Haunted Waterways (Dark Legacy Series Book 2) Read online

  “Hand me the cleaver and I’ll cut her a breathing hole. Good compromise?”

  Louis didn’t say anything but allowed Rene to pull the meat cleaver from his loose grip. The sound of cracking bones repeated in his head. His stomach heaved each time he remembered that thick, wet, crack. Deep breathing didn’t help and he flopped forward, bracing his forearms against the floor as he wretched and choked. He was barely able to keep the contents of his stomach from rushing out of his throat.

  “Louis,” Cordelia said again as she wrapped an old wire cord around Marigold’s legs. The legs you broke, his mind reminded him. “We need to go.”

  Louis nodded as he staggered onto his feet. The phone should still be in Marigold’s cabin. If he was quick, perhaps they could get Ma out here before Marigold woke up. Or before it woke up within her skin. His stomach churned again and he braced one hand against the table to steady himself.

  “I should have been able to help her. I should have seen it coming.”

  “Louie, this isn’t your fault,” Cordelia said.

  “Deal with the guilt later,” Rene snapped. “Run.”

  He nodded and surged towards the door, “If she wakes up ...”

  “We won’t listen to a word,” Cordelia said. “We won’t say a word.”

  Rene set the last knot in place with a vicious yank and Louis swallowed down the urge to yell at him again. With Louis at Marigold’s shoulders and Rene at her feet, they lifted the unconscious body a few feet off the ground. They stubbornly stumbled for a few steps before acknowledging that it wasn’t going to work.

  “I’ll take her,” Louis said.

  Between the two of them, Rene spent more time doing physical activity, but he didn’t complain when Louis took Marigold’s weight. His feet felt like stone as he staggered to the side, unbalanced by the sudden weight of Marigold slumped over one shoulder. Rene stayed close long enough to make sure he wasn’t going to have to catch them before he turned his attention to Cordelia. Already on her feet and refusing to let go of the meat cleaver, Cordelia pulled Rene into a tight hug. The two separated after a few whispered words and hurried to the barricaded door.

  They were still pushing debris aside as Louis caught up. The large doors loomed in the deathly silence. For a moment, they all hesitated, staring at the door handle while not daring to touch it and see what lay on the other side. Eventually, Cordelia wrapped her hand around one door handle, Rene around the other, and they all exchanged a final glance.

  “We stick together,” Rene’s voice was only a whisper but they didn’t struggle to hear him.

  In unison, Cordelia and Rene wrenched open the doors, but none of them could force themselves to move. The dimly-lit hallway stretched out before them. Calm, silent, and covered with colorful lights that couldn’t fight off the shadows.

  “Phone first,” Rene mumbled. “We grab that rope on the deck on the way out.”

  They both looked to Cordelia. She adjusted her grip on the meat cleaver’s handle, sucked down a deep breath, and then nodded. Taking it as their cue, the men bolted into the hallway, Rene in the front while Cordelia protected them from behind. Their footsteps rattled off the walls and rolled out before them. The ghosts gone, as if in hiding, but Louis still expected for one of them to slither out from the dark crevasses that littered the hall. They leapt down the last few stairs and raced to the cabin.

  Rene was the first one through the door. Louis’ stomach cramped at the thought of going back in there, but he forced his feet to move. Marigold’s bed was cracked and hung at a limp angle and the mattress slumped against the opposite wall. As gently as his uncoordinated movements would allow, Louis dropped her onto the mattress and joined Rene in ransacking the room. They hurriedly threw aside the broken items and tattered remains of all that Marigold owned as Cordelia lingered in the threshold as a look out Rene found the phone under a chunk of the destroyed skin. The screen was cracked and the battery was running low, but it seemed to be working. Louis held it tightly, the small device solid against his palm as he reached for Marigold again. It was easier to get her into the fireman carry this time and they sprinted the remaining distance to the back deck. A huge hole had been ripped into the wall opposite the doorway into the kitchen. The room itself sat in tense silence and they jumped over the odd items that littered the floor.

