This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Published by Kindle Press, Seattle, 2015
A Kindle Scout selection
Amazon, the Amazon logo, Kindle Scout, and Kindle Press are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
For Brian and Dan, two of my oldest friends. They play the role of silent witnesses in this novel, even though they’re not that quiet in real life.
Contents
Prologue
Part I
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Part II
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Part III
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Part IV
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Prologue
Evan tossed a log onto the fire and thought about the sin he planned to commit tonight.
He grinned when a large cloud of sparks bloomed into the air. His smile grew wider when Melissa jumped back in alarm.
“God, Evan,” she said, casting him an irritated look. “Watch what you’re doing.”
He hid the smile, replacing it with an innocent expression.
“What?” he asked.
Melissa’s look softened somewhat, and Evan knew she would forgive him. She always did.
“For starters, those sparks touched my clothes,” she said. “I don’t want to turn into a flaming torch. But more than that, I don’t want you to light the whole forest on fire.”
Evan looked at the trees crowding around them. He knew it was just his imagination, but it felt like the branches were closer than when they’d made camp. He could see only a bare sliver of sky through the thick canopy of forest above them.
He jumped when a voice spoke behind him.
“Remember, Evan,” Gavin said in a gruff tone, “only you can prevent forest fires.”
“Thanks, Smokey,” Evan replied.
He watched as Gavin and Alice emerged from the trees carrying stacks of wood and dropped them on the pile. Alice gave Evan a quick glance and then looked away. He was tempted to smile again but didn’t.
“Now can I start with the ghost story?” Evan asked.
“I don’t know,” Melissa said. “I’m already freaked out.”
“It’s a good one, trust me,” Gavin said.
“It’d better be great,” Alice said. “And not too long. I’m already exhausted from kayaking here. I have a meeting with my thesis adviser on Monday, so I’d prefer not to be wiped out when this weekend is over.”
Alice sat down on a nearby log, and Gavin took a seat next to her. Evan’s eyes lingered as Gavin took Alice’s hand. When he looked away, he noticed Melissa watching him. He tried to appear nonchalant.
“I’ll give you the short version,” Evan said.
He took a deep breath before he started, looking at each of them in turn.
“During the Civil War there was a Confederate soldier named Samuel Mitchell who fought in some of the skirmishes around here,” he said. “He claimed that when he camped nearby, he discovered the remains of an abandoned town called Bethlehem. Mitchell was part of a small scouting unit that was looking for signs of Union activity along the Chickahominy and James Rivers. He said they stayed one night in the hollowed-out ruins of some of Bethlehem’s buildings. According to his official report, there was an incident.
“They started hearing voices first. Mitchell heard someone calling his name, Samuel, over and over. He initially thought it was one of his men. But others said they also heard someone in the forest calling their own names. The soldiers lit torches, drew their weapons, and headed out into the night. Mitchell was convinced it was Union troops playing some kind of trick. But out in the woods they didn’t find men—they found ghosts.”
“This is getting too creepy,” Melissa said.
Evan flashed her a wicked grin that appeared menacing in the glow of the campfire.
“Keep that up and I’m going to sleep in Gavin and Alice’s tent,” Melissa said.
In the firelight, Evan thought she looked younger than her age, almost like the girl he had first met three years ago, when they were both in college. She ran a hand quickly through her frizzy brown hair and then unconsciously began chewing on her fingernails. It was hard not to contrast her scared countenance with that of Alice, who appeared unperturbed.
He’d only known Alice the past six months since Gavin started dating her, but she always seemed like she was game for anything. Even now Alice was listening to the story with a skeptical look in her green eyes and a half smile on her dimpled face. When she noticed him watching, she winked. He loved her boldness and the way she challenged him. But he resisted responding, knowing Melissa was keeping a close eye on him.
“He started with twelve men,” Evan continued. “But as they explored the ruined town, Mitchell started losing soldiers one by one. At first he thought they had just stumbled in the dark or stepped out of the torchlight. But when they regrouped they couldn’t find the missing men. When they called their names, all they heard were their own names whispered back at them.
“Mitchell ordered a retreat, but the men turned to find ‘spirits and devils’ waiting for them, according to his report. Some of the men fired their weapons; others tried to surrender. Mitchell made the smart move: he ran.”
“Coward,” Gavin said.
“Well, out of the twelve men there that night, he was the only one to survive,” Evan said. “The rest were declared missing in action and were never heard from again.”
“Could you just stop now?” Melissa asked. “I’ve heard enough. If it wasn’t so dark, I’d vote to go home.”
