Chapter 66
Danny’s head drooped onto his chest
and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He had given up trying to wiggle out of the tight knots that held his hands behind his back, and his arms and hands were now completely numb anyway. It was almost as if they were disconnected from the rest of his body. He found he didn’t have the energy to care much anymore.
The room had become steadily colder since Aleksei had left and closed the door behind him and Danny felt sure that Aleksei had turned off the heat when he and the monster that used to be Katie Bailey had departed for wherever the hell they were going. It was a safe bet that Aleksei no longer cared about burst pipes. Danny could hear the wind howling outside and remembered the frozen night he had stumbled through to get to Aleksei’s front door. It felt nearly as cold inside now. The extreme cold was taking a toll on whatever energy Danny had left.
Danny heard a voice howling along with the wind, and immediately snapped his head up. Was someone else here? Maybe Aleksei hadn’t left after all.
“Hello?” Danny said, his voice a frog’s croak. “Is someone there?”
The howling continued, and sounded like a man in agony. Danny felt every hair on his body standing on edge.
“Who’s there?” he croaked. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?”
The howling abruptly stopped, and was followed by the sound of a slamming door.
Danny jumped as much as the ropes that bound him to the bed leg would allow. Another howl, and he heard his own heart pounding out a beat to accompany the ferocious wind.
He glanced at the doorway to the guest room, and saw the doorknob slowly creaking in a clockwise turn. He pushed himself back against the bed, wanting to disappear before whoever was on the other side of the door joined him in the room.
But the door never opened, and the knob stopped moving.
Danny stared at the door, his breath coming so fast and shallow he was close to hyperventilating.
“Hello?” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Is someone out there?”
There was no answer, and the howls that had filled the room were now gone. Danny heard nothing but the wind, and his heart pounding in his chest.
He leaned his head back against the bed and willed himself to relax. Had he simply hallucinated the whole thing? Or, was Aleksei still here and playing games with him?
He suddenly remembered the visit he and Terry had made to Snow Creek, and the screaming voices and slamming doors they had heard.
“Fucking haunted house,” he said, rolling his eyes.
He closed his eyes and tried to stop the shivering that was now overtaking his body. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard another voice. Her voice.
“What were you thinking of coming up here alone, Danny?”
Danny didn’t want to open his eyes as he wasn’t sure if he could bear seeing her in the room with him. He finally did, and felt a tear run down his cheek when he saw her across the room, looking alive and beautiful and exactly as he remembered.
“Caroline,” he said.
“Will you answer my question?”
“I don’t have an answer. Except that I think it’s fairly obvious I wasn’t thinking. I’ve got myself in one hell of a mess, haven’t I?”
“Espèce d'andouille”
Danny chuckled. “Yes, thanks for the reminder. I’m an idiot, I know. But please, lay off the French. I’m having enough trouble remembering English right now.”
“It’s freezing in here.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“I’m worried about you. You’re shivering terribly.”
“I think that’s probably a good thing, isn’t it? I think you’re really in trouble once you stop shivering.”
Caroline pushed her dark hair behind her ear in a gesture that Danny knew was as normal to her as breathing. Except she wasn’t exactly breathing anymore, was she? Did ghosts breathe?
“So why are you here, Caroline? To keep me company while I die?”
“I don’t want you to die.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t want you to die, either. We don’t always get what we want.”
“Do you want to die?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“I can’t think of any other reason you would go after a monster in the Arctic alone. Why not just put a gun to your head if you’re so intent on suicide?”
“It would have been a hell of a lot easier, wouldn’t it? But so messy…”
“I’m not joking, Danny.”
Danny’s shivering increased in intensity, and he found it difficult for his mouth to form words.
“Why not? This whole situation is a fucking joke. And you’re not even here anyway. You’re a god-damn ghost. Which, honestly, makes you fit right in up here in this psycho place. Have you met the other ghosts in residence?”
