Tanya stood in the sand, the quiet pounding in her ears. Without moving her head, her wide eyes jerked back and forth across the calming water. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,” she murmured, paralyzed by the impossible. In the blink of an eye, she was alone.
Finally mustering enough body control to move her head, she looked up and down the shoreline. Both directions were deserted. Then she heard something. Her brown eyes snapped back to the water, expecting to see one of those…things standing there, watching her, coming for her next. She threw her hands into the air and waved them over her head. “Hey! Hey!” she screamed, slowly turning with a ski boat zipping across the lake. “Help!” She jumped up and down, frantically waving both arms while a young girl skipped behind the boat on a big yellow tube. The girl’s wild laughter faded with the boat around a pine tree laden bend. Tanya dropped her arms and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Shit!”
Hells Bells started blasting behind her, dragging her attention to something glimmering in the sand. Her heart did a stutter step in her chest. Forcing her heavy legs to obey, she ran to Stu’s cellphone and skidded to a stop when a tall man with long hair shot from the shallows like a submerged buoy. Emaciated knees peeked through the holes in his slacks as he ran toward her. Pulling free of the water’s drag, his speed quickened. Wet hair swung wildly across his peeling face and Tanya darted to her left. He moved to block and she stopped again, staring in horror at the moss covering his teeth and nose. His skin was cracked and pale and it looked like he’d been in the lake for years. But of course, that was impossible.
The tall man stood there and examined her right back while a worm wiggled from his left nostril and fell to the sand with a sloppy thud. Tanya’s scream spurred a horrific cry from his broken lips that sounded like a dying animal. He tore through the sand and tackled her, landing on her with all his weight and driving the wind from her lungs. With a wet sounding grunt, he rolled to his feet and pulled her by the hair into the lake. Kicking, she tried to scream but couldn’t find her breath. Her hands wrestled with the slimy claw clinging to her long locks, but the man moved fast and the water gushed into her mouth. He dove under and took her with him.
Another flock of geese flew by overhead, ignoring Tanya’s outstretched hand as the setting sun lit up their feathery sides. They grew smaller in the distance and, gradually, the water returned to a glassy reflection of the towering trees decorating the lakeside. It was quiet. Peaceful. Stu’s cellphone began to ring again, blasting Hells Bells loud enough to make a lonely Northern Pintail fly over and investigate.
Chapter Four
Mary The Scout Leader
The fire popped, sending red embers bursting into the night. It was too hot for a fire but camping without one just wasn’t the same. Jittery flames threw shadows across the secluded campsite nestled between the woods and the lake, cloaking the ground in things that weren’t there. A soft breeze whistled through the tall pines while glowing faces stared at Clutch. He took off his flat-brimmed ball cap and mopped the sweat from his brow, the fire glinting off the silver hoops in his ears. Slapping the hat back on crooked, he took a long drink of his beer, relishing in the attention. Rory tried to contain a smirk when he caught a glimpse of Clutch’s gentleman’s haircut hiding beneath the hat, surprised he didn’t have a mangy beard to go with it as well. The guy was a first-class trend jumper but Rory didn’t hate him for it. Nor did he hate him for his tight-fitting jeans and worn-out hipster boots that were probably brand new. Or the jacked-up Rubicon without a speck of mud on it they followed here from Doc’s. No, Rory hated him because Clutch got the girl.
His girl.
Kate stopped a red Solo cup in front of her mouth, bangles sliding down her wrist in a clatter. “Wait, what girl scout?”
“The one that went missing out here. You didn’t hear about that?” Clutch’s lips pulled down at the corners in a reverse smile. He shifted in the camping chair. “Legend has it, one night after roasting some marshmallows, the scout leader took the girls on a snipe hunt through the woods and…young Cassie never made it back to camp.”
Woody looked oddly at the marshmallow he was roasting on a stick and threw the whole thing in the fire, missing the smile it brought to Kate’s wine-stained lips.
Clutch took a long pull from a bottle of Heineken, the flames winking off the green glass in his hand. Another reason not to like the guy. Who brings glass to a beach where everyone’s walking around barefoot?
