Neverwood
Title: Neverwood, Part VI
Rating: R for language and violence
Warning: Genuine horror here. I hope.
Word Count: ~51k
Summary: Aiden Thomas Padalecki is violently and mysteriously kidnapped, leaving behind distraught parents who have no idea why their only child was taken. After months of futile investigation, the frantic father witnesses the slow but inevitable decline in the search of his only child. Half mad with grief, Jared goes to an island off the coast of Washington, holding the last clue that may help him find his son. But it is all a trap, and there’s someone crouching, waiting for him to pay back for sins not of his making.
Notes: Adapted from Peter Pan, written for j2_everafter.
Disclaimer: 127.5% fiction.
Steve put on a waterproof jacket and zipped it tightly. He even fixed some duct tape on his wrists so nothing could leak in or crawl through. He threw the roll to Chris who did the same to his jacket and boots.
Jared watched the two men nervously as they loaded up for what looked like a bear hunt. His eyes widened as Chris pulled out a gun Jared couldn't even properly identify. His alarm grew when Steve handed over a small metal case filled with miniature darts.
“What are those?” he asked nervously.
“Tranquilizers,” Steve said, “for the dogs. We can’t use it on humans, especially kids, so don’t worry.”
Jared was nowhere near satisfied but had to keep his mouth shut in fear of pissing off the two men who’d volunteered to go into the woods to find his son.
Chad looked at the map on the desk and shook his head. “I can’t believe Aiden’s survived this long in this weather.”
“The dogs probably helped,” Chris said. “If they really are feral, they’d know probably good dozen places to hide if it got too cold.”
The door to the office opened and Jensen stepped in followed by two pasty-faced deputies.
“I told them what happened,” Jensen said.
The four men had agreed to formulate a plausible lie, and Jensen had come up with the best of all: Jared had obtained sketchy evidence pointing to Spencer’s involvement in his son’s disappearance. And after arriving on Robbin, Jared and Chad had indeed found his son, alive and completely traumatized, roaming freely.
The good sheriff realized that the best lie was one buried in truth, and though he’d left out the salient details of the ghostly children, the story had enough credibility for the deputies to wonder about the legendary recluse and what he’d been up to, living alone in that spooky mansion, away from the curious eyes of his neighbors.
“We have to be careful,” Jensen cautioned everyone. “Aiden has to be found before sundown, because by then everyone in Alliance Bay is going to know the real reason behind Jared’s presence on Robbin.”
“What do you want us to do?” Gabe asked, mopping his sweaty forehead despite the fact the temperature in the room couldn't be above mid-sixties.
“I want you to keep an eye on the town,” Jensen ordered kindly. “Make sure nothing strange happens here while I'm gone.”
“Where are you going to be?” Jake asked. “Aren’t you going to arrest Spencer?”
“Not without more evidence,” Jensen replied. “And given a choice, I want to get the kid off the island first. That way, Spencer won’t have anything to threaten us with.”
Jared look gratefully at Jensen but said nothing.
He’s right. If that bastard manages to catch Aiden, then nothing will stop him from killing my son. Whatever his reason, it’s not based on sane reasoning. And if we’re really dealing with a madman, it’s best to make sure he can’t hurt my son.
“We’re ready,” Steve said, his voice light and hinting at nothing of what he would face in less than an hour.
“Gabe has a boat we can borrow,” Jensen said. “Jared, Chad, and I will be at the ruins for the morning. We’ll come back earlier if we find something halfway solid.”
“Will do, boss,” Gabe said. “Gonna bring the satellite phone?”
Jensen nodded. “Be careful. If Spencer really is guilty of kidnapping - he didn’t do it alone.”
The deputies looked at each other before giving a nervous nod of agreement. Jared watched the two young men leave with something akin to parental fears.
“How bad do you think it’ll get?” Chad asked. “Because I get the feeling it’s going to get ugly with or without our spectral friends.”
“Spencer kidnapped Aiden without getting caught,” Jensen said. “He evaded the cops and the feds with little problem. It was only because of Tuohy’s confession that you managed to find out about Robbin’s connection to the statue. And now Tuohy is dead; we have to make sure the same thing won’t happen to us.”
“Good idea,” Chad agreed.
“Act like you’ve got a sniper rifle trained on you at all times,” Chris said. “That way, you’ve got a better chance of getting out of this alive.”
“Do you think anyone will follow us to the ruins?” Jared asked. “With the reputation that place has?”
“That is a damn good question,” Steve answered. “I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure. So follow Chris’ advice.”
Chad shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets to stop them from trembling too badly. “Man, this shit’s getting worse by the second.”
Jared kept silent, his mind busy with the images of Aiden running away from him. He wanted nothing more than to forget them, and planned to the moment he held Aiden in his arms.
He felt a nudge and looked up to see Jensen’s kind eyes. “Time to go,” the sheriff said.
“Sounds good to me,” Jared replied hoarsely.
As their boat pulled up on the beach, Jared spotted Steve and Chris already heading to the ruins. Eager to join them, Jared leaped out of the wooden dinghy and immediately regretted doing so, as he was wearing sneakers. The cold water eagerly lapped up his ankles and soaked his feet.
“Shit,” he hissed as he ran to the beach.
He turned to see Jensen pull the small fishing boat close enough to shore before dropping anchor. Chad waited until Jensen was done before jumping out. Jared saw his smug grin and gave a sour look.
“Pays to be patient,” Chad said before looking up at the ruins. "Man, we've been here so often, I feel like I should start paying rent."
Jared didn't think it possible but he felt fondness for Chad right then.
Their light mood didn’t last as they returned to the ruins. From a distance and in the light of day the place looked depressing and neglected but that was all. However, as they approached the compound, the unease returned rapidly.
Somehow, Jared managed to keep his face neutral. The last thing he needed was to attract Jensen’s attention like he did last night. The sheriff was more than capable of stopping Jared and then restraining him if he took a single step out of line.
As if reading his thoughts, Jensen caught up to him. “You doing okay?”
“How long have you been able to read minds?” Jared joked weakly. “Because I got to say I’m impressed.”
“It’s part of my job,” Jensen answered with a small knowing smile. “The downside is no one would play poker with me.”
“Smart people,” Jared quipped.
“I think Steve wants us to go to the mines,” Jensen said, pointing to his friend motioning to them. “Jared, stick with me, understand? Those mines are plenty dangerous, and not even Chris or Steve can find you without outside help if you wander off. And you won’t do your son any good lost down there.
“You hearing me?”
Jared looked at Jensen, surprised by the severity of the man’s tone. “Yes, I understand.”
“Good.” Jensen’s face lightened up considerably. “C’mon: let’s see what the terror twins want with us.”
Steve quickly located the entrance to the first mine, as it was only a short distance from the hospice’s main garden.
“Wow, this was catastrophically stupid,” Chad remarked as he studied the boarded-up hole.
“Probably why the good doctor got the land so cheap,” Steve explained. “Nobody wanted to build near mines. It’d be too dangerous.”
Jared gave a puzzled look at their guide. It was Jensen who answered the unspoken question. “The ground below is riddled with tunnels. It could make everything above unstable.”
“You mean sinkholes?” Jared asked.
“That and worse,” Jensen continued. “If they hit a gas pocket or the mines contained coal - the fire can burn down there for years. There is a place in Pennsylvania that’s a ghost town now because there’s a coal vein below it that’s been burning for over forty years.”
“So, no exploring there unless absolutely necessary,” Chad said. “Good deal.”
Jared took another glance at the boarded-up entrance. There were the usual trash plants growing wildly around it, and from the looks of the decrepit planks and the rusted nails nobody had bothered to explore the place for a long, long time.
“Jared, I need you to come see this,” Steve asked in a strained tone.
Jared turned to see everyone had made a small ring around an unidentifiable pile. He approached them even as fear piled on top of more fear inside his mind. However, Jared's courage faltered completely when he recognized what the men were staring at.
“It’s evidence,” Jensen said. “Please, just tell me if you can identify anything.”
Jared nodded since he couldn’t speak. He leaned over and looked at the child’s sneakers. They were covered in mud, but he recognized the ironed-on patch of Spiderman Sandy had put on the heel of the right shoe. Aiden loved his fair share of superheroes, but Spiderman existed on an exalted level all his own. And thus, given no choice, Jared had to purchase a Spiderman costume for last Halloween.
The look on Aiden’s face when he saw the outfit was priceless, and Jared had the pleasure of accompanying him for trick-o-treating. The combination of his son’s glee at wearing his favorite superhero’s costume and the fact that he had a bagful of candy made Jared just as happy.
And now, even that memory was soiled.
“It’s Aiden’s,” the father said.
“Are you sure?” Jensen asked.
“I am,” Jared confirmed again, his voice shakier than ever before.
“That’s good enough,” Jensen said. He placed the ripped clothes and muddy shoes from a bunch of paper bags he’d produced from his jacket pocket. “We’re going back, now. There’s enough evidence here to at least question Mr. Spencer, maybe even bring him in.”
“If he claims health issues?” Chris looked skeptically at his friend. “What then?”
“House fucking arrest,” Jensen answered promptly. “Round the clock - and we can have the feds involved too, since this is in their jurisdiction. Spencer may have a pull with the mayor, but he’s going to have a hard time staring down the FBI.”
“Good,” Steve said curtly. “Me and Chris will go on. If you don’t hear from either of us by nightfall, assume we’re in trouble.”
“But don’t come charging in,” Chris cautioned his friend. “Make sure the kid’s safe before doing that.”
“So, when should we come charging in, then?” Chad looked at the two men. “Next year? Two years from now?”
“Tomorrow morning, smartass,” Steve said, grinning. “First light. No use looking for us at night. Just gonna have more people lost in the goddamn woods if you did that.”
“We’ll try to make it to the coast if something happens,” Chris added. “That way, it’ll be easier extraction.”
“Done,” Jensen said. “Good luck.”
“Good luck to you too,” Steve remarked softly. “Between the two of us, I think we got the easier end of the deal.”
Jared watched the two men cautiously move forward into the Black Woods until they were no longer visible.
“They are really that brave?” Chad asked. “’Cause I can’t figure them out.”
“Chris has something to prove,” Jensen admitted. “But Steve’s just that brave. And stupid. He’s also the luckiest son of a bitch I’ve ever met.
“C’mon, we’re wasting time.”
They returned quickly to the boat and Jensen had them out on the choppy waters in no time. Jared felt a shiver of excitement as he watched Jensen. The sheriff was bracing himself for the inevitable confrontation with the most powerful man on the island: a man who, by all estimation, was either completely insane or so bent on vengeance that he cared neither for the law nor whatever fallout that could result from his actions.
A man who’s got nothing to lose, Jared thought. But why? Why me? Why Aiden? And why now?
Jake Abel was by all accounts an easy-going fellow. And it was this steady temper that earned him the deputy badge. Very slow to anger and never one to hold a grudge, when Jake told someone to shut up and behave, they did mostly out of shock at being yelled at by the island's goodwill ambassador.
However, even he was about to fill up the swear jar when the office’s phone rang for the upteenth time. Jake picked it up again and barked out a greeting, only to be greeted by static.
“Dude, line’s messed up,” Gabe said. “Let it be.”
“It could be an emergency!” Jake snarled. “For all we…”
The phone rang again.
