The Protector

"Relax, Meredith, we're only going to be here a few days. There's nothing to worry about."

Jacqueline Donald's voice failed to reassure her friend, Meredith McIntyre as they were lugging their suitcases up to the motel room door. The motel was a family-owned business, with the owner's sons, Taggart and Daryl as the heirs.

The two girls were fresh graduates of high school, enjoying a summer vacation they had been longing for in years. Jacqueline had her eyes on the late owner's two sons, who were currently running the motel. Meredith preferred to concentrate on her vacation rather than boys.

The air was clean and fresh, as if the summer in the mountains cleansed the countryside for them with its morning dew. The spring rains had done plenty to release the fresh pure pine tree smell in the air. The motel was nestled in the heart of the pine trees, its shabby paint matching the color of the pine needles strewn on the forest floor. Summer in northern Arizona was a far cry from the desert in the southern regions.

Meredith stopped on the way up the walkway, noting the deathly quiet of the forest. The only noises she heard were the squirrels chewing on pine cone seeds and dropping them when finished. Not even the slight wind was heard. Meredith breathed deeply, trying to slow down her racing heart.

"It's too quiet.'" Meredith told her friend, who grinned. Jacqueline was eager to explore the trails leading into and out of the forest. "Relax. Halloween's not until a few months yet. We'll have lots of fun here. Just imagine: parties out by the lake, bonfires, the whole works! This is what summer is all about. And besides, "she added, her grin becoming mischievous, "we'll have those two hunks to stare at all summer long."

Meredith returned her grin. "Yes. What could go wrong here?" She hoisted her backpack further up on her shoulder and followed Jacqueline inside the motel room door. They had checked in at the lobby first. Taggart Anderson had been on duty, a college grad who's major was hotel management. His brother Daryl had majored in forestry. Taggart had greeted them as the two girls entered.

"Hi, there. How can I help you two lovely ladies?"

Meredith had seemed uneasy, while Jacqueline took over. "We'd like a room with two beds please. Uh, preferably close to the lake."

"Wouldn't want it too close."

Meredith wondered aloud. "Uh, why not?"

Taggart had looked at both of them with some reserve. "Legends are around here that many years ago, an old woman came here who was said to possess powers beyond the human imagining. She was known as the ‘Protector'. No one knows what she was protecting though. Dad would say that she was protecting the lake. But that's speculation only. No one really knows."

Taggart gave them a heart-stopping grin. "They're just myth. No one has seen her for decades. I don't think she's even alive."

He had finished booking them, and he had handed the girls their motel keys. When he handed Meredith hers, his fingers brushed hers slightly, and she had looked up into piercing sky-blue eyes. Their gaze had held for seconds, and then Meredith had broken it off, and silently left. Jacqueline later teased Meredith about it.

Meredith shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. Her gaze shifted to the lake nearby, the gentle ripples were both inviting and taunting. The water itself seemed to say to her, Come child, come find out my secrets... Meredith shivered as the wind picked up. Who was the Protector? What had happened here all those years ago?

Chapter 2

The watcher stayed in the woods, hiding behind a tree, lest her presence was detected. Two girls were there at the motel, two children who needed a maternal presence. Yes, the watcher decided, these girls needed protection. The watcher smiled, a small smile hidden among the lines of time on the face. The smile did not touch the eyes, the cold blue murky eyes watching the girls' every move.

Meredith raced along the trail to the lake, clutching her yellow one-piece bathing suit in one hand. Jacqueline "Jackie" was a few steps ahead of her, clenching a red bikini in her fist. When they got to the lake, the girls hurried behind a few trees in a competition to see who could get in the water first. The winner was Meredith, having been on the school swim team, second place in the state championship.

"Mer, no fair! I'll beat you next time!" Jackie's voice carried over the slightly murky water. Meredith splashed Jackie, then dove underneath, and surprised her by coming up under her, lifting her out of the water, and tossing her up and away. Jackie came up coughing and laughing at the same time.

"Don't choke, Jackie. I don't want to have to do CPR on you. People might think we're more than friends."

Jackie breathed a few breaths before replying. "I don't think you'll have any problem. I'm better now, thanks."

Meredith inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." She noticed Jackie's gaze linger in one direction. Meredith was about to turn around, when she heard a male voice behind her.

"Hey there." It was Taggart, kneeling on the pier in tropic motif shorts, grinning down at them, his blue eyes seeming to burn into Meredith.

"Where's Daryl?" Meredith heard Jackie ask.

"He's working his shift at the lobby. Can I join you?" Meredith's heart raced. Even in the water, her mouth felt dry. This nice guy asking them something like that was every girl's dream.

"Um, sure, come in."

He jumped in the water, making waves in the lake. He came up, tossing his wet hair while the girls giggled at the sight. He swam in between them, splashing, dunking, and trying to do back-flips underwater.

