Halloween I.F. – “Going Dark” – Day 14

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Fern was abruptly feeling not exactly good about this conversation. They swallowed, considering hanging up—but not taking advantage of the offer felt even more foolish than actually doing so.

“Tick tock,” Bannick said. “We don’t love dead air on the radio.”

So was there a time limit? Or was Bannick just implying there was one to try to needle Fern? Either way, they didn’t want to push their luck with him. “Okay,” Fern said. There was one way to buy time about questions to ask—and to guide them toward some questions they could ask. “What piece of advice do you feel might be most important to me in this moment?”

Bannick laughed at that. They found themself imagining a grin, though on what face, they couldn’t say. “Great question. There are four possible threats in your cottage right now, my dear Guy. One of them has been active from the beginning, but not able to reach you…yet. You have enabled another two to act directly. The fourth you haven’t, yet. That’s the background to the advice. So, here’s the actual advice: If you try to do this without any help, that first threat will definitely get you. It’s only a matter of time. I’d suggest you court one or more of the other threats so they want to help you, not to harm you. Mind, their reach is limited and they are technically subservient to the first. But none of them like that first threat, and that’s something to build off of.”

Four threats?? Fern swallowed hard. They felt almost like they were somewhere else, not in this room at all, a space where only they and the radio existed. Bannick’s laugh echoed out at them and they jolted. Their heart was racing too fast but—

It felt a little nice, to get their heart racing again.

“Tick tock,” Bannick repeated, a smile in his voice.

Questions, questions. “And, if this area you’re an expert of is relevant to what I’m doing, why is it relevant?”

“Oh, that’s a careful one,” he said approvingly, almost a purr. “One question, but it covers the area itself by proxy, what you’re specifically doing, and why. See, this is why I think we could be friends, Guy, even if you’ve been trying to keep yourself so carefully a secret from me. You like asking questions like that and I like dropping tidbits of information throughout everything I say to see if you pick up on it.”

Somehow, despite themself, Fern grinned, hardly able to believe the expression they were feeling on their face. “Glad you approve. So?”

“So, it’s relevant because you were holding the key to release the final threat. Or friend. Thriend. Really, which they end up being is up to you at this point, I think.”

Meaning that what Bannick was an expert in was the four threats in this cottage. “I could just leave, you know,” they said, careful not to phrase it like a question in any way. 

“Not very easily,” Bannick said casually. “That one’s a freebie. I’ve already hijacked your phone. Your friend won’t get any further texts, and your brother’s call got answered already today, though you didn’t realize it. He sounds nice, by the way.”

“He’s married,” Fern said, their mind almost blank otherwise, static thrilling through and horrifying them. 

“Cool, does he have a sibling?”

They let out an incredulous laugh. “What…”

“Tick tock. One last question, Guy,” Bannick said lightly. “I’m so glad you called in, I’m having just so much fun.”

Their mouth was so dry. It was hard to think, to hear. The sound of the radio was so intense. Was this a joke? A bad prank, played by someone who surely knew they were alone in this cottage? They felt unwell. They felt hungry. They felt excited.

They tried to find sense through their whirling thoughts. “Are you—the supernatural entity who was contacting me through the mirror, and who I released from the tree?”

“Nope,” Bannick said, sharply. Then, his voice more sympathetic, he added: “Ah, since I owe you, I’ll not trick you this time, though I could just have left it at that. Let’s call the debt fully paid with this. It’s only a ‘no’ because you made the mistake of thinking those two are the same supernatural entity. In terms of contact, that’s through the radio, we’re doing it right now. But you could go downstairs and check that mirror or the tree if you think that’d be a valuable thing to do. No skin off my neck whatever you choose to do.”

Fern almost sat down heavily, but forced themself to lock their knees. They didn’t want to sit on that fourth threat’s bed, suddenly. “Bannick—”

“Now, that aside, any radio requests? We’re through our approved list of questions and-or advice, listeners, so it’s time for a little music again,” Bannick crooned. 

“Oh. Sure. We’re being normal now,” Fern said aloud, not filtering their thoughts, which earned a cackle from Bannick. “Something from… Lully, Charpentier, Couperin, or Rameau?”

“What, all four?” Bannick asked cheerfully. “Let’s start with Lully. I don’t like sacred music much—did you know Lully’s Te Deum actually killed him? Figures—so let’s do something more theatrical. All right, listeners, this is Armide: Act V, Scene 3: Il est Seul…”

As the music started up, Fern thumbed the phone off. They shoved it back into their pocket, trying not to think the word hijacked over and over again. 

So. This was happening. It was real. Or it wasn’t, and Bannick would be back with a show later tonight, and laugh about how scared Fern had been for the rest of the day. (That was what they were feeling, right? Fear? They weren’t sure.) But if it wasn’t real, how did Bannick know they’d found a key? Or that they had a brother and a friend, both of whom could come get them? And Bannick had mentioned a pine tree earlier. Fern didn’t think they’d described which tree had been spiked.

Slowly, they put the tools back in their pocket. Maybe holding onto those was a very good idea, yeah. They weren’t sure they wanted to sleep with a nasty old iron spike later tonight, but, like, at this point: maybe? Though, since it was barely afternoon, that was a long way off.

After a moment, they looked at the key they’d found, trying to decide if they should do it. If they should open the lock on the wardrobe, which it clearly fit, and ‘enable’ the final threat, or not? 

And either way, what the hell should they do now?

[Comment below with a suggestion for Fern.

Eta: Disclosure! Since posting, I slightly edited the paragraph
starting with “Nope” due to being vaguer than I meant to be!]

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