13. The Boyfriend

God could things get any worse. “There’s enough food for about four more days but I really think we should start making plans to get out of here,” I heard Abby report to Zach as the others hung around the pit doing various things. Roland and Knox had just come back from getting more firewood. Chazz was tying the tarps down on everyone’s tents for the upcoming storm Zach said would hit us soon and Evian was washing out her night clothes and hanging them to dry on a nearby tree.

This was so not what I thought was going to happen out here. It hadn’t been so bad thanks to Knox but when I actually sat and thought about our situation it just made me more overly depressed. Abby was getting some real face time with Zach, maybe that was a good thing but who knows. She’s never really been the type to seek out affection and Zach has a reputation for being overly affectionate as did most of the jocks at West Valley.

I don’t think Abby’s ever even been kissed. If he did anything to hurt her… “Will you come with me?” I looked up to find Abby smiling at me with those cute pudgy cheeks of hers and shrugged.

“What?”

“Zach and the others are making plans to try and get us out of here. Evian was telling Roland that she was hoping this storm doesn’t blow us all away. I figured you and I could try and find more food. What we have is good for another few days but there’s no telling how long we’ll be here.”

I glanced behind her and noticed Zach, Knox and Roland were gearing up to leave and my curiosity got the better of me. “Where are they going?” I asked her as I got to my feet. Abby shrugged and together we hurried over to the guys before they could get away. “What’s up?”

“We’re gonna hike up the road and see if we can maybe find a car or a house or something; going farther than we did that first time,” he smiled at Abby and she shrunk back with a smile of her own. “We need everyone to stick close. We’ll be back soon.” Zach instructed. 

We watched as they started towards the path leading down to the road and I felt Abby tap my shoulder and I followed behind her with a basket in hand to find more food for everyone. “So how are you holding up?” I asked as we came to a stop near the row of apple trees Abby had found the first day we arrived to this god forsaken place.

“Not too bad I guess.”

“Look I know I may not have spent as much time as I would like with you after dragging you out here but…”

“No it’s ok Jem, I understand. You didn’t hide the fact that you were out here to get close to Knox and it seemed to work. Actually I think this crisis may have even made things happen a little quicker for you. I’ve been fine, really. Plus there’s…”

“Zach!” I finished her sentence and watched face grow three shades brighter. “I knew it you little ho! It’s so obvious he’s into you.”

“What? No he’s not! He’s just…being nice.”

“There are ways to be nice Abby and then there are ways to be nice,” she beamed a large grin at me as she picked up on the double entendre but still shook her head no, refusing to believe she had anything that old Zachy boy would be interested in. “You just need a little more confidence Abs. You’re a great catch and any guy would be lucky to see that!” 

We finished collecting baskets of fruit for the group and started back. I watched as the sky turned from a pale blue color to a bright peach and pink shade. It was really pretty out here for the most part but that never really seemed to distract me for long. “It’s getting dark; shouldn’t the guys be back by now?” I asked feeling the cool air of the night tingle my arms. I was beginning to miss Knox.

He may seem like the airhead jock to everyone, but he had a gentler side that most would never know about. Ok maybe he is always trying to get in my pants or talking sports, but when things settle down, he actually talks to me about real things. I think being out here has really given him a different perspective.

I heard trees rustling behind us and turned just in time to see Knox, Roland and Zach heading back towards us. A large smile grew on my face as I hopped up to greet him. “Did you find anything?” I asked as Zach and Roland made a beeline around me to get to the pit.

“Nope. Lots of trees; no cell reception and we went a long ways out,” Knox reported.

“Yeah if I didn’t know any better I’d think someone was intentionally blocking the signals out here. We stood right beneath a cell tower but still there was absolutely nothing! I don’t get it,” Zach added a bit angrily. “It can’t be the storm. It’s just now crossing the horizon; something else is in play here.”

“That’s crazy! You’re saying that there’s someone out here trying to keep us stranded?” Evian asked as she took a seat in Roland’s lap. “Why would they do that?”

I saw a look exchange between Roland and Zach before he shrugged and tried to play it off. “I’m just being silly, sorry. Being out here is just making me a little paranoid I guess.” Hmm…there was something off about the way he changed his tune all of a sudden. And what is with Roland? Had they come across something while out there in the woods that they didn’t want any of us to know about? Or was he just talking out of his ass like he said? I don’t know. But if it has anything to do with us getting home, someone had better fess up.  

“You’re cold,” Knox’s warm breath blew across my neck as he pulled me against his body. I looked up at him and he quickly claimed my lips, running his tongue over mine before the kiss deepened. “I can warm you up Babe.”

And I knew exactly what that meant. As scary as the idea was of running off into the woods at night seemed there was no way I was passing up the chance to be with him. If scout projections were right, Knox was going to be the next Peyton Manning and I was primed for being with him when those contracts got signed! “I’ll go warm up our spot,” I smiled and kissed him sweetly before grabbing the blanket from my tent and starting up the path towards the lake.

