-Chapter Four-
The night air was eerily still. Zane left his bike and
took to the street on foot. He again carried his jacket just in case of another
unexpected anomaly. Treading north along Wagner Street, Zane picked up Hill
Road heading west toward Freddie’s. He could have easily picked up the phone
and called, but he really just wanted to find out first hand if they were safe
and sound. He found it odd that neither of them had got in touch with him.
Zane stood at the intersection of Hill and Wagner,
peering down the mile-long stretch of road. There were only a few houses and
three street lights along the wooded road. Most nights he never minded the
walk. Tonight was a little different. It would only be a few minutes into his
crossing when his mind started to wander away from the road ahead of him.
Zane stopped every few steps to peer off into the
blackened woods. He was sure he heard something. Typically, he would have
brushed off any noises in the woods as night animals scurrying about. However,
to him, it seemed as if the noises were following him. When he stopped, so did
the noises. He turned his attention back to the road and started walking again,
only to pause again as the soft echoes emanated from the woods.
“Is someone there?” Zane squinted his eyes hard trying to
peer into the darkness. He studied the tree line. “Hello?”
Once again, Zane turned his attention to the road ahead.
As he approached the first street light next to a few houses, the noises
subsided. Zane began to walk a little easier and took a few big sighs. He
assumed it was just a curious night critter, but after the recent events, his
mind did think about other things… a stalker… a prankster… a killer.
As he passed beyond the second house and away from the
lighted street, he checked the woods to his right, waiting for the sound to
return. He continued walking, keeping an ear attuned to the forest. He picked
up the sound of an owl in the distant and the very-distant cries of some coy
dogs. The soft crunch in the nearby forest, however, did not return. He
breathed another sigh of relief and picked up his pace.
Within ten minutes he was more than half-way across Hill
Road. The last street light was just a few-hundred feet ahead. But as he
approached, his mind again began to wander. And that was enough for him to
pause and again study the woods. Once again, he thought he heard something.
This time, however, it seemed like a whispering voice was calling out to him.
Zane listened carefully. Sure enough there were very
faint voices. He cupped his hand around the back of his ear and tried to focus
deeper into the woods. The whispers were persistent, but he could not make out
what was being said. His mind started to race, as well as his heart. He stepped
closer to the edge of the road and tried to focus harder on the sound. His
focus was so deep that he did not see the approaching car’s headlights, until
the bleep of the siren went off, startling Zane and causing him to fall toward
the ditch.
Zane quickly turned on his knees and started to rise to
his feet, brushing the dirt from his pant legs. He kept at a crouched position
and looked up at the bright headlights and the silhouetted figure that approached.
He was then again blinded by the bright flashlight.
“Zane, is that you?” The man knelt forward as he spoke.
“What are you doing out here tonight, Mr. Staples.”
Zane stood all the way up to his feet. “Just walking, I
guess.”
The man lowered his flashlight. Zane could now tell it
was Deputy Sheriff Doug Deacons. Zane stepped up onto the road and came to
within inches of Doug.
“Weren’t you told that there is a curfew in place until
this investigation is over? You are not supposed to be out after dark.”
Zane had no clue about the curfew. As far as he knew,
neither did his parents. Why else would his father let him out the door at that
time of night?
“No sir, I had no idea. Nobody said anything to me.”
Doug could tell that the teen was telling the truth.
Years of training made it easy to distinguish lying from honesty.
“All the calls went out this morning. I am sure your
parents got that call. I am afraid you are going to have to come with me.”
“Am I in trouble?” Zane held his hands out like he was
going to get cuffed. “Am I going to jail?”
Doug laughed. “Heck no. I was just planning on taking you
home.”
Zane was happy to be in the car. While he really needed
to see his friends, he was glad to be off Hill Road. He was sure something was
about to happen, again. The short ride home should have been pleasant enough,
except that the call came over the radio moments later.
“Base to Car 2.”
Doug grabbed the CB and radioed back to base. “This is
Car 2.”
“Car 2, we just received a call from 323 Wagner Street.
They said they are hearing loud unexplainable noises coming from their
neighbor’s home.”
Zane immediately drew uneasy. He nervously looked up at
Doug, who returned the look to him.
“Do you have an address on the disturbance?” Doug hoped
for Zane’s sake that it was not his parents’ house.
The radio crackled. “They said it was The Staples
residence.”
Zane sunk in his seat as Doug stepped on the gas. It was
less than a mile to home, but it felt like an eternity getting there. Zane drew
his attention ahead as Doug whipped out onto Wagner Street.
“Car 2. The caller states that the noises have subsided.”
Chapter 5 to be posted on Sunday September 27, 2015
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