Chapter 8
The following week passed uneventfully much to Vera's relief. Mrs. Peterson gave her a duplicate set of keys to the library to help her access certain rooms and files in case it was necessary, and the majority of her time was occupied shelving books, making copies of information pamphlets for the summer library reading programs, and organizing files in the back office.
Greta had come in twice as part of her scheduled volunteer work, and both young women had spent their lunch hours together outside, taking a break from the quiet stillness within the library to get some fresh air and sunlight outside. James even came over one time to bring them donuts on their lunch break – a gesture Vera appreciated but also regretted as she was sure the several donuts she ate in addition to her own lunch would give her stomach problems for the rest of her shift.
Overall, things were going rather smoothly, giving Vera a sense of assurance that she would settle nicely into her new place in Derry.
Vera squinted at the cloud-covered sky as she closed the library door behind her with a firm clunk. It had been windy and cloudy all day, the dark skies and rumbling that echoed from above her threatening to send down rain and lightning since the early hours of the morning. The rain that started around noon hadn't let up since, and continued to show no signs of stopping any time soon.
With a sigh Vera opened the umbrella she had brought to work in case of such an event, and holding her bag close to her chest, began heading in the direction of the store where James had started working, having agreed with him and Greta earlier in the week to meet them there to discuss their plans for the fair starting in the next few days.
Of all the days it could have rained, it had to be today… Vera thought with annoyance as she attempted to avoid the larger puddles in the sidewalk without wandering onto the road or into the muddy grass. She had only been walking a couple minutes and already she could feel and hear the rainwater squelching in her shoes, her hair blowing about her face and rain dampening the edges of her clothes when a strong gust of wind came. James and Greta share a car, her inner voice reminded her. Maybe they could give me a lift back afterwards, so I don't have to walk all the way back in the rain.
But having the cousins drive her everywhere in bad weather seemed a bit inconvenient for them. Borrowing one of her aunt and uncle's cars on bad weather days might be worth considering in the future, Vera though to herself. That is, if they were willing and able. For now, she would just have to avoid the big puddles and hope the wind wouldn't ruin her umbrella. At least she didn't have to walk too far to James' work; this was one occasion where she was happy Derry wasn't big.
Vera was nearly halfway to her destination when it happened: she was walking along the main road in the hopes that some of the trees and larger building would block some of the wind and rain for her. As she was about to cross one of the larger streets, she turned to look down the bridged road for any traffic, as the heavy rain pelting the surroundings made it nearly impossible to hear anything else. The action was performed too late – or perhaps just in time – because as soon as she looked across the bridge, she witnessed a small form in bright blue go over the railing with a brief but audible screech.
Vera's mouth opened silently to form an 'O' and her eyes grew wide, her feet sending her in the direction of the bridge before her bag and umbrella even hit the ground.
In an instant she reached the thick wooden-lined structure, bracing her hands against the warm, wet railing to keep herself from tumbling over it as her head and shoulders extended out to look down into the flooded stream below. Her eyes blinked rapidly through the rain, darting to-and-fro over the churning waters when through the storm she saw a flash of blue coat and caught sight of the small hand of a child reaching up and out of the water before being swept under.
"Oh my god!" the words left her lips in a rush and without thinking she flung herself atop the railing and pushed herself off towards the running waters below.
For a moment she was totally submerged within the cool stream's current as it pulled her along, but then her head breached the surface, and she quickly turned her face in the direction of the current, looking ahead as the water carried her away with it.
Blinking the rainwater from her eyes again, Vera was able to catch glimpses of the blue coat farther downstream, and began kicking her legs, her arms trying to work through the water in an effort to push her forward faster.
Gradually she closed the distance between them, the current aiding her but the turbulence of the flooded waters beating against her as though trying to stall her efforts. At several points she felt something hard knock against her legs– large rocks, most likely – but with adrenaline running through her she paid them no mind, focusing solely on reaching the small figure now coming closer.
Struggling, Vera extended her right arm towards the jacket, her legs working harder to give her the boost she needed to close the gap. She grabbed for whatever purchase she could get on the clothing, missed, tried again, missed again, but on the third try, managed to grab a handful of it. At first she feared the jacket and its owner had separated, but when she felt a greater weight of resistance when trying to tug the clothing back towards her body, she knew the child was still there. The realization saw her almost let out a sigh of relief, but the water that nearly flooded her mouth prompted her to instantly shut it and tilt her face higher.