Ass.
Swallowing, Clutch pinched his gaze and sent it around the circle of friends, stopping abruptly on Rory. “And as luck would have it, by the time the scout leader and a few of the moms gathered their flashlights to go find young Cassie, a bad storm blew in, making it impossible to search for the missing camper.”
“Does this guy ever stop talking?” Rory whispered out the corner of his mouth, catching a playful smile from Ashley in the chair next to him.
Woody shushed him, taking Rory’s annoyance to a higher level. Not only did the guy never shut up, but Woody clung to his every word like he was the messiah. It was embarrassing and what Rachel saw in this self-absorbed prick, Rory Callahan would never know. Tipping a cold can of beer back, he tried not to make eye contact with his ex but the long-stemmed legs spilling from her cutoffs made that impossible. And Woody was right, she looked amazing with short hair and he hated her for it. He could still feel her smooth skin beneath his hands, taste her lips on his tongue...
“So the moms ushered the girls back to their tents, but the scout leader was determined and set off alone with lightning flashing and hair plastered to her face as she called out the little girl’s name.” Clutch stared into the fire, like he was seeing the whole thing play out against a curtain of flames. “The other girl scouts could hear their leader calling out Cassie’s name, over and over again until it faded completely away.”
The fire popped and Woody jerked his gaze to the tree line behind him. He froze in the camping chair, staring into the amorphous shadows slipping through the woods like spilt ink. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.
Ashley nervously scanned the woods, hair falling over her shoulders in long rivers of honey. “Hear what?” she whispered back.
“When the others made it back to their tents…” Clutch paused to light a smoke. “They found Cassie had made it back on her own and, outside of being scared and thirsty, was none the worse for wear.” Smoke trailed from his nose. “The storm raged all night long and by morning was still again. When the moms discovered the scout leader still missing, they alerted the park rangers and a search party was quickly formed.”
“Did they ever find her?”
Clutch’s eyes jumped to Kate and narrowed. “No trace of her was ever found,” he said gravely. “The old-timers say that, to this day, you can still hear her ghost calling out that little girl’s name.” He leaned forward, the chair creaking beneath him, fire dancing in his eyes. “Cassie,” he whispered. “Caaasssieeee…” Gazing into the trees, he cocked his head to one side and put a finger to his lips. “Listen, you can almost hear her now.”
Everything got quiet. Rory’s eyes searched the trees to a symphony of crickets, frogs, and locusts. A cloud passed beneath the moon, plunging them into darkness.
“CASSIE!” Kate screamed at the top of her lungs, scaring the holy shit out of everyone but Clutch, who leaned back and bellowed with laughter.
“Goddammit, Kate!” Ashley held her cup out over the sand, pulling on her yellow summer dress where it looked like she’d been shot in the stomach. “You made me spill wine on my dress, you bitch!”
Kate and Clutch howled with laughter, holding their drinks in one hand and their stomachs in the other.
“Oh my God, that was perfect timing!” Clutch cheered her with his bottle.
Kate got to her feet, eyes as dark as her long hair. “That was seriously the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Jesus Christ, I think I’m having a heart attack.” Woody placed a hand ov
er his chest and caught his racing breath, looking around like this ghost story wasn’t over yet.
“I can’t believe you were in on that with him!” Ashley slapped Kate’s leg. “You guys are such jerks. This is a brand new dress too!”
“I’m sorry, Ash.” Kate stifled a laugh and tucked a strand of bangs behind an ear before going to the picnic table sitting between them and the woods. “I will get it dry cleaned, I swear to God.”
Rory accidentally traded a glance with Rachel like they used to do when they were still a couple and something weird happened somewhere. She rolled her eyes at him and he turned away. His gaze landed on Ashley who was staring at him over the rim of her Solo cup through mischievous eyes.
Kate handed her some wet paper towels. “I’m so sorry, Ash. How bad is it?”
“It’s okay,” she said, taking the towels and dabbing at the dress. “And it’s not brand new; I made that up.”