“It’s just a story,” Gavin said.
He reached out to pat Melissa gently on the arm, and Evan worked to hide his annoyance. Gavin was tall, broad shouldered, and muscular, and he made Evan feel self-conscious. He knew that next to Gavin he seemed skinny and short, though he preferred to think of himself as lean and spry.
“But a true one,” Evan said. “Samuel Mitchell escaped, filed his report, and did his best to forget about that night. But a
fter the war he was approached by a Union officer, who obtained Mitchell’s record. The officer demanded that Mitchell lead a search party to the area. He had heard some locals talk about a treasure buried in the forest near the remains of Bethlehem. But the officer couldn’t find where the town was—he needed Mitchell to help him.”
“What kind of treasure are we talking about?” Alice asked.
“Some said it was gold, but the Union officer thought it was jewels, probably from a wealthy Southerner hoping to stay that way when the war ended,” Evan said.
“Did they find it?” Melissa asked.
Evan looked at each of his friends carefully before answering.
“They were never seen again.”
Silence hung in the air until the snap of a nearby branch caused Melissa to let out a startled scream.
“What the hell?” Gavin said.
He looked at Evan, who was standing on top of a broken piece of kindling.
“You did that on purpose, asshole,” Gavin said.
Evan laughed, while Melissa looked furious.
“Your story doesn’t hold up,” Alice said. Unlike Gavin and Melissa, she sounded completely calm.
“What part?” Evan replied.
“Who hides treasure in the woods and then doesn’t come back for it?” she asked.
“That’s what I thought,” Evan said. “But I recently found a document that indicated they were onto something. Bethlehem was founded by some crazy ex-preacher. Apparently he stole or somehow obtained rare jewels and buried them on the property.”
“Oh yeah? What document?” Alice asked skeptically.
“Mitchell’s journal,” Evan said. “A firsthand account of the Civil War. It’s part of my thesis research. When I got to the bit about Bethlehem, I had to do some more digging. I found other references to the same story. I think Mitchell was on the right track. The treasure is still out here.”
Alice started laughing.
“You’re crazy, you know that?” she said. “Only you could drag the three of us to the middle of some stupid forest to go treasure hunting.”
She pointed at a large bag lying near Evan and Melissa’s tent.
“Are those metal detectors?”
Evan nodded.
“Really? Great plan, Sherlock,” Alice replied. “A metal detector can’t find jewels.”
Evan smiled.
“Supposedly, they were buried inside a lead box,” he responded. “I know what I’m doing. And I’ve had some help. We’re right where we need to be.”
“What kind of help?” Melissa asked.
“They wanted to be anonymous,” Evan said, shrugging his shoulders. “But they told me where to go. You’ll see. I’ve got it all planned out.”
Evan dropped another log on the fire and glanced at the remaining pile of wood.
“Except for the firewood, unfortunately,” he said. “I’ll go and get more.”
He turned away from the fire and walked a few steps to the tents. He opened one and rummaged inside until he emerged with a flashlight.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said, leering at them dramatically. “Don’t let any ghosts get you.”
He stepped into the forest before they could respond. He picked his trail carefully, trying to get far enough away from the campsite without becoming completely lost. He knew she’d picked a spot out this way but wasn’t sure where.
It was possible she would decide not to meet him, but he wasn’t too worried about that. Something in the way her eyes had been watching him while he told his story assured him she would show.
After a moment he spotted a red piece of clothing hanging from a nearby branch. When he picked it up, he laughed softly. It was a pair of lace underwear.
He shut off his flashlight and waited.
“Evan!” a voice rang out, startling him.
He turned the flashlight back on and used it to sweep the perimeter.
“Yeah?” he whispered, keeping his voice low.
But there was no answer. When he thought about it, he wasn’t even sure it had been Alice’s voice. It could have been Gavin or Melissa calling him. His flashlight searched back and forth but caught only trees and misshapen shadows. There was no sound at all.
It was only then that he realized how odd that was. He should be hearing something in the forest—at least crickets or an owl. But the night seemed eerily silent. It was unnerving because somehow the woods didn’t feel empty. Evan had the sense of something out there in the dark, a sinister presence that was quietly watching him.
“Boo!” a voice said, and Evan jumped in the air. He whirled to face his attacker, ready to use his flashlight as a weapon.
He stopped when he saw Alice’s grinning face.
“Shit!” he said, but he lowered his voice.
“Got ya, didn’t I?” she asked.
“How the hell did you sneak up on me? You were silent,” Evan said.
