“Why did you bring me here if it makes you uncomfortable?” I asked.
She hesitated before answering. “I don’t know. I just wanted you to see it.” There was something more behind her reasoning, something she had decided to keep to herself, but before I could question her further, she turned on her heel and began the walk back.
The sunlight that was once shining brightly through the trees was growing dimmer by the second, and I was getting colder. When we got back to camp, Elisa pulled an extra pair of thermals and a beanie from one of the packs and brought them to me.
“Here. Change in front of the fire so you don’t get too cold, then put these on.”
Laith and Elisa turned their backs, and I quickly undressed down to my underwear and bra. I was hurrying so fast that I nearly fell before I decided to slow down.
“Don’t fall into the fire and burn to death,” Laith said with his back still toward me. “Take your time. We’re in no rush.”
They started chuckling, and I scowled at them, imagining smacking them both on the back of the head.
“Do you think she’s flipping us off right now?” Laith asked Elisa.
“We were warned she has a potty mouth.”
“Cheryl said nothing of the sort.” I hissed at them as I slipped the thermal top over my bra.
I was still in my underwear when I heard a strange muffled sound that came from behind. I whirled around, trying to see into the shadows of the darkening forest, but saw nothing there.
“What’s the matter?” Laith asked.
“Thought I heard something behind me,” I said in a whisper. The sound of gravel moving was distinct, and for the moment we all focused on the noise… until I felt a rather cold breeze blow against my bare legs. “Wait! Don’t turn around!”
Laith had turned but wasn’t looking at me. My voice, however, brought his focus my direction.
He groaned as his hands flew up over his eyes. “Sorry, so sorry!”
Elisa grabbed him by the shoulder to spin him around. She wasn’t looking, but I caught a hint of a smile on her lips before she turned.
“You aren’t laughing are you, El?” I asked coolly.
“Nope.”
By then Laith had recomposed himself. “Of course you heard something, Sarah. We’re in the forest. Animals live here.”
“Thank you, Woodsman Laith,” I said in an acerbic tone. Once again they laughed.
I finally got Elisa’s thermals and the rest of my clothes on and let them turn back around as I sat to put on my extra pair of socks and heavy jacket. I noticed that Laith was having a hard time looking at me.
“Sorry about that,” he said after a while.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I didn’t mean to freak out. It was my fault really.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t really see anything.”
“Uh huh,” Elisa said under her breath. “What color underwear was she wearing?”
Laith’s face dropped then turned color. “Red,” he said.
My mouth fell open as Elisa dramatically inhaled. “What?”
He shot back at her. “I couldn’t help it! She has on bright red underwear! No wonder she heard something move in the trees. Any animal in a five-mile radius would have seen them!”
Elisa’s giggle turned into outright laughter as Laith’s face turned as red as… my underwear.
“It’s a good thing you didn’t ask if she was wearing a thong because, yep. She sure is.” Laith broke the stick he was holding in half, threw it into the fire, and stalked off mumbling something about appropriate camping attire.
A bubble of laughter flew from my lips, followed by an explosion of hysterics as I joined in with Elisa. Together we spent a good amount of time trying to recollect ourselves.
Laith stomped back to the fire, and with no amount of humor. “We better start cooking before it gets too dark.” He pulled out the steaks and tinfoil-wrapped potatoes from his cooler, still looking a little flushed.
After dinner, the three of us sat lazily in our camp chairs enjoying the feel of a full belly and the warm blaze of the fire. I shuffled my feet closer to the edge of the pit in an attempt to heat my icy toes. I nestled deeper into my jacket, holding my heat packets tightly in my gloves.
“Are you sure we’re not going to freeze tonight?” I asked again as cold nipped at my bare face.
Laith ticked off on his fingers. “You have a sub-zero sleeping bag lined with a thick flannel blanket, more hand warmers, and two electric heaters if needed.”
“We’ll need them,” Elisa added blankly.
