Caught in Your Wake

by Darien Cox

  With the two of them commiserating at having to watch their individual crushes marry, Tim and Tyler finally found common ground. Tyler allowed Tim to sloppily kiss him in the kitchen at the pub. Then later, Tyler was the one to follow Tim when he fled after Elliot and Nolan’s otherworldly guests arrived at the private after-party.

  Tim winced now at the memory of his meltdown, a spark of anger returning.

  The lot of them, Nolan, Elliot, JT, and Christian, seemed to forget that Tim had only just been made privy to the truth about Singing Bear Village. He’d been dragged in and made to sign a nondisclosure agreement the day he found the alien in the woods, but after that they all seemed to just...forget about him. None of this crew even considered that it might be jarring to Tim, parading two white aliens with kaleidoscope-eyes before him like it was no big deal—like they were just another pair of wedding guests. Even Myles, Tim’s most trusted friend, was casually laughing and drinking with those two...those two things.

  Maybe in their drunken revelry they all forgot Tim didn’t have the experience with this shit that they did. That the only time he’d seen an alien was that day in the woods when he found Baz, and the hybrid was unconscious at the time. No one ever asked how he was handling it. They didn’t even warn him that Baz and his alien boyfriend would be showing up. Sure, the after-party was private, only those in-the-know attending. But Tim was nowhere near as in-the-know as everyone else. He wasn’t ready for it. He'd been hanging out, enjoying his buzz and flirting with Tyler, when suddenly a seven-foot-tall alien-hybrid was sidling up next to him at the bar, wanting to shake hands. So yeah. He freaked the fuck out.

  He’d made it to the parking lot when Tyler caught up, attempting to calm him, to no avail. Tim was weeping without tears, gasping without sound, the air in his lungs suddenly absent. Every muscle in his body twitched uncontrollably. Tyler ended up having to literally pick Tim up off the ground when his body betrayed him and his legs gave out. He made Tim sit in the car with his head between his knees until he could breathe again, then drove him home and helped him into his house. Made him tea.

  Fucking tea. Like a splash of Earl Grey could fix the issue of Tim’s entire reality blowing apart.

  Never had he felt as weak as he did in that moment. As undignified. Once he’d calmed and somewhat gotten hold of his faculties again, his ego resented that weakness. That Tyler, this mysterious little military spook he hardly knew, had to scrape him up off the ground and tend to him while he trembled and fought for air and his own sanity. It was beyond embarrassing, losing control like that.

  In hindsight, that was likely why he’d pounced on Tyler afterward. To try and reclaim some control. To take his power back. He’d aggressively thrown himself at Tyler in his kitchen, undressing him with trembling hands. And Tyler had let him. He allowed Tim to take all his fear and shock out on his beautiful body. Tim could still hear Tyler whispering ‘It’s all right’ over and over while Tim fucked him right there on the kitchen floor. Tyler on his back, legs wrapped around Tim’s hips, accepting his thrusting cock patiently while he stroked Tim’s face and tried to soothe him with his words.

  But Tyler didn’t want him. Tim realized that now, and it was humiliating. Tyler had simply been giving Tim the medicine he needed in that moment. It was the epitome of a sympathy-fuck.

  After that, Tyler was gone. Not just from Tim’s house that night, leaving him naked and curled up against the wall, weeping and sticky with cum. But gone from the village as well. The next day, he learned Tyler had been sent away. He’d been gone for months now on some job outside the village for Ogden. That was all the information Tim was able to garner in his attempted casual inquiries. But Tim was glad the only witness to his unraveling was no longer in Singing Bear Village. The only one to see his disgrace was gone. It made life easier—easier to pretend the entire thing had never happened.

  This was what he kept telling himself—that he was glad Tyler was gone. But in truth, the guy was still stuck in his head. Tyler left the village months ago but refused to vacate Tim’s thoughts, because there was a moment during the sex when some gateway opened between them, like a shared connection. A least that’s what Tim felt at the time. In hindsight, he realized how stupid that sounded. But he clearly remembered the moment and how he felt in it. A few brief seconds where he’d become overwhelmed with adoration for the man in his arms, certain that the feeling was reciprocated and reflected back in Tyler’s smoky gray eyes.

