The Winter People

by Rebekah L. Purdy

  No. Because she’d look at me with that knowing gaze and think I was crazy. Just like everyone else.

  “I’m not sure what it was. Most likely it was just a deer that ran out in front of us.” I shrugged.

  “Salome, I can only help you if you tell me the truth.”

  “Yeah, well I remember what happened the last time I told you the truth.” I gave her a hard smile. She’d had me sedated with so many pills it was like living in a constant fog.

  She set her pen down, took off her glasses and leaned back in her chair. “Okay, why don’t we start from the beginning—when you first fell through the pond. We can work our way forward.”

  And there it was. I squeezed my lids closed. My breathing staggered. I didn’t want to do this. Not again. I couldn’t. She didn’t get it. Every time I relived those moments, I lost another piece of myself. The more I thought of it, the more fragile I felt.

  “Salome. Open your eyes,” Dr. Bosworth said. “We need to face this head on. I promise, I’ll be here every step of the way. You won’t be alone.”

  But I already was. The doctor probably thought I was just some experiment. A new clinical study for her to dig her fingers into.

  “You already know what happened when I was child. I’ve told you several times.”

  “Yes. But perhaps this time, something new will stick out. We can get to the root of your problem. I know how traumatic that day was for you. You almost drowned.”

  My pulse thundered in my ears. My skin prickled as if I was beneath the frozen water again. I sucked in deep breaths as panic settled over me. Please. Make it stop. Make it go away.

  “I—I was going outside to play in the back yard. But someone left the gate open. It never should’ve been open. After I shut it, there was this voice. I…”

  I fisted my hands in my lap. Damn it. I didn’t want to relive this. I couldn’t. Not if I wanted to stay sane.

  “What happened next, Salome?”

  Not wanting to continue, my gaze shifted to the aquarium, where the fish swam around as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Bubbles floated on top of the water where the pump filtered it through.

  “Salome, are you listening to me?”

  Frost crackled across the glass. The air suddenly became colder and my arms broke out in goose bumps. There, looking back at me was the gnarled face of the creature I’d seen the other night.

  “No,” I shouted, leaping up out of my chair. Panic stole my thoughts as I backed away.

  “You can’t hide from me…not here. Not anywhere…”

  The face pressed closer to the glass, distorting it.

  “Make it stop.”

  “Salome, what is it?” The doctor followed my glance.

  “It’s here. She’s found me,” I screeched as I raced for the door.

  But Dr. Bosworth caught my arm. “There’s nothing there. Salome. You need to calm down. Face your fear.”

  A high-pitched laugh echoed around me and I covered my ears and screamed. Why couldn’t Dr. Bosworth hear it? I needed to get out of here. I had to go back home, where I’d be safe. I sank to the floor, rocking back and forth.

  Moments later, two men busted into the room, followed by my mother.

  “What going on?” Mom sounded panicked.

  “I think your daughter needs to go somewhere safe for a while. Maybe we should talk in private about some type of placement where she can get help.”

  “No. I don’t want her sent away.” She dropped down beside me, letting her crutches fall to the floor. “Sweetie. Shh…it’s okay. I’m here. We can go back home.”

  “If you won’t consider having her placed, then at least take this prescription.” She took a slip of paper from her desk and signed it. “It should help with the hallucinations. But if it gets worse, you’ll have to bring her in. She could become a danger to herself or others.”

  Mom brushed hair from my face. “Come on honey, let’s go now. We’ll have Nancy drop us off then see if she’ll pick up the pills for you.”

  Pills. God, I didn’t want to be on those again. They’d make me sleep. And if I was asleep then I wouldn’t know if something was after me. I always felt off when I took the medicine.

  When we got back to the house, Nancy helped me into my room and got me settled into my bed. She left the door cracked open and I heard her and Mom talking.

  “You should’ve seen her, Nancy, I’ve never seen her like that before.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Try to keep things as normal as possible. I don’t want her to go into an institution. She needs normal. It’s just winter. If we can get her through it, she’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll run out and get her medicine.”

