“Her,” I corrected.
She didn’t seem to be listening to me; she crept forward with her back arched and her long arm out like a treat.
I fell in step behind the golden-haired girl, giving her all the weight of the situation. It was such a relief to do so.
The tiger remained still and didn’t appear bothered.
Phoebe came up close enough to touch her.
The tiger didn’t flinch or growl. She remained stone still, except for her eyes, which switched from face to face. What if this was someone trapped in a tiger’s body? Cody had brown eyes…
With a steady hand, Phoebe stroked the tiger’s head before I could protest. I stiffened as I watched her trail fingermarks through the thick fur.
The animal remained a stationary figure, unperturbed by Phoebe and me, which was strange all in itself.
I reached out and touched her head, mimicking Phoebe’s brave attempt.
The tiger didn’t move or respond, just watched.
“She must be a pet,” Phoebe said, scratching it behind the ear.
The tiger stood up on all fours, and we both backed away instinctively.
Turning away, she padded out of our reach before sitting back down by the Snakes & Vines sign.
“Do you think she has a name?” Phoebe asked me.
“I don’t know,” I said, feeling like a broken record.
“We should give her one if she’s going to follow us around everywhere.” Phoebe eyed the tiger.
The two of us fell silent, neither volunteering a name. She’d probably turn on us anyway.
Pointing to the Snakes & Vines sign, I said, “I think she’s telling us which one to pick.”
Ignoring me, Phoebe slapped her bare, flat stomach. “Hot dogs.” She nodded to the stand, which was now coated in the fine dust and didn’t look nearly as inviting.
“I’m staaaarving,” Phoebe said.
“Oh, about that,” I realized I’d turned my back to the tiger and quickly peeked over my shoulder to see she hadn’t moved.
Phoebe’d already opened the first lid before I could finish. Reeling back from the overwhelming stench, she dropped it in a clatter.
I winced at the noise and motioned for her to be quiet. “Do you mind? Monster on the prowl and such.”
She waved a dismissive hand in my direction. “I’m too hungry to really care at the moment.” It was a ridiculous statement, and I had to brush it off before I could bristle.
Rummaging through a few other hotdog compartments, Phoebe miraculously unearthed an uncooked slick hotdog. She held it up to the dim light from the lantern and squinted at it.
“I still wouldn’t eat that. What if…” Before I could finish, Phoebe gobbled it down and rummaged for another.
I decided to give up. “Are you telling me that you haven’t eaten for three weeks?”
If it weren’t for her cheeks being stuffed with food, Phoebe would have smiled. She chewed for a second more then swallowed. “I’ve eaten, couldn’t tell you when though.” Then she took another big bite out of a wiener. “Besides, time don’t count down here, remember?” She plopped down on the black metal bench, crossing her long slim legs.
Yeah, I remembered.
I eased onto the bench beside her, careful not to move too fast with the tiger watching.
At least we didn’t seem to be in any danger now. Instead, I watched Phoebe gorge herself on raw hotdogs until she tapped me on the shoulder and gestured to the hotdog stand.
“Mind getting me another one?” she mumbled with her mouth full.
I should have told her to get it herself, but I wanted to move. Sitting still was making me anxious. The tiger was licking her paw, ignoring us. Distracted by her, I stumbled over the discarded rope that once held me. I kicked it out of my path and opened the compartment.
The water was murky, and I realized she must have been starving to even consider something in there edible. The dogs she crammed into her cheeks looked healthy, though the water was dark and still.
Taking a deep breath through my mouth, I lowered my hand into the cool water, swaying it to catch the floating and elusive food.
Phoebe finished her mouthful and was looking at me from the bench expectantly.
“This is disgusting,” I told her.
“Food’s food.”
My fingers caught a wiener at last, and I pulled it free, hand dripping. I was certain any buns would be too far gone by now, so I didn’t bother offering to look for any. Raising the slippery dog up for her to see, I tossed it.
Phoebe caught it expertly with one hand and grinned.
