Found.
Erik slumped against the side of a tree, exhausted. He and his father had been through the trees all night, checking the well, and looking for signs of who had followed them. He rubbed his face, willing the sun to go away and night to come back. He could feel the nights drinking taking its toll. All he wanted to do was sleep. The screams of his sister made that thought vanish.
Meg and Christine sat at the table with Megs' mother. Giry sat quietly knitting. She glanced at Meg, who looked at Christine and then back down.
"So," she began, "did you three see who shot at you?"
"N-no mother."
Christine continued to look at the table, watching the small fly that had landed rub its legs together, then its wings. Closing her eyes, she pictured Erik. He had been so disheveled when they had reached their home. Mr. Giry was standing in the doorway, Erik went over and whispered in his ear, and then the two vanished into the dark. Mr. Giry ushered the girls in and to bed. They only slept when they became too tired to keep their eyes open.
"Christine?" Mrs. Giry began. "Is everything-"
Tap, tap, tap.
Everyone looked at the door. "Wait here," commanded Mrs. Giry. "I'll go see what that is. It could be the men back from the woods."
She put her hand on the door and pushed it open. The gun barrel pointed right at her face.
The man in yellow had cursed when he got back to town. He sat on a store front for a while thinking about what he had heard. How had he been so careless as to let himself be followed? He'd been so excited to see the boy that he hadn't paid attention to his surroundings.
That's when he saw the figure in the trees, again. It was the boy. The mask he wore shone in the moonlight, making it almost look sliver and ghostly. The boy looked around, not seeing the Man in Yellow, then went back through the trees. The Man in Yellow waited a few moments then followed.
The boy zigzagged through the trees and doubled back several times.
He knows someone's out here again, The Man thought. He's trying to be careful.
The two dogged through the trees all night, and as the suns rays began to lighten the sky the approached the small home. Now The Man hung back and waited for the boy as he sat to rest. He went around the house to find the door.
He knocked and pointed the gun.
The door opened to reveal the older woman inside. He could see two more girls, one of whom was Christine.
"Good morning," he greeted, lifting his hat. None of the women responded. "If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you all stepped out side for a moment." No response. The man in Yellow grabbed the older woman's arm and pulled her out. "I said, outside! Now!"
She yelped in shock as she hit the ground, Christine and the other girl scattered in the small room. The Man rushed in and followed Christine. She pushed over a chair in his path and tried to make it out the back door. Glancing over her shoulder she saw the Man push aside the flimsy chair and grab her around the waist. He picked her up and held the gun to her head. "Be still!"
Erik was kneeling on the ground helping his mother up. Meg stood beside him, and their father rushed from the trees to them.
"What happened?" he asked. Mr. Giry helped his son take his wife to a nearby stool.
"A man in yellow came to our door. When I answered he pushed me out of the way and ran inside." She looked at Meg. "He must be after Christine."
"Yes Ma'am," came the voice. The Man in Yellow stepped outside, holding Christine tightly. "Once I get this young lady back to her home, I'm going to collect what is owed to me." He pushed the barrel into her head. "Now won't your father and that young fiancé be happy to see you. So happy, in fact, your father has given me this land." Christine struggled against his grip. "And my first act as the owner, is to throw all you people out. You're trespassing."
Mr. Giry hugged his wife. "We have been here for years, this is our home. Don't make us leave."
"You'll leave or you will show me the well." Everyone flinched. "Oh, yes I know all about that. See my mother worked in a home for people with special needs. One lady would go on and on about some family she used to have. The young boy she married, she found out there was something unusual about him. They were married for years and she noticed that this family never seemed to change or grow old. So she burned her husband. Most if his face and body healed, but one side of his face stayed scarred. This man didn't die from the severe burns, any normal man would have. " Erik's hands clenched and his nails dug into his palms. He looked at Christine, whose face was streaked with tears. "So I began looking. If this family had a fountain of youth or something, all I had to do was find this family and find the well. I'd live forever and sell the water to those who had enough. Now," he cocked his weapon, "take me there."
No one had seen Meg grab the firewood and swing it at the mans head. It hit with a sickening crack.
Hello everyone. I hope you all will have a fun holiday! We are pretty excited to have our first Christmas with our baby. She started to roll on Halloween and has figured out to roll under the tree and grabs the presents. I will be doing my best to keep the posting up every week. I know I said that last time but I promise to do better!
Be safe everyone! Give me positive feedback!