Hellbound Twins

Chapter 4 — Elijah | Back to the wall.

Chapter 4 — Elidja | Back to the wall.

After searching that motel, we went back to the car. We found a lead. While Arthur drove, I took the chance to get some sleep.

I wake up with the sun in my face.

The truck window is cold against my cheek. I don't know what time I fell back asleep, but my neck is hurting now. I sit up grimacing. Arthur is still driving, one hand on the wheel, the other holding his coffee. Eyes fixed on the road, like usual.

"Sleep well?" he says without looking at me.

"What time is it?" I ask him.

"9:20."

I look outside. The landscape has changed — no more flat plains, now it's forests. Pine trees packed tight on both sides of the road. The sky is grey and low.

We're in the north.

"Did you sleep?" I ask him.

"A little. I stopped around 4. Slept two hours in a McDonald's parking lot."

"You could have woken me up to drive."

"You looked out of it."

I rub my eyes. My laptop is on my knees, still open. Battery at 20%. I had been searching for information until I fell asleep without realizing it.

"I found some things last night," I say.

"Tell me," Arthur says.

I scroll through my notes. Lake Superior, Minnesota side. Five disappearances in two months. All people who lived near the forest. A hunter, two hikers, a woman walking her dog in the evening, and a sixteen-year-old kid walking home from a friend's place. I close the laptop.

"The bodies were never found."

Arthur tightens his jaw slightly.

"Dad was right. It's not a rugaru."

"No. A rugaru leaves bodies. Here, there's nothing." I watch the trees go by. "And the disappearances follow a pattern. Always at night. Always near the edge of the forest. Always people alone."

"How did we miss this?" says Arthur.

"Something that hunts."

"Something intelligent that hunts."

We stop twenty minutes later at a small diner on the side of the road. Mama's Kitchen. A hand-painted sign, red checkered curtains on the windows, and three cars parked out front.

We go in. A bell rings above the door. The smell of bacon and hot coffee hits us immediately. A waitress in her sixties looks up and smiles.

"Morning, boys. Sit wherever you like."

We take a booth in the back. Arthur sits facing the door — old habit. Always see the entrance. Dad had drilled that into us since we were kids.

"Back to the wall, eyes on the door."

The waitress comes over with two mugs and a coffee pot. She pours without being asked.

"You boys coming from far?"

"Ohio," says Arthur with that easy smile he pulls out with strangers. Relaxed, friendly, nothing to tell. "Heading north to see some family."

"Oh, that's nice." She pulls out her notepad. "What can I get you?"

Arthur orders scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice. I get pancakes and another coffee. The waitress leaves smiling.

"Family," I repeat.

"Technically true." He shrugs. "Dad is somewhere up here."

I drink my coffee. It's good — real coffee, not the brown liquid from vending machines. Through the window, I can see the forest starting just behind the parking lot. Dense and dark, even in broad daylight.

Something is in there.

"Arthur." I put down my cup. "If Dad has been missing for twenty-two days..."

"I know."

"The chances that..."

"I know, Elidja." His voice is calm, but his eyes tell me not to finish that sentence. "We find him. That's it."

I close my mouth.

The food arrives. We eat in silence. Outside, the grey sky starts spitting light rain on the parking lot. The forest behind gets darker and darker.

When we walk out an hour later, I pull on my jacket and stare at those trees.

Dad went in there somewhere.

And something didn't let him come back out.

"Let's investigate the disappearances. That's what our father would have wanted."

"Yeah, you're right. How do we do this?" says Arthur.

"We'll go question the families of the missing people."

He takes the pickup. We stop to pay for a few jackets. We get dressed.

"This jacket looks good on me, Elidja," says Arthur.

"You'll have to make do with that, little brother."

"Let's go to the police station first. We'll get more information there," says Arthur.

"That's a good idea," I tell him.

"Ah, I'm smart, you know," he says.

We got back in the car. It's a five-minute drive. We arrive at the station. We walk in, heading straight for the sheriff's office.

"Hey, wait, where are you going?" says an officer.

"We're looking for the sheriff of this station," Arthur says.

"And who are you?" he says.

"We're with the FBI. I'm Agent Cole, and this is my partner, Agent Harris."

"Sorry, I didn't know. I'm the sheriff's deputy. Where are my manners? My name is Nicolas Drag. The sheriff isn't here right now. Can I help you?" he says.

"Yes, of course, Deputy Nicolas. We're here to investigate the disappearances in this village," Arthur says.

"Alright, the FBI is handling this now. Anyway, they all disappeared near the forest. And they never came back. We organized search parties to look for them, but we never found them. It's really strange," he says.

"Yeah, strange is what we know. Can we get the addresses of the families involved?" Arthur says.

"Of course. Wait here for me. Nicolas."

While he's gone looking, I check the missing person posters on their board. But our father's picture wasn't there.

"Here are the addresses. Nicolas."

"Thank you very much, my friend. You just helped save lives," says Arthur.

We head off to the family of the kid who disappeared last. The sixteen-year-old. We arrive at their place. We knock on the door. A man opens it.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"We're FBI agents. Arthur."

We show him our badges.

"Come in," he says.

"It's Mister? Arthur."

"Redmond Caine," he says.

"We're here about your son's disappearance. The FBI is taking a closer interest in the disappearances of young teenagers," I tell him.

"Thank you very much. He was walking home from a friend's house. He passed by the forest. Since that day, we haven't seen him again. I don't know what to think anymore. I can't sleep."

"Calm down. We're going to try to find him," says Arthur.

"Tell us, did he have any enemies?" I ask him.

"No, why that question? Not that I know of. He was liked by everyone. Please, find my son," says Redmond.

"We're going to find him. Promise."

And we leave, giving him our cards.