I glanced at the tiger. “Do you want one too?”
The tiger only stared at me, motionless except for her twitching tail.
I reached into the slimy water again and caught one. Without looking, I extracted it from the water and was about to throw it when I realized what I held.
The scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it. Instead of a hotdog, it was a bloodless human thumb.
I dropped it onto the ground, and the finger rolled out into the dusty circle center.
“Gross,” Phoebe muttered with a mouthful of food. She swallowed anyway then looked away with a deep breath to keep everything down.
Winding back, I kicked the severed finger away. It rolled in mid-air and landed in the dusty dirt, partially covered in the impact.
Knees wobbling within sockets, I collapsed on the bench.
No amount of rubbing my hands could assuage my disgust or the horror that swelled at having touched that thing.
Even after I swung my arm until the water dried, it still felt as if there were a thin coat of slime.
I shuddered and looked over at the tiger. “Sorry,” I grumbled. “They’re out.”
Phoebe sighed and stood up, her back to the finger. “I guess I should have checked it a little more carefully,” she admitted. “But I feel a bit better…stomach might need time to settle.”
Still dwelling in disgust, I stood up and forced myself to look at the finger.
It was a thumb. Wrinkled at the edges, it looked as though it had been in the water for a while.
Phoebe put an arm around my shoulders. “It’s okay, Fuller,” she said in a hushed tone. “Let’s just focus on what we need to do next. The last thing I’m going to do is puke this up.”
She was right, but it was unnerving to think that someone was wandering around the Demon’s Grave without a thumb.
Phoebe scrutinized each of the suspended signs. “You think this cat knows the way, Fuller?” she asked, her stomach gurgling.
“I picked the Mangy Monkeys, and I was led to you. So maybe each of these paths leads us to at least one person.” I grabbed my stick and noticed a thin, scabbed cut running up Phoebe’s side.
Phoebe looked too. “Yeah, won’t heal completely for some reason,” she said.
“Infection?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Don’t think so. It would ache, and I don’t feel it at all.”
We exchanged a glance, and neither of us seemed willing to discuss it further.
“Well.” Phoebe motioned to the tiger. “No time like the present.” Arm still around my shoulder, she led me toward the Snakes & Vines, dust kicking up in our wake.
This path was longer and dimly lit. Phoebe and I couldn’t walk side by side without touching one of the cages, so I took a half step behind her.
I glanced back to see the tiger following at a safe distance and gripped my stick protectively. She’d likely kill me before I got to use it, but it was a small comfort nonetheless.
Our path snaked left then right.
Phoebe halted in her tracks, and my heart tackled my throat before seeing the fork in the road. I guess I’d expected worse.
A stone tablet jutted from the ground with two carved arrows. One had an Egyptian snake symbol chiseled above it, while the other looked like a creature with a crocodile head and maybe a baboon body?
It looked as tho
ugh we had another choice to make.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Guess that way means Snakes?” I said, pointing to the snake symbol on the tall, flat stone. It stood as high as my shoulder.
“Why advertise snakes then give us a new option?” Phoebe’s eyes narrowed.
“Maybe it’s a trick?”
Phoebe cracked a knuckle. “Well then, let’s not go to the cats. How about the snakes?” Phoebe didn’t wait to hear if I agreed before veering right.
Scrambling to catch up, feeling the doubts triple in my head, I didn’t get time to protest.
The path slithered, much like a snake, weaving and swaying and leaving too many blind spots. Before we knew it, the pathway forked again. Another stone tablet jutted from the earth. On the right there was the snake again. Egyptian looking, the snake was wrapped around Norse letters. The one on the left indicated a Jackal-like creature with no ancient Norse influence.
“This is getting confusing,” I said.
“We better remember where we go,” Phoebe mused. “We could easily get lost.”
“Well, which way? There’s still the snakes or there’s…”
“Keep going to the snakes.” Phoebe nudged me. My insides were flipping sideways in anticipation. Something didn’t feel right.
