The Border: The Complete Series

Copyright 2016 Amy Cross

All Rights Reserved

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, entities and places are either products of the author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual people, businesses, entities or events is entirely coincidental.

Published by Dark Season Books

Kindle edition

First published in serial form

between June and October 2015

This edition first published: January 2016

“The stag-headed man is back. He needs more hearts for his collection.”

When Ben Freeman returns home after many years on the road, he immediately starts causing trouble. He knows exactly what his family thinks of him, but he doesn't care. He knows they suspect him of being a killer, responsible for several brutal murders during his previous visit. Ben, however, is more interested in something that happened at a remote farmhouse when he was a teenager, something that first hinted at the existence of a place known as the Border.

And this time, he's not willing to ignore the evil that hides beneath the town.

After years of ignoring the truth, the residents of Bowley must finally face the darkness that waits in the shadows. The stag-headed man is on the loose again, hunting for human hearts to add to his collection. The ghost of a deal girl has started appearing to some of the locals, warning of terrible consequences if crimes remain unpunished. And deep down beneath the town, another girl discovers the dark secret that keeps the town safe, and finds a jar of hearts stretching back many decades.

The Border is a horror thriller about a family's search for the truth, and about a town gripped by the possibility that something horrific lurks beneath their feet. Originally published in serial form, the entire story is now available in this omnibus edition for the first time.

The Border:

The Complete Series

Part One

Nine years ago

The lights of town were just about visible in the distance, but they were so far away, they might as well have been stars.

“So why
did
you invite me out here?” Caitlin asked, still holding onto Joe's hand as she hurried across the dark field, forcing him to either let go or keep up.

He chose to keep up.

“I just thought it'd be fun,” he replied.

“But why?”

“Um...”

“It's such a cold night,” she continued, her breath visible in the cold night air. “It's fun being out here, miles from town, miles from anyone else. Warm nights are so cliched, I prefer being cold. Does that make me weird?”

“Hey, hold up!” Slowing, he held on tight to her hand, and this time it was her turn to make a choice. She chose to stop with him.

“What's wrong?” she asked with a smile. “Going too far for you?” She kept her eyes fixed on him for a moment, as if she was trying to read his mind. “Or maybe too fast?”

Sighing, he realized she was toying with him again. She was two years older than him, after all, and sometimes the age gap felt even bigger, as if she was reaching down from some position of higher knowledge. A moment later he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, and when he slipped it out he saw to his surprise that it was Caitlin who was trying to get through.

“Aren't you gonna answer?” she asked, grinning as she held her phone to the side of her face.

“Well, it seems kinda -”

“Go on.” She was still holding his hand, albeit only fingertip to fingertip. “Answer.”

Figuring that he should keep her happy, he accepted the call. “Hey,” he said, “what -”

“Having fun?” she asked, her voice coming over the phone a fraction of a second after she spoke next to him. It sounded almost as if there were two of her.

“Yeah, but -”

“Do you realize,” she continued, “that my voice is being beamed up to a satellite and then bounced right back down to you, all in a fraction of a second?”

“Um... Sure...”

“Isn't that amazing?” She pulled her hand away a little, so that only one fingertip was touching.

“It's pretty cool.”

“Cool? Is that all you've got to say on the matter, Joe Baldwin? That it's cool?” She paused, fixing him with a faint smile. “Do you
really
think I'm gonna kiss you tonight if you can't be a little more... engaging? How do you expect to get your hand anywhere interesting if you're so unimaginative?”

He froze.

“Stop thinking so much,” she continued, suddenly stepping closer and clasping his hand in hers, while leaning toward him until their mouths were just inches apart. She still had the phone against her face as she stared at his lips. “Come on. I like you because you seem spontaneous and fun, but right now I can see in your eyes that you're frantically trying to decode everything I say.” She suddenly blew against his face, surprising him. “I'm not a puzzle.”

“I know,” he replied, lowering his phone.

“So don't be
that
guy.”

“What guy?”

“Are you gonna hang up on me?”

