The Children of Fear Read online

  Mr. Green gripped Corey’s small hand as he stood beside him. Luke needed to talk to Mr. Green, but Corey had been by the man’s side almost constantly since Mrs. Green had been killed. Luke did not want Corey to hear what he had to say to Mr. Green.

  Mr. Green leaned down to say something to Corey. Then Corey ran to Mrs. Green’s flower bed and began to pick her yellow flowers.

  For her grave, Luke realized sadly. Every morning Corey placed fresh flowers on Mrs. Green’s grave.

  Only three days had passed, but Luke knew it was three days too many.

  He had to talk to Mr. Green.

  He walked to the freshly dug grave. “Mr. Green?”

  Mr. Green turned, his gray eyes sad. “Luke. What can I do for you, son?”

  Luke’s stomach lurched. He has always been so kind to us, treated us as his own children. He did not deserve this grief.

  “Mr. Green.” Luke swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. “Mr. Green, I think it’s time I told you everything.”

  He began at the beginning … with his parents’ death and the strange behavior of the horses. His father’s gift. And how his father had taught Leah to use the gift.

  “But I’m afraid she uses her gift for evil,” Luke told Mr. Green.

  Mr. Green shook his head. “I’ve seen her use her gift, Luke—with Matilda. I wouldn’t call calming an animal evil.”

  Luke cleared his throat. It was so hard to find the right words. “I’ve seen animals kill people, Mr. Green. And always Leah stood by, watching. Never once has she shown any remorse,” he added sadly. The words stuck in his throat, but he forced himself to be truthful. “Sometimes … she’s even seemed happy about it,” he added hoarsely.

  He told Mr. Green about the matron’s death, Mary’s death, and the animals attacking different people.

  “And you think she made the hogs attack my wife?” Mr. Green asked Luke incredulously.

  Reluctantly, Luke nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m afraid so.”

  “But why?” Mr. Green asked.

  Luke felt the sadness swell inside him. “Leah wasn’t happy. She hurts those who make her unhappy.”

  “And is she happy now?” Mr. Green asked.

  “I think so,” Luke said. “But tomorrow—”

  “She might be unhappy,” Mr. Green said, finishing Luke’s sentence for him. Mr. Green slowly shook his head. “Then she could use her powers against us at any time—whenever we make her unhappy.”

  “Yes, sir. I need to turn her in to the authorities.”

  “Not to the authorities. She’s a child. They won’t put her in prison. They won’t hang her, as she deserves. You need to take her to the insane asylum. They can lock her away. That would be best.”

  With a heavy heart, Luke agreed.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Luke slapped the reins and felt the horses pull the wagon away from the Green farm. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Mr. Green still standing beside his wife’s grave.

  “Can we get some licorice while we’re in town?” Leah asked. “Mrs. Green said sweets were bad for a lady’s teeth, but since she’s not here anymore—”

  “Yes,” Luke agreed hastily, to stop her words.

  She doesn’t feel any guilt at all, Luke realized sadly. She has no remorse over the way she’s using her gift to hurt people. None at all.

  “And I want some new clothes,” Leah added. “Something without all these stupid ribbons and bows. Mrs. Green—”

  “You’ll get new clothes,” Luke told her, gritting his teeth. Gray clothes. Simple clothes. The clothes they wear at the insane asylum.

  Luke listened as Leah told Corey how different their life would be now. How she could play with him more, play with the animals.

  “No more sewing and baking and being a lady,” she announced, a gleeful smile filling her face as the wagon rolled into town.

  Luke brought the horses to a halt in front of the large brick asylum. Tall black iron gates marked the entrance. He noticed bars on all the windows, like a jail. The grim, forbidding look of the place gave Luke a chill.

  “Why are we stopping here?” Leah asked.

  Luke’s shoulders slumped forward. He felt an acidy pool of guilt eating at his heart. He didn’t want to do this to his sister … but the faces of all the people he might have saved floated through his mind once again.

