Chapter 16: A Twist of Fate

Days melted into days, an endless parade of paranoia and sleep deprivation. In the field, the Watchers continued day after day. Adrenaline was keeping me going, and my mind wall-to-wall ideas overflowed. It was all beginning to fit together - Eldridge Falls, the diaries, the Watchers, all of the secrets. One night, I sat and read the journal in the room by the fire, feeling something ominous hang in the air. As my eyes rose, my heart began to race within my chest. Standing in the doorway was the dark figure who had been watching me. "It's time," he said. I scrambled up to my feet, my heart racing in my chest. I knew that this great struggle was about to begin. He stepped into the room. A man whose eyes gleamed with cold, calculating malevolence, spoke in a low, frightfully urbane tone of voice, "You have gone too far, Emma." I never gave up. I was prepared for him. So much had been gone through and endured. I wasn't going to let him take over. I calmly said, "I am not afraid of you." "I will get rid of you." He laughed hilariously; the sound was cold enough to send chills down my spine. "You fool," he said to me, "you think you can stand in the way of us? I did not utter a word. I just stared into the darkness of his face with my eyes gleaming with resolution. Then he told me who he was: he was my father. I was shocked. My father was one of the Watchers men whom I was pretty sure was dead. "I'm so sorry," he said; he was sorry for everything. "It was something I had to do." Unreal, it all sounded to me. This darkness had consumed my father's soul too. "Why?" I asked, my voice shaking. "You did, but why?" He'd faltered, so unlike the hurt burning in his eyes. "It served the greater good," he said. "For the future of this town." I shook my head, brimming over with tears. "No," I said. Venom in my voice. "You were wrong." He had said nothing, just stood there, that weird intensity ablaze in his eyes. And with that, he turned and walked away. And he was gone, without warning. I screamed, falling to my knees, my body racking in convulsions of exhaustion. I was lost, abandoned, lied to. But I knew I had to give in no more. The Watchers needed to be stopped. Eldridge Falls needed to be saved. I stood, my eyes brimming with determination. No matter what lay ahead, I would find a way. There was something in the air when I stepped out of the house. You know, it was that feeling of good things to come. I walked around town, gazing at all the shadows. That's when I saw it: a figure, way off into the distance. It was Jameson. He smiled at me and waved. I sprinted toward him, my heart racing in my chest. He opened his arms and enveloped me; the circles of his arms were sure and strong. "I found something," he said; elation laced every tone. I turned to him, hope alighting in my eyes. What did he find? Jameson pulled out a small leather-covered book. The pages had yellowed with age, and everything was just so old and worn. He exclaimed, with such a delighted tone, "It is a journal." "A lady called Sarah owned it. She was an expert in the history of the town, having worked as a local historian." I shook and flipped over, scanning it from him. That journal had all the information about the Watchers and their plot, but the other thing in it was something that ran through my heart. There was a map leading to a room buried under a room with the key to it all. My pulse surged, and I realized this was it, that final missing piece. I turned to Jameson with eyes afire. Barely above a whisper, I could say, "We need to find that room." With an unnerving seriousness in his eyes, Jameson nodded. "We do," he whispered. About Eldridge Falls. Thus, our journey began with our hearts set on hope. Well, the road was circuitous, indirect, and fairly vague, but well-prepared we were. And so much have we passed through together. And we, too, did not give up. As I walked back into the center of town, I turned around to see a glimpse of my childhood home of so many concocted stories, secrets, and a general state of captured darkness. But I had been aware of altered circumstances under which with a new morning, there was a sprouting new promise. As I walked down to the square, a wave of serenity overspread my soul. At last, the terror was at an end. There was no indictment against Eldridge Falls. The town plaza was in jubilation; people were laughing, music could be heard, and this feeling of joy that had not existed in a long, long time. I stood at the fringes of the crowd and watched the people. They were happy and free. I rejoiced, too. I had brought back Eldridge Falls' light and helped save them. Yet, there it was, the sense of disquiet, as I watched celebrating people. Something evil and awake was out there in the dark, watching us. I leaned towards Nathaniel, my eyes glittering with fear. "I can feel it," I whispered, scarcely audible. "Something is wrong." His eyes are slanted with worry. "We must remain vigilant," he said to me. "The Watchers are not conquered." A sudden loud noise turned our ears, a gunshot sound. We turned to see a crowd of people running towards us, fear in their faces. Someone was attacking them, and again because of the Watchers. We ran to the mass, our hearts in our chests as we counter-attacked by defending the town. But too strong were the Watchers. They were winning. Means of my struggles were at my every glance, and a way out I saw a hidden door, an avenue of escape. I could feel the Watchers at my heels as I flung myself into the tunnel; my heart pounding against my ribs, I raced through the door. I told myself just to keep going, even though the corridor was small and dark; my legs ache so much. I heard the Watchers behind me; their voices full of anger. Finally, I reached the end of the passage. My eyes were aglow with wonder, I leapt out into a clearing. Hundreds of them were there in the clearing-armed people ready for battle. They had always been there, waiting to help. I was standing before the Watchers now-my heart welling with hope. We were not alone. We could try. A glance and the Watchers charged forward cold calculation-eyes alight with malice. We answered with raised guns. Two wills clashed in fierce combat. But we were united and more powerful. We had beaten the Watchers off. For now, they were defeated. Still, I knew this fight was far from over. The Watchers would be back and with far more force. In a sudden surge of feral rage, I turned to Nathaniel. Without barely moving my lips, I whispered, "We have to go." "We have to go now." He nodded, eyes rolling with determination and fear. "Must," he whispered. "For our protection." Our hearts pounding turned and bolted; at our heels, the angry cries of the Watchers in pursuit. With such sorely aching legs, we had to run across the woods. The reverberation of their footfall resounded through the foliage as they neared. We had almost lost hope when, far off in the distance, we saw a light. Set back, deep in the forest, was a small cottage. We ran to the cabin, our hearts pounding in our chests. We burst through the door, panting. It was deserted but warm: there was a fire crackling in the hearth. We let out a whoop and fell onto the floor; our legs were shaking with exhaustion. We were safe, for the time being. A long while it would be until it was over. The Watchers never stopped till they got what they wanted. It was still out there. We had sat by the fire catching our breaths when suddenly we heard a commotion at the door. Someone was calling out a voice far too familiar. "Emma," the voice called. Our hearts buckled in our chests as we looked up to see who was calling. It was the fortune teller woman who had told us our fate. A strange intensity blazed in her stare as she stepped into the cabin. In a voice quite low and ominous, she whispered, "I have been watching you." We rose to our feet as if to a cue, our hearts rumbling against our chests, for we knew the last fight was about to break loose.