"Yo, Tag!"

All three of them stopped in their play. Daryl was there, holding his keys in his hand. He was standing on the pier, smiling. "I have to run to the store really quick, and I left Tabitha to guard the register. So, whenever you're done here, would you check on her periodically while I'm gone?"

"Sure we could."

"Yeah."

"How long would you be gone?"

Daryl shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe twenty, thirty minutes. I'll try to hurry back."

With that, Daryl walked back to his truck, whistling. The three of them watched him go, and then resumed their play.

Chapter 3

Taggart threw Meredith up in the air, as Jackie yelled, "Me next! Me next!"After Meredith came up, she wiped her eyes. "Hey, guys? Where is Daryl?"

The other two stopped their playing. "He should have been back by now. I'm worried."

Taggart started to swim to the pier. "I'll go see where he is."

The two girls followed suit. Jackie allowed Meredith to go first, and then she climbed up. The girls got dressed in their clothes, and then followed Taggart back to the motel. Tabitha was there, working the register.

"Thank you, have a good day." She told a tourist, who smiled and curtly nodded to the three who came in.

"Hello, Mr. Anderson."

Taggart put both hands on the counter. "Tabby, have you see Daryl at all?"

She frowned. "Not since he left me to guard the register. He's probably at the store making eyes at the clerks."

Taggart nodded. "Probably. Could you try his cell anyway?"

Tabitha reached for the phone. "Sure thing."

He waited while she dialed. He waited for a few seconds more while she left a voicemail message.

Tabitha put doen the phne. "I'm sure he'll call back, Mr. Anderson. I'll notify you when he does."

"Thanks, Tabby."

"Anytime!"

Back at the lake, Jackie and Taggart were horsing around, while Meredith noticed something down below on the lake floor. Taking a deep breath, she dove under, reaching for the object. Bringing it back up, she tossed it on the pier.

Jackie screamed when she saw it. It was a skull, an old ancient one by its look, its sightless eyes staring back at them.

"Good Lord, Meredith! Where'd you find that?!" Taggart wanted to know.

Meredith pointed down below them. "Down there. I think there's more." A split second later, Jackie was climbing onto shore, screaming in panic. Taggart followed suit, with Meredith closely behind. Jackie was still panicked, crying now. Meredith felt frustrated as she tried to calm her friend down.

"It's a freaking skull! Someone died here! That lake is a grave!"

"Jackie, be calm. We don't know if it's real or fake. What we'll do is take it to the police station, and see what they could do with it. Okay? All right?"

As soon as Jackie was calm, Taggart told the girls, "You two get dressed, and I'll get the car. We'll meet at the lobby."

With a plan in mind, Jackie headed off to the motel, leaving Meredith to wrap up the skull in her t-shirt.

At the police station, Meredith went up to the secretary. "I need to see an available officer, please."

The secretary was busily typing away on her computer. "Is this an emergency?"

"Yes, it is." Meredith told her quietly.

"It will be a few moments."

Meredith muttered a "thank you" while heading back to the seats. Minutes later, an officer introduced himself as Officer Stone.

"I heard there was an emergency?" Taggart stood up. "Hi, I'm Taggart Anderson of the Pine Lake Motel, just a ways from here. Meredith found a skull in the lake."

They could tell the officer was thinking deeply. "A skull? An actual skull?"

"Yes. We want to see if it's fake. You know pranksters and all, maybe a leftover from Halloween last year."

"Okay, I'll need to question all of you on this matter, and I'll take it to the lab."

Taggart nodded. "Thank you, Officer. We'll cooperate in any way we can."

Hours later, the lab results came in: the skull was real. It actually belonged to a man named Henry Johnson, who had been married four times back in the early 1900s. The story was, he had met an untimely demise while swimming in the lake. Officer Stone relayed this information to Meredith, Jackie and Taggart.

Officer Stone questioned them each in turn, and then spoke quietly with the D.A. They were released, providing that they notify him of any further developments. Jackie was quiet on the way back to the motel. She was no longer in shock, but withdrawn. Meredith worried about her friend. Taggart was driving a rented car, with Meredith in the passenger seat, Jackie in the back.

Meredith broke the silence between her and Taggart. "Tell me more about this Protector. Why do they call her that?"

Taggart glanced in the rearview mirror at Jackie before responding. "It was said that over a hundred years ago, there was a woman who took in young abused girls. She vowed to protect them from their abusers, just like her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother had done. It was also said that she kills those who abused her girls, throwing the bodies in the lake."

"That must be it. The Protector must have killed that guy, Mr. Johnson. But that alos means she must have killed Daryl."

Taggart frowned. "But what reason would she have to kill my brother?"

Meredith thought aloud. "You said she kills her girls' abusers."