  Luke turned and met his sister’s gaze. His voice cracked. “Leah, please understand—”

  “No!” she cried, and Luke could see by the cold glitter in her green eyes that she knew what he planned to do.

  “You can’t put me and Corey in an insane asylum.”

  Luke shook his head. “Not you and Corey. Just you.”

  At that moment a door banged shut and three men dressed in white began to walk toward the wagon.

  Leah clutched Luke’s arm, her fingers biting into his flesh. “No, Luke, please. Please don’t do this. I know what you think of me. But I’m not evil. I swear it—”

  “I don’t think it, Leah. I know it.”

  “Luke, please don’t—”

  “I have no choice, Leah!” he cried, trying to ignore the tears shimmering in her eyes. “You’ve given me no choice.”

  “No!” she shrieked. “No! I won’t go!”

  The horses reared up. Luke tightened his hold on the reins and grabbed the bench seat.

  The wagon tilted.

  It’s going to turn over, Luke realized. It’s going to crush us just as it did our parents.

  Then the wagon righted itself and the horses bolted.

  Luke felt the wagon take off, and he nearly flew off the driver’s seat. He clung on to the side of the wagon with one hand, the other hand grasping the reins. The leather strips bit into his hands as he fought to gain his balance. Leah screamed as the horses galloped faster.

  The wild horses pounded down the street, stirring up a cloud of dust.

  People screamed and desperately rushed out of the way.

  The sound of the pounding hooves thundered in Luke’s ears. The stores flew by him in a blur. Sweat poured into his eyes.

  The horses had gone wild. He could not stop them.

  His heart leapt into his throat. His breath caught in his chest.

  Summoning every ounce of his strength, he tugged hard on the reins.

  But it was too late.

  Too late.

  He couldn’t stop the horses as they plunged straight through the plate-glass window of the general store.

  Chapter

  21

  The whirring of a wheel woke Luke up.

  He slowly opened his eyes. Through a red mist, he could see the wagon on its side, the wheels still spinning.

  He touched his fingers to his throbbing forehead and felt the warm, sticky blood.

  He lifted his heavy head, and the pain arced between his temples like a bolt of white-hot lightning.

  The odor of kerosene assaulted his nostrils. Kerosene! We must have shattered lanterns when we came through the window, he thought groggily.

  In the distance he could hear something else, something he’d heard before. His skin prickled with alarm at the sound of crackling paper. He choked on the scent of acrid smoke.

  A fire!

  Luke leapt to his feet. “Corey! Leah!”

  Debris covered the wagon. In a frenzy, Luke began to toss it aside: splintered wood, ruptured flour sacks, shards of glass.

  “Leah! Corey!” He spotted a small hand peeking out from beneath the wagon.

  “Corey!” Breathing heavily, Luke dropped to his knees. He peered under the wagon. Corey lay as still as death, and Luke saw his legs pinned beneath the wagon.

  The roar of the fire rose, blasting Luke’s ears in its mounting fury. The heat from the flames surrounded him.

  Not much time, he realized with increasing dread. Not much time to get Corey out before he burns to death.

  He watched in horror as the flames leapt onto the wooden wagon. He heard the crackle and pop.
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  He saw the wood instantly char and burn.

  He slipped his hands under the side of the wagon. He grunted, losing precious seconds as he strained to lift the wagon. Corey remained sprawled beneath it, but Luke didn’t spot any blood.

  The wagon finally gave way. Holding it up with one hand, Luke shifted his body until he could grab Corey’s shirt and pull him free.

  But where was Leah?

  “Leah!” he called, but all he could hear was the bellowing of the fire. The flames rapidly filled the store, devouring everything in sight.

  The wagon blocked the front entrance. With Corey in his arms, Luke could find no way to climb over the wagon and through the flames licking at the opening to the street.

  I have to find another way, Luke thought frantically as he spun around. The smoke rushed into his lungs, choking him. Tears flowed along his cheeks as the heat and smoke burned his eyes.

  Choking, gasping for air, he held Corey close.

