The Grim Keepers Read online

  With one final screech, the girl lunged backward, her back arching, and fell limp upon the stairs—lifeless, motionless. I sighed, peeling my hand from her charred skin, and slowly climbed down the staircase. I staggered out of the double doors, letting them swing behind me, and made my way further—anywhere further from that place.

  I couldn’t hold myself up any longer; I had no strength left. And so I collapsed upon the cold tile with my arm bent uncomfortably behind me. But I had no want to move it. I could hardly keep my eyes open. I glanced around and saw the maids still standing there, some with hands over their mouths, others wide-eyed with shock and terror. But what did they know? I sighed again and dropped my head.

  I lay there for what seemed like hours, feeling a fish out of water. My hearing slowly drained back into my head, and then I heard the two doors swing open behind me. I dragged myself around to see. There stood the little girl, no longer the host for the evil I had so trodden out. Her hair fell in clean curls, coddling her face and hanging over her shoulders. The dress was no longer a horror to behold, now clean and shining and everything a little girl should love to wear. Her face had color again, the healthy, glowing pink color of her soul, no doubt, and blue eyes stared out at me. A small smile cracked her lips, and she placed a tiny, pudgy, clean hand to her heart. I could not help but smile back.

  My eyelids were burdensome cement bricks on my face, and I stopped trying to lift them. I had always viewed my life as worthless—a life without God and without hope. Without something to live for. Now I understood why I had not spent my energy on the normal sparks of life, why I had chosen, after all, not to end it years ago. It was done. And I had done well.

  About Kathrin Hutson

  Kathrin's latest Fantasy novel ‘Daughter of the Drackan’, the first in the ‘Gyenona’s Children’ series, was published earlier this year and is available on Amazon and through most ebook outlets.

  In addition to writing exquisitely dark fiction, Kathrin runs her own independent editing company, KLH CreateWorks, for Indie Authors of all genres. She also serves as Story Coordinator and Chief Editor for Collaborative Writing Challenge, and Editing Director for Rambunctious Rambling Press, Inc. Needless to say, she doesn’t have time to do anything she doesn’t enjoy.

  Kathrin keeps a vast collection of single earrings (and wears them), has fulfilled her dream of naming one of her dogs Brucewillis, and can’t remember the last time she didn’t laugh at one of her own jokes.

  www.kathrinhutsonfiction.com

  www.facebook.com/kathrinhutsonfiction

  www.klhcreateworks.com

  www.facebook.com/klhcreateworks

  Twitter: @KlhCreateWorks

  Annie's Fetch

  By Virginia Carraway Stark

  Annie stood on the rotted boards of the back porch. Her red hair was faded and threaded with white. She was deadheading blossoms from a fading rose bush and humming under her breath. A breeze crept under her woven shawl and ruffled her skirt and hair. She shivered and clutched her shoulders, looking around with wide blue eyes. Her house was older, but all her own. Wind chimes decorated the rowan trees and eavestroughing, and marbles had been placed into holes in the fence and balcony to let in little dreams of light. The rest of the wall was made of slats covered in plaster that had been exposed by the tar paper over it. Sid had left without finishing the siding, and with only the tar paper to protect her and Felicity, the heating bills were high, and there were still shivering nights where all the sweaters and blankets couldn't protect against the icy fingers eating into the house.

  Those fingers weren't here now, but there was something else in the wind, a deep and resentful feeling of betrayal and hatred that reminded her of the days before her divorce. Those days of fear, regret, and violence tightened around her throat like a noose. Annie lifted one of the terracotta pots to check if the Artemisia was ready for more water. A movement under the pot got her attention and she delicately peered under the herb. A wolf spider was curled up on the bottom. One of its hairy legs was unable to hide from the edge of the pot, and it jerked it out of sight and looked up at where Annie's pale face looked down at him.

  She wasn't normally scared of spiders, but the cognizance in this one sent a shiver down her spine. It seemed to be aware of her in an above-average sort of way, even for a larger spider. Should she kill it? It was a dilemma for a gardener. The wolf spider would destroy a lot of her enemies, and certainly under the Artemisia like that he was a force for good? She looked at him again, craning her neck to see around the bottom of the pot.