“What the hell do you want?!” Jake roared, the veins lining his forehead visibly throbbing.
“I’m looking for the sheriff,” was the curt answer. “Who in hell is this?!”
“Sorry, sir,” Jake said, blushing furiously. He heard Gabe snort a chuckle and gave the middle finger as his reply. “The sheriff’s out for the moment. And I like to apologize for my behavior. We were having problems all morning with our phones.”
“That fits with what’s been happening on our end,” the man admitted gruffly. “Look, my name’s Gerald Padalecki. My son, Jared, is on the island and I’ve been trying to get in touch with him since yesterday. I’ve had absolutely no luck in reaching him or anyone on Robbin.”
“Gerald Padalecki?” Jake said, looking wide-eyed at Gabe who immediately began calling their boss.
“Sir, is there a number we can reach you while we’re still talking?”
“Yes, my wife’s cell.”
The connection began to drop but Jake still managed to write down the phone number. Gabe reached Jensen and immediately informed him about the call.
“Sir, my boss is contacting you now,” Jake said, wondering if the man was even able to hear him through the static. He heard a tinny ring. “Mr. Padalecki? That’s my boss.”
Gerald came back on the line though Jake was barely able to hear him. “Thank you.”
The line went dead.
Jake sighed and rested his flaming face on his desk. “Jesus Christ. Why do I think the shit’s hit the fan?”
“Because it has,” Gabe said. “Look.”
Jake looked out the window and saw the sheriff’s car tearing up the road towards Spencer mansion. Without a word, Jake went to his locker and opened it. He loaded up his gun and got his spare.
He heard the locker behind him open and turned to see Gabe doing the same thing.
“What do you want to do now?” Jake asked conversationally.
“I think it’d be best if we stayed here until Jensen calls for us,” Gabe replied in an easy tone. “Just in case.”
Jake sat down on his chair. “Sounds good to me.”
Gabe leaned next to the windowsill, his gaze still trained on the mansion and its newest visitors.
“Sir, what can you tell me?” Jensen said, looking at Jared who had dozed off in the backseat.
“Where is Jared? I want to speak to him first,” Gerald demanded firmly.
“He’s sleeping and I don’t want to wake him,” Jensen answered. “He’s not been getting any rest.”
“Why is he there?” the father asked, plainly terrified and worried.
“Didn’t your son explain to you? That he’s here because of Aiden?”
“No, Jeff didn’t,” Gerald grumbled. “So, Jared's there because of Aiden.”
“Sir, what happened the first time? When he was a child?”
“You must know, we weren’t there by accident. My wife’s family was from there.”
The scapel of a statement cut through all of Jensen's worries about arresting Spencer, forcing him to realize that fear was an actual beast with presence like a poisoned viper coiled and alert not two feet away.
“Who was the family?” Jensen asked, marveling how normal he sounded while his imagination opened the door to the darkest corners of his mind.
“Davies. Jared's great-grandmother was married to a doctor there who ended up dying in a fire. She was pregnant and…”
“Was visiting her family in New York, which was how she was spared,” Jensen finished for the father.
“Yes,” Gerald agreed. “Anyway, the story’s become a bit of a family legend. So, Sharon and I decided to visit Robbin on a whim, but it turned into hell for everyone when Jared fell overboard.”
“Of course,” Jensen agreed. “I can definitely understand.”
“The fact that you’re talking to me says that either my son was right about what happened to Aiden or you’ve arrested him.”
“He’s right and that’s all I can say for now.”
“I see,” Gerald said hoarsely. “Just tell Jared to call me as soon as possible.”
“I promise.”
Jensen ended the call. He turned to look at Chad who was staring out the window.
“Want to know what that was about?” he asked.
“Not really,” Chad said. “But you’re going to tell me, right?”
“Yeah, I am.” Jensen took a deep breath. “Jared is Davies’ heir. Turns out the doctor’s wife was pregnant when she fled from here. Would explain why she bolted in the first place.”
“Jesus Christ,” Chad whispered. “So that’s why Jared got pulled into this.”
“Looks like,” Jensen parked the car in front of mansion and turned off the engine. “And another good solid reason to speak to Spencer.”
“What do you mean?”
“The money, Chad,” Jensen explained patiently. “The money that was in the fucking bank. That doesn’t belong to Spencer’s family at all - it belongs to Jared.”
Chad sat up straight. “Holy shit … so … so … this son of a bitch could stand to lose a lot of money.”
“More than that,” Jensen whispered. “Jared wouldn’t care about it, not a single dime. But he’d want to tell the truth, wouldn’t he? Tell the world what in God’s name happened here.”
“And Spencer can’t let that happen,” Chad finished Jensen’s reasoning. “Because his entire empire was built on blood money, which could revert back to Jared. Or not.”
“Makes it worse for Spencer if he knew how that money got into that bank,” Jensen said. “And I’m betting dollars to donuts his grandmother told him the truth.”
“Motherfucker,” Chad hissed. “I don’t care if he’s attached to a respirator. I’m gonna kill him!”
His roar was enough to wake Jared. “What? Where … we’re here?”
Jensen looked at Jared’s pale face in the rearview mirror. “Jared, I have to tell you something.”
“Steve, would you like to stop looking at the goddamn thing and move on?” Chris demanded, confused by his friend's fascination over the boarded-up entrance to the second mine they stumbled over.
“Does this seem strange to you?” Steve asked, pointing at the wood.
Chris leaned over and examined them. “Yeah, there’s no way in hell this was boarded up over a hundred years ago.”
“Maybe thirty? Forty years?”
“Thirty, tops,” Chris said. “Stand back.”
Steve stood aside as Chris put four blunt kicks through the wood. After making a decent-sized entrance, Chris leaned in only to cry out in shock and stumble back into the light. “Jesus Christ!”
Steve closed his eyes as the stench washed over him. The indescribable smell reminded him of a summer evening when he was just eleven. He’d found a dead dog near his uncle’s farm. Its stomach was distended with gas and Steve decided to poke at it to satisfy the morbid curiosity all boys possess. The thinly-stretched gut exploded with the slightest touch from Steve’s lacrosse stick. Covered in thin streams of rotting meat, Steve had to wash himself with the garden hose because his aunt refused to let him in the house.
It took Steve almost an entire week to finally be rid of the stench. But that was nothing compared to the nightmare that was wafting out of the mine.
“You okay there?” Chris asked.
“No,” Steve answered. “But that doesn’t mean we can ignore whatever the fuck is going on here.”
Chris turned on his flashlight and beamed into the shaft. “So, we’re gonna do this?”
“Yeah, we’re going to do this.”
The two men entered the mine, slowly going deeper while marking their path with both light sticks and chalk marks.
The mine had just one branch, which possessed a steady downward incline, but it was obvious this was the central vein as the tunnel was nearly nine feet tall and just as wide.
“I can’t believe people worked here,” Steve said.
“Work,” Chris correctly. “Mining is still a booming business in a lot of places.”
“Did you see that?” Steve asked, suddenly stopping in his tracks.
“What?” Chris asked, palming his gun.
“That glint to the right,” Steve answered.
Chris tucked his flashlight under his arm and pulled out his gun. The two men slowly approached whatever had caught Steve’s attention.
“Oh Jesus…” Steve whispered when he saw the tiny remains. “I guess we found one of the kids.”
Chris leaned down to look closer. “No, we didn’t.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because this kid’s clothing has a zipper.”
Steve kneeled next to the remains and saw what Chris was talking about. It was then his hand felt something cold and unyielding. He picked it up and identified his find as hard metal.
“What the fuck…” he said weakly as he pulled to him four feet of rusting chain. He found the other end buried in the remains, attached to a collar.
“This is murder,” Chris stated flatly. “Someone chained this kid and left him here to die.” He swung his flashlight into the shaft. “Do you know where in hell this thing leads to?”
“No,” Steve answered. “There were supposed to be blueprints in the library, but Lenmore couldn’t find them.”
“Let’s see how far we can get before we have to turn back.” Chris examined the wall next to the body and found a crevice big enough to wedge a light stick into. “I got the feeling we’re going to find a lot more than expected.”
“More than the corpses of thirteen kids?” Steve looked incredulous by the thought of stumbling onto something worse than children’s bodies.
“I’m thinking the body count’s gonna be a lot more than thirteen.”
Steve said nothing and grimly followed his friend into the hungry darkness.
Jensen knocked on the door, not at all surprised when nobody answered. He rang the bell and jumped a little by the harsh loudness of the sound. He also felt Jared startle a little in response.
I’m the fucking sheriff. Get a grip, Jensen mentally berated himself.
There was no answer and he couldn’t discern any movement from within.
“We’re going to circle back,” Jensen said. “See if anyone's there.”
The group slowly marched to the back of the mansion. Jensen noticed how meticulous the grounds were, including the stone path. With the amount of rain Robbin had, there should be moss growing on every crack available. Obviously, Spencer’s hired help was excellent in maintaining the place.
“For a recluse, he sure takes a lot of pride in his haunted house,” Chad said, looking around the place.
Jensen grinned a little. Chad might act like the classic ditz, but the man had a phenomenal ability to observe and digest his surroundings. No wonder he was one of the richest CEOs in all of California, in a business where companies went bankrupt every hour of every day, for the entire calendar year.
Jared stopped as soon as they saw the enormous garden in the back.
“Holy shit,” Chad said. “What the hell is this place?”
“It used to be the centerpiece of the island,” Jensen explained. “The Clennon family held soirees and artist exhibitions all the time.”
He bounded up the steps to the back door and knocked. It took only a slight impact for the door to swing open.
“That can’t be good,” Chad said.
Jensen said, “Stay here.” without a backwards glance. He unholstered his revolver and slowly made his way in. “Mr. Spencer? This is Sheriff Ackles! Are you here?!”
Saying that, Jensen couldn’t help but feel stupid. Where else could a crippled, disfigured octogenarian possibly be? Take a brisk walk around his garden? Go for a swim, perhaps?
The slight noise behind him ignited all his training. Jensen whirled around, his finger already putting enough pressure to fire off the trigger. And it was his training that stopped him from shooting Jared right in the chest.
“Sorry,” Jared said. “We couldn’t stay outside.”
Jensen hissed out a breath, his only confession of how angry he was with Jared and Chad who was peeking out from behind his friend’s larger frame.
“You two geniuses stay right there,” Jensen said, pointing to the entranceway. “And if you see Spencer, do not engage him in any manner. Get me.
“Understand?”
Chad nodded vigorously. “Not a problem. We’ll wait right here.”
Jensen took one full turn on the first floor before using the servant stairs to go up to the second. It was then he smelled antiseptic fragrance he’d always associated with hospitals.
With short, deep breaths, Jensen began checking the rooms. It was obvious none of them were used, as all the furniture and chandeliers were covered with dusty, white sheets.
However, there was one room that was in usage. It was the biggest, which was not out of vanity but one of necessity. The room was filled with medical equipment, some of which Jensen couldn’t recognize. He examined the bathroom and saw that instead of a bathtub, there was a shower with more gizmos than a Swiss Army knife.
He saw another set of stairs leading to the third floor and debated for a moment. Feeling like a fool for worrying about the men downstairs, Jensen had to force himself to go up. The third floor was just as vacant as the second, but Jensen noticed a single room that showed casual occupation.