  When Nancy left, Mom came down and sat on the edge of my bed. “I’m really sorry. I never should’ve made you go. I thought it would help.”

  “It never does.”

  She stayed in my room with me until Nancy got back. At which point, her friend got me a cup of water and put a pill in my hand. Mom watched me carefully as I slid the medicine in my mouth and took a drink.

  I handed the glass back to her. “Why don’t you lie down and get some rest? I’ll check on you later.”

  “Okay.” I gave her a hug and, when she left the room, I spit the medicine back into my hand. No way was I going to be drugged up. I needed to stay focused and know what was going on around me. It was time for me to figure out what the heck was stalking me. And why. But I couldn’t do it today.

  I spent the day pretending to be asleep, while I lay in bed replaying what’d happened in the doctor’s office. Another nightmare to add to the dozens I already had.

  Texts came in all day from Colton wondering where I was, and saying that he wanted to see me, but I didn’t feel like answering. He confused me as much as Nevin. When I was near him, I really wanted to be with him. But then he’d do something strange, acting so different from the guy I’d grown up with, and I didn’t know what I wanted.

  Around dinner time, my cell rang. Sitting up, I kicked my blankets off and climbed from bed to answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, are you okay?” Kadie asked. “I tried texting you earlier, but you never answered.”

  Anger swelled inside. A part of me wanted to yell at her for talking to my mom behind my back. “Sorry, I had to go see Dr. Bosworth.”

  “Wait, that’s where you were today?”

  “Yes, thanks to you telling my mom everything.”

  “Please don’t be mad. I—I didn’t know what to do. You scared the shit out of me the other night when you jerked the steering wheel like that.”

  “Just forget about it, okay? Because I really don’t want to get into it right now.”

  “I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” Kadie said.

  “I’ve got to go.”

  “No, wait. I thought maybe I could swing by. Maybe bring a few chick flicks and some chocolate.”

  With a sigh, I rubbed my temples. No matter how pissed off she made me, I always forgave her. “Fine. I could use some company.”

  Kadie showed up about ten minutes later and we spent the next couple of hours losing ourselves in movies and food, a definite distraction from the real world and just what I needed.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Going back to school sucked. My head continued to throb, and Mr. Calvin’s monotone voice made me sleepy. Five more minutes—I just had to keep my eyes open.

  The day started off wonderful: me, the big yellow banana boat from hell, winter, and, final destination, Mr. Calvin’s psych class, otherwise known as the torture chamber.

  With Kadie’s car out of commission and my fear of driving my vehicle to school in the winter, I’d have a lot more of these kinds of days.

  After class, I made my way to the library, where I found Colton leaning back in a chair at one of the tables.

  “Hey.” He stood when I approached.

  “Hey, yourself.” I let him pull a chair o
ut for me.

  Colton quirked an eyebrow, studying me. “You okay?”

  Hell no.

  “Yeah, it’s just been a long day—the bus ride, class, the horrible start to my weekend.” I left out the part about how the winter was closing in on me. As I spoke, I traced the carved names in the table with my finger. Jack loves Mindy. Fuck off. Amy + Sam. I pasted on that perfect smile everyone expected to see.

  But Colton was no fool.

  “Come here.” He tugged me from my chair and down the aisle marked SCI-FI. His hand rubbed my arm, in soft, reassuring motions. “Would a kiss make you feel better?” he teased, then pulled me closer.

  Yes. No. Maybe. Heck, I didn’t know anymore.

  “Just listen close. I’ll make you forget everything,” he whispered. The faint trill of tinkling bells echoed softly. Or did they? He glanced around then backed me into the bookshelf. Colton’s lips captured mine, soft, demanding, the flavor of mint lingering from his gum. His tongue stroked mine and I pressed myself closer, wanting more. My mind swirled and the music grew louder.

  What’s wrong with me? We were in the library. God, I had one guy who wouldn’t kiss me, and another who had no qualms about public make-out sessions. Colton broke away. “Sorry, I can’t seem to keep myself in check when you’re around.”