  The spider darted out from its hiding place near the drain hole and latched onto Annie's finger. She threw the pot across the deck where it broke into brown shards, and black soil sprayed across the little gardening area. The spider reared its front legs at her. Annie let out a cry and tried to hit it onto the balcony ledge, but the wolf spider chewed deeper into her finger. She started to really panic now, and she pulled at it with her other hand. It flailed its hairy front legs at her and finally let go, dropping between two boards on the deck before she could get any revenge.

  Annie backed into the house, closing the door behind her. She was regretting the gap between the door and jam. That thing could slide between the loose edges of the jam easily enough. The sense that someone had sent it settled into her heart. It was Sid. He had sent the spider. He always loved the creepy crawly things or the things with fangs and claws. She remembered one night he had brought one such animal into the bedroom; that was the last night for her. The night she took measures and got him out of her life once and for all.

  The screen door had caught in the sudden chill wind and was blowing back and forth.

  Creak. Slam. Creak. Slam-slam-slam.

  "Mama, the screen door is blowing." Annie grabbed her daughter to her as the small girl walked towards the door.

  "I know, sweetheart. Let's just let it blow." Annie kissed the blonde-red curls on her daughter’s head. Even in her hair the scent of autumn had suddenly permeated.

  "Is it winter yet?" Felicity asked.

  Annie felt a chill in her heart. "Not winter, not yet. Go back to your coloring, sweetie. Don't go outside unless you ask first. Promise?"

  Felicity nodded and kissed Annie's cheek. She ran back to her coloring and Annie went back to the window. Annie's finger was throbbing. The venom from the wolf spider wasn't deadly, but it made her finger swell; the spider had really savaged her skin and bits of flesh stuck up in miniature. Some of her blood fell to the floor, staining the scrubbed, nearly-white hardwood.

  Creak-slam-slam. Creak-creak-slam.

  SLAM.

  Annie jumped, her long fingers curling into tense fists around her shawl. The shawl felt good against the bite and staunched up the blood. She should go rinse it out but all she could do was stare and think. This was wrong. She watched the yellowed leaves on the black birch that dominated her back lawn. They rapidly landed on her lawn and drifted into the flower bed. Her eyes went unfocused and her lips moved. Syllables, barely heard, escaped her mouth. Felicity stopped coloring to watch her mother. Annie had the sight and Felicity was showing signs of it as well. Annie murmured a prayer, not one from her catechisms; this was one her great grandmother had taught her.

  "Amen," said Felicity at the end. Annie turned to Felicity and smiled.

  "Amen," she agreed. They shared a loving glance, then both jumped at the sudden knock on the door. Annie smoothed her hair that had a gift for flying out of its constraints even when there wasn't an evil wind blowing.

  She opened the door and a gust of wind blew the inner door out of her fingers and slammed it into the plaster walls. Standing on the other side of the door was herself, or something very like herself. “My fetch,” Annie mumbled in recognition of the spirit. She had been told as a young girl that this spirit signified your death or near death.

  She looked eerily like Annie, but her skin was pale and blue and her eyes were rimmed in red. She wore a white nightgown and looked wet. He
r bare feet left damp footprints for only a few steps behind her, and her cloudy blue eyes looked up to meet Annie's gaze before she smiled. Her smile was filled with pointed, yellowed teeth, and was as malignant as the cancer that had killed Annie's mother.

  Annie tried to scream but only a whimper came out. She took a step back and the thing, the demon that looked like a fell mirror, took a step towards her. The hem of her nightgown now dripped water, and as she swayed the smallest of drops fell, helped by a gust of wind, inside the threshold of Annie's home.

  Annie jumped away from the water droplet and fumbled for the door. The fetch slowly raised its foot to take another shambling step towards her. Annie slammed the door and threw the deadbolt.

