New Title 2

by Amy Cross

  Anna smiled, surprised but encouraged to find that Jennifer was suddenly being more friendly. Much, much more friendly, almost as if a switch had been flicked in her head. Turning, Anna realized that Daniel was still filming her and she couldn't avoid a shudder of discomfort as she saw the camera's red light glaring at her. She felt as if she was expected to perform, as if they were waiting for her to somehow entertain them, but all she really wanted was to shrink back and listen to the rest of them talk. The camera's lens felt like a huge eye, fixed on her with unblinking intensity and demanding some kind of response. Finally she offered a smile, hoping it would be enough and that he'd move on to film someone else, but the lens didn't move an inch.

  “You'll have to excuse Dan,” Jennifer said finally, grabbing a spoonful of guacamole from one of the nearby bowls and reaching over, smearing it on the lens before he had time to pull the camera away. “He's only comfortable when he's watching through that thing. He's kinda weird that way.”

  “Hey!” Dan shouted, pulling back and immediately starting to wipe the lens. “What the hell was that for? Do you have any idea how much this thing is worth?”

  “Billions of kroner, I'm sure,” Jennifer said with a broad grin, before turning to Anna. “Personally, I think he's hoping to catch a flash of boob some time. Sad, I know, but -”

  “Stop!” Christian said suddenly, turning and looking toward the pitch-black forest. “Did you hear that?”

  They all turned and followed his gaze, but the light of the fire made it impossible to see anything at all beyond the flickering light of the clearing.

  “I thought...” He paused, his eyes fixed on the darkness beyond the cabin, and then finally he turned first to Jennifer and then to Anna. “Did you guys seriously not hear anything?”

  “What did you think you heard?” Jennifer asked calmly.

  “Like a...” His voice trailed off. “I don't know, but I heard something.”

  “You guys are ridiculous,” Daniel muttered, turning his camera around as he started wiping the lens clean. “And disgusting. This is high-end equipment, for God's sake. The last thing I need is some idiot smearing guacamole all over it.”

  Looking down at the camera, Anna caught sight of the viewfinder and saw that Daniel had been filming with the night-vision setting. The screen showed an image filled with black and green noise, along with a few hints of white. A moment later, when Daniel moved the camera a little so he could keep cleaning the lens, Anna saw a shot of Jennifer, with her face bathed in green light and her eyes picked out as dark patches. The effect was strikingly creepy, and Anna couldn't help watching the image as Jennifer looked around, oblivious to the fact that she was being caught on camera.

  Hearing footsteps over her shoulder, Anna turned and saw Joe coming back out from the cabin.

  “I'll be back in a minute,” Christian muttered, getting to his feet. He reached over to Joe, who passed him what appeared to be a key.

  “Have fun in there?” Jennifer asked, as Joe sat next to her. “What were you doing, anyway?”

  He replied in Norwegian.

  “Is Christian okay?” Anna asked. “He seems kind of jumpy.”

  “Who cares?” Jennifer muttered. “He's been a dork all weekend, I'm seriously thinking of...” She sighed. “Never mind. I just feel like it might be time to redefine our relationship when we get back to Oslo, by which I mean end it. Permanently.”

  “It's natural human instinct to fear the darkness,” Joe said after a moment, to no-one in particular. He was holding his beer bottle up, staring at the contents. “Darkness and cold are both anathema to our way of life. That's why we learned to make fire.”

  “Are you trying to be deep and meaningful?” Jennifer asked, rolling her eyes. One side of her face was bathed in the campfire's flickering orange glow, while the other side was lost in darkness. “If so, don't, 'cause it doesn't suit you. Stick to your strengths and be all bland and shallow.”

  As they started bickering, Anna turned away, finally glancing back at the camera, which was still resting on Daniel's knee as he cleaned the side of the lens. The dynamics of the group had changed since Marit's departure, with Jennifer having become more friendly but the others also bickering a little, but Anna figured they were just loosening up and being themselves. Still looking down at the camera's viewfinder, she could see Jennifer's face picked out in the night-vision, but after a moment she realized she could also see something else in the image, some kind of faint green smudge standing behind Jennifer, as if there was another person nearby, watching calmly.

