by C.M. Owens
“No!” said a woman who was suddenly standing over me, looking down at Julie. “It’s a shallow cut, nothing a bandage and some peroxide can’t fix.”
I looked up. “Are you sure? I mean, she’s bleeding really bad, and—”
“Positive,” she said, cutting me off. “I’m a medic. Let me go get my medical kit from the car.”
I squeezed Julie’s hand. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes fluttered open. “I-I think so.”
“Just lie still and hold on. There’s a medic here, and she’s going to help.”
“A medic? Wow. Lucky for me. I drank way too much, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s putting it lightly. Do you remember me cutting you off?”
She offered a half-smile. “Yeah, but I still sneaked drinks behind your back.”
Knowing it was important to keep Julie awake, I engaged her in conversation until the woman came back.
“Can you give me a hand?” the woman said to Jesse.
“Sure,” he said.
She then went to work to cleanse the wound and put a sterile white bandage on it.
Once Julie was all fixed up, Jesse and I helped her back up to her feet.
“See? Good as new,” Julie slurred.
“It’d be best if she gets some rest now,” the medic said.
“But I-I can’t drive,” Julie stuttered. “I’m toasted…and now wounded from a pissed-off vase.”
Jesse pulled me to the side. “Can you get her home?” he whispered.
“This is so embarrassing, but her car’s a stick shift, and I’ve got no idea how to drive one. I probably can’t drive any safer than she can right now.”
“Lucky for you, I can.”
“But then how will you get back?” I asked.
“I can walk.”
“No, it’s way too far, Jesse.”
“I’ll be fine.” He bit his lip and looked down at Julie as if he was worried. “It’s best we sneak out of here.”
I furrowed a brow. “Sneak out? Why?”
“You see that guy she was dancing with?”
“Yeah. She told me his name, but I forget.”
“It’s Jonathon, and he’s an absolute psycho. I’m afraid he might follow her home if he sees her leaving.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Are you sure? That’s insane.”
“I heard him claim her, and I heard some of the other guys claiming you. They may look like your average drunken frat boys, but they’re beyond dangerous, Taylor. The nice guys are outnumbered here. I’ve got a couple of buddies here, but we’re no match against the others. They’ll jump us, and I’m not sure I can protect you.”
“Wait…claiming people? Just what kind of party did she bring me to?” I muttered to myself.
“A dangerous one,” he retorted, overhearing my conversation with myself. “My buddies will distract them while I sneak you two out the back door.”
“Great idea,” I said. “Maybe they won’t see us leave.”
“That’s the plan.”
Jesse wrapped his arm around Julie and helped her walk out the back door of the cabin. Gripping my purse tightly, I followed. A cool breeze blew through my hair, and I shuddered, wishing I’d worn a coat. I couldn’t believe the extreme temperature change; earlier that day, I’d been sunning on the beach, and now Mother Nature had invited Jack Frost over for a nightcap.
“How much did you have to drink?” Jesse asked Julie.
“She’s had way too much,” I answered for her. “I bet she’ll puke all over the truck.”
“Hey!” Julie said. “I can answer for myself.” Her gaze turned to Jesse. “Mr. Gorgeous, Handsome Prince, I had lots of beers, a Long Island iced tea, beers, and some shots,” she answered. “Oh, and there was this one bubbly purple thing the color of that dinosaur on the kids’ show and—”
“Do you remember where the keys to your truck are?” he said, cutting her off before the confession could continue.
“Hmm. Maybe you’ll have to frisk me, Officer McHottie,” she said in a flirty tone.
I rolled my eyes, mouthed an apology to Jesse, then reached into her pocket and grabbed them. “They’re right here.”
“Hey!” she said. “I didn’t want you to frisk me!”
“This isn’t the time for games, Julie,” I said. “We have to get out of here and back home.”
“I’m freezing!” she retorted. “Who turned on the air?”
I reached in the back seat and handed her a blue sweater. “Wear this.”
She put it on and smiled. “Mmm…so warm. Gosh, I’m so drunk. Thank you though.”
