“I bet you don’t,” Steph laughed.
Liam threw his head back and began laughing. They seemed really comfortable around each other, like they’ve known one another forever. A tiny bit of jealousy swelled, but I pushed it away. What does it matter anyway?
“I’ll move my tent next to hers,” he stated. “And if a storm’s on the way, I better do it fast. It sucks setting up in storms.”
Steph agreed and I followed Liam out of the tent. I was definitely not looking forward to the storm. Forget the fact that no planes can get to us, I’ll be stuck in a tent in the middle of Alaska with the rains pounding and winds blasting. Things just kept getting better.
We stepped onto the deck, and I noticed a group congregating where we’d left Luke. Mike, who was one of the CLs, looked over at Liam and nodded. He must have figured out it was a worthy KO.
“Why don’t you stay inside with Steph while I go move my tent? I’ll put your tarp up too. I think it’s a nasty system, whatever it is.”
“Yeah. It’s freezing.” I nodded and went back inside the yurt.
“Doing okay?” Steph asked.
“Been better.” I sat on a camp chair while she messed with the stove.
“I can imagine… did you want to talk about it?”
I felt bad. I actually didn’t want to talk about it. There never seemed to be much to say. I was pinning everything on escaping.
“Just looking forward to going away to college and putting everything behind me,” I said at long last.
“I completely understand that one,” she agreed, taking a seat next to me.
“What made you sign up for this?” I asked.
“Volunteering with ReBoot?” she paused. “Well, I’m studying Psychology, and I thought it would be interesting exposure. Liam heard they were looking for a woman camp leader because of Chelsea and you so I applied. It’ll look good for graduate school, I suppose.”
“So you live up here too?” I questioned.
“No. I’m from the lower 48. I just visited Liam during the summers.” Her eyes smiled as she looked like she was remembering some happy memories. I recognized the look from when I thought about my dad.
She slowly kicked her legs out. “Liam said that this was going to be his last year here so if I wanted to do it, now was my shot. There’s no way he’d let me be here unless he was around. He’s very protective that way.” She laughed and turned to me. “But I think you saw that about him already.”
So she and Liam had to have dated at some point or maybe still were. A tiny bit of disappointment grew inside.
Steph must’ve caught the look in my eyes because she began laughing.
“We’re cousins, Emma.” And she kept laughing. “I’d recognize that look anywhere.”
“What look?” I demanded, feeling my face flush.
Steph watched as I fidgeted in my chair and finally gave up. I’d been caught.
“It’s not like that,” I insisted. “Besides, the criminal life isn’t really my thing.”
Steph was now completely rolled over in laughter, and I just felt myself getting more frustrated and embarrassed.
“Well, Liam will be disappointed to hear you say that,” she said finally calming down a little. “On that note, I think it’s time to go get dinner. Dan was grilling salmon and some vegetables last I saw. The quicker we eat, the sooner we can hunker down before the storm hits. I’ve only been through a few summer storms, and they’re never enjoyable.”
I followed her lead and walked out the door, not realizing my life would never be the same after tonight.
ChapterFour
By the time I had finished dinner, the wind was blowing with such violent force that everyone quickly dispersed back to their tents without saying a word. Liam asked me to wait so he could help the CLs put everything away. He wanted to walk me back to our tents so I agreed. They were locking everything up in the bear-proof (if there were such a thing) containers with such speed I knew the weather had them concerned. They also had to haul them way up into the air, lodging them on the bear-proof platforms high in the trees.
A branch cracked, falling with a thud against the ground. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I looked around quickly, trying to gauge if the trees around my tent might catapult limbs toward me during my sleep, and unfortunately the answer I came up with was of course they could. The branches continued to dance and shake with each new gust of wind. A mist began filling the air, and I hugged myself tightly wishing I could just run to my tent now before I got completely drenched.
“All done,” Liam yelled to Caleb, strapping the lid on the last giant box where the cooking pans were kept.
“Awesome, thanks,” Caleb yelled, along with something else I couldn’t hear because of the gushing in my ear.
The rain began to pour as I watched Liam trudge over to me.
“Ready?” Liam asked, holding out his hand.
“This is going to be a long night,” I shouted, hoping I could be heard over the wind.
Liam nodded and helped navigate us toward our tents. Every so often a dim glow from a tent would help guide the way.
“Does this happen often?” I asked.
“Not quite like this… but yeah. We get stormy weather in the summer.”
It was getting more and more difficult to march through the soil that was already saturated from the heavy downpour. Every step I took resulted in my boot getting sucked back in the ground, and the longer I took trying to pull my foot out of the mud the worse it got for us both.
“You got it,” Liam said, helping to pull me through the muck. “You’ve got to twist your foot as you take the next step so that you stop the mud from—”
And then it happened. My foot finally became free and just as I was about to take another step a giant gust of wind blew me down face first into the mud.
“Shit,” Liam muttered.
I attempted to move my arms, but the suctioning only got worse every time I wiggled. Liam’s strong hands quickly gripped my underarms and scooped me up from the mud with a big sucking and slurping sound as my face and chest became unglued from the mess below.