Alice put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. She smiled slyly.
“Do you really want to stand here in the dark and talk?” she asked. “We don’t have a lot of time, you know.”
Evan regained his composure and quickly moved in for a kiss. Her response was urgent and passionate. Her tongue brushed against his, and Evan forgot about Samuel Mitchell, the phantoms in the forest, and his girlfriend sitting at the campsite nearby. He wrapped his arm around Alice and pulled her body against his. His left hand still held the flashlight, now pointed at the ground. When they pulled away, they were both breathing heavily.
“Wow,” Evan managed. “You are the best kisser I’ve ever known.”
“I’m the best at a lot of things,” Alice said. “You just haven’t had a chance to find out yet.”
Evan leaned in and kissed her neck. She tasted of sweat and insect repellent, but he didn’t care.
“I can’t wait,” he said.
With his right hand he gently pushed her backward until she was up against the trunk of a large tree.
“We are not going to do it out here, Evan,” Alice said.
But whatever her mouth was saying, her body was sending different signals. She wrapped a leg around him.
“We can’t,” she whispered. “They’ll hear us. They’ll know.”
Evan no longer cared. He had waited too long for this moment. After a minute Alice seemed to give up the fight as well. Her kisses grew more insistent, until he felt her reach down and unbuckle his jeans.
“We have to be quick,” she said.
He nodded, but a voice interrupted them.
“Evan!” it said, and it sounded nearby.
Both Evan and Alice started at the sound, quickly pulling away from each other. Evan hurried to buckle up his jeans.
“Evan!” the voice came again, and Evan raised his flashlight, still clutched in his left hand. He was about to call back when Alice put a hand on his mouth.
“He’s calling my name, you idiot,” she hissed. “He can’t find us together.”
Evan looked at her in genuine confusion.
“No, he called my name,” he said.
He could barely make out the expression on her face, but he thought his own fear was reflected there.
“That’s not funny,” she said.
“Evan!” the voice said again, much more insistently. It was so near, Evan instinctively put Alice behind him and used his flashlight to search the area where the sound had come from.
A figure in a white robe stood five feet away. Evan almost screamed when he saw him standing in the beam of his flashlight. He was so sure the voice had been Gavin’s that his brain couldn’t process the surprisingly different face that stared at him from the darkness. The man stood there watching them. Evan opened his mouth to ask who he was when he realized he already knew.
“That’s impossible,” Alice said from behind him.
The man raised an arm and pointed at them.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his tone strangely fla
t. “You have been judged.”
From far away in the woods they heard a piercing scream.
“Melissa,” Evan said.
He grabbed Alice’s hand and pulled her away, ignoring the figure in front of them and plunging through the forest. He didn’t understand what was happening, but it didn’t matter. All he wanted was to get back to the campfire.
They ran through the woods, the thin beam of his flashlight guiding the way. They heard another scream in front of them.
“Gavin,” Alice said.
The two of them sprinted as fast as they could while avoiding the roots and branches that threatened to send them sprawling onto the ground. Evan momentarily lost his bearings when Alice shouted, “Over there.”
He saw her pointing at a small spot of orange in the distance—the campfire. They ran toward it, still holding hands for fear of losing each other in the surrounding darkness.
“Melissa!” Evan shouted. “Are you okay?”
Even then his mind insisted it was a prank. But when they arrived at the campsite, those thoughts quickly fell apart.
A circle of people dressed in long white robes were standing by the fire, their faces vacant and expressionless. In the black forest, they seemed to faintly glow. But what disturbed Evan more was that he was sure he could see through the figures, as if they weren’t really there. He didn’t see Gavin or Melissa anywhere.
One of the figures stepped forward from the group and leveled an accusing finger past Evan, pointing at Alice.
“We are born in sin, we die in sin,” the man said. “Take the harlot.”
More figures in white emerged from the forest behind Evan and Alice. They seemed to spring into existence; their sudden appearance was jarring and unnatural. Evan turned to see two men grab Alice. He struggled to keep a grip on her hand, but they ripped her away from his grasp even as she began screaming. They pulled her into the darkness, and Evan couldn’t see her any longer. It was as if she had vanished completely, along with her two abductors. Alice’s scream was abruptly cut short.
Evan stared at the ring of figures surrounding him. The leader looked directly at him. While those eyes were on him, Evan seemed to remember every ill deed he had ever done, and a wave of regret washed over him.
“Behold the fruits of your transgressions,” the leader said, gesturing above him.
The Forest of Forever (The Soren Chase Series, Book One) Page 1
