ã€ŠRed Fox (Experiment in Terror #2)ã€‹


 Page 1

    CHAPTER ONE

    The parched air swarmed furiously with sky-seeking embers that spanned the spectrum of orange and yellow. They emerged from flames of the fire with the vibrating sound of cracking bones and formed abstract waves in the space above my head before drifting off into the darkness.

    The campfire was mesmerizing. It swallowed up all of my concentration. I needed to think, to draw in some underlying message that was hidden in the dark corners of my surroundings.

    I closed my eyes and shut out the dancing light. With the cessation of my sight, the crackles grew louder and the hollow sound of drumming began in the distance. I felt the air reverberate with each solid blow and let the noises flow throughout my body until they nestled somewhere at the base of my skull.

    I needed information. I searched internally for something, anything. I noticed myself taking a deep breath through no conscious effort of my own and felt the threads of my mind reaching out blindly. I didn¡¯t know what I was looking for exactly but I would know when I found it.

    An uneasy, nauseous feeling came over my senses like a heavy cloak. My eyes flew open. The silhouette of a small woman stood before me. She had bright yellow eyes that peered at me malevolently, increasing my urge to vomit.

    ¡°Something has been unearthed here,¡± I said in an uneasy voice that wasn¡¯t my own. Like shots from a seizure-inducing video game, images of destroyed tombstones, shovels and dirt, bones lying scattered across a desert land, high-soaring birds against an endless blue sky, four-legged beasts dancing to the tune of a drum, all flowed in rapid succession across my mind¡¯s eye.

    The woman smiled at me with canine fangs.

    ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯ll be finding,¡± she said. ¡°There is no death here.¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± I found myself saying. I slowly turned to the sound of the drumming. A black figure with no face was banging away on a native drum. The edges of the fire were suddenly alive with the slinking figures of wolves. They advanced towards me, each step timed with the pound of the drum until I was completely surrounded.

    The wolves leaned back in unison and straightened up until they all stood on their hind legs. They walked awkwardly, unpredictably, like some sort of disturbing canine zombie and within seconds they were within striking distance.

    The last thing I remember was looking into their eyes and seeing the eyes of my sister, my mother, even Dex, these horribly human eyes, before they started to tear me apart, limb from bloody limb.

    ¡°Are you nervous, Perry?¡±

    I barely heard my own name. My mind still tried to process the remaining fragments from the dream I had the previous night. It took me a few seconds to realize that my sister, Ada, was speaking to me.

    ¡°What? Yes, of course I¡¯m nervous,¡± I told her.

    ¡°Well, you look a little green,¡± she said.

    I felt a little green. Not only did I have this overall icky feeling from the dream, I had my internet debut to worry about.

    It was a Sunday night and Ada and I were sitting anxiously on my bed, the wide screen of my computer facing us with an impersonal glow. In a few moments my parents would join us, hopefully with a bag of popcorn and lowered expectations, and we would watch a webisode that would make or break my life.

    Four weeks ago my life was a lot different. I was just a lowly receptionist at an advertising agency, living at home with my parents and floundering in an uneventful existence. Then one night, while visiting my Uncle Al¡¯s estate on the Oregon coast, I became involved in something that can only be described as ¡°supernatural.¡± I still don¡¯t have an explanation, but I knew it was worth telling everyone about. I recounted the incident on my sister¡¯s blog, posted a few videos I¡¯d shot on YouTube, and suddenly everyone wanted to know what happened to Perry Palomino that night (which, in hindsight, was really nothing, but with my shaky camera work, it looked like something).

    One thing did happen though, while I explored my Uncle Al¡¯s haunted lighthouse; I stumbled across someone else who shouldn¡¯t have been there. His name was Dex Foray, a Seattle-based filmmaker who was scouting locations for a potential ghost hunting show on the website he worked for, Shownet. OK, maybe the term filmmaker is a bit grandiose. Shownet specializes in low-budget, mildly entertaining shows broadcasted primarily on the web. Their current repertoire included Wine Babes, a show that was apparently more popular than I had thought, at least among the men. It consisted of Dex¡¯s girlfriend, the uber-hot and annoyingly exotic Jennifer Rodriguez, who hosted the show that taught hapless men how to pair cheap wines with cheap meals. And when I say cheap, I mean Burger King. Anyway, adding to the highbrow mix was our show (of which, at this point, I didn¡¯t even know the name of).

    See, after our run-in, and after I got quasi-famous on YouTube, Dex contacted me in hopes of producing the ghost hunter/ghost whisperer/ghost seeker show with me as the host. I said yes, because, well, what else did I have to do. Before I knew it, we returned to Uncle Al¡¯s estate, investigated the abandoned lighthouse where everything originally went down and attempted to get it all on film.

    I¡¯m still not sure what we ended up capturing. Over the last three weeks, I¡¯d only been in sporadic contact with Dex and the most I¡¯d seen of the final footage took place on his laptop during the drive to Shownet¡¯s office in downtown Seattle. The only thing that I really had any control over was writing the blog piece that would accompany the webisode. We hoped that if tonight¡¯s episode did well (it was just a demo, after all), we could branch the show into its own website and have my blog piece run alongside the footage; this way people would get a greater sense of what actually happened versus what we managed to catch on film. In the future we could also have little bios, maybe a Twitter feed about what we were investigating and other interactive components. Of course, if tonight flopped, we would have nothing.

