“Dark Love”
Chapter 2
Days turn into weeks as I clean house and have repairmen in and out fixing things getting the house livable once again. I think I drove into the near by town 12 times in one week picking things up for the house that needed to be replaced. With all the commotion going on I never really noticed that things were coming up missing, nothing major just food, drinks, bags of chips and the candy in my candy dish. I filled it one morning and by noon it was empty I just thought some of the repairmen helped themselves to the stuff and never thought about it again.
Things finally started to slow down after the third week of working on the house and barns. The house and one barn were done, only one barn left to work on, I was quite pleased with what we had accomplished in just a few weeks.
One day while I was fixing myself lunch I heard a knock on the door, I left the kitchen to see who had stop by to see me. When I got to the door, I could see Old Lady Thompson standing there with something in her arms. I open the door smiling.
“Well Mrs. Thompson it is good to see you. Please come in.” Shelly tells her.
Mrs. Thompson was in her 90’s and as far back as Shelly could remember she would walk 3 miles into town every other day to get supplies for her home.
“Hello Shelly, I thought I would stop by and bring you some goodies and welcome you back home.” Mrs. Thompson said walking into the house.
“Why thank you that is very sweet of you.” Shelly tells her.
“Not a problem you know I love to bake and it has been sometime since I have seen you. I know you have been so busy here with getting the house fixed I did not want to bother you until things slowed down here. So I thought I would come see you today when I seen you had no one here working. I remembered that apple pie was one of your favorite pies so I baked you one this morning.” Mrs. Thompson said reaching into the basket; she had set on the dinning room table pulling out a home baked apple pie.
“Wow Mrs. Thompson that looks great.” Shelly tells her taking the pie as she hands it to her.
“I also collected some eggs from the hens this morning I thought you might need some.” Mrs. Thompson says, picking up the basket and handing it to Shelly.
Shelly looks into the basket seeing over a dozen eggs, “Thank you Mrs. Thompson, with this many I will not need to pick up eggs for over a week.” Shelly tells her walking toward the kitchen with everything in hand.
“Mrs. Thompson would you like a glass of Ice Tea?” Shelly asks her as she turns to see her taking a seat at the table.
“Yes dear that would be very nice.” Mrs. Thompson tells her. Shelly smiles at her and pushes on the door to go into the kitchen saying. “I will be right back then.”
When Shelly gets into the kitchen, she puts the pie and basket of eggs down looking at the stuff she had taken out to fix her lunch.
“What is going on here? Where is the bread and the packet of lunchmeat I had out?” She whispers. She walks over to the refrigerator and opens the door seeing that the 2 liter of soda she placed in there was gone as well and that she did not put the lunchmeat or the bread up either. She shakes her head as she picks up the tea pitcher taking it from the refrigerator, closing the door. She makes two glasses of Ice Tea and heads back out to the dinning room.
“What is it dear you look confused?” Mrs. Thompson tells her.
“Nothing really just some things happening that I find to be a little strange.” Shelly tells her with a slight smile.
“Well this is an old house and strange things have been known to happen. Creaking and bumps in the night, dark shadows in a room, seeing things that are not there.” Mrs. Thompson says taking a sip of her tea as she smiles.
Shelly smiles back at her with a slight chuckle as she thinks of everything she has seen and heard in the house in the last few weeks.
“Well I have been hearing a lot of settling in the house since we started the work on it. I figure it will stop as soon as everything gets wore in.” Shelly tells her.
“Well like I said it is an old house dear.” Mrs. Thompson says. Shelly and Mrs. Thompson set in the dinning room and talk
.
While little did Shelly know, the noises that she had been hearing were far from the house settling.
“I am not eating this without ketchup.” Charlie says.
“Hey I got the bread and lunch meat and something to drink. You should be happy that I got that for us.” Doug tells him.
“I want ketchup with it.” Charlie says.
“Then go get it yourself then!” Doug exclaims he looks over at his older brother. “Things are getting to out of control here Brad we need to move and find some place else to stay.” Doug adds.
“In time…” Brad says. Brad looks at the others as they make themselves something to eat. “When she walks the old lady out go back and get little Charlie some ketchup.” Brad tells Doug.
“Brad we are pushing this, I really have…” Brad cuts off Doug saying, “Just do it Doug.” Doug sits down in a huff crossing his arms over his chest.
