Faithful Shadow

by Howard, Kevin J.

  “Thanks for giving me a ride,” Doug said from behind Stew.

  “Stew doesn’t mind.” Marco gave Doug a hard slap on the back. “Sorry your piece of shit car died in the parking lot.”

  “You’re telling me. Now I have to get it fixed.”

  “I think you should just roll it into the canyon.” Sonia laughed.

  “That would be cool and all, except the car belongs to my father. If it comes back with even a ding, he’s going to kill me.”

  Stew looked up into the rearview and looked Doug right in the eyes. He shook his head, wondering how they’d ended up befriending such a loser. But being around a total marshmallow like Doug made him look all the sweeter. Stew pulled up to the site and killed the engine, hopping out of the jeep with a loud yell of enjoyment. He came around the back of the jeep and unloaded the sleeping bags.

  “This is most of your shit you know,” Stew told them, tossing the gear on the ground. “Janice is here.”

  Doug got out of the car and watched Rowena pull up, parking behind them. He didn’t want to stare too long, but it was hard to look away. She stepped out of the truck wearing jean shorts and a small shirt that showed off her tight stomach. Doug hurried around to the back of the jeep and unloaded his contribution to the little campout; three twelve packs of beer thought to be Rowena’s favorite. He figured if his personality wasn’t charming enough for her to be swayed, he’d try again after she’d had a good share of booze. A cheap tactic, but he’d take whatever he could get. He was competing against guys with washboard stomachs, like Stew.

  “The party has arrived,” Janice yelled as she jumped out of the truck, holding a bottle of vodka up over her head.

  “Hell yeah it has,” Marco muttered, looking her up and down. “Hey girl, let’s pop the cap and have a drink before we hit the pots.”

  Marco walked to the back of Rowena’s truck and grabbed their gear, two sleeping bags and an overnight bag. Tents weren’t necessary when the weather was so nice, not to mention the awesome star gazing. Marco set the gear down with strategy, placing Janice’s sleeping bag next to his and Rowena’s next to Doug’s. He knew the fat bastard didn’t have a chance in hell of scoring, but he figured he could throw the chubby bitch a bone. Marco opened his own bag and took out three joints, lighting one for himself, while passing off the other two to Stew.

  “Love it. Marco brought the party favors.” Stew slipped one into his mouth and the other into his pocket. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  Armed with towels, the group of six made its way through the woods, following the trail that had been made by the numerous employees that had walked it before them. They left their sleeping bags and cars behind, knowing full well no one would mess with them. There was a certain level of respect in the park, a creed campers followed when they came across another person’s site. Not that they really had anything worth stealing.

  It was a short ten-minute walk over a flat stretch of ground to the thermal pools. There were eight of them within a hundred feet of where they stood, but six of them would scald their flesh and kill them upon entry. “How do you know which one to get into?” Sonia asked as she stood above the closest one, looking down into the bubbling water.

  “It’s all very scientific, really. The trick is to let the girl go first.” Stew laughed, holding up his hands to ward off an attack. “No, seriously. The two closest to us are the only ones that won’t burn us.” Stew could tell by their faces they weren’t convinced. He pulled off his shirt and hopped into the first pot, screaming his head off while thrashing wildly. After a second, he stopped splashing and fell onto his back, smiling up at them.

  “You asshole!” Sonia reached in and splashed him.

  “Come on people, the water’s fine.”

  Everyone pulled off their clothes and hopped in, probably the best eight seconds of Doug’s life. He had a brief mental debate whether or not to leave his white shirt on, but then what would he wear to bed? Besides, the sun was just about behind the hills. He waited however until Rowena had pulled off her shirt and stepped out of her shorts, watching with pure ecstasy as she hopped into the water. Doug stripped down to his black boxers and hopped in, sitting across from Rowena. The thermal pool was big, easily allowing them all to sit in the same pot with enough room to spare.

  “Mother nature sure knows her stuff,” Marco said with his eyes closed, leaning his head back against the damp earth. “Who found this place anyway?”

  “My dad told me about it.” Stew sat up and held out his hands for a story. “Back when he worked here like twenty years ago, he said he and a group of like thirty employees came out here and went skinny-dipping in the pots. Some rangers came and chased them all out. My dad said he and this girl he was with were running toward the Inn, totally nude.” Stew laughed, thinking about his now conservative dad doing something so wild.

  “So the rangers check on these often?” Doug took a nervous look back toward the trail.

  “Simmer down, cupcake.” Marco opened his eyes, shaking his head. “Just relax.”

  They sat in the thermal pools for two and a half hours, drinking beer and sharing stories. Doug couldn’t remember when he’d had such an awesome night. Stew and Marco accepted him and made him feel like one of the guys. But it was Rowena that made his night a true winner. He’d been sporting a major hard-on since he’d watched her strip out of her clothes and into her bathing suit beneath. Her breasts were almost nonexistent, but he loved them anyway. Loved how they looked in that tiny top, so small and perfect. Then he’d watched her ass in those skimpy bottoms, seeing the slight hint of her left cheek as she’d maneuvered herself into the pot. Doug had nearly jumped in to hide his raging woody. Watching her undress would be his fondest memory of the summer, unless something else came out of tonight; beer willing, of course.

