“Of course not.”
Walter grabbed one of her hands and placed it on his crotch. Tracy was disgusted to see that the man was already growing hard. “Yeah. I can see how telling your fiancé that you sucked his father’s cock in his office while the family was having a barbecue out back would be difficult.”
Tracy ripped her hand away and Walter started laughing.
“What the hell?”
Tracy turned to find Jess standing in the office doorway.
She had no clue how long he had been standing there. The expression on his face said way too long.
“Jessie…”
Tracy’s heart broke into a million pieces as Jess turned his eyes away from her.
She didn’t know what else to say.
But Walter certainly did. He grinned piggishly at his son.
“Guess you didn’t know you were getting your pop’s sloppy seconds when you fucked her every night, huh?”
Jess didn’t respond. He looked one last time at Tracy. There was a desperate plea in his eyes.
Before she could tell him how much she loved him, he was out the door.
Jess left Palm Springs by nightfall—and didn’t return for seven years.
19
Shortly after Jess finished his story, it began to rain. For a while they just listened to the staccato of drops on the adobe roof. Jess wouldn’t have been surprised if Maria could hear the heavy beating of his heart.
Or the whoosh of air from a burden being eased, one that he had carried alone for so many years.
“I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you,” Maria finally said.
“Imagine a movie loop constantly playing in your head. It’s like that song which starts ‘Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends.’ ”
He let out an audible sigh. “The ironic thing was I went to the house that day to lay into my father about pulling a no-show at the party. I was sick and tired of him treating Tracy like dirt.” Jess let the rain pitter-patter on the roof, remembering. “I guess the joke was on me.”
“That sounds awful.” She gently caressed his shoulder. “You really never talked to her until you came back to Palm Springs?”
He shook his head. “She tried to get in touch for a bit. A bunch of emails I deleted, calls I didn’t take. I finally changed my cell phone and email address. I think she stopped trying after that.”
She was quiet for a moment, and then spoke softly. “I presume I wouldn’t have cared about hearing an explanation either.”
“I didn’t need one. Obviously, I’ve had a long time to think about it. I can’t fault her for getting involved with my father except for having questionable taste. We hadn’t gotten together yet. And I’m sure it was over once we started seeing each other.” He stroked Maria’s hair as he thought back. “I finally realized what hurt most was her not telling me about it. It made me wonder what else she had kept from me. Or would never know if we tried to carve out a future together.”
“What if she had told you? Would you still have wanted to be with her?”
Jess answered quicker than he would have thought. “Probably not.”
“Then you understand why she couldn’t.”
“Are you defending her?”
“No,” Maria said and kissed his cheek. “I just feel sorry for her. I think she really loved you. I bet she still does.”
“I doubt that.”
“Somewhere deep down, I think there must be a part of you that still loves her. You wouldn’t have come this far if you didn’t.”
“I told you, I’m here because of my father.”
“And don’t you find that strange? After everything he did?” She let out a little laugh. “And they think the mother-daughter bond is challenging.”
“What are you saying?”
“That there’s unfinished business between you and him.”
“I don’t think so. Bad enough he haunted me while he was alive. I’d like it not to continue for the rest of eternity.”
“Did you ever think that Walter being turned might have actually changed him?”
“I’d say it just brought out his true nature.”
“He left that warning on your windshield. He could have killed you at least twice but didn’t. Maybe he just wants your forgiveness.”
“I’m not sure I’m capable of that.”
“Well, I think you’re wrong. Otherwise you’d be back in Los Angeles by now.” She kissed him again. “And that would make me very sad.”
“Aren’t you uncomfortable hearing all this? My dad? What happened with Tracy?”
“No one talked before and look where that got you.” She pulled him close. “If this is going to be something more than a one-night stand, and I hope it is…”
“It is,” Jess said, knowing it to be the absolute truth.
“Then, like I said before, no lies. No secrets.”
His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he traced his finger down the slope of her neck. He felt like kneeling in front of Sophia’s tiny altar to give blessed thanks for this wonder in his arms.
“Warts and all, huh?”
“Warts and all.”
Maria had been right about Sophia not batting an eyelash. The old woman smiled continually as she served them a mouthwatering breakfast of eggs, chorizo, peppers, salsa, and sweet yams; at one point she even whistled a wistful tune. There had been no commenting on the sleeping arrangements. Instead Sophia kept making natural references to “you two,” as in “you two clean your plate” or “make sure you two get back before sunset,” as if Maria and Jess had been together for years instead of hours.
Her only show of concern came when they were getting into the jeep. Sophia threw her arms around her great-niece and Jess, making them promise they would see her that evening.
“We’ll be careful, Aunt Sophia,” said Maria. “We’re just going to go find Jess’s friend Tracy, and then we’ll be back.”
Jess marveled at Maria’s acceptance and grace. After hearing his tale in the darkness, he thought it unbelievable she would proceed on this journey without an iota of reluctance. But then he saw whom she had gotten it from.