And, not to his surprise, it faced Alliance Bay.
Just a little creepy, he admitted to himself. Have to admit, sitting here, looking down at everyone? More like a monomaniacal tyrant than a kindly uncle Lenmore likes to make him out to be.
He looked at the bookshelves and saw they were filled with history of the San Juan Islands. The bottom shelf contained an entire row of books with library coding on the bindings. He flipped one open and saw that it was old enough to have the old-fashioned check-out date post on the back. And the last time this particular book was in circulation was in the October of 1961.
Jensen knew Spencer wouldn’t have borrowed these books, and that Lenmore had lent them on a permanent basis.
He knows Jared’s here, Jensen understood then how dangerous Spencer really was. Lenmore told him about the visitors from California and he's figured it out.
Jensen spun around and ran down the stairs. He looked over the second-floor landing and spotted Jared and Chad standing right where he’d left them.
“We’re getting out of here,” Jensen said as he raced down the stairs.
“What? What did you find?” Jared asked.
“Spencer knows you’re here, and more importantly, he knows who you really are.”
“I’m not…”
The three men froze on the foyer when they heard noises from below.
“Shit,” Jensen said.
“You didn’t go downstairs yet?” Jared looked at Jensen paling as the noises got louder.
Jensen located where the racket was coming from and ran full speed into the back of the house, which was the kitchen. He spotted what he thought was the cellar door and stood right besides it. With cautious hands, he flung it open.
“Whoever is down there better identify him or herself,” he said in a loud and stern voice.
“Man, are you really that PC?” Chris asked, his voice floating out from the pitch-black darkness.
“Where the hell are we?” Steve asked, sounding more pissed than frightened.
“Chez Spencer,” Jensen answered. “Get your asses up here, now!”
Jensen never felt so glad to see them as he did the moment they sprung up from the black hole below.
“Where did you two idiots come from?” Chad asked, shocked to see three men join them when only one left seconds ago.
“We went into one of the mines,” Chris said. “Luckily for us, we found a tunnel that led us straight here.”
“A tunnel? From the old mines?” Jensen couldn’t comprehend why there would be such a thing.
“The original vein ended maybe a third of the way from the entrance,” Steve said. “But someone built a new one, complete with a railway and a miniature trolley. We took it and it led us here.”
“Holy shit,” Jensen said. “So Spencer could literally pop up on the other side of the island and nobody would be the wiser.”
“I’d say it was built way before Spencer got here,” Steve said. “Probably in the early twenties? Whoever did it took a lot of trouble to make sure it worked no matter what. It runs on electricity but has a gas generator built into it for backup.”
“What else did you find?” Jensen asked. He’d seen Chris’ face and caught the horror carefully hidden behind the ice-blue eyes.
“Bodies,” Steve bit out. “Children.”
“So they are still down there,” Jensen said slowly.
“No, not them,” Chris said. “Other children. We found bodies of four kids. I think we solved some of the missing persons cases on Robbin Island.”
“What?” Jared looked like he might just keel over. “More children?”
“Fuck this," Jensen spat out. "Chad, I want you to go to the station, tell Gabe and Jake what’s been happening. Tell them to raise mainland. I also want you to make sure they understand we’ve got serial killings here.
"Chris, you stay here and make sure nobody gets out. If you see Spencer, I want you to keep him busy. Make sure he doesn’t touch you, though. I’m not sure what he can do, but if he’s as crazy as I think he is, and he’s got access to all those drugs I’ve seen upstairs - he might be able to poison you.”
“Okay, so no touching the psycho.” Chris took off the safety on his gun. “Not a problem.”
“Steve, I want you to take me and Jared back into the tunnel,” Jensen said. “We’ve got all we need to nail this son of a bitch to the wall, but we have to find Aiden first. As long as he’s out there, he’s in extreme danger.”
“Okay,” Steve said. “Let’s get moving.” He then grabbed Chad by the arm and shoved something into his hand. "Take this. We found it in the tunnel. It'll help the deputies understand we're not fucking around."
Chad didn’t need any further encouragement. He bolted out of the slaughterhouse and ran down the steps. Chris closed the door behind him and engaged all the locks.
Steve led Jared and Jensen down the steps to a basement that looked like a ballroom to the men once the light switch was flipped on.
“Holy shit,” Jensen said, studying the marble floors and a ceiling that was higher than those in his house. “What in hell does this guy do down here?”
Jared studied the paneling on the walls. “This is maple,” he said, absently noting the splendor of the room.
“Where’s the entrance?” Jensen asked.
Steve pointed to a panel that looked slightly raised than its neighbors. Jensen pulled it open and saw a platform and a small trolley parked right in front.
“I’m starting to think the entire Spencer family are barking lunatics,” Jensen said.
“I was thinking that, too,” Steve agreed. He looked at Jared and added, “This setup is old, older than Asa Spencer. And if he’d built this - we would’ve heard about it. So, it was before our time, at least.”
Jared stepped in and immediately regretted it. “What is that smell?”
“I’d like to say it’s the bodies, but I’m starting to think it’s something else.”
“Let’s go,” Jensen said. “We don’t have any time to waste.”
“Are we going to take the trolley?” Jared asked.
“No, we’re walking. We might miss something if we’re riding it,” Jensen answered.
Steve didn’t look at all pleased by Jensen’s answer but didn’t look surprised by it either. The three men jumped onto the tracks, making sure they didn’t touch the rails. Fortunately, the tunnel was lit well enough for them not to use their flashlights.
“This is amazing,” Jensen said softly as they walked the tunnel. “Why did they build this?”
“The answer may be here,” Steve said. He pointed to an offshoot. “Guys … it’s pretty fucking horrible.”
Jared skidded to a stop when he heard the sincerity in Steve’s voice. With reluctant steps, he approached the opening.
The room was black, as the stones that were used to build it were themselves greasy black color, and they seemed to absorb what little color the lamps threw out.
“Oh my God,” Jensen said.
Jared didn’t have any strength left to even speak. With the memory of the fanciful trolley still clear in his mind, Jared wondered if they stepped into the last station before hell. The dim lights were of little mercy to the frantic father, even as it also dulled the truly horrific edges the room contained.
“What … language is this?” Steve asked, pointing at the silvery writings on one wall. “Do you guys recognize any of this stuff?”
Jensen looked at the various implements sitting on the scarred wooden table and then the thin chains hanging from the ceiling. When he had taken in everything, he forced himself to look at the over-sized drain on the floor.
“Whatever happened here … it’s …” Jensen didn’t finish speaking.
Jared looked at him. “You recognize this?”
“Something like it, yes,” Jensen said. “It was on a forensics course I took about a serial killer who was … experimenting on his victims.”
“I don’t want to hear anymore,” Steve declared in a harsh voice.
“I wasn’t going to say anything else,” Jensen said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Jensen had to forcefully pull Jared away from the room. The father was completely mesmerized by the hideous display, and the sheriff knew he was imagining the horrors that must have been perpetrated between those black walls.
As they went deeper into the tunnel, Jensen felt misty air lick his face. He heard both Jared and Steve mutter so Jensen knew he wasn’t imagining the cloying moist sensation. He grimaced and was wiping his cheeks when he felt a slight ruffling of cooler air. Jensen stopped and swung his light to the left. The tunnel was partially covered with slats of rotting wood. At first, he thought it was another boarded up entrance until he spotted a doorknob.
With heavy hands and heavier heart he pulled it open. “Steve, get ready.”
He didn’t have to waste his breath on any more words. He heard the scuffling of Jared’s shoes and knew that Steve had pulled the father behind him. The doorway led to a narrow corridor, roughly hewn from the earth. However, it was lined with light bulbs, all lit.
Mercifully for them, the corridor was short, and soon opened up to another lit tunnel, which had no tracks or anything that showed recent development.
Jared looked around and carefully took a deep sniff. The air was stuffy and damp, like a room that hadn’t been aired for years but otherwise, it was normal: unlike the tunnel they just exited.
Steve examined the walls before saying, “This was probably the original mine. These scratches tell me as much,” he turned around and pointed to the corridor, “unlike that one. Let’s go back. I don’t think there’s anything for us here.”
“Wait a minute,” Jared said. He pointed to his left. “I saw something”
Jensen swung his light to where Jared was pointing. “Oh no,” he whispered.
The three men slowly approached the cluster of corpses. It was Jensen who finally kneeled down, touching the brittle remains with what looked like reverence to Jared.
“These are the children we were looking for,” Jensen said.
“What makes you say that?” Steve asked.
“Because this is a little girl and she’s still holding her doll,” Jensen answered.
“How many?” Steve asked.
“I believe three,” Jensen said, looking thoroughly but being extremely careful not to disturb the bodies. “I’m betting if we look further, we’ll find the rest.”
“But we’re not here for them,” Jared said. “We’re here for Aiden.”
“Which is why we’re going back,” Jensen said, placating the anxious father. “From what I can see on the floor, we’re the first ones here in many, many years.”
Jared looked downwards and saw the furry layer of dust and mold. Jensen was right; save for their tracks, rest of the tunnel was undisturbed. He felt a slight tug and followed Jensen back into the tunnel they were in earlier.
Once again, the noxious ammoniated air forced them to take breaths using their mouths.
This is completely fucked up, Jensen thought, trying hard to make sure his hands weren’t shaking. What in God’s name did the Spencer family do? And how did they get away with it for so long?
The answer to the last question was obvious, of course: because the town let them. Jensen let them. Out of pity, respect, and fear of repercussions, Jensen and everyone in power didn’t dare bother the cripple.
We turned a blind eye and the fucker had been killing our kids. Jensen felt the razor burn of tears but blinked them away. And let’s face it: killing would’ve been a mercy compared to what he could’ve done with all those knives … and whatever the fuck the rest of those tools were.
Steve stopped them and whispered, “Do you hear that?”
Jensen focused on a slight hum. “The trolley … it’s starting up!”
“Spencer’s in the fucking house?” Jared whirled around toward the direction they’d come from. “How in hell…”
“We’re going back, now!” Jensen shouted.
There was no more need for stealth as far as Jared was concerned. He sprinted forward and soon caught sight of the trolley whose lights were brightly lit. Jensen managed to catch up with him and they entered the basement together.
“Where is my son?!” Jared screamed, the words sounding more like damnation than a question. “What did you do with Aiden?!”
“If you come up, I’ll try and explain,” a voice said from top of the stairs.
Jensen had to pin Jared to the wall in order to stop him from charging. “Listen to me,” Jensen said. “We go together. Understand?”
Steve entered the room, panting and looking not at all like the self-contained peaceful warrior image he projected earlier. “Fuck, I’m out of shape.”
“Would you gentlemen like to come upstairs?” the voice asked in a droll voice.
But the humor couldn’t hide the weirdness in the voice. It was both raspy and gravelly, as if the user was suffering from both the flu and laryngitis.
“We’re coming up now,” Steve said conversationally.
“If you’re worried about your friend, don’t be,” the stranger said. “He’s just sleeping.”
Steve mouthed ‘fuck’ but said, “Sure, not a problem.”
“And you can bring your toys, if you must. I’m guessing you’re very attached to them.”