    Part of me believed things would work out and that Dex was gifted enough to make something compelling out of nothing, but the other part was certain we were doomed. I mean, for one, neither of us had any idea what we were doing. Although strange things have happened to me in my lifetime (things I was becoming more and more aware of), I didn¡¯t consider myself a ghost whisperer. I didn¡¯t know jack shit about the supernatural, how to communicate with them, how to conjure them, or anything like that. There are tons of people out there who deal with the paranormal (did you know you can get a degree in Demonology? I mean how fucked up of a major is that?), tons of TV shows and blogs that involve psychics and ESP and EPGs and infrared cameras and whatnot. But me? I knew nothing. I was pretty sure Dex didn¡¯t have the slightest clue when it came to the supernatural, either. Other than the fact that he¡¯s quite supernatural himself. In other words, the dude¡¯s crazy.

    I¡¯ll admit, up until recently, I had been pining for Dex. Not in some lovey-dovey way but I certainly felt myself grow more attracted to him over the three days we spent together. I guess there¡¯s a lot to be said for those situations where epic circumstances bring complete strangers together. That¡¯s pretty much what happened to us, well to me, anyway. But after some time and distance between us, he didn¡¯t occupy my thoughts in quite the same way.

    That¡¯s probably because I had more important things on my mind. When Dex¡¯s boss/partner at Shownet, Jimmy Kwan, agreed to let us have our show, he made it very clear that I would have to be available for shooting between Thursday and Monday night, the pay wouldn¡¯t be very good, and I most likely needed a job on the side.

    The thing is, I had a job. In fact, I had been promoted recently, which actually excited me (I had worked at the advertising agency for over a year and there was nary a hint that I would ever move up from receptionist). However, with the new shooting schedule, I would have to get the agency to let me work part-time.

    I was cautiously optimistic that not only would they let me work Tuesday to Thursday, but that they would allow me to keep my promotion. That said, I didn¡¯t end up saying a word to my boss about this whole scenario until Friday.

    It didn¡¯t go down very well. I got fired.

    Apparently, my boss took my request as a form of ungratefulness. That wasn¡¯t the case, of course, but what else was I supposed to do? Well, I guess I could have said no to the low-paying gamble of an internet show and yes to a proper career and money. Leave it to me to the do the most selfish and irresponsible thing.

    So yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been dealing with lately. I spent the whole weekend in a state of catatonic shock, barely getting out of bed. It¡¯s ironic because I had dreamt about the day I could say goodbye to my job and now that it actually happened, I was completely horrified. Granted, I had always prayed that I would be let go in some massive layoff so I could spend my days in total freedom while receiving unemployment pay. But instead I got myself fired. It was humiliating, devastating and 100% my fault, which made it that much harder.

    Thankfully, the only person who knew about my predicament was my sister Ada. My parents would eventually find out but I wanted to keep that from happening for as long as possible.

    All of this made tonight¡¯s show even more important. I hoped it would be just good enough so my parents would have some faith in the project and faith in me. That way when it came time to tell them about how I got fired they wouldn¡¯t see me as such a hopeless case. Maybe they would both magically think that this show held the key to my future success and financial independence. I knew that was asking a lot, especially since I didn¡¯t really believe it myself. In three weeks I went from thinking my life was finally going somewhere, to cursing myself for gambling on something so¡­silly.

    ¡°Things will be fine,¡± Ada said, placing her hand on my shoulder. I jumped out of my daydream (again) and looked down at her small hands, her nails impeccably manicured for a 15-year old. I appreciated the irony that a high school student was telling her older sister that everything would be OK. Of course she would think that. Ada was a gorgeous, skinny, popular 10th grader with a successful fashion blog and the world on a platter. I was her 22-year old loser sister who just lost her job due to her own immaturity.

    I swallowed hard, trying to hide the bitterness somewhere deep inside, and gave her a meek smile. ¡°You promise?¡±

    She nodded confidently just as my parents entered the room.

    As predicted, my father produced a giant bowl of popcorn.

    ¡°Did we miss anything?¡± he asked, peering at the computer screen through his thick glasses.

    I shook my head, the nervousness threatening to swallow me whole. Normally I got nervous about the smallest things (like calling to order pizza), which I blamed on some unchecked anxiety problem. Now that I actually had reason to be nervous, I started getting dizzy. I could feel the suffocating reaches of a mild panic attack slinking around at the corners of my mind.

    My dad pulled out my desk chair and my mother awkwardly sat down on my bean bag chair. She smiled at me wearily. I could tell she didn¡¯t have as much stock in the show as I had originally hoped.

    My dad passed the bowl of popcorn to me.

    ¡°Eat, you look like you¡¯re going to pass out,¡± he ordered.

    I reluctantly popped a handful into my mouth and glanced at the clock on the computer. The big hand ticked over to 7PM. It was go time.

