CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

About an hour later, Catherine walked alone down a small hill as she mused about the scenery. She usually felt calm surrounded by nature, but not today. Not right now. Catherine's senses were off. She felt uneasy, and she didn't know why. The not knowing was probably the worst of it. So as she passed bushes with her feet kicking up dust, and as the heels of those feet felt the harsh, rocky ground beneath them, swinging her arms trying to appear cheerful—Catherine began to whistle. She soon felt silly and instead resigned to stop for a break to take in the sky and the outstretched land on her left.

Stepping over to take in the view, she sighed and looked back the way she came. Kathleen had said she wanted to sit alone for a while because her feet hurt from walking. I'll go back soon, she thought to herself, but not too soon. She didn’t want Kathleen to feel like she was being over-protective.

Catherine looked up at the sky and saw an empty blue mass. Not a cloud. The sun was bright, which made her squint, but she loved every minute of it. She closed her eyes to feel the sun warm her face. Just a few moments, she thought.

While soaking in the sun, Catherine stood amazed at how opposite she was from her sister. Thinking of their childhood made her smile. Where had all of those good times gone? Kathleen was the same person somewhere in there after all. This outdoor venture had been the first showing in many years. Catherine missed that side of her sister and wanted to see it more often. A deep breath of the fresh air mingled with dust from the road filled Catherine's lungs, and as she exhaled she decided to have another talk with her twin sister about her feelings on the matter. She opened her eyes and turned away, trying to blink the spots from her eyes. Perhaps that was longer than just a few moments.

Walking along, Catherine felt strange all of a sudden. It was an unsettling feeling that made her skin crawl and caused her body to shiver. Then came a hot sensation in her core that calmed her. There was an invisible and deeply rooted pull inside her to change direction. As she followed the eerie feeling, it lessened the farther she went. When she turned the corner to her right, Catherine stubbed her toe. Around the bend there was a pile of giant rocks in a wooded area. Gritting her teeth to avoid cursing, she leaned against the offending rock that jutted out in a spot above her shoulder. Moving a step further, she could see it was connected to the rocky hill. She saw a bubbling creek and hobbled over to it to inspect the water. It seemed clear enough, so she took off her shoe and stuck her foot into the numbing stream to bring relief to her inflamed toes.

Catherine watched as blood mingled with the bubbles and then spread. The impact had apparently cut part of her ankle as well. It wasn't a bad cut, though she would have to clean it better when she returned home. She was taking one of her socks to soak in the cold water to dab with when the sock flew out of her hand. Catherine struggled to hobble over to retrieve it from behind an old standing stone that came to her elbow in height. She became excited when she noticed the stone had worn, illegible markings carved into it, methodically arranged. After briefly studying it to no avail, she used it to help her lean over to pick up her sock and then returned to the creek to complete her task. She had just plopped herself down full force on the ground to leave her aching foot in the water to soak comfortably when she thought she heard a noise. Someone appeared to her left some feet away, towering over her. She started.

“No need to be alarmed,” Bowen said, his long arms crossing in front of him.

Catherine let out a yelp and looked away, irritated, as she hit the top of her thigh in frustration. “Geez! You didn't have to sneak up on me.” She took a breath. "You can't just say 'No need to be alarmed' and expect me not to be, just so you know.”

“I see.” He looked past Catherine, lingering for a moment, then returned his gaze to her judging hazel eyes.

“What are you doing here? You shouldn't be following me.”

“I'm not trying to threaten you. I'm warning you. What you're doing is incredibly dangerous—”

“Incredibly dangerous? Hiking with my sister, and stubbing my toe?”

“Why are you being this way? I'm trying to save you, to save everyone,” Bowen said as he slapped his hands down against his sides in frustration.

Silence set in momentarily as Catherine lifted her foot to look it over.

“Is your foot all right?”

Catherine side-glanced up at Bowen but didn't answer.

Bowen sighed and walked closer before sitting down. “What can I do to make you see that what I'm saying is true?”

“That what I'm doing is dangerous?” Catherine said.

“I'm not talking about your stubbed toe. I mean you being in Ireland, and walking here. It's uncanny,” Bowen said, gesturing around him.

“Why, what's wrong with here specifically?”

“If I tell you, will you promise to go?”

“Of course not.”

“Why on earth not?” Bowen shouted.

“Because I can't make a blind promise to someone I don't trust. Sorry,” Catherine said flatly.

Catherine noticed Bowen's hair was curling down his neck from the heat of the day. His green eyes blazed at her. She felt oddly aware that she was attracted to him, and wondered if he felt it too. Catherine scoffed at the idea, knowing every time she'd seen the man he was telling her to leave. Yet the stalking was sending mixed signals, along with that look he gave her. She laughed under her breath. I know how to pick 'em.

“It's insulting you think this is funny.” Bowen huffed.

“I don't. Honestly.” Catherine held up her hands in surrender.

Bowen stared at the ground.

“Look, I'm sorry that you hate me, but it's really not my problem. Maybe you should see somebody about that, and just stay away from me if I'm making you so angry that you want me to leave Ireland.”