“It's cold,” he pointed out.

“So? Are you suggesting we should take our clothes off?”

“I'm just -” He paused. “Wait. What?”

“Come on.” Letting go of his hand, she turned and ran, racing across the field and quickly disappearing into the darkness ahead until she was nowhere to be seen.

“Caitlin!” he shouted. “Stop!”

All he could hear were her footsteps crunching across the grass, getting further and further away until they too were gone.

“Caitlin!”

Silence.

A moment later, he heard her voice coming from his phone, saying something he couldn't quite make out before the signal cut off.

“Girls,” he muttered, starting to hurry after her. After a moment, however, he stopped and looked around. Grass stretched away for a few meters in every direction, eventually blending with hazy darkness that rose to the sky.

He paused.

Listening.

Waiting.

“Caitlin!”

Hearing another buzz from his phone, he saw she was calling again.

“Hey,” he said as he answered, “where -”

“Hey?” she replied. “Is that how you answer every goddamn call, Joe Baldwin?” She laughed. “Hey,” she added, trying to imitate his voice. “Hey. Hey? Hey!”

“Sorry, I just -”

“Don't apologize. Are you cold?”

“Kinda, but -”

“I wish there was a lake round here,” she continued. “Somewhere we could go swimming, you know? I've never gone swimming naked in a lake in the middle of the night. I know it's freezing, but that'd just make it more fun in a weird kind of way. Can you make a lake appear, Joe Baldwin?”

“Can I
make
a lake appear?” he stammered.

“Can you?”

“Well, I -”

“Can you perform
any
kind of magic at all? Anything that might impress me? Even if it's just for a fraction of a second, I want magic.”

“Um -”

“Hey, is that you?” Suddenly there was a hint of concern in her voice.

“Is what me?”

“Coming toward me, dummy.”

Standing completely still, he looked around. “What do you mean?”

“I'm waving at you. See?”

He turned, but there was nothing.

“You must be able to see me,” she continued. “I can see you.”

He squinted, still looking around at the darkness, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

“Where exactly are you?” he asked cautiously.

“Come catch up,” she continued. “I really need to strip down a little.”

“I don't see you.”

“Then why are you waving at me?”

He paused. One hand was holding his phone, the other was loose by his waist. “Caitlin,” he said after a moment, “I'm not waving at you.”

“Don't be a dick. Come on, can't you get over here a little faster?” She laughed. “That's better. I can hear your footsteps now.”

“I'm standing still,” he told her.

“I can
see
you,” she said again. “Or your silhouette, at least. You're still waving. You're walking right at me.”

“I'm not waving, Caitlin,” he continued, starting to worry a little, “and I'm not walking. I'm completely still, trying to work out where the hell you are.”

“Liar,” she replied. “Hmm, you know what? Maybe this'll hurry you up. I'm taking off my shirt right now. I know it's cold but, hey, just a minute or two should be okay.” A moment later, fabric could be heard rustling against the phone.

He waited. “Caitlin?”

“There,” she continued, and from the tone of her voice he could tell she was smiling. “Well?”

“Well what?” He looked around again, but there was still no sign of her. “I don't see you!”

“You're walking right this way,” she told him. “I can see your silhouette. Now I can even see your breath. Fine, let's see if you're up for a little chase!” Suddenly she could be heard running, before stopping again. “There. Ha, I see you decided to keep up after all.”

“Caitlin,” he shouted, “that's not me! There must be someone else out here!”

“Come on,” she continued. “I'm tired of games. Come closer. Let's find a way to warm up.”

“Caitlin...” Pausing, he realized he could hear footsteps over the phone, crunching toward her over the frozen grass.

“A
little
closer,” she said after a moment. “That's right, Joe Baldwin, let me see your -”

He waited for her to finish. A moment later, he heard a sudden crackling sound that lasted a couple of seconds before cutting off dead.

“Caitlin?” he asked finally.

Silence.

“Caitlin? Are you okay?”

Taking a look at his phone's screen, he saw that the connection was gone. He tried to call her back, but suddenly her phone seemed to be off.

