“I tried to find you,” Carl said, weaving his fingers through Sarah’s hair. “Your hair. Your eyes are every bit as beautiful as I remember. I hope our daughter looks like you, my love.”
“Don’t touch her!” Joel warned, feeling helpless watching this rotten half-man, ice creature caress Sarah’s face. He was nauseated.
“Carl,” Margaret said. Her voice was sweet and gentle. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
“Olivia, my Olivia.” Carl lowered his hand, a pained expression swept over this usually happy face. “You turned me away, just like that.” He clicked his fingers. Sarah felt a tremor through her body as she made eye contact. The legends were true, within this icy creature lived a man with a heart of madness. Her body trembling, she slowly began to back away.
“What are you doing?&
Joel and Sarah began to throw bowls of fire at the approaching beast, every bowl that hit its icy body, landed on the floor shattering into pieces.“It’s not working.” Sarah cried.“In the heart!” Hayley yelled as she joined them. “You’re wasting the fire.”“How the hell are we going to do that!?” Joel’s body tensed with every growing step, closer and closer. “I can’t just walk up to him and push one of these things in his heart.”“I have an idea,” Hayley said. “But, you have to do it, Joel. You have to trust me.”“Hayley,” Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes. “Are you going to be okay with this? It’s Harry, Carl…our father.”“No, Sarah.” Hayley grabbed Sarah’s hands in her own. “He is not human anymore. Margaret lied to m
It was quiet and beautiful underneath the soft lights, gentle music playing as the wind howled outside, and the rain slowed to a mere drizzle. The Chef had preserved the surprise Margaret had promised. Few of the staff had been given extra days leave because the weather had been so bad.“Cheer up. It’s your favorite.” Margaret smiled. “I gave Chef specific instructions. Eat up.”“Thank you.” Hayley feigned a smile. “You know how much I love sautéed brain, especially clever brain. I don’t know how Chef managed to keep Mark’s brain fresh.”Margaret chuckled. “I have not lived this long to not learn some secrets along the way.”“Do you think that Sarah will find her way out of the cave?”“Are you worried that she will find us?” Margaret said, taking a sip of the thick red content
The windscreen wipers squealed as they cleared away the rain pelting against the windshield in frantic synchronisation. The unexpected change in weather was disheartening. Arnold squinted against the bright lights that shone from the oncoming vehicles headed in the opposite direction. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the dark grey clouds gathered and the sky darkened streaked with silver as lightning flashed across the sky, sudden sparks lit up the sky and fell to the earth with a deafening crack. “We should turn back,” Arnold said, battling at the steering wheel. The front tyres had thinned out and he had not been able to replace them yet. The road was slippery; too slippery for his liking, and his foot was steady on the brake pedal. He knew the trip was a bad idea but he couldn't say no. That was his problem he couldn't say no - at least not to her - the most beautiful woman that he had ever met and loved her dearly. Olivia glanced over her shoulder and s
Sixteen Years Later Joel pulled up in front of a large block of flats and hooted. At one time, the building may have looked exquisite with its charming Greek-style front and columns at the front entrance. The now stained off-white paint peeled over hairline cracks and chunks of concrete had crumbled over time. Looking at his watch, he knew the sooner they hit the road, the sooner they would arrive at their destination. His worst part of long distance driving was busy traffic. “She’s taking too long,” Joel said and cracked open the window. His eyes followed the cracks to a window on the second storey and peered for any sign of moment. They all knew it was Hayley’s room by the grubby footmarks outside the window from her continuous escape attempts to sneak out. He felt the intense heat against his cheek and closed the window quickly. “Man, it’s hot out there.” “Give her a minute. I told you to give her an earlier time,” Sarah rem
Following down R617 there was no other signage other than various markers on the side of the road. Joel slowed down as the road turned to dirt and grit with various sized potholes.“Look for a white gate. It shouldn’t be too far away,” Sarah said softly. “There is no sign to indicate road D600 and this one goes a really long way. Then we need to find a sign on the left pointing towards the Farm.” Hayley tried to silence Sarah telling her to stay still.Fifteen minutes later Joel turned down a narrow bumpy dirt road through the white gate. Separated by the dirt road, the trees lined up like soldiers, and the sun peeped through the tall trees reflecting colors of gold and brown. The closer they got to the Farm the higher the Mountains climbed the sky.“I’m so tired.” Hayley yawned, stroking Sarah’s hair.“There!” Mark spotted the green faded wooden sign indicating Silver Springs Farm.
It didn’t take long for the luggage and groceries to be brought in and packed. The Loft was huge. The couches were similar to the ones in Margaret’s study except they had green stripes; two single green upright wing chairs placed against the wall near the fireplace all surrounding a white rectangular table. Just round the corner in another room was the dining hall with a bar table in the corner and then the kitchen. Sliding doors from the lounge and the dining hall opened up onto a balcony, entertainment area and to the farmland, lakes, and the mountains beyond. Adjacent to the Loft were six log cabins each with its own en-suite bathroom, double bed, bar fridge, study table and chair with two single black soft chairs, TV mounted on the wall, and a fireplace.“How did you come by this place?” Mark asked. He and Hayley were seated on the couch opposite the fireplace sharing a warm blanket.“My flatmate recommended this place. She said that h
Detective Ray Banks sat behind his desk resting his chin upon his folded hands fingers entwined, elbows resting on the tiny table reserved for those given charge over Cold cases that nobody wanted to accept or take accountability. He’d been a Detective for over twenty years, where experience used to count for something only the young graduates with top degrees were promoted, and with the childish methods used, very few cases were solved. Eleven years ago he requested a transfer from Hilton Police Station to Underberg Police Station. Most thought he was crazy to put in such a request but since his son and wife passed away a few years ago from a hijacking he didn’t want to be reminded of them, and almost every day people kept asking if he was okay. The criminals were set free due to a technicality and he lost faith in the Justice system.As a parting gift, the Hilton Police Department sent the Cold case files with him. Even over all these years, he had kept all the
Mark, Hayley, and Joel slowly sauntered along the dusty path to the Farmhouse not knowing where Sarah had disappeared in her temper.“Why did she go off on you like that?” Mark asked Joel as he blew on his hands and rubbed them together fighting against the cold. Joel looked upset, whether from the cold or embarrassment his cheeks were flushed. “She is not wrong. I used to be an avid gamer. Sounds silly and childish, doesn’t it?” He said.Mark shook his head. “I like gaming. In fact, I have linked up with users from all over the world. Most people, including chicks, are gamers.”Joel nodded, his expression had not changed. “Did you neglect your studies because of gaming? That’s all I wanted to do. I spent hours gaming, on the internet, my phone, my PC. I lied to my parents and rugby coach, even to Sarah.” He began to look guilty. “My parents made her promise that she’d look out for me that I