by Apryl Baker
Huh. My own personal furnace on call 24/7. That’s actually really cool.
“Hi, I’m Ava!”
I blink as the girl gets right in my face. Jeez, hasn’t anyone ever told her about a little thing called personal space? My face must have reflected my thoughts because her eyes widen and she takes a hasty step back. Her blonde hair is pinned up in a high ponytail and she’s wearing a purple two piece bikini. It has to be purple? How can I tolerate another purple-loving fiend? Just shoot me now.
“Ava, this is Mattie,” Eli says while I give her my best back-off-before-I-punch-you glare. “She’s not as hostile as she seems, promise.”
“Speak for yourself,” I mutter, my mood souring rapidly.
“What put you into such a snarky mood?” Eli asks, frowning.
“This is me,” I tell him. “Deal…or don’t.” I pull away and then join Dan on the boat. I really have no idea why I went from blissfully happy to all dark, snarky, and gloomy. It’s just plain weird.
“Can you grab the life vests out of the bin?” Dan asks, not looking at me. “We should be ready to push off in just a minute.”
I go and count out six vests. I spotted Mary right before I fled to the boat. Caleb is trying to talk to her and she’s adopted one of my better back-off glares. Good girl. Caleb needs to learn he is not the holier-than-thou persona he comes off as sometimes. He’s nice as pie, but there are times he acts like an arrogant arse.
“Wanna learn to drive the boat?” Dan asks, interrupting my dark thoughts.
“Really?” I squeal.
Dan laughs. “Sure, Squirt. As soon as we’re away from the other boats, I’ll show you how.” He hollers for everyone to load up and they pile on board.
Mary stalks straight for me, eyes flashing fire. Caleb must have really pissed her off. I’ve never seen her this mad. “He is an idiot,” she mutters and straps on her vest. “Why did I ever think he was cute?”
“Because he is?” I offer. Caleb isn’t just cute. He’s all dark and broody and most girls would be all over him in a minute. Me, on the other hand, I feel nothing like that when I look at him. He’s just Caleb. Doesn’t mean I’m blind, though.
“Well, of course he’s cute,” she snaps. “He’s also stupid.”
Okaaayyyy…what in the world did he say to her?
“I’m sorry,” Mary sighs. “I didn’t mean to dump on you…he’s just so, so, so…” She throws her hands up and turns to look out over the water as we pull away from the dock.
“Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. “How’d you get them to bring you?”
“What, you think I’d miss an opportunity to come to the lake?” she laughs and then blushes slightly. “I sorta parked myself in Caleb’s truck and refused to get out. Not a lot he could do about it, unless he physically hauled me out.”
My eyebrows shoot up. That’s ballsy. I’d have done it, too.
“I just wish I could I wear a bikini,” she says wistfully, staring at Ava.
My eyes travel to where Ava is seated between her brothers. The girl is a miniature copy of Eli, except she has wheat blonde hair, streaked with lighter strands that are so pale, they could be white. Her eyes are brown like Caleb and Dan’s instead of the aqua color of Eli’s and their baby brother, Ben. She’s beautiful, but then so are her brothers.
“So what’s wrong with you?” Mary asks, turning her attention back to me. “You seem to be in a bad mood.”
“I don’t know,” I tell her truthfully. “I started to feel weird as soon as we came out of the trees. It felt like all the happiness from earlier drained away and left me empty.”
“So did you and Eli work things out?” she asks, her eyes lighting up. “Are you guys like together now?”
Leave it to Mary to focus only on the boy. “Maybe,” I hedge, not wanting to admit that we were an item. I still have this nagging feeling that Eli and I as a couple might not be such a good idea. That one memory of the guy with his eyes haunts me all the time. I’ve tried to shake it, but I can’t. It’s important, I just don’t know why.
“There is no ‘maybe’ to it,” Eli accuses from a few feet away. “You promised you’d try, Hilda.”
I close my eyes and groan. When had he sneaked up on us?
“She has a right to change her mind,” Mary tells him. Bless Mary, she’ll always come to my defense, no matter how hateful I am.