  But it was just the distraction I needed. My hands trailed up his chest, tracing each hardened muscle beneath his shirt.

  Shyness made my fingers quiver. “Kiss me again.”

  He ensnared me in his arms. Fire licked through my veins. And I was all too aware of how far this was going. I felt shaky, kind of off. “We should cool it before I lose control.” Colton nibbled my ear. “Would hate for the librarian to kick us out.”

  “You’re right, we need to stop,” I said in a hushed voice, shaking my head to clear it.

  He grinned, guiding me back to our table. “Do you feel better now?”

  “Um—yeah. So, how about that weather.” My face burned.

  “You’re adorable when you blush.” He held my hand as we sat down

  For the rest of the lunch hour we huddled together, thumbing through magazines and casting occasional sideways glances at one another. The sun beamed through the windows, spotlighting Colton’s handsome face. Like I needed a reminder of his perfection. And yet, he wanted to be with me—flawed, crazy, me.

  The halls filled with people as the last bell rang. Since I had to take the bus home, I rushed to get my homework thrown into my backpack. I managed to tug my jacket on without dropping my bag.

  “Hey, do you need me to walk you out?” Kadie said coming up beside me, her bag already in hand.

  “No, I’m fine. You better hurry or you’ll miss your bus,” I said.

  “Okay, I’ll call you tonight.” She sprinted down the hall while I finished gathering my things.

  Pushing past the crowd, I emerged into the parking lot. A snowball whizzed by my head when a group of guys bombarded everyone coming out of the building. I clutched my bag tighter, trying to duck down out of their way. Kevin Freeman led the assault with Connor Whelpman following his lead. Two others joined in.

  I moved fast, wanting nothing more than to board the bus and leave the immature jerk-offs behind. But Kevin Freeman spotted me and grinned.

  I hated Kevin Freeman.

  “Salome, guess what I’ve got for you.” Kevin rushed toward me and caught a hold of my jacket, jerking me to a stop.

  “Let go,” I shrieked, trying to tug loose.

  “Nobody gets by without a whitewash.” Next thing I knew, he had my face pressed into the frigid white snow. Ice scraped at my face like tiny fingers trying to claw my skin away. I couldn’t breathe.

  “Stop.” I gasped for air and got a mouth full of snow instead.

  “Get the fuck off my girlfriend.” Colton’s voice cut like a knife and everyone went silent.

  He shoved Kevin off me and helped me up. Tears streamed down my face. Then Colton did something I never expected. He drew his fist back and punched Kevin in the nose. Blood spurted out, spraying the ivory ground like a water balloon popping.

  And he didn’t stop. I watched in horror as he slammed Kevin into the ground and proceeded to beat the crap out of him. Scared, I backed away from him. Kids gathered around yelling, cheering, and egging them on.

  “Colton,” I hollered, seeing some teachers rushing into the lot. I shoved my way into the crowd, tugging on his coat. “Colton, stop. The teachers.”

  It took several seconds for him to register what I said, but at last he hopped up, pulling me aside.

  “Get on your bus.” Rage flickered in his dark eyes.

  “But—”

  “Salome, I can handle this. Please get on the bus.” He kissed my forehead.

  “You could get suspended. What about basketball?”

  “Kevin won’t narc me out or he’ll be off the team too. Now go, so you don’t get dragged into this.”

  Some of the buses were already pulling away and if I missed mine, I wouldn’t have a ride home.

  “Call me tonight,” I said over my shoulder before bolting.

  Okay, I’d never seen him like that before. It was like he was a totally different person back there. And I didn’t like it. I sunk into a seat, wiping frost from the window so I could see Colton. He blew me a kiss, before going over to talk to the group of teachers.

  What if he got kicked out of school because of me? Shit, could this day get any worse?

  I pressed my face against my hands, trying to ignore the chatter around me.

  “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe Colton totally got into a fight over you.” Sasha Jenkins twisted around in her seat. “That’s totally hot.”

  “So have you two kissed yet?” another girl asked.

