Dead Friends Series (Book 2): Dead Friends Running

by Carlisle, Natalie

  “We were supposed to be on our way home. See we kind of freaked out and drove out this way when we heard Buck was dead but then Buck was undead, and we realized exactly what we were getting into again, and we couldn’t get out of this town fast enough. Except on the way back I got lost and then we spotted that dog in the road.”

  “That’s where I kind of begged her to follow it.” Missy rounded the bumper of the Jeep. “I have a thing about helping animals, plus I have a feeling it was trying to lead us to that hiking couple we met. I think they are injured or stuck somewhere. We kept hearing a whistle.”

  He motioned for us to follow him to the front porch, as he jiggled his keys in his hand. “We heard it too. Just couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. Never thought to follow that dog though. Humph. Good thinking.”

  He paused in front of the first step. “Well except for following him, unarmed and without food for that condition you have.”

  “Oh she had food,” Missy quickly replied. “Kind of tossed her bag though--at a bear.”

  He peered over his shoulder at me, brows scrunched together. “Seriously?”

  I bit my lip, feeling awkward. “I hit him with it first.”

  “Now that is not something you hear every day.” He padded up the steps, pushing his key into the front lock. As the door swung open, he tossed me a large grin. “Hunting with you is going to be fun. Come on in.”

  “Uh…” Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. My arm reached out, stopping Missy. I mean, how much did we really know about this guy. “We’ll just wait out here.” I still didn’t have a clue what this guy was thinking, and why was he smiling at me like that?

  “Seriously?” He stood in the door way of his cabin. A faded welcome mat was on the porch. “I told you before I wasn’t going to kill you.”

  “Maybe that’s not what’s concerning me.”

  “Why else would…” he suddenly laughed. “I’m not going to throw myself on you girls. Sure, you are both hot as hell, but Jason would murder me.”

  That wasn’t enough to convince me. “We’ll just wait out here.”

  Lew rolled his eyes. “Suit yourself. I’ll just be a moment.” He left the door wide open for us anyway.

  “Paranoid much?” Missy was kicking at the ground with the front of her shoe, looking restless.

  I shrugged, my eyes still watching the open doorway cautiously. “I just don’t know what to make of him. I keep getting mixed vibes.”

  “How so? He seems okay enough. Plus, he’s Jason’s friend. And he’s right, your boyfriend would kill him if he tried anything. Hallmark is super protective of you.”

  “He’s just too comfortable touching me. He has no hesitation or second thoughts about lifting me up, leaning over me, grasping my arm. And that smile just now and how he laughed, it makes me nervous. So I thought we should just stay out here.”

  “Hey, I’m cool with whatever. You want to stay out here in this god awful heat, I’ll stick with you. I just don’t personally think he’s going to try anything.”

  It was pretty damn hot out. Humid. That kind of humidity that made the air feel thick and heavy, and hard to inhale. It was worse than yesterday.

  “Well he said he’d just be a moment.”

  I pulled my shirt slightly off my stomach. The fabric was already sticking to my skin. We had to be standing out here at least ten minutes already. The noon sun was blasting over us. There was no tree cover, and the only reprieve from the direct sunlight seemed to be the overhang of the front porch.

  “Can we at least wait on the porch?” Missy sounded hopeful. Her face was already flushed, and she was tying her long blonde hair even higher up into a messy knot. A few beads of sweat were dripping down her hair line.

  “Maybe this is his plan. You know, make us wait out here until we can’t take the heat anymore and we come inside. That’s why he left the door open.”

  “Or maybe he left the door open, because he’s being hospitable and allowing us to come in when we are comfortable enough.” She shook her head and started to step forward. By reflex, I stopped her again. She peered down at my hand around her forearm, bemused. “If we could stay an entire night inside Buck and Kyle’s trailer when they were drunk, I think not going into Lew’s cabin now while he’s sober is a bit ridiculous. I also think it’s a bit rude. But I’m absolutely positive we’ll be just fine if we continue this wait outside on his front porch instead.”

