As the doctor closed his door, they heard the sound of the sliding bolt when he turned the lock. “We’re not going to go back to the hotel, are we?” Marion asked.
“Not unless you want to,” Kateri said. “I think we should go pay the sheriff a visit at home. Let him know his deputy just tried to kill the town doc.”
“But where does he live?”
Rose quietly slipped away from the group and went back to the doctor’s house. She climbed up the side of the house the way Kateri had, and tapped quietly at the shutters until the doctor finally opened one. “Where does the sheriff live?” she asked. “We would like to visit him.”
The doctor told her the way, but pleaded with her to make it tomorrow, for their own safety. She smiled at him in the darkness. “Get some rest.”
When she caught up with the other women, she told them where to go. Sheriff Brown’s house was set a little ways apart from the others. It had a white picket fence that shone in the moonlight, a verdant garden, and seemed to be well-painted. The crisp edges of the house, which climbed to two stories, caught the pale light from the sky, cutting an outline against the blackness. There were thick shutters over the windows, secured from within.
“We have to get in there,” Abie murmured, unwilling to make too much noise.
“Maybe that will draw Deputy Black to us,” Rose said. “Trespassing.”
“Excellent point.”
Kateri was already at the door, examining its structure. “Seems to be a simple deadbolt like the doc’s. I’ll have it open in no time.” But as she put a hand on door, it swung open soundlessly.
“That was fast,” Marion said.
“I didn’t….” Kateri paused. “Well, makes our job easier.”
Abie went first. She stepped lightly up the wooden stairs and into the doorway that seemed to have darkness pouring out of it. Her eyes adjusted to dim stream of moonlight coming in from between the slats of the shutters. The room was empty. She motioned to her friends and they entered, every nerve on edge.
“There’s no-one here,” Marion whispered. She noticed the glass of an oil lamp glinting nearby and went to it. Striking a match, she lit it. The glow lit the room instantly. Everyone relaxed, at least a little. Abie had been moving toward the back of the house.
“There’s no-one in the kitchen,” she reported.
“What if he’s upstairs?” Rose pointed to the polished planks that led upward into more darkness. She strode up the steps and was met with a dark hallway, closed doors on the right and left. Behind her, Kateri, Marion, and Abie followed, Marion holding the oil lamp. There was no discernable noise from either door. “I’ll take the one on the left,” Rose said, putting a hand to the knob. It felt cold to the touch. At the same time, Kateri said, “I’ll take the one on the right, then.” They pushed the doors open at the same time.
Kateri found a woman’s bedroom with an untouched bed. A light layer of dust lay over everything, including a richly carved standing mirror. Such a fine piece of furniture out here in the desert was a rare sight, and Kateri took a few steps forward to examine it.
Rose’s door opened to a room overflowing with darkness. It was palpable. She felt herself shudder despite her years of experience, but steeled her nerves and stepped in. The room was bare except for a pedestal close to the window. The shutters up here were not drawn, and the light of the moon streamed in freely, washing over the item that lay on the cold marble stand. A translucent green amulet glowed there, and as Rose approached, noting the strange glyphs that marred the surface, her light was blocked out by some kind of figure coming in through the window. She looked up into a twisted, misty face.
“Deputy Black!” she gasped.
The figure did not respond, save one word in a grotesque, scratchy voice: “Trespassing.”
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AEParker007,
Too be honest, I haven’t read “Tales From the Dead Lands”, but I want to be able to focus on the story without being interrupted. I guess there is no other way to contact members of this sight, so I’m using this to let you know I have added part three to my short story and made the changes you suggested. I look forward to any additional comments.
Ok, I’m up to part eight, don’t want to quit. I’ll leave a comment when I get to the end. This is one of those stories that makes you want to skip to the last page. I’m resisting though. Good Job.