BEGINNING OF THE END

CHAPTER 4

Susan and Jimmy closed the screen door behind them and grabbed some stuff to start the search for their boys. Susan threw on some socks, boots that she wears around the farm, and a jacket. Jimmy grabbed his jacket and flashlights for him and Susan, throwing some batteries in his pocket. As they both finished getting ready, they walked down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door. As the screen door slammed against the frame behind them, Jimmy and Susan started heading down the hill and towards the entrance of the woods.

Crossing the creek Jimmy took Susan’s hand and in return she squeezed his. As they entered the woods in search of their boys, a knot formed in Susan’s stomach, a terrible feeling deep inside her. As twigs snapped under their feet, their voices carried through the trees and across the hills.

‘Claude! Denny!’ Each time, waiting for a response, but nothing ever did answer. The only thing they could hear was their voices carrying off into the distance. Jimmy and Susan both continued to call out for their boys.

‘Claude! Denny!’

Once again waiting after the call of each boys’ names. A few moments went by, then there was a sound.

Susan was the first to hear it.

‘Jimmy stop!’

He stopped dead in his tracks, listening closely.

‘Did you hear that?’ Susan asked, whispering quietly. Carefully they both were listening, then the sound came back.

‘Susan, I….’

‘Jimmy, it sounds like Claude!’

Susan let go of Jimmy’s hand and took off running straight through the small path in front of them. Jimmy was yelling after her, but she ignored him and kept running.

Something inside her was pulling her in the direction she was heading. She knew she had heard him, it had to be him. Jumping over branches, she slid down the hill, rocks following her as she kicked up dirt, Jimmy’s flashlight was beaming through the trees directly behind her.

Finally catching up to her, Jimmy grabbed Susan’s arm and pulled her to stop.

‘What the hell are you doing?!’ Susan yelled as she snatched her arm away from him.

‘It’s Claude! He needs us damn it!’ Susan exclaimed, glaring at Jimmy. As Jimmy stopped breathing heavily from running, he answered.

Susie, I don’t know what you heard, but I didn’t hear anything.’

Susan, exasperated from running, started crying in his arms. Jimmy gently rubbed her arms and patted her back as she sobbed into his chest.

‘It’s going to be okay, we will find them.’

Susan, taking a deep breath to contain herself, wiped the tears from her eyes. Jimmy kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair before taking her hand in his and trying to lead her back up the dirt hill. Susan did not move but flashed her light in front of her. Jimmy turned to see what she was looking at.

‘Is that a cave?’ She asked him. Jimmy shined his light in the same direction that Susan was shining hers.

He stepped closer, inspecting everything he could see with the distance the flashlight would let him.

‘Let’s go in, ‘Susan said as she stepped forward towards the cave. Jimmy held his hand out to motion for her to stop, placing a finger over his lips, he listened. There was a sound coming from the cave. Gently, he took Susan’s hand in his, leading her into the cave. They both were shining their lights along the cave walls, hoping to find any signs of the boys being in there.

The sheriff and his deputy reached the precinct, as the sheriff got out of their squad car, there was a group of people outside the department. They were equipped with flashlight, whistles, orange vests, flares and even a few handguns for themselves.

Cherry Blossom Town, population 400, is a place where everyone knows everyone’s business. The people of Cherry Blossom Town are all well connected with each other. So, when Lynnette made the call, the town was at her beck and call.

The sheriff walked up the steps to the front of the precinct and turned around to face the people, holding up a picture of each boy.

‘We have two missing boys, Denny, and Claude Doran. They have been missing approximately 14 hours. The search will start at the Doran’s Farm, I want groups of 3 or 4 heading in different directions. We need to cover a roughly 10 Km radius in a wooded area, and I need you to stick with your group. Blow your whistles and light your flares if you find anyone or anything.

He put the pictures back in the file he was carrying and headed into this office. He put the file on his desk and just before exiting the building he looked over at Lynnette.

‘Would you mind calling my wife for me and letting her know to not wait up for me tonight.’

Lynnette nodded her head.

‘Copy that boss.’

He then headed through the double doors. The people outside were walking to their vehicles, some starting their engines, and others waiting for him to lead the way. He got in his squad car, his deputy waiting for him. Putting the key in the ignition, his deputy flipped the switch for the blue lights. As the sheriff pressed his foot down on the petrol pedal, he accelerated the vehicle and the sirens started blaring, echoing through the town, and the search party right behind him.

They pulled up into Doran’s driveway, along with the search party. He parked his vehicle closest to the house, exited the vehicle and flicked the flashlight on and watched people get out of their vehicles and gathered around him. People paired up quickly, pairing into 30 different groups. The sheriff made sure everyone was there before he started speaking.