  Not much time.

  The fire grew. The smoke billowed.

  He squinted and peered around through the smoke and flames. His heart hammered frantically. He couldn’t see through the thickening smoke.

  Not much time.

  The flaming orange curtain circled him.

  Then it rushed in to engulf him.

  Chapter

  22

  Luke spotted a door some distance from the wagon. He ran toward it and tried the knob. The hot metal singed his skin, and he jumped back. He took a few steps backward, then ran straight at the door.

  It crashed open, and he fell to the floor of what looked like a storeroom. The fire followed, nipping at his heels like an angry dog.

  At the far end of the room, Luke spotted a back door. Luke hit his shoulder against the door. It didn’t budge.

  The fire roared behind him.

  He coughed, and the blackness began to close in.

  No! he decided. I won’t die like this. I won’t let Corey die like this.

  His arms ached from Corey’s weight. His legs felt rubbery and weak. Gathering the last of his strength, he pounded his body against the door.

  It gave way and Luke stumbled into the alley.

  He took great gulps of air as he staggered away from the store.

  The fire is like a living thing, he thought as he watched it jump from building to building. Burning. Insatiable flames consuming everything in its path.

  Where is Leah? Luke wondered. I can’t let her escape.

  Carrying Corey, he rushed back to the asylum. With each step he pushed against the flow of people who were carrying water buckets.

  They won’t be able to stop the fire Leah started, Luke thought sadly.

  He looked down at Corey. He was still unconscious, his face blackened with soot. Maybe a doctor at the asylum could help Corey, Luke thought.

  Luke neared the building’s massive iron gates. He saw Leah struggling against the grasp of two doctors.

  “Luke! Help me! You’re making a mistake.”

  “I can’t help you now, Leah. I tried my best. Please believe me,” Luke called after her. He felt iron bands squeezing his heart.

  No matter what Leah had done, she was still his sister. He tried not to think of happier times. Before the evil came into their lives.

  He watched with a heavy heart as the men led Leah toward the sturdy brick building.

  “Luke!” Her cry rang in his ears. “Help me!”

  He shook his head. She was beyond his help. She needed to be put away where she couldn’t kill again. He hoped that nobody would hurt her at the asylum.

  As the attendant opened the heavy door, Leah pierced Luke with her cold green stare.

  “You’ll be sorry,” she shrieked at him. “You’ll be sorry, Luke!”

  Chapter

  23

  Luke sat down on Corey’s bed and tucked the blanket around his brother’s chin. Corey stared back at him with large, solemn eyes.

  Corey had recovered from the accident with the wagon and the fire. But Luke sensed that his brother felt very sad about Leah.

  “I promise that we’ll go visit her,” Luke told Corey. “They won’t hurt Leah, but they’ll make sure that she doesn’t hurt anyone.”

  Corey’s lips tightened into a straight line, and Luke saw his little mouth quiver. His eyes shimmered with tears.

  “Mr. Green is going to let us stay here,” Luke assured Corey. “And everything is going to be so much better. You’ll go to school. And you can go play with those children we met the first day. I bet Mr. Green would even let you have a puppy to play with.”

  “Of course he can have a puppy,” a deep voice added from the doorway.

  Luke jerked his head around. Mr. Green had come into the room. He looked gaunt, tired.

  “There’s a storm brewing,” he told Luke. “I’m going to check the storm window in the cellar. I want you both to close your windows before you go to sleep.”

  He shuffled out of the room.

  “See,” Luke said as he turned back to Corey. “We’ll be happy here. Tomorrow I’ll see if any of the neighbors have a dog they don’t want. You can name him anything you wish.”

  Luke watched Corey’s mouth lift in a hesitant smile.

  “It’s sad about Leah. But you’re going to have a regular life,” Luke promised his brother.

  Corey’s green eyes began to glitter with excitement.

  Luke felt his own excitement grow. A regular life.

  Everything would be all right now.

  Everything.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Luke awoke to the sound of a crash.