“Thank you,” I said, but then regretted it as the grit fell into my mouth.
Liam smiled widely and lifted me into his arms.
“You owe me one,” he muttered close to my ear, making my stomach flutter. “This was my favorite shirt.”
He got us to our tents and set me on the ground. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I realized how closely he’d placed the opening of his tent to the opening of mine. There was a slight hallway between the two and that was it.
Liam reached over and unzipped my door.
“I thought it would it be best if I kept an eye on things.” His usually cocky demeanor was turned down a notch. His eyes darkened, but as he caught me staring, I almost detected a slight amount of embarrassment as I stared at the tight space.
“Thanks,” I replied, climbing into my tent. There was a hanging lantern that I switched on. Liam must have hung it when he dropped off the sleeping bag and pillows. That was nice of him.
I heard him zip the door of his own tent and let out a sigh. Where to even begin?
I spun around in my tent and the loneliness soaked deep inside of me. My sleeping bag was unrolled on top of a skinny camping mat along the left side. The two pillows were placed on top of the red, fluffy bag. In addition to several flashlights, my duffle and backpack were the only other things inside the tent. I had brought several books, including my favorite collection of Edgar Allen Poe, but I doubted they’d last long. I’d probably inhale the books in a matter of days. But I was so dirty I didn’t even want to open the duffle. I’d ruin anything my fingers managed to touch. The mud was plastered on my face and stuck in my hair. I had no idea how to even begin cleaning myself off. I was in a tent with no running water.
The sides of my tent rippled with each gust of wind, and the tarp flapped against the tent. I saw Liam’s lantern flick on and felt
strangely comforted by it.
I unzipped my sweatshirt and took it off. Using it inside out as a rag, I rubbed the caked on mud off my face. It had already started to dry so a lot of it fell to the grey tent floor. I was constantly spitting out wet hair and mud that was invading my mouth as I tried to keep the dirt away from my somewhat clean t-shirt. I wiped my hands off on the sweatshirt and threw it to the far corner. I stripped off my jeans and kicked them to the same place as my sweatshirt when I saw a large figure hovering outside my door.
The fear climbed up my body, as I stood completely vulnerable in a short t-shirt and my favorite Victoria’s Secret boy shorts. Every step I took produced a crinkling sound from the tent flooring, but I doubted anyone could hear it, including the person outside my tent, but I’m sure they could see my shadow.
I slowly reached for my duffle and unzipped it, grabbing a pair of sweats, which I quickly slipped on. I watched as an arm stretched up and paused.
He’s reaching for the zipper!
My heart pounded. I went to scream, but nothing came out except a hoarse grunt. The figure’s arm stopped for a second as if he was gauging my response.
A huge gust of wind blasted the side of my tent, rippling the fabric and my breath caught.
The fingers began tugging on the zipper once more.
“Liam,” I screamed, finally finding my voice.
The shadow swiftly moved through the narrow space between our tents, escaping. Liam was instantly out of his tent, but then struggled with my tent door’s zipper.
Throwing the fabric door open, Liam’s eyes were blazing, dark.
“What happened?” he asked gruffly.
“Someone tried to get into my tent.”
“Which way did he go?” He poked his head outside the door. “Never mind. I see the tracks. I’ll be back. Use a shoelace and tie the zippers together.”
“Wait! Where are you going?” I asked, beginning to freak out again.
He took off without answering.
I quickly zipped my tent and grabbed one of my boots. I unlaced it and wove the shoelace through the door zippers, tying it in several knots. That would at least slow someone down.
I fell to the ground, scooting my back up against the far wall of the tent. My flesh prickled with every whoosh of the wind. I began feeling dizzy and clenched my eyes shut. It’s just a few days at the most. I was wet, dirty, mentally exhausted, and stuck in a tent, but I had to get through this.
A thump outside the tent interrupted my thoughts. My eyes flashed open to reveal an empty tent. There were no shadows dancing outside. Maybe it was just the wind picking something up outside and tossing it around. Now I was only being overly jumpy. If anything, maybe it was Liam.
Before I could get control of my breathing, something slammed against the right wall of the tent. I stood up immediately and grabbed a flashlight to shine on the tent wall. I couldn’t see anyone outside, but another slap on the tent confirmed someone was out there.
“Go away,” I screamed, flipping off the lantern but keeping the flashlight on.
A man’s deep voice growled with the wind and my veins filled with terror. That was definitely not Liam. A finger began scratching the fabric of the tent drawing a straight line as the figure walked along the tent, taunting me.
“I’ll be watching you,” the voice murmured.
Two hands pressed on the fabric of the tent so firmly that I could see the tip of each finger. My pulse raced, and my hands trembled as I shined the flashlight directly against the hand imprints. The wind gusts were nothing compared to the sounds of my own breathing.
I tucked my legs underneath me, put the flashlight down and reached for the pepper spray with my trembling hands. I also grabbed the bear spray. If it worked on a bear, maybe it would cripple whoever was on the other side of the tent.
“I can see you moving, grabbing useless things to hold on to in there,” he laughed wickedly. “But nothing you have will work against me.”
