Vince’s face turned red as he hopped up off the floor, ready to lunge at Mark. Liam stood up quickly and walked over to Vince, towering over him to ensure that he wouldn’t make a move, while Dave quickly moved next to Mark. The tension in the air was growing by the second, and I saw no end in sight, especially with the lack of help coming.
“Mark has a point,” Fulton mumbled. He pulled his knit cap over his brows and crossed his arms.
“I totally understand that we’re all panicking, but it’s not going to help our chances. We need to work as a group. We don’t have the luxury to allow our imagination to take over,” I said, hoping that somehow they’d put their testosterone in check and listen to me.
“If we are in any way fractured, that will be our downfall,” Steph continued.
I could feel the uneasy tension slowly begin to dissipate, but the fear still ran through the air.
“I also don’t think two people should be sleeping at a time,” Steph said. “I think there should be sleeping shifts in each tent.”
“I think we each should have a rifle,” Fulton said, and several of the campers began nodding their heads in agreement.
“We can’t do that,” Caleb said, shaking his head. “But we can give you some of the machetes we use to knock down the tall grasses. We have enough to go around.”
A shudder moved through my spine as I thought about what his words implied. My eyes scooted from one person to the next as I watched them swallow the news, and it didn’t take long before the objections began.
“So great. If it turns out to be someone in the camp we’re giving them an easy weapon so one of us can get hacked up,” Vince argued, crossing his arms in front of him.
“You’d rather we’re all unarmed?” Brady asked, standing up quickly. “I don’t want to die, and I’ll do anything it takes to survive.”
“I’ll go get the supplies out of the locked shed,” Liam said, pushing his hands into his pocket and pulling out a set of keys.
Murmurs began softly churning through the tent as everyone analyzed their options. Liam walked to the door, with Caleb right behind him, and turned around to glance at me. My stomach instantly knotted at the thought of him going outside. I hopped up and made my way through the maze of bodies sitting and standing on the floor. It didn’t matter to me that they would be armed. Whoever we were dealing with had made us all targets, and the only way we could stop being victims was to fight back.
“You’ll need help carrying everything,” I offered, looking at Liam.
His lips broke into a smile and he shook his head at me. “You wouldn’t take no for an answer anyway, would you?” he whispered, opening the door.
“Not a chance,” I whispered back, feeling the chill of the night air as I walked underneath his arm.
Liam closed the door once Caleb was outside. The stars in the sky were blazing for the first time since I’d arrived, and I thought about how isolated we really were.
“What do you make of all that in there?” Caleb asked.
“I think it’s gonna be a big problem as time goes on, and they realize help might not be coming as fast as we need it.” Liam scowled, reaching out for me to grab his hand.
“Do you think it’s someone in the camp?” I asked.
“It would be hard for me to believe that any of them could do this and not be caught somehow. Everyone’s been where they were supposed to be,” Caleb replied.
I followed them behind the yurt, my pulse racing with every step as we headed to the shed that housed all of the work tools.
“Not trying to sound like a horrible person, but do you really think it’s a great idea to hand out machetes to everyone?” I asked.
“Not at all.” Liam laughed. “But I think we have no choice.”
Caleb flashed his light on the padlock of the shed, and Liam inserted his key, giving it a twist. He opened the wooden door to reveal a tidy lineup of chainsaws, weed eaters, and other equipment I didn’t recognize. Along the wall hung several rows of screwdrivers, hammers, and blades. We all walked inside hurriedly as if standing outside in the dark would bring something else evil our way.
“We’re missing a hammer,” Liam said quietly, pointing at a vacant spot on the pegboard.
“How could they get in here?” Caleb asked, narrowing his eyes on Liam. “There are only a couple of keys to the shed.”
“You don’t really think it was the one used on Chelsea, do you.” My mouth felt like cotton as I tried to compute everything that was going on.
“I think it could be,” Liam said “We have so many types and brands, I doubt I’d recognize it one way or the other, but it makes sense.”
“Why’s the lock not busted?” I asked.
“I don’t have a clue unless one of us left it unlocked, and someone snuck in quickly. Let’s hurry and grab everything and get back to the yurt,” Liam said.
Liam handed me as many sheathed machetes and knives as I could carry, with Caleb and Liam grabbing the rest. Caleb left the shed first, and I followed behind. Liam plopped the knives on the ground and secured the padlock. He picked up the knives, and we jogged quickly to the yurt, surprised to find a rather calm group of people waiting for us.
We spread the assortment out on a table, and I immediately began feeling queasy. The thought of any one of us having to use one of these was absolutely horrifying. Steph came up behind me, and she still seemed far more stable than earlier.
“Whoever we’re dealing with has a mind that’s really warped. I don’t even know what to make of it,” Steph said. Her hand slowly ran down one of the large blades and I glanced at her. Her eyes were unfocused and no longer seemed to hold the person I had met only a few days ago.
“I know,” I agreed, nodding my head. “It’s driving us to match him in insanity, I think.”
“Okay, so come up and grab a weapon you feel comfortable with, and let’s hope none of us ever have to use it,” Liam said.