  A burning ache had seeped into Louis’ shoulder by the time they reached the back door. The wood hung off of its hinges, creating a wide enough gap that they didn’t have to touch the door to get out. Rene leapt through the space and out into the night air. The fog stirred at his presence, swirling around him as he reached back in to take Marigold. As careful as they were, they couldn’t keep the unconscious girl from hitting against the walls. Free from the extra weight, Louis was able to slip around the door, Cordelia close behind. The fog felt like ice as it brushed against their fevered skin, a calming relief that helped to sober that promised freedom and safety but gave neither. Rene had already found the thick rope and was in the process of weaving it around Marigold’s body when Cordelia and Louis found him. The rope pulled tight against the sheets. It looked like they were preparing to bury Marigold at sea. It didn’t take long for Rene’s skilled fingers to make the final knot. Louis edged closer to take Marigold again, but Rene waved him off.

  “I got her.”

  “Are you sure?” Louis asked.

  It was hard to read his face in the fog and that just made Louis’ stomach tighten all the more.

  “You might need your hands free,” Rene finally said as he stood.

  He threw Marigold over his broad shoulder with ease and they hurried to join Cordelia at the top of the gangplank.

  “Here.” Cordelia thrust a flashlight into Louis’ hand. She must have gotten it somewhere along the journey, although Louis couldn’t remember from where. “The tide would have come in by now.”

  “I know,” Louis said softly. His eyes fixed on the point where the fog swallowed the end of the gangplank.

  Rene came up beside him, “The gators will be in. Keep that light off until we get past them.”

  Louis nodded and cast a final glance at Cordelia.

  They looked at each other for a long moment, neither quite sure where to go from here, each still waiting to be blindsided from the mist. Then Rene smacked Louis on the shoulder and gave him a little shove.

  “You keep that phone dry,” Rene said as Louis took his first step up onto the rusted gangplank.

  It only took a few steps for the fog to sever him from the boat, reducing it to only orbs of light that charged the air. A thick layer of water claimed over half of the metal slip. Hidden under the mist, Louis was only able to see it when he was a few inches from the placid surface. The metal pathway rattled with every step, creating ripples that expanded out and sloshed against things unseen. Louis held the phone safely over his head as the water crept over his body. By the time his feet sank into the mud, the water was already waist high. Progress was slow, not just because he had to struggle for every step, but because he was never quite sure what his foot was going to fall onto, what was lurking under the surface.

  The floodlights lit the fog but offered no definition to the world around him. The water reflected the off color mist until it seemed like that was all that existed. He waited to feel the hard flesh of an alligator, the slip of a snake, or the shifting skin of Poppy’s hand. A strong lap of water hit his chest and he froze. Even though he was prepared for it, he still yelped with surprise when something slithered past his leg. His hands tightened on the phone as a shadow emerged from the mist.

  Twin eyes shone in the minimal light, little disks of red that grew brighter as the alligator drifted towards them. Cordelia and Rene fell silent. The only sound was the water hitting the side of the boat behind them. Louis closed his eyes and tried to calm his heartbeat. It wouldn’t matter in the end. The alligator knew they were there. Even his thoughts spoke in a whisper when it told him, Marigold is bleeding. Snapping his e
yes open he glanced to Rene. Apparently, he had come to the same conclusion and now had his hands balled into fists against Marigold’s sheet.

  The alligator was now close enough for them to see each peak that covered its back like armor. Every muscle in Louis stomach tightened and he choked on his breath as the animal drifted within a few feet. The water pressed against him. The world held in silence. And then he felt it, a drag of solid stink and muscle as the side of the alligator slid across him. Louis managed to keep down his yelp but failed to keep himself from flinching at the contact. Eyes still closed, he waited for teeth to rip his skin with bone-crushing strength. Its tail thumped against his hip and he managed to pry his eyes open. He watched as the reptile drifted off, his knees almost buckling.

