Free Frozen Past by Richard C Hale Page A

basement. They were huddled up under a nice warm blanket and he was enjoying the feeling of being close to her. Plus he got to feel those lips against his as much as he wanted. At least until her stupid brother showed up.
    “Ellie, you got a phone call,” Patrick said, handing her the cordless phone and disappearing up the stairs, but not before he gave Luke an evil look.
    “I never heard the phone ring,” she said to Luke as she covered the mouthpiece. “Hello?”
    “Help me…”
    Luke could hear the voice faintly and watched her face go white and her mouth fall open. Then she freaked out.
    “Leave me alone!” she shouted into the phone and threw it across the room. Luke could hear laughter coming from the speaker as it lay against the wall. He went over and picked it up.
    “Who is this?” he said, but the line was dead. He hung up and went over to Ellie who had her face in her hands.
    “He’s gone,” he said softly.  “Are you ok?”
    She shook her head. “Every time I think everything’s going to be fine, something else happens. How did he get my number?”
    “He knows our names and your number is in the phone book. It’s just that easy.” Luke’s cell phone started ringing and they both froze, staring at each other. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It read ‘Unavailable.’ He showed it to her.
    “Don’t answer it,” she said.
    “I want to,” he said.
    “Why?”
    “I don’t want him to know I’m afraid.”
    She shrugged and he pressed ‘send’ and said, “Hello.”
    He couldn’t figure out why, but the voice that came across the cell phone made his teeth hurt and seemed to vibrate directly down his spine. It was so abrasive, yet so quiet, it hurt more than someone shouting into his ear. He actually pulled the phone away from his head a little.
    “Help me…”
    “What do you want?” he said, trying to sound tough but it came out thin and shaky.
    “For you to help me…” and then a thin laugh.
    “Help you with what?”
    “To kill your girlfriend. What else?” More laughter, almost like a child giggling.
    “I’d never do that.”
    “You already are.”
    The line went dead in his hand. He looked at the phone and saw it shaking in his hand. Ellie saw it too.
    “What did he say?” she asked.
    He turned away from her, paced to the opposite wall and then turned back to face her. He couldn’t tell her. He wasn’t supposed to keep secrets, that was part of their pact, but he couldn’t find it in him to tell her. Not this.
    “He was just messing with me. He said ‘Help me…’ and then laughed. The voice was horrible. It made my teeth hurt.”
    “You said you’d never do that. What did he want you to do?”
    Luke paused. “To help him.”
    “Do what?”
    “Whatever it is he does. He didn’t say. Kill someone I guess.” Luke hated lying to her. It was the worst feeling in the world. Apparently he didn’t do it very well.
    “Luke,” she said softly, “what are you not telling me. Please don’t lie to me. No matter how much you think I can’t stand to hear, we promised not to keep secrets. Please.”
    His felt his shoulders slump and he sat down next to her. He couldn’t look at her. “He asked me to help him kill you.”
    “Oh, God!”
    He turned to her quickly and said, “I won’t let him hurt you! Ever! I’ll stay outside your window every night if I have to. I’ll go everywhere with you. I’ll get a gun. I promise I won’t let him touch you!”
    “You can’t do all that. You’re not superman. We have to tell someone. We need help.”
    “But he told you not to tell anyone.”
    “It doesn’t seem to matter. Apparently he’s out to get me anyway.”
    Luke’s cell phone beeped showing he had a new text message. He held it up so they could both see. It read Tell a soul, and you both die.
    He looked at her and she started to cry.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 12
     
     
    The killer was thirsty. The dog had not been