Chapter 40

Dawn was breaking over the horizon, casting hues of orange and yellow over Colorado mountain peaks. The trees shadows retreated into the woods as they took a series of curves on the narrow road. The black Camaro carrying the Vivier sisters and Liam veered off the tarred road and onto a dirt path lined with thick brush and tall evergreens. The brush had almost completely sealed the entrance. Liam would never have found the turn onto the road if not for the impeccable capabilities of the military grade GPS supplied by Aaron, which reminded him that he needed to follow up a lead later.

The ground beneath the trees were dotted with white blossoms, soft light of the sun sparkled off the morning dew of the foliage bordering the dirt road as they drove up to the cabin. Liam stopped the car at the entrance and shut down the engine before taking in the solitude of the surroundings.

The morning birdsong woke Raine from her sleep and she sat up with a loud yawn. “We here?”

Liam nodded. “Doesn’t look like anyone is home though.”

Raine stared at the clock on the dash. “It is still early; they could still be asleep.”

Liam shook his head, grabbing his phone from his lap. “No smoke in the chimney, no lights, look at he leaves piled up on the porch.

“Oh.’ Her voice held disappointment. Raine turned to see Willow still fast asleep on the back seat, Aaron’s jacket pulled over her shoulders. Compared to LA, it was practically winter in the woods. Liam followed her gaze and took in Willow.

“She’s been talking in her sleep all night.”

Raine rubbed her hands together for warmth. “I was really hoping the doctor would be here.”

Liam made an ‘hmm’ sound, looking up from his phone. “Hoping he’d fix what you’ve broken.”

She bowed her head in shame at his comment.

“Sorry. I … I didn’t mean it. I’m just moody after the long drive on an empty stomach.”

“Empty.” She smiled up at him. “You had three burgers last night.”

“Like I said, empty.” He knocked on the dash clock, signaling the hours they’d been driving since their last stop.

A ping came from Liam’s burner phone.

“Is it Aaron?”

Liam took the phone and nodded. “Yeah they found some of the girls.”

“That’s good, sort of.” Her eyes dark with turmoil, relief at finding the girls, terribly sad for those still missing.

Liam turned to stare into the forest, “But Makayla is dead.”

“Oh.” She couldn’t even begin to imagine how Aaron must have felt. She stared at Liam, his features hard, his tone cold and distant. “He’s been reassigned to find the girls.” His glared fixed in the distant woods.

“That’s not so good.”

He turned to face her, his eyes glazed from holding back tears. “No.”

Another ping.

Rain was hoping it was good news but by the looks of Liam face, she knew something was up.

“What is it?”

Liam turned to give Willow a once over.

“LAPD put out an APB on us.”

“Why?”

He shot her a look. “Why do you think?”

Raine bolted up in her seat. “We had a deal Liam.”

He shrugged.

“No.” she said, opening the door of the car and slamming it hard behind her as she stalked off.

“Where are you going?” he asked, following her out of the car.

She spun around, “I was promised that if we facilitated…” She grappled for the right words, her head spinning, “You promised my sister would get the help she needs.” She stomped her foot, dust bellowing up around her, “And I promised I’d go willingly, but you said you wouldn’t let them take her. My surrender, for her freedom.” Her hand swung out pointing toward the car.

“I never promised you that.”

“No, your FBI brother did.”

Then she stared at him, a confused look on her face. “Why are you smiling?”

“Did you just stomp your foot?”

She huffed, “this is not funny Liam. I really didn’t peg you as a liar.”

Liam opened his mouth to say something when a loud boom, followed by a sharp cracking sound burst across the sky, scaring the birds as they took off in a frenzied flutter over the trees.

Both of them froze staring at the old man in a hat, with a shot gun aimed at them.

“This is private property!” He bellowed.

“Doctor…?” Raine tried to remember his name. “Bill?” she rose her hands, taking a step toward him.

“It’s us.” Raine took another step closer.

From behind her, she heard the car door slam, and her sister yelling at her to back away from the man pointing the gun at her.