 Page 2

    I took a deep breath, almost chocked on a leftover popcorn kernel, leaned over and pressed refresh on my browser. I quickly sat back and covered my eyes with my hand.

    ¡°Oh my God, I can¡¯t watch this,¡± I muttered, peeking out through my fingers, as if that was going to shield me from possible embarrassment.

    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here honey, to watch it for you,¡± my mother said from down on the floor.

    I peered at the screen. It was all black with creepy keyboard and guitar sounds coming faintly from the speakers. The words ¡°Experiment in Terror¡± flashed across the screen.

    I laughed. ¡°Experiment in Terror? That¡¯s an old Blake Edwards movie.¡±

    I shook my head at the lack of originality even though it actually was quite fitting. It figured Dex would come up with a hokey name like that.

    ¡°Hope you¡¯re not going to get sued now,¡± my father said.

    ¡°You can¡¯t copyright titles dad,¡± I hushed him.

    Beneath the title, the words ¡°The Darkhouse¡± appeared.

    ¡°Darkhorse?¡± asked my mom, squinting.

    ¡°Darkhouse. Like the opposite of a lighthouse,¡± I offered, though again, this was all Dex¡¯s doing.

    The words faded from view and a wavering, hazy image of the lighthouse appeared. A growling, rough voice came through. It took me a few seconds to realize it was Dex¡¯s voice, albeit a bit lower than usual. I had only heard his voice once in the last few weeks. It still took me by surprise that it belonged to a somewhat short, thin, scruffy man instead of a tall, hulking behemoth.

    ¡°At the turn of the century the Oregon Coast was a busy cornucopia of merchant vessels, ships and boats which plied the waters heading for lands both near and far,¡± Dex narrated. I cringed at the sloppy writing and wondered why I hadn¡¯t been asked to whip something up. If I had known he was going to narrate the episode I would have insisted.

    ¡°Did you find some old sailor to do the voiceover?¡± my mother asked.

    ¡°No. Actually, that¡¯s all Dex.¡±

    My mother didn¡¯t look too impressed. She exchanged a vague glance with my father and looked back at the screen.

    Dex¡¯s voice went on, giving a short and rather sinister history lesson before the stock footage of old ships and wild storms ceased and suddenly my big fat face filled the screen.

    ¡°Oh, Jesus.¡± I put my hand over my eyes again.

    ¡°Perry,¡± my dad warned, his religious side irked by my choice of words.

    Ada reached over and pulled my hand off my face.

    ¡°Oh come on, you look great,¡± she said excitedly. I cautiously peered at the screen again.

    I definitely did not look great. I had enough problems dealing with my body and face on a daily basis, just looking into the mirror often sent me off into a tizzy. So obviously with the camera (which, really does add ten pounds) zoomed in it wasn¡¯t doing me any favors.

    I remembered the scene like it was yesterday (or a few weeks ago). Dex and I were on the beach near the lighthouse, battling the ferocious wind and attempting to get a few good setup shots. I got nervous with the camera in my face and Dex¡¯s rather brusque way of directing, so I suddenly started spouting off all this knowledge about the lighthouse and its morbid history. It sounds crazy, but somehow I knew everything there was to know about it. For a while there it was like I was living it, moving through and witnessing its past like a ghostly observer. And for some strange reason, Dex chose those scenes to put in the show. I watched my round, blank face stare stupidly at the ocean with my black hair flying all over the place.

    ¡°You look haunted,¡± Ada said quietly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± said my mother. ¡°Are you having a seizure?¡±

    The camera froze on my face as Dex¡¯s narration explained how the host, me, felt something dark and horrible about the lighthouse.

    ¡°An internal warning or a message from the grave?¡± Dex said dramatically.

    My dad snorted in laughter. ¡°I think she just forgot her lines.¡±

    I glared at him and sank back into the bed. This was not starting out well at all.

    Thankfully my face faded from view and the story began to move in a more linear fashion. A lot of the shots that I wouldn¡¯t have thought were useable worked great at creating atmosphere, and the music that Dex used (or composed) added to the creepiness.

    We had watched the show for about ten minutes when I realized that although the video thoroughly intrigued and scared me, it didn¡¯t have the same effect on my parents. I had actually lived through everything ¨C I knew the end to the story, which was more horrifying than anything captured on film. But did your average person, who didn¡¯t know the things that I knew, get anything from it?

    I looked over at my mother. She was staring at her fingernails. At least my dad watched, though I could see an impatient look in his eyes. Even during the part where Dex filmed (shakily) the hallway flooding and the fire creeping up the walls of the lighthouse, and me, their daughter, getting dragged underwater, neither of my parents seemed moved or concerned. Even when the screen went blank as Dex chucked the camera out of the window. Nothing.

    Ada, on the other hand, bit her lip hard, fully engrossed. That would have been a great sign, had she not already known the real danger involved.

    Needless to say, an uncomfortable silence filled my room as the show ended.

    ¡°Well, Perry,¡± said my dad. He got up and didn¡¯t finish his sentence.

