Dirt (The Dirt Trilogy) (20 page)

Rowen and I watch the black clad figures from a distance. Coll
stands by Taylie at the graveside. I can’t believe all he’s doing for
Taylie, all the support he’s giving her. There aren’t many people
here, a small service at the graveside. Taylie’s parents and brother
are
all
buried together. Their remains were
burned beyond
recognition.

Apparently, Taylie
’s aunt owns their house and the land. The
Winston’s lived there and managed the place. As she watches the
shovels of dirt cover her brother, Taylie’s aunt appears cold and
expressionless. It looks like Taylie is on her own.

With her blonde hair blowing in the wind, Taylie sits at the
graveside of her family staring at the mound of dirt that covers her
past. Coll stands behind her with his hand on her shoulder in
consolation.

After everyone is gone, Rowen and I walk over and offer what
support we can. Nothing is going to fill the crushing emptiness that
soaks Taylie’s heart.

No tears. No sobbing. Taylie stands up and looks me.
“Now
what?” she says. “I have nothing left and nothing to live for. Tell
me what I’m supposed to do now.” Her face is flat. Her emotions
drained.

“
You’ll stay with us and we’ll figure something out,” Rowen
says.
I take her hand and head to the gate of the cemetery. Making
our way out, I trip over a tombstone falling flat, my hands catching
me. Rowen takes my arm helping me up. The marker in front of me
catches my eye. I slowly lift my head. The letters N-U-I-N emerge
past the bright rays of the sun. Nuin’s grave. Iciness overcomes me
as I gaze at the tombstone of my mother. She’s here. She’s actually
here. Dad never brought me to the cemetery. I guess coming here
made him realize her death all over again. At this moment, I truly
feel her death for the first time. Nuin is more real to me now than
she ever was.
“Is this the first time you’ve seen this?” Rowen asks as he puts
his arm around me.
“Yes.” I stand there and stare at her name for a few moments.
As we walk away, a part of me stays behind. Part of me is buried
with my mother.
When we get back to the house, everyone is exhausted. I sit
back on the couch and take in all that’s happened. Taylie falls
asleep on the couch across from me.
“I know everyone is tired, but we’re going to have to dig
tomorrow. We’re almost out of serum,” Rowen reminds us.
After a few hours of sleep, the voice wakes me. This night the
voice is exceptionally strong. It rattles the inside of my head as it
pulsates between my ears, pushing against my skull. Apparently, no
one else hears it, they’re quite asleep. I get up and follow the sound.
It leads me outside the house. I push through the darkness, mindless
and unaware of direction. I follow the beckoning.
“AAsshheee LLLeighhhh, AAssshhheee LLLeighhhh,” it calls.
The voice is familiar, but the darkness surrounding it makes it
unrecognizable.“AAAssshhheee LLLeighhh.” I’m getting closer.
A strong cold wind smacks me in the face and I come out of
my stupor. When I come to my senses, I’m standing over the
marker of my mother’s grave. The voice is gone. I stand in the pitch
black,
bitter midnight air, barefoot and shivering. The hollow
silhouette of the moon hides behind clouds I cannot see. I can feel a
presence around me making me unsure of what’s about to happen.
“Who’s there? Who’s there?” I’m terrified, but I try to pretend
otherwise.
I’m
vulnerable, unsure, and
at the mercy
of the
unknown.
I recognize the voice. A voice I hate. “My dear Ashe. You
came to see me after all.”
“Why did you kill her family? They were no threat to you!

