Missing Persons
People were disappearing, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that they weren't simply leaving the city because they'd found jobs elsewhere. That had been the line at first, the fiction city councilmen and women had tried to spin and it had worked – at least for the first dozen gone. After that it became obvious to Gilles that something very wrong was happening, something he had no explanation for whatsoever. When Annie had gone missing, it had been all he could do to keep his head on straight but none of his friends saw anything sinister about her sudden absence.
“She does that sometimes,” they had said. “She'll be back.” When Gilles had asked where she went, he was met with blank stares or bemused looks. No one seemed to know, and no one seemed to consider it a problem.
Things had finally come to a head when the Mayor decided to form a Night Watch, something he said all citizens were required to act in as members. At first, Gilles had breathed a small sigh of relief, happy to know that his concerns were finally being taken seriously. As the Mayor continued to speak, however, it became clear that the focus of the Watch wasn't going to be on finding those that were missing, but making sure that no one else left town.
“We're all Carhaven has left,” the broad-faced man had said, “we can't let it down.”
The speech sent Gilles scrambling to find his suitcase and pack up everything of value. If the crazies in the town weren't willing to acknowledge anyone had left but were suddenly concerned about losing more people in the night, who knew what their next move would be? News from other towns had been spotty in recent days as the local TV station cut in an out – probably an issue with staffing – but Gilles was sure things had to be better beyond Carhaven than within its walls.
Getting into his run-down SUV, he'd been warned by Bob across the alley that his battery was getting low. The older man was a former mechanic, and said he could tell just from the sound of the thing backing up each morning that it was on its last legs. Gilles hadn't bothered to respond, just thrown his bag in the passenger seat and torn out into the street. He'd filled up with gas just the day before, and with any luck would see Henold before the sun set. At first, everything had gone to plan – he'd gotten out of Carhaven without even a whisper of a problem, and he'd started to relax.
Another curse and a few strikes to the steering wheel with the palm of his hand told him how foolish that had been.
Quick math told him Carhaven was thirty miles behind him and Henold was still over forty miles north. It wasn't cold; autumn had been hanging on for weeks, but he wasn't exactly dressed for a long walk. Still, going back wasn't something he could stomach. If he was lucky another intelligent soul would also be making a run for it, and they might have the decency to pick him up. He felt a bit guilty at the thought – if he'd seen someone, he wouldn't have stopped. Hopefully, anyone else on the road would be of better character.
Two hours passed with not a car from either direction, and Gilles began to grimace with each step. The black loafers he'd thrown on were fine for the local park or the mall, but didn't have anything in the way of support or comfort for long walks. Glancing at the sun, he made it two hours before sunset; if he was going to stop and rest, it needed to be soon.
A flat rock along the highway provided the perfect spot to sit and catch his breath. He tried not to think of Carhaven, of what he'd left behind but it was difficult. Two years and his house would have been paid off, and three more would have given him enough money to travel. The town had never been his first choice, but they had work for teachers – in the south, he would have been on a waiting list with two hundred others just for a chance at a job. At least in Carhaven he'd been able to start right away.
By the time he picked his feet up again, sunset had come. With Annie by his side he would have called it beautiful, but each inch the golden orb in the sky sunk the worse he felt. Nights were when whatever was happening in Carhaven happened – if only he had some idea of what that was!
Darkness had arrived when he heard the voice.
“Gilles?” It was Annie. No question, though there was a lisp to her speech he'd never heard, a softness in her “s”.
A startled yelp broke out of him before he could catch it. “Yes! Yes? Annie! What are you doing out here?”
There was a rustle at the side of the road and then figure burst out of the brush, filthy and hunched over. Sticks were caught in Annie's long brown hair, and her arms were covered in small nicks and cuts. Her mouth was locked in a grin, one that didn't disappear even as she spoke.
“I'd hoped you'd come to us! The Blue One said you wouldn't, said you knew too much, but I was sure. I was sure you would come. I'm so glad you're here!” She stepped toward him f but Gilles moved to the side, catching her arm and spinning her around.
“The Blue One?”
She nodded, then wrapped a hand tightly around his own. “Yes. Yes. Come with me! Come with me!”
- D
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