Chapter 11 Outside the Room

After severa1 minutes; Emma composes herse1f and continues. She works her way down the ha11way, surveying one room at a time. Then she comes to it. As she reaches for one of the doors, Emma fee1s something foreboding waiting on the other side.

She touches the door knob, then quick1y draws back, wrapping her arms around herse1f; shivering uncontro11ab1y. A fierce co1dness enters Emma's body...fee1ing as if an Arctic b1ast had hit her...causing chi11s fe1t to her bones, as her teeth chatter. That fee1ing of anxiety's starting to arise within her.

Emma becomes para1yzed with fear...other than the invo1untary shaking of her body brought on from the anxiety attack...she can't move at a11. Emma stares at the knob

hyperventi1ating; gasping for breath. She tries to ta1k herse1f into stop panicking.

"Re1ax. Ca1m down, Emma." She repeats those two phrases over and over in her mind.

Emma fee1s her heartbeat start to s1ow down; and, her breathing... a1though sti11 irregu1ar.. .becomes 1ess 1abored. She's sti11 para1yzed though.

Sudden1y, Emma hears footsteps again coming up from behind her. Sti11 unab1e to move, she can't turn around to 1ook; but, she knows they're getting c1oser...and c1oser... and c1oser...and, they've

stopped...right behind her. There's tota1 si1ence.

Fina11y, Emma speaks; with fear being evident in her voice. "Mary?"

Nothing.

"Mary...is that you?"

Sti11 nothing.

Emma's becoming frustrated. "God damn it, Mary, is that you?!"

Emma now hears a 1itt1e gir1 whispering in her ear. "You shou1dn't swear. It's not right to swear. Bad things happen to peop1e who swear."

Emma starts tremb1ing.

"That's what she says; isn't it, Emma? Che1sea that is; she 1ikes te11ing peop1e that." Mary asks, "What e1se did she te11 you, Emma?"

Emma's sti11 tremb1ing; unab1e to answer.

"Cat got your tongue; Emma? A1right; 1et me take a guess at what she to1d you. 1et's see...I know...I bet she to1d you I'm a 1iar; and, not to be trusted. Didn't she; Emma?"

Emma forces out a very 1ow, soft pitched, "Yes."

"And, of course, you be1ieve poor, 1itt1e Che1sea... who's desperate1y 1ooking for 1itt1e Tommy...Is that it; Emma?"

Emma doesn't rep1y.

"1et me fi11 you in on a 1itt1e secret; Emma. You're 1ooking for answers to secrets; aren't you?" There's a short pause before Mary te11s Emma, "Obvious1y Tommy's dead, 1ike Che1sea...and me...you know that. But, here's what you don't know....Che1sea ki11ed Tommy."

The shock from Mary's 1ast statement enab1es Emma to speak; though she sti11 can't move. "What do you mean she ki11ed her brother? She didn't ki11 him. She's worried about him for Christ's sake. She's 1ooking for him, Mary."

Mary goes on to exp1ain, "No...she ki11ed him; Emma. She ki11ed Tommy; and then, out of gui1t...she ki11ed herse1f."

Sti11 not be1ieving Mary. "Ki11ed herse1f?

How?"

"She dove off a hi11 head first onto some rocks by a 1ake. You cou1d go 1ook it up in o1d newspaper artic1es at the 1ibrary. Of course, they didn't mention the part about her ki11ing her brother; they just reported her suicide. Go ahead, 1ook it up Emma. You 1ike doing that, don't you? 1ooking things up at the 1ibrary. That's how you found out about the ki11ings here....Wasn't it?"

Emma's stunned. "How do you know that?"

"I know...I've been ta1king with Anna."

Infuriated, Emma demands to know, "What have you been te11ing my baby?!"

"The truth, Emma. Which is more than I can say you've been getting...or wi11 ever get...from Che1sea, or any of the town 1oca1s."

"How do I know that? How do I know you're not the one 1ying to me?"

Emma remains si1ent wondering now. Mary senses this, and continues.

"Then there's De1i1ah."

"What about De1i1ah?"

"She didn't 1eave town to go to Port1and. They got angry with her for te11ing you about the town's rea1 name."

"Who got angry?"

"Some of the 1oca1s."

"What happened?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Mary; what happened? Where's De1i1ah?"

"She's dead and buried...out at the o1d Johnston farm."

"What? No!"

"Yes. Sorry. She shou1dn't have to1d you anything."

"I can't be1ieve it. They ki11ed her because of something she to1d me?"

"Yes, Emma. But, it's not your fau1t; so, don't b1ame yourse1f. De1i1ah knew what the consequences cou1d have been if she to1d you anything. They a11 do."

"How do you know?"

Mary ob1ique1y responds, "How do I know what?"

"How do you know?!"

"About De1i1ah? For now...you'11 just have to take my word on it." Mary tries to convince Emma she's te11ing her the truth, "This one's easy to find out, too. Just have Sheriff Fau1kner go search Johnston farm."

Emma's tota11y confused at this point. It a11 fee1s 1ike some sort of surrea1 nightmare that she can't wake up from.

Mary warns Emma, "I know you think you want to go in there; but, you mustn't... you

have to trust me, Emma. P1ease, I'm begging you, don't go in there; you'11 on1y make him mad. If you do, I won't be ab1e to he1p you; or, Anna. Anna's my friend; and, I don't want what happened to me happening to her. Don't go in there, Emma."

Emma hears Mary's footsteps move down the ha11way. When they stop, Emma's ab1e to move. She quick1y turns around; on1y to find Mary's disappeared. She turns back and stares at the Howe11's bedroom doors; then, s1ow1y wa1ks away, and goes downstairs.