Vibrations

by Wood, Lorena

  Whitney woke a few hours later feeling ready to try again. Nick was at the large tent in the middle that served as a command post. She could see him huddled around the maps with the other rescue workers. Agent Hollerman was the first one to see her and he waved her over.

  “How are you Whitney? I see you’ve come out of seclusion.”

  “Hi Roger. Yeah, Nick convinced me it was for the best. I would have been here if you needed me anyway.”

  “Well, we need you. Still no sign of the boy. Did you pick up anything helpful?”

  “From what I can tell, the other campers aren’t responsible. They all have one thing on their minds, finding Dustin. I tried a search for him, but didn’t come up with much. I felt something I’d like to check out farther east. I thought Nick and I could head that way and I could give it a try again.”

  “Sure. Just bring a radio so we can keep in touch.”

  They walked over to the maps and came up with a plan. Nick and Whitney would work their way east, around the edge of the rim. If she didn’t find anything they would continue to aid the search on the way back by heading north and then coming back toward the other search teams.

  They stopped at the food tent before they headed out and ate lunch. Volunteers were dishing out food and handing out water bottles. Nick gave Whitney a small backpack and wriggled into the larger one. He wanted to be sure they had climbing gear, and survival gear should they run into trouble. They each carried a copy of the map and a radio.

  They started walking and Nick started whistling. If the boy was lost, he would hear the sound and yell out. If a killer had him, it wouldn’t matter because he wouldn’t be this close anymore. Nick kept a steady but slow pace to keep Whitney from tiring.

  After a while Whitney’s stopped and took off her pack. She needed to sit and try to make contact with the boy. Nick sat quietly watching, staying closer this time in case she decided to try the eyes closed walking thing. He was hoping that this time she would get a fix, and they could bring the boy home alive and happy. The feeling he had in his stomach was that it wouldn’t be that easy.

  Whitney closed her eyes and cleared her mind again. It was actually very peaceful out here. They were more sheltered from the wind then they had been before, and she could hear all the forest animals scurrying around. This was the kind of place she loved to find when she was hiking. She would sit and meditate or simply relax and enjoy the moment.

  She finally turned her mind toward the task at hand and opened up to the vibrations in the air. Nick was trying to soak in the scenery and keep his mind off the possibilities. She reached out past Nick and searched for other human thought patterns. She could feel the collection of people hovering off to the west, and she focused her energy away from that area.

  Abruptly the feeling of terror sunk into her chest. A boy was crying quietly somewhere to the east. He seemed sleepy, but afraid. She tried to reach out to him with her mind to comfort him, but it was too hard. He was far away and they had no previous connection. She tried to search harder to find out if he was just lost, or a killer was involved. The boy was quite terrified, but he seemed in a stupor. He wasn’t sending off any rational thoughts.

  She placed her hands out in front of her and concentrated on finding any other vibrations from that direction. An eerie feeling of cold and darkness came over her. Her heart was beating rapidly and she could feel the sweat running down the back of her neck. Something else was out there. She caught a feeling and knew it was the killer, but she couldn’t lock onto it. He was either good at blocking her, or just too far away. Maybe he was hurt or sleeping. She tried for a few more minutes and finally pulled back.

  She sat up and shook her head trying to get the unwanted vibrations out of her system. She opened her eyes to see Nick scanning the area, and took advantage of the quiet to try to clear her energy. When she stood and put her backpack on Nick rushed over to her side.

  “Did you find him?”

  “I think so. We’re going the right direction. He’s sleeping or something. I couldn’t get a lot of information, but it’s a young boy and he’s afraid.”

  “But he’s alive!”

  “Yes, he is…for now.”

  Nick’s expression fell and he searched Whitney’s eyes as she continued to explain.

  “I felt something else. I’m quite sure it was killer. I couldn’t get much from that either, but it felt bad.”

  “Bad. Explain.”