“Mighty kind of you,” Steve replied. He quietly unholstered a gun from his waist and shoved it into his jacket, nestling it under his right armpit. “We’re coming up!”
As Jensen led the group upstairs, a funny scent tickled his nose. It took him a moment to identify it: cloves. He followed the strong fragrance to the front room where a creature that had a passing resemblance of a man waited for them, sitting comfortably in a regal settee.
Gabe looked at the outlander and wondered if the man had taken something extra special with his Wheaties, because Chad Murray wasn’t making much sense. And if given a choice, Gabe would’ve gently but firmly put the man in the holding tank until the bastard formed a coherent sentence.
But there was the ugly little fact that they couldn’t raise the sheriff. And the Spencer mansion was brilliantly lit, from top to bottom with the sheriff’s car still parked out front.
“Okay,” Gabe said hesitantly. “I’ll raise mainland. See what they say.” He looked at Jake who was still staring out the window.
That deputy was plainly worried. “You said you guys found bodies?”
Chad frantically searched his pockets and pulled out a gold bracelet. He thrust it towards Jake. “This! Steve told me he found it in the tunnel!”
Both deputies examined the jewelry. Gabe read the inscription out loud. “Love you, Amy Bear.”
Jake accessed their missing person’s database. “Amy … there’s an Amy Depp who went missing in 1987. And … yeah, she had a bracelet on her; her mother gave it to her on her twelfth birthday.
“The inscription matches.”
Gabe reached for the phone, and was convincing enough for mainland police to send a boat immediately, along with a promise to contact the FBI as soon they hang up.
“So, what do we do now?” Chad asked the deputies. “Because I’m worried about what’s going up there.”
“The sheriff didn’t ask for us so we stay put,” Gabe answered. “He and his friends got some game plan going on, and the last thing we need to do is upset that applecart.”
Chad muttered few choice words but the deputies kindly ignored him. Instead, they pulled up the missing persons list and began printing out the files. If what Chad said was true, they knew the information would be critical in the hours to come.
Jensen didn’t think he could be shocked any further while in the tunnels, but he was proven wrong. The man in front of him was something out of a nightmare, and not just any nightmare but one imagined by a seven-year-old who’d just seen every Stephen King movie, uncut and without supervision.
The figure was quite tall, maybe as tall as Jared. He was also strongly built, but Jensen had no idea how old the man was because all the facial markers were non-existent. The forehead reminded him of a rough stonework; where the nose was supposed to be, there was a cavity; ears were absent, only tidbits of skin that were pebbled and roughened like the rest of the man’s face. But the bright amber eyes that shown from under the neanderthal-like forehead was utterly human.
“Holy shit,” Steve said, his face gone slack with horror.
“Yes, I know. I could've put on a mask, but that would have been over-the-top, don't you agree?
"By the way, my name is Asa Spencer, as you must have guessed.” The man flapped one disfigured hand. “Please, sit down.”
Jensen obeyed out of confusion and because he understood that Spencer had planned most of this, and thus had the advantage.
“So, you are Jared Padalecki,” Spencer said. “I must say, you’re almost as tall as me. At least we have that in common.”
“What do you want?” Jared asked.
“Why, to share all this, of course.” Spencer whispered. “I have no children, no one to inherit shall we say the family trait?”
“How do you plan to do that?” Jared caught Spencer’s gaze and held it.
“Simple, really,” Spencer said. He pulled out a small vial of dark blue liquid and a syringe still in its plastic wrap. “I want you to inject yourself with this.”
“No deal,” Jensen said. “No fucking way.”
“I really don’t…”
“Where’s Aiden?” Jensen interrupted harshly. “Where’s the boy?”
Though it was impossible for Jensen to read Spencer's face, he knew distress well enough to recognize it in the thick, deformed frame.
Jared suddenly understood. “You don’t have a fucking clue where my son is? Do you?”
“You didn’t take him,” Jensen whispered. “You wanted to, but somebody beat you to the punch, didn’t they?”
“I hardly think it’s…”
“The only reason we’re here is because of Aiden,” Jensen said.
“But you also have no idea where he is,” Spencer cut in smoothly. “Whereas, I do. And I am at least aware of what’s been happening here since I was a child.”
“So, what’s been happening?” Steve asked in a reasonable voice. “Because I have to tell you, it’s been one hell of a ride.”
“How much do you know?” Spencer asked.
“This is bullshit!” Jared snarled. “Where is Aiden?!”
“I know you’re a worried man, and I can spit out some platitudes, but the truth is I haven’t a faintest clue about what it means to be a father, so let’s just skip the useless chitter-chatter.
“Your boy is with the creatures now, as you suspected. And he has very much adapted to his new role as one of them.”
“One of them being the kids who died in the fire?” Steve asked.
“No, dear boy, they didn’t die in the fire. They survived, and that’s where it all went pear-shaped.”
“Survived?” Jared echoed. “But then … then why weren’t they rescued?”
“Oh, there was a mix-up; you know - bureaucracy at its worst,” Spencer said with a labored shrug.
Jared's furor died as he realized what Spencer wasn't saying. “They were never rescued because nobody knew they survived.”
“Not exactly,” Spencer said. “My grandmother did. You see, after the death of her one great love, she visited the smoldering ruins out of some misbegotten sense of loyalty and heard the children bustle about. And there … well, she made a bad choice. After that, she made even more bad choices by hiring the seven men she could trust to retrieve the remains of the dead. They did their jobs perfectly, which also included ignoring any cries of help from the survivors.”
“The orphans were left there to die,” Jared concluded in a thin, accusing voice. “She knew they were still alive but said nothing, and they died.”
Spencer gave a small shrug. “She was distraught, and afterwards … she couldn’t think straight. And the truth is she never got over it.”
“Over it?” Jared echoed. “I’m so sorry your grandmother never snapped out of her psychosis, but she left children to die in the mines and that's got to count for something. What happened to them? Did they starve to death? Did they die of injuries?”
“The truth is I don’t know,” Spencer said. “She never cared enough to find out.”
“So what was she worried about?” Jensen asked.
“About repercussions,” Spencer answered. “Her choices, to be exact. It wasn’t until she had Kindle’s bastard child that she realized exactly how bad her choices were, and the full consequences of … well, not thinking through.”
“Leprosy is curable now,” Steve said. “It has been for a long time.”
“I know that, Mr. Carlson,” Spencer snapped, for the first time revealing his temper. “And I’ve seen every expert available in the world on the disease. As you can see, they’ve not been successful.”
“You think you’re cursed,” Jensen said in a wondrous voice.
“I know the idea might be too much for you to understand,” Spencer said, his calm returning. “But after three generations of this,” he motioned to his face, “you have to admit there is something to the idea.”
“Three generations?” Jensen stopped to consider that fact. “Everyone?”
“Every bloody generation. Even my grandmother died of it in the end,” Spencer confirmed. “Which was why I decided not to have any children. You see, for a while I thought I had beaten the curse, but then my skin started to fall apart. I was in Paris at the time, so I had full access to the best medical treatments possible.
“Nothing worked, no drugs, no treatments no matter how outlandish. The progress of this particular strain couldn’t be stopped. So, given no choice, I came home. As we Clennons-Spencers must in the end.”
“But why me?” Jared whispered. “Why Aiden?”
“To share the joy, of course!” Spencer barked out. “To make sure everyone responsible has a taste of what it means to live like me!
“And who else should I invite than the family of the bastard responsible for all this mess? How is it fair that I rot here while Davies’ descendants get away free? To live out their lives in full view of the world, to show their faces without fear, without terror, without the hopelessness I was forced to endure for decades?”
“But you don’t have Aiden,” Jared reiterated. “You have no power so…”
The window to his right exploded inwards as a flaming bottle broke through. It bounced off the wall to his left then set the rug on fire. By the time Jared’s yell of alarm tore out of his throat, the flames were licking at his sneakers.
Jensen bolted out of his chair and grabbed Spencer who seemed transfixed by the fire. The first time he felt contact with the crippled man, Jensen wanted nothing more than to drop him and wipe his hands. Instead, the sheriff gritted his teeth, tightened his grip and shouted,
“Move!”
His order snapped Spencer out of his fugue state and the two men began running to the foyer.
They progressed no further.
Chris was sprawled on the floor, unconscious, and behind him stood Aiden. The boy was holding flaming torches of some kind in his hands. And when he saw Spencer, he bared his teeth in savage, howling triumph.
Jensen didn’t have a moment to lose. He whirled around, covering Spencer with his own body. He tried shoving the man to the back of the house to find that exit had been cut off.
Standing shoulder to shoulder were the children.
“Oh my God,” Jensen wheezed out. In the ugly truthful light, what he accepted as monstrous deformities when he’d first seen him were even more horrific.
Spencer made some mewling noise and skittered back, which only led him towards Aiden. The boy’s grin became fiercer and he pitched the first torch. Jensen managed to knock it off-direction before it hit them, but it lit the wall on fire on impact.
Steve snapped out of shock and shoved Jared back towards the they just escaped. Jensen propelled Spencer, following them. The fire was still burning, but it was nowhere as bad as the one in the hallway which had already climbed to the ceiling.
Jensen was about to manhandle Spencer to the back of the room when he felt a dull thud right at the base of his neck. The blow paralyzed him and Jensen fell to his knees with a small gasp of shock.
“Wh…” Spencer never had a chance to finish his question.
In a blink of an eye, the ghostly children surrounded him. He whirled around, screaming incomprehensible threats while wildly waving his arms about.
Jensen rolled on the floor, his eyes trying to focus on the blurry shapes looming above him. One of them looked down at him, and through the little girl's one good eye, Jensen saw pity and relief. Without warning, Jensen was yanked to his feet by Steve who dragged him away from Spencer and the voiceless mob surrounding him.
Aiden then slithered into the room and threw the last torch onto Spencer. The man immediately became engulfed in flames. Still burning, Spencer ran right into Jensen, sending the sheriff careening to the wall, head first.
Steve looked at Jared and saw that the man was completely hypnotized by Aiden who gleefully cavorted around the burning man. Without hesitation he grabbed a chair and smashed one of bay windows. Then, he took Jared by the throat and shoved him out. By this time the smoke had gotten too thick and given no choice, Steve jumped out after Jared.
Jared tried to get up but couldn’t get his legs to support his weight. So the most fight he could put up as Steve dragged him away from the burning house was to pummel his calves. They heard a crash and looked to the front of the house. Chris stumbled out with thick black smoke following him. The man fell down the steps and landed flat on his back.
Then an array of explosions on the second floor grabbed all their attention. Jared saw his chance and took it. He punched Steve in the back of the knees, caving them. The hysterical father scrambled towards the house. He didn’t get five feet before Jensen came running out of the front door. His back was engulfed in flames and in his arms was Aiden who was screaming and clawing at Jensen’s face.
Jensen made it down the front steps then collapsed. Chris jumped on him and put out the fire. Jared joined them and took Aiden into his arms.
The boy immediately stopped fighting. He looked at his father and whispered in a small dying voice, “I’m tired, daddy.”
Jared couldn’t answer. He just held Aiden in his arms and wept.
Steve looked at Chris who was covering Jensen's smoking body with his. The two exchanged glances and then stared at the burning house with grim wonder.
This tableau didn’t change even as the island’s meager first response team made their way towards them.