  They waited as long as they could for their journey through the sludge to be continued. The bank was all loosely packed silt and it swallowed his feet to his ankles. Still, they moved with renewed speed, limping and heaving out of the swamp. Water sloshed from their clothes and drizzled into the mud under them, making it harder to walk. Instantly, the air worked to chill his clothes and Louis shivered as he hurried forward. The lights of the boat had faded with the distance, giving way to the oppressive night. He fumbled with the flashlight until the small beam flickered to life, but it was of little help. The beam couldn’t penetrate the fog and instead just made it brighter.

  Unable to get his bearings, Louis blindly but carefully kept moving. Only the road had any real solid structure to it, and he used that as a guide to judge when he moved too far from it. The further he ventured, the thinner the mist became and he was able to make out the shadows of looming trees and swaying Spanish moss. Puddles severed the road. It was hard to spot them in time to keep from barreling into them. The solid gravel gave way to loose soil. It caught up in his feet and made him struggle to keep upright, the beam of the flashlight scattering over the horizon. It was easy to lose track of how far he had run, how long it had been.

  They stopped when their lungs began to burn and their legs refused to take another step. Rene struggled to keep from dropping Marigold as he hunched forward and fought to catch his breath. Cordelia took the flashlight from him, scanning it over the shadows around them as Louis turned the phone on, squinting into the bright light that poured from the screen. He had only one bar, barely a signal, but maybe it would be enough. Each button clicked as he dialed, an annoying feature that he hadn’t yet figured out how to turn off. His fingers hesitated as the soft sounds of an infant crying hovered in the wind.

  Rene and Cordelia both focused on Louis as he turned in desperate circles, trying to locate where the noise was coming from. Cordelia lifted the flashlight and once again scanned the shadows. The mist rolled uninterrupted around the towering trees that surrounded them on all sides.

  “Someone tell me they hear that, too,” Rene whispered.

  “We need to go,” Louis said as he broke into a run. He waved his arm to snap the couple out of their bewilderment. “Come on!”

  They sprinted after him as his thumb hit the last few digits and connected the call. The gravel crunched under their shoes and their clothes clung to their skin. Louis pressed the phone to his ear until it hurt. His heart sank when the phone offered a few quick beeps. The call hadn’t gone through. His lungs began to burn and his muscles clenched. No matter how far or fast he ran, he still felt as if there were something with him, only a few steps behind, the infant’s cry screaming in his ears.

  The mist thinned and he was able to see traces of moonlight. Trees reached for them with long brittle fingers. Without breaking stride, Louis hung up and then hit redial. The line buzzed before it beeped again and he bit back a curse. A sudden cry made both Cordelia and Louis screech to a halt. Cordelia waved the beam to the side, screaming with a frantic edge. “Rene!” She dropped down against the far side of the road, the beam of light fixed on the rippling grass that covered the sinkhole. “Rene!”

  Louis bolted forward, dropping the phone as he flattened himself against the gravel road. Pushing his longer torso out onto the unstable surface, he clawed at the plants that sat atop the patch of water that Cordelia eliminated with the flashlight. He ripped out hunks of the tangled green mass but there always seemed to be more to fill the hole again. The grass bucked as Rene pushed at the underside. Louis drove his fist through the tangled marsh, the roots and vines twisting around his wrist like a thousand snakes. Fingers latched onto his and Louis shot out his free hand to grab Cordelia’s arm. She instantly dropped the flashlight and began to yank with every ounce of strength that she could summon.

  The plants held firm. Cordelia’s heels dug deep into the mud and Louis’ joints pulled until they promised to snap. Rene released a rattled gasp as his head broke free of the surface. They dragged him to the edge, unable to get even his shoulders out of the mush. The Cajun heaved each breath, sputtering out mouthfuls of water. He lurched forward as he regained his footing.

  “Marigold?” Louis asked.

  “Got her,” he coughed up another mouthful of water as the algae next to him lifted.

  Cordelia pushed forward to hold onto Rene, leaving Louis free to tear through the tangled cluster of weeds again. His skin was shredded by the time Louis finally found the cloth under the surface. Rene pulled himself out of the water and twisted to help Louis drag Marigold’s motionless form out of the water. Louis ripped at the hole in the sheet, forcing it wider to expose Marigold’s face.

