by Sadie Savage
Tessa stepped in front of her latest piece, a still-life done in the hyperrealism style that she had been perfecting over the last decade. The painting of the bowl of wax fruit on the table beyond was starting to come together in a way that she was mostly happy with, the fruit on the canvas drawn with such clarity and detail that it almost seemed to be real, and that was exactly what she was hoping for.
Her photorealistic style had found many admirers over the last few years, with buyers everywhere from the Upper East Side to Shibuya who were eager to pay hand-over-fist for her latest work. As she looked over the painting, paying special attention to a draping pineapple leaf, she couldn’t help but wonder if Lucas’s relative lack of success was factoring into his change in behavior. He still had patrons, but his drive had seemed to peter out over the last few years, and the sales of his work reflected it. He just didn’t seem to have the same hungry ambition that she fell in love with so many years ago.
Tessa was still shaken up from her fight with Lucas, but she needed to pass the time somehow, and she knew that art was the best way for her to burn off any built-up energy or tension. Besides, it was either that or pace around the house until the sun set. Getting her equipment together, she set to work.
And just as she intended, the hours flew by, with the morning shifting into afternoon, then finally into evening. Tessa only took breaks for a quick snack or to use the restroom. Eventually, after nearly a day’s worth of work, she felt a little less stressed out about the fight with Lucas, her fear being replaced more and more by a desire to get to the bottom of what was going on with her husband. And as she predicted, Lucas hadn’t come back home.
Setting her painting tools on the long, L-shaped desk in the workroom, she took one last look at her painting and a feeling of satisfaction spread through her. She cleaned up in the wash basin, put her things back in order, and shut the lights off in the workroom.
As soon as she flicked the switch, a feeling of determination took hold; she was ready to get to the bottom of things. Grabbing her keys, she stepped out into the cool evening air, the lights along their front walkway were small pools of illumination against the pitch black of the forest that surrounded them. Tessa was happy that they decided to move out into the woods because-she could focus on her work here in a way that she never could with the constant noise of the city streets outside of their old apartment in Brooklyn. The darkness, however, was something she never grew used to. She always relied on Lucas to feel safe, but now that things between them were strained, standing in the still, quiet air of the woods, the silver sliver of moon above bright that only source of light beyond those of her home, she had an acute sense of just how dark the woods were.
Her keys in hand, she made a fist around them, letting one stick out from between her middle and ring finger. She knew how silly it was to think this would provide a defense against whoever, or whatever, was lurking in the darkness beyond the property lights, but it made her feel a little bit better.
She walked along the path towards the gravel driveway where the car was parked. But just as she approached the black Roadster, a rustling sounded from the woods on the other side of the driveway.
Tessa stopped in her tracks, standing stone still next to the car as she listened to the noise. It was a gentle noise at first, like a small critter running through foliage, but over the course of the next few seconds, it grew in volume and intensity. Tessa realized quickly that it wasn’t just one animal causing the sound, but many. And they were all growing closer by the second.
Then, the stomping of heavy footfalls could be heard. These, too, grew closer and louder by the second. She caught the glint of a pair of yellow eyes in the darkness, then another, then another. The snorting of breath cut through the air, hot puffs of exhalation forming and dissipating in the night.
Tessa’s heart raced as the animals moved closer, and as they stepped out of the darkness and into the small pools of light, she saw that these weren’t just any animals- they were a large pack of black bears, their eyes all on Tessa as she stood frozen.
Her body locked up as the animals stared at her impassively, looking her over as if they didn’t know what to make of her…or if they hadn’t yet decided what to do with her. As they all emerged from the shadows, Tessa saw that there were six in total, the two largest in the middle and flanked at both sides by the smaller members of the pack, their fur nearly as dark and black as the shadowed night behind them.
Tessa’s fight-or-flight instinct seemed to have short-circuited and all she could do was stare at the animals as they stood in a row on the other side of the car. Though she was gripped with fear, she knew that there was nothing she could do. If she ran, they’d chase her down; if she fought, she’d be dead in seconds. So, instead, she chose to stay still, hoping that they’d see she wasn’t a threat.