Part V * Conclusion
Rating: R for language and violence
Warning: Genuine horror here. I hope.
Word Count: ~51k
Summary: Aiden Thomas Padalecki is violently and mysteriously kidnapped, leaving behind distraught parents who have no idea why their only child was taken. After months of futile investigation, the frantic father witnesses the slow but inevitable decline in the search of his only child. Half mad with grief, Jared goes to an island off the coast of Washington, holding the last clue that may help him find his son. But it is all a trap, and there’s someone crouching, waiting for him to pay back for sins not of his making.
Notes: Adapted from Peter Pan, written for j2_everafter.
Disclaimer: 127.5% fiction.
Steve put on a waterproof jacket and zipped it tightly. He even fixed some duct tape on his wrists so nothing could leak in or crawl through. He threw the roll to Chris who did the same to his jacket and boots.
Jared watched the two men nervously as they loaded up for what looked like a bear hunt. His eyes widened as Chris pulled out a gun Jared couldn't even properly identify. His alarm grew when Steve handed over a small metal case filled with miniature darts.
“What are those?” he asked nervously.
“Tranquilizers,” Steve said, “for the dogs. We can’t use it on humans, especially kids, so don’t worry.”
Jared was nowhere near satisfied but had to keep his mouth shut in fear of pissing off the two men who’d volunteered to go into the woods to find his son.
Chad looked at the map on the desk and shook his head. “I can’t believe Aiden’s survived this long in this weather.”
“The dogs probably helped,” Chris said. “If they really are feral, they’d know probably good dozen places to hide if it got too cold.”
The door to the office opened and Jensen stepped in followed by two pasty-faced deputies.
“I told them what happened,” Jensen said.
The four men had agreed to formulate a plausible lie, and Jensen had come up with the best of all: Jared had obtained sketchy evidence pointing to Spencer’s involvement in his son’s disappearance. And after arriving on Robbin, Jared and Chad had indeed found his son, alive and completely traumatized, roaming freely.
The good sheriff realized that the best lie was one buried in truth, and though he’d left out the salient details of the ghostly children, the story had enough credibility for the deputies to wonder about the legendary recluse and what he’d been up to, living alone in that spooky mansion, away from the curious eyes of his neighbors.
“We have to be careful,” Jensen cautioned everyone. “Aiden has to be found before sundown, because by then everyone in Alliance Bay is going to know the real reason behind Jared’s presence on Robbin.”
“What do you want us to do?” Gabe asked, mopping his sweaty forehead despite the fact the temperature in the room couldn't be above mid-sixties.
“I want you to keep an eye on the town,” Jensen ordered kindly. “Make sure nothing strange happens here while I'm gone.”
“Where are you going to be?” Jake asked. “Aren’t you going to arrest Spencer?”
“Not without more evidence,” Jensen replied. “And given a choice, I want to get the kid off the island first. That way, Spencer won’t have anything to threaten us with.”
Jared look gratefully at Jensen but said nothing.
He’s right. If that bastard manages to catch Aiden, then nothing will stop him from killing my son. Whatever his reason, it’s not based on sane reasoning. And if we’re really dealing with a madman, it’s best to make sure he can’t hurt my son.
“We’re ready,” Steve said, his voice light and hinting at nothing of what he would face in less than an hour.
“Gabe has a boat we can borrow,” Jensen said. “Jared, Chad, and I will be at the ruins for the morning. We’ll come back earlier if we find something halfway solid.”
“Will do, boss,” Gabe said. “Gonna bring the satellite phone?”
Jensen nodded. “Be careful. If Spencer really is guilty of kidnapping - he didn’t do it alone.”
The deputies looked at each other before giving a nervous nod of agreement. Jared watched the two young men leave with something akin to parental fears.
“How bad do you think it’ll get?” Chad asked. “Because I get the feeling it’s going to get ugly with or without our spectral friends.”
“Spencer kidnapped Aiden without getting caught,” Jensen said. “He evaded the cops and the feds with little problem. It was only because of Tuohy’s confession that you managed to find out about Robbin’s connection to the statue. And now Tuohy is dead; we have to make sure the same thing won’t happen to us.”
“Good idea,” Chad agreed.
“Act like you’ve got a sniper rifle trained on you at all times,” Chris said. “That way, you’ve got a better chance of getting out of this alive.”
“Do you think anyone will follow us to the ruins?” Jared asked. “With the reputation that place has?”
“That is a damn good question,” Steve answered. “I don’t think so, but I can’t be sure. So follow Chris’ advice.”
Chad shook his head and shoved his hands into his pockets to stop them from trembling too badly. “Man, this shit’s getting worse by the second.”
Jared kept silent, his mind busy with the images of Aiden running away from him. He wanted nothing more than to forget them, and planned to the moment he held Aiden in his arms.
He felt a nudge and looked up to see Jensen’s kind eyes. “Time to go,” the sheriff said.
“Sounds good to me,” Jared replied hoarsely.
As their boat pulled up on the beach, Jared spotted Steve and Chris already heading to the ruins. Eager to join them, Jared leaped out of the wooden dinghy and immediately regretted doing so, as he was wearing sneakers. The cold water eagerly lapped up his ankles and soaked his feet.
“Shit,” he hissed as he ran to the beach.
He turned to see Jensen pull the small fishing boat close enough to shore before dropping anchor. Chad waited until Jensen was done before jumping out. Jared saw his smug grin and gave a sour look.
“Pays to be patient,” Chad said before looking up at the ruins. "Man, we've been here so often, I feel like I should start paying rent."
Jared didn't think it possible but he felt fondness for Chad right then.
Their light mood didn’t last as they returned to the ruins. From a distance and in the light of day the place looked depressing and neglected but that was all. However, as they approached the compound, the unease returned rapidly.
Somehow, Jared managed to keep his face neutral. The last thing he needed was to attract Jensen’s attention like he did last night. The sheriff was more than capable of stopping Jared and then restraining him if he took a single step out of line.
As if reading his thoughts, Jensen caught up to him. “You doing okay?”
“How long have you been able to read minds?” Jared joked weakly. “Because I got to say I’m impressed.”
“It’s part of my job,” Jensen answered with a small knowing smile. “The downside is no one would play poker with me.”
“Smart people,” Jared quipped.
“I think Steve wants us to go to the mines,” Jensen said, pointing to his friend motioning to them. “Jared, stick with me, understand? Those mines are plenty dangerous, and not even Chris or Steve can find you without outside help if you wander off. And you won’t do your son any good lost down there.
“You hearing me?”
Jared looked at Jensen, surprised by the severity of the man’s tone. “Yes, I understand.”
“Good.” Jensen’s face lightened up considerably. “C’mon: let’s see what the terror twins want with us.”
Steve quickly located the entrance to the first mine, as it was only a short distance from the hospice’s main garden.
“Wow, this was catastrophically stupid,” Chad remarked as he studied the boarded-up hole.
“Probably why the good doctor got the land so cheap,” Steve explained. “Nobody wanted to build near mines. It’d be too dangerous.”
Jared gave a puzzled look at their guide. It was Jensen who answered the unspoken question. “The ground below is riddled with tunnels. It could make everything above unstable.”
“You mean sinkholes?” Jared asked.
“That and worse,” Jensen continued. “If they hit a gas pocket or the mines contained coal - the fire can burn down there for years. There is a place in Pennsylvania that’s a ghost town now because there’s a coal vein below it that’s been burning for over forty years.”
“So, no exploring there unless absolutely necessary,” Chad said. “Good deal.”
Jared took another glance at the boarded-up entrance. There were the usual trash plants growing wildly around it, and from the looks of the decrepit planks and the rusted nails nobody had bothered to explore the place for a long, long time.
“Jared, I need you to come see this,” Steve asked in a strained tone.
Jared turned to see everyone had made a small ring around an unidentifiable pile. He approached them even as fear piled on top of more fear inside his mind. However, Jared's courage faltered completely when he recognized what the men were staring at.
“It’s evidence,” Jensen said. “Please, just tell me if you can identify anything.”
Jared nodded since he couldn’t speak. He leaned over and looked at the child’s sneakers. They were covered in mud, but he recognized the ironed-on patch of Spiderman Sandy had put on the heel of the right shoe. Aiden loved his fair share of superheroes, but Spiderman existed on an exalted level all his own. And thus, given no choice, Jared had to purchase a Spiderman costume for last Halloween.
The look on Aiden’s face when he saw the outfit was priceless, and Jared had the pleasure of accompanying him for trick-o-treating. The combination of his son’s glee at wearing his favorite superhero’s costume and the fact that he had a bagful of candy made Jared just as happy.
And now, even that memory was soiled.
“It’s Aiden’s,” the father said.
“Are you sure?” Jensen asked.
“I am,” Jared confirmed again, his voice shakier than ever before.
“That’s good enough,” Jensen said. He placed the ripped clothes and muddy shoes from a bunch of paper bags he’d produced from his jacket pocket. “We’re going back, now. There’s enough evidence here to at least question Mr. Spencer, maybe even bring him in.”
“If he claims health issues?” Chris looked skeptically at his friend. “What then?”
“House fucking arrest,” Jensen answered promptly. “Round the clock - and we can have the feds involved too, since this is in their jurisdiction. Spencer may have a pull with the mayor, but he’s going to have a hard time staring down the FBI.”
“Good,” Steve said curtly. “Me and Chris will go on. If you don’t hear from either of us by nightfall, assume we’re in trouble.”
“But don’t come charging in,” Chris cautioned his friend. “Make sure the kid’s safe before doing that.”
“So, when should we come charging in, then?” Chad looked at the two men. “Next year? Two years from now?”
“Tomorrow morning, smartass,” Steve said, grinning. “First light. No use looking for us at night. Just gonna have more people lost in the goddamn woods if you did that.”
“We’ll try to make it to the coast if something happens,” Chris added. “That way, it’ll be easier extraction.”
“Done,” Jensen said. “Good luck.”
“Good luck to you too,” Steve remarked softly. “Between the two of us, I think we got the easier end of the deal.”
Jared watched the two men cautiously move forward into the Black Woods until they were no longer visible.
“They are really that brave?” Chad asked. “’Cause I can’t figure them out.”
“Chris has something to prove,” Jensen admitted. “But Steve’s just that brave. And stupid. He’s also the luckiest son of a bitch I’ve ever met.
“C’mon, we’re wasting time.”
They returned quickly to the boat and Jensen had them out on the choppy waters in no time. Jared felt a shiver of excitement as he watched Jensen. The sheriff was bracing himself for the inevitable confrontation with the most powerful man on the island: a man who, by all estimation, was either completely insane or so bent on vengeance that he cared neither for the law nor whatever fallout that could result from his actions.
A man who’s got nothing to lose, Jared thought. But why? Why me? Why Aiden? And why now?
Jake Abel was by all accounts an easy-going fellow. And it was this steady temper that earned him the deputy badge. Very slow to anger and never one to hold a grudge, when Jake told someone to shut up and behave, they did mostly out of shock at being yelled at by the island's goodwill ambassador.
However, even he was about to fill up the swear jar when the office’s phone rang for the upteenth time. Jake picked it up again and barked out a greeting, only to be greeted by static.
“Dude, line’s messed up,” Gabe said. “Let it be.”
“It could be an emergency!” Jake snarled. “For all we…”
The phone rang again.