    My mother got up too. ¡°That was interesting. You looked good.¡±

    Ada gave our parents an annoyed look and turned to me. ¡°That was fantastic.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t fantastic. I don¡¯t even know if it was interesting. And I definitely didn¡¯t look good.

    ¡°So,¡± my dad cleared his throat. ¡°Do you really think people are going to buy that?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Perry, you¡¯ve based a whole show on a lie.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a lie,¡± I said incredulously.

    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that a ghost set the lighthouse on fire? Because the last time I checked, you, Al, and the police were blaming the explosion on faulty wiring or something of that matter.¡±

    ¡°The police said it must have been faulty wiring,¡± I told him.

    ¡°And now you¡¯re saying it¡¯s the ghost of the lighthouse.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that now, I¡¯ve always said that. I just didn¡¯t tell you guys that because you wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± I felt my cheeks flush and gave Ada a helpless look. She shrugged, not wanting to get dragged into a senseless argument with our dad.

    ¡°You¡¯re right about that,¡± he sighed. ¡°Look, pumpkin, I don¡¯t care what you do in your spare time, so as long as it doesn¡¯t interfere with your job. Your career.¡±

    Eek.

    ¡°But don¡¯t get your hopes up on¡­this. I honestly don¡¯t see it going anywhere. I¡¯m not saying that to be mean sweetie. I¡¯m just being your dad. This was¡­fun.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± I mumbled and looked over at my mom who edged silently towards the door. She caught me looking at her and pasted on a sympathetic smile.

    ¡°You know your parents¡­we¡¯re too old for this kind of stuff. You know ghosts and the internet and things aren¡¯t really made for us. But your writing was good. And you looked good. And that¡¯s what¡¯s important.¡±

    Of course my mother, being an ex-model from Sweden and all, would say that.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t even read my writing!¡± I never saw her glance once at the blog I had written, which was posted beside the video in plain sight.

    She looked embarrassed. ¡°No, not yet but I know it would be good anyway. Stick to your writing and your job Perry and good things will happen.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to go watch Desperate Housewives.¡± My dad waved and shut the door behind them.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± I moaned and flopped back on the bed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic,¡± Ada chided.

    My eyes flew open. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    She got up and walked over to the computer.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t bad at all, Perry. Seriously, my friends would find this shit scary.¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    ¡°Well they would. They are your demographic, aren¡¯t they? Little tweens and teens?¡±

    ¡°I was kind of hoping everyone would find it scary.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m sure they do. But come on, it¡¯s just a demo like you said. It¡¯s not going to be perfect your first time out. Besides, you almost fucking died making this. That¡¯s insane.¡±

    She had a point but it didn¡¯t help with what my parents said about keeping my day job.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± she continued, ¡°I think it¡¯s awesome and I¡¯m gonna get everyone else to think it¡¯s awesome. You¡¯ll get a million likes on YouTube. And the next time you do this, it¡¯ll be even better. You guys just need practice.¡±

    ¡°No, I need practice. Dex is fine.¡±

    She laughed. ¡°He at least needs to practice his narration.¡±

    ¡°It was a little Vincent Price, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I mused.

    ¡°Who¡¯s Vincent Price?¡±

    Oh, for crying out loud.

    ¡°Nevermind, nevermind.¡± I covered my face with my hands again. I knew if I got more comfortable being on camera, and if we had a better script and an actual game plan, the next time would work a lot better. The thing that bothered me though was if there wouldn¡¯t be a next time.

    What did Dex think of it? What did his boss? I eyed my cell and contemplated calling Dex but decided I was too afraid to hear what he had to say. I couldn¡¯t handle brutal honesty at the moment and I knew if I couldn¡¯t make a go of this show then I didn¡¯t have anything else left.

    I moaned and rolled over.

    Ada hit my leg with her hand. ¡°Snap out of it. I don¡¯t want to see you go into another depression.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not depressed,¡± I mumbled face down into the bedding. ¡°I¡¯m screwed.¡±

    ¡°No you¡¯re not. You hated your job anyway, right? So go get a new job. Stop being so emo.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. That said a lot coming from Queen Emo herself.

    ¡°Ada, when you¡¯re my age you¡¯ll understand what a big deal it is to be without a job.¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up. Spare me your dramatics. You¡¯re in your early twenties and you live at home, you loser. Half of the country is out of work right now and they actually have real problems, such as mouths to feed and mortgages to pay and whatever.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a terrifying world when you are the voice of reason,¡± I admitted.

    ¡°And it¡¯s a terrifying world when you have to tell your older sister that everything will be all right. Just¡­promise me you won¡¯t lock yourself in your room and mope all week. Go out and get another job. I¡¯ll keep your secret safe from mom and dad. You¡¯re going to have to do something between nine and five anyway and like hell I¡¯d want you following me around at school.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡±

    CHAPTER TWO

    The next morning felt like I was on a super secret spy mission; I was a spy who wore a business suit and rode a motorbike.

 Page 3

    ¡°You look nice,¡± my mother said as I tried to sneak through the kitchen without her noticing.

    ¡°Oh, thanks. Just felt like looking more professional,¡± I replied uneasily.