The old man lowered his weapon when he saw the younger sister. “Willow, Raine?” he asked.

Raine took a breath of relief. “Yes.”

“How did you find me?”

“Our friend…” she pointed at Liam.

Liam waved. “Hi!”

“Come, this way,” the doctor instructed, hurrying them around the side of the cabin.

Leaves crushed beneath their feet as the three of them followed behind, surprised at the speed with what the old man moved.

“Is everything okay, Sir?” Liam asked.

“No,” he answered. “Johan is dead.” They noted the anger in his tone.

“Doctor Vermaak?” Raine asked, already knowing the answer.

“Indeed.” The old man said rushing around the house, passing an old well where water pooled around a bucket tied to it.

Willow grabbed her sister’s hand as they stopped before a set of doors set into the base of the house. She shivered in the cool mountain breeze.

Bill turned. “Come,” he pointed to the double doors, chains and locks crossed over its tan color wood.

Once inside, a series of white lights came on, illuminating a cellar converted into a bunker. Two beds and a small kitchen made up one corner. They past the small area to where shelves aligned the next hallway stocked with canned food, and survival tools, among some scary, sharp looking equipment that could easily take someone out. Liam pushed the girls behind him as they followed into a darker unknown space, small lights dangled off the very low ceiling, dust and webs coating the globes. It smelt of must, old books, and metal. The scent of sweet-smelling smoke, like scented cigars wafted toward them from a brighter entrance a few steps away. The dingy, narrowed passage opened up into a large room, walls dark wood and padded with rugs and stacked with antique looking tables. Orange light emitted from an array of laps stacked upon tables, and stools. A massive bookshelf made up the backdrop to a sitting room, reminding Raine of a kind of Lord of The Rings setup. Even down to a circular door on the far end of the room.

Bill ushered them to the back of the room, past a workbench filled with all sorts of wires, metallic and tools. He opened the circular door to reveal another room, already lit up with vibrant blue lights. Bill flicked a switch and the door shut behind them, sealing them inside a cold sterile looking space. In the middle of which was a single bed on metal paws similar to that used in massage therapy. Hanging above the bed, was something out of a science fiction film: all tubes, wires, coils, and glinting metal.

Raine pulled Willow along as she moved to take a closer look at what she could only describe as a metal cap. “Is this it?’

Bill smiled widely. “Yes. When I received the news about your sister,” he bent over to rest the shot gun against the wall. “I tested it on myself, and the results were unparalleled.”

“What does it do?” Liam asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

Bill stepped toward a set of monitors at the far side of the bed, which lit up with series of images flashing across the screen. Bill pointed at one in particular.

“That’s me. Notice the hat.”

Their eyes took in the greenish hat he was wearing, then back to the screen where they saw a younger version of Bill surrounded by happy people they assumed were his family. Bill stood with his hands in his pockets as he said, “These are my recorded memories.”

“Oh my grace.” Willow watched intently and Bill cleared his throat as he turned to speak with Willow directly. “I was able to differentiate between memory dreams, and what I call hopeful dreams.”

Willow let go of Rain and stood before the screen, her finger gliding across and sliding one image to the next. She spoke up “So your hopeful dreams are how you wish the outcome to be.”

He nodded. “You get them too?”

Willow gave a stiff smile in response.

Liam cleared his throat breaking the moment the two of them were sharing. “What can this dream-reader, memory reader do for Willow?” he asked.

Bill walked over to the bed. “Would you like to give it a try?”

Raine stepped forward. “Will it hurt her?”

He took a sip of water from the table beside him and looked at the three of them. “A little.”

Liam narrowed his eyes on him, pulled his jacket open to reveal the gun. “You do anything I don’t like I will shoot you.”

Bill snorted, adjusting his reading glasses up the bridge of his nose. His fingers raked though his hair. “Look my friend is dead, and he asked me to help you. It’s that simple.”

“Is it Raine asked?” To which willow elbowed her.

