Puzzle
Chapter 5
"There's one more thing we'll need." Duffy said, turning to Joel. He looked across the kitchen and living room through the front window, watching Sean's mother. She must have called the father because the two of them were now getting into some kind of SUV, off to look for their son at the park. "Joel?" He snapped out of his musing. "Are you listening to me?" He nodded. "Good." she said, closing the drawer. "The gasoline's in the garage. See you."
The girl turned away, walking so care-free to the entrance of the garage. There, she mounted her pink bike and Joel watched as she rode away, disappearing from sight. I have to get rid of her. There was no doubt about it. He wasn't sure what he should do or how to go about it, but he figured going along might make him look better, so he walked into the garage. Directly to his left was the red and yellow plastic container, filled to the brim with gasoline, as Duffy promised.
Joel heard the high-pitched ringing of Duffy's bike's bell and saw her pedaling across the street to Sean's house. With a dry throat, he picked up the container and began to walk across the street. I can't believe I'm doing this. he thought. I never-
"Come on, slow poke!" she laughed. He shivered at the sound of her sweet tone. She got off the bike and jumped each step up to the front door. She looked up and down the deserted street and lifted up a flower pot, ignoring the dirt that fell out of it. Duffy picked up a shining silver key and smiled at it. She shoved the key into its place in the door and turned until she heard the click. Joel walked up the steps when he saw that she opened the door. "Joel?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"We're friends. . . right?" Her eyebrows were pulled up in genuine curiousity and her lips scrunched. He thought her eyes were an impossible black before but now he saw they were a chocolate brown. How could she still look like a child, he thought, when she's clearly. . . a demon?
"Yes. We are." he said flatly.
Relief flooded her face. "Good," she said, as she skipped inside the house. Joel walked in slowly, closing the door behind him. He heard her soft laughter as she ran around the bottom floor, exploring, it seemed. "What game shall we play?" she called out. Joel put the container on the carpet.
"I don't know." he whispered to himself, wanting to be anywhere but here. His face felt hot and his palms sweaty. He tried wiping them on his shirt but when he did a shiver coursed through his body. Why am I here?! he thought angrily. Is this some cruel joke? What did I do to deserve this? All he could hear was the too-familiar sound of Duffy's voice, she was singing something.
He saw a shadow move. "Duffy?" he called.
"I'm here." she said, coming out of a corner. "I think it's time." she said, void of emotion.
Again, Joel thought, I have to get rid of her. . . somehow. I just wish I knew- "Hey." he said quickly. "Why don't we. . . play a game?"
Duffy's eyes lit up like a child seeing her Christmas presents. "Yeah!" she said excitedly, jumping up and down. "What are we going to play?"
"Hide and seek. . . I'll count to 100 and you hide. Okay?"
Duffy nodded. "No peeking." she said, smiling.
"Okay." he said, turning around and covering his eyes. He started to count. "1. . . 2. . . 3. . ."
He heard her soft steps on the staircase.
Good.
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"100." He swallowed. I have to do this. he thought. Grabbing the container of gasoline, he walked up the stairs, one at a time. Very slowly. Creeeak one stair uttered out as he placed his foot on it. He cursed, hearing the pitter-patter of a child's feet up the stairs. The entire top floor was dark. On the stairs, he noticed the little box of matches Duffy had before. Must have dropped them. He picked them up and put them in his back pocket.
"Duffy?" he called out, checking the first room he came upon. "Come out." he asked lightly. He heard her giggling in the next room. He sighed. the door was closed and a chair was placed almost too conveniently next to the door. Laying down the container gently, he picked up the chair silently and placed it in front of the door, strategically locking her in. I'm sorry. . . He picked up the gasoline and unscrewed the top. . . . but it's for your own good.
He poured the gasoline all around the floor. Saving enough for the rest of the house, he turned towards the stairs, but stopped. Joel turned around and went back to the room where she would be. He tossed just enough underneath the crack of the door, allowing the gasoline to reach into the room. Then he went back to the stairs. Halfway down, he lit a match against the railing of the staircase and threw it on the puddle, watching it blaze instantly. He uttered something that sounded like a cry, but he wasn't so sure of it himself.