“I know.”
“Bitch.” Looking up from the stain, Ashley flashed Rory an impish smile. “Hope you brought your Tide stick?” she whispered, drawing a heated look from Rachel that brought a grin to Rory’s lips. Ashley knew that Rachel and Rory used to be a thing but in a town this size, the statute of limitations ran out in 1.5 years. Otherwise, no one would ever date and the town would eventually die.
Clutch set his beer in the chair’s cup holder and lit up a joint, casting a yellow glow over his strong jaw and small nose. “That’s the local legend anyway,” he said, passing it to Kate. “But you know how the old-timers like to talk.”
“Didn’t that story sound a little like The Blair Witch Project?”
Clutch frowned at Rory. “That was nothing like The Blair Witch Project.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Rory sat back and gestured with his beer. “It was just the whole crazy lady, and the little kids, and the house in the woods. For a second there, it all sounded very…similar.”
“House in the woods?” Clutch glanced at the others, tugging on an earring. “Fuck you talking about, dude?”
“Wasn’t there a house in the woods?”
“No, there wasn’t a house in the woods.”
“Oh.”
Woody canvassed the thick trees bordering the campsite. “Okay, that time I heard something for real and I’m not even kidding.”
“Woody,” Ashley groaned, tending to the wine stain. “Stop trying to freak us out.”
He took the joint from Kate and brought it to his lips, making the end glow red. “Something’s out there,” he said, holding his breath and passing it to Ashley.
She waved him off and tossed the paper towels into the fire. “I’m too freaked out right now.” She scooted her chair closer to Rory and looped an arm through his. “No more pot for me.”
Rory took the joint from Woody and soaked up her heat, simultaneously soaking up the way Rachel stiffened when Ashley snuggled against him.
“You think that story was crazy, you should’ve heard some of the stuff the villagers told us at the Mayan ruins in Mexico.”
Rory took a hit and snorted, smoke jutting from his nose. The beers were making him cavalier with his facial expressions but if he had to hear about one more exciting vacation this guy took, he might actually swim to the marina on the other side of the lake. The bar was open for two more hours at least. “Let me guess, the jungle vines came to life and ate all the people.”
Clutch’s eyes landed hard on him, making Rory wish he would’ve kept his mouth shut. “Huh?”
“It’s a movie,” Woody sheepishly explained. “The Ruins.”
“God,” Clutch laughed, looking around the group. “Does this guy ever talk about anything but movies?”
Rory’s face hardened, blind to the fact that everyone was staring at him. “I was just talking about climate change being a scare tactic to expand the power of the federal government a few minutes ago! Does that sound like a movie?”
Clutch rested his elbows on his knees and exhaled, letting the crickets fill the awkward silence stretching between them. “Look, I get what’s happening here, Rory, but things don’t have to be weird between us.”
“Clutch!” Rachel gasped, slapping his knee.
“Babe,” he laughed, gesturing with his hands. “I don’t want it to be like that. It doesn’t have to be.”
Surprised laughter escaped Rory’s lips. “I’m not making things weird, I’m just saying.”
Lowering his voice, Clutch spread his palms. “Truth is, I was hoping we could hangout sometime. Maybe grab a cup of Joe or catch a show together. Something.”
Rory swapped a confused look with Rachel. “Why?”
“Why not?”
He smiled, thankful for the campfire camouflaging his ruby red face. Taking a long drink, Rory swallowed what he was about to say next and hid behind the can for as long as possible. His gaze rose to the blanket of stars above that were always so much brighter out here. “Man,” he exhaled. “I could really go for sending out a tweet right about now.”
“Don’t even think about it!” Kate snapped, toying with the bangles on her wrist.
Ashley laughed and squeezed his arm. “Are you jonesing that bad?”
“Just a little something to take the edge off.”
Rachel giggled and shook her head.
Rory stared off into the night. “Even if it was one of those dumb memes like, in order to be someone, you must first be yourself.”
Kate laughed and choked on her wine, sitting up to avoid a spill of her own. “God, I hate those.”