‘Remember everyone, if you find anything, blow your whistles and light your flares.’

The sheriff signalled his deputy to follow him as he started heading into the woods, everyone calling out the boy’s names.

Repeatedly their names were called. The sheriff and deputy were walking together, shining their lights over the ground and through the trees. After a few moments of silence and searching through the trees, the sheriff crouched down to the ground, shining his flashlight at something.

‘See something boss?’

At first the sheriff didn’t say anything, but after a moment he spoke.

‘The twigs on the ground here, they’re snapped.’

The deputy shined his light down at the ground.

‘That could be anything boss.’ He said as he started shining his light in other areas of the woods.

‘If it were any other day, I would agree with you. However, these look like footprints and there are more branches further up that are snapped as well.’

The sheriff then started making his way through branches, following a path of broken twigs, and impressionable dirt.

‘What’s that?’ The deputy shined his light further ahead of the sheriff. Looking up from the ground in the direction where his deputy was shining his light. At first, he wasn’t sure what he was looking at, then after moving some branches out of the way he realized what it was. He stood up from the ground, moving forward. He turned to shine his light on his deputy.

‘I need you to follow me, stay close and stay quiet.

Susan and Jimmy were making their way through the cave, casting their flashlights on the ground and walls to guide themselves forward. As Jimmy shined his light ahead of him, he stopped, squeezing Susan’s hand, she stopped too. Still pointing his light in front of him, he didn’t move or speak. Susan pointed her flashlight in the same direction as her husband. There was something on the ground ahead of them. Jimmy slowly walked towards it, still squeezing Susan’s had. She walked with him just as slow as he was going, letting him lead the way. She could hear Jimmy’s breathing increase as they got closer.

Whatever it was that he was looking at, was not moving, or making any noise. Slowly, they made their way towards the object. As they made their way towards the object. As they got closer, the object looked more and more like a person. Susan’s throat formed a lump so big; she could barely swallow. She feared who may be lying before them. It was so dark, their flashlights barely gave them visibility.

They stopped about fifteen feet from it, Jimmy motioned Susan to stay, and still pointing her light at what was lying on the ground. Jimmy made his way closer to it, slowly. Now standing next to it, he knelt, his light still shining on it. Jimmy, looking down, silently sobbed.

Susan could hear him, quietly whimpering. She quickly made her way to him, her light shaking all over as she moved. She knelt beside him, flashing the light down, seeing his face. It was Claude, his eyes were open, a look of terror frozen on his face. As tears fell from her eyes, Susan put her hand over his eyes and closed them. As she went to shine the light over his body, she realized that his stomach cavity was open. Susan, unable to control her emotions, let out a scream as she cried even harder. Jimmy quickly put his hand over her mouth to quieten her.

‘Shhhh.’ he said as quietly as he could.

‘There is something in here with us.’

Susan nodded, Jimmy slowly released his hand from her mouth. He reached down where he placed his flashlight and retrieved it. There was something ahead of them, making noise, but he couldn’t see it. As Susan went to whisper something, she heard it too, a clicking. The lump in her throat made it harder and harder to swallow, fearing what she couldn’t see. Jimmy started moving forward but as soon as he started, he stopped. Instead, he started moving backwards towards Susan. Taking her hand once again, he got as close to her as he could, whispering in her ear.

‘When I tell you, I need you to run as fast as possible out of this cave, blow your whistle and light your flare. Do you understand me?’ Susan squeezed his hand, reassuring him that she understood. Jimmy let go of her hand, kissed her lips, and then ran forward, yelling behind him, telling her to run.

Susan turned around and ran as fast as she could. She could hear the screams of Jimmy bouncing off the cave walls. Then, there was nothing, nothing but the sound of her feet. She sobbed as she ran, tears welling up, compromising her vision. No longer was she hearing just her feet anymore, but something else, a clicking. The same noise she and Jimmy heard before, was moving towards her, fast.

Susan could see some light up ahead, as she was getting closer, she realized it was someone’s flashlight. There were people ahead of her. Susan started waving her arms frantically, trying to move around the lump in her throat and call out. The clicking was getting louder, it was moving in closer to her. Her heart was beating so hard she could feel it in her throat. Her cheeks burned as she ran with all her might.

The clicking was so loud as if it was right next to her. Susan was able to yell out.

‘Stop! Go Back!’ Yelling as loud as she could. The flashlights were getting brighter and brighter as she got closer.

‘Stop! Go Baaaa….

Then, there was nothing…..