“What the hell do you want?!” Jake roared, the veins lining his forehead visibly throbbing.
“I’m looking for the sheriff,” was the curt answer. “Who in hell is this?!”
“Sorry, sir,” Jake said, blushing furiously. He heard Gabe snort a chuckle and gave the middle finger as his reply. “The sheriff’s out for the moment. And I like to apologize for my behavior. We were having problems all morning with our phones.”
“That fits with what’s been happening on our end,” the man admitted gruffly. “Look, my name’s Gerald Padalecki. My son, Jared, is on the island and I’ve been trying to get in touch with him since yesterday. I’ve had absolutely no luck in reaching him or anyone on Robbin.”
“Gerald Padalecki?” Jake said, looking wide-eyed at Gabe who immediately began calling their boss.
“Sir, is there a number we can reach you while we’re still talking?”
“Yes, my wife’s cell.”
The connection began to drop but Jake still managed to write down the phone number. Gabe reached Jensen and immediately informed him about the call.
“Sir, my boss is contacting you now,” Jake said, wondering if the man was even able to hear him through the static. He heard a tinny ring. “Mr. Padalecki? That’s my boss.”
Gerald came back on the line though Jake was barely able to hear him. “Thank you.”
The line went dead.
Jake sighed and rested his flaming face on his desk. “Jesus Christ. Why do I think the shit’s hit the fan?”
“Because it has,” Gabe said. “Look.”
Jake looked out the window and saw the sheriff’s car tearing up the road towards Spencer mansion. Without a word, Jake went to his locker and opened it. He loaded up his gun and got his spare.
He heard the locker behind him open and turned to see Gabe doing the same thing.
“What do you want to do now?” Jake asked conversationally.
“I think it’d be best if we stayed here until Jensen calls for us,” Gabe replied in an easy tone. “Just in case.”
Jake sat down on his chair. “Sounds good to me.”
Gabe leaned next to the windowsill, his gaze still trained on the mansion and its newest visitors.
“Sir, what can you tell me?” Jensen said, looking at Jared who had dozed off in the backseat.
“Where is Jared? I want to speak to him first,” Gerald demanded firmly.
“He’s sleeping and I don’t want to wake him,” Jensen answered. “He’s not been getting any rest.”
“Why is he there?” the father asked, plainly terrified and worried.
“Didn’t your son explain to you? That he’s here because of Aiden?”
“No, Jeff didn’t,” Gerald grumbled. “So, Jared's there because of Aiden.”
“Sir, what happened the first time? When he was a child?”
“You must know, we weren’t there by accident. My wife’s family was from there.”
The scapel of a statement cut through all of Jensen's worries about arresting Spencer, forcing him to realize that fear was an actual beast with presence like a poisoned viper coiled and alert not two feet away.
“Who was the family?” Jensen asked, marveling how normal he sounded while his imagination opened the door to the darkest corners of his mind.
“Davies. Jared's great-grandmother was married to a doctor there who ended up dying in a fire. She was pregnant and…”
“Was visiting her family in New York, which was how she was spared,” Jensen finished for the father.
“Yes,” Gerald agreed. “Anyway, the story’s become a bit of a family legend. So, Sharon and I decided to visit Robbin on a whim, but it turned into hell for everyone when Jared fell overboard.”
“Of course,” Jensen agreed. “I can definitely understand.”
“The fact that you’re talking to me says that either my son was right about what happened to Aiden or you’ve arrested him.”
“He’s right and that’s all I can say for now.”
“I see,” Gerald said hoarsely. “Just tell Jared to call me as soon as possible.”
“I promise.”
Jensen ended the call. He turned to look at Chad who was staring out the window.
“Want to know what that was about?” he asked.
“Not really,” Chad said. “But you’re going to tell me, right?”
“Yeah, I am.” Jensen took a deep breath. “Jared is Davies’ heir. Turns out the doctor’s wife was pregnant when she fled from here. Would explain why she bolted in the first place.”
“Jesus Christ,” Chad whispered. “So that’s why Jared got pulled into this.”
“Looks like,” Jensen parked the car in front of mansion and turned off the engine. “And another good solid reason to speak to Spencer.”
“What do you mean?”
“The money, Chad,” Jensen explained patiently. “The money that was in the fucking bank. That doesn’t belong to Spencer’s family at all - it belongs to Jared.”
Chad sat up straight. “Holy shit … so … so … this son of a bitch could stand to lose a lot of money.”
“More than that,” Jensen whispered. “Jared wouldn’t care about it, not a single dime. But he’d want to tell the truth, wouldn’t he? Tell the world what in God’s name happened here.”
“And Spencer can’t let that happen,” Chad finished Jensen’s reasoning. “Because his entire empire was built on blood money, which could revert back to Jared. Or not.”
“Makes it worse for Spencer if he knew how that money got into that bank,” Jensen said. “And I’m betting dollars to donuts his grandmother told him the truth.”
“Motherfucker,” Chad hissed. “I don’t care if he’s attached to a respirator. I’m gonna kill him!”
His roar was enough to wake Jared. “What? Where … we’re here?”
Jensen looked at Jared’s pale face in the rearview mirror. “Jared, I have to tell you something.”
“Steve, would you like to stop looking at the goddamn thing and move on?” Chris demanded, confused by his friend's fascination over the boarded-up entrance to the second mine they stumbled over.
“Does this seem strange to you?” Steve asked, pointing at the wood.
Chris leaned over and examined them. “Yeah, there’s no way in hell this was boarded up over a hundred years ago.”
“Maybe thirty? Forty years?”
“Thirty, tops,” Chris said. “Stand back.”
Steve stood aside as Chris put four blunt kicks through the wood. After making a decent-sized entrance, Chris leaned in only to cry out in shock and stumble back into the light. “Jesus Christ!”
Steve closed his eyes as the stench washed over him. The indescribable smell reminded him of a summer evening when he was just eleven. He’d found a dead dog near his uncle’s farm. Its stomach was distended with gas and Steve decided to poke at it to satisfy the morbid curiosity all boys possess. The thinly-stretched gut exploded with the slightest touch from Steve’s lacrosse stick. Covered in thin streams of rotting meat, Steve had to wash himself with the garden hose because his aunt refused to let him in the house.
It took Steve almost an entire week to finally be rid of the stench. But that was nothing compared to the nightmare that was wafting out of the mine.
“You okay there?” Chris asked.
“No,” Steve answered. “But that doesn’t mean we can ignore whatever the fuck is going on here.”
Chris turned on his flashlight and beamed into the shaft. “So, we’re gonna do this?”
“Yeah, we’re going to do this.”
The two men entered the mine, slowly going deeper while marking their path with both light sticks and chalk marks.
The mine had just one branch, which possessed a steady downward incline, but it was obvious this was the central vein as the tunnel was nearly nine feet tall and just as wide.
“I can’t believe people worked here,” Steve said.
“Work,” Chris correctly. “Mining is still a booming business in a lot of places.”
“Did you see that?” Steve asked, suddenly stopping in his tracks.
“What?” Chris asked, palming his gun.
“That glint to the right,” Steve answered.
Chris tucked his flashlight under his arm and pulled out his gun. The two men slowly approached whatever had caught Steve’s attention.
“Oh Jesus…” Steve whispered when he saw the tiny remains. “I guess we found one of the kids.”
Chris leaned down to look closer. “No, we didn’t.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because this kid’s clothing has a zipper.”
Steve kneeled next to the remains and saw what Chris was talking about. It was then his hand felt something cold and unyielding. He picked it up and identified his find as hard metal.
“What the fuck…” he said weakly as he pulled to him four feet of rusting chain. He found the other end buried in the remains, attached to a collar.
“This is murder,” Chris stated flatly. “Someone chained this kid and left him here to die.” He swung his flashlight into the shaft. “Do you know where in hell this thing leads to?”
“No,” Steve answered. “There were supposed to be blueprints in the library, but Lenmore couldn’t find them.”
“Let’s see how far we can get before we have to turn back.” Chris examined the wall next to the body and found a crevice big enough to wedge a light stick into. “I got the feeling we’re going to find a lot more than expected.”
“More than the corpses of thirteen kids?” Steve looked incredulous by the thought of stumbling onto something worse than children’s bodies.
“I’m thinking the body count’s gonna be a lot more than thirteen.”
Steve said nothing and grimly followed his friend into the hungry darkness.
Jensen knocked on the door, not at all surprised when nobody answered. He rang the bell and jumped a little by the harsh loudness of the sound. He also felt Jared startle a little in response.
I’m the fucking sheriff. Get a grip, Jensen mentally berated himself.
There was no answer and he couldn’t discern any movement from within.
“We’re going to circle back,” Jensen said. “See if anyone's there.”
The group slowly marched to the back of the mansion. Jensen noticed how meticulous the grounds were, including the stone path. With the amount of rain Robbin had, there should be moss growing on every crack available. Obviously, Spencer’s hired help was excellent in maintaining the place.
“For a recluse, he sure takes a lot of pride in his haunted house,” Chad said, looking around the place.
Jensen grinned a little. Chad might act like the classic ditz, but the man had a phenomenal ability to observe and digest his surroundings. No wonder he was one of the richest CEOs in all of California, in a business where companies went bankrupt every hour of every day, for the entire calendar year.
Jared stopped as soon as they saw the enormous garden in the back.
“Holy shit,” Chad said. “What the hell is this place?”
“It used to be the centerpiece of the island,” Jensen explained. “The Clennon family held soirees and artist exhibitions all the time.”
He bounded up the steps to the back door and knocked. It took only a slight impact for the door to swing open.
“That can’t be good,” Chad said.
Jensen said, “Stay here.” without a backwards glance. He unholstered his revolver and slowly made his way in. “Mr. Spencer? This is Sheriff Ackles! Are you here?!”
Saying that, Jensen couldn’t help but feel stupid. Where else could a crippled, disfigured octogenarian possibly be? Take a brisk walk around his garden? Go for a swim, perhaps?
The slight noise behind him ignited all his training. Jensen whirled around, his finger already putting enough pressure to fire off the trigger. And it was his training that stopped him from shooting Jared right in the chest.
“Sorry,” Jared said. “We couldn’t stay outside.”
Jensen hissed out a breath, his only confession of how angry he was with Jared and Chad who was peeking out from behind his friend’s larger frame.
“You two geniuses stay right there,” Jensen said, pointing to the entranceway. “And if you see Spencer, do not engage him in any manner. Get me.
“Understand?”
Chad nodded vigorously. “Not a problem. We’ll wait right here.”
Jensen took one full turn on the first floor before using the servant stairs to go up to the second. It was then he smelled antiseptic fragrance he’d always associated with hospitals.
With short, deep breaths, Jensen began checking the rooms. It was obvious none of them were used, as all the furniture and chandeliers were covered with dusty, white sheets.
However, there was one room that was in usage. It was the biggest, which was not out of vanity but one of necessity. The room was filled with medical equipment, some of which Jensen couldn’t recognize. He examined the bathroom and saw that instead of a bathtub, there was a shower with more gizmos than a Swiss Army knife.
He saw another set of stairs leading to the third floor and debated for a moment. Feeling like a fool for worrying about the men downstairs, Jensen had to force himself to go up. The third floor was just as vacant as the second, but Jensen noticed a single room that showed casual occupation.