  “Is she breathing?” Cordelia asked.

  Louis bent closer and pressed his ear to her chest. He wasn’t able to hear her heartbeat over the screams of the phantom infant. With trembling fingers, he pressed against her sternum. The world seemed to stop, hovering within that singular moment until he felt the slight motion of her chest. A slow rise and fall. She was breathing. Louis sagged forward with relief, draping over her and pressing his forehead against her arm.

  Rene roughly grabbed the back of Louis’ shirt and yanked him away from Marigold. In the same moment, Cordelia grabbed the flashlight, offering her husband the steady glow as he pulled Marigold back onto his shoulder. Snatching up the phone, Louis followed as they once again ran down the only road out of the bayou, their pace slower and every step hurting.

  He didn’t know how far they had gone when he brought the phone up to his ear and hit the redial button. The trees around them shook, the brittle branches shuttering as something pushed its way through them. Cordelia twisted the beam over the shadows and mist, illuminating the dubby as it shifted in and out of sight as it ran alongside them. Louis’ heart felt like a lump of stone in his chest until he heard the ringing give way to his mother’s voice.

  “Ma, we need help. I think we just made a huge mistake!”

  Before she could ask, he rushed on to explain everything that had happened, the words running into each other in his haste. His legs wobbled, his lungs burned, and exhaustion made it impossible to keep up his pace any longer. Eventually, his body couldn’t do what his mind willed it and he staggered to a stop. Cordelia was the first to notice and slowed her steps to match his, Rene quickly following suit. Unable to catch their breaths, they kept searching the bayou around them for a sign of the ghost that was hunting them.

  “I thought you said they couldn’t stick around if the demon was trapped,” Rene snapped, barely heard over the child’s wails.

  “He shouldn’t be here,” Louis said, tightening his grip on the phone until his hand throbbed. . This far from the water it was possible to make out a good few feet in any directions. Behind him the road was relatively clear, before him a large puddle expanded the graveled width. To pass it, they would either have to cling to the shadow-drenched trees, or slog through the water and soft ground beneath. The crying abruptly stopped, allowing them to hear the crash of unseen things bursting through the bayou around them. The thin beam of light couldn’t illuminate them, only making the fading mist glow.

  “Ma, you need to get here now!”

  “Louis, hon
ey, put me on speaker phone so everyone can hear me.”

  Each word was articulated with care, the strange sound slicing through Louis’ panic with the threat of something new. He quickly switched the phone onto speaker and drew closer to the others to ensure that they could hear.

  “Ma, you have to hurry. I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Louis forced through the lump in his throat. “She’s really hurt.”

  “Calm down, and listen,” Ma’s overly crisp tone crackled out of the speakers. “The police and I are almost there.”

  All three of them froze, their blood turning to ice within their veins. Rene crouched next to Marigold’s body, unable to catch his breath as blood seeped through the sheet. Even while concealed, it was clear to see that Marigold’s legs were twisted at angles they shouldn’t be. In the dime light her face was pale, streaked with blood and filth.

  Cordelia was the first one to find her voice, “The police? No, they can’t see Marigold like this. How are we supposed to explain any of this? You have to keep them away.”

  “That’s right, honey, I have a police officer with me right now,” Ma said with exaggerated calmness. “When no one had checked back in with me, I thought that something might have gone wrong. The police officer is giving me a lift out right now.” Her voice took on a sweetness that only someone who knew her would know was forced. They each looked at each other as they heard her say to someone else. “Officer, could you radio for an ambulance? My son has just told me that the poor La Roux girl fell and is hurt.”

  The officer’s voice was too mumbled to understand the words, but the volume of it made it clear that the man was pretty close to her. Probably in a driver’s seat.

  “You guys just stay where you are,” Ma went on to give the warning, “We’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

  “Probably earlier,” Rene said as he stared at a distant point.

  Louis turned to follow his gaze. His lungs turned to iron when he saw the flashing blue and red lights making its way towards them. The fog had concealed the car until they were almost on top of them. There was no time to unravel Marigold. No time to make this look any better than it was.