by Pam Webber
“Yes, sir.”
“Have you given any more thought to our discussion from the last session?”
“If you mean did I talk with God about my sins, yes, I have, several times.”
Mr. Danes reached under the seat and pulled out a flask. Unscrewing the top, he took a long swig and rolled it around in his mouth, before swallowing. “Funny thing about sin. It never seems to let go of us.”
“Shouldn’t we head back to the church?”
“Not yet.”
The sliver of sun over the mountains flashed metallic green and disappeared.
Mr. Danes turned the headlights on and took another swig, showing no signs of being ready to turn around.
“Really, sir, we should get back.”
“There’s no hurry.”
Slowing, he turned onto a dirt lane lined on both sides by tall grass. Nettie knew the lane all too well.
“Mr. Danes, there aren’t many places to turn around in here. This is the back way to the Piney River.”
“That so?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You like going to the river, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir, but not at this time of night.”
“Now, that’s not exactly true, is it?”
The rough lane curved, paralleling the river. The usual comforting sounds of the lapping current were anything but. She knew where they were going.
“Like I said, you enjoy coming here in the dark, don’t you?”
Nettie leaned away as Mr. Danes rubbed her arm with the back of his hand. “What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
Mr. Danes pulled into a glade facing the river. The headlights cast a harsh glare on the mossy clearing she and Andy called their special place, River’s Rest. He turned off the engine. Despite the sultry heat, Nettie shivered.
With a soft click, the headlights went out. Moonlight and shadows from the tangled canopy played against the shimmering black river.
Nettie eased her hand along the door, trying to find the handle. In the shadowy darkness, Mr. Danes took another gulp from the flask. She could see a smirk on his face.
“I know all about your sins of the flesh.”
“Please take me home.”
“You were right here. You and your boyfriend.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, yes, you do. What’s his name? Andy? You two used to have a good time down here.”
His guttural laugh burned. Nettie whirled on him. “You were here? Watching us?”
Danes grabbed her wrist. “Every slow, sexy move.”
“You sick bastard. Let go of me.” She frantically grabbed for the door handle.
Danes slid his hand behind her and pushed the lock down, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pinning her arms. “Tsk-tsk. There goes your language again.” He put his hand on her waist.
“What are you doing? Stop it!”
“You and I can have a good time too, Nettie. In fact, we can have an even better time, because I know how to finish what you started.”
Nettie jerked her head away as Danes tried to kiss her; his day-old whiskers tore at her face. She struggled to push his arm away as he fumbled with the buttons on her blouse. “Stop it!”
He put his hand over her mouth as she tried to scream. “Shh. There’s no one around to hear you.” His hands found skin and pushed the cotton strap off her shoulder. “Just relax. You’re going to enjoy this.” He lowered his head.
Jerking one hand free, Nettie dug her fingernails into Danes’s face, dragging them all the way to his neck.
Rearing back, he grabbed her hair. “You little tease. I saw you. You enjoyed being touched. Remember? You wanted more, but your boyfriend didn’t want to deliver, did he?”
Nettie fought to push his hand away, but he held her tighter. Probing fingers slid under the band of her shorts.
Danes put his mouth to her ear. “Let me in, Nettie.”
Nettie rammed Danes’s nose twice with her forehead. Blood spurted through his fingers as he grabbed his face with both hands, freeing her arms. She landed a knuckled punch to his groin. He yowled and fell back against the steering wheel just as the driver’s-side door flew open. Hands grabbed Danes by the neck and arm, dragging him from the car and slamming him to the ground.
“You son of a bitch!” Ethan shouted.
Someone pounded on the window by Nettie’s head. Win tugged on the handle as she yelled, “Unlock the door!”
Nettie pulled the lock and scrambled out.
Win gave her a quick hug. “Thank God you’re okay.”