“You’ll be fine, I promise. You might even be sweating when you wake in the morning.”
I heard another noise coming from the dark forest and once again scanned it nervously.
“Don’t worry, Sarah,” Laith said. “This forest will be full of sounds all night long, but you can’t let it get to you. The breeze will blow through the trees. You may hear a branch crack or a pine cone fall to the ground or even a small animal settle in for the night. If there happens to be an animal out there, like a rabbit or, heck, even a wolf, it’s not going to come anywhere near the fire. They’re just curious.”
“Great,” I muttered. “Wolves.”
“I’ve never seen a wolf once,” Elisa said. “Laith, stop trying to freak her out.”
“So I guess telling scary stories is out of the question tonight?”
“Yes,” we said at the same time.
The sounds coming from the forest were a little unnerving and seemed to grow louder as time passed, but I knew Laith was right. Even though he didn’t say it, I was being silly by allowing my imagination to get away from me.
I shook my head, looking up into the sky for the first time. I gasped. Suddenly, I didn’t care about the noises anymore.
“They’re so bright!” I announced, causing Laith and Elisa to look up as well.
“Such a city girl,” Laith teased.
“Aren’t they gorgeous?” Elisa breathed.
We sat looking up at the stars without speaking until the fire dimmed and Elisa looked as if she was about to fall asleep. Life outside our campground was busy and stressful with all kinds of worries to keep me occupied, but sitting there underneath a heavy blanket of stars, I felt absolutely content. It was almost impossible to think about anything except the shapes I found in the vast array of bright lights in the heavens.
“Whatcha thinking about?” Laith quietly asked, turning to me.
It felt odd speaking again after such a long period of silence. Elisa wasn’t completely asleep, but I spoke softly as if she were.
“I’m not thinking. I’m just looking.” I said, then gestured at the stars.
“Which constellations?”
“Well, I found the little dipper there, the big dipper there, the North Star—”
“That’s not the north star; that’s a planet,” Laith interrupted.
“Not important,” I continued, waving him off. He chuckled.
“Like I said, the North Star there; I found a bear there and something that looks like a rabbit head there.”
“A rabbit head?” Laith asked.
“I see a dolphin,” Elisa said pointing to the east.
I looked over to where she pointed and tried to find her dolphin.
“You always think you see dolphins,” Laith said. “In the ocean… in the sky.”
“There is a dolphin. It’s right there.”
“I think I see it,” I added to be helpful.
“Thank you, Sarah. See? And I did see a dolphin in the ocean… either that or a shark.”
“Are you kidding? Were you on the beach or in the waves?”
“Neither,” Elisa said dramatically. “We were in the stinking middle of the ocean… deep sea diving with Laith’s dad for lost relics.”
“Lost relics? What kind of relics?”
Elisa smiled. “You’ll have to ask Ray sometime. He’s a bit of a fanatic and loves a go
od treasure hunt for history. So does our friend, Darius. He was there with us.”
“I see.” Darius. My gut twisted and I wondered if I should bring up our meeting from this morning, but didn’t know how to approach such an interesting exchange so I ignored the thought.
Laith groaned. “I thought we were talking about dolphins,” he interrupted, trying to redirect.
“No, we were talking about sharks, Laith and if I believed it was a shark, I swear to you I would never get into the ocean again, so you’d better help me believe it was a stinking dolphin.”
“No one saw it but you. It was probably just your imagination.”
“Oh yeah, because that’s what I have… such a wildly good imagination.”
He leaned over and patted her like a child. “Don’t worry, darling. You saw a pretty dolphin, didn’t you? It was just a pretty little dolphin.”
Suddenly Elisa grabbed Laith’s arm and yanked with all her might. Laith flew from his seat and landed in the dirt with a thump. Laith rebounded and retaliated. When he finally got her arms pinned to her chest she gave up the fight.
“Oh, come on. You know you deserved it.” She was breathing hard, but not hurt.