“I am sorry, Sir” Raine backed down, then added. “Doctor Vermaak, she swallowed the pain she felt when thinking she’d never see him again. “We were family friends; I’d known him since I was a young girl visiting in the US. I stayed with him for a week after my parents past before they sent me back to South Africa.” Her throat pulled tight at the memories.

“I’m sorry dear.”

Her eyes took in Liam’s surprised expression, guess his background check on the family didn’t reveal that part of it.

“He told me that your machine’s design is for those with split personalities, and you could pull different,” she pulled her mouth at a funny angle as she thought of the correct words to use without offending him, “characters, signal them out, find their triggers?”

The doctor nodded, taking another sip of water.

“Bill.” Raine stepped forward. “We are sorry that your friend is dead, but you have to understand this is strange, this basement of you…”

“Bunker.”

She huffed at his interruption.

Liam was the one to speak up. “We were told you could help. Whoever killed your doctor friend wants what Willow has inside her head. If you want to find his killer…”

“Like I was saying.” Bill slammed the glass down on the table. “I can use a numbing serum before I hook her up to the …”

“Needles! Big ass needles!” Liam said, stepping closer to the machine and pointing toward the internal rim of the metal cap.

Bill removed his hat,” I needed a conductor, but diamonds were, well too expensive…” he was explaining and showing them the row of scabs across his forehead. “It looks worse than it is.” He ran the hat through his hands a little anxiously, betraying the lie.

Raine opened her mouth, but Willow was faster, “I’ll do it,” she declared.

Liam and Raine gave a firm shared, “NO!” but Willow shot them a look of defiance. “I’m going to try it. I need to find those missing girls before it’s too late.”

Raine wasn’t so sure after seeing those needles, “Willow they found those girls.”

Willow shot her a look. “I know that not all those girls were found, I want quite sleeping.” She added in a soft mumble “I never really sleep anymore.”

She looked over to Liam. “And in return, my sister and I go free.”

He shook his head. “That’s not my call.”

“I have crucial information…” Willow was pointing toward her head.

“We don’t know that yet.” Liam stopped her.

Willow jumped up on the bed, “We will know for sure soon enough.”

Raine stepped forward about to remove her sister from the bed. “I …”

“Raine, you promised me a life. I promised myself if I made it through heart failure, through the operation, and survived these beastly urges…” Her big green eyes searched her sister’s. “It is time you let me go.” She swung her legs over the bed and extended them before her. “You owe me that.”

Raine gasped, her legs almost faltering. It was all becoming way too much for her. In the all the years she’d be guardian to her sister, Willow had never spoken out like this.

“What are the risks?” Liam asked, taking Raine in his arms to steady her.

“There are many,” Bill said, “she might not come back the same. She might be lost …”

“No,” Raine protested, her hands wrapped around Liam’s upper arm as he held her across her chest from behind.

Willow raised her voice at her sister. “Jy luister nooit vir my nie, jy’s net soos ma!” she croaked. “I am lost already—to Valmer and Lorel.” Then she lay down on the bed with her arms crossed. “Get her out Liam. I don’t care about the risk; I care about those missing girls, about stopping this Killer Cult, and finding the man who killed my doctor and my friend Bertha.”

Raine swallowed her tears thinking how brave her sister was.

“Ja. Fine!” Raine said turning around into Liam’s chest. She stared up at him, golden eyes brimmed with restrained emotions.

Bill pointed to the far wall. “The entrance to the house is through there. Do not open the curtains. Do not light the fire, and keep the lights as low as possible. I don’t want whoever killed my friend to get to us too.”

Liam nodded a quiet thanks and took Rain by the crook of her arm before leading her to the door.

“And whatever you do, don’t touch Matilda!” Bill shouted after them.

Raine and Liam exchanged a look. “My cat!” Bill answered.

Taking the stairs, Liam asked what Willow had said to her in Afrikaans.

Raine shrugged. “She told me I was like my mother in the way I never listen to her.”