  Like I wanted to tell them anything about my love life. Lucky for me, two of their friends came bounding up the aisle. I took the opportunity to move back several seats, hoping to go unnoticed.

  I ducked down and tugged my jacket tighter around my shoulders. God, it was freezing. Usually the bus was hotter than the bowels of hell, but today I saw my breath like smoky tendrils lacing the air.

  I glanced around and saw that the window in front of me and the window behind me were opened.

  “Hey, can you shut your window?” I leaned forward over the seat. But no one was sitting there. Instead, I saw icy footprints dotting the brown pleather upholstery.

  Uneasiness danced across the back of my neck, my hair prickling until it stood on end. I had to get a grip. I couldn’t afford to have another breakdown. Dr. Bosworth wanted to send me to the nut house. I had to just put my earbuds in and ignore everything.

  “You can’t hide from me, Salome. It’s almost your time.”

  Oh shit, that voice. It belonged to her. I sucked in several deep breaths, trying to remain calm. Where had the voice come from? The bus thumped around, headed toward Ellis Road. Wiping the window clean of frost and steam, I peered out. But nothing was there. I sank deeper into my seat, pretending everything was okay. My fingers slipped around my iPod, and I changed it to a louder rock song. I just had to drown everything out.

  The air brakes hissed to a stop as the bus let off its first passengers. Within the shadows of the trees, I saw her, gliding toward the side of the vehicle. Her dark clothes appeared gauzy, nature clinging to their every fiber. Her bony fingers pointed at me, her lips curling up into a hideous smile.

  “I see you,” she said.

  I rubbed my eyes, but the woman had disappeared. Fear coiled around me, I broke out in a sweat. Why did I keep seeing this thing? Why wouldn’t it leave me alone? Unless it really was my imagination. I jerked my earbuds out and sat up, tapping my foot on the floor to distract myself.

  When we stopped again, my eyes fell to a gnarled maple tree. It looked like a demonic creature, its bony branches like daggers piercing the sky. The bark started to separate at the trunk and I gazed in horror as a face started to form. Her face.

  “I’m ever
ywhere. Can’t you feel me watching you?”

  A scream lodged in my throat. Tearing my eyes from the window, I glanced up the aisle when the driver came to another stop. Kids clambered off the bus at the same time she got on.

  She drifted down the aisle like a cloud of poison gas. No one else saw her. No one but me. A screech I couldn’t stop fell from my lips.

  The guy behind me leaped up and grabbed me by the shoulders. I saw his lips moving, but I couldn’t hear him. My body numbed and for a moment, I couldn’t move. People turned around to stare at me, then shifted back to their conversations, conversations I couldn’t hear. It was like I was suspended in time. The monster was here and no one else noticed.

  The need to get off the bus overwhelmed me. I wasn’t safe. Not here. Not anywhere.

  I shook my head, trying to get back to reality. The creature laughed at me, the sound like rusty wind chimes, then she sashayed toward the front of the bus, stopping near the driver.

  “Aren’t we having fun? Say good-bye, Salome. Nothing can save you now.”

  She jerked the steering wheel, sending the bus skidding sideways, right toward the Rumblederry Bridge. Kids were thrown from their seats. Screams erupted around me. At last, I could hear and move again. But it was too late.

  “No!” I covered my head. The bus crashed, its metal twisting as it hit the bridge. My worst fear was coming true. It was winter and I was going to drown in the freezing watery depths.

  Everything moved in slow motion: the flailing bodies, the smashing windows, the metal sides of the bus caving in. The scent of smoke filtered in.

  I was going to die. Vomit burned the back of my throat as pain seared up and down my arms and legs. I gripped the seat, wondering if we could get out the emergency exit once we hit the water.

  Then we stopped. The bus teetered on the edge of the bridge and the road. For a long moment, no one moved, fearing any shift of weight might send us spiraling downward.

  “The emergency exit,” I called to the boy sprawled in the aisle next to me.

  Holding onto one of the seats, he climbed up slowly, rubbing his left arm. Cries for help echoed around us.