  Creak-creak. Slam. Slam-slam-creak. No one was there now. The back porch was empty except for the drying footprints that led up to the door and then vanished.

  The wind blew harder now. It cackled down the painted white bricks of the chimney and gusted ashes across the room. Annie wanted to rush to Felicity and scoop her up in her arms but didn't want to touch her. She felt sick to her stomach and tainted from the thing that had worn her face. She didn't want to spread the taint.

  "Sweetheart, mama's going to take a shower."

  Felicity nodded gravely. "Can I color in the bathroom?"

  "Of course, that's a great idea." Annie waited for Felicity to gather her crayons up but didn't help or take her daughter’s hand. The little girl was only five, but she had seen the fetch too. She didn't know what it meant, but she knew what it felt like: death.

  By the time Annie had showered and gotten into her pajamas she felt okay to give Felicity a hug. She went back to the bathroom, after reassuring herself that Felicity was still safe, and gave her finger a proper sterilization, wrapping it in a band-aid. Her entire hand was numb and swollen. Annie grabbed Felicity after tending her hand and pulled her onto the couch to cover her in kisses and hugs. She was still hugging her daughter when she heard the little girl's belly growl angrily. Annie rolled her eyes at herself.

  "We forgot to eat!" Annie exclaimed

  "Well, I know that," Felicity said, a little grouchy about it. Felicity tended to have a better memory for the things of life like eating and schedules than Annie had ever managed to develop.

  "I can tell you know that. Your tummy knows it too. Let me make it up to you in the form of a surprise pizza night."

  Felicity nodded emphatic agreement and squeezed her mom in a bigger hug. They didn't have a lot of money and pizza night was the biggest special treat they had.

  It took about a week for the feel of that evil presence to fade and even when it did fade, Annie still glanced up nervously anytime the wind blew the screen door open or she saw anything that might be a spider. Nothing happened, and the next morning made the bad night and the ominous feelings seem like bad dreams, or as though they had just spooked themselves. The only thing that remained was the spider bite, and that had decided to settle into an uncomfortable boil.

  Other things were on Annie's mind right now, however. When Annie got distracted by concerns, Felicity grew sensitive as well. She knew Annie sometimes went through hard times, sadness plaguing her along with a lack of funds, and dealing with the small town prejudices that were so easily directed towards a mother who 'couldn't hold her man'.

  Other things came up as well, the sorts of things impossible for a single mother without a peck of child support coming in to ignore. The car insurance was late and the next day the car wouldn't start at all. They needed firewood right away, too. The nights were getting cold and Annie didn't make enough money cleaning houses and giving people card readings and love philters to pay for natural gas for the furnace.

  She decided the firewood and new shoes for Felicity would have to take top priority. They would just have to walk until they had a bit of good luck. Lately, the only luck they seemed to have was the other kind. The next day the autumn weather seemed to have been dispelled and a gasp of summer came back, along with a change in Annie's luck.

  Usually, Annie walked Felicity to and from kindergarten each day, but business had finally picked up again and the client was paying well for her many questions that she wanted 'Lady Annie', as they called her around town, to answer for her. Annie would have enough by tomorrow to have the car fixed, and she could worry about insurance afterwards. Felicity knew the way home and she would know that if her mama wasn't waiting for her, it was likely for this exact reason. The bad humor of Fort Fraser seemed to have dispersed towards Annie and Felicity again, and the recalcitrant to pay some money for Annie's many eclectic services.

  Annie put away the deck of tarot cards and her client put an extra couple of dollars on the table. “Thank you so much, Annie.”

  Annie smiled wanly. “I wish it could have been better news.”

  “I'm content with it. I had suspicions. I'm glad to finally know.” Rita hugged Lady Annie and kissed her on the cheek.

  Annie closed the door behind her and wiped an errant tear from her cheek. She had drawn a spare care for herself while Rita was in the washroom, the presence of the fetch hadn't left her life. In fact, the time drew near when she would face it; she would look her own death in the eyes. Annie noticed that Rita had forgotten her purse on the edge of her chair.

