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Saturday, December 8, 2018

Gayle Roberts drew in a shaky breath trying to calm her nerves. Her heart pounded in her chest, the rhythm erratic. Confusion swam through her head. How had she allowed this to happen? How had she ended up here in this nightmare? 

She sat on a hard bed in the dimly lit room, her back pressed against the wall, struggling to make sense of the chaos that had enveloped her life. The room was sparse, the only light filtering in from a small window high up on the wall so she couldn’t see outside. Elongated shadows sprawled against the hardwood floors, letting her know it was dusk. 

Beside her, four-year-old Luke played quietly with a small toy car he'd found in his pocket, seemingly oblivious to the gravity of their situation. Gayle’s eyes flitted around the room, seeking an escape, a clue, or anything that could tell her why they had ended up here. Her mind raced, replaying the events of the day, dissecting every decision, every moment that led to this. How could she have let this happen?

All she wanted was to take her grandson on a simple outing, a quick lunch at Chinook Centre, then home. But nothing was simple anymore. Not now that they were stuck in this room, their fate controlled by the woman who’d brought them here.

As she glanced at Luke, her heart ached with guilt. She should have been more vigilant, more aware. Cynthia had trusted her to protect him, to be the barrier between him and the dangers of the world. And yet, here they were, trapped in a room that felt like a cage designed to hold the most precious part of her life.

At the mall, she’d turned her back on him for just a moment to put their lunch garbage in the trash can at the food court. Just long enough for Luke to find the kiosk with the colourful rainbow ice cream she’d promised him for dessert. 

And there she was. 

Gayle squinted her eyes as if that would help her place the blonde woman she’d seen standing with Luke as she walked towards them. 

“Oh, hello,” Gayle had said, acting as if she knew the woman, embarrassed she couldn't place her. But she had to be a friend of Cynthia's. She looked about the same age. 

Luke sure seemed to know her as he beamed back at Gayle, holding the blonde woman’s hand, swinging it back and forth.

“There’s been a situation,” the woman said, lowering her voice, her face suddenly serious and her body turned in such a way that Luke couldn't see her expression.  

Gayle’s pulse quickened. “Is it Bob?”

The woman's expression betrayed nothing. 

She guessed again. “Cynthia?”

The woman nodded. “I’ll take you to her.”

But all that business with the city council was over. Cynthia was out of danger, wasn’t she? “Where is she?” Gayle asked.

The woman didn’t answer, only glanced at Luke as if she’d rather not say in front of him. 

“What about my car?”

“We can come back for it later. Come on, we need to hurry.” The woman walked Luke toward the exit and Gayle followed closely behind. 

Luke turned his head to look at her. “What about my ice cream?”

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” She couldn’t tell him something had happened to his mother, not until she knew what she was dealing with. “We’ll come back later for ice cream.”

This seemed to satisfy Luke, and they went with the blonde woman to her car. Fifteen minutes later, stuck in traffic heading west, it was clear the woman was in no hurry. If anything had happened to Cynthia this woman didn’t seem to care about getting to her quickly. Where was she going? This wasn’t the route to any hospital she was familiar with. 

It wasn’t until they had left city limits that the car picked up speed. Gayle bit her tongue. She wanted to ask the woman where they were going, but she didn’t want Luke to pick up on the concern she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep out of her voice. 

“Are we going to see Daddy?” Luke asked from the backseat. 

Gayle slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder at her grandson. Her son-in-law had been dead for over two years. Why would Luke think they were going to see him?

“At the cemetery?” she asked, even though Jason had been buried at Mountain View in the southeast of the city, and they were headed in the opposite direction. She shot a side eye to the driver while she waited for Luke to answer.  

“What’s a cemetery?”

Luke was only two when Jason had died, and while he had been at the cemetery the day of his father’s funeral, Gayle didn’t expect him to remember. She had no idea if Cynthia ever took him there.

Gayle looked back at Luke again and smiled. “It's a peaceful place where we remember and honour people who were special to us, but who aren't here anymore.”

“Oh.” Luke frowned. “Like a garden?”

“Yes, it can seem a lot like a garden,” Gayle replied, her voice soft. “A garden of memories where we can go and feel peaceful, just like when we sit in our garden at home and think about happy things.”

Luke seemed satisfied with her answer, and he went back to playing with his toy car. 

Gayle’s mind raced, her thoughts a whirlwind of fear and confusion. She stole glances at the blonde woman driving, trying to glean any clue about her intentions. The woman's eyes were fixed on the road, her expression unreadable, almost mechanical in her focus as she pressed the button that turned on the radio.

