Fire in the Woods

by Jennifer M. Eaton

  David remained silent. My stomach flipped, raging against everything I’d eaten. No longer hungry, I stared at the remainder of my pear in disgust, but chewed the soft fruit down to the core anyway. I wouldn’t dare waste it.

  A cool breeze hit us, slowing David. “How long until dark?” he asked.

  I squinted into the sky, but I couldn’t see the sun from our vantage point. I turned on my cell phone. The screen showed I had a message from Maggie, and another from unavailable. I flipped past them both. “It’s five o’clock. We probably have about two and a half hours. Let’s see how close we are.” I clicked on the navigator.

  “Calculating route.” The circle-thingy spun on the screen. “Go to route 73 south.”

  I advanced to the next screen. “We’re actually not that far away from Cross Keys Road. Are you sure you can’t feel anything like you said you would?”

  “It’s too early. They’d be coming tomorrow night.”

  “That’s not good planning, is it? Why don’t they come during the day when it’s always nice and warm the way you guys like it?”

  David raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, a big transport ship dropping out of the sky while everyone is watching would really go over well. I want to be picked up alive, remember?”

  A helicopter flew overhead, flying too high and fast to be searching for anyone, thank goodness. I clicked off my phone and tried to think of something to say to brighten David’s view of humanity, but he was right. A spaceship would cause world-wide panic. His people were much safer sticking to the cover of darkness.

  My fingers tightened on my phone as I began to slip it into my pocket. The thought of the message from unavailable constricted my chest. Dad must be going nuts about now.

  “David, hold on for a second.”

  I leaned against the back of the building and turned on my phone. David propped himself beside me and grabbed a banana from the bag. He perused each end. I helped him open it.

  He smiled. “Thanks.”

  I swiped past Maggie’s message, touched unavailable, and brought my phone to my ear.

  My father’s sigh tore my soul in two.

  “I guess I can’t blame you for not answering.” A slight hum vibrated the casing against my cheek. “I saw the surveillance footage, and it’s pretty obvious you’re not a hostage. I can only imagine what he told you to make you trust him.” I glanced at David as he chewed his banana. Dad’s voice quaked. “Sweetheart, you need to understand that he is a soldier wounded behind enemy lines. He is not above lying to a seventeen-year-old girl to get what he wants.” I could imagine Dad pacing the floor, rubbing his hand across his tightly cropped head. “Jess, you’ve always been like your mother, and I know there’s no changing your mind once you’ve made it up, so I’m not going to bother asking you to turn him in.”

  He wasn’t?

  “But what I do want is for you to get away from him. Just wait for him to be distracted and run as fast as you can.” I could almost sense him gritting his teeth. “We will find him, Jess. And you know that I’m not going to sleep until you’re safe.” Muffled voices spoke in the background behind my father’s steady breathing. “Please come back. I can’t lose you, too.”

  The call ended, and I powered down my phone. I stared at the blank screen as my father’s words bled into me.

  I can’t lose you, too.

  I’d never considered the possibility of anything bad actually happening to me. I was safe with David, wasn’t I?

  David popped the last of the banana into his mouth and tossed the peel into the trash beside a loading dock.

  What would happen if the Army cornered us? Would there be shooting? Would David protect me, or use me as a shield?

  David slipped his hands into his pockets as he strolled back to me, his smile easing any uncertainty.

  My conscience fought to call Dad—to let him know everything would be all right, but I knew he’d just try to convince me to come home. I slipped the phone into my pocket.

  “Are you all right?” David asked.

  I nodded, biting my lip as Dad’s voice haunted me. You know that I’m not going to sleep until you’re safe.

  Guilt clawed in my chest, but I knew with every ounce of my being that this was where I needed to be. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “We need to find a place to hide for the night.”

  David nodded. “I agree. Do you have a friend near here?”

  “Let me see.”

  We walked out toward the road. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I scanned the highway. Far in the distance, north of us, several helicopters hung in the air while two others zigzagged in what I guessed was a search pattern. Close, but no cigar, Dad.