"Yes. Why?"

"Maybe, since she thinks she's protecting them, so she kills the boys before they have a chance to do anything whether good or bad."

Taggart's breathing started to get ragged. "So... she's protecting you and Jackie."

"Yeah." Meredith breathed. "And she would kill just to protect us."

The watcher wiped the knife clean on the dead man's jeans. The man they had called Daryl now lay dead in a secret location, unknown to the rest of those in the motel. She couldn't throw the body in the lake like she had done with many before, not now. They had discovered Mr. Johnson's skull. No telling what else they might fid. She couldn't let them find Daryl. Not here, not now. She must get rid of the rest. She must do her duty as Protector.

That night, Officer Stone was at his desk, organizing papers. Clippings about the sightings of the mythical ‘Protector' littered his desk. He held up a clipping to the light. The headline read ‘Protector Seen Once Again: A Hoax or Reality?'

He skimmed over it, his eyes coming to rest on the blurred photo. He then noticed a shadow on the wall.

"Hello?" he called out. Silence. He stood up, flicked his flashlight on. Nothing. Coming around the desk, he examined the room carefully. Still nothing. His breathing slowed down, trying to slow his racing heart. Then he turned around. He saw an old woman, her eyes sunken, hair like strings.

He blinked and she was gone. "You idiot, you're just imagining things." Before he knew it, she had clamped her hand over his mouth to silence his scream. In the morning, they found his flashlight, covered in blood on the floor two feet from Stone's desk.

Chapter 4

Meredith picked up the phone when it rang. "Hello?"

The voice on the other line answered. "This is Officer Phillips of the Police Department."

"Yes, Officer, what is it? Anything wrong?"

There was a sigh. Then: "I'm sorry to say, but Officer Stone is dead."

Meredith sank on the bed. "Oh no. What happened?"

"We're investigating right now. But I personally think this is related to Mr. Daryl's death."

Meredith nodded. "It's too much of a coincidence. Are you going to take over Officer Stone's case?"

"I will have to. I'll be driving out there in about a half-hour. I know it sounds cliché, but sit tight, and I will be right there."

"Thank you Officer. I'll see you then." After she hung up, she went to the bathroom to try and compose herself. After she washed her face, she looked back up in the mirror...and screamed.

Jackie and Taggart burst into the room. "What is it?" "What's wrong?" Meredith's face was white. She pointed at the mirror. "A -- a woman. She was in the mirror."

"An old woman?" Meredith nodded emphatically. Taggart's face clouded. Jackie's face went ashen.

"All right, both of you start packing. I'll get the car started. We're leaving this place." Meredith and Jackie exchanged glances and then started to do so.

Officer Phillips was driving along the road, dreading the dark clouds that promised rain. Returning his attention to the road, he gasped in surprise. There was an old woman standing there. Phillips swerved hard to avoid her, but his front wheels caught a pothole. The car flipped over and landed hard on its side. Phillips was only stunned for a few minutes

Upon waking up, he saw the old woman bending over him, with a bloody knife in her hand. That was the last thing Phillips saw as he screamed in terror.

"Hurry up, Meredith! We don't the rain to slow us down!" Taggart offered encouragement to the girls. Meredith had been the last one to put her luggage in the car. Jackie jumped into the back seat, while Meredith hopped into the passenger seat.

The rain had started to fall, the sky a dark grey. Taggart furiously worked the manual transmission, trying hard to forget and leave the family-owned business his father had inherited from his paternal grandmother. The car spun on the road, the dirt was already slick and muddy with the rain.

Meredith was in the front passenger seat, Jackie was in the back. Taggart kept flashing glances in the rearview mirror, his face mirroring the sky above. At the end of the road, just three miles before it turned into the highway, Meredith screamed. There was the old woman standing in the middle of the road, blocking their way.

"Hang on!" Taggart yelled to the girls, as he swerved. The car crashed into a tree. Meredith hit her forehead on the dashboard, and upon straightening up, she saw Taggart was knocked out, blood coming from his left temple. Meredith turned around and saw Jackie was okay.

"Jackie, get out! Taggart's hurt!" Jackie was already on her way doing so. Meredith tested her door. She was relieved when she found she could get out. Together, the two girls pulled Taggart out, a dead weight on their shoulders.

"Hurry, Jackie, she's coming!" Meredith called frantically to her friend, who was supporting the other side. Both girls tried hard to get away from the woman, but were too late. Meredith and Jackie both stopped when they saw the old woman was there in front of them, bloody knife in hand.

"No, no, no, no." Meredith heard herself whimper. "Oh, you wouldn't." Jackie got in between them and the old woman, leaving Meredith to bend over a crumpled Taggart. As soon as he had landed, he moaned in pain. The old woman glanced down at him, then at the two girls, her sunken eyes studying them.