    Her face brightened. ¡°That¡¯s my girl. Have to look the part. Don¡¯t want them to regret giving you a promotion, do we?¡±

    I shook my head and proceeded to leave the room.

    ¡°What¡¯s in your hand?¡± she called curiously.

    I looked down at the manila envelope that was full of my resumes and cover letters.

    ¡°I had some work I wanted to catch up on over the weekend.¡±

    I was surprised at how easily the lies came to me.

    My mother grinned again. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, pumpkin.¡±

    Oh God. Kill me now.

    I laughed nervously and booked it out of the room before she said anything else.

    I got on my bike Putt-Putt and roared off towards downtown Portland. Only a few weeks ago I was riding to work and wishing I didn¡¯t have to go, that I could just go anywhere. And now that I actually could go anywhere I wanted, I was still heading into the city in hopes of finding a paycheck of some sort. Argh, irony was having a field day with me lately.

    I didn¡¯t really have a sense of what to do or where to go. Normally I would scour the job and career websites for openings and send off my resumes via email. But I couldn¡¯t sit at home and do that all week without blowing my cover, so I had to go off and do my job search the old-fashioned way.

    Let me tell you¡­the old-fashioned way sucks. I much preferred the easy anonymity of email submissions. I found it really hard to walk into random office buildings and inquire about potential positions. Luckily a lot of companies were OK with the drop-in (maybe it made me stand out) but I still felt embarrassed. I could tell each receptionist silently judged me and praised their good fortune for having a job and not needing to walk around town groveling. It probably didn¡¯t help that most of the time I was actually applying for the receptionist position. I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if they tossed my resume in the trashcan afterwards.

    By the time lunch rolled around, my stomach begged for nourishment of some sort (I still wasn¡¯t too big on eating breakfast). I had visited 28 offices, which actually only covered about one square block downtown. I decided the next course of action would be to find an internet caf¨¦ after lunch and go back to basics.

    As I sat in a sushi restaurant, drinking copious amounts of free green tea and looking over my resume for any errors (yeah, I probably should have done that before I started handing them out), my phone rang.

    The sound startled me and naturally I knocked my cup of tea over my remaining stack of resumes. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to defuse the bomb I felt slowly building up in my abdomen.

    I calmly looked at my phone. It was Dex. For some reason that made my blood boil.

    ¡°Yes?¡± I answered (rather rudely, I must say). My waitress, who was dabbing up the tea with a cloth, gave me a wary look. I smiled at her apologetically.

    There was silence on the other end. He carefully cleared his throat. ¡°Perry?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Dex. That guy you did that show with. We were at a lighthouse¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, hi Dex.¡±

    ¡°You have caller ID, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Sure do.¡±

    ¡°Is this a bad time?¡±

    ¡°Sort of. Though I don¡¯t see it getting any better.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what was wrong with me, I was practically spitting out the words as if they were bitter pills.

    He sighed. I could tell he was thinking long and hard about what to say next.

    Finally he said innocently, ¡°How are ya?¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±

    ¡°Um. Did you see the show last night?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You hated it, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Now it was my turn to think long and hard. I didn¡¯t hate it, per se.

    ¡°My parents hated it.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well. You know parents.¡±

    ¡°And your parents?¡±

    Silence. Then, ¡°My parents what?¡±

    ¡°Did they hate it too?¡±

    ¡°Both my parents are dead,¡± he replied bluntly. ¡°But yes, I¡¯m sure the show is making hell even worse for them.¡±

    Did he just imply that both of his parents were in hell? I couldn¡¯t tell if he was joking since he was even harder to read over the phone than in person. He could be as deadpan as anything but he always had that little wild gleam in his eye, if you looked for it.

    ¡°More importantly though,¡± he continued, ¡°was what Jimmy thought of the whole¡­ordeal.¡±

    ¡°Which is why you called.¡±

    ¡°And to say hello. Jesus, Perry. What¡¯s your problem?¡±

    ¡°My problem?¡± I exclaimed. My problem? Where did I begin? How about how not only did I almost die making some shoddy internet show, but that I gambled my entire career on it as well?

    Only I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say that to Dex. I didn¡¯t want him to think I had put more stock into the project than I already had. I needed to save some sort of face in this situation, even if it was my own bloated and confused one.

    ¡°Perry?¡± he asked with a little more finesse.

    I sighed. ¡°Sorry. PMS, I guess. I¡¯m fine. Please tell me what Jimmy thought of the show.¡±

    ¡°He said it was crap.¡±

    ¡°Oh, perfect.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry though. He knows it was just a demo. He was a bit disappointed with the hits that we got, or misses, if you want to look at it that way. You know how pretentious those fuckers on YouTube can be. But I told him he barely put any fucking money into our baby, so what did he expect? I don¡¯t know, he¡¯s such a fucking idiot sometimes. I even suggested that you ask your company to look into the advertising, just to get something going.¡±

    My heart dropped an inch. ¡°Right. My company.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter anyway, it¡¯ll work a lot better this time. Now people know what to expect, what it¡¯s about, who¡¯s the host, where it is and whatever. Plus, you know, we¡¯ll have a script of sorts and a storyboard and maybe you¡¯ll do some actual research this time and ¨C¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, actual research? Tell me how I¡¯m supposed to do actual research when some sullen hipster locks me in his car and shoves a bunch of library books down my throat and expects me to read and memorize them all in two hours?¡±

    ¡°Whoa. Hey. Hipster? Come on, kiddo. I know you¡¯re PMSing but there is no need for name calling here.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. I wished he could have seen that over the phone.