“I did.” Laith let go of her hands sitting heavily on her lap. “That was good, El.”
“Thank you,” she said with effort. “Now, get off.”
Laith fell from her lap onto the dirt then leaned back against her legs.
Elisa winked at me. “Sorry. It’s rare that I am able to get him like that. I take whatever opportunities I can.” She lightly tousled his dark hair.
It didn’t take very long to get everything laid out and ready for bed. Against her original choice, Elisa decided to sleep with me in the bed of the truck. Thick foam pads cushioned our flannel-lined sleeping bags and Elisa brought out both battery-powered heaters and placed them between us, then filled our blankets with heat packs. Even Laith grabbed a few.
My only apprehension came from whether or not I could be brave enough to fall asleep out in the open. It was a comfort to me that Laith walked the campsite once more before getting into his bed. He laid out his sleeping bag just a few yards away and a safe distance from the fire. With the tailgate down, I could see the outline of his figure.
“Here we go,” I muttered to myself as I rested my head and gazed up at the stars.
Elisa wriggled in her bag for a moment then exhaled heavily. A few minutes later, Elisa fidgeted again… and then again. I smiled thinking I wouldn’t be the only one having a hard time sleeping tonight.
Laith’s light snoring started only moments after lying down. I, on the other hand, was wide awake and now that everything was quiet and we were nestled in our beds, unsettling noises and thoughts crept into my mind.
I glanced around, finally realizing what the problem was. As romantic as sleeping under the stars had previously seemed, I needed solid walls—walls that completely surrounded me and a ceiling to enclose it. I needed protection from the natural elements that were probably, at this very moment, watching my every toss and turn.
A crack sounded from near the front of the truck. I groaned silently to myself, burrowed deeper into my sleeping bag, and tried to block out any additional noise.
“Sarah, are you okay?” Elisa asked.
“I guess I’m a little freaked out.” I chuckled despite my fear.
“What would you like to do?” I heard and felt Elisa’s sleeping bag wriggle closer to mine.
I thought about that for a moment; it may be a little better in the cab, but it would be cramped and not enough room for the both of us. Laith’s snore rattled the through the air. Just hearing that he was close by made me feel better, which gave me an idea.
“Elisa, would you be opposed to Laith sleeping closer by… and by that I mean, would you be comfortable with him sleeping between us? There’s plenty of room for all three of us in here,” I added.
“True,” she agreed quickly, but then she hesitated. “Are you sure you wouldn’t be uncomfortable?”
“If it were some random guy, yes, but not Laith. Laith’s like a brother. I feel safe around him.” As I spoke the words, I knew they were true. “And if the fire doesn’t scare away the animals, at least his snoring will. Will you wake him up?”
I heard her wriggle again, then call out to Laith. Her voice was soft at first, but then it grew louder. “Laith. Laith. Please wake up.”
“What?” I heard the unzipping of his sleeping bag, then moments later his head popped up the side of the truck. “Are you guys okay?”
I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear his concern. I was grateful for that. It confirmed what I already felt about him.
“Not really. We can’t sleep.”
“Neither of you?”
“Yes,” I agreed quickly.
I heard him chuckle softly. “Okay, well what do you guys want to do about it?”
Elisa sat up in her sleeping bag. “We want you to sleep between us. There’s more than enough room.”
“We’ll put the heater up by our heads so we can stay warm,” I added, so he would know I was okay with the idea.
“Let me get this straight, you want me to come and sleep between the two of you?” His tone implied disbelief at what he was being asked to do.
Elisa and I answered at the same time. “Yes.”
“Hmmm. That’s a tough request to fulfill.” Laith disappeared for a moment only to reappear, flashlight in hand, dragging his sleeping bag with him. He jumped onto the tailgate and walked to the center, picking up the heaters and moving them. He placed one near our feet and one on the top of the cab. Then he flung out his foam pad and sleeping bag messily between us. He crawled in and zipped himself up.