She
’s no threat to you!” Rage fills me.
“But it was the only way I could get your attention.” His voice
reeks of evil and is slow and deliberate with each word, taunting
and full of malignancy. “If only you would have listened, all of this
could have been prevented. What a pity.”
I have never been so angry in my life. “Kill me then. And leave
everyone else alone.”
“Oh, but I plan to.” He swaggers toward me with his thin
blonde hair and black rob blowing freely behind him. He’s standing
about twenty feet from me and his putrid scent covers him like
maggots. As he moves closer, I turn and run. “You won’t get far my
dear.” His voice reaches beyond the grave on which he stands.
I hide behind the tree line as he crushes the dead leaves on the
ground with each step. I try to catch my breath. “I can hear you
breathing, Ashe. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
I try to slow my breathing down as I hear his steps ease closer
and closer. I run again, but decide to backtrack, returning to Nuin’s
grave and hiding behind the tombstone. I hope Straif will continue
on through the woods, so I crouch down underneath Nuin’s name,
realizing I may die right where she’s buried. I am freezing and I’m
concerned
the chattering of my teeth will give me away. The
footsteps of the evil one approaches when I hear another voice.
“Ashe, Ashe!” I swallow my spit and I want him to stop calling
me. “Ashe, Ashe!” Rowen yells.
“What do we have here? Two for one. I couldn’t be happier.”
Straif has Rowen. I remain still keeping quiet. “Ashe Leigh, my
dear, you must come and say hello to your sentry, your protector.”
His tone slithers with repugnance.
“Ashe, stay put,” Rowen calls out through a strained voice. I
have to do something, anything. “Stay put!” Rowen cries out with
effort. I peek around and the moon’s glow illuminates the darkness.
Straif is much larger than Rowen and not to mention he’s armed
and Rowen isn’t.
I huddle down trying to think of what to do, but I don’t have
long to figure things out. “Maybe, this will provide you a little
encouragement,” Straif calls. Whatever he does to Rowen makes
him scream out in agony. This is about to stop.
I get up from behind Nuin’s name. “Let him go!” I do my best
to keep my voice from cracking. He has a knife to Rowen’s throat.
“Let him go and I’ll go freely.”
“Ashe, no. Run!” Rowen shouts and Straif hits him in the face
knocking him out cold. He drops him on the ground, unconscious.
“Leave him alone!” I insist. I am boiling with fury, when I
realize this might be a good thing. Anger feeds my energy, but I
keep control of myself until the right time. Straif walks up to me
and grabs me around the neck with his left arm, raising his sword
with his right arm.
“I’m taking what is due to me. Don’t you see, Ashe? Your
mother left me for you, for your father. She took my soul. Now, I’m
taking it back.”
I wrap my hands around his left arm when he starts to scream.
His skin hardens like marble. He drops his sword as the rest of his
body becomes petrified. His arm is stone and I feel his chest harden
up against my back. His agonizing shriek fades as he becomes a
monument towering over my mother’s grave with an expression of
surprise frozen in time. He will spend eternity with her after all. My
rage has sculpted its version of evil.
Even though I’m relieved by Straif’s destruction, I realize I’m
trapped in the statue I’ve created. Straif’s left arm has hardened
around my throat. I can barely breathe. I’ve succeeded in destroying
him, but it appears I’ve also destroyed myself. I strain to cry for
help, but I can barely get enough air to breathe much less to talk.
Rowen is still lying on the ground, and I’m scared he might be...I
can’t bring myself to think it. He has to be all right.
I remain here for what seems hours while Rowen lies helpless.
The sunrise begins behind the tree line, and I can’t wait for the bit
of warmth it might offer. Exhaustion takes over from my repeated
attempts to escape the stone grip when I hear Rowen groaning.
Thank God. He’s alive.
“
Rowen, Rowen,” I mutter.
“Ashe, Ashe, Ashe,” he mumbles as he slowly comes around.
He doesn’t hear me.“Ashe, Ashe.” Then his eyes find me and the
statue of Straif wrapped around my neck. He rushes over and tries
to free me from the last bit of wrath left in the evil one.
“Ashe, Ashe!” his voice sounds so far away. Everything is
cold. I’m numb. My legs and arms are filled with lead. Time is still.
I feel as if I’m separated from my body somehow. Then everything
goes black.