  But Tim was coming off a nervous breakdown at the time, so he’d likely imagined the entire thing. He’d had plenty of quick fucks in his life, along with a couple actual relationships, and never once had he found himself pondering moments of perfect sexual and emotional communion. The very idea was preposterous. He’d obviously been in the clutches of confusion that night, imagining Tyler’s role as sexual savior or something because he’d helped Tim while he was vulnerable. But if it was just a side-effect from a bad night, why the hell couldn’t he stop reliving it in his mind?

  And why do I get so damn horny every time I even think his name?

  Hearing Tyler’s name spoken in passing by the people in this room didn’t help either. Tyler had come up in conversation a few times, and the joking consensus was that he had no feelings. That Tyler was cold and emotionally impenetrable. Which made Tim’s fixation not only hopelessly one-sided, but even more humiliating.

  “Hey, you all right?” Myles whispered, nudging Tim with his shoulder, jolting him from his memories. “You look tense.”

  JT’s basement faded back into his awareness. Realizing he was twisting his hat in his hands so tightly his knuckles had gone white, Tim forced himself to relax, taking a deep breath. “Fine,” he muttered. “I’m fine.”

  Tim and Myles were both in uniform—he in his forest ranger greens, Myles in his sheriff’s outfit, both ready to start the day at their real jobs once this ridiculous meeting was over. The rest of the people in the room were a sloppy mess as always. Christian was dressed in baggy jeans and an inside-out tee shirt, gold-streaked brown hair looking like he hadn’t bothered to brush it that morning. According to Myles, these guys were all geniuses, which was hard to accept as he watched Christian empty a bag of Skittles onto the table and arrange them into a penis shape.

  JT and Brett Mallory were both in shorts and fleece pullovers, JT’s long blond curls tied back in a ponytail, Brett’s brown dreads hanging loose. JT and Brett’s eyes were focused on Nolan, but they both had droopy lids. Even Nolan’s husband didn’t appear focused— Elliot, in jeans and a black Devo tee shirt, scrubbed his short, dirty-blond hair with his fingers then yawned, stretching his arms and nearly falling over when he tipped his chair too far. The sound of Elliot’s chair slapping back down on the floor made JT jolt in his seat like he’d begun to fall asleep.

  “Okay,” Brett said, interrupting Nolan mid-sentence. “Why don’t we continue this when you’ve done more tests and gotten more data. Anyone else have pressing concerns? If not, we can meet next week.”

  “Hang on.” Nolan scowled, gripping the wooden pointer in both hands like he wanted to snap it in half. “I wasn’t finished.”

  “We got the gist.” Brett smiled. “Send an encrypted email with all you’ve got and I promise to look it over later then send it on to Ogden. Okay?”

  “Fine.” For a big guy, Nolan had a hell of a pout. He shut down the computer and noisily gathered up his notes. “Not like it’s important or anything.”

  Christian caught Tim’s gaze and rolled his eyes, making him chuckle. As chairs scraped the floor and everyone made to leave, Tim stepped away from the wall. “I have something I want to discuss.”

  Everyone paused and looked at him, surprise evident in their expressions. Tim never contributed to these meetings. He usually left as soon as they were over, if not before.

  “What is it, Tim?” JT asked.

  With all eyes on him, he grew self-conscious, and wasn’t sure he could jump right in with ‘I’m scared of the moun
tains now and here’s why’ so he decided to ease into things with something benign before bringing up his real issue. He was dreading it. “The spring equinox parties are happening this weekend. I assume you’re hosting your annual at the pub?”

  “Yeah.” JT nodded. “And?”

  “I told you we can’t do floating lanterns this year. The state is on my ass because the lake is too close to the forest, and they’re a fire hazard.”

  “You told us this already,” Nolan said. “And we told you we ordered water lanterns instead.”

  “I know.” Tim nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “Just wanted to make sure. I saw a couple of them in the air last night, people setting them off on their own property.”