  “But last time we had Jason and Duke with us,” I countered.

  She pushed my hand off her. “Ohmigod, I’m waiting on the porch. Feel free to stand out here and fry, but I don’t like being roasted.” She started up the steps, only to pause seconds later. She glanced over her shoulder at me in disbelief. “Seriously, I’m just going on the porch, Dee. It’s just a porch. I’m still technically outside. So cool it on that paranoia thing alright.”

  She was right. What was the matter with me? So far this guy has been nothing but generous. I cringed, maybe that was what was bothering me. I didn’t want to be indebted to a man I didn’t know. One that was a bit to touchy-feely for me.

  “You’re still out there, right?” Lew yelled just then from somewhere inside the cabin. My gaze followed his voice but I couldn’t see past the narrow hallway.

  “Yeah,” Missy hollered. She was leaning against the porch railing.

  “Okay, just checking. Sorry, I’m trying to find something.”

  “Well try a little harder.” Missy tapped her fingers on the wood beam, leaning forward closer to the doorway. “Wasting valuable time here.”

  “Yeah and don’t forget about Nathan!” I shouted, my foot braced against the first step of the porch, but I didn’t climb any higher. That was the other thing that really set me on edge. One moment he was all impatient to get back to his friend and the next it was like it didn’t really matter to him if he got there or not.

  We might not have got there in time, but we wouldn’t have been this late.

  Maybe he just really trusted Nathan could handle himself out there, after all he said the guy did spend a lot of time in the woods and combat.

  Or, maybe Lew was just not a good friend, and couldn’t be trusted.

  He suddenly appeared in the doorway and I started. Relax he can’t read your mind.

  He took one look at Missy, then at me and started to laugh. “So I am going to need like another five minutes. I know it’s around here somewhere.” He appeared thoughtful. “Can I get you guys anything, drink, food, a gun?”

  His eyes gave me a once over. “Actually, one sec.” He disappeared down the hall before we could even answer. I am assuming he was just trying to be funny, though I’m not sure I enjoyed my paranoia being made fun of.

  He appeared again, moments later, with something in his hand. “Here, give this to her please.” He tossed something at Missy. Surprised, Missy missed the throw, dropping the white bag through her fumbling fingers.

  “Corn?” She said, bending down to pick the bag up.

  “For her hand,” he exclaimed, looking toward me again. “Sorry I don’t have ice.”

  “Oh.” Alright, well, that was actually nice of him.

  He started to slip back inside, pausing. “So what was your answer? Did you need anything?”

  I considered that.

  Yeah, a shower, my boyfriend, a pain pill for this damn throbbing fist, and a cure for my best friend Spencer. Oh, and the keys to my car so I could go home and get a good night’s sleep would be great too.

  Missy was reaching down the steps holding the frozen corn out to me. I padded up two steps to take it. “I’m good, unless she needs something.” No use getting into what I want. I placed the cold vegetables over my knuckles, grateful for the chill. “Thank you,” I mumbled, because well, I’m not a jerk. And this was really thoughtful of him.

  He gave a short nod, shifting his eyes to Missy.

  “A phone charger would be great.” She was pulling her phone out of her pocket, looking dow
n at it with disappointment. She was holding the button but it wasn’t turning on.

  “Oh, well, I don’t have a cell but I can offer you my landline if you’d like.”

  “No,” she sighed. “It’s alright.” She stopped trying to get it to work, and shoved it back into her pocket. Guess the battery died after all. That wasn’t very reassuring. “I just thought maybe I’d check if I had any missed calls.”

  Missed calls. Of course.

  My voicemails.

  “Uh, actually could I use that phone?” I asked, just as he was stepping away.

  If I had a working phone, I could call my cell phone number and press the star key and listen to my cell phone messages finally. Of course a big part of me didn’t want to hear those messages from my parents, but I’d deal with it just to see if Jason was on there. I had called him after all.

  He pivoted his feet so he was facing us again. “I don’t have a cordless, Dee. You’d have to come in to use it.” His hand reached out to touch the opened door. There was that smirk again. And just like that my hopefulness was squashed, deflated, and gone.