“Don’t be so sure,” I hissed, wiping away the sweat that was now trickling down my forehead, even though it was freezing outside.
His fingers released from the tent, and I turned off the flashlight. I didn’t want him to see me. I spun around slowly as I sat, looking for any sign of where he might be. The walls of the tent felt like they were closing in on me as my head pounded with fear.
Unable to see any shadows lurking outside, I brought my legs out from under me and tightened myself into a ball, resting my head on my knees. I continually scanned all four walls around me for some sign. My mind began racing with horrid thoughts, knowing Liam was outside trying to track this person down and here he was back at the tent.
“Over here,” the voice mocked me from behind before quickly running to another section. “No, over here.”
I couldn’t place this guy’s voice. It didn’t sound like any of the CLs or campers.
Fury began replacing fear as I listened for more clues from this trespasser, but I knew I needed to stay inside these four walls, as transparent as they seemed. There was a part of me, however, that wanted to fling open the door and hose him down with every spray I had and watch him writhe in pain.
“You’re pathetic,” I replied.
“It’s not me who’s pathetic. You’re the one who needed help earlier tonight, more than once if I recall.”
“You should be worried. Terrified, especially once I get rid of Liam,” he laughed as he spoke and suddenly jabbed the tent wall to my right. I made myself stiffen rather than jump, but my head was pounding with pain trying to hold everything in.
“You’re outnumbered.”
"It was night, and the rain fell; and falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood," he groaned, reciting Edgar Allen Poe.
My marrow froze as I realized whoever this was had been through my things, knowing I’d recognize that quote from the poet.
"It was night, and the rain fell; and falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood," he whispered once more, tapping on the tent wall. “Good night for now.”
ChapterFive
“Good news and bad news,” Liam’s voice hit me from outside the door.
“He was here again,” I hissed to Liam, frantically trying to untie the lace I had just knotted between the zippers. I freed the zipper and flipped on the lantern again.
“What?” he asked, flapping the door wide open and stepping inside.
He was completely drenched. His hair was plastered to his head, his shirt stuck to his chest, and he was breathing heavily. Droplets trailed down his face, and I threw a shirt at him to wipe off. I realized my hands were shaking and so did he. It wasn’t anything I could hide. But having him here made me feel a million times safer.
“Can I have the good news first?” I asked, watching him rub the shirt over his hair quickly.
“The good news is that it probably wasn’t anyone in the camp.” He tossed the shirt over where the others were piled.
“And that’s also the bad news, isn’t it?”
He nodded.
I sat down on the sleeping bag and raised my knees into me.
“It’s not like there are houses anywhere around. This place is only accessible by plane or boat. The nearest town is definitely not reachable by foot.” He shook his head and sat in front of me. “It’s weird.”
“Well, whoever it was didn’t really leave the area. They were pressing their hands against the tent, trying to freak me out I guess.” I glanced to where I last saw the handprints. “He’s also been through my things.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me that first thing?”
I shrugged. “He recited a line from Poe’s Silence – A Fable. Told me he’d be back.” My words were shaky, and I hoped I could get a grip on my nerves.
“Shit,” Liam mumbled more to himself than to me.
I dropped my eyes to the floor. “Believe it or not my cool exterior is just a façade. I’m panicking inside.”
He smiled and m
oved his gaze to the door.
The wind seemed to be lessening, and I could actually hear Liam without straining.
“Yeah. You completely have me fooled.” He flashed a smile that completely warmed my insides. “But I’ll put an end to it.”
“He said he was going to take care of you,” I told him.
“Not gonna happen.” Liam’s confidence was calming and something I needed.
“I wonder why it’s me,” I whispered under my breath.
“Maybe it’s as simple as your tent being closest to the woods.”
I nodded. “I’ll go with that.”
“We’ll get it figured out,” he promised and reached over to touch my hand. A spark ran through me as I tried to fight the reaction that his touch brought, but my skin gave it away. My face reddened and I pulled back.
“I hope so,” I muttered.
For some odd reason, I believed him. It’s not like I thought he had Superman powers or something, but he was so self-assured that I couldn’t help but go along. Anyone who grew up around here was on an entirely different level.
“In the morning, things will be different, and I guarantee whatever is going on will be stopped.” His eyes hardened and he shoved his hands through his damp hair. “It’s probably a prank or something.”
“It’s not very funny.” I nodded and let out a deep breath as I pulled a pillow to my lap. Liam leaned back and rested on his elbows. I noticed a wide black handle sticking out of the waistband of his jeans. The handle was at least six inches long. I couldn’t imagine how long the blade might be. He caught me looking and grinned.
“Things must be different in Alaska.” I raised my brow.
“Very.”
“It makes me feel better knowing you weren’t going out in the dark depending only on your fists.” I smiled and noticed the sexy dimples forming in his cheeks, as his grin grew wider. “Not that I haven’t seen the damage they can cause.”
The thought of being alone in the tent overnight sent chills through me, and I was thankful he wasn’t rushing away.
“So you had no idea that this camp was like this?” he asked, catching me off guard.
The Camp Page 3