  She leaned closer to take a look, just as Daniel turned the camera and examined the lens.

  “There,” he muttered, “done.” He turned to Jennifer and muttered something in Norwegian, clearly a few angry words, and she responded with more of the same.

  Anna turned and looked at Jennifer, but there was no sign of anyone in the darkness beyond and she told herself she was just being jumpy. The last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself and make the others look down on her, or to make them think she was jumpy and superstitious like Marit, but she still wanted to be doubly sure there was nothing nearby, just for her own peace of mind.

  “Hey,” she said, turning to Daniel, “could I take a look at your camera?”

  He paused, and it was immediately clear that he wasn't keen.

  “I won't get guacamole on it,” she continued, trying to sound casual. “I promise.”

  A faint smile crossed his face, before he passed the camera to her. “Don't drop it. And don't press any buttons.”

  “I won't.”

  Holding the camera up, Anna turned it toward Jennifer. The night-vision was still activated, and to her relief she saw that there was nothing behind Jennifer other than the tall, bare pine trees rising up from the forest floor. Next she turned the camera toward Joe, and once again there was nothing out of the ordinary. When she turned to Daniel, she saw only the cabin over his shoulder. He smiled uncomfortably, as if he of all people didn't like being filmed, before reaching over and taking the camera back from her, just as she spotted a figure in one of the cabin's windows, watching them. Without the camera now, she looked up at the dark building but saw nothing at the window. For a moment she felt a little nervous, before remembering that Christian had gone inside a few minutes earlier.

  “I'm going to go and freshen up,” she said, getting to her feet. “I'll be back in a moment.”

  As she headed to the steps and then up to the kitchen door, she told herself that she was finally starting to make headway with the group. The old Anna would have freaked out over the smudge of light she'd seen behind Jennifer, and would probably have ended up being ostracized as some kind of freak, but the new Anna had managed to keep herself under control and, as a result, seemed to be fitting in just fine. Heading inside, she made her way to the bathroom, and then a few minutes later she returned to the dark kitchen. She could hear the others laughing and joking outside as she headed across the darkened room, making her way toward the fridge.

  For the first time in her life, she didn't feel remotely awkward.

  Suddenly she heard a noise over on the far side of the kitchen, and she turned just in time to see the basement door opening. Stepping out, Christian seemed lost in thought for a moment before realizing he wasn't alone, and then he quickly pushed the door shut and turned the key.

  “Hey,” he said, forcing a smile. “How's it going?”

  “Fine,” she replied, “but... Sorry, I thought you were upstairs.”

  “Just checking something down there,” he replied, slipping the key into his pocket as he headed over to join her by the counter. “I didn't startle you, did I?”

  She shook her head. “No, of course not, I just... I can never find the light-switch in here.”

  Smiling, he leaned past her and hit a switch on the wall, causing the lights overhead to flicker into life.

  “Still missing Marit?” he asked.

  “No,” she
replied quickly, maybe a little too quickly. She just didn't want all her conversations during the evening to be about Marit. “I'm good,” she added. “Just, you know, hanging out.” She paused, before glancing at the ceiling and wondering why Christian was lying about having been upstairs. After all, she'd seen someone at one of the windows up there, and he'd been the only person inside at the time.

  “To be honest,” he continued, “I noticed how well you were getting on with Joe and Jennifer and Daniel, and...” Another pause. “Well this is gonna sound dumb, but I guess I felt a little left out.”

  “There's no need for that,” she replied, even though she felt a little uncomfortable. “Sorry, I'm just... I'm kind of new to this whole thing.”

  “What whole thing?”

  “Hanging out. Being social.” As soon as the words had left her lips, she knew they'd been a mistake. Dumb, dorky, self-pitying and a definite step backward.