He pointed the flash light on me. “Better?” he asked kindly.
I nodded my approval, and he moved the flashlight to Elisa.
“Thank you, Laith,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome.” He rolled onto his back and clicked off his light. Putting his arms above him, he rested his head on his hands.
Still adjusting to the moonlight, I watched Laith’s face for a long while, just barely making out his profile. His eyes were open, calmly gazing at the stars. He was a statue in the night—our bedtime guardian. And it did the trick.
19
Noises In The Dark
A voice called my name from the darkness. It came to me as an arctic breeze, biting the ridge of my ear with its cold breath. I shot straight up, grasping for my pendant, but my fingers grabbed flesh, nails scratching deep into bare skin, and I realized it was gone—stripped from me, as were the rest of my clothes. All but my undergarments taken.
My eyes darted to my side, but both Laith and Elisa were gone. Frantically, I groped around me, twisting and turning, hoping somehow I had missed them, but when my hands fell against nothing but cold metal, I drew them back, hugging my naked legs tightly into my chest. I shivered violently as the frigid night air nipped at my body and fear crept into my core.
A loud crack sounded, like a branch being snapped in half, and I scanned the forest edge. A shadow moved in the darkness, capturing my attention. My body twitched to move, to run away, but there I stayed, paralyzed by fear. My lungs collapsed as I realized I would be facing this evil alone, because somehow I knew it was evil slowly maneuvering its way to me. It advanced out of the tree line and into the clearing, almost transparent against the blackness of the night. It crept along like a ghost, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.
My voice came out in a pitiful whimper.
It halted in the middle of the open field. I could feel dark eyes on me as my quivering frame was surveyed. A scream built in the back of my throat. A scream I knew I would never release in time.
“I like seeing you like this,” a deep voice murmured in my ear. My breath caught painfully in my throat as I jerked away from the sound, keeping my focus on the dark form still standing in place.
“It’s exhilarating,” he whispered into my
other ear. “Intoxicating. Seeing you nearly naked. I can smell the fear on you.”
Something sharp scratched down the side of the truck and sent tremors up my spine. It seemed to be everywhere. It was trying to distract me. It wanted me to look away, but I refused to lose track of my true dark predator. Grabbing what courage I could, I spoke out against the threat.
“What do you want?”
The shadow in the field morphed, as if deciding what horrible form it would take. Terrified of what it would finally choose, an idea came to me giving me hope that I could somehow control the outcome.
“Jonathan,” I called out, naming my poltergeist. It stopped, then slowly it shifted, phasing into a familiar identity—one of my choosing.
Jonathan looked down at his muscled body, bare from the waist up, then moved toward me. His powerful gait was smooth, yet feral. The light from the moon cast an eerie glow on his pale skin. He came to a halt in front of the tailgate.
Instinctively, I pushed back, scuttling away from him until my spine hit the back of the truck bed, the shock of it producing a tiny shriek of fear.
“You couldn’t have done this one thing for me, could you?” he hissed through clenched teeth. Rage emanated off his body. “I waited for you, but instead you came here! Why didn’t you come to me?” His voice cracked through the forest.
I gasped, covering my ears. “Stop!” I managed to yell.
Jonathan angled his head to the side as he watched my reaction. Dark eyes traveled over my bare skin, taking his time. “I’ve never known anyone to fight me the way you do.”
He jumped, landing hard on the tailgate of the truck. The entire end of the vehicle collapsed underneath his bare feet, causing it to smash into the ground at an angle. My body was temporarily airborne, hitting back down onto the steel bed only a moment later. Jonathan flashed his large, white teeth and opened his arms as a welcoming gesture.
Something other than Jonathan pulled me by the ankles, and I slid toward the tail of the truck toward him.
I screamed.
A hand clamped down over my mouth and I gasped. Frantically I tried to push away from the danger, but my arms were pinned at my chest, caught in something that restricted my movements. I jerked up hard, trying to scream again, but terror had seized all breath.
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