I narrowed my eyes. “I bet my mother had something to do with it. She always tries to make it difficult for me to hang out with friends. Even you. It’s annoying.”
“It’s like she thinks I’m bad for you or something,” Kaitlin said. “I always get the feeling she doesn’t like me.”
“And that’s so stupid,” I blurted. “You’re my best friend. Doesn’t she know she’s only pushing me closer to you when she acts like that?” I shook my head. “She thinks all her rules and restrictions will make me want to stay home and like, read the bible or something.”
Kaitlin chuckled. “Did Braden open it yet?”
I checked my messages.
“Shit! Yes!” I scanned his response. “He said yes with a bunch of Ss. And asked when.”
“Tell him today,” Kaitlin urged.
She was just as eager as I was to explore the details of the night of the accident. I didn’t understand why, but it was all either of us could think about now.
After I typed back, his reply came quickly.
“He said okay,” I told Kaitlin. “And then he asked if we were sure.”
Hesitating, I watched her through my phone. She paused as well, then said, “I’m sure.”
I wondered why he had asked that. It was almost like a warning. Like maybe it was a bad idea.
Shrugging off the odd feeling, I responded, “Yeah, I’m sure, too,” to Kaitlin.
I stalked Kaitlin on my phone, watching her cruising along my Snap map in a little red car. She’d be here any minute. Minus the cute little red car. Instead, she’d be a passenger in her mom’s SUV since we weren’t allowed to drive yet. They said our response time might be delayed or we’d be easily distracted while our brains healed. It was over-kill, but her parents and my mom played by the book so there was no getting around that one.
It had been five days since the accident, and I was more than ready to get on with my summer. It was the first vacation in years I didn’t have the pressure of constant soccer practices or boring reading assignments that nagged the entire time. I was free. Until September, of course, when I’d head off to college.
But I didn’t want to think about that right now. It made my head hurt. Instead, I would do as my doctor ordered—rest and relax…with a little added adventure. I looked at my phone. We still had an hour before Braden and Nick would be here, and I bounced on the edge of my bed. The slamming of a door jolted my eyes to the window, and footsteps thumped across the wooden planks of my porch.
“My mom nearly didn’t let me come,” Kaitlin announced as she burst into the house. “She thinks ‘rest’ means full isolation and removal from society.” She stumbled toward the couch with her hair strewn in every direction.
Her disheveled condition and high anxiety were typical, though, so I was relieved to see her acting like herself. It wasn’t uncommon for her to fly into my house with bags of supplies to build a project due the next morning or to send panicked pics at eight in the morning, having just woken up, right when school was already starting. She was an emotional wreck most of the time, but I loved her that way.
“My mom’s the same,” I said. “I bet they talked and planned out how they would quarantine us. But screw that.” I grabbed my phone, then updated my settings. “Ghost-mode.”
Grinning, Kaitlin did the same. Now they couldn’t track us.
A shudder ran through me, and my entire body twitched. The relief of not being confined quaked out of me, and I shook the final remnants out through my fingertips.
“God, I hate how controlling they are,” I said. “Let’s just do whatever this summer. I’m done reporting every move to my warden.”
“Exactly.” Kaitlin ran her hands through her hair to fix it. “I feel the same way. Time to break free!”
I smiled as this new feeling of rebellion coursed through me. It was a good feeling, like I’d suddenly grown up or was somehow wiser. Kaitlin’s eyes held the same knowledge. It was an enlightenment.
“What happened to us?” I whispered. “It’s like the accident finally knocked some sense into us.”
Kaitlin’s hand went to her mouth, and she bit her thumbnail. “I don’t know. But I’ve honestly never been clearer in my head than I am now. It’s like we were brainwashed minions all this time. And now we’re just…us.”
“I hope it stays this way,” I said. “Like, I hope once we’re all better, we don’t go back to normal. I don’t want this feeling to go away.”
“Let’s just make sure it doesn’t then,” Kaitlin said. “We need to keep reminding each other of this moment. And to keep moving forward with it.”