Jesse helped my intoxicated new best friend into her pickup. She sat between us and laid her head on his shoulder, and when he glanced at me questioningly, all I could do was shrug and apologize again on behalf of my drunken friend.
“I guess she had a little too much to drink,” I whispered.
“A little?” He laughed.
Julie tapped him. “Are you Prince Charming?” she asked.
“What?” he asked, turning the key in the ignition. “Because I helped bandage you up?”
“Are you the hot guy from the woods?” she asked. “The hero who saved Little Red Riding Taylor from the big, bad mountain lion?”
My cheeks blushed. “Julie!” I said.
Before he could answer, she continued, “You have black hair and eyes like that crayon. Taylor told me all about you.”
My cheeks grew even hotter with embarrassment, and I suddenly wished with all my heart that my life had a rewind button.
“And Taylor was right,” she continued. “Your eyes are gorgeous, like the sky.”
I cleared my throat and glanced at him awkwardly. “You do have pretty eyes,” I admitted.
He grinned back at me. “And so do you.”
I couldn’t stop grinning from the compliment as we sped along the road, until something jerked us forward.
“What the heck?” Julie said, stunned.
“Feels like we blew a tire,” I said as we came to a jerky stop.
“That sucks,” Julie slurred. “I don’t have a spare.”
“We can just walk,” I said. “I don’t think we’re that far away.”
Jesse shook his head. “Absolutely not. I’ll call somebody.” He flipped his phone open and began talking to one of his buddies.
“Julie,” I said, “how are you feeling? Are you doing okay?”
“I’m fine. I forgot to tell you I drank a Long Island iced tea. Do you know how much liquor they put in those things?”
“Yeah, you told me already. How’s your neck?”
“Fine, but that stupid vase nailed me real good. Wanna know the worst part though?”
“What?”
“I didn’t even get the blond’s phone number. He was so hot.”
Jesse cut in. “Trust me, you don’t want that guy’s number.”
“Yes I do.”
“He’s way too dangerous.”
“A bad boy, huh? I like that.”
“Not a bad boy. He’s a bad man—a real bad man—and like many of the guys back there, he’s nothing but trouble,” Jesse said. “You two had no business being at that party out in the middle of the woods with a bunch of older strangers.”
“Yeah? Well, I guess we were lucky you were looking out for us,” Julie said.
He smiled.
“So what can we do about the tire?” she asked.
“My friend’s coming,” Jesse said. “I’ll wait outside for him. You two stay put.”
“Why not stay in here with us?” I asked.
“Because I have to make sure the big, bad wolf doesn’t come and eat you.”
“Ooh. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” Julie slurred.
I laughed as he slammed the door shut.
“He’s cute,” Julie said, “and funny too.”
“Yeah, but if that party was so dangerous, what was he doing there?” I asked.
“Maybe he’s ju
st as dark and dangerous as they are,” she said in a creepy voice. “Boo!” she said as she grabbed my arm.
I jumped and screamed, “Julie! Stop that!”
She began laughing like a crazy person. “Oh, man! You…Taylor, you shoulda seen your face! Priceless.”
“Ha-ha. Very funny.”
“I’m sorry the party didn’t work out, but at least you found Prince Charming. Wasn’t that the important thing?” She shot me a sly smile as she gave me a fist-bump.
Grinning, I bumped her back.
“Look at you, all lust at first sight for our bad boy.”
“There’s definitely a connection, but I don’t think it’s lust…and I don’t think he’s a bad boy.”
“That’s too bad. But anyway, it’s obvious that you’re attracted to him like there’s no tomorrow.”
I smiled and couldn’t possibly deny it.
“You’ve got it for him big time, don’t ya?”
“Yes,” I admitted.
“Then why are you sitting in here talking to me when he’s out there all by himself, glistening in the moonlight?”
“I’m sure girls throw themselves at him all the time. I don’t wanna be like that.”
“Going out there and saying hello would not be throwing yourself at him, unless you intend to take your top off while you do it,” she said, then winked.
“Very funny,” I said, then laughed again. “Okay.”