“Why do you want to die?”
“You’re not letting it go, are you? I don’t want to die. I just don’t think I have any say in the matter at this point.”
“I don’t blame you for what happened to me, you know.”
Danny felt his throat closing up. “You don’t? That’s good I guess. I sure as hell do.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Nobody knew about Jackson.”
“Nobody else was his partner.”
“Danny…”
“And besides, that’s really not the point. The issue is I didn’t just shoot him in time. I could have stopped him from cutting you…” Danny’s voice trailed off as he blinked back tears.
“If you would have shot him he would have jerked and cut me anyway. You know that.”
“Maybe so. But he might have missed.”
“I don’t blame you,” Caroline repeated. “And I’m tired of watching you live like some kind of zombie.”
“Well then go ahead and leave. I don’t ask you to hang around, do I? Get the fuck out of my life already. It was till death do us part, remember? So go ahead, you’re clear. Shit it’s so god-damn cold!”
Danny cursed as his shivering became more violent. He swallowed hard as Caroline stood up and moved closer to him before kneeling down on the floor in front of him. For a brief second, he stared into her green eyes and felt sure she was the flesh and blood Caroline. Not a ghost, but really there with him.
“Caroline,” he sputtered.
Caroline stroked his cheek with her hand, and made a shushing sound as she put her finger to his lips. Before he could kiss it, she was gone.
Danny blinked furiously, hoping each time he opened his eyes that she would be there in front of him again. But the room was empty.
“Caroline?” he called out. “Caroline!”
Danny’s anguished cries mixed with the howls of the wind, and echoed down the deserted Snow Creek hallway.
Chapter 6
7
Danny heard voices yelling and
feet stomping in the corridor, and was certain the ghosts had returned to keep him company. He wasn’t going to be frightened of hallucinations this time.
“Danny? Are you here? Danny!”
Danny jerked his head up. That was Tessa’s voice. He wasn’t hallucinating at all.
“Tessa,” he whispered.
He stomped his feet on the ground to make more noise, but any sound he could make was muffled by the thick carpet. He tried to swallow, but found no moisture in his mouth. “Tessa!” he croaked.
Within seconds, the door of the guest room opened and Tessa burst inside.
“Danny!” she yelled. “Oh my God, you’re okay!”
Danny tried to speak, but couldn’t form any words. Instead, he let out a deep sigh of relief as tears stung the corner of his eyes.
Tessa fell to her knees at his side and began working on the ropes that bound his hands. Terry Yazzie and Jack Meyer filed into the room behind her, followed by Doug Matheson and a woman Danny had never seen before.
“What the hell were you thinking coming up here?” Tessa said as she struggled with the ropes. “You damn fool.”
Danny couldn’t help but chuckle. “Never mind that,” he said. “Just get these fucking ropes off me. And give me a coat. I’m freezing to death.”
Tessa leaned back on her heels and grabbed Danny’s arms, trying to calm his violent shivering. “Can one of you get us a blanket?”
Terry walked quickly to the bed and pulled off the down comforter. The blanket was cold to the touch.
Tessa grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around Danny. “It’s alright, it’s alright,” she murmured, frowning as she noticed Danny’s pale and bluish skin.
“He’s got hypothermia,” she said. “That son of a bitch must have turned the heat off completely in here.”
Terry knelt down next to her and began to work on the ropes. “We need a knife,” he said.
“I’ll get one from the kitchen,” Doug Matheson said, sounding happy to have a task. “I saw it when we were looking for the Detective here.”
Danny’s teeth chattered as he glanced around the room. Jack Meyer grabbed Danny’s parka from the closet door and tossed it to Tessa, before opening the closet to find Danny’s hat, gloves, and scarf. Danny ached to get into his warm clothes, and felt sure he’d never take them off again. His eyes returned to the brunette woman standing near the doorway.
“Who are you?” he asked.