Leaning against the car, Nettie felt relief battling anger as she caught her breath. Sharp blows, dull thuds, moans, and scraping sounds came from the other side of the car. Pushing past Win, she dashed around. Ethan had Danes pulled up by the collar, primed to deliver another punch. Danes wasn’t fighting back. Nearby, Cal knelt in the dirt, his hands bloody.
Nettie grabbed Ethan’s arm. “Stop!” He tried to shake free, but she held tight. “Let him go. Please.”
Ethan shoved Danes to the ground. “You sack of shit. She trusted you.”
Pushing himself sluggishly up on one elbow, Danes wiped his bloody nose with the back of his hand. His wobbly gaze stopped on Nettie.
Ethan grabbed Nettie’s arm. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Wait.”
Nettie dropped to her knees beside Danes. Ethan, Cal, and Win stepped closer. “How long were you following Andy and me? Since you came here? Since the night we met in the parking lot? Back in the spring? You followed us that night, didn’t you?”
“What does it matter?”
“It means you’ve been planning this all along.”
Danes spat blood in the dirt. “What if I did?”
“That night when you said, ‘The evil you don’t want is the evil you keep doing’—you’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
Danes turned away.
Nettie jerked his face back to hers. “Answer me.”
He knocked away her hand. “You think you’re any different? Any of you?” He turned back to Nettie. “You and your boyfriend were right here, doing the same thing.”
“Not even close. I chose to be with Andy. I didn’t choose any of this. You did.” Nettie stood.
“What are you going to do?” Danes asked.
“Didn’t you say with choice comes consequences? That it’s not my job to play judge and jury? We leave that up to God, right?”
Danes nodded, hopeful.
“Well, in this case, it’s God and the police.”
Danes sat straighter, eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to turn me in.”
“I’m not?”
“No. You’d embarrass yourself, your family, and your church. Not to mention dear old Pastor Williams. You could forget about being baptized.”
“That’s the best you’ve got? Embarrassment’s been my summer companion, and my family and church know it. Besides, I’m not embarrassed; I’m pissed off. I’d think after all these weeks you’d be able to tell the difference. I’m not worried about getting baptized either. Not anymore. Forgiveness is mine for the asking. It is for you too. You’ll just be asking from a jail cell.”
Ethan pulled Nettie back as Danes struggled to his knees. “What about your precious Andy? You want him to know you teased me like you teased him?”
“Andy knows that would never happen. Nothing you can do or say will ever change that.”
Danes got to his feet, shoved Win out of the way, and ran for his car. Ethan and Cal started after him, but Nettie stopped them. “Let him go. He can’t get far. The police can deal with him.”
Danes gunned the engine and spun the tires, creating a rooster tail of dirt and leaves trailing the car’s bobbing lights.
Ethan took Nettie’s hand. “C’mon. We need to go to the police station before that sicko gets too far away.”
Streaks of smoky moonlight broke th
rough the trees as they hurried toward the main road and Ethan’s car. As the four of them piled into the Chrysler, Nettie hugged herself for warmth. “How did you all know I was in trouble?”
Win grabbed a jacket off the floorboard and draped it around Nettie’s shoulders. “Pic. He saw Danes drive off with you. He came running out the door to get help as Ethan and Cal pulled up. We took off to follow Danes while Pic headed to the police station. We almost didn’t find you. If Cal hadn’t seen Danes’s taillights going toward the river, we would’ve driven right past.”
As she got out of the car at the police station, Nettie wiped the sweat rolling off her forehead. The night had gone beyond oppressive. Pic hurried up the sidewalk to meet her.
“Nettie girl, I’m so glad you’re okay. Nibi and I knew that man was up to no good.”
Nettie gave Pic a grateful hug. “Thank you for watching out for me. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn’t?”
Nettie looked around for Win, but she wasn’t there. She’d stopped in the middle of the road, eyes locked on the western horizon, where a translucent red veil had begun to inch its way across the cream-colored supermoon. Below it churned the blackest storm clouds Nettie had ever seen, so black they looked green, layered in rolls like a hornet’s nest and blowing in from the west. Nettie couldn’t tell where the clouds ended and the mountains began.