She grinned as I hopped out of the truck.
Outside, Jesse was sitting in the truck bed, his gorgeous black locks blowing in the wind.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey.”
“Need some company?” I asked.
His eyes twinkled in the moonlight. “I’d love some.”
I jumped into the cab and sat next to him. “Keeping us safe from all the wild animals out prowling around?”
“Lots of dangerous predators hunt at night.”
“Like the bobcat? I know they’re nocturnal.” I smiled, then gazed into his eyes.
“I almost didn’t come tonight,” he said. “Now I’m glad I did.”
I smiled, nervously tossing my hair to the side. “If you knew it was dangerous, why did you—”
Before I could even get the question out, he turned to the left and glanced into the towering woods. “Taylor, get back in the truck and lock the doors,” he said.
I smiled, thinking he was joking. “Why? Are we being stalked? More mountain lions?”
He didn’t laugh, though, and his face remained stern. “Please get back inside the truck.
Knowing he was dead set on protecting me and realizing how serious he was, I didn’t protest. I opened the door and climbed in.
“What’s going on?” Julie asked.
I tried to get a glimpse of some hungry wildlife, but I saw nothing. “He thinks something’s out there.”
“Like what?”
“Like a wild animal.”
She blew out a breath and glanced out the window. “He needs to get his butt inside too. I don’t wanna watch him get torn to shreds!” She rolled down the window. “Jesse, get your butt in here.”
While we looked out at Jesse, who was pacing the road and staring deep into the dark woods, I began to get really creeped out. Where the heck is this friend of his? I wondered, knowing we needed to get back on the road and get home before Julie’s mom did. She had worked the nightshift at the hotel, but she would be home by eight a.m. at the latest. If we didn’t make it home before she did, my own mother would find out, and I’d be grounded for weeks.
BANG!
Suddenly, something shattered the driver’s-side window of the truck. I ducked as flying glass sprayed everywhere. Disoriented, I glanced up at my friend.
“Now you’re bleeding!” Julie shouted. “Where’s that medic when we need her?”
Chapter 5
I glanced down and realized that some of the glass from the window had cut the top of my hand. “It’s okay,” I said. “I just got cut when the glass shattered.”
Suddenly, rifle shots echoed through the darkness.
I froze, and a cold chill shot down my spine.
“Somebody’s shooting at us!” Julie said, her voice wavering as she stated the obvious. “We’re being robbed or somethin’.”
The words remained frozen in my throat, and I could only shake my head in shared disbelief. I reached for my phone and quickly called 911, but the call wouldn’t go through. “No signal!” I said.
“Same here,” Julie said, trembling with fright.
“Jesse!” I shouted through the broken window. I glanced around for him, but he was nowhere in sight.
BOOM!
More glass shattered like rock candy, spraying us with shards as the windshield was shot out.
“We’ve gotta get outta here!” I said. “Some crazy person is shooting at us, and I’ve kinda got the feeling he’s not gonna stop until we’re dead.”
“No!” Julie said. “I’m not leaving. If we step out of this truck, it’ll be like target practice for our trigger-happy stalker!”
“Julie, if we stay in this truck, we’re as good as dead.”
She met my gaze, her eyes wide with terror. Clearly, she’d been scared sober.
I gripped her hands. “We can hide in the woods.”
“No way! Haven’t you ever seen a horror movie in your life? The hockey mask guy always chases girls into the woods, and I don’t wanna be chopped up with a meat cleaver!”
“That’s just the movies, Julie. I’ve been in those woods already. I know it’s dark, and there are so many trees and shrubs and boulders. He’ll never find us.”
“But what about Jesse?” she whispered.
Droplets of sweat rolled down my face. “I-I don’t know. I don’t see him anywhere.”
“So he just abandoned us? Your knight in shining armor left two damsels in distress?” she snapped. “Humph. Some Prince Charming he turned out to be.”
I tentatively glanced out the window, and another chill shot up my spine when I noticed a puddle on the street, glimmering crimson in the moonlight. “Oh my gosh!”