The woman appeared startled. “I’m Lauren Cooper,” she said. “From Seattle.”
Danny nodded and glanced back at Tessa. “Nechayev?”
Tessa shook her head. “There’s no sign of anyone here but you. Looks like Mr. Nechayev packed up and left.”
“He took her with him,” Danny said.
“Who? Katie Bailey?”
Lauren perked up. “Was Katie here? Did you see her?”
Danny thought back to the sultry vampire who had bared her fangs at him with such wicked delight. “I saw her, yes. But she’s gone now.”
“What do you mean, gone? Did Nechayev take her with him?”
How could Danny ever explain this? He stared at Lauren Cooper and forced his muddled brain to think. No one in this room would believe him if he told the truth about Katie Bailey. It was much better to tell a lie. A lie that had some truth to it.
“No,” Danny finally said. “He killed her. I saw her.”
“Oh no,” Tessa said. “That poor kid.”
“What do you mean, you saw her?” Jack asked. “You saw him kill her?”
“No. I saw her dead body.”
Danny saw the hope drain from all of their faces just as Doug Matheson returned with a thin utility knife.
“This ought to do it,” Matheson said. “I think we can cut the ropes without cutting your hands at the same time.”
Danny cringed. “God, I hope so.” He watched as Tessa grabbed the knife and set to work behind his back. “Be careful with that, would you?”
“I should give you a little slice just to teach you a lesson. I’ve seen some stupid stunts but damned if this doesn’t beat all.”
“I think I already learned my lesson without you adding to it. Just cut the god-damn ropes.”
Danny nearly cried as he felt the ropes fall from his wrists. He brought his arms to his front and laid his limp hands in his lap. He tried to move his fingers and was immediately met with stabs of sharp pain.
“Give it a minute,” Tessa said, wrapping the blanket tighter around Danny’s body. “You’ll be alright.”
Lauren cleared her throat. “I’m going to try to find some bandages,” she said. “His wrists are a bloody mess.”
“I’ll go with you,” Doug said.
As the two left the room, Danny stared at his wrists. The ropes had cut deep gashes into each one, and his attempts to loosen the knots had only added to the rope burn around each gash. It struck him how odd it was to be staring at his cuts and yet not be able to feel them, but he knew that wouldn’t last for long.
He suddenly had a flash of memory. “Oh my God,” he said. “Maria!”
“What?” Tessa said. “Maria Treibel?”
Danny nodded. “A root cellar. You need to find a root cellar. Hurry!”
“What are you talking about?”
Danny stumbled to his feet, leaning on Tessa as his numb legs gave out under him. “Aleksei told me she was alive when I was here last. He had her in a root cellar. I didn’t see it, but we need to find it. She might still be alive.”
Jack and Terry both headed for the doorway.
“We’ll see what we can find,” Jack said.
Danny heard their heavy footsteps running down the hallway.
“I need to find her, Tessa. We could have saved her if I hadn’t been so damn stupid last time. Why didn’t I look outside?”
“Don’t beat yourself up now,” Tessa said, gasping as she tried to support Danny’s weight. “You need to rest here, Danny.”
“I’m fine,” he said. “I just need to walk this off.”
He pulled away from Tessa and stumbled to the door of the room, holding onto the frame as he caught his breath and steadied himself. The feeling was returning to his hands and legs, and it wasn’t pleasant. Still, at least he could walk. He barreled past Lauren and Doug into the hallway, brushing off her bandages.
“I need to get outside,” he said.
“What??”
Tessa followed Danny, shrugging her shoulders at Lauren as the two passed. Lauren set the bandages down on the bed, and followed behind.
“Danny, you can’t go outside without your coat,” Tessa said. “You’re already hypothermic as it is!”
Ignoring her, Danny continued to follow the voices of the Jack and Terry to Aleksei’s bungalow and the kitchen, where they had discovered what looked to be a root cellar outside the door. It was half covered with snow, but a strong wind had blown enough snow to the side that they could see a wooden door in the ground.