I gripped my trusty little stick for reassurance. I tried to keep my cool like Phoebe, but I wasn’t succeeding nearly as well.
As we rounded yet another S-turn, I saw it. The black door reflected torchlight, standing eerie and tall against the steel bars. I could feel Phoebe tense beside me. I stepped forward first and gripped the knob in a sweaty palm. That was when I noticed the latch.
Something to keep whatever was inside from escaping. Pinching to slide it free, Phoebe whispered, “wait.”
I paused, listening to the quiet jungle around us.
Then she shouted, startling me away from the door. “Hey, is anyone in there?”
“Phoebe!” I scolded in a hiss and waved my hands at her frantically. “What part of freeze-tag and monster didn’t you get?”
As if on cue, a small voice in the distance called, “Phoebe, is that you?”
“Someone’s in there.” Phoebe budged in front of me.
“What if it’s a trick?” I hissed, a little miffed at being shouldered to the side.
Phoebe shrugged and lowered her voice to a mild whisper. “What if it isn’t? We can’t just walk away.”
She was right, but I still didn’t like where this was going.
I didn’t finish nodding before Phoebe slid the latch free.
Pushing the door inward, Phoebe stepped back as we stared at the jungle. Large trees were on either side of the door, thick vines weaving around them like anacondas. Overgrown fronds protruded between the bars but cleared a narrow path for us to follow.
Phoebe took the lead, but I was quick to catch up and walk beside her before she could leave me behind.
The voice in the distance cracked. “Phoebe?” It was a male’s voice but too muddled to tell whose. Something told me that it wouldn’t be Aidan, as much as I wanted it to be.
Phoebe and I stepped lightly through the blinding leaves, but neither of us replied.
I was glad that we weren’t running, because sometimes it felt like anything and everything jumped out at you when in a full-out sprint.
Since Phoebe was in the lead, I was going to offer her my stick, but she was too focused and waved my hand away. Her head was tilted down as she listened. The ground squished, and moisture soaked through my socks.
The sky was growing darker, like the sun was going down behind the clouds. If it became full dark, we wouldn’t be able to tell what was at our feet. In a Challenge called Snakes, I kind of wanted to see.
Phoebe halted and distracted me from my thoughts.
I glanced behind to find that the tiger had disappeared, or maybe she was waiting for us at the pathway.
In front of us was a small clearing of trees.
Phoebe hopped over a fallen log with the grace only long legs could provide. I, however, had to crawl over it. The bark had peeled off, leaving a smooth surface. The hop stretched the claw marks on my back, and I felt the flimsy new scab tear. I needed to watch myself; I couldn’t take too many injuries this early.
Phoebe panted and said softly, “He should be here.”
“Why?” I asked.
She glared as if I were wasting her time. Old Phoebe hadn’t always been this grumpy. I shrugged at her and raised my eyebrows in question. She shrugged in return as if to say she didn’t know why he should be here. Instincts were funny sometimes.
She turned her head and said in a level voice just above a whisper, “Where is he?”
“Are you two blind?!” said a desperate, hoarse voice that choked out.
Phoebe and I both jumped and looked to our left to see Cody Lewis.
His bleach blond hair stuck in all directions. His light brown eyes were wide, practically bulging, and his pale, freckled features were turning scarlet. Vines wrapped around him, constricting and trapping him to the tree. He held very still, his mouth opening and closing for air like a fish out of water.
“Hold on, Cody.” I held up my hands as if that could keep him calm and looked back and forth in a futile attempt to find something sturdy enough to pry him loose.
“We need something sharp,” Phoebe said. “What I wouldn’t give for a butcher’s knife right now.”
I nodded in agreement, but after a brief scouring of the tree line, I realized we were running out of options and Cody was running out of oxygen. I heard his struggled breath just in time to see the vines tightening, as if muscle twitched beneath the green flesh. The vines squeezed tighter with each breath he attempted.