“What?”
Biting my lip hard, I pointed. “Blood! Jesse’s hurt.”
She cautiously glanced out, peeking through her fingers the way someone would look at a car accident, then let out a trembling breath. “Wh-where did he go?”
A cold feeling washed over me, and I felt as if all the blood had instantly drained from my face. “I dunno.”
BANG!
More glass shattered as a bullet destroyed one of the side windows, garnering another scream from Julie.
I gripped Julie’s hand. “We’ve gotta get out of here. We’re sitting ducks if we stay.”
She nodded, finally realizing I was right.
I opened the glove compartment and fumbled around through all sorts of junk, everything from gum wrappers to a tire gauge to coupons for fast food places. “You got a flashlight in here or under the seat or anything?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I know I should, but I didn’t expect to be…”
As she trailed off, I heard an unmistakable howl echoing in the distance, and the hair on my neck rose.
“Did you hear that?” Julie frantically whispered. “Maybe my Little Red Riding Hood joke wasn’t so far off. There are wolves out there, Taylor! Wolves!”
With that cruel realization, I second-guessed my decision to run into the woods, but staying in the truck and being easy pickings for the deranged Rambo wasn’t an option either.
Swallowing hard, I slipped out of the passenger’s door and stayed low. Adrenaline spiked in my veins, and I had to force myself to take slow breaths. I motioned for Julie to follow me, and we slowly crept into the woods. Eerie shadows stretched and shifted in the trees like ghouls. Darting forward, I jumped over logs and zigzagged through the towering trees, going as fast as the burning muscles in my legs would allow, with dry leaves and twigs crunching beneath my feet. I co
ntinued checking over my shoulder and was glad to see that Julie’s drunk had worn off enough that she was having no trouble keeping up; the moonlight glinting here and there off of her sparkly shirt let her know she was right behind me. I spun and found an alternate route, squeezing through the clustered trees in the hopes of escaping our pursuer.
A few feet behind us, within earshot, twigs snapped and ferns rustled, as if someone or something was hot on our trail. I wasn’t sure if it was human, bobcat, or some other variety of predator, but I twisted through the overgrown ferns and foliage, running faster and encouraging Julie to hurry.
“Taylor!” Jesse’s voice said.
I had no idea how he found us with all the turns and twists I’d taken, but it was a relief to know that he was there and hadn’t deserted us after all.
Jesse sucked in a deep breath and held his chest, where blood was dripping from a gaping wound.
I gasped, then took a deep, trembling breath. “Jesse, I saw blood by the truck. Are you okay?”
He struggled to breathe. “I was…he shot me.”
My pulse pounded in my ears. I had no idea what to do for a gunshot wound, and even if I had known, I was too scared to think clearly enough to play nurse.
Julie took off her sweater and applied pressure. “Stay calm…and whatever you do, don’t pass out.”
“We need to keep moving,” I said. “We gotta get back on the road and find help.”
“He’ll have no idea where were coming out,” Julie said as we walked briskly, helping Jesse along.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “I just need a little while to recuperate.”
“Uh-uh, buddy. Don’t go trying to be Mr. Macho right now. This isn’t like shaking off a twisted ankle,” Julie said. “You were shot, for goodness sake! You need surgery, medical help, and a lot of prayers.”
I pushed branches aside, took another step into the dense vegetation, then straightened to listen. Barking, whining, and haunting howls echoed in the air. It seemed we’d lost the maniac shooter, but now we were wandering around a lonely forest, a dark labyrinth of trees, possibly being stalked by a pack of wolves.
“We gotta keep moving,” Jesse said.
A deeper, more menacing howl made my hands shake. It reminded me of a bloodhound my neighbor had once owned, but when all the wild canines bayed together, it was beyond freaky and downright ominous.
We kept going, climbing over slippery logs and jagged rocks and pushing our way through thick underbrush and tall grass. My foot caught on a broken log and a cluster of rocks, but before I toppled over, I somehow managed to regain my equilibrium. Still, my ankle throbbed, slowing me down.