  “Never mind. Thanks anyway.”

  Lew’s smirked disappeared and a flash of annoyance flickered across his face. “You got to be kidding me,” he grumbled through tight lips. “Be right back.”

  Sorry, buddy, I’m just not going inside. I kicked at the edge of the step in front of me, still holding the frozen corn to my skin. My hand was numb.

  Both hands pretty much.

  Maybe I was being impossible. Maybe I was being smart.

  Either way I was staying out here.

  There was clattering around inside that seemed a bit excessive, and for one split second I saw him storm by the doorway. Then he was gone again.

  “Why did you want the phone anyway,” Missy asked, glancing at me. “Who were you trying to call?”

  “No one. I just figured I’d finally listen to those messages from yesterday.”

  “You can do that from another phone?” She seemed intrigued. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Cool.”

  “I guess, but doesn’t matter because I’m not going to be doing it now.”

  “Well technically you could still—”

  Suddenly the front window at the end of the porch opened, and Lew popped his head out of it, knocking his hat half off. He quickly adjusted it.

  “Hey. Here.” He reached his arm out of the fully opened window, holding a corded phone. He still seemed a bit aggravated, but he was actually holding the phone out the window. I couldn’t believe it. “It’s the best solution I can come up with.” He wiggled the phone.

  I didn’t move.

  “Come on, Dee, I’m trying here.”

  Cautiously, I climbed a step. “How will I use it if the base is inside though?”

  “Easy. All the buttons are on the inside of this one.” He turned the phone to show me. “Just holler when you are done with it.”

  Okay. That seemed fair.

  I started to relax some and made my way up the rest of the front steps. Again this guy surprised me by doing another thoughtful gesture. He didn’t have to go to such extremes as holding his corded phone out of his window.

  It was actually really nice and kind of ridiculous.

  I passed Missy and headed to the window at the end of the porch. She followed behind me like a curious puppy.

  Lew was still leaning out the window, his head cocked toward us, his light blue eyes focused on me.

  When I actually took the phone from him and thanked him, the harsh lines around his baby blues smoothed, and he smiled again. And this time it wasn’t in a sardonic, creepy or mocking way. It was just a genuine friendly smile.

  I may have actually smiled back.

  “Remember just yell when you’re done,” he said, backing out of the windowsill.

  I glanced into the room by reflex and wished I hadn’t. It was his bedroom. Or a bedroom.

  I turned away quickly, carefully balancing the corn on my left hand while I turned. Staring into that room made me feel uncomfortable again.

  I leaned up against the side of the house, right next to the window, the tangled cord slung across my body and my broken hand resting on the window sill with thawing vegetables on it while I started to dial my phone number.

  Missy snuggled up against my shoulder. “I want to try and hear too.”

  So as my cell rang into the receiver, I pulled the cord tighter so that the phone was positioned even closer to her ear.

  Once the voice message came on, I hit the star key, punched in my passcode and waited for the messages to play.

  “Young lady…” Ugh. Dad. “You and I are going to have a very serious talk when you get home. You have clearly disobeyed us once again. After everything you have put your mother through, I would have expected more from you. Your mother has yet to see this juvenile note you’ve left on the counter. Do not make me have to explain to her that you deliberately disregarded our rules and lied to us again. I expect a phone call from you as soon as you get this voicemail and don’t think for a moment you are actually staying anywhere but home tonight. Need I remind you that you are still grounded and if you are not here by dinner time, you can kiss your privileges even visiting Spencer goodbye. No exceptions.”

  The message ended abruptly.

  “Shit,” Missy mumbled. “Dad’s pissed.”

  Wasn’t that the truth? And to think I didn’t make it home last night or call him back. I might as well just find a new place to live now. It was probably safer there. For all I know, maybe even my college tuition money would be gone too.

  Hey, you did this to yourself, I mentally pointed out. Yes. Yes I did.