After a moment, the largest bear broke from the pack, and moved on all four paws around the car, its muscles shifting as it walked, its smooth, coal-black fur catching the moonlight as it approached Tessa. It closed the distance between them quickly, coming to a stop only a few feet from her. Tessa looked into the deep, brown eyes of the animal, which was close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from its massive body. She knew that if it wanted to kill her, it could do so in a split-second. Tessa’s body was perfectly still, aside from her right hand, which shook rapidly, the keys jingling as they dangled from her fist.
The bear looked at her hand before turning his gaze back to her. Then, it walked around Tessa in a slow, lazy circle, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as it moved directly behind her. It completed its loop around her, the gravel crunching under its massive paws. It took one last, appraising look at Tessa before, to her surprise, it turned and walked back to the rest of the pack. Lifting his head up in a quick, nodding motion, it gestured to the other bears before walking back into the woods, disappearing into the shadowed foliage. The other bears followed, and in seconds, Tessa was once again alone, rustling branches the only evidence of the bear’s former presence.
Tessa, finally able to move, stumbled over to the car, her heart pounding in her chest. She leaned forward against the car, catching her breath and letting the adrenaline finish rushing through her body.
The experience left her shaken, but what she considered most disturbing of all, was when the bear looked at her, something about its eyes didn’t seem like the cold, empty eyes of a beast. It seemed…human.
CHAPTER 4
Tessa sped down the narrow, gravel road that led to Branlen, the encounter with the bear pack still racing through her mind. She knew that she should’ve been dead; any other pack of bears would’ve attacked her within seconds if she had approached them that closely. But this pack was different. She couldn’t shake the face of the bear that approached her from her thoughts. It was just a bear, but the way it looked at her, it was almost as if it was taking a closer look out of its own sense of curiosity, to see what she looked like up close.
She did her best to shake these thoughts from her mind as she made her way towards the town. Not knowing exactly how to begin her mission of finding out where Lucas was, or what he was doing, she figured Hannagan’s, the dive bar where they most often went for drinks, was the best place to start. The small town appeared down the road, a dome of light in the distance marking it as a beacon of civilization in the woods. She felt the road change from gravel to paved asphalt, a sure sign that she was nearly there.
After a time, she arrived at Hannagan’s, which was a squat, gray building decorated with neon signs, motorcycles and cars parked haphazardly out front. She scanned the vehicles for Lucas’s bike, but couldn’t spot it. Figuring that he likely was here at some point, she pulled into a spot and got out of the car.
Throwing open the door to the bar, she was greeted with rock music playing loudly over the speakers and the sort of raucous commotion that’d she’d grown to expect from the small-town clientele that was currently packed into the place. Sidli
ng through the crowd, she slipped into an empty barstool. Within seconds, the owner Henry, a tall, heavy-set man with a head of silver hair and a beard tied in a small braid at his chin, came over to Tessa with a smile on his face.
“Hey, Tess,” he said, leaning against the bar with both hands.
“Hey, Henry,” she replied.
“No Lukey tonight?” he asked, looking around Tessa, as though he might find Lucas hiding behind her.
“No,” said Tessa, disappointed that Henry evidently hadn’t seen Lucas. “I was actually hoping that you’d seen him.”
“Nope, I haven’t seen him in a few days, actually. What can I get ya?”
“Just a Bud,” she said.
Within seconds, he produced an ice-cold bottle of beer and set it on the bar in front of her, popping the top open with a hiss. Tessa took a slow drink, the cool beer was delicious and just the thing for her frazzled nerves.
“Boy’s nowhere to be found?” asked Henry.
“He, uh, left on his bike earlier today,” she said, not wanting to share the exact details of her situation. “I hadn’t heard from him and saw he left his damn phone at home.”
Henry shook his head.
