Jane swallowed hard as Oona continued to bark in the distance-the kind of bark that held a warning: Stay back.
That now all-too-familiar guttural purr sounded from the shadows. But this time it was different. This time it sounded like there were dozens of them, as though they had gathered up the troops for a final a.s.sault.
Both she and Ryan exchanged a terrified look. Her heart pounded so hard against her ribs it nearly rocked her where she stood. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him she loved him, to tell him that they"d be okay-they had to be. They hadn"t dealt with so much and come this far just to die. But before she could find the words, one of those emaciated creatures launched itself out of a tree and onto the highway. Jane gripped Ryan"s arm as the thing bared its grisly teeth at Oona.
"Oh my G.o.d," Jane whispered, and then she turned around and ran back to their basket of supplies.
It was beautiful, the way the sun danced through the clouds, catching the bright blue of the sky before glinting off the snow. It was as if G.o.d were performing a light show-a silent sound track to the last moments of Ryan"s life. This was why he loved winter, the mountains. This very view was why he had fallen in love with the slopes.
Looking over his shoulder, he watched Jane run back toward the unplowed road that had brought them here, the sun shining bright against the snow. He wished that she would keep running, that she"d forget him and save herself somehow-though how, he wouldn"t have been able to say.
He took a few forward steps, his hands tightening against the ax handle. He was too far away to make it to Oona before that h.e.l.lion decided on a course of action. So rather than crossing the distance himself, he"d have that predator come to him. Ryan puckered his chapped lips and gave a shrill whistle. Oona reflexively turned, bolting away from the creature and toward her owner. The demon squatted low, its muscles coiling beneath its waxy skin, and fell into a four-limbed run. Jane screamed as Oona bounded past her owner, breaching the chill of the shadows that had swallowed Ryan and most of the road. He reeled around, expecting to see his sister being torn apart, but she simply stood in the sunshine, a sharpened pool cue in her hands, her tears shining like diamonds upon her cheeks.
Ryan looked back to the beast that had its sights on his dog, but the once rampaging creature was now standing at a dead stop just a few yards away. It toed the line between the sunlight and the shade, its nostrils flaring as it tried to breach the perimeter, only to emit a pained hiss, shaking its head as though it had been stung. It was their eyes; whether Ryan had been right and those creatures had come out of a cave, or whether they were simply so used to the shade that was forever present among the trees, they couldn"t handle the intensity of the sun.
He turned to look at his sister. She was seeing it too. For a moment he wanted to laugh, wanted to fall to his knees and kiss the sunlit ground. But that promise of salvation was short-lived. The shadows were growing longer by the minute. Eventually the sun would set, and they"d be left out there with nothing. No light. No fire. Just the dreaded antic.i.p.ation of the inevitable.
Ryan tightened his grip on the hatchet, trying to formulate a plan. He pivoted on the soles of his boots and ran back to his sister, his breath puffing ahead of him.
"We"re going to be okay," he told her. She shook her head at him as if stunned by his statement, her expression asking him how? How could they possibly be okay? They were boxed in, shadow on either side of them. Their little patch of sunlight was dwindling fast and that wet rumble was getting louder, more incessant, hungrier by the minute. It was over. They were both dead.
"Janey, I need your help," he told her, grabbing a couple of pool cues from their supply basket. "We"re going to go over there." He motioned to the thing still trying to brave the glare of the sun.
"And do what?"
Ryan weighed the heft of the ax in his hand. "What do you think?" he asked her. "We"re going to kill it."
Jane stared at Ryan with wide eyes, his image rippling through her tears. He turned away from her before she began to cry, and she followed him toward the edge of sun and shade, trembling beneath her layers of clothes. He handed her the ax when they were only a few yards from the sneering, slavering h.e.l.lion, readjusted his grip on the makeshift spear in his hand, and got a running start as he bolted toward the monster.
Jane wanted to look away, numb with panic, the wind biting at the tracks of her tears, but she knew she couldn"t. She was going to have to move soon, regardless of her fear.
Ryan impaled the thing, and before the creature had the chance to scramble backward, he switched directions and pushed the pool cue to the side, forcing it into the sunlight. The screech was deafening as Jane lunged at it. It didn"t see her coming, too stunned by the attack, blinded by the sun. She brought the ax blade down against its back, its fetid blood splashing across her face and coat. She tried to pull the hatchet free, but the thing was flailing so frantically she let the handle go with a yelp and backed away.
Ryan wasn"t so careful.
He stepped up to it and jerked the pool cue out of its gut, the creature"s blood spraying out onto the road in a fan of gore. After a few seconds of thrashing, it fell to the ground, the ax still firmly embedded in its flesh. Ryan stepped around the thing so that he was standing directly over its head; he angled the cue downward. His face twisted with vengeance as he sprang up and stabbed the creature through its eye, the pool cue clacking against the asphalt, piercing the thing clean through its skull.
