The Death of 1977 (Book 3)

Cameras flashed and blew up all around her. Men and women were screaming like the world was coming to a frightening end. It was freezing cold outside that dark night, but with all the blood, chaos and sweat flowing like a raging river, her body felt as if it were boiling hot. Red and blue lights glowed from left to right as her body was being carried out of the house on a gurney. She could see multiple police officers swarming about in and out of her small home.

"My baby," she desperately uttered while trying not to choke on her own blood.

Out of the corner of her good eye she could spot Linus Bruin being escorted out of the house by two officers like he was a helpless invalid. His disturbed face was pointed to the snowy ground while both of his hands shook so violently.

"What happened?" She heard some woman scream out.

"Make sure you have the I.V. unit prepped!" One of the medics frantically ordered as he opened the doors to the back of the waiting ambulance.

Right before they could lift her gurney into the ambulance, what looked to be a covered gurney being carted out of the front door of her house came into eyeshot, as well as the despondent father of the dead individual who was steadily marching behind it. The battered and bloody young woman watched in her limited eyesight the late one's gurney being hoisted up and into another ambulance that was parked just a few feet down the sidewalk from where she was. She wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn't help but to keep them open. She wanted to see if anything further would happen. Would the corpse suddenly rise and explode out of the ambulance to wreak even more destruction? After all, it was a supernatural beast; nearly anything was possible at that point.

She watched and watched as the ambulance pulled away, without blaring its sirens. The woman then shut her eyes and allowed all the noise and anarchy from outside to die off inside her head.

"I'm so sorry...Isaac." Her mouth tried to mutter.

"Try not to speak." One of the medics whispered into her ear.

She could hear the doors behind her head slam shut as the sirens began to shriek out in the night and the vehicle stuttered into motion. She couldn't see just how many medics were attending to her; all her conscience mind could register was a bunch of men milling about working feverishly to keep her as comfortable as possible.

"She's chocking on her blood!" One medic hollered. "Give me the tube!"

"It's not cold anymore." She said inside her head. "I can't feel the cold anymore."

"Get your eyes open, child." A woman's voice suddenly and delicately spoke from out of nowhere.

At once, Lynnette's wavering attention perked right up. "Mama, am I awake?" She slurred.

"Just open your eyes." The woman's voice continued.

As though she were struggling to lift a ton, Lynnette fought to crack open one eyelid. She tried with all her might to raise her right arm, but her energy was exhausted.

"I don't wanna dream anymore, mom."

Once again, Lynnette attempted to open her eyes. Gradually, her swollen eyes opened to see a soft, dim light to her immediate left. Right away Lynnette could sense that it was fire. The crackling and popping of the embers felt as if they could singe her skin at any moment. Immediately she tried to roll over, only to have her own body hold her in place. She was sore from head to toe.

"Just lie still, child." The same soothing voice from before uttered.

But Lynnette was no longer in a consoling frame of mind. The more she couldn't move only reminded her of her stint at Hollis Estates and the paralysis she endured. She fought all the more until her body came only inches from the fire.

"Be careful!" The voice shrieked out.

Holding her heaving chest, Lynnette gawked all around her softly lit surroundings before catching sight of Cusha who was in the Indian-style position on the floor in front of her.

Lynnette continued to curiously eye her environment which consisted of four bamboo walls, a boiling pot underneath a fire, a table with two chairs attached and a large butcher knife perched on a wall behind her. In another corner of the hut sat a lonely little black rag doll that was perched up against the wall like it was a permanent fixture there. Cusha just sat and studied the overwrought girl as if Lynnette had just landed on the planet all of the sudden.

Holding the back of her severely aching head, Lynnette settled for a moment before taking a hard look at Cusha and asking, "What...what is this?"

"You are fine for now." She replied in a more simplified English.

Just then, out of sheer fatigue, Lynnette's body collapsed to the floor. She then backed up as far away from the woman as possible before she bumped into the wall behind her. All she could do was sit and ponder on the woman with stunned oddness, as to say she couldn't even believe that she was there before her at all.

"I apologize for hitting you so hard back there." Cusha said. "But it was the only way to bring you down, girl."

Rubbing against her bandaged throat, Lynnette would not take her eyes off of the woman. "Where...what is this," she bitterly muttered.

Cusha stared right back at Lynnette and replied, "You're in a safe place for now."