“Or how about,” Rachel started, taking a deep breath and searching the sky. “Some people feel the rain, others just get wet.”
Ashley laughed out loud. “Or…to the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
Woody leaned forward in his lawn chair. “Or what about – no matter how dumb you are, you can never convince someone smart they are smart.”
The smile fell from Kate’s face. “Mmmmm, I don’t think that’s how it goes, Woods.”
Ashley giggled. “That made no sense.”
“Okay wait!” Woody shot a finger into the air. “No matter how wide a river, a bridge always runs through it.”
Rory shook his head. “Not even close. You just ruined the whole thing.”
Woody leaned back and shook his head. “You just ruined the whole thing,” he grumbled, returning his attention to the campfire that crackled and popped and dusted the campsite in smoke.
Kate lightly slapped Woody’s knee, making him jump. “You’re so weird.”
Rachel finished her cabernet in a single gulp and got up. “Anyone?”
Everyone shot a hand into the air at the same time and erupted into laughter.
“I’ll help you,” Ashley said, following Rachel to the sun faded picnic table.
A log popped and shifted and Rory thought Rachel smiled at him as she passed by.
“So did you really get high with Kenny Chesney in the Keys?” Kate asked, breaking the silence settling around them.
“Once.” Clutch grinned. “And you’ll never believe what happened.”
“What?” Kate and Woody said at the same time.
“Well, Ken has the same boat as my dad, except his has this pirate flag…”
Rory glanced over his shoulder to the table, where the flickering light jumped off Rachel’s denim shorts. The group’s chatter drifted a thousand miles away and he still couldn’t believe it had been three years. He hoped she would’ve at least gained a hundred pounds by now but she looked better than ever. Stronger. Wiser. Rachel didn’t look like Rachel anymore; Rachel looked like a woman. Not that it mattered. If she was dating this Clutch guy, she obviously lost her mind and was no longer the person Rory once knew and loved. People change. But those shorts… His eyes hovered on her perky backside, igniting a naked blast from the past. He knew every curve and freckle on those cheeks and what he would give to explore them again. Turning back around, he found Clutch stari
ng right at him.
Clutch’s thick eyebrows disappeared beneath the brim of his hat. “You all set, bro?”
Rory jiggled his empty. “Just waitin on that beer.”
Void of expression, he slowly nodded back, time stretching to a painful crawl.
“What if we turned around and Mary was just standing there by the trees, watching us?”
Rory frowned. “Mary?”
“Yeah, the scout leader.”
“Was her name Mary?”
Woody scooted to the edge of his chair. “All I know is that we don’t have any phones or guns and I am seeing shit, man!”
“Woody! Quit freaking me out.” Kate dug a smudge stick from her oversized black purse and lit up, scanning the darkened trees around them. “You don’t have to scare me to get me to sleep in your tent tonight.”
“No, you have to pay her,” Ashley relied, coming back with a bottle of cab.
“Don’t do it, Kate.” Rachel handed Woody a cold can. “You two work together and you’ll regret it on your next shift.”
Kate waved the stick around while holding her cup out for Ashley to refill it. “Hey, you only live once.”
“Or twice,” Woody whispered. “If you’re Mary the scout leader.”
Rory frowned. “Not sure her name was Mary.”
Kate waved smoke in Woody’s face. “Why do you do this every time we come out here?”
He sat back and shrugged. “Bored I guess.”
Ashley sat back down, flashing Rory some serious cleavage in the process. Her warm fingers brushed against his as she returned her cup to the cup holder, sending butterflies launching inside his stomach. It had been a long five weeks since Danielle dumped him and the touch of a woman made his blood pump faster. Leaning back, he shot her a cool smile, letting his bloodshot eyes trail down her sundress to the slender legs running into the sand. The fire reflected off her freshly oiled skin and maybe hooking up with Ashley tonight wasn’t such a bad idea after all. It would get under Rachel’s skin and that was a bonus.
Dead Series (Book 3): A Little More Alive Page 19