  “It’s hard to put into words. It felt…scary…evil. Like what I felt at the house for a while. It feels the same.”

  Nick could see the fear in her eyes and he picked up the radio.

  “Wait. What if he knows we’re here? What if he’s listening on the radio and he’s found the frequency we’re using. We can’t let him know we’re coming or he’ll take the boy and run…or worse.”

  Nick put the radio back in his pack. “You’re right. But if we run into any kind of trouble, we’ve got to call for help.” They moved out in the direction Whitney indicated, trying to walk as quietly as possible. They wanted to be able to reach him before the sun set, but they didn’t want to spook the killer. Whitney was praying that she would be able to find him in time.

  * * * *

  The killer sat by the boy and waited. He was drugged up enough to be conscious at times, but not enough to give anything away. He knew she was coming. That bitch couldn’t take a hint. He had warned her, and now he had no other choice. He knew the cop boyfriend was probably with her, but that was no problem. He was ready for them. He had to get her out of the way. She just kept meddling where she didn’t belong.

  He hadn’t planned on the elimination of any adults, but now that it was necessary, the thought was beginning to electrify him. He couldn’t accomplish anything with her snooping around. If she were really as good as the papers had said, she would have known about him already. The problem was he was too distracted spending all his time trying to avoid her. He had to get her out of the way, for good. She had no idea how important it was for him to continue his work.

  He had spent the last few weeks getting ready for this. He had strategic lookout points all along the way. He was monitoring the search effort, and knew they were coming for him. It couldn’t be more perfect. The detective and Whitney had broken off from the rest of the group. How stupid! Now he wouldn’t have to drag it out much longer.

  It was time to check on his quarry. He left the boy in the small cave. He loved caves. When he was younger he spent a lot of time in this area exploring the mountains and caves. He was always careful not to run into any mountain lions. It felt so good to be out here again. He hadn’t had time to do this in years. The boy was sleeping now, but even if he woke, he wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. His hands and feet were duct taped. He didn’t worry about him screaming, he could hardly open his eyes when he woke up.

  Dustin had been the perfect bait. And when he was finished with the psychic, he would finish the boy. He needed him alive for now, but not alert enough to give her any clues. She must be able to do some of that stuff, because she was coming in their direction. He had studied up on psychic abilities in the last few weeks. Everyone was different, but they said she was exceptional. Even the good ones couldn’t read everyone. He was sure he could block her, because the first time they met she hadn’t sensed anything. He didn’t even know who she was at the time, and he hadn’t given himself away.

  He hiked up to the nearby peak, and then over the ridge until he could see quite far. He had chosen a peak that provided a great view of the woods to the west. He had collected some excellent high tech gear from an online store. He could see for miles, and even in the dark. They wouldn’t even know he was there.

  He’d lost sight of them, but they were probably getting closer. It was time for the next phase. This time he wouldn’t fail. This time, she would pay.

  * * * *

  Whitney was getting a little tired. She had spent too much time absorbing the vibrations and it was addin
g to the strain of hiking all day.

  “Nick, I need to stop for a bit.”

  “No problem. This pack is getting pretty heavy right now.”

  When they stopped, Whitney took a chance to relax and rest before she tried to make contact with Dustin. They shared some water and rubbed each other’s shoulders. Nick’s neck and back were as hard as rocks as usual.

  “I can feel the lumps from carrying that pack, but as usual it doesn’t feel like I’m doing any good. Does that feel good?”

  “It feels great. I’ll do your back next.”

  When he finished rubbing her back, she found a spot to sit and search. She had been quiet for a few minutes when she suddenly jumped up and ran toward her pack.

  “Nick, he’s moving the boy. They’re getting farther away. We have to hurry. If he goes too far we’ll never reach him before nightfall.”

  “Whitney, we don’t have a lot of time now. We might just have to spend the night out here. I better let them know back at the base camp.”

