Page 10 of Into The Light

I nodded, too nervous to shout back. Snuggling into my seat, I enjoyed the beautiful view of Chicago below. I’d been over several times in a plane, but it looked different hovering past in a helicopter. Soon the city disappeared, and the houses got farther and farther apart. The city turned to suburbs, then the suburbs turned to towns, and then less than an hour later we drifted over wilderness. There was nothing below but trees and cornfields.

Mark reached forward and touched my arm. He gestured out the window to my right. Down below I saw hundreds of acres of manicured property nestled in the center of a thick forest. Tall trees formed a border around the lush, mowed lawn. A mansion sat along the west edge of the property, and several other matching buildings speckled the impeccable landscape. The helicopter began its descent and my stomach dropped with it.

We touched down on the helicopter pad just across the lawn from the mansion. Mark tugged my hand and helped me to the ground. Ducking low, we made our way past the whirring blades before he turned to wave them off. The thump-thump-thump sped up as the helicopter lifted away. Fear gripped me as I watched my only escape veer out of sight. I hoped my Uberpal Jake had a good memory... he would be the one identifying my body and pointing out Mark in a lineup.

“Where’s the helicopter going?” I asked, swallowing hard over the growing lump in my throat.

“The hanger is just down the road at the other end of the estate. Don’t worry, they aren’t far if you need a lift back.”

Biting my lip, I nodded and watched it disappear behind the trees in the distance.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Mark said, practically bubbling with joy.

“That makes one of us. Can we just get to the part where you kill me and chop off my limbs? The anticipation is the worst part.”

Mark doubled over with laughter.

“You’re spunky! I love it! No one is going to murder you. I gave you my word, remember? Let me give you the tour of Aiden’s estate.”

Aiden. This belongs to him?

I followed Mark along the brick path around the house. He creaked open a tall wrought-iron gate that led to a pool out back and I followed behind him.

“Wow.” Not a very creative response to the lush sight, but there weren’t any words to capture the incredible oasis surrounding me. An infinity pool hovered on the rock ledge landscaped around the area. Tall trees, palms it seemed, dotted between the stone pathways that followed the winding pool around the corner. I walked along the path, noting the tropical plants and trees that shouldn’t have been able to survive here in the Midwest. Bright pink flowers and green foliage decorated every rock and crevice.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Mark beamed.

“Very.”

We walked over the stone bridge suspended across the narrowest part of the pool. A set of stairs descended into a hot tub surrounding a fire pit built into the center that burned hot with tall flames.

“Apparently he doesn’t like to be cold?” I said, pointing to the fire within the hot tub.

Mark just chuckled and continued the tour. The sounds of the waterfall reached my ears before I saw it. Maybe fifteen feet high, it cascaded water down into the end of the pool below it. Another hot tub was built into the side of the waterfall, causing the water to flow from one to the next.

“That’s pretty cool.”

“I love it out here,” Mark said on a sigh.

“How does he keep all the tropical plants alive? Are we still in Illinois?”

“Yes. He has them shipped in every spring. When the weather gets too cold, they get shipped back to the heated warehouse.”

“Shipped? Trees?”

“Yes.”

He says it like it’s normal. This is not normal.

“Interesting,” was all I could manage to say.

“Do you like horses?”

“I love horses. I used to ride every summer at camp.”

His eyes lit up. “Follow me.”

Mark led the way out of the pool area and down a stone path to a beautiful stable at the bottom of a hill. Lush green pastures surrounded by pristine white fences housed a dozen horses of varying colors. They grazed unaware of our presence. The bay with the blaze nipped at his neighbor and sent him trotting away.