With her protective instincts in overdrive, Gayle’s every sense sharpened. She was quite sure this woman wasn’t taking her to Cynthia, and she contemplated reaching for her phone in her purse, but how could she do that without alerting the woman to her plan? What if she really was taking her and Luke to see Cynthia?

Her heart skittered when they passed the faded sign announcing their location—Dead Man’s Flats. She knew the history of the hamlet and how it was aptly named. A man had murdered his brother there with an axe in the early 1900s. 

With a cautious glance, she eyed the driver of the car. She didn’t look like an axe murderer, but what the hell were they doing out here? 

As the car took a sharp turn off the main road, Gayle’s attention snapped back to their surroundings. They were now on a narrower, less-traveled path, the snow untouched by tire tracks. The trees grew denser, the shadows deeper. The car finally slowed, pulling into a clearing where a lone cabin stood, its windows dark.

The woman turned off the engine and finally spoke, her voice cold and detached. “We’re here. Follow me.”

Gayle's heart sank as she unbuckled Luke’s seatbelt and helped him out of the car. The cold air hit her like a slap, the chill seeping into her bones. She looked around, desperately trying to memorize their location, anything that might help them later if she tried to make a break for it with Luke.

The woman led them to the cabin, unlocking the door with a set of keys she pulled from her pocket. Inside, the cabin was sparse and icy cold like it hadn’t been used in months. The woman placed her purse on the table. “You too.” She gestured for Gayle to leave her purse next to hers. 

Gayle swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. So much for calling for help. She doubted there would be cell service out here anyway. Her gaze locked on the blonde woman’s. “You said you were taking us to Cynthia.”

The woman nodded once, her expression flat. “I’m really sorry about that. I have no idea where your daughter is, but I hope for your sake, she’ll be here soon.” Her tone was surprisingly pleasant given that what she had just said sounded like a threat to Gayle. What did she mean by that? Cynthia would be there soon? Had the woman asked her to meet them?

“I—”

“Your room’s right there.” The woman cut her off and gestured for them to enter the bedroom.

Gayle grabbed Luke’s hand as much for her own comfort as his. As they were ushered into the room, Gayle’s eyes scanned for anything that could be used to her advantage. But the room was sparse with a double bed that took up most of the space and two small nightstands on either side of it. Another door led to a private bathroom. 

The door clicked shut behind them, the sound echoing ominously in the small space. Another click alerted Gayle that the room locked from the outside, not the inside, and they were now the woman’s captives.

She knelt to Luke’s level, wrapping her arms around him, drawing him close. She could feel his confusion, his small frame tense in her embrace.

“Grandma, where are we?” Luke’s voice was small, a whisper laden with uncertainty.

Gayle forced a smile, her voice trembling as she replied, “It’s just a little adventure, sweetheart. We’ll be okay.” She didn’t believe the words that came out of her mouth, but she had to maintain a brave face for Luke.

As it grew darker outside, the room grew colder, the dim light casting more shadows that seemed to dance along the walls. Gayle huddled with Luke on the bed, her mind racing with plans of escape, her heart clinging to the hope that Bob had called Cynthia when Gayle hadn’t returned as planned and that Cynthia and her ex-detective boyfriend Warren were out there, searching for them.

Her stomach grumbled, letting her know it had been several hours since they’d had lunch at the mall, and she was surprised Luke hadn’t asked for a snack. He had fallen asleep briefly but was back to playing with his toy car, the folds of the bedspread had become roads in his mind, and she was thankful for that. 

Her hands trembled as she pulled her knees closer to her chest, trying to quell the rising panic. The air felt heavy, suffocating, filled with the weight of unspoken fears and unanswered questions. Who was that woman? Why had she taken them? The questions circled in her mind like vultures over a carcass, preying on her terror.

A noise outside the door jolted her from her thoughts. Her body tensed, preparing for a confrontation, for a face to match the nightmare. But the sound faded as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind a deafening silence.

Gayle’s gaze returned to Luke, her heart breaking at the thought of the terror he must be feeling. But instead of tears or fear, there was a calmness to him, a serenity that seemed out of place in the cold, harsh reality of their situation. The naivety of childhood, she guessed. Another reason she should have protected him, should have made a scene at the mall, anything. Her eyes met his. 

“Don’t worry, Grandma.” Luke’s voice, soft and innocent, cut through the silence. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch gentle, yet filled with a strength that belied his years. “Daddy’s friend won’t hurt us.”

The words hung in the air, a stark reminder of the innocence of childhood and the complexities of the world they now found themselves in. Is that what the woman had told him? She was Jason’s friend. Is that how she got Luke to go with her?

Gayle’s heart clenched at the trust in his voice, a trust born from a child’s unconditional love, not yet spoiled by the horrors of the world.