  “Just don’t give away our location. Tell them we just don’t want to bother walking back tonight. He won’t know we’re on his tail.”

  Nick called and let Agent Hollerman know they wouldn’t be back. The agent seemed to sense the need to say little. Since they hadn’t called with good news, he kept the search parties working. Nick got off the radio and walked over to Whitney.

  “One piece of good news, I think.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Since this disappearance, it sheds enough doubt on Ann Marie’s guilt that her lawyer finally got bail for her. She will be coming up to join the search. She’s been going crazy knowing that a little friend of hers is missing and she can’t help. She’s bringing some of the other parents to help.”

  “Good for her. I hope we can catch this guy and her nightmare will be over. I still can’t figure out who would want to frame her. I guess in sports there’s always someone that wants to win more than you. Remember the case of the cheerleader’s mom killing that poor girl.”

  “Yup, I remember. Well, let’s just concentrate on finding the boy and getting out of here. I’m hoping we don’t actually have to face the killer alone. I want backup if we find him.”

  Nick had a bad feeling about this. Why hadn’t he killed the boy already? Where was he going? He was taking a big risk staying in the woods with the boy with all the search parties out looking. Maybe he wanted to lure Whitney away by taking the boy into the wilderness. They could be walking right into a trap. This didn’t feel right. Shit, where was Teddy when you need him? He felt like a puppet on a string leading Whitney out so far without protection. It went against his every instinct.

  They hiked for a few more hours, but the sun was setting. Whitney could sense the boy was still on the move. He wasn’t walking. She guessed he was being carried by the killer. She could feel the pressure of the ropes around his body. He was barely conscious and still getting farther away. How could the killer move the boy faster than they could track him? He must be on a better trail. Nick and Whitney finally had to stop for the night and setup camp. He had to convince Whitney it was the only choice. They couldn’t get far in the dark, and they would be easy targets with flashlights. It was going to be a long night.

  Chapter 14

  Nick put the small tent on the softest bed of pine needles he could find. The survival gear didn’t include anything to sleep on. They had blankets to keep them warm, but they were like tin foil and wouldn’t work as bedding underneath their bodies. He threw their extra jackets down for something to lie on and zipped the tent back up.

  Whitney’s mood hadn’t improved much, so he tried to distract her with food. They munched on the dry granola bars and drank some water. The air was just beginning to get chilly now that the sun was down.

  “Too bad we can’t have a fire. It would make it so much easier. Then I could catch you a rabbit or something for dinner.” He puffed up his chest to show that he was a manly hunter.

  “Yuk,” she laughed. “I don’t really like seeing my food alive before I eat it. The trail mix and granola bars are fine.”

  “We could pretend we’re on Gilligan’s Island. We’ll just say the professor took the Howells and the rest for a ride on the raft. So we’re all alone…” He leaned toward her to give her a kiss.

  “Yuk. Mary Ann and Gilligan never got it on.”

  “I didn’t say I was Gilligan. So you’re Mary Ann, huh? Not the other one? I can’t remember her name.”

  “No. She wears too many dresses. If I’m gonna be lost on an Island, I’m not getting dressed up to do it.”

  “Well, Mary Ann. I’m a lost sailor that washed up on the Island. You stayed behind to make sure my fever goes away. Wanna help me get rid of this burning fever?” He put her hand on his chest and pushed it down toward his belly.

  Whitney pulled her hand away and laughed. “No thank you. Who knows where you got it? I know all about you sailors. A girl in every port. I think I’ll just watch you until you fall asleep.”

  “And then what?”

  “And then I’m going to the lagoon for a little skinny dipping. Alone!”

  “Someone has to protect you from the sharks out there. I promise, I haven’t touched another girl since I set my eyes on you.”

  Whitney shook her head no and pushed her lower lip out in a pout. “I don’t like sailors. Go away.”

  “Okay. I’m not really a sailor. We’re actually on the latest Survivor show and we’re the last two left. I promise to give you the whole million if you let me sleep with you.”