    ¡°So there is a next time?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Um, yes. Were you not at the meeting a few weeks ago? If I remember correctly, I put my little ass on the line for you so that we could make this whole project happen. Do you recall that? Because if not then I may have to start upping my meds again and I¡¯m already at full capacity.¡±

    I did remember that meeting at Dex¡¯s office. Jimmy, whom I had only just met seconds before, was going off about how unsuitable I was for the small screen. And by small screen, I mean the Internet. I wasn¡¯t fit for the smallest screen possible. Jimmy was right too - I could tell from how awkward and gross I looked on camera - but for some reason (I blame it on insanity) that accusation really offended Dex and he ended up jumping to my defense. It was very touching, noble and unnecessary. It was also his conviction that made me believe that we could actually make this show and pull it off.

    Just because my parents didn¡¯t like it and people weren¡¯t fawning all over it like I had hoped, I didn¡¯t know why I had lost all that faith and conviction myself. Dex hadn¡¯t.

    ¡°I remember,¡± I said quietly. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    He exhaled slowly. A long pause awkwardly filled the cellular waves. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to thank me, just¡­listen. There is a next time, as we had discussed. This Thursday night we¡¯re flying to New Mexico, coming back on Monday. You did get the time off of work, right?¡±

    ¡°Er, yes?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± I said impatiently. ¡°New Mexico? I thought last time you mentioned something about Texas.¡±

    ¡°I did. But I got a call from an old, well, acquaintance of mine and apparently there¡¯s some sort of activity at a ranch that he says would be perfect for the show. He¡¯s going to meet us there and set everything up.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the activity?¡± I asked, intrigued. I felt my mind being happily diverted.

    ¡°Poltergeists. I think. Something¡¯s been terrorizing a Native American couple down there. And unless you have a greater knowledge of them than some creepy blonde girl saying ¡°They¡¯re here¡± while fondling a TV set, I would say that this would be a good time to get your butt to a library after work and get some books out about it. I would like it, no, love it, if one of us knew what we were dealing with.¡±

    I agreed. I just hoped they had books like How to put on a successful webcast without looking like a douche and Dex Foray: When crazy came to town at the library as well.

    Unfortunately, there were no such books at the library downtown. I did, however, find some pretty informative books on poltergeists. It kind of scared me to take the books out of the library lest they start glowing or doing strange things like fly around my room at night. I was already having vague nightmares about killer coyotes and fanged apparitions and didn¡¯t need any more fuel for that fire, but I was also determined to not have either of us come across as a ¡°fucktard,¡± as Dex so eloquently puts it.

    Poltergeists, for the most part, seemed to be pretty unhappy spirits with a vendetta against humanity and eye for trickery. I knew that if I died I¡¯d definitely come back as one. It actually was quite appealing, throwing shit around and scaring hapless people out of their homes, just to be an ass. I started looking forward to ¡°meeting¡± these asshole ghosts.

    When I wasn¡¯t browsing through trippy books, I spent my time going to my fake job. The staff at the internet caf¨¦ got to know me well by the time Thursday rolled around, since I spent most of the week in their presence, applying for pretty much every job I could. At one point the manager offered me a job there if I didn¡¯t find something soon. The gesture was very nice but I was not a people person and dealing with customers would be the downfall of me and the caf¨¦. God knows why I was still applying for receptionist jobs.

    My parents never really caught on, even though I spent every waking minute in complete paranoia whenever they were around. I knew they had no reason to question whether I went to my job every morning but that didn¡¯t stop me from taking every precaution, including a script of what to say in case they asked me ¡°how was work?¡±

    The real challenge came when I had to tell them I was going to New Mexico that weekend. I decided to tell them on Wednesday during dinner, after they both had a couple of glasses of wine and Ada wasn¡¯t in one of her moods. I was going to need her support.

    ¡°So,¡± I said, pushing my chicken around on my plate. ¡°I¡¯m going to New Mexico tomorrow.¡±

 Page 4

    My father literally spat out a little bit of his wine.

    ¡°What?¡± He wiped his chin quickly.

    ¡°New Mexico? Perry, what are you talking about?¡± my mom asked, her face automatically in worried mode.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s for the show,¡± I said casually. ¡°We¡¯re shooting the next episode there.¡±

    ¡°Next episode? I thought that was a one-time thing¡± said my dad.

    ¡°No, I said it was a demo and if it was successful enough it would keep going. Aside from you two, other people seem to like it and Dex¡¯s boss has asked us to continue. There¡¯s a poltergeist or something on this ranch and we¡¯re going down there to film it.¡±

    My dad sighed, took off his glasses, and squeezed the bridge of his nose, something he did when he was trying to control his temper. My mom shook her head, utterly befuddled.