Lynnette looked all over the small enclosure. "But...Arthur." She anxiously remarked.

Cusha pressed her lips together before saying, "I saw that man for the very first time some months ago."

"So you know him?"

Cusha dropped her head. "You should go back home, child."

"I can't go home knowing that fucker is still out there!" Lynnette began to weep. "He'll just come to Cypress and kill me and my entire family!"

"Is that why you came all the way down here, to kill him?"

"Why else," Lynnette shrugged.

what do you think will happen when you do kill him? You think all your problems

The questions that Cusha was handing her just happened to be the same inquiries she

"I can't go home."

looked at each other endlessly while the

"What do you know about him?

to the ceiling. "I saw him many months ago. He came inside the house, took the

"He took your child, too?" Lynnette awkwardly replied. "The bastard

came to a complete standstill just then. She took her hand off of her throat as her eyes bulged forward at the old

one, too." Cusha kept on. "They just came and took the boy.

even if she wanted to. Her bottom lip hung open while her

You've come all the way down here to kill, but your heart isn't in to it. Go home and curl up in your bed with your old

"Gran...grandma," Lynnette's voice and

traces of her grandmother inside the woman's face. But the glimpse

down and cried even more. "I...I did terrible things to him.

you're not to blame yourself

didn't even go to his

or Isaac did. This is about getting out and

know what he's like! I can't even believe I'm sitting here and talking to you! For all I know, you could be

be dead by now." Cusha

of her. "This...this can't be my life." She whimpered. "I never imagined this would be my life. If I go home, what will happen to Arthur? Won't he just come up to Ohio and

their way inside. The individual was wearing a black parka over their body. In the person's right hand was a bag that they promptly

"Who...who,"

an older woman who was clothed in a raggedy, wet, orange dress and black sandals. Her ropey, grey hair was wet as well; it dropped down into her face making

awake." The woman spoke up as

be praised, she is." Cusha

as the woman opened the sack and

take it your walk

and lifting her soaking hair to reveal a pair of white eyes. Lynnette immediately

"No, no, child, look deeper." She whispered into

Lynnette stared carefully at the woman to notice that her eyes had a milky film covering them. At that, Lynnette

"Don't be startled, girl, everyone do dat

from Cusha's hold before scooting

it you tell her

Cusha nodded her head and said, "Yes...she

"Good, it no good keep tings

looking back up at the old lady who began chopping

Cusha said. "Born

the boiling cauldron before moving about the hut. If she

"Ya stay here, eat some, den ya go

he's still out there? Do

remained in place and studied the young woman before

beside the crackling fire. "I missed my baby's birthday back in August." Lynnette lamented. "I can't write anymore. For the first few months, the nightmares were few and far between, now...now, every

"How do you know I'm

most shocked way imaginable before saying, "After all that I've been through these past few months, how can I deny anything anymore?" She then wiped the sweat from off of her face and exhaled, "The things you said about what

the boiling pot. "Ya tink tings are okay one moment, den de

woman as she shuffled busily around the pot like she was steadily preparing a family

want this all

"All wrongs will be right again, little

Lynnette sat back up. "According to Cloyse, this shit has been

"Who now," Senada

Rolling her eyes, Lynnette repeated, "Cloyse. He was a guy I once knew. He said that he was from Jamaica, and that he

quiet now, child." Senada put her right hand out as she began to

woman carry on before she came to a complete stop at

her here." Senada uttered in a subtle wonder. "She's seen

only lowered her head and grinned a bit before looking back

sniggered and replied, "God? God left us a long time

to her feet. The second she stood up she nearly fell right back down. Her body was in too much pain to maintain a proper balance, but that didn't stop her from attempting to

"Did you know

Senada's blind eyes managed to connect with Lynnette's. "Ya need to go

"Quit telling me that!" Lynnette stomped

back before taking her parka, slipping it back onto her feeble body and marching out the

Lynnette looked back at Cusha in disbelief. Cusha only sat and shooed her along as to say she wanted her to chase after the old woman. Lynnette rushed out the door and into the pouring afternoon rain into the bamboo forest. She followed Senada down a trail that eventually led to a small pig pen. There, Senada, with a long stick, poked and prodded at the three adult pigs that were either feeding on filth or

me, girl," Senada asked as she put down her stick and began

"Because I want to know how to kill