He took a few more steps down the stairs when-
"Joel?"
He turned around. "But-"
Duffy stood at the top of the stairs, the edge of her jumper caught on fire. Her fingertips catching as well, and when she brought them up to her face to gawk at them, the tips of her hair were starting to smolder.
"Joel?... Why do you lie to me, Joel? I thought I was your friend.
This can't be happening. . .
"I'm counting the times you lied to my face. . . . Joel?" He was running, throwing the gasoline to the ground below him and sprinting for the front door.
"Are you still there, Joel? Because I'm still counting, Joel!"
He lit up on more match before Duffy shrieked at him, and he threw it across the room, watching it catch onto a rug and finally to the gasoline. He ran out of the house and saw the pickup truck Sean's father was driving not too long ago. Within seconds, he pulled his sleeve over his hand and broke the window, ignoring the alarm. He unlocked the truck and got inside, ripping off the ignition switch, ready to hotwire the truck. One soul-piercing scream echoed the streets before the engine roared to life.
"JOEL!"
The tires were screeching. He managed to pull out of the driveway, just before he watched the house explode and crumble from the rearview mirror.
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Joel sat in front of the fire, Caroline tucked into his arms. "You going to bed soon?" Lacey came into the living room. "Yeah, just gonna bring the kid to bed." he said, getting up, still holding the copper-haired, blue-eyed child, who was sleeping soundly. "Good night." Lacey said with a smile and a kiss on his cheek. "Night." he smiled back.
He put his child to bed and returned to the living room. On the couch, facing the fire, was a curdoroy teddy bear. It had button eyes and overalls. It was in the arms of a very familiar-looking little girl.
He went to the couch and sat down.
"Do you want to play a game?" she asked in a dark voice. She passed over the bear to him and he noticed severe burns on her hand. He turned over the bear, examining it. "Maybe Caroline will want to play, too."
Ignoring her, Joel stood up. Without a second thought, he tossed the bear into the fire and wiped his hands off. "No more games." he whispered.
The girl was gone.
The girl turned away, walking so care-free to the entrance of the garage. There, she mounted her pink bike and Joel watched as she rode away, disappearing from sight. I have to get rid of her. There was no doubt about it. He wasn't sure what he should do or how to go about it, but he figured going along might make him look better, so he walked into the garage. Directly to his left was the red and yellow plastic container, filled to the brim with gasoline, as Duffy promised.
Joel heard the high-pitched ringing of Duffy's bike's bell and saw her pedaling across the street to Sean's house. With a dry throat, he picked up the container and began to walk across the street. I can't believe I'm doing this. he thought. I never-
"Come on, slow poke!" she laughed. He shivered at the sound of her sweet tone. She got off the bike and jumped each step up to the front door. She looked up and down the deserted street and lifted up a flower pot, ignoring the dirt that fell out of it. Duffy picked up a shining silver key and smiled at it. She shoved the key into its place in the door and turned until she heard the click. Joel walked up the steps when he saw that she opened the door. "Joel?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"We're friends. . . right?" Her eyebrows were pulled up in genuine curiousity and her lips scrunched. He thought her eyes were an impossible black before but now he saw they were a chocolate brown. How could she still look like a child, he thought, when she's clearly. . . a demon?
"Yes. We are." he said flatly.
Relief flooded her face. "Good," she said, as she skipped inside the house. Joel walked in slowly, closing the door behind him. He heard her soft laughter as she ran around the bottom floor, exploring, it seemed. "What game shall we play?" she called out. Joel put the container on the carpet.
"I don't know." he whispered to himself, wanting to be anywhere but here. His face felt hot and his palms sweaty. He tried wiping them on his shirt but when he did a shiver coursed through his body. Why am I here?! he thought angrily. Is this some cruel joke? What did I do to deserve this? All he could hear was the too-familiar sound of Duffy's voice, she was singing something.