“I haven’t changed my mind,” I say, trying to ward off the argument bubbling up between them. “I said I’d try, Eli. It doesn’t mean you’re my boyfriend. We haven’t even been out on a date yet.”
His eyes are smoldering, but he nods, knowing if he pushes too hard, I’ll bolt. He just doesn’t understand why. “All right, Hilda. I’ll give you that one. We’ve been through a lot together, but I guess that doesn’t count.” I flinch at the hurt in his voice. We have been through a lot together in New Orleans and he did save my life the other day.
“It counts,” I say softly.
He nods. “So you wanna go on a date…what’s there to do in Charlotte?”
The boat rocks a little and my stomach does a very suspicious flip. It still hasn’t fully recovered from yesterday’s food poisoning. I turn away and lean over the railing, afraid that I might spew chunks any second. Mary’s beside me in a heartbeat; her face a little green, too.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” she mutters, face flaming cherry red when she gags.
“Dan, is there anywhere we can pull over and dock?” Eli shouts. “The girls are sick!”
Did he have to put it that way? I’m not seasick, just a little leftover queasiness from food poisoning. The boat slows and veers to the left, which makes my stomach roll painfully. Mary’s face pales. We probably shouldn’t have gone out on the water today.
It’s a few more minutes before the boat actually stops, but Eli is there rubbing my back soothingly the entire time. The boy has his moments. Or is it the stupid bond? That’s part of why I’m hesitant about everything. He’s right about me questioning his feelings. If the bond makes him need to protect me, I’m curious to how far that protection extends. I’ve always wanted someone to love me, all my hang-ups and snarkiness included. What if the bond made him do that? What if… stop it! I can’t overthink this. I’ll drive myself nuts.
Once the boat stops, I look around. We’ve pulled up to a dock. I’m surprised. Last I checked, we were nowhere near one.
“Is this private property?” Caleb asks. “It looks secluded.”
“Don’t know,” Dan replies. “It was either this or keep going for a good twenty minutes till we reached a public dock.”
My stomach protests loudly. I want off this boat. “Best to stop,” Eli tells him. “We can always apologize and explain the girls were sick if anyone asks.”
Mary and I clamber off the boat fast. Just getting back on solid ground is helping. I walk a few feet from the dock and collapse onto the grass. If I can just lie here a few minutes, I’ll feel better.
“You okay, Mattie?”
I pull my arm off my eyes and squint up at Dan. “Yeah, I’m thinking a boat ride on the tail end of food poisoning wasn’t such a good idea.”
“I never thought about that.” He sighs. “I was just excited to try and figure out what Lacey was hiding from us.”
I laugh. “Dan, you’re a great cop, don’t apologize for it.”
“You’ll be one too, Squirt.” He tweaks my nose when my face screws up in horror. “Don’t make sour faces. You’ll get wrinkles early.”
I kick him and he jumps back, laughing. “Go away before I puke on you!”
He stands and backs away, hands held up in surrender. I grin at him. I’ve missed his playful side. The last two weeks made him so serious and withdrawn. It’s good to see him have fun, even if it’s at my expense.
Caleb is doing his best to help Mary, but she’s having none of it. I smile at his outraged expression, guessing she must have told him off big-time. There’s a shout and then Caleb is falling
backwards into the water and Mary stomps toward me. She falls down next to me, and without a word, throws an arm over her face. I laugh as Caleb climbs out of the water, face thunderous. Dan stops him before he can take two steps. Good old Dan, leave it to him to play peacemaker.
Relaxing, I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the others talking. Before long, I’m drifting off, completely at ease. I let my issues with Eli fall away, as well as worries about my father and Silas. For the first time in days, I feel safe enough to just sleep, content in knowing that Dan and Eli are nearby to protect me from whatever might show up. Feeling safe is a foreign concept for me. I usually take care of myself. It’s weird, but at the same time, I kinda enjoy being protected, too, though. It’s nice.
I’m not sure how long I lay there, drifting in and out of sleep, but I think it’s the silence that finally wakes me. I open my eyes and squint up at the sun before turning to look at Mary, but she’s not there. I sit up and see that no one is here. The boat is still docked, swaying gently in the water. Where did everyone go?