While Shelly and Mrs. Thompson are finishing their talk, Mrs. Thompson starts to get up from her seat at the table.
“Well dear I have really enjoyed our talk and it is very nice to have you back home, but I need to get home and get dinner fixed.” Mrs. Thompson picks up her basket and starts to walk for the front door as Shelly follows her.
“Well thank you for the pie and the eggs Mrs. Thompson that was very sweet of you to do that for me.” Shelly tells her as she opens the door.
“Not a problem dear. Now you listen to me and do not make yourself a stranger we just live down the road you know.” Mrs. Thompson tells her.
“I won’t Mrs. Thompson and if you ever need anything you just let me know.” Shelly tells her touching her shoulder smiling. Mrs. Thompson smiles back at Shelly and patted Shelly’s hand as she walks out the door. Shelly stands there for a few minutes watching her walk down the drive to the road, when she heard a crash in her kitchen.
Shelly closes the door and runs quickly to the kitchen area seeing a young kid about 12 or 13 years of age standing there with his hands in her refrigerator. The kid stops what he is doing a looks at her with eyes wide.
He starts to back up as Shelly lunges toward him tackling him to the floor. She sits on top of him grabbing his shirt pulling him up slightly.
“Who are you and what are you doing in my house?!” Shelly exclaims.
“It is not what you think please. We are just hungry; I am not here to hurt you.” The kid tells her eyes wide with fear of what she might do to him and the others.
“WE! There is more then one of you?” Shelly says still having him in her grasps.
The kid looks at her and says, “There are 5 total in my Clan.”
“You’re Clan?! What did you do run away from a religious group?” Shelly asks him.
He smiles at her propping him self up on his elbows saying, “Not even close.” Shelly looks at him as his teeth bare though his smile she sees his incisors are extremely long and very pointed.
“What is he a Vampire look at his teeth they are unreal. Stop this Shelly there are no such thing as Vampires, he is just a kid.” She shakes herself from her silly thoughts. She starts to back away from him lifting herself from the floor and offers her hand to him to help him up.
“Well if there are 6 of you what little food you have been taking from me is not going to feed you properly. Where are the others?” Shelly asks him. The kid looks at her confused by what she said. “Ok you do not understand English now. I ask you were the others were?” Shelly repeated.
“Why?” He asks her.
“Well you’re all hungry right?” Shelly says.
“Yeah…” He says.
“Well I thought I would feed you a proper meal if the others look like you. You’re all skin and bones.” Shelly tells him. The boy looked scared to tell her where the others were.
“Look you have nothing to fear from me. I am not going to turn you over to the police or anything I just want to help you out all right.” Shelly tells him.
“You promise you will not call the police?” He asks her.
“I promise you, cross my heart.” Shelly takes her finger and makes a cross action across her chest above her heart. He smiles at her and starts to walk from the kitchen out into the hall. Shelly follows him as he walks down the hall to the stairs and goes up them. He walks up the first flight of stairs and starts for the next.
“So tell me what is your name?” Shelly asks him, he turns looking at her as she smiles at him.
“Doug…” he tells her.
“Well Hello Doug. I am S…” Doug cuts her off saying, “Shelly, I know you have a pretty name.” Doug tells her.
“Well thank you Doug that is very nice of you to say that.” Shelly says. When they reach the top of the third floor Doug goes to the attic and pulls down the stairs to go up.
“No wonder I have been hearing noises up here. I cannot believe you have been staying up here and have not been found, especially when the roofers where here.” Shelly says.
“We moved out to the barn when we heard you were having them come out that day. When they left we came back into the house the barn was to hot.” Doug tells her.
“And it is not hot up there.” She says as she looks up into the darkness. She motions to Doug to go up first as she stands back from the stairs to let him by.
“Well it was until you put in that fan. You have it on all the time so it makes it pretty cool up there.” Doug says walking up the stairs. All of a sudden, Shelly hears an older voice call out to Doug.
“Who are you talking to Doug?”
“I am talking to Shelly.” He replies walking up the stairs.
Shelly looks at Doug and whispers, “I think I will stay here while you talk to them.”
When Doug gets to the top of the stairs she hears, “You’re talking to that woman that owns this house?” the older voice asks.