“I’ll set an extra place for dinner,” said Sophia.
As they drove away from the house, Jess hoped not to disappoint her.
This time, Jess was behind the wheel. Maria had Marlowe’s map in hand and guided him out of Santa Alvarado and into the jungle. At first it was a dirt road surrounded by huge trees that all looked the same. At times it got so dark Jess had to put on the headlights to see where they were going. He was worried they wouldn’t be able to differentiate the landmarks Tag had drawn on the map, but he was able to breathe a little easier when Maria spotted the first one out the driver’s side window.
“Twisted trees shaped like a heart.”
Sure enough, two gigantic trees had wrapped themselves around each other like Daphne and her laurel leaves.
“Wonder if Tracy has one.”
“One what?” asked Jess.
“A map. Angel certainly didn’t tell her where to go.”
“You’re forgetting Clark was on that scout. He could tell her where the field was.”
“Maybe he’s with her.”
“Doubtful,” replied Jess. “If Clark James has been turned, he belongs to the night. Hard to believe he’d risk being trapped by daylight in the middle of nowhere.”
“But he has to be down here, right? The attack on the farmer, the attack on me.”
“I’d say that’s a safe bet. Benji couldn’t find him.”
Before they had set out, Jess had given more pesos to Angel for another phone call. Benji didn’t pick up, but the recording for the Sands Motel had the phrase “Gone Baby Gone” wriggled into it.
“He’s probably lying low somewhere in the village during the day while Tracy went to the field.”
“What is she looking for?” asked Maria.
“No idea. Hopefully we’ll find ou
t once we get there.”
The deeper into the jungle they traveled, the more apparent it became someone had paved the way. They could see fresh tire tracks in the dirt road ahead. Occasionally the road narrowed from overhanging leaves and brush, but had been half-cut away by something propelling through it—most likely whatever vehicle Tracy had been driving.
The most disturbing fact was that the tire tracks headed only one way. Jess started doing the math. Tracy had asked Angel about the field the night before last. It was hard to believe she had gotten an earlier start than they had that morning and most of the tracks were pooled with water from a passing shower. This meant they had been there since before it began raining. Jess told Maria his calculations and she came to the same conclusion.
“She spent the night out there?”
“Either that or found a different way back no one knows about.”
But given the lack of upkeep on the “main” road, neither believed the Santa Alvarado Highway Committee had constructed a second one.
They passed the last of Tag’s landmarks—a purple and orange flowering tree that stretched to the heavens. Minutes later they emerged into one of the oddest places that Jess and Maria had ever seen.
The field looked like a giant crater had fallen off the moon and landed in the middle of the Mexican jungle. Jagged rocks sprung from the ground, pointing in every direction. The field was almost a perfect circle, surrounded by the canopy of jungle palms and bamboo. Jess figured it had been created like that by a superstitious group of locals years before to entrap the creature that had terrorized their village.
But the most eye-catching sight was the multicolored rays of light that burst into the sky. This came from hundreds of pieces of glass spread throughout the field, reflecting off the sun and harnessing its power in a primitive system that pre-dated solar power by decades.
The prism of light drew their attention, but it was quickly diverted by the mud-covered pickup truck parked haphazardly fifty yards away. The truck door hung open and Jess could see water dripping off the side panels. It filled him with dismay, confirming the timeline they had figured out. Maria had noticed it as well.
“Why would she still be here?”
“Maybe she’s not alone.” Jess dug the thin flashlight out of his pocket. Maria was already holding hers tight in her right hand.
“You don’t have to do this,” Jess told her.
“That thing tried to take a chunk out of my head. God knows what it might have done to her.” She waved the flashlight. “I owe it one.”
Jess forced a smile. Brave, brazen, and beautiful—boy, had he hit the bull’s-eye. The key now was to survive long enough to enjoy each other.
They got out of the jeep and cautiously made their way into the craggy field. Jess shielded his eyes from the refracted multicolored light. When it hit his pupils dead on, it was like staring into the center of a kaleidoscope. Jess called Tracy’s name, but his voice bounced off the rocks and echoed into the rainbow-tinted sky.
It wasn’t until they reached the middle of the field of glass that Jess first heard a low moan.
It came from belowground.
“Tracy! It’s Jess. Can you hear me?”
The moan grew louder. Maria pointed toward the dead center of the field where two rocks, larger than any others, jutted up in the air. They looked purposefully placed. A few broken shards of glass were affixed to the rocks. Jess wondered if there had been more at some point in the past. As they got closer, Jess could see something inscribed in the stone. The words looked like they were in Spanish.
Maria told him it was an old dialect, one with which she was unfamiliar.
“I can make a guess,” said Jess. “I imagine it’s some kind of warning.”
Maria didn’t disagree. Jess called out Tracy’s name again, and when the moan came this time, their eyes drifted to a crevice between the two stones.
The opening was rectangular in shape. There were bits of broken colored glass at both edges where the crevice met the large rocks.
“It almost looks like there was a window here,” said Maria.