Win broke from her trance. Her voice faltered as she said, “It’s starting. Nibi needs us.”
Nettie struggled to pull her eyes away from the blood moon. “We can catch the Weak and Weary to Oak’s Landing if we hurry.” She turned to Ethan and Cal. “We have to go. Please tell the police what happened.”
Pic stepped up. “I already gave them a description of the car and his license plate.”
“Good. Tell them I’ll come back tomorrow to answer questions.”
Ethan shook his head. “No. You stay and talk with the police. I’ll go with Win.”
Nettie cupped his face and kissed him. “Thank you. For everything. But Win and I have to do this.”
Pic put his hand on Win’s arm. “Is Nibi in danger? What’s wrong?”
“The blood moon.”
“What did you see?”
“Nibi was calling for me, but I couldn’t see her.”
Pic hurried toward the Upper Road, his bindle sack tight under his arm. “I have to tell Alise.”
Nettie froze. Alise? Pic? Taking backward steps toward the train station, she struggled for a moment to put the two together, then took off running after Win. She couldn’t think about them now. “Ethan, tell our parents we’ve gone to Nibi’s. We’ll spend the night there.”
Chapter 16
The Weak and Weary’s last, short whistle of the day had sounded and the pulp mill’s night-shift workers had already boarded as Nettie and Win scrambled up the steps of the caboose. Wisps of dark clouds raced across the red, distorted face of the moon. Heat lightning lit the sky as jagged bolts of purple and green flashed inside the hornet’s nest and speared the ground.
“I’ve seen wicked lightning before, but nothing like this. We’ll be lucky to get to Nibi’s before this monster hits. We may get stuck at the train station.”
“I’ve got to get to Nibi,” Win said.
Nettie counted Mississippis each time thunder clapped. They were going to get wet. She squeezed Win’s hand. “We’ll get there.” Turning to the window, Nettie felt her concern about the pending storm swirling along with other questions. Nibi. The darkness. Danes. Repulsed at the memory of his rough hands, she wished Andy were next to her. Please, Lord, help me find my way back to him, keep Nibi safe, and help the police catch Danes. Curiosity about Pic and Alise Allen did not warrant prayer, but she made up her mind to ask him about it when they got back to town.
The Weak and Weary complained as it climbed the mountain more quickly than usual, rocking precariously as it split the winds whipping around the peak. On the downslope into Rockfish Valley, the wind quickly changed to thick humidity that smelled of pending rain mixed with smoke. Moonshiners’ fires glowed across the mountain, dulled by the damp air. Scattered porch lights offered fuzzy snapshots of families shelling peas, smoking pipes, and strumming banjos.
Win’s brow furrowed as she watched passengers waiting on the platform mingling nervously, watching the approaching storm and the slowing train.
“These folks have been through bad storms before. Lots of them. So has Nibi. So have we,” Nettie said.
“I don’t think experience is going to matter this time. Remember what Nibi said? This blood moon brings the unknown.”
As soon as the Weak and Weary stopped, Nettie and Win jumped from the caboose. Weaving through scurrying passengers and around workers rushing to unload and load freight, they came to an abrupt stop as a bicycle skidded in front of them. As usual, Skip sat perched on the back.
“Wade Warren, what are you two doing here? Can’t you see a storm’s coming?”
“We just delivered some supplies to the train for Pop.”
“You two need to beat it home.”
“Are you and Win going to wait it out at the station? We’ll wait with you.”
“No. We’re going to Nibi’s.”
“You don’t have time to get there.”
Win kept moving. “Nettie, come on!”
“We will if we run. You two go home. Now!”
The night sky grew blacker the farther Nettie and Win got from the bright lights of the station. High over the mountains, a ragged, fiery ring burned through thickening clouds; sharp winds tossed treetops violently in one direction and then the other. Guided by shadows and memory, Nettie and Win ran toward the bridge.
