Chapter 6: Some Time Ago

One month has passed since the nightmare…

A truck on a lonely stretch of road had entered the woods as night settled in. The driver, a dark, large teddy bear of a man drove it, singing along with John Lennon's Let It Be. He wore his winter parka and a black toque pulled over his baldhead. He rubbed his black beard as he stalled in his singing and continued humming. It had been a long day at the wood mill where he worked. All he wanted to do was get home and sleep like the dead. Even when he'd started earlier this morning, all he thought about all day was that big comfy bed he's been pulled away from.

As he rounded the bend, his headlights were cast upon by 2 small figures standing on the roadside facing him. One of the shapes was slightly larger than the other. The larger figure was female, judging by the long dress, coat and hat they wore. The smaller one he couldn't tell. The girl waved both of her arms slowly about, staring at him. The driver slowly pulled to a stop and wheeled his window down. The little girl, he was guessing was maybe 9 or 10 came up to his window, smiling.

"Good evening, sir!" she happily chimed with a thick accent. "Hello there, kid" he said, smiling, "you need a hand?" "Yes, it's my brother Tony," she exclaimed, "He needs help. We just need to get into town." "What's wrong with your brother, missy?" the driver asked. "It's his throat," she said, "he can't talk at all." "Alright, I'll give you a lift," the driver said, "hop in, kids."

The girl opened the door and lifted the smaller shape up onto the passenger seat and then got in. The driver stared down at the boy and saw he was holding a rag against his throat, with his mouth hanging open. "Thank you sir," the little girl said, "My name is Esther." "Joe. Joe Bando," he said, shaking her hand. She smiled and shut the door. The truck lurched forwards and took off.

"So what are you two kids doing out here?" Joe asked, checking his mirror. "It's a long story," Esther told him. "Is he going to be alright?" Joe asked her. "He'll be fine!" Esther explained, "It's just a scratch. Anyway, we've stopped the bleeding." "What the hell?" he asked, looking down at Tony. Tony moaned as if to say something. "What's wrong, pal?" Joe asked. "It's nothing, he's delusional," Esther explained. "Where were you kids coming from?" he asked Esther. "The woods," said Esther, "daddy said he'd take us hunting with him. Only he said he was going back to get something from his truck." "Did he come back?" Joe asked. "No," Esther replied, looking solemn, "we heard him drive off. I have no idea why he'd do that. He said he was feeling very stressed lately. And he's been drinking a lot."

"Oh," said Joe, "I see." "And while we were walking home," Esther continued, "Tony was playing with his knife that daddy gave him for his birthday. Then he did that to himself." "Well, both of you don't worry," Joe reassured them, "I'm going to get you both into town. Where's your mom?" "She left when I was 6," Esther explained, "daddy's been taking care of us since." "Alright," Joe said, getting irritated, "I'll get you guys back to town and they can track down this father of yours." Esther smiled to herself, pulling out a picture of the Coleman's. She'd be seeing them again.

Elsewhere…

Kate lay asleep in her bed, breathing heavily. Her room was darkly lit blue. As she lay there with her chest heaving, a man's hand reached down and gently caressed her face. Her blankets slid off her as she lay there in her nightgown. The hand moved her hair behind her ear and the figure lay down with her and kissed her neck gently. A pair of lips kissed her ear and whispered. "Kate," a gentle voice whispered, "Kate, wake up." Her eyes opened slowly as the figure kissed her neck. She stared up at them realizing who it was.

"Johnny!" she breathed, "It's you!" She lay under him, her legs suddenly wrapping around his bare waist. She held his face in her hands and kissed him like she never had before. Both their lips gently massaging against one another's. She then ran her hands up his bareback and sighed as he gently kissed her neck. Her hand brushed his hair back as she sighed even louder. He ran his hand over one of her soft bare legs, making her hyperventilate a little. She gently pulled her head back, saliva webbing their mouths together then separating. "Johnny," she whispered, "you're back. But Esther took you from us." "I love you Kate," he whispered back, "And I'll never leave you. You're my world." "You need to stay with me, John," Kate pleaded, "Me, Max and Danny need you more than ever! I don't think I can do it by myself. You're my strength." "I never left you," John said, "I love you very much. You have the strength, Kate. I believe in you."

Her eyes opened and she sat up quickly. "John?" she called out. Nobody was in her room but herself. She rubbed her eyes off and switched on the lamp. She groaned and stretched her arms up and glanced at the alarm clock. It was 5:37am. She grunted and got up, rubbing her back.

Leaving her room, she went down the hall and peeked into Danny's room, where he was fast asleep. She'd almost forgotten where his new room was, since they'd only lived at this new place a little under a week. She smiled at him as he slept. She then went to Max's room where she also was fast asleep, holding a teddy bear. Kate kissed her head and left the room quietly.

Kate sighed and came into the kitchen of their apartment. She switched on the light and started going through the counters. "Here we go," Kate said, grabbing a box of Cornflakes and the milk from the fridge. She then grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and made herself breakfast. Kate ate a spoonful, feeling uncomfortable in the eerie dead silence. "To hell with this," Kate said, switching on the radio. She stopped chewing, hearing a beautiful but eerie song start playing. "Nights in white satin…" came a haunting voice, "Never reaching the end….Letters I've written…never meaning to send…Beauty I'd always missed…With these eyes before…Just what the truth is…I can't say anymore…Cause I Love Youuuu….Yes, I Love Youuu…Oh, How I Love Youuuu…." She lowered her eyes and ate, feeling a little creeped out by it.

As she ate, she thought of her dream. It was so vivid, so real to her. She knew that somewhere, John had to be watching over them. This was his family that he'd loved so much and now he was gone. Kate shook her mind of the thought. He was still here with them in a spiritual sense. As long as she kept him in her heart, he'd never die.