Jane stared at him, speechless as Ryan pressed his boot against the monster"s head and pulled the spear free. Rolling it over with a groan, he retrieved the ax from its back and handed the b.l.o.o.d.y thing back to her. Reluctantly, she took it, blinking at her silent sibling, unsure exactly what he expected her to do with that weapon, until she looked up from the carca.s.s between them and to the shade it had come from.
There, on the road, were three of the thing"s brothers, their teeth clacking together, their arms gangly and thin, all of them ready for their turn at the prey.
Ryan shot a look at his sister, wordlessly asking her if she was ready. Jane pulled in a breath and nodded. Ryan started to run again, aiming himself at the monster closest to the edge of sunlight.
He stabbed it, swung it around, and Jane embedded the ax in its spine. But this one took a different trajectory after Ryan pulled the spear out of its gut. Rather than falling to the ground next to its dead kin, it stumbled back into the shade. Jane gasped when she realized where it was going, bolting after it with her arms outstretched. But it was too late. The creature crumpled to the ground and seized before going still, well within the boundary of shadow, the ax still in its back.
There were seven of them now. The others had come out after Ryan had managed to take down one more of those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds with the pool cue alone, stabbing it repeatedly after it had fallen to the ground, stabbing it so violently that the cue snapped in half, leaving Ryan weaponless. He sat with his sister in their dwindling slice of sunlight, their weapons down to a single spear. Ryan was convinced they knew-the sun would be gone in less than an hour, leaving their prey defenseless. They were waiting. And it wouldn"t take long.
Jane had checked out, trembling beside him as she stared at the ground. He supposed it was for the better. There was no way out of this. He only hoped that she could forgive him before it was over. He only hoped she knew that he loved her, that he had loved Sawyer, that he had wanted a chance to love Lauren, that if he had known, he would have sacrificed everything-Switzerland, his company, his life-to take back the last four days.
With less than thirty feet of sun, Ryan exhaled a slow breath and touched his sister"s hand. He knew it was over. They had maybe an hour left, maybe less. There was no way he could fight those things by himself, but that also meant that he couldn"t protect Jane from them either. But he couldn"t just sit there, couldn"t allow them to inch closer until they were on top of him, tearing out his throat. He owed Lauren more than that. She had jumped in front of one of those creatures to protect him and had died because of it. The least he could do was do the same for his sister, his other half, the one girl who had stood beside him through thick and thin. Maybe if they had him they"d retreat-let her live.
"Janey," he said, but she didn"t respond. She shivered, her teeth chattering behind her wind-chapped lips. "Jane," he whispered. "I"m going to go, okay?"
Whether she understood or not, she didn"t say a word. Ryan squeezed his eyes shut, swallowed against the lump in his throat, and pressed a gloved hand to his face. He couldn"t let it end this way, not without a final fight. He owed it to her, owed it to everyone. This trip had been his idea, his demand. He had wanted them back together for one last time, a farewell to Colorado, if only for the memories. Pressing a kiss to Jane"s forehead, he held her close for a moment before backing away. He turned to the supply basket, slowly lifted the pot with the last remaining pint of blood, and shook his head. He knew it was pointless, but it would make him feel better-and so he tipped it over his sister"s head, pouring the last of it onto her hat and the shoulders of her jacket. And then he took the final pool cue and turned away from her, staring ahead at the creatures who waited.
The landscape blurred around him as he cursed himself for what he"d done. He would have bled himself dry for his father"s pistol, would have sold his soul to the devil for two rounds, for the smell of gun powder and the taste of metal in his mouth. He closed his eyes, the backs of his eyelids glowing orange in the sunshine, remembering the summers he and Jane had spent up here, exploring the forest without a shred of fear. He remembered when they were kids, when they had wandered too far away from the cabin, had gotten turned around only to realize they couldn"t remember which way was which. Jane had sat on a fallen tree trunk, crying into her hands, her yellow dress glowing in the sunlight like a beacon of hope. Back then he had promised her the same thing: that they"d be okay, that they"d find their way home. Except that time they had. Hand in hand, he had her through the trees, not knowing where he was going, blind faith pulling him forward, until he caught a glimpse of the cabin and knew they were safe. It was what he had hoped for this time as well. There had been holes in his plan, but he had to believe. He had wanted to save his sister the way he had saved her before-because that was what he had to do; that was why there were two of them: to protect each other, to never let each other down.
Jane finally managed to look up from where she was sitting, her expression dazed. He watched her, waited for her to come to the bitter realization that they had reached the end, yearned for her to tumble headlong into another bout of hysterics. But instead of dread and panic, a haunting smile drifted across her blood-soaked face. She was somewhere else, far away from that highway, and Ryan was glad...because he wasn"t ready for that final good-bye.