Bowen's eyes widened and then narrowed. “It's to save everyone,” he mumbled.

“What?”

“It's the only way to save everyone from them.” He looked at her and added, “I don't hate you.”

Catherine's eyes locked with his. In that look, in that moment, she could see he believed what he was saying. For some reason so did she. “Save everyone from who?”

Bowen was about to speak when a new thought crossed his face. He looked troubled.

“What's wrong?” Catherine asked.

“You said you were walking with your sister. Where is she?”

“She stopped to rest, back a ways. Why?”

“We must go to her. Now,” he said.

“We?” Catherine mumbled as she was pulled up by Bowen's strong arms. She pulled her shoe on carefully.

Just as the two of them walked around the rock in the bend, Kathleen appeared and almost ran right into Catherine. “Oh, there you are,” Kathleen said. “I didn't know how far you'd gone. I'm terrified of getting lost, you know!”

Kathleen glanced at Bowen, surprised by his looming presence. Catherine thought it odd that she was not more alarmed but the thought passed as Bowen helped her up the hill. As they walked, Catherine couldn't help but notice Bowen's strong hands and arms wrapped around her elbow and occasionally her waist. Her cheeks flushed.

Yet Bowen seemed to never be looking at Catherine. Whenever she glanced through her hair or took a quick side-glance, he was looking ahead or surveying their surroundings. She felt a stab at her ego, realizing it was all in her own head.

***

Bowen helped Catherine into her seat in the car as Kathleen swiped the keys from her outstretched hand. She leaned slightly on his shoulder to bend more easily to sit down, and Bowen stiffened as he felt Catherine's head against his chin. He had noticed her the first moment he saw her, and every moment since.

When he first found her, it was a strange sense that led him. He had to follow it. She was captivating, and he was breathless. He kept watch from then on. He noticed the different ways her eyes flashed with each mood. The flame when she was furious, or the way they lit up when she was happy or had an idea. He had come to notice a lot about Catherine over the time he had been watching her. When he touched her, he could think of nothing else. She consumed him. He’d come to realize what this could do before he went to her at the pub. It was the reason he had to act quickly now to protect her, and everyone else in Ireland, if not the entire planet. He didn’t want to tell her everything, knowing it would disrupt her whole life, but it was no longer safe to keep her in the dark. Once Catherine was seated, he simply nodded to the two young women before turning to go.

Catherine hesitated. “Uh—wait.” She held open the car door. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”

Bowen looked over his shoulder and said, “No, thank you.” He wondered why she was courteous all of a sudden.

The twins shared a quick glance before Catherine gripped the inside door handle. “Will we see you again soon then?”

“Definitely,” he said, warmed. He shook his head. No, she must go, he thought forcefully.

Catherine nodded and shut the car door. Kathleen started the engine, and they took off with a slow start up the road. Bowen felt uneasy. He didn't understand Catherine even after all of his observing. Her moods changed so unexpectedly. It unsettled him. He shrugged as the car drove away. He had something more worrisome to check on now.

Bowen walked for some time through the trees to the other side of the high-reaching rocky hill. He walked up to a hollow, overgrown with great varieties of plant life. In the rock, there was a deep slit that was wide enough to fit an arm through. Bowen stood next to it for a while, still as the rock itself. He had a blank expression on his face.

“Must you keep standing there like a statue?” a deep voice rumbled from inside the opening.

Bowen didn't say anything, seemingly immovable.

After a while, the deep voice growled loudly, “How dare you!” with a crackling sound of tiny rocks falling from his end, deep inside the stone.

The corner of Bowen's mouth twitched downward, startled somewhat by the sudden falling rock. He looked at the rock in front of him with disdain. He laid his hand near the small opening and leaned forward slightly.

“I don't deserve a response from you?” The deep voice was now menacing. “You've come to stand by my door only twice before, pleading, always pleading for me to stop.”

A sound of something hard clashing with stone came from within. When Bowen heard it, he looked forlornly at the ground as he struggled to listen further.

The voice laughed then, chilling Bowen’s spine. In a mocking tone, the voice said, “'You're ill, please stop this.'” It gave a low, guttural growl. “Well, I'll not stop Bowen. I'll never ever stop, not until my dying breath, and you can't do anything about it.” He chuckled.

Bowen waited; he knew there was more. There was always more.

“When I'm free there won't be anywhere for you to run from me, I—” He wavered. “Wait, something must have changed. It's been too long since I last saw you. There must be a reason you're here now.”

Silence deafened Bowen's ears, and he imagined the worst.

“Oh,” breathed the deep voice.

Bowen froze.

“You've found her? It's finally happened. Soon I'll be free!” Maniacal laughter ensued.

Bowen's heart sank. He shouldn't have come, even if only to check that nothing had changed.

“What is it, dear Bowen? You don't laugh as well as speak? How dare you not speak to me. I'll make you suffer for this on top of everything else, and after that, I'll kill you and spit on your body in front of everyone. Speak to me. Bowen, now!”

Bowen's hand slid off the rock as he turned to walk away. He hesitated at first but kept going. Even at a distance, he could still hear the mad screams echoing behind him.