Phoebe looked up the tree.
I followed her gaze to see the vine wrapped all the way up and disappearing in the leaves.
Phoebe moved first. She grabbed one of the vines that were as thick as my arm and tried to pull.
Dropping the stick, I rushed to her side and tried to help. We dug our fingernails into the green constrictor and pulled together. Green liquid coated my fingertips, like blood.
Pulling, we leaned back, grunting. I felt something loosen, but just a little.
“Hold it there,” I said, coming up with an idea. I let go of the vine, leaving Phoebe with the work.
“Fuller,” she warned through gritted teeth. The vine began to slide back into place. Phoebe’s face looked strained and red.
I looked for the stick I’d dropped, hoping to use it as leverage.
As I grabbed the stick, movement streaked out of the corner of my eye.
Shrieking, I jumped back in time to see at the large snake vibrating its tongue. The broad head bobbed between fronds as it took in my scent from the ground. The multi-colored dark brown and black patterns camouflaged the long, wide body.
“Fuller!” Phoebe whispered.
Having retrieved the stick, I adjusted my grip and decided to ignore the snake. Moving away, I was grateful not to feel a bite.
Focusing my efforts, I shoved the stick between the thick vines.
“What the hell?” Phoebe asked as I grabbed the stick and pulled back. Following my lead, Phoebe grabbed it, and we pulled. The stick bent but, miraculously, didn’t break.
The vines shifted reluctantly. I watched muscles beneath green skin quiver in resistance all the way up the tree, shuddering the leaves above us. We pulled it back just enough to hear Cody’s staggeringly deep breath.
Despite that plus, he wasn’t looking too good. His eyelids were drooping, his head was bobbing as if it was hard to keep upright, and his face was still red.
“We need something else…” I began when Phoebe screamed.
I jumped back in time to see a snake charge from under nearby fronds.
It didn’t strike, but it moved fast enough to let me know I was no match for its reflexes. The dark, thick snake stopped several feet from us, coiling and hissing. It separated us
from Cody, but the stick allowed him some room to breathe, though not for long.
“Fuller, get away. Get behind me.” Phoebe barely moved her lips. Her eyes never flickered to me as she held out a hand as if to keep me back.
I did as I was told. “We can’t just stop.” I glanced at Cody.
“That snake is poisonous,” Phoebe said stiffly. “It’s a cottonmouth.”
She didn’t have to explain much beyond that. I was aware of cottonmouth snakes. They weren’t in Leland itself, but there were always stories from outside town. Some of the older residents called them water moccasins.
Phoebe’s tenor continued through clenched teeth. “We have to back away, slowly.”
“But Cody…”
“Do it!” Phoebe demanded and pushed back against me.
I shifted with her, ducking beneath the suffocatingly thick leaves above our heads.
“Sorry, Cody,” Phoebe said just before ripping the stick free from the vines. They snapped back in place, and I heard a whoosh of breath.
“He can’t breathe.” My whisper shook with apprehension.
Phoebe raised the stick, her body poised and tensed.
I heard a crack beside us. To my horror, I was certain it was Cody. Was that his bones? I felt ill as I realized he couldn’t even shout in pain.
I reached out to grab Phoebe to pull her back, but it was too late.
The snake’s white mouth was a shocking contrast to its dark body as it shot forward.
I screamed and grabbed my friend to jerk her backwards.
She slammed into me, off balance. Crying out, we toppled to the ground, away from the serpent.
Landing in the soft moss, we gasped in a breath as the snake recoiled. The forked-tongue fluttered like a flag in a hurricane.
I heard a whimper, and it took several seconds to realize it was me. Phoebe was struggling to her feet. She grabbed the vines that trapped our friend to the tree as the snake struck again. Its long fangs pierced the vines, missing Phoebe by a millimeter.
I backed away on the ground, grabbing the leaves around me to help me stand. They were useless in my endeavor, and I forced myself to use my wobbly legs.
Midnight Ruling Page 16
