Dark Winter by John Hennessy Page B

a colourless manner, that it was sometimes hard to tell if she really trusted what she was saying.
     
    Beth handed Toril a glass of water. “When you’ve come around, I want you to tell us exactly why you opened the door to that…whatever it was. Whatever were you thinking?”
     
    “Do you remember what happened to you? Why you blacked out?” asked Jacinta.
     
    “I-I’m not sure,” said Toril. “Two…something.”
     
    “Two? You mean ‘Two Will Die’, right?” said Jacinta.
     
    “Whatever could that mean? He’s gone now. He just vanished into thin air. I think for now…we’re safe.”
     
    Beth spoke ominously. “Maybe we are, but others might not be so safe, did you ever think of that?”
     
    Toril steadied herself, sitting up in the chair, and gulped down the water.
     
    “I just don’t know how we can find that out information.”
     
    “Do we still go to the school? That first message freaked me out,” said Beth. “You can’t deny that there is a link there. For goodness’ sake, the board spelt out Curie’s name!”
     
    “So what if it did?” said Toril. “Are you suggesting we march up to the school, and demand Curie let us go up to the fifth floor? He’s not going to do that, Beth.”
     
    “I say that he will,” said Beth. “I don’t trust him at all. But I do trust that he will let us in.”
     
    “Why?” said Toril.
     
    “Because…” said Beth, “he enjoys it. He enjoys the power he has over the school children. It’s always the case that someone is looking the other way, whenever he is up to no good. Maybe Curie, the teachers…they’re all in it together.”
     
    “Best be sure of that, Beth,” said Toril. “Wild accusations like that-”
     
    “It’s not some wild accusation!” said Beth, recounting the time she was late leaving the school one night after music practise.
     
    “You know what he did? He locked me in the classroom, and wouldn’t let me out for two whole hours, even though I was screaming the place down. Trust me, he enjoys it.”
     
    “The teachers said Curie had checked the place was empty, then went to his caretaker’s house,” said Jacinta, in a matter-of-fact tone.
     
    “I was there, Jacinta,” said Beth, icily. “You weren’t. You don’t know. That guy is evil. Hell, could have even been him here, earlier tonight. Sure looked similar to me.”
     
    “That’s not what that was, Beth,” said Toril. “That’s a whole other story, and is why we cannot go out tonight. That evil may be still out there.”
     
    “You’re acting like we’ve got protection from this thing! It can come in again too, right, Toril?” said Beth. “So we can stay, and be attacked again, or we can go, and maybe help save some poor boy from godknowswhat. Toril, we have to go, please .” 
     
    Toril was usually decisive, at this moment, stood still, stumped at what to do. She didn’t believe Beth, in the sense that Curie was sure to let them in. However, she did believe that Beth believed it entirely. Beth wasn’t a girl given in to silly thoughts. And yet, it seemed all too risky.
     
    “Jay, what do you think?”
     
    “I don’t think we should go, but if there’s even a chance Beth could be right, I’m not sure I could live with that.”
     
    Beth was taken aback by Jacinta’s words. She really wasn’t expecting that admission from her.
     
    Toril shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “We go then. You’re right Beth, these spirits can come and go as they like. Actually, I’d prefer going out to waiting for that – whatever it was – to return.”
     
    “So let’s do it,” said Beth. “Let’s go.”
     
    Toril grabbed her keys, yanked the door open and ran down the street, with Beth and Jacinta close behind. The street lamps made a pinging sound as one bulb, after another, they exploded from light into darkness. Whatever had visited them that night, was out there in the darkness with them.
     
    Two will die. Two will die. Two will