Free Four Corners Dark: Horror Stories by William McNally Page B

great room and pulled her cell phone from her purse.
    “Hello,” she heard on the other end. “This is Ima Rogers.”
    “Deputy Rogers this is Brenda. Abby is back.”
    “Is she okay?” Ima asked.
    “I don’t know yet. I can see her coming from the woods,” Brenda answered.
    “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Ima said and hung up.
    Brenda saw them headed towards the drive at a high rate of speed. She ran out the front door to meet them, and found them parked next to Terry’s truck. Abby and the man lifted something into the back of the Jeep. Brenda called out as she crossed the gravel drive.
    “Abby, what happened?” Brenda asked.
    Abby turned and looked at Brenda. It took a moment for Abby to comprehend that she was actually there.
    Finally Abby choked out, “Terry is hurt.”
    Brenda ran up to the back hatch of the truck, Terry was wrapped in a blood soaked blanket and looked pale. Abby and the man appeared dazed and exhausted.
    “Where are the keys? I can drive,” Brenda said.
    “On the table by the front door,” Abby’s answered in a weak voice.
    Brenda dashed into the lodge and came back with the keys. They climbed into the truck and Brenda accelerated down the driveway.
    “Which way?” Brenda asked.
    “I will show you the way,” Joseph answered, pointing to the south.
    When they reached the emergency entrance for the South Ridge Medical Center, Brenda and Joseph rushed in to find help. Within moments, two orderlies and a nurse burst through the door wheeling a gurney. They removed the blanket to assess the extent of Terry’s injuries. The team stabilized his damaged leg and rushed him directly into surgery.
    Joseph, Brenda and Abby sat in the waiting room.
    “Abby, what happened?” Brenda asked.
    All Abby could say was, “It was horrible. It was horrible.”
    She started crying and Brenda leaned in to comfort her.
    “Maybe we can discuss the details later?” Joseph asked. “The important thing is Terry is safe now.”
    “Okay,” Brenda said.
    A phone rang and they all jumped, Brenda fumbled in her pocket and answered it.
    “Hello,” she said into the phone. “Yes Deputy Rogers I found them. Terry is injured. We took him to South Ridge Medical Center. Okay, we will see you when you get here.”
    Twenty minutes later Ima Rogers hurried through the doors of the waiting room. She walked over to greet them and noticed that Joseph Wood was with them. He was known as a hermit and she had never actually spoken to him.
    “Mrs. James, could I have a word with you?” Ima asked.
    “Deputy Rogers, may I?” Joseph gestured to an examination room.
    Ima followed Joseph into the room and he closed the door behind them.
    “She is in shock, deputy,” Joseph said glancing through the window at Abby.
    Ima gathered her thoughts then pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and said, “Ok, why don’t you tell me what happened?”
    Joseph relayed the story in its entirety. Ima, who had been writing the details, closed her pad and threw it on the table.
    “You are telling me a witch attacked Mr. James?” Ima said exasperated.
    “We cannot be sure until Terry wakes, but yes, I believe that is what happened,” Joseph answered.
    Ima left the room without saying a word, and then walked back over to Abby.
    “Mrs. James, I am happy you are all safe. I’ll stop back this evening to check on you.” She put on her deputy’s hat and left.
    Brenda walked into the hallway. Machines hummed softly in the quiet hospital. The sounds were comforting to her because they masked the whispers in the hallway. She looked at her watch, picked up her cell phone and dialed.
    “Hello,” Donald answered.
    “Donald it’s me, Brenda.”
    “Brenda, have you heard anything?” Donald asked.
    “Yes, I found them. We are at the hospital.”
    “What happened?”
    “We don’t know yet,” Brenda answered. “When will you be here?”
    “In a few hours, I just picked up my rental car.”
    Dr. Avery Jacobs came in to the