Mustering up her strength, she pulled the child's now motionless body towards her and frantically moved to position its head above the water, desperately hoping it wasn't too late. With no time to waste, she forced herself to begin swimming towards the closest bank of the stream, trying to keep both her head and the child's from submerging while now fighting against the push and pull of the current.
After several desperate attempts and straining herself to work harder, Vera felt her feet hit the ground. Sticking her free hand lower beneath the water in front of her, she felt a mixture of rocks, grass, and dirt beneath her fingertips, and knew they were close to making it out. Digging her fingers into the wet earth and pulling, while bending her knees to push off against the ground, Vera managed to bring them closer to bank, repeating the motion until at last they emerged fully from the stream. With one last pull and a groan, Vera succeeded in heaving the child's body onto the bank next to her and allowed her body to fall back onto the ground. From head to toe she was shaking from the exertion and adrenaline that still rushed through her veins, and her chest rose and fell heavily as she panted.
God, that was so stupid. What was I thinking?! she scolded herself harshly and eyed the child wearily.
A little girl's face framed by dark wavy hair poked out from the hood of the jacket, small beads of water cascading down her small form. For a tense few moments she didn't move, until a burst of water erupted from her lips that sent the child into a fit of harsh coughs and convulsions.
Thank goodness, Vera let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and closed her eyes, listening to the girl's coughs. She was alive.
Vera became more aware of her own body shaking and every inch of her suddenly felt exhausted as though she had just run a marathon. She had to get help.
The little girl's skin was a sickly pale color despite her breathing again, and she still appeared unconscious. Vera didn't know the condition of the little girl, and feared she might be seriously hurt. What if her survival depended on how fast Vera could get her help? She felt the trembling of her own body might now be due to the panic beginning to seize her.
Panicking, Vera tried to push herself up off the ground, only to pathetically slip back down as her body refused to comply. She let out a shaky breath. She couldn't move; she was still in shock. She needed to take a deep breath and calm herself so she could focus. Then, maybe…
The thought went unfinished as Vera blacked out.
The creature removed itself from the water and slid onto the land with ease, moving towards the small form of the child it had lured to the bridge's edge and pulled in. Red clown hair spilling down its face in rivulets and clothes dripping wet, it approached her slowly, creeping on all fours like a predator stalking its prey.
Her eyes were closed but it could hear her breath coming out with a gargle – not waterlogged, but still wet. Leaning down towards her paled face, it gave a few sniffs, satisfied that it could still clearly smell the fear on her.
Confident that the child wouldn't regain consciousness any time soon, it turned its attention to the other figure lying beside the child. A deep growl rumbled in its throat, anger and annoyance spiking at the one who had attempted to keep it from its meal. Like the child the older female's eyes were closed and she appeared unconscious, though her breathing wasn't as labored. But it could smell the fear coming off her – a surprising amount considering she hadn't been the target of its terror and affliction.
Ignoring the child for a moment, the creature stalked over to the young woman's side, its golden eyes resting on her form for a moment, deliberating. Two meals at the effort of ensnaring one. She was a little older than most of its victims, but fear was fear, and food was food.
The creature drew its painted lips back into a snarl. She had tried to come between it and its food; she deserved this, like the rest of the lowly animals who stood in its way. In one smooth movement its hand reached out and curled around her throat, gripping her tightly. It wanted to choke her into consciousness, see the fear in her mind etch itself permanently upon her face before the light left her eyes.
But her fear wasn't due to it.
The grip around her throat loosened until its hand was merely resting against her skin. She hadn't been afraid because of it. The creature felt a sense of dissatisfaction bubbling up inside and leaned in closer, ready to delve into her mind and unlock her most terrible memories and fears.
There came a sudden loud bang from somewhere above, past the bank and above the steep slope that led towards the road.
The creature jerked its head upwards in the direction of the sound, and the shouts of people just out of sight could be heard. Without blinking or removing its gaze from the space beyond the slope, the being silently departed from the young woman's side and returned to her younger companion.
A large hand wrapped around the child's lower leg securely. Without a sound, the creature slowly descended back into the stream, dragged her limp body down the muddy bank and into the dark running waters behind it.