The creatures lingered in the shadow of the trees, that ghostly, guttural groan filling the silence. They snapped their teeth and prepared themselves to pounce if Ryan dared breach the perimeter of darkness and light. But despite those monsters salivating over their next meal, the breeze that drifted across Ryan"s face eased him into an eerie calm. In the otherwise still outdoor air, it drifted around him like a phantom, and for the slightest moment he didn"t feel as alone as he knew he was. Drawing his hand across his eyes, he began to walk away, leaving Jane behind. Oona quietly trotted beside him, her barking silenced by what he could only a.s.sume was her own realization: there was nothing left to do. They were both at fate"s doorstep, and there was no other decision left to make.
He stepped toward the shadow that was slowly growing wider, that would eventually overtake the hill. He looked up at the sky, the sun still shining bright. Oona whined as she looked up at her owner, and Ryan recognized understanding in her eyes. She knew. Of course she knew. She was a fighter, and so was he.
He looked ahead, those creatures watching him with interest.
His fingers tightened around his weapon.
His weight shifted to his toes.
And then he ran.
The stereo was turned up loud enough to rattle the windows of the Land Cruiser, but that was the way they liked it-loud and fast as the trees whipped past the car, each icy turn taken just a little too fast, each mile of highway rolling beneath them with reckless abandon. Troy sucked in a lungful of smoke while his right arm jutted out the rolled-down pa.s.senger window, his hand skating along the cold current just beyond the car. Carla and Allison sat in the backseat, singing along with the music between bouts of drunken laughter, the bottle of Jack they"d cracked open three hours prior nearly half gone. Sid was the only sober one of the bunch, but he intended on remedying that as soon as they reached their destination.
"Do you see this?" he asked, dipping his head to bring his chin level with the top of the steering wheel, gazing up at a mountain covered in fresh snow. "It"s incredible," he said. "I haven"t seen snow like this in years, man. This is going to be off the hook."
Troy rolled his head to the side, offering his friend a lazy grin. "Gonna tear it up," he mused. "Gonna tear. It. Up."
The Land Cruiser took another curve, fishtailing when it caught a spot of black ice beneath a back tire. The group tensed, holding their breath in unison as the music kept on, the thud of ba.s.s shaking the door panels. Sid eased his foot off the gas, taking the needle of the speedometer down from sixty to forty-five.
"G.o.dd.a.m.n," he grumbled, turning the music down a notch, ready to complain about how whoever had salted the road had done a s.h.i.tty job. But he didn"t get the chance. The SUV took another mountain curve and Sid slammed on the brakes, the girls flying forward, both of them crashing into the seats ahead of them with a squeal.
"What the f.u.c.k, Sidney!" Allison screamed.
"Great," Carla snapped, holding the bottle of Jack at arm"s length, the front of her shirt and pants soaked in alcohol.
But the boys didn"t respond. They were too busy staring at the girl huddled along the side of the road, shivering, covered in blood.
"Holy s.h.i.t," Troy said, his cigarette clinging precariously to the swell of his bottom lip.
Sid slowly rolled the Toyota forward, road grit crunching beneath the tires.
"We"re stopping?" Allison asked.
"Jesus, Allison." Troy craned his neck back. "You want to leave an injured human being along the side of the f.u.c.king road?"
"What if it"s a trick?" Carla asked, sounding tense. "What if she"s a decoy and some psychopath is waiting for a car full of suckers to stop and help, only to slash our throats?"
"Ridiculous," Sid said beneath his breath, easing the car along the side of the road. "You guys are drunk."
"I bet she"s one of those wild people, the kind that live in the woods all their lives. I bet she has rabies," Carla said, searching for something to dry herself off with. "Which you deserve to get after that little stunt, Sid." She dropped her voice an octave. "f.u.c.king a.s.shole."
Sid pulled the e-brake and both boys immediately popped their doors open while the girls watched them, Allison"s face twisting with concern, Carla rolling her eyes at the whole thing.
Troy was unsteady on his feet, the Jack making him sway. He immediately fell behind, but Sid"s steps were balanced, slowly closing the distance between himself and the girl along the side of the road. He shot Troy a look, holding out a hand to tell his friend to stay back before crouching a safe distance away.
She was sitting in the last slice of sunlight as if to warm herself-the wedge of sun not more than a few feet wide.
"h.e.l.lo?" Sid said, nervously catching his lip between his teeth. "Miss? Can you hear me?"
But the girl didn"t respond; she only trembled, mute. Sid cast his gaze down the road ahead. There was blood-lots of it. There must have been some sort of accident, but where were the cars? Where were the bodies?