“Deal.” An ache pounded behind my left eye, and I squinted. “They’re gonna be here soon.” I peeked out the window.
“Shit,” Kaitlin burst out. “I look like shit.” She ran to my room, then dropped into my vanity chair. Leaning into the mirror, she poked at her cheeks and her eyes. “I’m a mess.”
“You’re gorgeous, Kaitlin,” I said. Her natural features made up for any lack of sleep or brain trauma. Besides, she had a perfect complexion and had always worn little or no makeup.
“Whatever,” she mumbled. “It’s a lost cause next to you, anyway. How do you always look so good?” She pushed at her bottom lip as she continued to stare into the mirror. “Your eyelashes and those blue eyes… it’s just unfair. Braden’s not the only one who follows you around like a lost puppy.”
“That’s so untrue,” I said, glancing at my phone. “I’ve never even had a real boyfriend.”
“Okay, whatever.” Kaitlin rolled her eyes, and our phones vibrated at the same time. “They’re here!”
She jumped off the chair, nearly knocking it to the ground, and ran down the hall in a frenzy. I followed her, wondering why I felt so unusually calm. My heart hadn’t changed pace in the least, while her actions seemed to say hers had quadrupled its rate.
We stepped onto the porch, and I turned to lock the door. My mother wouldn’t be home from work for hours, and the freedom that lay ahead of me was exhilarating.
“I feel free,” I said.
A smile moved across Kaitlin’s face. “Yeah. Me too.”
I stared down the walkway at Braden’s idling car, a knot forming in my stomach. “But why does it feel strange to go with them?” I stood frozen in my spot.
Kaitlin glanced at the car and then back to me. “It doesn’t,” she said, reaching for my arm. “Come on!”
She pulled me off the porch and we bounced down the walkway, each step twisting my gut a little more.
It was like entering unfamiliar territory. I had no idea why. I’d been in Braden’s car a million times.
But something was different today. Like we were embarking on a new quest.
And it felt unnerving.
The guys turned around and stared at us in the backseat like they were looking at the walking dead. It was as if they were checking to see if we were any different. And somehow, we were.
“I thought you’d be more banged up,” Braden said.
“Yeah, like with big bandages wrapped around your heads like turbans or something,” Nick added.
Braden punched him in the arm, then looked at me.
“No, seriously, are you okay?” he asked, searching my eyes.
I nodded. “Yeah, surprisingly. I think I’m okay. Kaitlin, too.” I glanced to her for assurance.
“Yeah,” Kaitlin said. “But maybe it’s the calm before the storm,” she mumbled.
“What does that mean?” Braden asked
Kaitlin shrugged. “I don’t know. They say it could get worse before it gets better.”
She glanced at me worriedly. Like she had no idea what to expect.
“We’re fine,” I added in a curt tone. I had no time for Kaitlin’s anxiety at the moment. Particularly if it had anything to do with me not healing right. I didn’t need to add that to my list of worries.
“Looks like you got punched in the eye,” Nick said, gesturing at Kaitlin.
Reaching
up, she rubbed the yellowing bruise under her eye. “Thanks.”
Braden put the car in drive and pulled out, causing Nick to face forward as well.
I glanced at Kaitlin with pursed lips. Nick was a dick, and she knew what I thought about him.
Kaitlin lifted her shoulders, batting her lashes at me. She knew he was a dick, too. But she also thought he was hot, and his hotness trumped all in her mind.
“Do you know where my car is?” I asked Braden.
“Yeah. I’ve driven by it a million times,” he said. “It’s at Central Garage. I wish they’d get rid of it.”
I knew the lot he meant. Some of their cars there were mangled, while others were only fender benders.
“Is it bad?” I asked.
“No, not really,” he said. “But the airbags went off, so it’s probably a total loss.”
I pushed my bottom lip out. There went my travel freedom. It was Mom’s hand-me-down when she downsized to a small two-door. But now it would be near impossible to get a replacement.
“Well, I just need to see it,” I added. “Like a kind of farewell, I guess.”