  Second message. “Hey, it’s me.” Spencer. His breath was winded and hesitant, as if he was really struggling to speak. “You guys didn’t come back after lunch today. I get I’m not much fun to be around these days, but I guess I was just used to you two here.” And my heart started to sink to my stomach. I could hear all the hospital machines beeping and playing in the background. “Missy mentioned your blood sugar was off. I just wanted to check on you. I hope you are okay. You seemed pretty upset though after you talked to Jason. Did something happen? Do I need to kick his butt?” He laughed, and it quickly turned into coughing. It took about fifteen seconds to stop. “Maybe the butt kicking will have to wait until I feel a bit better.” He sounded defeated, instantly discouraged. “I’m gonna go. Nurse is coming in. Stop by when you are up for it. See ya, Dee.”

  “Ugh,” I sighed, feeling like an awful friend. “He sounds horrible.” I placed my head against the wooden siding.

  “He sounds sad.” Missy fidgeted next to me, picking at her nails again.

  We waited for message three to begin. It was full of static right off the bat. “Dee..Dee..” Even through interrupted words, I knew it was Jason. He sounded like he was walking. His words were really breathy and I could hear the background of wind and voices. Guy voices. “Where are you? What… happened? I keep trying to call you back, but it’s going straight to voicemail. I couldn’t really hear your message. Did you…” All of a sudden one of the guys in the background started shouting. It wasn’t audible, but it was intense and loud enough to know it was important. Then there was a loud, thunderous echo rocking through the phone. A gun shot. “Shit. I gotta—” He never finished. Silence immediately followed.

  The call had ended.

  “Ohmigod.” I shifted forward off the house nervously, and the frozen corn plummeted off my hand to the wooden planks under my feet. I paid no mind to it, just dropped my arm to my side, biting my lip, my heart quickening beneath my sweat-ridden shirt. Was he ok? Did someone get hurt? Did he get hurt? Damn it, what happened?

  The fourth message started. My brain was still filling with unanswered questions. I was truly hoping the call was from Jason again. It wasn’t. It was Spencer. “Okay seriously, where are you guys? Something is up isn’t it? What did Jason tell yo
u? It’s about this, about me, isn’t it? That’s why you freaked out?” His voice hitched up with worry. “I keep asking your parents where you’re at, but they aren’t answering me. I don’t even think they know. So damn it guys, tell me. What is it?” He was getting extremely upset. His voice was actually cracking, choking up. We could clearly hear a machine alarm going off. “Crap. Here comes everyone again. Please call me. I deserve to know.” Click.

  Fifth message. “Dee Forrester, where are you?” Mom.

  Sixth message. Damn I had a lot of missed calls. “I’m telling your mother.” Dad.

  I gulped, dreading the next call. Seventh. “Dee, I can’t, I can’t believe you would do something like this again. Forget about the fact you are grounded. But whatever could be more important than Spencer? He’s been asking about you all day. He’s not looking so good. I can’t believe you and Melissa would run off somewhere to hangout while he’s…” My mom paused, sighing. “While he’s so sick.” It was almost as if she had wanted to say something else but changed her mind. Dying. She probably was going to say dying. I gulped a knot forming in my throat, still listening. “I’m so disappointed in you,” she continued. “So very, very disappointed. I hope it was worth it whatever it is you girls are doing and that you don’t come to regret this decision for the rest of your life.” She disconnected. I knew instantly the regret she was referring to was about Spencer. It only confirmed she did mean about him dying. Was she really scared that he wouldn’t make it through the night? Had he progressed that terribly in less than twenty-four hours? Or was she just saying that, knowing there was the possibility that it could happen and she wouldn’t want my dumb decision to go hang somewhere to weigh on me forever.

  “Wow…” Missy commented next me. “I never heard Mom so…” She struggled for words.

  “Yeah…” I mumbled back. “I know.”

  My dad was pissed and my mother was disappointed in me. The disappointment concerned me more. Anger could fade but disappointment hit the heart strings, which had a more permanent affect.

  And truth be told, I was disappointed in me too. In all my decisions. Dad was right. I expected more from me too.