  I glanced at the sign on the traffic-light pole. Holiday Inn Express. 1.3 miles.

  “Perfect.”

  14

  A few cars pulled out of the convenience store as we approached. I led David toward the flying-goose logo on the glass doors.

  He jerked back, his gaze trailing the signs in the windows. I wondered where he thought we were. I’d never really found a Wawa to be all that scary, but I needed to remember that everything was new to him.

  The rip in his sweatshirt flapped in the breeze as he crossed his arms. I needed to replace that duct tape, later. The last thing he needed was extra ventilation.

  “I’m sorry it’s taking so long to get there.” The breeze tickled my skin. Refreshing for me, but David shivered. “Do you want a hot cocoa? That will warm you up.”

  I held the door until he passed through. The guy behind the counter crinkled his nose. His gaze seemed to drop to my backpack before inching back to my eyes. Yeah, dude, ’cause we’re gonna steal a candy bar or something. Get real.

  I walked up to the deli counter. “Do you have any vegetable soup?”

  “Yes.” The kid behind the counter pointed to a small monitor next to me. “It’s on the lunch and dinner menu.” I tapped the display and ordered myself a roast beef hoagie with everything and a vegetable soup for David. I plucked another few waters from the back cases and three single-serving fruit trays from the Grab and Go counter. “Is there anything else you’d like?”

  David fidgeted, shoving his hands into his pockets. “What was that warming stuff? Hot something?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I dropped my selections on the counter, and filled up two hot cocoas. I added milk to mine, and marked it by popping the little button on the top of the lid. Non-dairy boy’s lid I left alone.

  Pulling two more twenties from my pocket, I made a mental note that we had about a hundred and sixty left. I hoped that would be enough for the hotel room.

  So much for those designer jeans I had my eye on.

  David helped pack everything but the cocoa and soup into the backpack. I slipped the little compass into my pocket so it wouldn’t get lost and sipped my drink.

  The sun had begun to drop below the tree tops as we left the convenience store. David’s lips formed a solid line as the cool night air hit him. He held the soup and cocoa close to his chest as we treaded back out along the highway.

  ***

  “A hundred and twenty-two dollars for a hotel room?”

  The man behind the desk raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Sorry, that’s the price. We take MasterCard, Visa, and Discover.”

  Crap. Would Dad even remember that he’d given me the card? Maybe he wouldn’t think about putting a tracer on it. I laughed at myself. Of course he would. I was skunked. And almost out of money. “I’ll pay cash.” Thank goodness David was getting picked up tomorrow night or we’d be camping without a tent.

  “Very good.” The clerk took the money and tapped into his computer.

  I gave a fake name. Mary Seivers. Hey, they did it in the movies, right?

  “I will need a credit card for the security deposit.”

  Hashtag: busted. “But I’m paying cash.”

  “It’s only for incidentals. As long as there is no dam
age to the room, all the towels are here after you leave, there will be no charges against it.”

  Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. My mental freak-out did nothing to stop the blank stare of the dude behind the counter. There had to be a way out of this. Not everyone has credit cards, right?

  A gust of wind assaulted the lobby as another customer entered the building. David trembled, nearly spilling his hot cocoa. I’d have to trust that Dad’s card wouldn’t be used. I needed to get David somewhere warm. With a deep breath, I handed him the little plastic minion of doom. He glanced at the name on the card. Not Mary Seivers, obviously.

  “We’re paying cash, all right? We just want to get to our room.”

  His expression faded. His stare became blanker than before. WTF?

  David placed his drink on the counter, and leaned closer to him. “We really don’t have time for this. Can we go to our room?”

  The man blinked twice. “Of course.”

  Huh? Did David do that? My alien is a Jedi!

  He flipped over my card and swiped it through the reader.

  “Wait! What are you doing?”

  The machine beside the computer started to print out paperwork.

  My hands formed fists. “You said you wouldn’t swipe the card.”