Behind them, the hornet’s nest filled the sky, banking so high they couldn’t see the top. Multicolored lightning bolts, too numerous and fast to count, gave the black mass a variegated glow. Nettie couldn’t stop staring. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“I don’t think anyone has. C’mon.”
Whitewater slapped angrily against the bottom of the bridge as they ran across.
“It’s not even raining yet, and the water’s this high.”
“Runoff’s leading the storm. Hurry.”
Their footsteps went silent as they stepped onto the soft dirt path to Nibi’s, hurrying past familiar trees and boulders until the uphill turn forced them to slow down. The bumps, rocks, twists, and turns of this part of the path were rough enough when Nettie could see them. Now, they were almost impossible. She jumped as a bolt of lightning struck a tree near them. Thunder cracked, shaking everything around them; its cannonade pulsed across the valley.
“That hurt!” Nettie could smell wood burning.
As they reached the edge of the clearing, a flickering lantern outlined Nibi’s silhouette on the porch.
Win grabbed Nettie’s arm. “There she is.”
Quickly navigating the parameter of the clearing, they avoided the prickly blackberry bushes but kept tripping on the long, low strands of running cedar. Picking herself up a second time, Nettie rubbed her scraped knees. “Damn this stuff!”
“We’re almost out of it.”
“Listen.”
“What?”
“Where are the wind chimes? All this wind, and they’re not making a sound.”
“Nibi must have taken them down.”
“Why would she do that?”
“I have no idea.”
Reaching the porch, they went up the steps two at a time. In the low lantern light, Nibi appeared tired and worn. Swathed in a shawl, despite the heat, she held tight to her dreamcatcher. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm.
Win hugged her. “What is the darkness? Lightning? Fire? Wind? Rain? All of it?”
“I still don’t know what poses the danger. My portal has gone dark.” She laid her dreamcatcher down and stepped toward Win, cupping her cheek. “But yours is awakening.”
“What? What is it showing?”
“The visions, good or bad, are for your eyes, child, not mine.”
Win stepped back. “But . . .”
Nibi took Win’s hand and pulled her closer to the dreamcatcher. “Some things have to end for others to begin. Time is precious. Tell me what you see.”
Every part of Win shook. “Nibi, I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.” Nibi put her arm around Win and pulled her close. “You’re not alone. Generations are with you.”
Nibi and Win locked eyes, then Win turned toward the portal. Her shivering slowed as she became engrossed in what only she could see. It stopped completely when she began to speak. “There are three rings circling a red moon. The first is tinted brown, the second green, the last blue.”
Nibi’s frown deepened. “The danger is water, drawn from the earth, sea, and sky.”
Win continued as the vision unfolded. “The rain is thick, pounding. Landslides are everywhere; they’re washing away the mountains. The river is so high.” Win gasped and stepped back. “The cross. The tilted cross. It’s barely above the water.”
Nibi spun toward the valley. Freakishly colored lightning flared like fireworks from one end to the other, surreal in its closeness to the ground. She grabbed the railing for support. “Many will not survive this night.”
Nettie’s chest tightened. “There has to be something we can do.” She headed for the steps. “C’mon, Win. We can warn those in town to get to higher ground.”
Nibi grabbed her arm in a viselike grip. “No, child. This darkness comes from all directions. Some will die because they stay; others will die because they leave.”
“We have to do something!”
Nibi’s gaze went down the hill. Two shadows, one large, one small, entered the lantern’s field of light. “Now I understand,” she whispered to the night. “We save those we were meant to save.”
“What do you mean? Who were we meant to save?” Nettie asked.
“Say nothing more for now.” Nibi called into the darkness, “Boys, come up here.”
“Boys? What boys?”
Nibi turned to Nettie and Win. “They followed you, and because they did, they have a chance.”
As Wade and Skip crossed the clearing, Nettie’s thoughts spun between anger and relief. “Dammit, Wade. What are you two doing here?”