  “Darwyn and I will help you keep an eye out for it,” Myles said. “Is that it?”

  “No. That’s not it.” Tim took a deep breath. “I want to talk about the new ranger station.”

  Brett stepped forward, slipping his glasses back on. “What about it? Is there a problem?”

  “I just think it’s a waste of time, me sitting up there with my thumb up my ass.”

  “I thought it was only a few short shifts a week. You think that’s too much? I was told Ogden was paying you for the extra duties,” Brett said.

  “Yeah. I’m getting paid. That’s not the issue.”

  They’d constructed the ranger station in question just last year, a small cabin on stilts about twenty yards from the field—the field that was apparently a place where the Whites’ ships entered the underground base when stopping off from their long journeys in space. Just another sickening new reality Tim was expected to treat as normal now.

  The ships weren’t visible, at least not that Tim had seen, and that was good, because he wasn’t sure he could handle it if he did. But while the thought of the Whites always spooked him, it was the weird shit he’d been experiencing lately that had him speaking up now. He told himself to quit stalling and just spit it out, but now that they were all staring at him, he was hesitant. He didn’t want these guys to think he was paranoid and losing his mind. It had been bad enough allowing Tyler to see him fall apart. He didn’t need everyone else thinking he had bats in the belfry. Maybe he could just...get out of it. If he could convince them he didn’t need to be up there anymore...

  “Okay,” Brett said. “Then what is the issue?”

  “The area’s restricted to the public, and you said you already have cameras to monitor it.”

  “The cameras aren’t close enough to your station to monitor that area, they’re closer to the field. And they’re not going to catch everything that goes on in the woods up there,” Nolan said. “Your presence at the lookout is just an added precaution.”

  “I get that,” Tim said. “But standing guard for a bunch of aliens who are a zillion times more advanced than we are? I’m not qualified for that. What if those rogue hybrids you told me about come back?”

  “You’re not guarding the Whites!” JT said. “We wouldn’t task you with that. And the rogue hybrids that took over the base have long since been either killed or taken in hand. You don’t need to worry about them.”

  “Oh shit, is that what you’ve been worried about?” Brett said. “I’m sorry, Tim, I guess I should have been clearer. Your main duty is to keep any hikers or thrill-seekers out of the area. We still get random conspiracy theorists trying to camp up there because some of them, unfortunately, suspect extraterrestrial activity is going on.”

  “I know all that,” Tim said. “I chased a lot of them out the first two months. But I haven’t seen anyone in a long time. Maybe word has spread that there’s a ranger stationed up there now.”

  “Good, then it’s working,” Brett said.

  “So...if no one’s going up there anymore, I don’t need to be there. Right?”

  “We’d like to keep you up there just in case. It’s easy money for you, right?”

  Tim shrugged. “I guess.”

  Brett lifted his arms then dropped them at his sides. “So what exactly is the problem? You’re not being clear.”

  Just say it, Tim. I hear things. I see things. And I’m afraid.

  “You said you wanted to be involved,” JT said. “We involved you. What’s the problem?”

  “Just forget it. It’s fine.”

  He started for the door when Myles called to him, “Tim, cut the bullshit, what’s really bothering you? I know you too well, so talk.”

  Pausing, he turned back. “Look, I have to ask. Are you guys screwing with me up on the mountain? Testing me somehow? Because I’m gonna be really pissed if you’ve made me one of your fucked up little experiments—”

  “Tim, calm down,” Brett said. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I heard some guy calling for help one night recently but couldn’t find anyone.”

  Brett shook his head. “That’s it? A guy calling for help?”

  “No, not just that. I...I just don’t like being up there. Okay?”

  Nolan approached, and his scowl was gone. His gorgeous brown eyes showed compassion as he gently grasped Tim’s shoulders. “I’m gonna ask you a question, and you can be honest, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “Are you scared to be near the Whites’ base?”

  “I’m not a coward.”