“Yes I am she caught me getting food for us.” Doug tells him.
“And you showed her where the rest of us were YOU FOOL!!” The older voice yelled. “You know what is going to happen now.” He added.
“No she said she only wanted to help us Brad.” Doug said.
“And of course you believed her!” Brad yelled. The others just sat there listening to them yell at one another, as Shelly stood at the bottom of the stairs listing as well.
“Look Brad I trust her she is not like the others we have came across. I am tired of hiding out.” Doug tells him.
“Fine do what you want, but when she turns you over to the police I won’t be there to help you out; you’re on your own.” Brad tells him.
Doug looks at the others and says, “She is not going to hurt us or turn us over to the police, she only wants to help us. She said she would feed us if we would come down.”
Shelly could here them moving around up there soon after she seen Doug standing at the top of the stairs again. She sees a littler boy step in front of Doug as he starts down the stairs with him, Shelly steps to the side in the hall to give them room to come down.
She seen a young boy no more then 7 or 8 step down into the hall, he had shoulder length hair that was a dirty blonde his eyes shown a pale green, he was wearing a blue t-shirt and black jeans. Doug walks down right behind him. Doug looks up the stairs as two more walk down behind him these two looked like twins about 14 or 15 years of age. Dark brown hair that was cut short and eyes of pale blue, they were wearing jean jackets, blue jeans, and white t-shirts. Once they reached the landing in the hall one more walked down as well, he was around 17 or 18 years old wearing a red t-shirt and black jeans as well, his hair was past is shoulders and glowing cotton blonde, his eyes was the same pale green as the youngest one. Doug looks up the stairs once more hoping Brad would come down with everyone else.
“Brad…” Doug calls out.
“Leave me alone.” Brad says to him as he moves to the top of the stairs looking down on them. Shelly walks over to the bottom of the stairs looking up at him. The darkness surrounded him, all she could see was his eyes as they cut through the darkness with their cold gray glow, as he turns and starts to walk away.
“Brad I am not going to turn you in I just want to help you.” Shelly tells him. Brad turns crossing his arms over his chest as he peers down the stairs at Shelly his eyes glowing brighter. Shelly steps back by what she saw.
“You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into.” Brad says as he turns again walking away from the stairs. Doug places his hand on Shelly’s shoulder making her jump, she turns looking at Doug.
“He is not going to come down, just give him time he will see what I said is true.” Doug tells her. Shelly nods as she looks at the others looking as half-starved as Doug does.
“Well are you guy’s hungry?” Shelly asks them.
They all smile at her and nod their heads quickly and repetitively, she smiles at them and tells them, “Well then follow me.”
They all start going back down stairs, Shelly takes them to the dinning room and tells them to take a seat, and she will be right back out as she disappears into the kitchen.
About 30 minutes later Shelly walks out with a large try of food for them. “Doug, could you help me here please?” Shelly says to him. Doug gets up from his seat. “We are going to need plates for everyone and do not forget to get one for Brad we can fix him a plate and you can take it up to him later.” She tells him as he follows her into the kitchen.
Doug gets the plates down from were Shelly showed him where they were. He walks back out and sit a plate in front of everyone at the table as Shelly goes behind him giving them silverware.
Shelly sits down at the other end of the table and looks at all of them; they sit there looking at all the food she has brought out to them.
“Well your not going to get full tummies by sitting here looking at it now are you.” Shelly says.
They all start to reach for the food to fill their plates. Shelly smiles as she watches them eagerly eating away at the food. She gets up making a plate for Brad and sitting it aside then making one for herself. Once they are all done, she looks around the table at each and every on of them, making eye contact with them.
“So tell me?” Shelly starts off.
“What do you want to know Shelly?” The youngest one said to her.
“Well for starters you all know me. How about you tell me your names?” Shelly asks him.
“Ok…” he said. “ I am Charlie, but everyone calls me Little Charlie so I guess it would be ok if you called me that too.” He says to her she smiles at him and says,
“Ok Little Charlie.” She motions from him to come over to her. He walks over as she pushes her chair out she lifts Little Charlie up and sits him on her lap, she moves his hair form his eyes, and smiles at him saying, “So how old are you Little Charlie?” Shelly asks him.
He looks over at Doug, “He is 8.” Doug says.