“Dumbass,” he said.
“No kidding,” said Tessa. “I figured he probably stopped by here at some point.”
“That’s a safe bet,” said Henry. “You know what, I did just get here; Julianne’s been here all day. Let me see if she’s seen hide or hair of that young man.”
“Thanks, Henry,” Tessa said, taking another sip of her beer.
Henry nodded and stepped away and within seconds he was replaced by Julianne, a skinny, black-haired girl with arms covered in colorful, elaborate tattoos. She wore a skin-tight t-shirt that showed off her taut, toned stomach.
“Hey, baby!” she said, her gaunt, yet pretty face breaking out into a wide smile as she leaned across the bar to give Tessa a hug.
“Hey, Jules!” said Tessa.
A sly smile crossed Julianne’s face as she slipped two shot glasses out from behind the bar and filled them with Goldschlager, the golden flakes of the liquor catching the dim light of the bar as they fluttered in the liquid. She pushed a glass over to Tessa and with a cheer, the two threw back their shots, the sweet, cinnamon drink burning Tessa’s throat as she swallowed it.
“So, you’re looking for your man?” asked Julianne, her hands on her hips.
“Yeah,” she said, before filling Julianne in on the rest of the fabricated details.
“Oh, shoot, I’m always leaving my phone at home,” she said before furrowing her brow in thought. “Well, he was in here, but that was hours ago. He met with…umm, Kevin and Mike.”
Tessa let out an involuntary shudder at hearing the names of two of Lucas’s newest, and scuzziest, friends.
“They were here? Where’d they go after that?”
“Hmm, let me think,” said Julianne, cocking her hips to the side. “They got good and tore up here, then they said they were...hmm, oh, that’s right- they said they were going to Dusty’s place down on Whitehall Lane. You know, the big farm?”
Tessa knew what she was talking about- she and Lucas had been to a few parties there over the years. And from that experience, she knew the shindigs there could get pretty out of hand.
“I’m surprised he didn’t come back to get you if that’s where he went. I’d never let my man run off to a party like that without me watching him like a damn hawk; too many drugs, and too much temptation, if you know what I mean.”
Tessa knew exactly what she meant. She finished her beer, determined to go find Lucas and get things settled between them before they got out of hand.
“You want another?” asked Julianne, pointing towards the beer with a finger looped with a gaudy, silver ring.
“Nah, I’m gonna go find Luke and make sure he doesn’t get up to anything he shouldn’t,” she said with a smile.
“Oh, good idea. Later, Tess.”
Tessa pushed herself away from the bar and rose to leave, but before she left, a question popped into her mind.
“Hey, Jules,” said Tessa.
“Yeah?”
“This is kind of a weird question, but have you ever seen any bears around this area? Like, big black bears?”
“Black bears?” asked Julianne, her face in a quizzical expression. “Not that I know of.”
Henry, overhearing the conversation, stepped in.
“There used to be bears around these parts, but since civilization moved in, we haven’t seen them for, oh, decades. Not since I was a kid. Why?”
“Oh, just had some critter go through my trash the other day,” said Tessa. “Though it might’ve been a bear.”
“Nah,” said Henry. “If it were a bear, you’d know it.”
Tessa said her goodbyes and headed out, ready to settle things with Lucas.
CHAPTER 5
Tessa could hear the house long before she saw it. Driving the Roadster down the winding road out of town towards to Dusty’s farm, a steady thumping of bass vibrating the windows and windshield of the car. Moments later, Tessa made the final turn, revealing a massive, white farmhouse on a seemingly endless stretch of land, a lake shimmering with moonlight visible in the distance. In front of the house were dozens of cars parked at erratic angles, throngs of people around them and packed onto the front lawn. Rolling down the window, the sounds of electronic music filled the car, the raucous noise of the party-goers as they whooped and hollered was audible through the music.
