side Ed grabbed the spade and flashlight from the floor behind where he had sat. He then looked up at the sky, it was ablaze with pinks and reds as the sun offered a spectacular finale to the day. It wasn’t dark yet but it wouldn’t be long in coming. Handing the large Maglite to Linda, Ed said, “We’d better get going, I don’t want to be lost in the woods all night.” And with that, he set off across the track and into the undergrowth. Linda hesitated a moment longer, looking around suspiciously at the darkening forest, then blipped the remote central locking on the Jeep and headed quickly after Ed.

The going was easier than Ed had expected but still tough. He could make out the faintest hint of an old pathway made by either humans or wild animals. Where brambles grew thickly he hit them back with the spade, cutting a path through but spiky thorns and low branches still clawed at their clothes and exposed skin. Nothing was said until they reached the break in the trees where the stream ran down some fifteen minutes later. Ed walked to the bank and looked down. In the half-light, he could see that the stepping stones seemed just a little smaller but there was a lot less water flowing too. The stream was barely more than a trickle now.

“This is where I crossed, we’re nearly there.” He looked into Linda’s large brown eyes, gaining strength from the compassion he saw in them. He stepped closer to her and removed a small twig from her raven black hair, then gently stroked her cheek.

“Nearly there.” He repeated, more softly.

“I’m okay, let’s get going.”

He nodded, took her hand and led her across the brook.

The boy had been easy to take. Still dreary from sleep, he had put up little resistance. When the attacker had placed the gaffer tape over his mouth, Josh’s eyes opened in confusion but quickly turned to alarm when he saw the masked figure. Josh kicked and flailed out with his arms, knocking the Buzz Lightyear bedside lamp to the floor with a crash but a swift smack to the back of the boy’s head with the back of a hand quickly subdued him. The assailant dragged the boy roughly from his bed, holding him by the collar of his pyjamas.

“You make a single sound, try to run, anything, be the last thing you ever do. Understand?” Fear made the boy’s eyes nearly pop from his head but he did not respond to the man’s threat or look into the masked man’s eyes. The intruder shook him again.