And, not to his surprise, it faced Alliance Bay.
Just a little creepy, he admitted to himself. Have to admit, sitting here, looking down at everyone? More like a monomaniacal tyrant than a kindly uncle Lenmore likes to make him out to be.
He looked at the bookshelves and saw they were filled with history of the San Juan Islands. The bottom shelf contained an entire row of books with library coding on the bindings. He flipped one open and saw that it was old enough to have the old-fashioned check-out date post on the back. And the last time this particular book was in circulation was in the October of 1961.
Jensen knew Spencer wouldn’t have borrowed these books, and that Lenmore had lent them on a permanent basis.
He knows Jared’s here, Jensen understood then how dangerous Spencer really was. Lenmore told him about the visitors from California and he's figured it out.
Jensen spun around and ran down the stairs. He looked over the second-floor landing and spotted Jared and Chad standing right where he’d left them.
“We’re getting out of here,” Jensen said as he raced down the stairs.
“What? What did you find?” Jared asked.
“Spencer knows you’re here, and more importantly, he knows who you really are.”
“I’m not…”
The three men froze on the foyer when they heard noises from below.
“Shit,” Jensen said.
“You didn’t go downstairs yet?” Jared looked at Jensen paling as the noises got louder.
Jensen located where the racket was coming from and ran full speed into the back of the house, which was the kitchen. He spotted what he thought was the cellar door and stood right besides it. With cautious hands, he flung it open.
“Whoever is down there better identify him or herself,” he said in a loud and stern voice.
“Man, are you really that PC?” Chris asked, his voice floating out from the pitch-black darkness.
“Where the hell are we?” Steve asked, sounding more pissed than frightened.
“Chez Spencer,” Jensen answered. “Get your asses up here, now!”
Jensen never felt so glad to see them as he did the moment they sprung up from the black hole below.
“Where did you two idiots come from?” Chad asked, shocked to see three men join them when only one left seconds ago.
“We went into one of the mines,” Chris said. “Luckily for us, we found a tunnel that led us straight here.”
“A tunnel? From the old mines?” Jensen couldn’t comprehend why there would be such a thing.
“The original vein ended maybe a third of the way from the entrance,” Steve said. “But someone built a new one, complete with a railway and a miniature trolley. We took it and it led us here.”
“Holy shit,” Jensen said. “So Spencer could literally pop up on the other side of the island and nobody would be the wiser.”
“I’d say it was built way before Spencer got here,” Steve said. “Probably in the early twenties? Whoever did it took a lot of trouble to make sure it worked no matter what. It runs on electricity but has a gas generator built into it for backup.”
“What else did you find?” Jensen asked. He’d seen Chris’ face and caught the horror carefully hidden behind the ice-blue eyes.
“Bodies,” Steve bit out. “Children.”
“So they are still down there,” Jensen said slowly.
“No, not them,” Chris said. “Other children. We found bodies of four kids. I think we solved some of the missing persons cases on Robbin Island.”
“What?” Jared looked like he might just keel over. “More children?”
“Fuck this," Jensen spat out. "Chad, I want you to go to the station, tell Gabe and Jake what’s been happening. Tell them to raise mainland. I also want you to make sure they understand we’ve got serial killings here.
"Chris, you stay here and make sure nobody gets out. If you see Spencer, I want you to keep him busy. Make sure he doesn’t touch you, though. I’m not sure what he can do, but if he’s as crazy as I think he is, and he’s got access to all those drugs I’ve seen upstairs - he might be able to poison you.”
“Okay, so no touching the psycho.” Chris took off the safety on his gun. “Not a problem.”
“Steve, I want you to take me and Jared back into the tunnel,” Jensen said. “We’ve got all we need to nail this son of a bitch to the wall, but we have to find Aiden first. As long as he’s out there, he’s in extreme danger.”
“Okay,” Steve said. “Let’s get moving.” He then grabbed Chad by the arm and shoved something into his hand. "Take this. We found it in the tunnel. It'll help the deputies understand we're not fucking around."
Chad didn’t need any further encouragement. He bolted out of the slaughterhouse and ran down the steps. Chris closed the door behind him and engaged all the locks.
Steve led Jared and Jensen down the steps to a basement that looked like a ballroom to the men once the light switch was flipped on.
“Holy shit,” Jensen said, studying the marble floors and a ceiling that was higher than those in his house. “What in hell does this guy do down here?”
Jared studied the paneling on the walls. “This is maple,” he said, absently noting the splendor of the room.
“Where’s the entrance?” Jensen asked.
Steve pointed to a panel that looked slightly raised than its neighbors. Jensen pulled it open and saw a platform and a small trolley parked right in front.
“I’m starting to think the entire Spencer family are barking lunatics,” Jensen said.
“I was thinking that, too,” Steve agreed. He looked at Jared and added, “This setup is old, older than Asa Spencer. And if he’d built this - we would’ve heard about it. So, it was before our time, at least.”
Jared stepped in and immediately regretted it. “What is that smell?”
“I’d like to say it’s the bodies, but I’m starting to think it’s something else.”
“Let’s go,” Jensen said. “We don’t have any time to waste.”
“Are we going to take the trolley?” Jared asked.
“No, we’re walking. We might miss something if we’re riding it,” Jensen answered.
Steve didn’t look at all pleased by Jensen’s answer but didn’t look surprised by it either. The three men jumped onto the tracks, making sure they didn’t touch the rails. Fortunately, the tunnel was lit well enough for them not to use their flashlights.
“This is amazing,” Jensen said softly as they walked the tunnel. “Why did they build this?”
“The answer may be here,” Steve said. He pointed to an offshoot. “Guys … it’s pretty fucking horrible.”
Jared skidded to a stop when he heard the sincerity in Steve’s voice. With reluctant steps, he approached the opening.
The room was black, as the stones that were used to build it were themselves greasy black color, and they seemed to absorb what little color the lamps threw out.
“Oh my God,” Jensen said.
Jared didn’t have any strength left to even speak. With the memory of the fanciful trolley still clear in his mind, Jared wondered if they stepped into the last station before hell. The dim lights were of little mercy to the frantic father, even as it also dulled the truly horrific edges the room contained.
“What … language is this?” Steve asked, pointing at the silvery writings on one wall. “Do you guys recognize any of this stuff?”
Jensen looked at the various implements sitting on the scarred wooden table and then the thin chains hanging from the ceiling. When he had taken in everything, he forced himself to look at the over-sized drain on the floor.
“Whatever happened here … it’s …” Jensen didn’t finish speaking.
Jared looked at him. “You recognize this?”
“Something like it, yes,” Jensen said. “It was on a forensics course I took about a serial killer who was … experimenting on his victims.”
“I don’t want to hear anymore,” Steve declared in a harsh voice.
“I wasn’t going to say anything else,” Jensen said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Jensen had to forcefully pull Jared away from the room. The father was completely mesmerized by the hideous display, and the sheriff knew he was imagining the horrors that must have been perpetrated between those black walls.
As they went deeper into the tunnel, Jensen felt misty air lick his face. He heard both Jared and Steve mutter so Jensen knew he wasn’t imagining the cloying moist sensation. He grimaced and was wiping his cheeks when he felt a slight ruffling of cooler air. Jensen stopped and swung his light to the left. The tunnel was partially covered with slats of rotting wood. At first, he thought it was another boarded up entrance until he spotted a doorknob.
With heavy hands and heavier heart he pulled it open. “Steve, get ready.”
He didn’t have to waste his breath on any more words. He heard the scuffling of Jared’s shoes and knew that Steve had pulled the father behind him. The doorway led to a narrow corridor, roughly hewn from the earth. However, it was lined with light bulbs, all lit.
Mercifully for them, the corridor was short, and soon opened up to another lit tunnel, which had no tracks or anything that showed recent development.
Jared looked around and carefully took a deep sniff. The air was stuffy and damp, like a room that hadn’t been aired for years but otherwise, it was normal: unlike the tunnel they just exited.
Steve examined the walls before saying, “This was probably the original mine. These scratches tell me as much,” he turned around and pointed to the corridor, “unlike that one. Let’s go back. I don’t think there’s anything for us here.”
“Wait a minute,” Jared said. He pointed to his left. “I saw something”
Jensen swung his light to where Jared was pointing. “Oh no,” he whispered.
The three men slowly approached the cluster of corpses. It was Jensen who finally kneeled down, touching the brittle remains with what looked like reverence to Jared.
“These are the children we were looking for,” Jensen said.
“What makes you say that?” Steve asked.
“Because this is a little girl and she’s still holding her doll,” Jensen answered.
“How many?” Steve asked.
“I believe three,” Jensen said, looking thoroughly but being extremely careful not to disturb the bodies. “I’m betting if we look further, we’ll find the rest.”
“But we’re not here for them,” Jared said. “We’re here for Aiden.”
“Which is why we’re going back,” Jensen said, placating the anxious father. “From what I can see on the floor, we’re the first ones here in many, many years.”
Jared looked downwards and saw the furry layer of dust and mold. Jensen was right; save for their tracks, rest of the tunnel was undisturbed. He felt a slight tug and followed Jensen back into the tunnel they were in earlier.
Once again, the noxious ammoniated air forced them to take breaths using their mouths.
This is completely fucked up, Jensen thought, trying hard to make sure his hands weren’t shaking. What in God’s name did the Spencer family do? And how did they get away with it for so long?
The answer to the last question was obvious, of course: because the town let them. Jensen let them. Out of pity, respect, and fear of repercussions, Jensen and everyone in power didn’t dare bother the cripple.
We turned a blind eye and the fucker had been killing our kids. Jensen felt the razor burn of tears but blinked them away. And let’s face it: killing would’ve been a mercy compared to what he could’ve done with all those knives … and whatever the fuck the rest of those tools were.
Steve stopped them and whispered, “Do you hear that?”
Jensen focused on a slight hum. “The trolley … it’s starting up!”
“Spencer’s in the fucking house?” Jared whirled around toward the direction they’d come from. “How in hell…”
“We’re going back, now!” Jensen shouted.
There was no more need for stealth as far as Jared was concerned. He sprinted forward and soon caught sight of the trolley whose lights were brightly lit. Jensen managed to catch up with him and they entered the basement together.
“Where is my son?!” Jared screamed, the words sounding more like damnation than a question. “What did you do with Aiden?!”
“If you come up, I’ll try and explain,” a voice said from top of the stairs.
Jensen had to pin Jared to the wall in order to stop him from charging. “Listen to me,” Jensen said. “We go together. Understand?”
Steve entered the room, panting and looking not at all like the self-contained peaceful warrior image he projected earlier. “Fuck, I’m out of shape.”
“Would you gentlemen like to come upstairs?” the voice asked in a droll voice.
But the humor couldn’t hide the weirdness in the voice. It was both raspy and gravelly, as if the user was suffering from both the flu and laryngitis.
“We’re coming up now,” Steve said conversationally.
“If you’re worried about your friend, don’t be,” the stranger said. “He’s just sleeping.”
Steve mouthed ‘fuck’ but said, “Sure, not a problem.”
“And you can bring your toys, if you must. I’m guessing you’re very attached to them.”