  She heard footsteps on the deck and went to open the door, grabbing Rita's purse on her way. She must have realized she had forgotten it before she got out to the car. She heard the sound of a car door and an engine start. It sounded like Rita's car. Then who was at the door?

  She had the door partly open and started to shut it without checking to see who knocked, but a long-fingered, white-skinned hand inserted itself before she had the chance.

  “Sid! What are you doing here?” Annie exclaimed as she caught a glimpse of the dark, dead eyes on the other side of the door. His eyes were as cold and passionless as they had always been. He put a shiny black boot into the door so she couldn't try to close it again and Annie heard a small voice.

  “Mama. Let me in, Mama!”

  Felicity's wrist was clutched tightly in Sid's other hand. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and Annie could see she had a black eye coming up.

  “Let me in, Annie. If you leave me out on the deck with only Felicity to keep me company, I'm going to have nothing to do except come up with some nasty ways to amuse myself. You wouldn't want our daughter to see what I'm capable of, do you, sweetheart?” He smiled at Annie, his teeth long and pointed. She could call the police, but he might run off with Felicity if she did, or worse. He hadn't come back since Felicity had been a baby and Annie had enacted a spell to banish him from their life for good.

  Now he was back. What had changed?

  “Mama, please, he's hurting me.” Felicity had never known her father and now she faced the monster.

  Annie stepped away from the door and let Sid and Felicity in. She grabbed Felicity and picked her up and held her away from Sid, who smirked at her. Annie couldn't think of how he had found her again after all these years. Sid sauntered through the house as though he still owned it. She had a restraining order against him; the last time he had been here he had cut Annie and threatened the baby. It was the police who had removed him from the house but it was her magic that kept him away after his brief time in jail.

  “You haven't changed a bit, Annie. You're still completely do-able. I've been watching you, you know. I'm surprised you don't have some new 'boy' in your life.”

  “I don't want anyone. I don't want you, Sid. Please leave.” Annie's voice was quiet and tremulous, her eyes averted; it felt as though the years of freedom had never been. He was back and in control. “Why did you come now?”

  He smiled his sick, dead smile and caressed Felicity's cheek. “I remembered that I had a little girl. I came for her. She has a right to know her daddy.”

  Annie slid Felicity to the floor and the little girl ran from the room. Annie watched Sid's gaze follow their daughter. She took him by the hand. Why was it so cold?
r />   He looked up at her touch and took her into his arms. Annie complied, her smile stiff on her cheeks. Looking behind him, she saw a trail of wet boot marks. His arms were damp around her too. He whispered in her ear and his breath was chill and smelled like rotten fish and algae. “I have come to take our daughter home. You've had her long enough.”

  “You can't have her. She's not yours. The courts—”

  “The courts don't matter. Don't be stupider than usual, Annie. Nothing the mortal world can do can hurt me now. I told you I would find the most powerful forces and I did. I found them, and I became them. Let me take our daughter and I will fill her with the same power. She will become magnificent.”

  Annie shivered in his arms. “She's mine. You abandoned her and you have no rights.”

  “I abandoned her, but then she started to call for me at night. 'Daddy, who are you?', 'Daddy I love you,', 'Daddy, please...come home.” He imitated her familiar voice cruelly, making her sweetness insipid even to Annie's ear.

  “She didn't know what she was asking for.”

  “Well, she will have eternity to find out.” He grinned his shark smile and Annie gagged on his fetid breath.

  Felicity had been asking more questions about who her father had been. Part of it was from hearing rumors about him around school, but a larger part was that she was a little girl who wanted to know her father. Annie realized she should have paid more attention to the questions, but now it was too late. Felicity came back into the room. Sid dropped Annie on the couch with a force that pushed the breath out of her lungs. It wasn't just the physical movement, it was the disdain in him, the hatred. He grabbed Felicity up as quick as a viper. He kissed her cheek, a slow, lingering kiss from his cold, dead lips. Felicity recoiled from him but his arms held her tightly and her squirming just made him smile more.