Shelly laughs saying, “Did you forget how old you were Charlie?” Charlie shakes his head as he smiles.
“Ok what about the rest of you?” Shelly asks them looking at them.
“I am Doug you know who I am, I am 13.” Doug says Shelly looks at the next one.
“I am Kevin and I am 18.” He tells her.
“You and Charlie must be brothers am I right Charlie?” Shelly says looking down at him. Charlie smiles and nods his head.
“How did you know?” Kevin asks her.
“I am not blind you two look a lot a like.” Shelly tells him.
Kevin crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair with a smug look on his face.
“You two are twins are you not?” Shelly says looking at the last two at the table.
“Yes we are, I am Darren, and this is Darryl we are 16.” Darren tells her.
“Well it is nice to finally meet you all.” Shelly says to them.
“Thank You Shelly…” Doug says as him and the others smile at her.
“Not a problem I do not want you all striving to death…” Shelly says and then pauses. “May I ask why you all are hiding in my attic?”
“I cannot really say.” Doug tells her. Shelly looks at Doug and tilts her head giving him a confused look. “I am sorry Shelly if I told you; you would not believe me anyway. They only thing I can tell you is we are not running from the police or any part of the law for that matter.” Doug tells her.
Shelly sighs and leans back in her chair she looks at Little Charlie, “Ok I will tell you what… You are welcome to stay here as long you like.”
They boys start talking all at once saying, “Cool…”
“Awesome…”
“Really Shelly we can stay here with you?” Charlie asks her.
“Sure you can Charlie as long as you want… BUT…”
Kevin cuts her off saying, “There is always a BUT.”
Shelly laughs finishing what she was saying, “You will work off your room and board for me letting you stay here.”
Kevin sets up in his chair, “Great we work our butts off around here for free.”
“FREE! You are in my house you will have electric, Hot and Cold running water, a roof over your head and food in your belly and you think your working for free.” Shelly tells him. “Sounds like you got it better then me. I will not have freeloaders living in my home. If you do not like the deal, you know where the door is. You will each have your own rooms and if you stick around long enough I know 4 of you that need to get into school.” She adds.
“School!!” Charlie says as his eyes widen.
“Yes school that is very important for growing minds in young boys.” Shelly says to him.
“But I know everything I need to know; I can count as high as you if maybe not higher and I know my ABC’s I know all my math as far up to division.” Charlie tells her.
“Really now you’re a smart little boy. So you will have no problems in school then.” Shelly tells him smiling.
“So you are going to let us stay here as long as we want as long as we pull our weight around here?” Kevin asks her.
“That’s the deal Kevin.” Shelly tells him.
“Brad will never go for it.” Kevin says leaning back in his chair again.
“You let me take care of Brad, Kevin. I will get him to see that this is the best way for you guys for right now.” Shelly tells him.
Kevin laughs uncrossing his arms and leaning forward on the table, “If I was you I would stay clear of Brad until he comes down here to you.”
“Fine I will then, but until that time you all can stay down here with me. Is that all right with you all?” Shelly asks them looking around the table. The boys look at one another, then back at her, and nod.
“Great then go get your things and pick yourself a room. The only room that is not open is the master bedroom which is mine.” Shelly tells them.
Doug laughs saying, “Brad’s old room.” Shelly looks at Doug, all the boys jump up from the table to go get their stuff and go back to their old rooms.
“So you guys all ready had rooms in the house before I got here did you?” She says smiling. Doug nods his head smiling and stands up from the table.
“Well Doug should we take your brother his food?” Shelly asks him.
Doug looks at her saying, “How did you know he was my brother?” he said in a shocked tone.
“Just call it a hunch.” Shelly tells him with a smile. She picks up Brad’s plate and starts walking out of the dinning room with Doug in tow.
They stop at the bottom of the stairs as Doug steps up on the first step he turns looking at her. “Thank you again Shelly this means a lot to us.” He tells her.
She smiles at him handing him the plate for Brad, “Anything to help Doug, you boys look like you could use all the help you can get right now anyway.” She tells him.
Doug smiles again and starts up the stairs as Shelly walks back toward the dinning room she stops turning and saying, “Oh Doug tell Brad to please bring the plate down when he is finished with it.”
Doug turns smiling at her he nods and then continues back up the stairs.
Dark Love Chapter 3