  Christian smiled as he stepped closer, and she had to remind herself not to automatically take a step back.

  “It sucks the way Marit ducked out on you,” he continued, towering over her a little. “She can be flighty sometimes, but even so... That was a new low, even for her, the way she abandoned you here.”

  “It's cool,” Anna replied, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I guess she had her reasons.”

  “Do you mind if I kiss you?”

  She opened her mouth to reply, but her brain hadn't quite caught up with what Christian had just said.

  “Sorry?” she stammered.

  “I just figured... We're here to have a good time, and nothing has to be too serious.” He paused, with his eyes fixed on her. “I thought maybe you'd like to be kissed. It doesn't have to mean we go on to get married and have babies, but a kiss is always fun, don't you think?”

  “I...” She paused, trying to work out if this was some kind of joke.

  “I think friends should kiss more often,” he continued. “It's like, you want to do something nice for people you know, and kissing feels nice, and it's intimate, so why not just... do it?”

  “Um...” Taking a step back, she realized the situation was already remarkably awkward, but also that it could get worse at any moment. “That's, uh -”

  “Let me show you.”

  Before she could react, he stepped closer and tried to kiss her, managing to get his lips against hers before she pulled away.

  “Thanks,” she muttered, trying not to panic, “but no thanks. I just broke up with my last boyfriend, and I'm really not -”

  “All the more reason to move on.”

  He tried again, and this time she put her hands on his chest to force him back.

  “What's wrong?” he asked, trying to get closer. “Have you got something against Norwegian guys?”

  “No,” she replied, stepping back again until she bumped into the counter. “I just really don't want to do anything like this right now. Anyway, aren't you with Jennifer?”

  “She doesn't care.”

  “I think she might!”

  “That's basically over already,” he continued. “Don't sweat it.”

  “I'm not interested,” he said firmly. She waited for him to get the message, and after a moment she realized she could hear the others laughing outside by the campfire, evidently unaware of anything that was happening inside the cabin. “Please,” she continued, “let's not make this super awkward and weird, okay? I'm really flattered, I swear, but I just want to relax and have a good time. I won't tell anyone about this, but I'd really like to just forget it ever happened.”

  “Are you a virgin?”

  “I -” She paused, immediately worried that she was about to blush. “No. I mean... No. Of course not.” It was a lie, but the last thing she wanted was to be pitied.

  He stared at her for a moment, as if he was about to try again. She knew that if he did, she'd have to shout to the others and get them to help her, and she knew that would just make her seem like the freak again. Then again, she couldn't help remembering Marit's advice about ignoring her instincts, and after a few seconds' more silence she began to wonder what it would be like to just let someone kiss her, maybe even to go all the way. Not Christian, obviously, because she knew he was still with Jennifer, but she figured it might be a good idea to try hooking up with Joe or Daniel.

  “Huh,” Christian muttered finally, taking a step back. “Okay, that's cool. I wasn't really being serious, I just thought it'd be fun, that's all. No harm done.”

  They stood in awkward silence for a moment, with Anna waiting for him to leave.

  “I'll be out in a few minutes, then,” she told him, praying that he'd get the hint and head back to the campfire. “I just want to freshen up and get some water.”

  “Cool,” he replied. For a few seconds, however, he remained in place, until finally he seemed to understand. “I guess I'll be out there,” he added, taking a step back. “Again, sorry about the misunderstanding. I just thought you were, you know, giving me the eye earlier when we were all out hiking. I thought you were kind of into... fluid situations.”

  “Sorry,” she said, forcing a smile even though she felt sick to her stomach. Plus, she had no idea what a 'fluid situation' was supposed to be. “I really didn't mean to give you that impression.”

  He muttered something in Norwegian before turning and heading to the door, although he glanced back at her a couple more times, almost as if he expected her to change her mind.