"You are not going to kill him. He is a good man." Jackie told her. "You hear me? He's good. He won't hurt us."

The woman did not answer, nor show any emotion. In a flash, she was standing by Taggart's body, knife raised. Meredith tried to stop her as the knife came down, but the old woman merely took her am and flipped Meredith away. She rolled away, landing on her back.

It was now up to Jackie. Seeing the knife come down, it was like slow motion. Jackie ran forward, and flung herself atop Taggart just as the woman came down with it. Meredith was stunned at the sight. Jackie was lying on her stomach on top of Taggart with the knife protruding from between her shoulder blades. Her blood soaked Taggart, as well the dirt under them. The old woman stood up, sunken eyes showing confusion. She stared at Meredith, who had crawled back to the bodies of Taggart and Jackie, tears rolling down her face.

"Don't you see, not all men are bad? There are some good ones out there, some really good ones. And Taggart was one of them."

The old woman knelt down next to Meredith. She was shocked to hear the woman speak.

"Child," the woman wheezed, "you are right. He is good. So he lives." Wrenching the knife out of Jackie's dead body, the woman held it in her hand a moment. As Meredith watched, the knife dissipated into thin air, and the old woman stood up.

"The attic, child," the old woman told Meredith, "Look in the attic."

"I will."

As Meredith watched, the old woman walked away towards the woods, where she disappeared into thin air. The rains ceased, and the sky became clearer. Meredith rolled Jackie's body off of Taggart, who groaned louder.

"What happened?"

"We vanquished the Protector, that's what happened."

Taggart frowned. "But how?" Meredith glanced towards Jackie. "A girl sacrificed herself for a boy."

"Jackie?"

Meredith nodded, tears still flowing. Taggart wrapped her in a hug. "At least I still have you." He whispered, which made Meredith smile.

Flagstaff Daily News

July 14th

BREAKING NEWS: Bodies found in historic Pine Lake!

Officers from the Flagstaff Police Department confirmed Thursday that they have found over fifteen whole and partial skeletons in the Pine Lake outside of the Pine Lake motel. The historic motel was once used as a boarding house for abused girls, teenagers, and adult women. Current owner Taggart Anderson told the Flagstaff Daily News that earlier, police found the mutilated body of his brother, Daryl Anderson in the attic.

The original owner of the motel, then known as the McIntyre Hollow was Mrs. Morgan McIntyre, herself an abused wife. She took it upon herself to shelter and rescue abused women and abused girls, sometimes as young as infants. However, further evidence indicates Mrs. McIntyre was mentally ill, as proven by her compulsion for revenge by brutally killing her girls' abusers.

The list of her victims still remains incomplete, however, the Flagstaff police department promises to release a compilation of names and histories of the victims by the end of August. Watch this column for more on the developing story.

A week later, Meredith was humming to herself as she was helping Taggart sort through old boxes in the attic. She had told Taggart about the Protector's message, wondering what it meant. She picked up a box that had the initials M.M on the front.

"Taggart, look at this." She held up the folder, showing him the initials.

"Well, open it."

"Okay." Meredith did, and she gasped. The front piece of paper was an old photo, of a very young woman surrounded by small girls and teenagers. The names were unfamiliar to her until one caught her eye: Morgan McIntyre.

"Any relation?" Unable to speak, she nodded. "That's-that's my great-aunt, on my father's side."

She heard Taggart whistle low in response. Then, "Whoa, take a look here!"

"What?"

"A deed to the motel. Take a look at the signatures at the bottom." Meredith saw where he pointed. She smiled. "She signed everything over to your grandmother. So the motel originally belonged in my family, then it was transferred to yours."

Taggart nodded. "So, therefore, the motel is technically ours. I mean," he stuttered when he caught Meredith's sharp glance, "our families owned it, so being technical --"

"I'd like that." Meredith cut him off.

"You would?"

"Yes."

Taggart grinned, his piercing blue eyes now a sky blue. "I'd like that too."

Far below them, the police department was draining the lake, exclamations carrying in the wind every time someone caught a whole bone or a fragment of one. Crowds of reporters were out there as well, taking pictures of the goings-on. Soon the stories and legends would be in the papers once more.

In the shadows of the shoreline, a very young woman watched them. She fingered the pocket in her dress where a knife was hidden. Knowing it was safe, she then transferred her attention to the brooch pinned over her heart, tracing the letters stitched on it with fingertips stained brown with dirt and dried blood: M. M.

THE END

Bio: Amber Douglas makes her home in Sierra Vista, AZ with her husband and two cats. She has written some stories, a few shorts, and a novel. Currently, this is her first published story.

E-mail: Amber Douglas

Comment on this story in the Aphelion Forum

Return to Aphelion's Index page.