“
She’s moving,” a voice sounds as if it’s coming from the
bottom of a well.
“Ashe?’“ The voice is clearer now.
My eyes open, but I don’t feel I’m moving them with intent.
Suddenly the thought of Straif catapults into my mind and I sit
straight up.
“Ashe,” Rowen says. “Everything is alright. He’s dead. You
killed him.”
We’re still in the Darby cemetery. Rowen, Coll and Taylie are
all staring down at me. My head is swimming laps. I gather myself
and look toward Nuin’s grave. There, towering over it is a one
armed statue of Straif. His colorless eyes and mouth remain open
screaming in silence. It’s the most brilliant piece of work I’ve ever
produced.
Relief sets in and I feel finally there’ll be rest. Everything will
go back to normal, when I realize there’s nothing normal about my
life. Nothing will ever be normal again.
Rowen helps me up and Taylie gives me a hug. “Let’s go
h...hom...” She stops herself midsentence with a sadness. I think she
realizes she has no real home to go to.
We take it easy the rest of the day until night falls and it’s time
for muck hunting. We’re tired and worn, but there is no time to
stop. It’s been a tremendous week of shock, a week of sorrow
scaring our hearts permanently. We’re going to have to return to
Durt one day, but I want to stay in Darby for as long as we can. I
can’t leave Taylie after all she’s gone through. She’s alone and she
needs me. I want to soak in the little bit of calm and peace that has
now found its way back into my life. Straif is gone.
We load the shovels in Taylie’s car and Rowen drives. I
suggest Taylie stay in but she doesn’t want to be alone. She sits
with Coll in the back seat. They seem a little cozy and I’m taken
aback. My imagination is getting away with me.
He’s trying to be
nice to her. I mean she’s lost everything.
I pull myself together and
try to stop noticing them. Coll hates humans, and his out-ofcharacter behavior makes me uncomfortable.
I sit with Taylie by the car as the boys turn my yard upside
down. They look like a couple of midnight grave diggers. I don’t
hear any voices tonight, stilling the air with calmness, although the
air is only to be still for a moment.
A police car pulls up. He doesn’t have his blue lights on. A
huge man gets out of his patrol car, inflating his chest making sure
we notice his size. Taylie quickly approaches him to keep his eyes
away from the rest of us.
“What are you kids doing out here? This place is off limits.”
His deep voice resonates across the yard. I can barely make out
Taylie’s stuttering. “We, we....we...” Her nerves are taking over.
“I..I..I’m Taylie Winston. Hangin’ out with some friends.”
“Wasn’t it your house that burned down the other day?”
“Yes, sir,” she says as the pitch of her voice turns solemn.
She’s sinking and I need to rescue her.
“Sorry to hear about that,” he says, preoccupied with the rest of
us. He takes his beaming spot light and points it at the backyard
lighting up the presence of Rowen and Coll. “Hey boys! What are
you doing back there?” he yells.
As Taylie’s nerves tied her up, I walk toward her as she stands
by the police car. “They’re friends of ours,” I say as if it will help.
“Hold on a minute here,” he says giving me the once over with
saucer-sized eyes. He looks as if he’s won the lottery.“You girls
wait right here.”
Coll drops his shovel and looks over at us confused. Rowen
continues digging, trying to appear innocent. We need that muck.
The officer returns to his car, calling the station and I’m unsure
of what he says, but I think I hear my name come up. He steps back
out of the car and stares sternly at me.“Yeah, you’re that girl. Fair
isn’t it?”
I keep my mouth shut, not on purpose. I don’t know what to
say or what to do.
“Yeah, I thought it was you. Why don’t you come with me?”
I start to panic as he takes me by the arm escorting me to the
car. Rowen heads our way.
“Hey!” he shouts as he sprints across the yard. Coll follows
right behind. As Rowen gets closer, the officer gets a look at him.
“And you. Who do we have here? Mr. Arsonist,” he mumbles
to himself. He shoves me into the backseat and slams the door. He
darts toward Rowen.
“I can explain!” I yell hoping my voice is heard through the car
window. Then I think about what I’ve said. I wouldn’t really be
able to explain anything. Not anything that makes sense. Instead of
jail, I’d end up in The Montana Institute for the Mentally Insane.
He seizes Rowen’s arm and throws him up against the car
pressing his face up against the window. I mouth, “What do I do?”
Taylie makes up as many lies as possible to try and get us out
of this predicament. “They’re my cousins. They came down for the
funeral.”
But Barney Fife isn’t going to hear it. He’s determined to be
the local hero. The officer throws a pair of handcuffs on Rowen and