Braden turned onto Central Street. The familiar green road sign pointed east for Boston and west for Worcester. We were trapped somewhere in between—west suburban abyss.
“It looks like they’ve moved it to the back,” he said. “It was in the front row for days, taunting me.” He pulled into the lot. “There it is.” He rolled through the lines of cars, some crashed, others with ‘for sale’ signs on them.
My stomach twisted into a knot, and I pressed my hand to it. I lifted my gaze to Kaitlin, catching her doing the exact same thing.
Braden stopped the car. “That’s it.”
I held Kaitlin’s eyes, refusing to look out at my car. She struggled to hold my gaze, like she didn’t want to see it either.
“We have to, Kaitlin,” I said. “Come on.” I reached for my door handle and pulled on it.
We climbed out of the car, keeping our eyes down, and waited for the guys. Nick hopped out, fidgeting as Braden came around to us.
“So, you gonna look at it?” Nick asked.
“Give them a second, asshole,” Braden interjected. “This is serious.”
I huffed, appreciating Braden’s support while confirming my original judgment of Nick’s character. I seriously didn’t know what Kaitlin saw in him. And I wasn’t even sure why Braden hung out with him.
“Ready?” I asked Kaitlin.
“Yup.”
I turned toward the car, then took a step forward. As I raised my gaze to it, the image of the vehicle flooded all my senses, erupting a surge of emotion. Like a flashing slideshow, a series of pictures blasted through my mind. Driving and laughing with Kaitlin. Bright lights and a blaring horn. Crashing metal and exploding airbags. Numbers. An array of repeating numbers. A license plate, maybe? A road sign? 235236. I shook my head to clear the haunting images.
“Are you okay?” Braden’s voice echoed in the back of my mind.
I turned to Kaitlin as if in slow motion, seeing her face frozen in a silent scream. She reached for her head, ducking it down as she hunched over.
“Kaitlin,” I shouted. “What’s wrong!” She crunched down as if straining against the memories of the accident. I reached for her. “It’s okay, Kaitlin. I feel it, too It’s overwhelming.”
She mumbled incoherently as she squeezed her head harder.
I looked at the car. The front end was crushed. I’d been told the driver of the other car fell asleep and went through a stop sign. He had no idea of the damage he had truly caused us. Traumatic brain injury. And psychological trauma. PTSD—they’d warned us of its sinister effect.
I turned to Braden. His nervous eyes studied me as if he questioned his decision to bring us here. Leaning into Kaitlin, I held her trembling shoulders. Her mumbles grew louder, and I strained to hear.
“235236,” she whispered, over and over.
Chapter 3
The repeating numbers fell from her mouth, mixing with the ones in my own head, like a spell or a chant. I was sure she would conjure a demon if she didn’t stop the incessant rant. But the worst part was they were the same numbers that had flashed through my mind. We’d seen the same thing. And now, with the help of the torturous flashbacks of PTSD, they repeated through our minds, over and over.
“It’s okay, Kaitlin,” I tried to soothe her. “I saw the same numbers. I’ve no clue what they are.” I glanced up at Braden, watching him shift his weight from one foot to the other. “Let’s get out of here.”
Within seconds, we were back in his car bombing down Central. Kaitlin rocked in her seat while I fought vile cramps in my stomach.
“Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea,” Braden said, studying me in the rearview mirror.
I shook my head at him. “No. It’s okay. We had to do it.”
I glanced at Kaitlin again. It was clear she hadn’t been ready for it, though. Her mind had blown more than mine, and the pieces were still scattered all over the place.
Taking a deep breath, I put my window down. “Let’s just drive. Like, through those country roads down 27. By the orchards.”
Kaitlin perked up as if her head had suddenly cleared. Inhaling deeply, she sat taller.
“Yeah. Let’s try to find that lost cemetery again,” she mumbled. “Anything to change the subject, basically.”
She had shifted back to our urban-explorer’s mindset. That was a good sign, like she was returning to herself again.
