Dark Karma 2: The Calls

Man and Wife get a call from their daughter who's been missing 15 years. The 2nd installment of my horror series "Dark Karma" Feel free to read part one, will add some perspective to this tale.

Chapter 1: May 2003 Oregon

Missing posters populated not just their coffee table, but their entire home. Henry was not pacing anymore, but drinking some coffee in his favorite chair that overlook the Columbia River. The coffee's hot seductive smell reached his wife's nostrils, and she moved towards the kitchen to get her own. 

Their daughter had been missing for over a month. The cops were no longer continuing their search for their little girl. They had been on TV, Newspapers, and even some podcasts trying to get the word out there in the hopes that someone had heard something, but both of them knew of course that no one would. Deep down they knew that their little girl was gone. Marianne came over and sat on the arm of his chair.

"It's going to be over soon." She told him kissing the top of his head.

"I know, it's been a long week, I'll be glad when it's done."

He took another drink of coffee, and grabbed the remote to see what was on TV.

Chapter 2: October 2018 Oregon

New house, and some gray hairs, but they were still together, and they were still happy. Marianne and Henry Frost were sitting on the couch watching a reality show about people turning trash into art. Henry was busy solving a crossword puzzle, and Marianne was trying to figure out what they were going to turn three milk jugs and an old cardboard box into. That's when they got the first call. Henry was closest to the phone, so he put down his paper, and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello? Is there anyone there?"

Finally there was a voice.

"Sorry, phone was going in and out. Is this Henry Frost?"

He replied that it was, and Marianne was oblivious of the entire conversation thus far.

"Hello Henry, this is Nola."

Silence, but this time on Henry's side. The phone began to shake in his hand, and a fear and sweat came across his brow.

"That's impossible."

Marianne could tell, not by the words, but by the pitch of his voice, that something was going on, and that something was not kosher.

"I think you know, deep down, that I am who I say I am Henry. I'm sorry this is coming as quite a shock, I know you never expected to hear my voice."

Henry hung up the phone.

"Henry, who was that?" Marianne asked.

"No one, just a prank caller who wasn't very funny." He picked up his newspaper, but was so freaked out couldn't even come close to focusing on it. He just kept hearing her voice in his ear. 

"I think you know, deep down, that I am who I say I am Henry."

...THAT NIGHT

It was about eleven at night. Henry and Marianne had attempted to make love, but Henry couldn't, he was still preoccupied with that phone call, and as his eyes closed, he dreamed of fifteen years ago, to late April of 2003.

Chapter 3 April 2003 Oregon

"I want to climb a tree all the way to the top." Called out a ten year old Nola.

"That's not why we are here Nola, just stay with us please." Henry called out while photographing all the Douglas Firs for the Nature Magazine he worked for. Marianne was there to, she had just taken a Vicodin due to a constant headache that she would tell you she had for the last ten years, ever since Nola was born.

"Dad, I want to climb a tree, I want to climb this one." She called out again, trying to get a foothold on a Douglas that was close to fifty foot tall.

The part of the woods they were in over looked the Pacific Ocean, and was near a rocky cliff face. The waves were loud, and serenading they nature excursion, and this was also adding to Marianne's headache.

"Hurry with your pictures darling, I"m ready to get out of this place." She told him sternly.

"Well everyone just shut the f**k up for a few minutes, and I can get this job done, and get us home."

Nola was dead set on climbing something, and her dads demand didn't really sit well with her.

She walked up to him and began pulling on his shirt. At this point he was right next to the cliff. He was trying to grab a beautiful picture of the sunlight through the trees with the ocean in the background, in his mind, it was perfect.

"Dad, dad, dad can I just climb one, it doesn't have to be the one I want to climb, but I really want to climb a tree daddy."

Marianne's head at this point was feeling like a Jack in the Box, and the crank was about to the end.

"Henry shut her up please!"

"DAD!! I WANT TO CLIMB A TREE!" Nola cried.

It was at that point that everything, but the ocean, was silent. He knew that Nola and Marianne were screaming about their personal needs, but it was no longer registering. He knew at this moment he had to make a choice of what to do, and that choice, no matter whom he chose, would affect his entire life.

He calmly bent down and smiled at Nola. Nola, a beautiful blonde, blue eyed ten year old, whose eyes were a little red from crying, stopped, and smiled back at her father. He placed his hands in her pits, and picked her up. She laughed on the way up, and nuzzled her fathers face.

"I had to make a choice."