Sid narrowed his eyes, inching closer to the girl, his nose wrinkling as soon as he got a whiff of whatever covered her. "Hey, there," he said, unsure of himself. "Are you okay? Were you in an accident? Are you hurt?"
Just as Sid was sure the girl wasn"t going to reply again, he was startled by the weak whimper that bubbled up from her throat.
"Troy!" Sid searched for his friend. "Help me!"
"Dude." Troy wavered in the shadow of the road, holding up what looked to be a broken pool cue in his right hand. "What the f.u.c.k is this?"
Sid shook his head, rising to his feet. "This isn"t right," he decided. "We need to call somebody. She needs help."
Troy threw the pool cue into the trees, craned his neck back toward the Land Rover, and yelled, "Call somebody!"
A moment later Carla yelled back. "No reception, genius. Who would have thought?"
"We can"t leave her here," Sid said, looking back to the girl. "We need to take her into town, to the police station or the clinic or something."
"The cabin is closer," Allison called out. "My parents have a landline. We can call from there."
"She smells like c.r.a.p," Troy whispered. "You really want to put her in your car?"
Sid scowled at his friend. "Are you kidding?"
Troy held his hands up in surrender. "It"s your car," he muttered. "Hey, man, whatever."
"Miss?" Sid crouched down again, extending a hand to the girl the way someone would to a dog. "We"re going to help you up, okay? We"re going to take you with us where it"s safe and warm." He slowly touched her sleeve, and when she didn"t jump back or scream or try to claw him, he closed the distance, sliding his arm around her to help her up. Troy was reluctant, but he eventually fell into step, helping Sid lead the stranger to their car.
Carla and Allison nearly sat on top of each other in the backseat, trying to give the feral-looking girl the most room possible, both of them shielding their mouths and noses from the stench. The smell was bad enough to make Sid"s eyes water, but he kept the windows rolled up and blasted the heater, if only to get their pa.s.senger warm.
After a few minutes of silence, there was a murmur from the backseat.
"Where are we going?" the girl asked, her words hardly above a whisper, her bloodied hair hanging in front of her face.
After a beat of silence, Allison finally replied. "To my parents" cabin."
"In town?" the girl asked, slowly looking up to look up at Allison and Carla.
"No," Allison said. "Town is almost twenty-five miles away. The cabin is just up the road by the lake."
"The lake..." the girl echoed weakly.
"Yeah, the lake in the woods."
Suddenly the girl began to panic. She pulled at the door handle, as if ready to jump out of the car, but it remained shut, keeping her locked inside. She slammed her hands against the window, leaving b.l.o.o.d.y handprints against the gla.s.s as Allison and Carla gasped.
"Hey, hey, hey." Troy twisted in his seat, reaching back to try to soothe their pa.s.senger. "It"s cool, man, we"re going to get you some help, okay? Just sit tight. We"re almost there."
But the girl was thrashing. She spun around in the seat and pounded the back window with her fists, sobbing to be let out of the car.
"Jesus, hurry up, Sid!" Carla yelled from the back as Sidney eased the car off the highway and onto the road that would take them to Allison"s parents" place.
"What the h.e.l.l did you just sign us up for?" Troy asked Sid beneath his breath. "I thought we were going boarding, man. I thought we were going to carve the slopes, not play search and f.u.c.king rescue."
"It"s going to be fine," Sid insisted. "We"re going to call for help, someone will pick her up. First thing tomorrow we"ll be on the mountain."
"Better be, man." Troy sulked. "I"m not letting another season go by without putting my a.s.s in a chair li-" His words tapered off as he furrowed his eyebrows, leaning forward to peer through the windshield.
"What?" Sid asked, but he saw what Troy was looking at before Troy had the chance to reply. A tall pine was swaying in the distance while its brothers stood perfectly still, rocking as though someone was shaking it by its base. "Elk," Sid concluded. "They rub their antlers against the tree trunks."
It was only after Troy leaned back in his seat that Sid realized the silence had returned. He craned his neck, shooting a look toward the backseat and the strange girl they"d picked up. She was pressed up against the door, so close to the window her nose was almost touching the gla.s.s.
"It"s just elk," he repeated, trying to soothe her. "Or someone cutting down a tree for firewood or something. Happens all the time."
But she continued to stare at the shuddering pine in the distance.
Her eyes wide.
So impossibly wide.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
Once again, endless thanks go out to my friends and family, my husband, Will, and all of the incredible people I"ve been given the honor to work with. Terry, David, Tiffany, and all of the folks at 47North and Amazon Publishing, you guys are amazing.
But most important, my grat.i.tude belongs to my readers. Without you, this book wouldn"t exist. Thank you all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.