“Mighty kind of you,” Steve replied. He quietly unholstered a gun from his waist and shoved it into his jacket, nestling it under his right armpit. “We’re coming up!”
As Jensen led the group upstairs, a funny scent tickled his nose. It took him a moment to identify it: cloves. He followed the strong fragrance to the front room where a creature that had a passing resemblance of a man waited for them, sitting comfortably in a regal settee.
Gabe looked at the outlander and wondered if the man had taken something extra special with his Wheaties, because Chad Murray wasn’t making much sense. And if given a choice, Gabe would’ve gently but firmly put the man in the holding tank until the bastard formed a coherent sentence.
But there was the ugly little fact that they couldn’t raise the sheriff. And the Spencer mansion was brilliantly lit, from top to bottom with the sheriff’s car still parked out front.
“Okay,” Gabe said hesitantly. “I’ll raise mainland. See what they say.” He looked at Jake who was still staring out the window.
That deputy was plainly worried. “You said you guys found bodies?”
Chad frantically searched his pockets and pulled out a gold bracelet. He thrust it towards Jake. “This! Steve told me he found it in the tunnel!”
Both deputies examined the jewelry. Gabe read the inscription out loud. “Love you, Amy Bear.”
Jake accessed their missing person’s database. “Amy … there’s an Amy Depp who went missing in 1987. And … yeah, she had a bracelet on her; her mother gave it to her on her twelfth birthday.
“The inscription matches.”
Gabe reached for the phone, and was convincing enough for mainland police to send a boat immediately, along with a promise to contact the FBI as soon they hang up.
“So, what do we do now?” Chad asked the deputies. “Because I’m worried about what’s going up there.”
“The sheriff didn’t ask for us so we stay put,” Gabe answered. “He and his friends got some game plan going on, and the last thing we need to do is upset that applecart.”
Chad muttered few choice words but the deputies kindly ignored him. Instead, they pulled up the missing persons list and began printing out the files. If what Chad said was true, they knew the information would be critical in the hours to come.
Jensen didn’t think he could be shocked any further while in the tunnels, but he was proven wrong. The man in front of him was something out of a nightmare, and not just any nightmare but one imagined by a seven-year-old who’d just seen every Stephen King movie, uncut and without supervision.
The figure was quite tall, maybe as tall as Jared. He was also strongly built, but Jensen had no idea how old the man was because all the facial markers were non-existent. The forehead reminded him of a rough stonework; where the nose was supposed to be, there was a cavity; ears were absent, only tidbits of skin that were pebbled and roughened like the rest of the man’s face. But the bright amber eyes that shown from under the neanderthal-like forehead was utterly human.
“Holy shit,” Steve said, his face gone slack with horror.
“Yes, I know. I could've put on a mask, but that would have been over-the-top, don't you agree?
"By the way, my name is Asa Spencer, as you must have guessed.” The man flapped one disfigured hand. “Please, sit down.”
Jensen obeyed out of confusion and because he understood that Spencer had planned most of this, and thus had the advantage.
“So, you are Jared Padalecki,” Spencer said. “I must say, you’re almost as tall as me. At least we have that in common.”
“What do you want?” Jared asked.
“Why, to share all this, of course.” Spencer whispered. “I have no children, no one to inherit shall we say the family trait?”
“How do you plan to do that?” Jared caught Spencer’s gaze and held it.
“Simple, really,” Spencer said. He pulled out a small vial of dark blue liquid and a syringe still in its plastic wrap. “I want you to inject yourself with this.”
“No deal,” Jensen said. “No fucking way.”
“I really don’t…”
“Where’s Aiden?” Jensen interrupted harshly. “Where’s the boy?”
Though it was impossible for Jensen to read Spencer's face, he knew distress well enough to recognize it in the thick, deformed frame.
Jared suddenly understood. “You don’t have a fucking clue where my son is? Do you?”
“You didn’t take him,” Jensen whispered. “You wanted to, but somebody beat you to the punch, didn’t they?”
“I hardly think it’s…”
“The only reason we’re here is because of Aiden,” Jensen said.
“But you also have no idea where he is,” Spencer cut in smoothly. “Whereas, I do. And I am at least aware of what’s been happening here since I was a child.”
“So, what’s been happening?” Steve asked in a reasonable voice. “Because I have to tell you, it’s been one hell of a ride.”
“How much do you know?” Spencer asked.
“This is bullshit!” Jared snarled. “Where is Aiden?!”
“I know you’re a worried man, and I can spit out some platitudes, but the truth is I haven’t a faintest clue about what it means to be a father, so let’s just skip the useless chitter-chatter.
“Your boy is with the creatures now, as you suspected. And he has very much adapted to his new role as one of them.”
“One of them being the kids who died in the fire?” Steve asked.
“No, dear boy, they didn’t die in the fire. They survived, and that’s where it all went pear-shaped.”
“Survived?” Jared echoed. “But then … then why weren’t they rescued?”
“Oh, there was a mix-up; you know - bureaucracy at its worst,” Spencer said with a labored shrug.
Jared's furor died as he realized what Spencer wasn't saying. “They were never rescued because nobody knew they survived.”
“Not exactly,” Spencer said. “My grandmother did. You see, after the death of her one great love, she visited the smoldering ruins out of some misbegotten sense of loyalty and heard the children bustle about. And there … well, she made a bad choice. After that, she made even more bad choices by hiring the seven men she could trust to retrieve the remains of the dead. They did their jobs perfectly, which also included ignoring any cries of help from the survivors.”
“The orphans were left there to die,” Jared concluded in a thin, accusing voice. “She knew they were still alive but said nothing, and they died.”
Spencer gave a small shrug. “She was distraught, and afterwards … she couldn’t think straight. And the truth is she never got over it.”
“Over it?” Jared echoed. “I’m so sorry your grandmother never snapped out of her psychosis, but she left children to die in the mines and that's got to count for something. What happened to them? Did they starve to death? Did they die of injuries?”
“The truth is I don’t know,” Spencer said. “She never cared enough to find out.”
“So what was she worried about?” Jensen asked.
“About repercussions,” Spencer answered. “Her choices, to be exact. It wasn’t until she had Kindle’s bastard child that she realized exactly how bad her choices were, and the full consequences of … well, not thinking through.”
“Leprosy is curable now,” Steve said. “It has been for a long time.”
“I know that, Mr. Carlson,” Spencer snapped, for the first time revealing his temper. “And I’ve seen every expert available in the world on the disease. As you can see, they’ve not been successful.”
“You think you’re cursed,” Jensen said in a wondrous voice.
“I know the idea might be too much for you to understand,” Spencer said, his calm returning. “But after three generations of this,” he motioned to his face, “you have to admit there is something to the idea.”
“Three generations?” Jensen stopped to consider that fact. “Everyone?”
“Every bloody generation. Even my grandmother died of it in the end,” Spencer confirmed. “Which was why I decided not to have any children. You see, for a while I thought I had beaten the curse, but then my skin started to fall apart. I was in Paris at the time, so I had full access to the best medical treatments possible.
“Nothing worked, no drugs, no treatments no matter how outlandish. The progress of this particular strain couldn’t be stopped. So, given no choice, I came home. As we Clennons-Spencers must in the end.”
“But why me?” Jared whispered. “Why Aiden?”
“To share the joy, of course!” Spencer barked out. “To make sure everyone responsible has a taste of what it means to live like me!
“And who else should I invite than the family of the bastard responsible for all this mess? How is it fair that I rot here while Davies’ descendants get away free? To live out their lives in full view of the world, to show their faces without fear, without terror, without the hopelessness I was forced to endure for decades?”
“But you don’t have Aiden,” Jared reiterated. “You have no power so…”
The window to his right exploded inwards as a flaming bottle broke through. It bounced off the wall to his left then set the rug on fire. By the time Jared’s yell of alarm tore out of his throat, the flames were licking at his sneakers.
Jensen bolted out of his chair and grabbed Spencer who seemed transfixed by the fire. The first time he felt contact with the crippled man, Jensen wanted nothing more than to drop him and wipe his hands. Instead, the sheriff gritted his teeth, tightened his grip and shouted,
“Move!”
His order snapped Spencer out of his fugue state and the two men began running to the foyer.
They progressed no further.
Chris was sprawled on the floor, unconscious, and behind him stood Aiden. The boy was holding flaming torches of some kind in his hands. And when he saw Spencer, he bared his teeth in savage, howling triumph.
Jensen didn’t have a moment to lose. He whirled around, covering Spencer with his own body. He tried shoving the man to the back of the house to find that exit had been cut off.
Standing shoulder to shoulder were the children.
“Oh my God,” Jensen wheezed out. In the ugly truthful light, what he accepted as monstrous deformities when he’d first seen him were even more horrific.
Spencer made some mewling noise and skittered back, which only led him towards Aiden. The boy’s grin became fiercer and he pitched the first torch. Jensen managed to knock it off-direction before it hit them, but it lit the wall on fire on impact.
Steve snapped out of shock and shoved Jared back towards the they just escaped. Jensen propelled Spencer, following them. The fire was still burning, but it was nowhere as bad as the one in the hallway which had already climbed to the ceiling.
Jensen was about to manhandle Spencer to the back of the room when he felt a dull thud right at the base of his neck. The blow paralyzed him and Jensen fell to his knees with a small gasp of shock.
“Wh…” Spencer never had a chance to finish his question.
In a blink of an eye, the ghostly children surrounded him. He whirled around, screaming incomprehensible threats while wildly waving his arms about.
Jensen rolled on the floor, his eyes trying to focus on the blurry shapes looming above him. One of them looked down at him, and through the little girl's one good eye, Jensen saw pity and relief. Without warning, Jensen was yanked to his feet by Steve who dragged him away from Spencer and the voiceless mob surrounding him.
Aiden then slithered into the room and threw the last torch onto Spencer. The man immediately became engulfed in flames. Still burning, Spencer ran right into Jensen, sending the sheriff careening to the wall, head first.
Steve looked at Jared and saw that the man was completely hypnotized by Aiden who gleefully cavorted around the burning man. Without hesitation he grabbed a chair and smashed one of bay windows. Then, he took Jared by the throat and shoved him out. By this time the smoke had gotten too thick and given no choice, Steve jumped out after Jared.
Jared tried to get up but couldn’t get his legs to support his weight. So the most fight he could put up as Steve dragged him away from the burning house was to pummel his calves. They heard a crash and looked to the front of the house. Chris stumbled out with thick black smoke following him. The man fell down the steps and landed flat on his back.
Then an array of explosions on the second floor grabbed all their attention. Jared saw his chance and took it. He punched Steve in the back of the knees, caving them. The hysterical father scrambled towards the house. He didn’t get five feet before Jensen came running out of the front door. His back was engulfed in flames and in his arms was Aiden who was screaming and clawing at Jensen’s face.
Jensen made it down the front steps then collapsed. Chris jumped on him and put out the fire. Jared joined them and took Aiden into his arms.
The boy immediately stopped fighting. He looked at his father and whispered in a small dying voice, “I’m tired, daddy.”
Jared couldn’t answer. He just held Aiden in his arms and wept.
Steve looked at Chris who was covering Jensen's smoking body with his. The two exchanged glances and then stared at the burning house with grim wonder.
This tableau didn’t change even as the island’s meager first response team made their way towards them.
Part V * Conclusion