He returned the kiss, and then threw his ten year old daughter off the side of the Rocky Oregon cliff. Her body, which seemed for just a second, to be flying due to the high wind, quickly plummeted to the rocks and the waves. It did not take long for her body to disappear. As soon as he had done this deed, he turned to his wife, and she had a look on her face that he had not seen in some years, so long in fact that it took him some time to recognize it. That look was one of relief.

Chapter 4: 2018 October 

6 am, and Henry was asleep. Marianne was awake, drinking coffee, and watching a reality show about a bunch of Housewives who were all married to the same Mormon woman. That is when the phone began to ring. Marianne didn't usually pick up the phone. It was left unspoken that there was something a bit off about Marianne, and she knew there was as well, but it was best that she didn't make a lot of contact with those people on the outside world. Henry did a great job of protecting her. She was hesitant, but she picked up the phone.

"Hello."

Laughter was on the other side of the phone.

"Not who I expected to pick up." 

Marianne knew the voice, a mother always knows. Her skin grew quite cold, as did her blood. She knew something was coming, and that it was something that was fifteen years over due.

"Hello Nola"

Yet again laughter, but it was of a different sort. The other was that of surprise, but this one, had a hint of contempt. 

"I knew you would get it, much quicker than Henry. I believe you know why I'm here."

"Yes."

She could feel something, a cold chill on her neck. She turned to see glowing orange eyes, full of fury, full of pain, and more importantly, there was sadness. This evil creature, which was assuredly about to kill her, had sadness in it's eyes due to a mothers betrayal.

Final Chapter: 2018 October Oregon 

Henry woke up around half past Ten, and actually felt a little better. It was as if hearing his daughters voice, and then reliving the whole thing in a dream was therapeutic. 

"I mean, it wasn't really her. Things like that don't actually happen." He thought as he walked into the living room.

There he saw Marianne lying on the couch, her back facing outward, as her front was facing the back of the couch, and her body covered in a blanket. He very often found her asleep on the couch after waking up early streaming her reality programs. As he approached her to wake her up, the phone began to ring. He picked it up without hesitation.

"Hello, who is this?"

A deep breathing was on the other end, not of human or Earthly creature. The was a hint of a growl, animalistic and blood hungry.

"Do you know why I'm here, do you daddy?" Came a non human voice, but yet familiar.

"I know, I know what I did."

As he was on the phone, he reached for his wife, and rolled her over. Her dead eyes were sunken, and yet slightly protruding from her skull. Out of her neck was a huge bite mark with burns and singed flesh. Half her neck was now missing, and blood and veins and piece of spine were all that was visible.

"I'm sorry father." Came a voice from behind him. He slowly turned around, and there in front of him was his daughter. She was older, but not in great shape. Her body was covered in scars, and her left leg looked like it had been broken at some point, as it was mangled, yet still strong enough for her to walk on.

"I have been through some things, and tried to live a regular life, but s**t keeps bringing me to this. I'm sorry this all had to happen father, but you see."

She leaned in close, and said something that made him feel not only all the guilt and pain he should have felt over the past fifteen years, but it also made him feel as though he was not long for this world.

"I had to make a choice."

The End

Richard McLin 2019

Author's Note

Had to repost due to weird error. Sorry.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Wow. You weaved a amazing tale. I couldn't stop reading. I liked the set-up of the story. Made the reader understand the past and the now. I was surprised by the ending. Thank you Richard for sharing the outstanding story. I enjoyed this tale.
Coyote

[Richard McLin]

Thank you for the review.

[Coyote Poetry]

A powerful tale and you are welcome.

[‘Thoughts In Time..]

So very true- I always tell my kids- the choices you make today take you to the places you land up in- make wise choices- sad but true how some people just seem to throw their kids over the cliff and away- so very sad that there’s so much rejection pain and many lost souls out there- but when your sins return to teach you a lesson you find yourself a bit shocked or surprised- what we give out will always return to remind us- wonderful write- amazing mind here-🌹

[Richard McLin]

Thank you for the review. It's a short story I'm very proud of.

[‘Thoughts In Time’🌹]

Something to be proud of well done- my pleasure🌹

[Will Neill]

Richard, I think the thread of the story is a good one and I enjoyed reading it very much, however I think though it could do with a small re-edit with some lines omitted which are not needed. I would try to avoid using the same word in the same sentence. eg; ' Henry was closest to the phone, so he put down his paper, and picked up the phone' ('picked it up' might work better) nice twist at the end.
Will

[Richard McLin]

Thank you for the advice and the review. I hope you'll take some time and read the first installment. Thanks again.

[.]

I enjoyed reading this story Richard.

[Richard McLin]

Thank you very much. I was very proud of this one, have been a bit bummed it hasn't been more popular. Thank you for the kind review.