  Stew led the group back through the woods over the trail, walking barefoot through the dark with the wind chilling their damp clothes. Once back at the campsite, Stew and Marco grabbed some nearby logs, stacked them neatly, and then enclosed the wood with twelve large rocks.

  “You can’t start a fire here,” Rowena told them as she took a towel and dried her hair. “That’s not a fire pit.”

  “It’s within a contained space.” Stew held the lighter below some dry grass stuffed beneath the wood. He blew on the grass, helping the flames spread until the wood caught. “Besides, with the whole park already burning, I think they have bigger problems on their hands.”

  They let the disagreement drop and took their seats around the fire. Three coolers had been set up; all of them loaded with cans of beer and ice. They had a ready feast of chips, crackers, candy bars, and some marshmallows. Stew handed out some long sticks and baited them with marshmallows, holding them over the fire as they had done when they were little kids. Janice snuggled up next to Marco, not pulling away or making any sort of objection when he placed his arm around her. Even Rowena had allowed Doug to sit right beside her, their knees touching; her objections slightly dulled by her fourth can of beer. Doug looked over the fire at Stew. He gave Doug a wink and motioned with his head toward Rowena, telling him to go for it. As if leading by example, Stew turned toward Sonia and kissed her, a gesture she gratefully accepted and returned.

  Doug wasn’t sensing the same willingness from Rowena. She sat silently looking into the fire, swaying a bit with a can in her hand. He swallowed hard and leaned toward her, closing the gap. He puckered his lips and made contact with her cheek, but she turned and pushed him back.

  “What the hell?” Rowena wiped her cheek, her eyes burning.

  “I’m sorry.” Doug retreated, pulling inward and feeling small.

  “Look, I like you, but I don’t ‘like’ you.” Rowena held up her hands and air quoted the words, trying to not be too mean. She knew how he felt and the defeated look on his fa
ce made her feel bad. “Can we just stay friends, please?”

  “Of course. That’s totally fine.” Doug managed a smile despite the pain, the twitching muscles beneath his eyelids begging to release tears.

  Doug unzipped his sleeping bag and got in, lying on his left side to look away from Rowena and the others. He wasn’t tired, but it was better than sitting beside the fire and feeling foolish. At least within the bag he and his humiliation felt hidden, protected from everyone’s field of vision. It wasn’t in his character to be so brazen, but the alcohol and the confidence from Stew had let his guard down. Now he’d probably blown any chance with her he may have ever had. But he knew that was total bull. He never had a chance with her. Doug tucked his arm beneath his head and lay there, feeling low and miserable. While the others had a good time drinking and making out, he wept silently. Doug didn’t see how this night could possibly get any worse.

  9

  Nothing made a shift seem long and unbearable like a lack of customers. Kelly hated working the counter by herself. She felt alone, cut off from the rest of the Inn. The ice cream parlor was the last shop in the Inn, just past the restaurant and the gift shop, sticking off the end like a cold sore. The way the hallway curved past the gift shop it was a wonder anyone even knew it was there. Apparently tonight no one did, because she’d only had four customers, three from one family; a mother and her two sons, maybe four and six years old. The mother had also given her the only tip she’d gotten in days, a dollar and some change. Her fourth and final guest for the night had been a fireman; a young one too, maybe twenty-six. He’d come in six minutes past seven, wearing his uniform and a very charming smile.

  “What can I get for you?” Kelly had asked, grabbing the scoop and lifting the glass casing on her side.

  “I’ll take two scoops of Yellow Moose.” The fireman smiled, pointing to the locally named flavor; just vanilla really with some chunks of caramel. “Your accent…Georgia?”

  “Alabama.” Kelly grabbed his cone and set the first scoop on top.

  “I knew it had to be somewhere down there.”

  “Southern accents usually are.” Kelly enjoyed her comment, feeling like a snappy leading lady in an old movie. She applied the second scoop and handed the handsome fireman his cone. “Will there be anything else I can get you?”

  “What time are you getting off tonight?” The fireman smiled.

  “Nine, but I’m afraid I already have plans.”

  “I’m sure you could break them. I know this great spot overlooking the lake.”

  “Sorry…”

  “Paul.”

  “Sorry Paul, but I’m meeting my boyfriend here.” Kelly gave him her best Southern smile. “I am flattered by the gesture.”

  Paul thanked her for the cone and headed out, looking back one last time with a puppy dog stare, batting his eyes for a second chance. She gave him a wave and felt guilty. Kelly would have felt much better about rejecting him had she seen the wedding ring beneath his glove, but she hadn’t. Nine came around and she could finally leave. Her legs ached from standing all night. Unlike Sonia, her work ethic wouldn’t allow her to sit at a table and hop up if someone should come in. She felt that was far too unprofessional, even if they were only working in an ice cream shop in the middle of the woods. Kelly kicked off her shoes and pulled the two glass doors together, closing off the shop from the rest of the Inn.