We’d searched that area before, looking for an old, forgotten cemetery. Kaitlin and I loved hunting for mysteries that held secrets just out of our reach. We always kept an eye out for anything supernatural or haunted. Old cemeteries were the best.
“You guys are so weird,” Nick snarled. “Cemeteries are lame. They’re just full of dead people.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “They’re actually peaceful. And full of stories and history.” I tried to articulate why I loved old graveyards so much. They fascinated me, holding secrets of the past in their silent realm.
“People say they hear screaming at night, coming from the area,” Braden added in a sinister tone. “It has a violent history, they say. Like, psycho-killers are buried there.”
“Shit,” Nick said. “Now it’s sounding interesting.”
Braden swerved along the winding roads, and we moved farther from our highly populated residential area to the more woodsy roads of Sherborn and Medfield. We referred to the back roads of those towns as ‘out the country’.
“There’s the water tower,” Kaitlin pointed.
Over the treetops, the bulbous blue tank of the area’s water supply hovered on long legs above the tree line, like an alien robot coming to annihilate us.
“That thing’s so creepy,” I said. “How does it even work?” I shuddered from the sight of it. It was the same feeling I got when I would swim near a buoy and my foot touched the chain that secured it to the bottom of the dark depths. Full-on heebie-jeebies.
“The cemetery’s supposed to be somewhere near the water tower,” Kaitlin said to Braden. “Just follow the road in that direction.”
I smirked at Kaitlin. It was weird how much we enjoyed this kind of adventure, but it was exactly what we needed at the moment. A full distraction from the accident as well as the weirdness we felt in our heads. And the numbers. The repeating numbers. I couldn’t clear them from my mind, and they picked at my brain like a curious probe.
Braden turned down a narrow lane that seemed to move in the direction of the tower. The tree cover blocked our view, so we relied on our sense of direction at that point.
“Is this someone’s driveway?” Nick asked. “Wouldn’t want to shovel this shit in the winter.”
The road narrowed, and Braden slowed the car. “Look at that…” He pointed to the sides. “It’s like an old gateway of some sort.”
Pushing to the edge of my seat, I leaned out the window. On my side of the road was a st
one structure covered in ivy and moss. Directly across from it was an identical structure, like they were connected at one time. Rusted nubs protruded from the sides, and I figured metal gates used to be there to block entry.
“Do you think this could be it?” Braden asked. His voice stuck in his throat with each passing syllable.
“I’m not sure.” I shimmied to the center of the backseat, gazing out the windshield. “I don’t remember hearing that it was so isolated. Like so deep in the woods.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Kaitlin agreed. “This seems more like a private drive to an estate or something.”
“Should we go back?” Braden asked.
“Hell no,” Nick interjected. “It’s just starting to get interesting.
A shiver ran through me, sending warning to my gut. Kaitlin’s wide eyes proved she’d felt the same jitters.
Bending closer to her, I whispered, “Have we been here before?”
She gasped, body tense. “I was just wondering the same thing.”
We had been warned that unusual flashbacks would be a part of our brain recovery, but this eerie, familiar feeling was more like deja vu. And nausea. Combined.
“What? Do you recognize this place or something?” Braden asked.
I stared at Kaitlin, waiting for the answer that already nagged at the back of my brain.
“No, I don’t think so,” I said. “It’s just…it’s like it’s from a movie we saw or something. Sort of familiar.”
“And there’s a feeling,” Kaitlin added with a quake in her shoulders.
“Let’s hope it wasn’t a horror movie,” Nick joked. “Particularly the kind with chainsaws and shit.”
I huffed and then asked Braden, “Should we walk a bit? You could pull over on the grass there.” I pointed ahead, just past one of the stone structures.
“Yeah, sure,” he replied. “I don’t think the car would make it much farther anyway. The road gets pretty narrow up ahead, it looks overgrown.”
We climbed out of the car after Braden parked it, then began walking along the dirt passage. Two lone tire marks cut up along the lane, proving the road got little use.
The Shuttered Ward Page 2