  He jerked upright, holding his breath. He listened, every muscle in his body tense and alert.

  Lightning flashed, illuminating his dark room for a single instant. Thunder rumbled.

  The storm is here, he thought. Just the storm.

  He flopped back onto his pillows and took a deep breath. His eyes drifted closed again to the softly rumbling thunder.

  Then he heard a strangled scream. A man’s scream.

  Mr. Green!

  Luke sprang up in bed again. He grabbed his overalls and shirt and pulled them on quickly. With a shaking hand, Luke lit the candle he kept beside his bed. He picked it up and dashed into the hallway and down the stairs.

  The flame quivered. His own shadow rose up eerily against the stairway wall.

  The house stood completely dark.

  Utterly silent.

  I know I heard something, Luke thought. I heard Mr. Green scream.

  He padded into the kitchen on bare feet.

  He spotted the cellar door standing open. Luke peered down the stairway into the cellar. Into pitch-black darkness.

  “Mr. Green?” he called softly.

  No answer.

  His pulse pounded in his temples. His mouth felt dry as sand.

  He held the candle and crept down the creaking, rickety steps. One by one. “Mr. Green, are you down here?” he called out again.

  His voice echoed in the black emptiness.

  A damp, moldy smell filled his nose, and he coughed on the stale air.

  He stepped off the bottom stair and onto the cellar’s stone floor. A shiver raced through his body as his bare feet hit the cold stone. He took a single step forward, feeling chilled to the bone.

  He narrowed his eyes. He could see something … legs lying on the floor.

  His heart pounded with dread. He forced himself to take another step forward, his feet feeling as heavy as bricks.

  He peered down into the shadows and recognized the dark blue denim overalls that clothed the unmoving legs.

  Mr. Green’s overalls.

  Luke stepped quickly past the legs and knelt down by the body. He held the candle close to Mr. Green’s face. “Mr. Green—” he began.

  His voice choked at the sight of Mr. Green’s face, his vacant gaze, staring at the ceiling.

  Dead!

  Luke jumped up and stepped back. Mr. Green is dead! How i
s this happening again?

  Did Leah escape?

  He shuddered as another thought struck him.

  Are her powers this strong? Can she reach us even though she is locked away?

  Then Luke heard a small voice. A child’s voice.

  “Thank you. He was mean to my sister. So mean. You’re my friends. Thank you.”

  Luke spun around and held his candle out to shed some light on the shadows. That small voice … His hand trembled uncontrollably.

  He stumbled back in horror as he watched Corey step out of the shadows.

  Corey, covered with thick, squirming rattlesnakes wrapped around his arms, legs, and neck. He stroked them and kissed their hissing heads as they slithered over him.

  Chapter

  24

  “Corey,” Luke gasped. “It was you all along! You’re the one with the power to control animals.”

  “Me and Leah,” Corey answered. “And Papa. But they never did anything bad. Neither did I—until people started being so mean to Leah. You wouldn’t help her—so I had to.”

  Luke stared at his brother. He couldn’t move. He felt stunned and horrified. He felt lost in a nightmare. Fighting to wake up.

  Yet he knew it was no dream.

  He felt the crushing weight of the horrible truth press down on him. Bury him alive. His heart beat so hard that he thought it would burst through his chest.

  “You killed them,” Luke whispered, his voice hoarse with disbelief. “You killed them all!”

  “They were mean,” Corey replied calmly. “They were bad. And so are you!” Corey insisted. “You locked poor Leah away forever. Now you must pay!”

  Luke knew he should run for his life. But his body felt frozen to the spot. Frozen with fear.

  Mesmerized, he watched as Corey gently placed the rattlesnakes on the ground, petting each on the head as though it were a puppy instead of a deadly viper. They hissed. They shook their tails, the rattles on the end sending a clacking sound echoing around the cellar.

  “They will kill you too, Luke,” Corey said quietly. “When I tell them to.”

  Luke held the candle high and stared at the slithering snakes. So many. So large. Their forked tongues darted in and out of their mouths.