“You are correct, Rachel. I’m not sure. All I knew was that the people in the area said she was a witch and I needed to deal with her carefully. I tried but she didn’t seem to care for my style of care at all. I will say that storm that brewed seemed to come from nowhere and had a life of its own.”
“She wanted a husband for her daughter,” said Quentin. “There is nothing more powerful than a mother trying to unload an eligible daughter.”
“You speak like a man who has been there,” said Rachel.
“I guess I have,” he nodded. “I was stationed in Okinawa and met a beautiful young Japanese woman. We went out to dinner a few times and I even had dinner with her family once. But I never suspected that it would be more than just fun.
“We did nothing intimate. We held hands, we kissed, but she gave no indication she had any interest in me beyond a night out now and then. When I was returning stateside, I went to say goodbye and her mother asked why I wasn’t taking her with me.
“I spent hours trying to explain that it wasn’t possible. I couldn’t marry someone I didn’t truly love and the paperwork required for that would take months. She threatened to tell my superiors that I’d been inappropriate with her daughter.”
“Oh, wow. I’m so sorry, Quentin. What happened?” asked Rachel.
“Fortunately, the girl was honest and refused to do what her mother asked of her. I left a few days later but heard from another Marine that the mother eventually married her off to an American service member. I have no idea if they’re happy or not.”
“We could find out,” said Chief.
“No. No, she was a nice girl but that’s all. Hopefully, it all worked out for her.”
“This is it,” said Hezekiah. “This is the cabin.”
“What do you mean? How could you know this is the cabin that Harmon lived in?” asked Chief.
“Because it’s the cabin that the witch lived in. It’s bigger now but it’s definitely the same cabin.”
“Shit,” muttered Chief. “We may be dealing with things so far out of our control we can’t even see it. We need to talk to Irene and Matthew.”
“Let’s focus on getting these samples first,” said Rachel. “Everyone wear their respirators, protective eyewear and suits. I have no clue if anything here is airborne, absorbed into the skin, or how it affects those near to it.”
“You won’t get an argument from me,” said Quentin. Hezekiah nodded at the group.
“I suppose it won’t matter for me. Just tell me what you need me to do.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Wait. The house that Harmon was living in was once the house of the witch that cursed Hezekiah?” asked Cam.
“One and the same,” said Chief staring at the room of people. “He said it was larger but definitely the same cabin. I don’t know why he didn’t get sick before from the smell. It was pretty disgusting.”
“He was probably so used to it he never noticed,” said Luke. “I don’t know. I’ve worked in the oil fields for our own company over the years and smelled some powerful smells. We’ve all been exposed to hazardous chemicals, dead bodies, and just all-around putrid odors but we always knew what it was. This is something we’ve never seen before.”
“Luke, you called for us,” said Matthew walking in with Irene.
“We did, Grandpa. Thank you for coming. Our man that we believe was the first with this virus lives in an old cabin out in the bayou. The same cabin as the witch who cursed Hezekiah.”
“You don’t say,” said Irene calmly.
“Grandma? What do you know about this?” he asked.
“Now, why do you always assume I know somethin’. All I knew was that he lived out in the bayou and possibly might have been livin’ in the place that Beryl lived.”
“Beryl? You know the name of the witch, Irene. This doesn’t look good for you,” smirked Cam.
“Sugar,” she said biting her lip. “I’m gettin’ slow in my old age. Beryl was said to be a powerful witch that could manipulate nature, weather, that sorta thing. How she got Hezekiah into that mirror I’ll never know. It musta been somethin’ new she was trying.”
“Well, she was very good at it,” said Hezekiah.
“Irene, do you know anything about the red algae that came ashore during that storm?” asked Kennedy. “Whatever it is, was, it mixed with the tar and caused some sort of mutation or chemical reaction. It’s what has made others sick and until we find a way to neutralize it, we have to keep everyone away from the area.”