“Caitlin?” he called out, looking around at the darkness. “Stop messing about! Where are you?”

He waited, but with a sigh he realized she was playing with him. She had to be, it was the only possible explanation.

“Can you just let me know where you are?” he shouted.

No reply.

Taking a few steps forward, he tried to spot something – anything – that might give him a clue as to which way she'd gone. He could see the lights of the town in the distance, but they weren't much use as he kept walking convinced that sooner or later she'd give him a hint. She was playing with him, he told himself; she was just fooling around, messing with his mind. Trying her number again, he found that her phone was still off, which clearly meant that she was making life hard. He figured she was laughing at him, trying to spook him, making him work hard for whatever she was willing to give. Any other girl wouldn't be worth the effort, but Caitlin was different. Caitlin was the hottest, most fun girl in the whole town.

“Caitlin!” he shouted.

Making his way across the grass, he finally spotted something in the distance. After a few more steps, he realized it was just the old oak tree that everyone used as a reference point when they were out on the south side of town. Having been struck by lightning many years earlier, the tree was twisted and gnarled, with its trunk having been split in two almost down to the ground. On account of its distinctive v-shape, that goddamn tree had picked up a lot of nicknames over the years, not all of them fit to be repeated in polite company. As he got closer, Joe told himself that at least it would make a decent place to stop and get his bearings, and he figured -

Stopping suddenly, he realized there was a figure sitting between the two main parts of the trunk, nestled in its nook.

He stopped.

“Caitlin?”

No reply.

No sign of her breath, either, in the cold night air.

He took a few more steps forward, and now he could tell that the outline of the silhouette was definitely hers. With the lights of town in the distance, he could make out the shape of Caitlin's head, with her distinctively perky nose and her hair drawn back tight into a ponytail. She seemed to be leaning forward slightly.

“Hey,” he continued, stepping closer, before remembering what she'd said earlier. “No, wait, not hey. I mean...” He stopped just a few feet from her. “I'm here,” he continued, with a faint smile. “Now what?”

He waited.

No response.

“Did you take your shirt off?” he asked, trying to work out the answer from her silhouette. He took another step toward her, looking at the shape of her chest, and finally he could tell that she was naked. After a moment, however, he saw something drip down from her chin, landing on her belly.

He paused.

“Caitlin?”

A moment later, another drip, larger than the first. This time, the cold night air seemed to amplify the sound of the drop as it patted on her belly, and he could see steam rising from the liquid.

Not wanting to seem too young or immature, he told himself not to panic.

“So are you okay?” he asked finally.

He waited, before finally another drip fell.

Reaching into his pocket, he took out his phone and brought up the torch app. Shining it forward while trying not to blind her, he saw her face and realized that she was completely still, staring straight ahead with her eyes wide open and with something dark smeared around her chin.

He opened his mouth to ask what she was doing, before another drip fell down from her face.

“Caitlin?” he whispered.

He stepped closer, forcing a smile.

“Hey, Caitlin. Come on, enough's enough, don't -”

Suddenly there was a faint cracking sound as her head jerked forward slightly, and the drips gave way to a brief trickle of liquid that seemed to run from the center of her face, splattering against her belly. From the steam rising from the liquid, he could tell it was warm.

He opened his mouth to say her name again, but something stopped him.

It's a trick
, he told himself.
She's messing with me
.

He stepped closer, but this time he made his way around so he could see her properly. The light from his phone lit her face bright white and he saw that there was a thick wound, punctured in the center of her forehead just above the eyes, with two distinct trickles of blood running down to meet a second wound that had smashed her lower jaw and dislodged several of her teeth. Her neck was at an unusual angle, twisted in a way that instantly made him feel nauseous. There was something else, too; a hole had been punched in her chest, just below the collarbone, leaving a glistening, hollow space behind the broken ribs.

For a moment, all he could do was stare.

It's not real
, he told himself, trying to think of all the ways she could be tricking him.
She brought a dummy up here to
-