The Children of Fear (9 page)

Luke turned to usher Leah and Corey to safety … and stiffened.

Leah was leaning down, her face near Corey's. “Now he'll know what it is to be different,” she said softly.

“T
hat's a horrible thing to say!” Luke exclaimed.

“But it's true,” Leah answered. “With the scar he's going to have on his face, I bet he won't make fun of people who are a little different. Like Corey.”

“Help him!” the woman in the white dress screamed. “Help him!”

Luke felt his body freeze. He could not force his legs to run toward Mike. All he could do was watch.

He watched as a man rushed over and pulled the dog off Mike. “I don't understand it,” the man cried. “My dog has never done anything like this before.”

Mike's brothers helped Mike get to his feet. Mike pressed his hand over his torn cheek. Bright red blood seeped between his fingers and trailed down his arm.

Luke's stomach lurched. He stole a glance at Leah. A bright smile lit her face. Her green eyes sparkled.

She's enjoying this.

♦ ♦ ♦

That night Luke waited until Leah and Corey had fallen asleep. Then he crawled across the boxcar to the corner where Mary sat alone.

“I'm worried about Leah,” he confided to Mary quietly. “The people back home were afraid of her. They thought she was evil. I never believed it, but now …”

In a low voice Luke told her everything, everything that had happened since his parents died. The neighbors' cattle going crazy. The horses stampeding the night the men burned the farmhouse. The wolf bringing them food.

“You saw the bees sting Mike and his brother. And then one stung the matron's lip when she was scolding Corey,” he said to Mary. “And today the collie attacked Mike—and Leah looked so happy about it.”

“There must be a reasonable explanation for all that happened. I have seen people who are very skilled with animals. But no one who could do the kinds of things you've described,” Mary replied softly.

Luke shook his head. “But what about how happy Leah is when these bad things happen?”

“Everything happened to people she didn't like,” Mary told him. “She was happy because people she didn't like got hurt. But that doesn't mean she made the animals hurt the people.”

Luke wanted to believe Mary's logical words. He wanted to believe in Leah's innocence.

Mary took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her hand felt so soft. He'd never felt anything so soft.

He didn't want to think about Leah, or Corey, or his responsibilities. He wanted only to think about Mary.

With his heart pounding so hard that he was certain she could hear it, he leaned over and kissed her.

Mary's lips were soft too. And so warm.

Luke pulled back slightly to study her. She lowered her lashes. Even in the gray shadows, he could see her blush.

Luke wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again. A longer, deeper kiss.

I could be happy with Mary, he realized. I could be happy with her forever. If no one adopts her, I'll marry her. I'll marry her and we'll raise Leah and Corey together.

The night air grew colder.

Luke felt as though a thousand icy pinpoints were pricking his skin. He shuddered and pulled away.

Mary's eyes grew wide.

The hair on the nape of his neck prickled.

A chill swept through him.

Mary gasped and shrank back as though she wanted to disappear in the shadows. She pointed a shaking finger at something behind him.

Before Luke could turn around, strong hands wrapped around his throat.

And slowly began to squeeze.

“Y
ou're just like our neighbors!” Leah whispered into Luke's ear.

He twisted his head around so he could see her face. Her eyes glittered with anger.

Luke grabbed her wrists. But Leah managed to tighten her grip on his neck.

“You think I'm evil!” she accused.

“No, Leah—” Luke choked out.

“You're the evil one, Luke,” she replied in a quivering voice. “You were happy the dog bit Mike. You just won't admit it.”

“I was not happy,” he croaked.

From the corner of his eye he saw Mary rise. She held her hands out toward Leah.

“It's this train,” Mary said in her soft voice. “It
makes everyone unhappy. It makes everyone stop trusting.”

“It's not the train,” Leah insisted. “It's you … and Luke. I heard you both. You think I'm evil!”

With a furious cry Leah shoved Luke back. His head hit the floor with a thud. Pain shot through his skull. White light flashed across his vision.

Leah scrambled on top of him and straddled his chest.

“Evil!” Leah shrieked. “You think I'm evil!”

Her fingers closed around Luke's throat again, cutting off his air. He grabbed her arms, trying to free himself.

But she dug her thumbs into the soft flesh at the base of his throat. Pressing and pressing.

He gagged and gasped. A red haze quivered at the edge of his vision.

It brightened, then dulled.

The light from the moon began to melt away. Darkness closed in.

In the far distance, Luke could hear a tiny cry.

Corey!

Their fighting woke him.

Then Luke felt Leah's hands loosen. The frigid night air rushed into his lungs. He rolled over, gasping for breath. Then he sat up.

He looked over his shoulder. Corey snuggled in Leah's lap. She crooned softly to him as she rocked him back and forth.

“Shhh,” she whispered softly. “Shhh. It's all right. I only wanted to make Luke listen. I'm not evil.”

