8.

Martin is taken to a holding cell in an isolated area where he appears to be the only prisoner. Castletown does not see much crime. Its prisons are usually used for alternate activities though on this particular day, it has an inmate.

Despite his complaints and his demands to be informed as to what the hell is going on; Martin is soon left alone in a rather spacious dark cell. The cuffs he had been placed in have been removed as has any and all personal items he had upon him other than the clothes he is wearing. The cell has been locked, and no guards remain anywhere close by.

For the first twenty minutes by himself, Martin paces every inch of that cell, talking to himself, mumbling away like a mad man possessed. That blood, so much blood, who does it belong to? Where is Margret? Why has she not come to him yet? There has to be the belief that she is alive.

Where did Molly vanish to? And who the hell is that stranger? What the hell is that stranger? Martin finally comes to rest. He sits within the cell and brings both his hands to his face and asks himself one more question 'what the hell is going on?'

'And you think you have troubles?' speaks an old and frail sounding voice.

Martin removes his hands from his face and scans all that he can see around him. 'Who said that?' There is no one other than Martin within the cell or within the immediate vicinity. 'I asked ... who said that?'

'I did' speaks that voice.

'Who are you? Where are you?'

'Down here.'

'Down where?'

'Close your eyes.'

'What?'

'I said close your eyes, then count to ten.'

Despite all that has happened and all that is happening, Martin does close his eyes. What the hell? How worse can things get?

'1, 2, 3 ...' he counts, '... 8, 9, 10.'

Once the count is completed, Martin opens his eyes. He is not in his cell or at least if he is then it looks a hell of a lot different than what it did before he began counting. His new surroundings are not unlike that of being like some kind of dark underground cavern, a very dark underground cavern. From out behind a large boulder steps a man, and older scrawny looking man who is not wearing much clothing at all.

'Where are we?' asks Martin.

'Do you not recognize where you are? ... You have been here before; it's not your first trip you know. We are inside your head, deep inside your sub-conscious.'

'You are kidding me, right?'

'If I am then just ask yourself, how did you get here?' ...

Martin digs both his palms into his forehead, more out of stress and disbelief rather than of anything else. He brings his hands down over his eyes which blocks all view of everything around him. Once his hands come down off his face, Martin finds himself back in the cell he had been brought to.

There is no dark underground cavern. There is no one in the immediate vicinity, no old man, and there is no voice speaking to him. Martin is alone.

'I'm losing it' he says. 'There is no other way ... I've lost my mind.'

9.

'Where are we going?' asks Molly taking Matthew by the hand.

'We are going somewhere safe young lady. Just think of it as going on a little vacation' says Matthew beginning to move slowly.

It's dark all around; quite dark, so dark in fact that Matthew and Molly would be covered in complete darkness if it weren't for a doorway up ahead of them. From all around or more precisely within the frame of that door it is clear to see there is light on the other side, a strong bright white light.

'I wanna bring Polly-Anna, I have lost her. I don't want to go anywhere without her.'

'We will find her on the other side of that there door, I promise.'

Matthew's whole demeanour comes across so gently that Molly has no problem trusting him. She has no idea of what it is that is happening but then again, she wouldn't be the only one.

'Where are mum and dad?'

'You will see them again and that is another promise, it may take a little while, but you will see them, right now we need to look after each other. Will you help look after me?'

'Sure, as long as well can have some jelly an ice-cream I will.'

'That, little lady, is a deal.'

The door opens outwards. Molly and Matthew pass the threshold and walk right into that bright white light.

'I like you' Molly tells her friend.

'Ah, thank you, young miss. I am so glad to hear that.'

***

Every town has its nosey neighbours and Castletown is no exception. Lexi, the closest neighbour to the MacDonald household, had observed Martin's arrest. This is not the only thing she observed about the house next door. She watched as people came and went, she watched as evidence was collected. She continued to observe long after the house had been sealed off and completely vacated.

Completely vacated it should have been though at a time that Lexi had been sure that the place had been empty of all life, something caught her eye. Police tape may have cordoned off the building as a whole but inside the house there was movement. Lexi couldn't completely make out what was happening. She was sure that something was indeed going on inside the MacDonald home. Someone was most definitely in there.

Lexi couldn't resist. She had to go investigate. This is something she knew she shouldn't do, however, maybe this is something she is supposed to do, something she is meant to do. Lexi could always call authorities and alert them to such activity being sure that it isn't the authorities themselves there, but then again, there would be no fun in that.

The police tape would not hinder any attempt at making an entrance and it would not take long for Lexi to make her way into the house.

'Hello' she speaks as she enters. '... Anyone home?'

Of course, she knew that the house should be empty, but her observations had told her otherwise. Indeed, this in the biggest part of why she is here at this particular moment. Gaining access to the home would not come with difficulty. Once inside, something very quickly became apparent.

There is a coldness to the place, not just an eeriness that could give anyone the shivers but an actual drop in temperature in relation to the surroundings. Maybe what is within this house is something that does not belong, something that should not belong, but belong it does. Her clothing is sleeveless, and her breath stretches out before her, still Lexi makes her way forward despite being sure that she is not alone.

If there is something odd about the town as a whole, then that would be something she has not been let in on. She has been here all her life so certain oddities seen natural, as if it were the same in most any other town. Her awareness that something is off, has her doing what she is doing right now.

The kitchen is like something taken straight from a slasher movie, enough scandal to keep the nosiest of neighbour occupied for a long time. Certainly, there is something more than just being nosey that has Lexi here in this moment. Unfortunately for Lexi, there is something else other than the thoughts of what is or what could be, to keep her occupied.

With having spent her whole life in Castletown, she should have expected everything and anything that could be classed as the unexpected to be a possibility in any surrounding. Odd it is, with her life being here and what it is, there is a kind of separateness to it too. She is from this town though she has always felt she doesn't quite belong.

This scene here in the neighbour's house, it could belong anywhere such with life ... and death ... being what it is. Thing is, it is not just anywhere, it is right here in Castletown, and right next door to Lexi.

Could such a time before her current life began be taken into consideration as to a possible explanation to this particular moment? Her past life, if she had one, and surely, she must have had, ... what did it look like? Perhaps such a thing is why she is not in on what everyone else seems to be in on.

'Oh my' she speaks realizing the current position that she is in.