  “Oh, such bribery. Well, a girl has to have nice things. That’s if I can trust you to make sure I win.”

  “See the beauty is, even if I win, I give it to you.”

  “Yeah, right. I’m not blonde you know.”

  “Hey, that’s not very nice. There are some intelligent blondes out there. And coming from a woman. How crude.”

  Whitney laughed and walked toward the tent. “Just to prove you’ll really share, you can sleep outside tonight and give me the whole tent.” She unzipped it and jumped inside.

  “I don’t think so. The deal is I get to sleep with you if I’m giving you all my money.”

  “I’ll be sleeping, and you’ll be sleeping too, so we will be sleeping together.”

  “Not gonna happen.” Nick reached in and blocked her from zipping the tent all the way up. Whitney burst out laughing and backed away. Once they were both inside the tent Nick turned to her and put on a serious face. “Time to pay up.”

  Whitney squealed and then covered her mouth.

  “Oops. I’d better be more quiet.”

  “Sorry, my fault. Come here and keep me warm,” he said, crooking his finger and motioning so she would get closer.

  They snuggled in together and pulled the blankets over top the best they could.

  “You know we can’t really do anything to energetic tonight,” Whitney warned. “I won’t have any strength left tomorrow.

  “I know,” Nick assured her. “Besides, with those powers of yours, someone might see the tent flashing when you get excited.”

  “You’re so amusing,” she snapped sarcastically. “So you were just teasing me?”

  “Yup. I don’t dare make love to you tonight. I won’t be in any position to protect you if I can’t even stand on my legs.”

  They tried to make small talk until they fell asleep to keep their minds off the little boy’s dilemma. Nick tried to doze lightly so he could keep watch over Whitney. She was the one who needed her rest. They had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but Nick was afraid it wouldn’t be good.

  * * * *

  He was up before the sun rose. He had to be careful and get started before that Bentley woman and her boyfriend. He had found their camp during the night. It wasn’t hard to do with his night vision goggles and all the noise they were making. They had no idea they were up against his level of intelligence.

  He placed himself between the lov
ebirds’ camp and the boy’s hiding place. Now he would see if all the studying and gadgets would pay off. If that lady could pick up on his vibrations, or thoughts, all he had to do was clear his mind. He was already convinced he could block her from knowing his thoughts. He just knew he was one of the ones that could do that. It was probably because of his superior intelligence and determination.

  He sat down on his seat warmer and took out the light and sound machine. He had attempted to learn how to meditate and clear his mind in the last few weeks, but he was new at it so he wanted extra insurance. He found the light machine on the Internet. He placed the headphones over his ears and the dark glasses on his face. The machine used sounds and light to help you reach the point where the brain produced the correct alpha waves. That was what meditation was all about. He wanted to see if he could make her think he wasn’t in the area any more. Even if it didn’t work, she would never be able to read his mind. Today was the day, and it was hard to bridle his excitement and fall into the meditative state. He turned on the music and started to enjoy the light show.

  * * * *

  Whitney woke when the sun was just rising to find Nick watching her. It was obvious he hadn’t slept much from the dark circles under his eyes. They had a quick bite to eat and Whitney threw on an extra jacket. It would warm up later, but for now she needed to be comfortable so she could concentrate. Nick quietly broke up camp as she sat in the now familiar position she used to relax.

  After a few minutes she stood up and glanced at Nick. The expression on her face looked more hopeful than the night before.

  “What, is he still out there?”

  “Yes, he’s still alive but not very aware. But the thing is…I didn’t sense anyone else. It seems like he left the boy alone. Maybe he got afraid and ran.”

  That didn’t make sense. Nick couldn’t believe it could be that easy. He had spent the night worrying about walking into a trap. He didn’t want to spoil the hopeful look on Whitney’s face, but the hairs on the back of his neck told him they were heading for trouble.