“Dan, Eli?” I call out. Nothing. I stand up and turn, scanning the area. All around me are trees. Maybe they went exploring? No, Dan wouldn’t go and just leave me here. “Hello?” I call out again, listening for anything, but again, only silence greets me.
I pull out my phone and sigh. No bars. Wait, how can there be no bars this close to civilization? It’s not like we’re in the mountains. We’re in Mooresville, for cripe’s sake. The lake is home to wealthy people living on estates. There’s got to be a cell tower close by. I walk a few feet, holding up my phone like one of those idiots desperate for a signal I usually make fun of. After a few more steps, I give up and shove the phone back in my pocket. What now?
Maybe this is a dream. I mean, Dan and Eli wouldn’t leave me and there should be a cell signal here on the lake. The absence of both those things smacks of another dream. The only question now is whose dream? Is it mine or am I in another memory?
“Hello?” I call out, stepping closer to the trees. There’s nothing, not even the usual sounds you’d hear from the animals that inhabit the trees. Why is there no sound? That, more than anything else, makes me nervous.
I have the feeling I need to go into the trees, but I don’t want to. Going in there could be really, really bad. Every instinct I have is screaming at me to run, to run as fast as I can and never look back. Those trees look dangerous and creepy. I shiver, looking into their dark depths.
There’s always this fear that’s in the back of your mind, the one from when you’re little and scared of the dark. It’s the fear that lurks in the deepest part of your subconscious, where our most feral instincts live. That fear never goes away, not really. We tell ourselves there’s nothing to be afraid of, that there’s nothing in the dark, not really, but we never truly believe it. It’s that fear that’s urging me to turn and run, to scream for help, to wake up even.
But I can’t.
Something in those woods wants me to come in and walk closer. Something in me demands I walk toward it. So, I look around once more and then take a deep breath. Time to face my fears—real or imagined.
I walk into the trees.
Chapter Twenty
I can feel it even before I enter the trees. A deep and oppressive darkness wraps around me, almost choking me. Just a few steps into the trees and most of the light disappears. Only a few shafts filter through the canopy of tree leaves above. The trees are so thick it’s impossible to tell where the leaves of one ends and another begins. It’s damp and musty, one of my least favorite smells. There’s an odd odor as well, rot and decay, like that of dead animals. The scents clings to the back of my mouth, making me want to gag.
A twig breaks to my left and I whirl in that direction. Only trees and deep shadows. Where’s a flashlight when you need one? Okay, just keep moving, I tell myself. Keep moving and ignore the little noises meant to scare you. I jump when I see something dart to the right of me, sticking to the trees. Fudgepops, where did it go?
That old fear comes back, the one from my childhood before I got used to seeing mutilated ghosts at every corner. I used to be terrified of the dark because I never knew what really might be hiding in the shadows. I refused to sleep with the lights out until I was ten because of it. I can feel it start to creep back in, feel it slink up my spine. There is something very, very bad here.
I take another step and hear a soft chuckle. My feet freeze and I look around, my eyes sweeping over the deepest shadows of the forest. That chuckle sends shivers up my spine and I have no burning desire to meet the person it came from. Another twig snaps, closer this time, and I break into a run. No way am I sticking around to meet the owner of that laugh.
Footsteps sound behind me, causing me to speed up. My sides start to burn and I push my legs to run faster. Fingertips touch my face and I scream, dodging left. More twigs snap and I veer to the right. No way am I running into whatever is waiting for me.
“Little girl.”
Fudgepops. The voice came from directly behind me.
“Why are you here, little girl?”
“I don’t want to be here,” I call, still running. “Leave me alone and I’ll get out of your woods!”
Another deep chuckle. “You’re here already, so why hurry off? Don’t you want to play?”
Strong fingers catch at my hair, yanking hard. I cry out when my hair rips free from my scalp, but I know if I stop running, something awful will happen. That thing will get me and it is a thing. I don’t sense anything human about it. It feels cold and dark, like death and graveyards.
“There are so many games we could play,” he whispers in my ear. “So much pain I could teach you.”