    ¡°Well you can¡¯t just go off to New Mexico,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t they know you have a real job?¡±

    I could feel Ada¡¯s eyes on me. I nodded quickly. ¡°Yes they do and I asked my boss and she said it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. In fact, she¡¯s seen the show and thought she saw potential in it.¡±

    Dad put the glasses back on and pushed back his chair, arms stiff against the table. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    I shrugged and turned my eyes to my chicken. ¡°Anyway, she said I could have a four-day weekend, no problem.¡±

    ¡°And will you be getting paid for those two days you miss?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Of course not, but ¨C¡±

    ¡°Perry, your mother and I don¡¯t like this one bit.¡±

    I laughed. I couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what she thinks.¡±

    I looked at my mom. I was the rock and my dad was the hard place.

    She took a deep breath. ¡°If Perry¡¯s work is OK with it, I think she should be allowed to go. Just this once though. Then we¡¯ll see what happens.¡±

    I shot a smug look at my father who answered with, ¡°You understand that this doesn¡¯t look good for you. A new promotion and you just flit it all away by taking time off? That doesn¡¯t look good at all.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I would do this if it jeopardized my job?¡± I asked with such conviction that it almost seemed true. Ada kicked me under the table. I felt very dirty.

    ¡°Besides,¡± I continued, ¡°I am getting paid for the work this weekend. It¡¯s hourly but it¡¯s still something. And flights and accommodation are covered. So technically I¡¯m actually working more by doing this.¡±

    My dad stared me straight in the eye, trying to assess if I was telling the truth or not. Satisfied, he looked away and shrugged. I knew that if I brought the money factor into it he would eventually yield.

    ¡°So I suppose you are going with this Dexter guy?¡± my mom said.

    ¡°Dex¡­not Dexter. It¡¯s short for Declan. Somehow,¡± I said tersely. ¡°And yeah. He¡¯s the cameraman. And the producer. Otherwise it would just be me wandering around the desert and talking to myself.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t like it,¡± dad said, getting out of his chair and bringing the dishes to the sink.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like anything,¡± Ada interjected.

    He dismissed her with his hand and left the room, a defeated hang to his head.

    My mother watched him go and gave us a tired smile. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him. Do you girls mind cleaning up?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Not at all. Do you mind that I¡¯m going away?¡±

    She looked down, the light catching on the slight wrinkles on her forehead. I hated those moments when you realized your parents were getting older.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather you didn¡¯t. Not for the reasons your old dad worries about, but¡­you¡¯re my daughter. I don¡¯t like the idea of you going off all over the country. With some strange man.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a strange man anymore. I mean¡­he¡¯s strange,¡± I said, then noticed her face growing even more worried. ¡°He¡¯s not a stranger, is what I am trying to say. He took great care of me last time. You talked to Uncle Al, you know.¡±

    ¡°Last time? You were almost blown up in Al¡¯s lighthouse last time.¡±

    ¡°But I made it out alive¡­,¡± I reasoned.

    ¡°I worry about you,¡± she said, putting her hand on my hand. My mother rarely showed any affection with me so the quiet gesture was touching.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Dex is a¡­smart¡­man.¡± I smiled convincingly. It was really hard to come up with a positive adjective to use to describe Dex. I knew ¡°sexy¡± wouldn¡¯t cut it with my mom.

    ¡°I worry about you, Perry. Not this guy. Not this show. I worry about you and that head of yours.¡±

    I took my hand out from under my mom¡¯s and gave her a caustic look.

    ¡°My head is fine,¡± I said slowly. I didn¡¯t know why my parents had to fret over me so much. What happened to me in the past, was in the past. Sometimes I thought it was all in their head instead of mine.

    She clasped her hands together and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I know. I¡¯m just being a worried mom.¡±

    She turned her attention to Ada who was sitting silently beside me, observing everything.

    ¡°You¡¯ll at least be here this weekend?¡±

    Ada nodded. My mother got up, awkwardly patted her on the head and left the kitchen for upstairs.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± I said, turning to Ada.

    She shrugged. ¡°I know. Why do I have to stay home this whole weekend?¡±

    ¡°No, Ada. What the hell did mom mean about my head?¡±

    An innocent look came over Ada¡¯s big kohl-rimmed eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know, do I look like mom or something? She¡¯s probably worried you¡¯re going to lose your passport or wallet or plane tickets or phone or whatever else you seem to lose on a daily basis.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± I slowly shook my head. ¡°It was something else. She can¡¯t let go of the past.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it has something to do with how easily you¡¯re able to lie to them. What was all that crap about your boss letting you have time off and how she ¡®believed¡¯ in your show or whatever? That¡¯s totally gonna bite you in the ass later. And I¡¯m not having any part of it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, like you¡¯re all perfect. You don¡¯t even have a job and yet I see these $400 dollar shoes on you every weekend. And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s all from blog advertising because I know you don¡¯t make that much yet.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything,¡± Ada said quickly and started gathering the rest of the dishes from the table.