  “I said I wouldn’t charge your card. It’s only saved in our computer in case we need it.”

  Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. “So it’s not getting sent to the credit card company?”

  “No.”

  Please, please, please let that be true.

  He handed me the paperwork, and a plastic card with the company logo on it. “Room 427. Take the elevator to the fourth floor, and head down to the right.” He raised his eyebrow, his gaze falling on the backpack—our only piece of luggage. “Have a nice evening.”

  “Thanks.” My cheeks flushed, imagining what was going through his mind, especially with me acting like a complete ass.

  I snatched the cocoas off the counter and handed them to David, hoping they’d warm him up. Too bad it’s only that easy in fairytales. His shiver deepened as I helped him to the elevator, quaking him hard enough to feel the tremor through his sweatshirt.

  The chill had nearly immobilized him by the time we stepped out of the elevator. I took the hot cups from his hands and placed them on the floor with the soup as I fumbled with the credit-card key. Give me a regular metal key like the one for my front door any day.

  I swiped the card through the lock, but the door wouldn’t open. Flipping the key around, I tried again. After the sixth pass, the little light on the door changed to green, and I turned the handle.

  Frigid air from the room rolled into the hallway. David backed away.

  What’d we get arctic room or something? You gotta be kidding me.

  “Stay here,” I said.

  Crossing to the far corner of the room, passing the two double beds and the desk area, I found the air-conditioning unit to the left of the glass doors. I switched the dial to ‘heat’ and opened the sliders to let the slightly warmer air into the room.

  I turned to find David behind me, placing the soup on the small table and balancing the two hot chocolates in his trembling arms.

  “Here, let me help you.” I sat him down and rubbed his arms, doing my best to get his circulation running. His teeth chattered. If I didn’t get him warmed up he was going to freeze to death. “I’ll be right back.”

  I opened the closet and found an extra spread alongside the ironing board and spare pillows. I scooted the floral material out of the bag and threw the quilt over him. The smell of stale hotel room wafted from the blanket as he gathered the fabric tightly around his shoulders.

  “Okay, let’s get you warmed up inside.”

  I opened the veggie broth and handed him a spoon. David raised his brow and looked at me quizzically.

  “It’s liquid food. We call it soup. There’s vegetables in it and water.”

  He dipped his spoon in the cup and sipped it. “Mmmmm. It’s good. Warm.”

  “Yeah. Soup always thaws me out in the winter. It should help.”

  I held my hand over the heater. The little dial was turned to the highest temperature setting, but only a trickle of heat emanated from the metal slats. I dragged the curtain to the side to let some light in. Beyond our fourth-floor balcony, a pinkish glow outlined the tops of the trees in the forest behind the hotel. Despite the coolness of the room, the air coming in the door had become decidedly colder. The door thumped against the frame as I secured the lock.

  David held the cardboard container up, pouring the last dribbles of soup into his mouth. “That was great. Thanks.” He licked his lips. His eyes lingered on the bag.

  “Are you still hungry? I got you some melon and strawberries, too.”

  I shimmied a fruit tray out of the wrapping and handed it to him. Reaching to the bottom of the bag, I nabbed my roast beef hoagie and set it on the table beside him.

  His nose crunched up as I unrolled the white deli wrapping. Ignoring his disgust, I bit into the luscious beefy goodness.

  David hunched over his fruit, trembling lightly under the blanket.

  “Take another sip of the hot chocolate,” I said, handing him the cup. It seemed to warm him for a moment, but the chill soon returned. I lifted the makeshift-mug. “Drink more.”

  He nodded, shaking the cup within trembling fingers between sips.

  “All right, I guess I need to think of something else.”

  I stood and rubbed my face. Whenever I had a chill, cuddling up in bed always felt the best. I rolled back the covers from one of the mattresses and helped David get in. He huffed and grunted beneath a shiver as I tucked the sheets and blankets around him.

  Why wasn’t the room warming up?