  “Jesus,” she sighed, leaning back as she felt a wave of pure embarrassment wash over her body. She tried to think of anything she'd done to encourage him earlier in the day, but nothing sprang to mind and finally she figured he must have just misinterpreted her attempts at being friendly. Heading to the sink, she poured herself a glass of water and downed it in one, while trying to stay calm. “You didn't do anything wrong,” she whispered to herself, trying to drum the words into her head. “You didn't do anything -”

  Suddenly she heard a loud bump from below. Looking down at the floorboards, she waited for a moment, telling herself that the sound had been all in her imagination. Glancing across the kitchen, she saw the door to the basement and realized that it was the one part of the cabin she hadn't seen yet. She made her way over and tried the handle, only to find that the door was locked. After waiting for a moment in case there was another bump, she told herself to stay calm and, instead of fixating on something she figured was trivial, she headed back outside to rejoin the others.

  “Ignore your instincts,” she remembered Marit telling her. “Trust me, you'll thank me later.”

  When she asked about the basement a few minutes later, Joe said there was nothing down there. Despite the sense of concern in the pit of her stomach, Anna forced herself to believe him. She felt that if she asked any more questions, she might end up undoing all her good work. For the next few hours, she did her best to keep pace with everyone else, ignoring her instincts and instead getting more drunk than ever before. She wasn't exactly stumbling around and slurring her words, but she ended up talking way more than usual and forgetting all about Marit or any of the other strange things she'd noticed at the cabin.

  And eventually, somehow, she ended up flat on her back in one of the darkened bedrooms, letting Joe pull her pants down. Deep down at the back of her mind, she knew sober Anna would regret this in the morning, but drunk Anna was in control and let out a gasp as she felt him slipping inside. He pushed her t-shirt up and cupped her breasts as he began to thrust into her, and she opened her legs wider to let him inside. At one point she thought she could see a faint red light in the ceiling, but she soon lost sight of it when she shifted position a little, and she was too drunk to worry.

  “Ignore your instincts,” Marit's voice whispered again. “You'll thank me later.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Karen Lund is like this big urban legend around here,” Jennifer explained over breakfast the following morning, as she and Anna got some bread ready for the t
able. “Everyone has their own idea of what really happened to her, but no-one knows for sure. Well, apart from...”

  Staring at the fruit she'd been holding for several minutes, Anna suddenly realized she'd been zoning out.

  “Apart from who?” she asked, turning to Jennifer. “What?”

  “Well, whoever killed her, obviously.”

  Anna nodded, trying to focus even as memories of the previous night threatened to flood her thoughts. “Um... Sure. And who do you think it was?”

  Jennifer shrugged. “How should I know? The great thing about this part of Norway is that it's so remote, so far from anywhere else, but that can be dangerous at times too. It's like, someone could hide out here and never get spotted. Plus there's no cellphone coverage, so calling for help is basically impossible unless you've got, like, a radio. You could get away with pretty much anything round here.” She grabbed a knife from the drawer. “If you were that way inclined, obviously.”

  “But isn't it possible that she just had an accident?” Anna asked. Thinking she heard someone, she glanced at the doorway, but it was empty. She still hadn't seen Joe since leaving the room a few hours earlier, and she felt as if her chest might implode at any moment.

  Jennifer paused for a moment, frowning as if she was considering the possibility for the first time. “I guess,” she said finally, “but... No, I think she was murdered.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, for one thing there's the film.”

  “Do you believe that part of it?” Anna asked. Glancing at the window, she saw Christian and Daniel outside at the table so she quickly turned back to Jennifer. “I mean, does that kind of movie really exist?”

  “Of course it does.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Stands to reason. Anything you can imagine, no matter how sick it might seem, exists somewhere on the internet.” She grabbed some packs of smoked salmon and started peeling them open. “Come on, you're in a country that broadcasts twelve hour TV shows of fireplaces burning, and week-long footage of a boat slowly sailing south. I guarantee you, there are plenty of sick and twisted people out there who'd love to kidnap a girl and do lots of horrible things to her on camera. Most of those people would never act on it, they're like secret Hitlers.”