I sat the blanket against the tree and took a seat as I fixed myself up for him. Knox wasn’t a man of many words so I knew it was best to make things easier for him; the less clothes the better. “Hello?” I heard someone walking up the path towards me. The crunching of recently fallen leaves sounded especially loud on such a tranquil autumn night. He didn’t answer right away. I don’t know if he thought it was funny but after everything that’s happened, it wasn’t a turn on being scared. “Knox quit playing and get over here! Or else I’m not gonna do that thing with my tongue you like so much!” I teased hoping it would make him finally pop out of the bushes. 

Instead the crackling of branches moved faster around me and I jumped to my feet. “Come on Knoxxy, it’s getting cold!” The wind blew harder as if it knew I was already chilled to my bones and I felt a sense of doom as I looked up the dark path. It was too murky to make out anything and the starless night only enhanced the element of danger that seemed to surround me. “That’s it, I’m out of here.”

I reached down to grab the blanket from the ground and as I did a pair of large, red eyes shimmered beside me. I screamed and I could hear a large number of footsteps descend upon me. “Jemma?” Abby rushed to my side and dropped to the ground beside me. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders and she pulled me close as the others gathered around. “What happened?”

“I saw something…something…unnatural.” I muttered. I watched as every one of them turned to stare at me as though I’d grown a 2^nd head. Chazz was right; there was something in these woods and by the looks of it, it meant to do us harm.

“Mmm,” Tommy moaned as he pulled away from Chloe. “That was nice. Are you cold?” he asked and leaned towards the controls. The fog from their earlier activities had started to clear on the windows and a slight breeze rolled in through the vents, cooling the two even more.

“No I’m fine Tommy, thank you.” Chloe fixed her clothes and pulled down the vanity mirror to check her hair and makeup. “Why do we always have to come out here for this?” she asked as Tommy flipped through the radio channels looking for some music.

“Because we don’t live alone and this is quiet and private and I know how much you love the outdoors,” he laughed as she rolled her eyes at him. “Come on I’m working on saving up for a place of our own. It’s just taking a little longer than I’d hoped.”

“I know and I appreciate that.” The sound of the wind rustled through the trees and a few errant leaves fell to the windshield as the two sat on an isolated road out near Holland County. The weather report said that it would be a clear night but it had rained just a few hours earlier and the smell of it was still in the air.

Tommy rolled his window down and let his fingers gently blow in the wind that surrounded the car as more leaves were pushed up around them. “How’s your dissertation going?” he asked turning to peer into the chocolate brown eyes of his girlfriend.

“Not bad. I’m mostly done with the first half. I just need a little more research before I can hand it in. In speaking of which, you think we can head back? I’d like to get some more work done.”

“Alright, I gotta take a leak first and then we can start back ok?” Leaning over he pressed a sweet kiss into her lips and hopped out of the car. 

Chloe watched as he stepped into the cover of a few trees and disappeared down a dirt path not very far from the car. Turning her attention back to the vanity mirror, she began to reapply her lipgloss. As she hummed a song to herself she thought about scaring her boyfriend a little and making him piss on himself.

Quietly she climbed out of the car and circled around the back in search of Tommy. She’d only gone a few steps before the shrill cry of a nearby animal startled her. “Bad idea,” she scolded herself and backtracked towards the passenger door. “Tommy?” she called and waited to see him walking out of the woods with a smile. Perhaps it was him who actually did the scaring. 

When he didn’t come right away, she hurriedly slipped back inside the car. Lightning flashed and thunder roared as the sky became darker. Reaching over, Chloe quickly rolled up the driver’s window as the torrential downpour started pounding against the car. Tommy had better get back soon or else he was going to get soaked.

Outside the car, Chloe heard the sound of footsteps and breathed a sigh of relief as she believed her boyfriend making his return trip. A loud thump hit the trunk and she turned towards the backseat to peer out the window but the thickness of the rain kept her from seeing much. “Tommy?” Chloe swallowed nervously. Something scraped against the roof of the car and it sounded as if someone was walking around on top of her.

Frightened, she sank deeper into her seat and sat in silence as she waited for the noise to stop. Thump…thump…thump, the sounds grew weaker as if something was being blown by the wind and hitting the car. It was then followed by a scratching sound that made Chloe again freeze in her seat. Squeak…squeak…squeak, she heard and thought it was just a loose tree branch blowing with the rain.

The sound continued a few seconds until finally Chloe hopped into the driver’s side and started the car. A blurry figure walked into the beams of the headlights, moving closer and closer towards her. Its shadow fell across her lap and she looked up peering through the darkness and gasped, it wasn’t her boyfriend. Instead it was a strange, crazed looking man who was swinging something in his right hand. 

He jumped at her, gluing his face close to the window and slowly pulled up his right hand revealing a blood soaked butcher’s knife. Chloe shut her eyes in horror and tried to make the image go away. When she opened them again, the man was still there, grinning psychotically. He pounded a fist against the glass and she screamed and hit the gas as hard as possible but the car didn’t move. The man had tied a rope from the bumper to a nearby tree and the wheels only spun in place. 

Chloe slammed on the brakes, put the car in reverse and accelerated backwards, hitting the tree and breaking the branch she was tied to. When she did, the large branch fell down on top of the car and tied to it was the dead body of her boyfriend who had been hung when she hit the gas. His neck was snapped and a long wound had been carved into his cheek. The squeaky noises she heard were his shoes slightly scraping across the top of the car!

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