  The cleanup routine was a snap. Why Sonia had trouble following all the steps was beyond her, probably too busy thinking about what she was going to wear or who she was going to take it off for. Kelly didn’t like to think ill of others and she’d never out-right say that her friend was a slut, but if Stew thought he was the only one she was knocking boots with, then he had got another think coming. Better not ask his sweet innocent Sonia about Hector the line cook, Frank working in the gift shop, and especially not those two guys they’d met after orientation in Mammoth. Kelly shook her head at the ever-growing list of lovers and felt oddly envious; something she would never admit to anyone, even herself. To be as free as Sonia would be something else, so liberating. But Kelly put the wild urges aside and focused on Richard, his chiseled face and honest eyes. A shiver ran down her spine and she smiled, feeling this might be love. Kelly wiped away the thought with the table she was currently cleaning, not wanting to jinx it. Kelly tossed the rag onto the counter and placed the three ice cream scoopers into their designated cups filled with hot water and soap. She stood for a moment, hands on her hips, taking inventory.

  Satisfied the shop was clean, Kelly took a seat at a booth. It had finally gotten dark, all but the ominous glow to the south. The red tint from the fires made her angry, thinking how unfair it was that this kind of shit should be happening the one summer she was up here to work. It wasn’t like she could just come on up next summer and hope for the best. Alabama and Wyoming weren’t exactly neighbors. She would just have to make the best of it; sitting in a dark ice cream parlor while all her friends were out having fun, so very typical of her character. Yep, she’d make the best of it. Covering the shift of her friend so she could go out and get laid while she waited around all night for closing. Kelly was always willing to sacrifice her time for her friends and they always knew that. Not that she would let people walk all over her. She just felt better when everyone around her was happy.

  An odd sensation crept over her. She felt someone staring at her. Kelly looked out through the window, moving her eyes slowly across the parking lot to the woods, but no one was there. Not a single soul walking around. She cupped her hands around her eyes and pressed her face to the glass, unable to shake the strong feeling. There was no question about it in her mind. Someone was out there right this minute, their eyes locked on her. For a brief moment she saw something green at the edge of the woods, glowing like a roadside reflector. As fast as she’d seen it, the two little lights were gone, nothing there now but darkness. Maybe it was that fireman playing a trick on her? The thought made her shiver. He had had such a sweet face, but wasn’t that always the case with psychopaths? Weren’t they always clean cut, charming men that women wanted to be around? Then when they finally got you alone, they tore into your flesh with a rusty knife. The visual gave her goose bumps. She jumped as someone banged on the glass door behind her.

  “Damn it, Rich!” Kelly placed a hand to her heart and took a deep breath. It felt as if her heart was trying to push itself right through her sternum. “You almost gave me a heart attack…again!”

  “I told you I was stopping by after nine.” Richard looked at his wristwatch. “I’m only seven minutes late.”

  Kelly hurried over to the front doors and unlocked them, throwing them open to give Richard a hard hug, pulling him inside to lock the doors behind him.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Someone is staring at me.” Kelly tapped the window. “I saw him standing over there. Wearing some kind of green reflective stuff on his shirt. Maybe a fireman.”

  Richard looked out the window, straining his vision to look across the dark parking lot. “I don’t see anyone out there now.”

  “Maybe he saw you and ran off.”

  Richard got up from the bench and went to the back door. Kelly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back into the shop.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to have a look.”

  Kelly shook her head, holding out her hands to ward off the terrible idea. “What if the guy is some kind of crazy murderer or something?”

  “Highly doubtful.” Richard gave her a quick peck on the lips and then turned back toward the door. “Besides, I don’t want some horny nut chasing after my girl.” Richard opened the door and came around to the window, holding up a finger to tell her this should only take a moment.

  Kelly sat on pins and needles as she watched him through the glass, pleased he w
as so brave and angry he hadn’t listened. She knew he was more than likely right. She’d probably seen the moonlight reflected off the broken shards of a green beer bottle or something. There was probably a simple explanation but her gut told her this wasn’t a normal situation. Something had been watching her, something with a green glow to its eyes like some kind of comic book super villain affected by radioactivity. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, finding it difficult to spot Richard. He’d disappeared on his way to the woods; something must have grabbed him. She relaxed, feeling like a big idiot as he stepped into view and waved, the woods only a foot or two behind him. Richard turned and searched the brush, looking through the trees and calling out if anyone was there. He turned to her and held up his hands, telling her he’d done all he could think of. Then he fell backward into the trees, disappearing into the shadows. His hands were flailing, obviously not his idea.

  “Oh my dear sweet Jesus!” Kelly yelled, covering her trembling lips with her hands, which were also shaking now. “Richard,” she muttered, her teeth chattering.

  She had done this to him. No matter how it might pan out to the rangers, she had been the ultimate reason for his demise. Sending him out there to find some crazy bastard that was now more than likely dining on his flesh. She wanted to rush out the door and find him, but she was terrified. As she was about to break her paralysis, something slammed into the window. Kelly fell off the bench, bruising her ass against the freshly swept linoleum.

  Richard stood with his hands and face pressed to the glass, making faces.