Danny opened the kitchen door and ran outside, ignoring both the yells of his colleagues and the bitter cold that bit into his skin. He fumbled with the door of the root cellar and reluctantly moved away for Jack and Terry to pry it open.
“Maria?” he yelled as soon as the door was open. “Maria Treibel!”
Danny pushed past Jack and Terry and made his way down the stairs of the root cellar, calling Maria’s name with every step.
“It’s the police, Maria,” Tessa said as she descended the stairs behind Danny. “We’re here to help you.”
Tessa felt an increased sense of dread with each step, as the rotten stench of filth, urine, and feces was impossible to ignore. She knew the smell of death, and she feared what she and Danny were going to encounter at the bottom of the staircase.
It wasn’t long before she saw what she feared, as they found Maria crumpled on the floor in the corner of the root cellar. She was covered by a tattered blanket and her hands were crusted in blood. Bloody fingerprints lined the walls, remnants of her futile attempts to claw her way out of her dungeon.
Danny kneeled down beside Maria and gently shook her shoulder. “Maria?”
“Check for a pulse,” Tessa said, before kneeling down and grabbing Maria’s frail and tiny wrist herself. She almost didn’t believe it when she felt a pulse.
“I think she’s alive,” Tessa said.
Danny pulled Maria into a sitting position, and clutched her neck. The pulse was undeniable. “She is!” he yelled.
Tessa blinked back tears. “Thank God,” she said.
Jack stood in the center of the root cellar, stunned at the scene in front of him. He turned to Terry. “Get an ambulance here, a helicopter or something. We need to fly her to a hospital.”
Tessa turned towards Jack and Doug Matheson, who had now entered the cellar and was standing behind the Captain. “Can you two carry her out of here?” she asked. “We need to get her inside where it’s warm.”
Jack and Doug gingerly picked Maria up and carried her towards the stairs.
“She’s so frail I could carry her myself,” Jack said. “God help us.”
Danny collapsed onto the floor of the cellar as he watched Jack and Doug carry Maria’s limp body up the stairs. He put his head in his hands, and burst into tears.
Tessa wrapped her arm around his convulsing shoulders. “Danny, we need to get you inside too. And to a hospital.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re anything but.”
Danny laughed and took in a deep breath. “No point in arguing with you, I know that.”
“None at all.” Tessa hugged him, and stood up. “I need to put an APB out on Nechayev. How long ago did he leave here?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know how long I was out before you found me.”
“We had a terrible time getting here because of a storm in Fairbanks. Airport was closed. It was 24 hours after Amanda told me about your foolhardy stunt before I could even get a plane.”
“Amanda. So that’s how you knew I was here.”
“Lucky for you she called me.”
Danny nodded. “About Nechayev, you’re wasting your time with the APB. He’s long gone.”
“Well he couldn’t have gotten that far. This weather grounded everyone.”
“Not him. He’s different. He’s a monster.”
“I know that. But that doesn’t mean…”
Danny interrupted her. “I’m not speaking metaphorically, Tessa. I mean it. He’s not human. He’s some kind of creature. I know it’s crazy but I swear it’s the truth.”
Tessa held out her hand to him. “Danny, you’re in shock. And confusion is common with hypothermia, I know. God knows you must be dehydrated too after being stuck in that room for so long. I don’t even know how you’re talking.”
Danny started to protest again, but thought better of it. It was clear no one was going to believe him about what Aleksei really was, and he couldn’t blame them. A month ago, he wouldn’t have believed it either.
“We need to get you to a hospital,” Tessa said. “Let Captain Meyer and me worry about Nechayev now.”
Danny took hold of Tessa’s outstretched hand, and slowly got to his feet. Feeling dizzy, he clutched onto her arm for support as the two made their way up the stairs of the root cellar and back to the kitchen of the Snow Creek Asylum.