Instantly the group descended on the table, picking up machetes and knives and placing them back down before analyzing the next one.
Once everyone had their weapon of choice, the group slowly disbanded into pairs as I heard each of them deciding who would get the first and second watch for what was left of the night.
I glanced over at Liam who appeared exhausted. He opened his arms up as if inviting me in. He was only a few feet away from me, and I couldn’t resist his offer. I wasn’t sure how I’d kept my composure for so long, but inside I felt like my strength was dwindling.
“Hey, baby,” Liam murmured. “You’re holding up really well.”
“It’s just a figment of your imagination mixed with some strong denial about the situation we’re facing on my end,” I said, craning my neck to look into his eyes. “It’ll wear off pretty soon.” I tried to smile, but my lips stopped cooperating. He squeezed me tightly, and I rested my head on his chest, watching as everyone began leaving the yurt for the long night ahead.
“Steph doesn’t seem herself,” I whispered.
He shook his head and looked over at his cousin who was still standing at the table where the machetes and smaller knives had been spread out. She was staring at the wall with a blank expression, and I was worried we were losing her.
“It’s gonna be tough on us all, and whatever traumas we’ve had in our past will probably come back to haunt us the longer we’re out here,” he said softly, freeing me so that he could look me in the eyes.
I furrowed my brow at him and craned my neck to the side as I tried to figure out where that bit of news came from, which finally produced a glimpse of a smile.
“Had to take Psych 101 in my first year of college. I just didn’t expect to need it out here though.” He attempted a smile and pulled me back into his chest for which I was grateful.
“Any other tidbits of information on how to stay calm and not run through the trees and over a cliff would be welcome,” I told him, tapping his chest lightly with my fingers.
“Is
that the direction you’re headed?” he asked.
“Not yet. No. Someday soon? Maybe,” I replied sarcastically.
Steph walked over to us and looked like she was about to fall asleep standing up.
“How about you sleep first and we’ll both be on watch,” I offered, looking at Steph. I moved away from Liam and began organizing Steph’s sleeping bag and everything back on the cot.
She nodded, and her lips twisted in a grateful gesture as she dove into the bag and pulled a pillow over her head.
The talking outside the tent turned to a light murmur as everyone situated themselves back into their tents. It was after midnight, and it felt like it would be forever until the sun came back to us, which only created more urgency to find whoever was doing this later today. I didn’t want to face another night like tonight.
I crawled into my sleeping bag when Liam came over and sat next to me. The sleeping bag wasn’t warming me up at all, and I began shivering as I looked over at him.
“We can zip our bags together,” he began. “That might warm you up.”
I nodded my head and gestured for him to grab his bag. I looked over at Steph who still had her head underneath the pillow, and I began worrying that I might end up like that as well, unable to cope.
Liam stood over me and reached out his hand. I grabbed it and he hauled me up, allowing my sleeping bag to slump back to the floor.
“My god, your hands are like ice,” he said, quickly grabbing both bags and zipping them together to make one large bag.
Since we were the ones on watch, we decided to sit up and let the bag wrap around us. We leaned against one of the chests that housed the files and medicines, and my mind began to relax. The heat from Liam’s body warmed me up, allowing the shivering to slowly stop. I leaned my head on his upper arm and slid my hands around his.
“I’m so sorry I convinced you to stay up here,” Liam began. “I never imagined that—”
“It’s not your fault. I wanted to stay. The thought of never really having to see my stepfather again was what made me stay. I wanted to be here with you, but I also knew if I stayed here, I’d only see him and my mom long enough to grab my things and head to Oregon.”
“And here I thought I was the only reason,” he teased.
“Nope. You can stop letting it go to your head now,” I joked.
“Please don’t feel like you have to tell me, but I’d like to know about what happened with your family,” he said.
I lifted my head and turned my body only slightly to look at him. The sleeping bag confined my movements more than I realized. His caramel eyes locked on mine, and I knew I’d be safe telling him some of the stuff from my family.
“There are so many things, and I think over time they’ve just added up. When my mom first married Kroy, I was pretty young and didn’t go around their place much. But I remember the first time staying overnight, they locked me in the bedroom from the outside in. It may not seem like a big deal, but when you’re seven, and in a new place, it’s really scary. It didn’t matter what I said to him, he wouldn’t let me out of there. I had to go the bathroom, and even that didn’t matter. My mom never intervened, and in hindsight, I’m sure she knew, but she enjoyed tormenting me as well.”
Liam squeezed my hand gently.
“The next morning he finally unlocked the door, and of course things were a mess. He grabbed me and shoved me into the bathroom and told me to clean up. I remember crying for my father and my mom came into the bathroom, telling me I was spoiled, and now she knows why she never had me over. So much of it was a blur. I remember going to the refrigerator and anything I looked at had Kroy’s initials written on it, and they’d chase me away so I wouldn’t eat it. Little did I know when I landed there after my dad’s death the same issues would only be multiplied.”
“Did you tell your dad when this first happened?” he asked softly.