No freaking way. I jab my elbow backwards. It connects with something solid and I run faster, doing my best to get away. I just don’t know where to run to! I’m running blind and I feel like I’m being herded. Every time I veer off in one direction, it either speaks or more twigs snap, forcing me into another direction. Branches stroke my arms as I run, scratching me. Frustrated and more than a little terrified, I groan as my leg muscles start to burn. My sides ache and my lungs feel like fire has lanced them. I’m not sure how long I’ve run, but it feels like forever.
There’s a break in the trees just up ahead and hope sparks within me like a firecracker. I just need to make it a few more steps…fingers curl into my hair and yank. I fly backwards, hurtling until I land against a tree, the breath knocked out of me. I can’t breathe…I try to force air into my lungs, but all I manage is a weak gasp. Something close to me hisses and I try to scream, but nothing comes out.
“Mattie!”
My head swivels to the right. That’s Dan…I try to call out to him, but I can’t catch my breath.
“Mattie, where are you?” he calls again and I work hard to push myself up on my knees.
“Mattie!”
Eli…Eli will find me. He always knows where I am.
“Will they find you before I’m done, little girl?” Cold hands grip me and I shudder away from the sensation. I can’t see it, but the cold makes me feel like I’ve been plunged into ice. It burns. Whatever this thing is, it isn’t a ghost or a demon. It feels different from either. I remember Eli saying there were other things besides ghosts and demons, but I seriously don’t want to meet them.
I struggle against the hands holding me, feeling something slink around my feet. Don’t look, I tell myself. I finally draw a breath into my oxygen-starved lungs and scream. It’s not loud, but it’s a start. I take another breath, but this time instead of screaming, I kick backwards like Dan showed me. I hit whatever is holding me and it hisses, its grasp loosening for just a moment, but it’s all I need. I throw my head backwards and hear a satisfying crunch. The hands holding me drop and I push forward, gulping air as fast as I can.
Two steps from the opening in the trees, wind rushes me and I fall to the ground, hoping whatever it is will slingshot past me. But no. It slows, catching my ankle
and starts to pull me back into the shadows of the trees. I open my mouth and scream for all I’m worth.
It hisses, claws digging into the soft flesh above my foot. I kick out with my other foot, but it’s an odd angle and the kick goes wide. Dang it! My fingers scrabble to find something, anything to hold onto. I grab a rock and chuck it at the back of the thing, but it keeps going with a grunt. Oddly, I can’t seem to get a good look at it. It’s shadowy and my eyes blur a little when I try to focus on it.
A tree root is sticking up out of the ground and I latch onto it, my fingers holding on like it’s the last lemon filled Krispy Kreme donut. My leg almost snaps when my body stops moving but that thing keeps going. Growling, it turns on me, and this time my kick doesn’t land wide. It lands squarely on the thing’s kneecap and it goes down. YES! I’m up and running, sprinting for the trees. As I break into the sunshine, I hear it screeching behind me. Whatever it is, it’s afraid to come out into the light.
Fire burns with each breath I take and my knees buckle. I fall and try to catch my breath. After a minute I push up, attempting to stand, but my hand slips on something and I fall again, my knees taking the brunt of it this time. My eyes widen when they land on what caused me to fall. There’s a hand sticking up out of the ground. I scream and scramble backwards. There is a freaking hand sticking up out of the ground!
“Mattie!”
I hear Eli running towards me, but my eyes refuse to leave the ground in front of me. There are raised lumps of dirt all around me. I can easily count eleven, but I’m sure if I look behind me, I’ll see more.
Arms wrap around me and I melt into them. Eli. I didn’t even realize I’d been shaking until his heat invades me. I don’t think it’s just the cold, though. Fear and shock. Yup. That’s got to be it. It’s not every day you stumble upon a killer’s burial ground.
“Mattie.” Dan is on his knees in front of me, his hands framing my face. “Are you okay?”
I raise my hand and point behind him, not trusting my voice.
He looks and lets out a string of curse words. Eli is murmuring in my ear, but I’m not paying attention. All I see is the bracelet on the wrist. It’s Addison’s. I remember her putting it on the night she went to meet the guy who killed her. Those poor girls. There’s more than even I realized.