“There probably was, until the film crew came and smashed it.”
Jess looked up at the sky and noticed how the sunlight darted toward the two huge rocks. Some of the rays boomeranged into the crevice. He didn’t possess the structural design talent of a former engineer like Tag Marlowe, but he thought a whole lot more light would have poured into the crevice if a multicolored glass window had been set in place.
His train of thought was thrown by another moan from down below.
“I’m going to go check it out. You stay here,” he told Maria.
“Like hell.”
Jess was at least able to convince Maria to let him go first. Cragged stones formed narrow steps, so they were actually able to walk down into the crevice. The trickling sunlight provided enough illumination to make their way to the rock floor, twenty feet below the surface.
Suddenly, they found themselves in a cavern. Jess took a couple of steps and heard something crunch. He looked down at his feet.
He had stepped on the remains of a human skeleton.
It looked like there was more than one nearby.
Maria yelped.
“You okay?” Jess whispered.
“Not really.”
Jess nodded, in total agreement. Then he called out. “Tracy?”
This time the moan was less than ten feet away.
Jess pulled out the flashlight and started to squeeze it, but something surged out of the darkness and swiped it from his hands.
“Don’t!”
The cylinder skittered into the blackness as Tracy half-emerged from the shadows.
She was pale and her eyes were feverish. Maria fumbled for her flashlight—and Tracy lunged at her.
“Noooo!”
Tracy grabbed it out of Maria’s hands and retreated into the dark. They heard her whimper, which was accompanied by a soft sizzling sound.
Jess stepped forward.
“It’s okay, Tracy. We’re here to help protect you from it.”
“You can’t!”
He grabbed hold of her fleeting arm. Tracy resisted but Jess pulled her toward him into the light.
And then let go—right after he saw her arm start to burn where the sunlight hit it.
Exactly like his father’s skin had burnt when he’d tried to escape the rising dawn in the desert.
Tracy’s scream was unnerving.
“Don’t you see?? I am it!”
Maria stepped back in horror. “Last night. It was you who attacked me?”
Tracy was back in the safety of darkness. Her voice was laced with tears. “Yes. I’m sorry…”
She quieted down, the sobs giving way to deep, labored breaths.
“But I was hungry.”
PART THREE
DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT
INTRODUCTION TO THE JOURNAL OF EDWARD D. RICE
I am a cautious man by nature.
I have never had great ambitions such as bettering mankind or saving the world. I just want to be comfortable, provide for a family if I am lucky enough to ever have one, and hope people will remember me in a way that isn’t abhorrent.
I went into medicine because I embraced the precise. I believed there was a scientific explanation for everything. It was that semblance of world order that brought peace and solace to my life.
Some might consider me a control freak. I find that judgment somewhat harsh. I’m just not fond of surprises.
What began in the jungles of Mexico and spread its way to the Coachella desert turned my life upside down. It made me question everything I ever knew and long for the rational world to be restored. But I don’t see that happening any time soon.
I am writing this all down to examine if I could have done things differently and somehow prevented this. I am pretty sure it would have happened regardless of my involvement. I just paved the way for everything to occur a little quicker.
>
I also wanted to leave behind a record should something catastrophic happen to me. Perhaps it will help someone else accomplish what I was unable to.
Stop them.
I admit that I really never attempted to do that. But I think I had a very good reason.
To put it simply—I was losing my mind.
EXCERPT FROM THE JOURNAL OF EDWARD D. RICE
May 26
I knew something was drastically wrong when the scout party didn’t return by sundown.
Up until that point, the film shoot had been uneventful and way ahead of schedule. I had never been the physician on a movie set, and never imagined I would end up in the godforsaken Mexican jungle. A huge HMO had taken over the hospital where I had just finished my residency and the staff position I thought was mine vanished with the new restructuring. So I was in need of a job and went to interview with Clark James—but I had my principles.
I made it clear I had no desire to become a Hollywood Dr. Feelgood, a quack who was part of some matinee idol’s entourage, their sole purpose supplying pain pills to mask their injuries, narcotics to help them sleep, and uppers to keep them going. If James wanted that, he better get himself a different doctor. I was assured that wasn’t the case, and needing to keep myself fed, I signed on to the film.
Clark, the cinematographer, the location manager, and assistant director had left for the ruins early that morning after it became too dangerous to shoot in the church. The director shot coverage without Clark because the actor insisted on being part of all creative decisions on the film. I couldn’t blame the man. He had invested a ton of his own money. When it got dark, the director started going crazy, insisting we send other crew members after the scout party. How was he going to shoot the following day without an actor and a cameraman? But he was talked out of it by a couple of locals who said they would never find the ruins in the dark.
Now, looking back, I realize they were deathly afraid of going there.
The following morning, the crazed director was assembling a search when a bloodied Clark James stumbled out of the jungle. He had crashed his jeep into a tree, but I could immediately tell that his injuries were not sustained in the wreck. Maybe a few cuts and scrapes, but he had a lot more problems.
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