Pulling into a spot near the road, Tessa exited the car and walked towards the party, the music growing to a nearly deafening volume the closer she drew to the house. The partiers, all with drinks in their hands from beers in red plastic to handles of cheap whiskey, stared at her with narrowed eyes as she approached, as though she were an unwelcome guest. And as she scanned the crowd, she recognized not a single face- a fact that struck her as odd, considering the town of Branlen was only a few thousand people.
Something else struck Tessa’s attention: most of the crowd seemed to have the same weary, worn face, as if they’d been up for days partying. But before she could ponder the curiosity, the nearby flicking of a lighter provided the answer to her question. Looking at the direction of the flame, she saw a group of four especially trashy-looking men and women gathered into a small circle, all passing around a small pipe. Tessa figured that it was pot, but as she smelled the air, she detected a strange, astringent scent.
Soon after, she realized what it was- meth.
Ignoring the eyes of the reed-limbed men in oversized jeans and dirty, white undershirts, she made her way into the house, the music now loud enough to drown out her thoughts. She didn’t know where she was heading exactly, or what she was going to do if she was able to find Lucas; she only knew that she needed to see him, to get closure on their fight.
“Hey, baby,” said a man wearing expensive, gaudy clothing, and beady black eyes that peered out at Tessa from behind matted, red hair. “You want a smoke?”
Tessa’s first reaction was to tell the man to fuck off, but as she looked over his outfit and saw that he had money, she realized that he might know who was who around here.
“Sure,” she said, moving next to the man, the scent of overabundant body spray filling her nose.
“That’s what I like to hear, missy,” he said, his voice an urban drawl. “What’s your name?”
“T-, uh, Charlene,” she said, forcing a coy smile onto her lips.
“Charleeene,” he said, drawing out the vowels as if trying the name on for size. “I’m Reynaldo.”
“Nice to meet you, Renaldo,” said Tessa, taking his boney hand and shaking it, a thin sheen of sweat on his palm.
“No, no, no,” he said, slipping his hand out of Tessa’s and waving it back and forth while shaking his head. “Not ‘Renaldo,’ ‘Rey-naldo.’ Big difference.”
“Sure, uh, Ray-naldo,” said Tessa, taking the cigarette Reynaldo offered and slipping
it between her lips.
“Now, pretty lady,” he said, lighting her cigarette, the sickly-sweet taste of menthol rushing into Tessa’s lungs as she took the lighting drag. “I gotta say, you don’t exactly look like you fit in here.”
“And why is that?” she asked, taking another drag and trying to mask her disgust at the taste of the cigarette.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “But you’re a little older than the, ah, usual types we get around here.”
Tessa was mildly offended but thought better of indulging the urge to slap this young man across his face. Instead, she looked around the packed, dimly-lit house, and sure enough, he was right- nearly everyone there looked no older than 25.
“I love older ladies, personally,” he said. “So that ain’t even a thing for me.”
“Great to hear,” said Tessa, taking another drag.
“And the other, well, let’s just said you got some really clear skin.”
Tessa was confused at first, but scanned the party once more. With Reynaldo’s comment in mind, she looked over the faces of the party-goers; they all seemed to have the same blotchy, red skin, with complexions so bad she could barely make out their features through their sores. If she hadn’t already figured out that this was some kind of meth party, she would’ve known now.
Then, the question rushed into her mind: Why would Lucas be here?
She decided to take a stab in the dark.
“You don’t happen to know anyone named Lucas Henderson, would you?”
Reynaldo’s mouse-like eyes widened, his youthful features lighting up with recognition.
“You mean Mister Henderson? Why you asking about him?”
Tessa was taken aback by this question. Namely, that he seemed to know right away who Lucas was. And also, that this kid didn’t seem to be the type to typically use formalities like “mister.”
“I have important business with him,” said Tessa, unsure of what else to say, and not wanting to give Reynaldo the real reason for wanting to talk to Lucas.
“Are you dealing?” he asked, now seemingly unsure of how to talk to Tessa. “No, wait- you’re not a fucking cop, are you?”