  Nolan sighed. “Look, Tim. We’ve been doing this for years. We’re used to it, and it still freaks us out sometimes. There’s no shame in saying you’re scared to be up by the Whites’ base at night, now that you know the Whites are there. It makes total sense that you would be.”

  “It’s not the Whites I’m afraid of.”

  Nolan released his shoulders but stayed close. “But you are afraid of something.”

  Glancing around, Tim noticed the entire crew had surrounded him, eyeing him expectantly. “I’ve heard things up there at night. I’ve...seen things I can’t explain.”

  Brett closed in on him. “What kind of things?”

  “I don’t know exactly.”

  “Is it white mist? Moving through the trees?” Elliot asked. “If so, it’s the Whites roaming around, and we’ll talk to Baz about it. They’re supposed to be staying underground, we had an agreement.”

  “It’s not white mist. It’s dark. Dark shadows. Black shapes moving around below the trees. And noises.”

  “What kind of noises?” JT asked.

  “Weird hissing and...clicking sounds. Sometimes I hear it right outside the door, like they climbed the ladder and they’re right there.”

  “Did you go outside and check it out?” Brett asked.

  “Of course! I’m not a coward. I go out and search the whole area every time, but I never find anything. It’s like as soon as I step out of the station it disappears.”

  “Bears can climb ladders,” Christian said. “It’s probably a bear. They can move fast.”

  “It’s not a fucking bear, Christian! I’m the forest ranger in Singing Bear Village, I know bears!”

  “Whoa.” Christian took a step back. “Okay, chill out.”

  “I’m sorry, but I know those mountains like the back of my hand.”

  “That phrase bothers me,” Elliot said. “Do any of us really know the back of our hand? I mean, could we pass a pop-quiz about it without cheating?”

  “Elliot,” JT muttered. “Read the room.”

  Tim rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. I’m familiar with all the sights and sounds of the forest, even at night. I’m telling you that what I’ve been experiencing is unique.”

  “Okay.” Myles nodded. “I’m sure this is frustrating, but we’re only trying to help.”

  “I know. Look, I want to explain this away as much as you all do, and I’ve tried, believe me. But it’s not just the hissing and clicking. Sometimes I hear...a baby crying.”

  Brett pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. “A baby? In the woods? At night?”

  “Yeah, like an infant’s cry. You said you found a baby White in the woods in the past,
right? And you said the Whites can move really fast.”

  “Sure,” JT said. “One left their baby topside during the hybrids’ siege, for its own protection. Chances are slim they’d do so again though. Baz assures us the Whites are staying out of the woods. Plus, we haven’t seen anything on the camera feeds, have we, Nolan?”

  “Nothing,” Nolan said. “I check them every morning.”

  “It’s probably a cat in heat you’re hearing, or a coyote,” Christian said.

  “I swear to God, Boucher...” Tim glared at him.

  “Come on, relax,” Christian said. “I’m just supplying options.”

  “I’ve spent my entire life up in those mountains. Do you really think I can’t tell the difference between an animal and something else?”

  “But you said you see shapes,” Christian said.

  “I do, but only when I look out the windows or go out on the deck. I see...something. Something’s moving out there at the base of the trees, I just don’t know what.”

  Nolan squeezed Tim’s shoulder. “Could it be people up there rather than animals? You said you heard a guy calling for help. A person could take off once they saw you step outside. A person could hide themselves easily. And a person could imitate a baby’s cry. You said you’ve had to kick hikers out. You think someone’s screwing with you?”

  “You tell me, Nolan.”

  “It’s not us. We wouldn’t lie.”

  “You guys lied to me for years about the fucking aliens! Why should I trust you?”

  “Calm down,” Brett said. “I promise we know nothing about this. But you should have brought this up right away. How long has this been going on?”

  “About a month.”

  “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

  “Because I...” Tim blinked slowly. “Because I am scared to be up there knowing the Whites’ base is twenty yards away, okay? I’ve been freaked out ever since I found out about them. Because of that, I wasn’t sure if I was just imagining things. If my senses were playing tricks on me because I was already nervous and expecting something to happen. I’m still not sure. That’s why I didn’t want to say anything. But...”