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“Thank you for taking me into town.” I direct to Winston.
“It is our pleasure to have you at the estates dear Marisa. It’s been a very long time since we’ve had guests and it’s been…quite lonely. Right Tania?” He turns his head to Tania whose gaze is fixed ahead.
“The estate has long been a place of isolation. It is where love goes to die. Beautiful things wither. And for demons to sink their claws,” she says after a while.
Eager to hear more of the story, I lean forward. “Is it true then…that there was a death here?”
“Who told you that?” Tania’s nostrils flare.
“It’s something Daisy told me when I first woke up. It’s okay though, you don’t have to tell me anything.”
“Daisy?” Winston questions with a gravelly voice.
“Yeah, you know…the woman with the short hair? She’s been by my side since I woke up,” I say, wrapping the fraying threads of my scarf around my finger.
Tania and Winston share a glance. Then Tania turns to me, reaches for my wrist and squeezes.
“Has Daisy told you anything about the”—she clears her throat—“the Doctor’s wife?”
Clearly these two were entering forbidden territory so I make the plunge. “Not really, if you realize…no one has told me anything.”
“I think everyone is treading carefully.” She purses her lips, but she’s not telling me anything.
“For what?” Irritation dances along my tongue. “Someone died, there’s a bunch of strange creatures lurking in the forest, and the house doesn’t ever seem to have any electricity.”
“I think it’s best if Kieran fills you in. I’m not always the best with words.” She turns her back to me and reaches for the radio knob, not that anything comes out of it but static and weird wails.
With that, she closes the door on further conversation and I’m left thinking about the Doctor’s wife, better yet who she is and the strange feelings that erupt from my core when I’m in proximity to her husband.
The roads are strangely clear from snow as we coast into town—a dead, empty smattering of old brick buildings and small side streets are what awaits us as Winston pulls into a parking spot along the road. We exit the vehicle and Tania leads us to a small boutique store. The street is empty, save for a single banner strung between two light poles that announces the annual Hallow’s Month fair. The sign pricks at my memory. On the banner is a drawing of a figure being burned and stick figures positioned in dance. As I take in the details, I notice the edges of the banner are frayed, likely having been there for a while, left to the elements.
“You ready Marisa?” Tania reaches for my hand.
I startle, raising a hand to my chest.What was with it with everyone reaching for my hands?
“Do you want to start here? You’re wearing some of these styles right now and they fit you so well.” She stares expectantly.
“Okay…you’re the boss and you know this area so much more than I do.”
“Ladies, I’m going to pick up our grocery orders. I’ll pick you up a little later?” Winston interjects.
“You don’t want to spend the next two hours shopping with us Winston?” I tease.
Winston’s face falls for a fraction of a second, before he reels it in. “Oh, you’re joking. Got it.” He waves and ambles back into the vehicle and pulls away.
A thought dawns on me—they’re unsettled by my presence.
TWENTY-THREE
“No one in Devil’s Bay feared the dark. They feared what the dark recognized in them. For the shadows knew who to beckon.”
— UNKNOWN
“So this is Devil’s Bay, huh? I expected more of an upbeat maritime town,” I comment as we enter the store.
The town clung to the coastline and climbed the slopes of the mountains beyond. From here on Main Street, I could see a narrow pier jutting into the sea, dotted with a few small shops, all shuttered.
Once inside the store I quickly scan the racks. Everything seems to be an iteration of vintage. A woman, back turned as she adjusts a mannequin, calls out, “Welcome! I’ll be with you in a sec.”