  At a loss, I glanced over to the other bed. I certainly wasn’t going to be cold with the heat running all night. I stripped the second bed, throwing all the covers onto David.

  No dice. He still shook like a nickel in a truck’s change tray.

  I sat on the edge of the bed. A ball formed in my throat as I felt the vibration of David shivering through the mattress. I needed to find a way to warm him up.

  Body heat.

  I groaned. “Okay, Maggie, you win.”

  The heavy, warm blankets weighted me down as I snuggled up behind David. Spooning, Maggie would have called it. I wrapped myself around him, holding tightly to counteract his shaking. As the trembling subsided, David’s breathing leveled off. I listened for a moment before relaxing my hold.

  A content smile formed on my lips. I guessed the whole body-heat thing was a good idea after all. I rubbed my cheek against David’s sweatshirt, enjoying the quiet cadence of his breathing.

  He smelled like pine trees and dirt, and a little like Dad’s cologne. I snuggled closer, pressing gently against his back. His muscles flexed at my touch, but his breathing remained steady. I wondered what he’d think if he were awake. Would he be mad that I held him so close? Would he enjoy it? Would he pull me into his arms?

  A tear formed at the corner of my eye. It didn’t matter what he felt. It didn’t matter how either of us felt. Tomorrow night he was going home.

  I tried to push the thought from my mind and concentrated on the compass in my back pocket as the sharp metal clip cut into my butt. My cell phone poked my hip in my front pocket as well. Despite the pain, I didn’t move. David was warm and asleep, and I didn’t want to wake him.

  Well, that wasn’t entirely true. The real reason I didn’t want to wake him was because he might move away from me. I savored the sensation of him breathing, letting everything that was David seep into my pores. Shame fluttered through my chest, but I didn’t care. Laying so close to him felt too right to be wrong.

  I did manage to shift slightly to avoid leaning on my phone. I hadn’t turned it back on since listening to my father’s message. My chest tightened, imagining Dad sitting behind a desk somewhere, dragging h
is fingers across his scalp, worry riddling his features. He wouldn’t sleep. He’d stay beside a phone—or maybe he was out there looking for me…Maybe even in one of those helicopters searching the trees. I wished I could call him, but I’d have to wait and explain when this was all over—and ready myself for ten years of being grounded with extra chores.

  Bending my knee, I was surprised to feel the drag of rubber against the sheets. My sneakers were still on. I hadn’t taken off David’s either. My Mom would have had a cow. I contained a snicker. Here I was, lying in bed with a boy in a hotel room, and I’m thinking that Mom would have been mad about our shoes? Seriously, our shoes?

  I smiled, thinking about my mom and enjoying the comfort of being so close to another. Every muscle in my body relaxed, encompassing my frame in the same sense of calm that caressed me whenever David was near. Real or feigned, I couldn’t tell, but it didn’t matter.

  Exhaustion fingered its way in, making my lids heavy. Sleep wasn’t far behind.

  ***

  My eyes fluttered open. A panicked rush of heat throttled my body as I realized David wasn’t cuddled up next to me. I reached across the bed, moving my hand along the warm sheets. Why was I alone? The prickly fingers of fear edged up my back as I sat up. “David?”

  He stood in dark silhouette beside the closet, standing flat against the wall. He held a finger to his lips and pointed to the floor.

  My heart fluttered. I choked back the pang of terror building in my throat as I peeked over the mattress. A small black tube snaked across the floor, slithering further into the room from beneath the only safe exit. A white light emanated from the snake’s tip—just like in the freaking movies.

  I got out of the bed and grasped David’s hand. I held him close, like we were lovers, and stepped over the tube, easing him toward the sliding glass doors. “They’re watching us,” I whispered, leaning close to his ear. “That’s a camera. As soon as they pull it out of the room, they’ll break in.”

  David nodded and unlatched the lock on the glass door behind me.

  My heart thumped rampantly. Please, Lord, tell me he’s not going to…I peeked over the balcony to the lighted parking lot below. We were on the fourth floor. What if they…