She looked up, her gaze locking onto Luke's. “I'm not evil,” she told Luke, her voice trembling.

Luke rubbed his bruised throat. She tried to kill me,
he thought wildly. If Corey hadn't started to cry, she would have killed me.

“I wouldn't have killed you, Luke,” Leah said quietly as though she had read his mind.

Suddenly he knew she spoke the truth. She wouldn't have killed him. It wasn't her way. If she wanted him dead, she would send one of her animal friends to kill him.

Corey scrambled off Leah's lap and grabbed Luke's flannel shirt. He grabbed the front of Leah's worn calico dress.

“We've upset him,” Leah said. “He wants us to apologize. I'm sorry if I hurt you.”

She looked contrite, but Luke had a hard time forgetting the wild look in her eyes as she choked him.

Corey twisted Luke's shirt. His eyes were frightened.

Luke didn't want to upset his little brother any further. He put his arm around Corey. “It's all right,” he whispered in a hoarse voice. “It's been a long day. We're all tired. We need to sleep. I'm not angry with Leah, I promise.”

Luke expected Corey to release him then, but Corey only tightened his hold on Luke's shirt and tugged harder. Luke stretched out on the boxcar floor beside Corey.

Then Corey tugged on Leah's skirt. She lay down on the other side of Corey.

Luke soon heard his brother's gentle snores as he fell asleep, snuggled closely between Luke and Leah.

Luke could feel Leah's cold green stare boring into him over Corey's head.

It was a long time before Luke was able to sleep.

♦ ♦ ♦

The next morning the matron gave out bowls of porridge to each child. Luke sat down next to Mary while they ate breakfast.

He quickly downed his small portion of porridge. Mary held out her bowl. “You look hungry. Here, take mine,” she suggested.

“Oh, no. I couldn't,” Luke replied, though his empty stomach grumbled.

“Please—I don't like it. It will just be thrown out,” she said.

“Well, if you don't want it,” he replied. He took the porridge and smiled at her. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. How is your throat?” she asked.

Luke rubbed it. “Better. She's never done anything like that before.”

“Traveling on this train changes people. I bet Mike and his brothers weren't bullies before they climbed into this boxcar,” she said.

Without warning, a big hand snatched the bowl of food out of Luke's grasp. He spun around and watched Mike's brother, Sam, throw his head back and gulp the porridge down.

Sam smirked. He ran his tongue across his lips. “Thanks, Luke. Nice of you to give me your breakfast.”

Luke wanted to jump up and knock that smile off Sam's face. Only Mary's gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him. “He's not worth the trouble,” she said.

Luke nodded in agreement. “You're right.”

Luke turned and gazed between the slats of the boxcar at the scenery passing by.

Golden wheat grew in the fields. I would like to work in a field again, he thought. With a mule that
will obey me. Surely someone in the next town will want three healthy children to work a farm.

Luke heard a low groan. He turned his head and spotted Sam grasping his stomach.

“Eating too much will give you a stomachache, Sam,” Luke told him. “You look old enough to know that.”

Sam grimaced. Then he gagged.

Sam's face began to turn purple. His cheeks puffed out as he made awful choking sounds. He pointed at his open mouth.

Alarmed, Luke sprang to his feet. He rushed over and knelt beside Sam. “Did the porridge get stuck in your throat?” Luke asked.

Sam opened and shut his mouth—but no words came out. Only the horrible gagging noise.

Luke took a deep breath. Then he dug his fingers into Sam's mouth. Something squirmed beneath his fingers. Something cold and slimy.

Something cold, slimy … and alive.

A
shiver slithered along Luke's spine. He tightened his hold on the slimy thing and pulled.

A dark purple leech slid out of Sam's mouth. Luke gagged, his own throat tightening. He threw the leech on the floor and stomped on it.

Deep red blood squirted out from beneath his shoe.

Sam kept gagging. His eyes began to bulge out.

There is another one in there, Luke thought. “Help!” he cried. “I need help!”

The children stayed back, their eyes wide. Sam clutched Luke's arm. Luke could see Sam's throat convulsing.

Luke shoved his fingers into Sam's gaping mouth. His fingers touched another cold leech feeding on the blood in Sam's throat. Luke tugged hard, his fingers losing their hold on the slick, squirming creature.
He dug his fingers into the leech again and pulled it free.

Sam released a strangled cry. His face darkened to a mottled shade of purple. The same disgusting color of the leech Luke had pulled out of his mouth.

Sam's brothers shoved Luke aside. Luke helplessly watched as they carried Sam into the matron's private car, another leech dangling from his mouth.

Those leeches were in my bowl, Luke realized. I was supposed to eat those leeches. Leah did this to me!

Luke staggered to his feet. He gazed around and spotted Leah. She sat against the far wall, staring through the slats of the boxcar. His legs felt like rubber as he crossed the rattling boxcar toward her.