He saw a shadow move. "Duffy?" he called.
"I'm here." she said, coming out of a corner. "I think it's time." she said, void of emotion.
Again, Joel thought, I have to get rid of her. . . somehow. I just wish I knew- "Hey." he said quickly. "Why don't we. . . play a game?"
Duffy's eyes lit up like a child seeing her Christmas presents. "Yeah!" she said excitedly, jumping up and down. "What are we going to play?"
"Hide and seek. . . I'll count to 100 and you hide. Okay?"
Duffy nodded. "No peeking." she said, smiling.
"Okay." he said, turning around and covering his eyes. He started to count. "1. . . 2. . . 3. . ."
He heard her soft steps on the staircase.
Good.
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"100." He swallowed. I have to do this. he thought. Grabbing the container of gasoline, he walked up the stairs, one at a time. Very slowly. Creeeak one stair uttered out as he placed his foot on it. He cursed, hearing the pitter-patter of a child's feet up the stairs. The entire top floor was dark. On the stairs, he noticed the little box of matches Duffy had before. Must have dropped them. He picked them up and put them in his back pocket.
"Duffy?" he called out, checking the first room he came upon. "Come out." he asked lightly. He heard her giggling in the next room. He sighed. the door was closed and a chair was placed almost too conveniently next to the door. Laying down the container gently, he picked up the chair silently and placed it in front of the door, strategically locking her in. I'm sorry. . . He picked up the gasoline and unscrewed the top. . . . but it's for your own good.
He poured the gasoline all around the floor. Saving enough for the rest of the house, he turned towards the stairs, but stopped. Joel turned around and went back to the room where she would be. He tossed just enough underneath the crack of the door, allowing the gasoline to reach into the room. Then he went back to the stairs. Halfway down, he lit a match against the railing of the staircase and threw it on the puddle, watching it blaze instantly. He uttered something that sounded like a cry, but he wasn't so sure of it himself.
He took a few more steps down the stairs when-
"Joel?"
He turned around. "But-"
Duffy stood at the top of the stairs, the edge of her jumper caught on fire. Her fingertips catching as well, and when she brought them up to her face to gawk at them, the tips of her hair were starting to smolder.
"Joel?... Why do you lie to me, Joel? I thought I was your friend.
This can't be happening. . .
"I'm counting the times you lied to my face. . . . Joel?" He was running, throwing the gasoline to the ground below him and sprinting for the front door.
"Are you still there, Joel? Because I'm still counting, Joel!"
He lit up on more match before Duffy shrieked at him, and he threw it across the room, watching it catch onto a rug and finally to the gasoline. He ran out of the house and saw the pickup truck Sean's father was driving not too long ago. Within seconds, he pulled his sleeve over his hand and broke the window, ignoring the alarm. He unlocked the truck and got inside, ripping off the ignition switch, ready to hotwire the truck. One soul-piercing scream echoed the streets before the engine roared to life.
"JOEL!"
The tires were screeching. He managed to pull out of the driveway, just before he watched the house explode and crumble from the rearview mirror.
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Joel sat in front of the fire, Caroline tucked into his arms. "You going to bed soon?" Lacey came into the living room. "Yeah, just gonna bring the kid to bed." he said, getting up, still holding the copper-haired, blue-eyed child, who was sleeping soundly. "Good night." Lacey said with a smile and a kiss on his cheek. "Night." he smiled back.
He put his child to bed and returned to the living room. On the couch, facing the fire, was a curdoroy teddy bear. It had button eyes and overalls. It was in the arms of a very familiar-looking little girl.
He went to the couch and sat down.
"Do you want to play a game?" she asked in a dark voice. She passed over the bear to him and he noticed severe burns on her hand. He turned over the bear, examining it. "Maybe Caroline will want to play, too."
Ignoring her, Joel stood up. Without a second thought, he tossed the bear into the fire and wiped his hands off. "No more games." he whispered.
The girl was gone.