I leaned my head back and groaned a little. “No and I should have. My dad knew something was up, but I don’t think he ever thought they were neglecting me, and then the older I got, the less I saw them, and the more foolish I felt for not telling my dad in the first place. It started a really weird cycle. There was one time I went there because my mom was being super nice over the phone, begging me to come over, and I completely fell for it. I wanted her love so much, I’d believe anything.
When I got there it turned out Kroy had taken off, and she just wanted someone to sob to and take care of the house for her. At thirteen, I would do anything for her to like me so I did whatever she told me. Unfortunately, Kroy came back while I was still there and told me if I ever told my father any of it, he’d make my life even more miserable, which at thirteen seemed terrifying. I realized I was just her fill-in until Kroy got back. The entire time I was there all she had me do was work. I cooked for her, cleaned for her, did the laundry, brought her all of the meals…” my voice broke off.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
“She didn’t love me. I don’t think she ever did. The entire time I did do stuff for her, she’d still just scream and yell at me.” I sighed.
“One of the parts I can kind of laugh about now was that when I’d go to eat something she’d tell me I couldn’t because it was Kroy’s, and he’d want it when he came back. It was really bizarre. Imagine opening up a fridge and having everything marked as Kroy’s butter or Kroy’s eggs. Seeing a thirty-five year old man, marking his own food and everything else in the house is really weird. They are just really crazy or delusional or something. Anyway, they took off and left me at the house. I kept thinking they were going to come back, but they didn’t. The next morning I realized I needed my dad to come get me, and of course I didn’t tell him. I made up some excuse for my mom being gone. I always wanted to believe she was a better person than she was.”
“She sounds like a really weak person,” Liam whispered. “Pathetic, actually.”
“She is. I actually thought once she got the money from my dad that she might leave Kroy. I wanted to believe she was only in the relationship so she didn’t have to work, or whatever her fantasy was, and that she’d escape once she had a chance to have her own safety net. But I guessed wrong. The first thing she did was get plastic surgery and buy some new clothes. Anyways it goes on and on, and once I began living there as a teen, it just got worse. He enjoys telling me I killed my father. My mom tells me that I’m the reason my dad divorced her, and I caused her to become like she is. I’ve worked through a lot because I started talking to a therapist, but stuff still surfaces. It brings out a side of me that isn’t really me. I never feel angry unless I’m around them.” A lump began to form in the back of my throat, and I realized it wasn’t because of some of the stories I revealed. It was because I’ve never told anyone but my therapist before now. Granted I didn’t tell him everything, but it was a start and it felt freeing.
“I’d like to show him what’s up.” Liam kissed the top of my head and pulled me closer.
“And I’d like to act like I’m a better person than that, but it would be kind of fun to watch.” I smiled and found myself drifting to sleep as Liam held me tightly.
Chapter Fourteen
I woke up and Liam was already wide awake along with Steph, going through the campers’ files. His gaze met mine and held an intensity that caused something deep inside to be ignited. Sharing with him about my family last night opened me up in a way that I’d never dreamed.
“What are you up to?” I asked, trying to shake off the feelings that wanted to take over. I looked over at Steph, and she had a flicker of energy running behind her eyes that I recognized from when I first met her. Maybe the sleep had helped.
“Just going over the files we’ve got on campers to see if there are any patterns or things that look suspicious,” she replied, sighing and sliding more papers out of a folder.
She was still dressed in her sweats, and her hair was completely a mess. Matching mine, I’m sure. Liam, of course, looked absolutel
y amazing and made me want to place a bag over my head. But if a relationship can begin in the woods when I looked like this more times than not, the odds might be in my favor.
“And?” I asked.
“Nothing at all that we can find,” Liam said, whistling as he blew out air.
I got out of the sleeping bag and realizing how cold it was, quickly grabbed it to haul with me as I peered at what they were looking at.
“I think we’re dealing with someone outside of the camp. Unless it was Dan who planned something, but my gut doesn’t want to believe that,” Liam said. “And I’m not sure we should be going into the woods to find out either, but the groups we’re in should help keep us safe.”
“I hope it’s no one from here, like Dan or Justin. But it’s so odd because they know so much about our setup,” I said.
“True. But I don’t think anything that’s happened is something that a good casing of the place couldn’t provide, and then it wouldn’t have to be an insider,” he said, rubbing his fingers along his brow bone.
“Are we gonna go check out that place you found Tom?” I asked.
Liam stood up from the table and stretched, nodding. “I think we should. I doubt we’ll find anything there, but ya never know.”
“Okay,” I replied, glancing down at the table, noticing my own folder spread out. I glanced up at Liam who caught my stare as it left my folder.
“You were just in the pile,” he said, before I even had a chance to speak. But the truth was I didn’t blame them, even if they had wanted to check over my file again.
“I understand,” I replied, pushing back the embarrassment for being here in the first place.
“Sorry,” he whispered once more.
“The thought of a shower is terrifying now, but I really need one. It’s like the only sense of reality I have now,” I said, attempting to lighten the mood.
“Well, it’s daylight so I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Steph said, surprisingly dismissive of my fears. “Besides, I’ll stand on the front side, and Liam can stand on the back, and we’ll do the same for each other.”
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