shoves him into the back seat next to me.
“Officer! Officer, you’ve got it all wrong!” Taylie pleads. He
ignores her as he
calls into the station to inform that he’s
apprehended the assailant. Taylie begs the police officer. She’s
crying hysterically.” Please! You’ve got to believe me!” Coll tries
to calm her. He’s a stranger in another world and confusion shows
all over his face. Helpless.
“Miss Winston, if you don’t step back and calm down, you will
be joining your friends. Now step back!” he commands.
As the police officer continues with his mission, Rowen leans
his face a couple of inches away from mine and whispers,“Do you
think you could get angry right about now?”
I reach over him, my hands holding the door. I think about
being in the back of this car, the death of the Winstons and the
death of my mother. Tension burns from my mind through to the
tips of my fingers as the car door begins to rattle. The police officer
turns to watch his car shaking frantically as if it suffers from
seizures.
“What the hell?” he says with his eyes bugging out of his head.
The door trembles until its hinges are loosed. Rowen shifts around,
his hands still in handcuffs, and kicks the door away. We jump out
and head for Taylie’s car.
“Come on!” Rowen shouts. Coll and Taylie jump into the back
seat and I get behind the wheel.
“We can’t go back to the Birches,” Rowen says.
The officer trails us. His flashing blue lights immerse the
Darby night sky as sirens howl. Taylie’s jalopy doesn’t have much
get up and go, so I do my best to stay ahead.
“Hurry! He’s right behind us!” Taylie shouts.
“I don’t even know where we’re going,” I scream panicking.
Rowen is in the passenger seat next to me giving me a look and
I know exactly what he wants me to do. We’ve been through this
before.
“Where are we going?” Taylie’s voice trembles.
“Durt,” Coll responds.
“Do what?” she asks with apprehension.
“You’ll be with us,” he says. “Everything will be fine.” I can’t
understand how Rowen and Coll can be so calm. I guess it’s a part
of sentry upbringing.
The tires skid as I head down the old gravel road toward the
Doorway of Feda. Everything in front of us is pitch dark and
everything behind us is bright blue as the police cars add up one by
one. I have no idea what’s ahead and the abilities of Taylie’s car are
limited. The dirt road permeates the air with a dust cloud trailing
behind us. Then I notice the gas gauge is set on E.
“We’re almost out of gas.”
“Turn off the lights,” Rowen says. I know sentries have a‘noworry’ kind of attitude, but this is ridiculous. I can’t see in front of
me and I everything I see behind us isn’t good. Not good at all.
“I can’t see with them off, Rowen! I’m having a hard enough
time driving this thing as it is!”
“Move over.”
“Move over where? And what are you going to do with your
hands still in cuffs!” Rowen reaches over me and switches off the
lights. With a jolt, one of the cop cars rams us and I struggle to keep
the car on the road. I keep one hand on the wheel and the other on
Rowen’s
handcuffs. My
agitation transfers through
the metal
dropping them from his wrists.
Rowen takes hold of the steering wheel. “Keep your foot on the
gas, floor it.”
He sits in my lap steering the car. I pull my foot off the gas
pedal and he takes over. I crawl over to the passenger seat holding
on for dear life.
Rowen is able to push the car further and drives into the
blackness for a few minutes. The only thing I can see are blue lights
in the distance behind us. The car begins to sputter as the motor
hangs on to the last bit of fumes. Rowen rolls the car into a field of
tall, thick brush.
“Come on,” Rowen says as I crawl out behind him through the
driver’s door. He leads us through the eight feet tall vegetation.
Taylie and Coll are right behind us as we move quickly and quietly
away from the car, with no idea where we are or where we’re
headed. Seeing beyond the brush is impossible.
We only see the occasional break of beaming lights and hear
barking dogs in the distance. They’re getting closer to us and we
have to find a way out of this endless maze. Finally, we come to a
clearing and there it is at the end of the road, the Great Oak.
Sapphire light beams move across the night sky and frantic voices
resonate.
As we approach the tree, I pull the key from around my neck
and hand it to Rowen.
“Hold it!” a cop shouts as a ray of blinding light hits us directly
in the face. Rowen slips the key into the portal unlocking our
escape. Grasping my hand, Rowen steps through the portal door
pulling me along. I turn and take hold of Taylie bringing her with
me. My eye catches Coll as he’s apprehended, and he gives the
officer a right hook. There’s no turning back. The three of us move
through the portal and Coll is on his own.