Red Rain

wipe away the tears that glistened on her face.

“Here. Oh, here. I’m so sorry. Martha sent these. I’m so sorry, Mark.” She pushed the papers at him. Photographs, he saw.

“This is proof?”

She nodded.

He raised the first photo to his face. Black-and-white, very grainy. His eyes focused on a scene of destruction. Fallen houses. Debris everywhere. And then his eyes settled on the two blond boys standing forlornly in the foreground.

“The twins?” He gazed over the photo at her. “Samuel and Daniel? Taken after the hurricane?”

“Oh, Mark.” A long sigh escaped her throat. “Yes. The twins. Taken after the hurricane. . but a different storm, Mark. A different storm. The hurricane of 1935.”

The papers nearly flew from his hand. “Lea, please. You’re not making sense.”

“The second photo, too. I am making sense.” She struggled to pull out the second sheet for him. “Martha is a photo researcher. I told you that. She found these photos from 1935. Then she emailed me, Mark. Yesterday. She emailed me all the details. She found the truth, Mark. You won’t like it, sweetheart. It’s all so sad and horrible. You won’t like it but you have to hear it now.”

Mark took the photo and gazed at the twins standing bare-chested in the midst of the rubble. “I don’t believe it,” he said softly, “but let’s say it’s true. What does it mean, Lea? Tell me.”

She nodded, tangles of hair, wet from tears, falling down the sides of her face. “There’s a ritual on Le Chat Noir. It’s called Revenir. It means return. It’s performed by a priest.” She stopped and pushed his hand away. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not crazy, Mark. I wish I was crazy but I’m not. Just let me finish.”

He took a step back, the photos fluttering in his hand. “Okay. Sorry.”

“The priest who performs the Revenir rite can bring back the dead. It sounds insane but I saw it. I saw it done. I didn’t believe it when I was there. But it’s true. He brings back the dead, Mark. And in that hurricane of 1935, the priest brought back the twins. The twins died in the hurricane, and the priest brought them back. But-”

He grasped her shoulders gently. “Take a breath. I’m listening. I won’t interrupt you. But you’re forgetting to breathe.”

She swallowed. Her chin trembled. More tears glistened in her eyes. “The priest brought the boys back, but he did it all wrong. There were so many deaths to deal with. He messed it up, Mark. He. . he waited too long. The boys were dead too long. And when they came back, they had all of death’s evil in them. They looked the same. They seemed the same. They were alive again, but they were alive with evil.”

What am I going to do? I’ve got to get her to a hospital. I know some doctors who can treat this. I can make some calls.

“The twins came back to life with evil powers, Mark. Hypnotic powers and powers to kill. The priest brought them back from the world of the dead. But he made mistakes. He told Martha he made mistakes. The boys have been the same age since 1935. Martha says they lived by themselves all these years, waiting. . waiting for someone to take them off the island so they could work their evil. And I. . I was the one. I brought them both here. I brought them into our family, our lives, and, and. . I’m the only one who can take them back.”

“Lea, stop. Please. Please stop. Let’s not talk about it anymore. How about that waffle cone? Would that make you feel better?”

Anything to make her stop talking this insane nonsense. Why didn’t I see that she was having a breakdown? How could I not have seen?

“No. It’s too late for ice cream now, honey. Look at the third photo. Martha sent a third photo. I knew what it would show. I mean, I had a strong feeling. But there it is. There’s my proof, Mark. I. . I didn’t want to show it to you. I don’t want to leave. But I don’t have a choice.”

“You’re not leaving. You’re not going anywhere. Stop saying that. I love you. The kids love you. They need you. We won’t let you go anywhere.”

She pushed the papers. “Just look.”

The third photo was in color. It showed a strange-looking man in a red robe. He had a large blue tattoo on the top of his bald head. He had one long-fingered hand raised. . raised over Lea. Yes. He was leaning over Lea, who sat in a chair with her eyes closed, head tilted back.

Mark raised his eyes to her. “What does this prove?”

“I died in Martha Swann’s house. Part of the roof came down in the hurricane. It landed on me, and I died. Martha and James-they knew where to find the priest. They risked their lives out in the storm. They brought him and he performed the Revenir rite on me. I came back, Mark. He brought me back. But I wasn’t the same. Much as I tried, I wasn’t the same. I’ve been obsessed. . obsessed with death. I. . don’t really feel as if I belong here.”

Her shoulders trembled. A sob racked her entire body. “If only I hadn’t brought the twins home, maybe we could have gotten along for a while. Maybe I could have pretended. But. . I ruined our lives. If only. .” Her voice trailed off and she grabbed him and pulled his arms around her and pressed her tear-drenched face against his chest.

He held her tight. The photos fluttered across the pier. He wanted to wrap her up and keep her safe. He knew she could be okay again. Of course she could. The island hurricane had been a terrible trauma. So much horror-it could affect anyone, especially someone as sensitive as Lea.

Her head pressed against him, he saw the twins over her shoulder. He saw them walk past the old colonial windmill near the street and come toward them, down the center of the pier.

Lea turned, as if sensing they were approaching.

The boys strode rapidly side by side, past the Dock House, past the rows of parked cars on both sides, their eyes straight ahead on Mark and Lea. Mark felt Lea shudder.

As the twins drew close, he called to them. “How did you get here? What are you doing here?”

Daniel’s answer came back in his high little-boy’s voice. “We came to hurt you.”

74

Mark studied their faces. Hard, jaws set tight, eyes like frozen blue ponds.

If they were twelve in 1935, they’d be nearly ninety years old.

Ridiculous.

“Come here, boys.” Lea stepped in front of Mark and stretched out her arms. “Come here. How did you find us?”

They hung back. “We saw you at the school, Mum. We followed you here. Pa tried to hurt us. Now we need to hurt Pa.”

Both boys had dark bruises on the sides of their faces.

“Pa did a bad thing,” Samuel said.

“Now, wait-” Mark’s breath caught in his throat. “Let’s put a stop to this right now. Answer me. What did you think you were doing in that school?”

They ignored him, eyes on Lea. “Pa did a bad thing,” Daniel said.

“A bad thing,” Samuel repeated. “Pa hurt us. We were ruling the school. But Pa ruined everything.”

Mark felt his face grow hot. “Stop saying that. I. . had to stop you.”

“Mark had no choice,” Lea told them. She stretched out her arms again. “Come here. I know how hard it’s been for you boys. I know the whole story. Please-come to me. Let me give you a big hug.”

“We can’t have a hug, Mum,” Daniel replied, almost sadly. “We have to hurt Pa now.” He turned to Samuel. “Are you ready, Sammy lad?”

Mark uttered a sharp cry when he saw Samuel’s eyes blaze.

“Move away, Mum,” Daniel warned.

“No. Stop,” Lea protested. “Listen to me, boys. We need to talk. The three of us have to stick together