    ¡°I know you have a massive credit card bill,¡± I admitted rather viciously. I took in a deep breath. My sister¡¯s shopping addiction and debt was honestly none of my business but for some reason I felt like being vindictive.

    She put the dishes down on the counter with a loud clatter but didn¡¯t turn around.

    ¡°And I know you¡¯re a month behind in your minimum payments. And if you don¡¯t get a handle on that soon, it¡¯s going to come around and bite you in the ass.¡±

    She whipped around, all bleached hair and hell-bent teenage fury. ¡°You snooping through my stuff now?¡±

    ¡°I was looking for my Rush concert tee in your drawer when I came across your little secret mail stash. I wasn¡¯t snooping. I saw the statement like that.¡±

    That was the truth. What was also the truth was I found a box of condoms in there as well. Let me tell you, there is nothing more frightening than seeing proof that your 15-year old sister might be having sex. But that was a topic of conversation for some other time.

    ¡°So what, you going to tell mom and dad now?¡± she said stiffly though I could see palpable fear in her eyes.

    I got up and brought my dishes over. I leaned against the counter and folded my arms. It was hard to look authoritative when you were only 5¡¯2¡± and your younger sister was a good four inches taller than you.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not going to tell them. It¡¯s none of my business. I just wish you¡¯d come to me if you were in some sort of financial trouble.¡±

    Ada laughed and started rinsing the dishes. ¡°Oh yeah, like you could help me with my finances. You don¡¯t even have a job.¡±

    ¡°Well, actually, the part about me getting paid to do the show was true, so technically I do have a job. It¡¯s just not a lucrative one. But the point is you should come and talk to me, whether you think I can help you or not.¡±

    I know Ada and I hadn¡¯t been very close and even though I certainly felt more like a sister to her over the last month or so, we still had a long ways to go. But I knew the first step was to start treating each other as allies instead of enemies. To me, that meant being able to trust each other. Even if it was just us trying to fool our parents in one way or another, it would be nice to have a partner in crime.

    ¡°Okay,¡± she said slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll try and remember that next time.¡±

    We left it at that and spent the rest of the time doing the dishes and cleaning up while making the occasional joke or gossiping about celebrities. It was a nice, comfortable evening to have before I was tossed into the wild unknowns of New Mexico, poltergeists, and Dex.

    CHAPTER THREE

    My flight to Albuquerque took off at 7PM, which meant I could have easily asked one of my parents to drive me to the airport. I opted to be stubborn though, and biked my way there. My carry-on bag was small enough that I was able to strap it to Putt-Putt with ease and I really didn¡¯t feel like being trapped in a car with my parents. I knew they were brimming with lectures ever since I told them about the trip and I didn¡¯t want to have to lie anymore about anything job-related. I hated to admit it but Ada was right. My lies would come back to bite me in the ass one day.

    It was a little sad though, as well as nerve-wracking, that I was boarding the plane by myself with no one to see me off. I watched people saying goodbye to their loved ones before they went through security and saw couples waving to each other through the window. It pinched at me, just a little bit, that I didn¡¯t have that in my life.

    It also reminded me of the last time I was on a plane. Dex had been waving goodbye to me, only to get in his car and go home to his girlfriend.

    Ah, yes. Jennifer Rodriguez. The girlfriend. I never met the woman and had no idea what she was like (except from a few rather cryptic comments from Dex), but I didn¡¯t like her. I don¡¯t even know why she boiled my blood so much, there was just something about her. This wasn¡¯t anything new with me ¨C I tended to hate on a lot of people for no apparent reason. But it bothered me more than most.

    I thought it was because she was Dex¡¯s girlfriend and it alerted some internal competition mode. But lately my feelings toward Dex were more annoyed than lustful and I didn¡¯t feel jealous when I thought of them together (thank God, because the last thing I wanted was to be drooling over Dex again). No, I think Jennifer got under my skin because she represented everything that I wasn¡¯t. She was a successful host. She was tall, thin, gorgeous, and exuded this glowing sexuality that I couldn¡¯t possibly fake in a million years. I had the feeling she was one of those types that never had to work a day in her life and people were always bending over just to wipe her ass. She probably shit gold, too.

 Page 5

    So she embodied everything I hated and everything I wasn¡¯t ¨C yet in the back of my mind, she was something I strived to be. How sick was that?

    Thankfully these thoughts didn¡¯t occupy my mind the entire three-hour flight, as obsessive as I was about things. I had given myself plenty of time to get nervous and worked up too.

    There was just so much pressure for us to get everything right this time. No one gets things right the first time, so any shortcomings we had with the pilot episode (and there were many) were totally justifiable. But if we messed up this time, we had no excuses. Not only did I need to know what I was talking about, I also had to look like I knew what I was talking about. The books would help with that first part, but the real problem came with self-confidence. That would be very hard for me to fake.

    Near 10PM the flight made its descent. I stared out the window at the black view and wished we were landing in the daylight so I could at least get a glimpse of what Albuquerque looked like. There was something unsettling about landing in an unknown place in the dark.

    After I grabbed my carry-on bag out of the overhead compartment, and made my way into the surprisingly small but delightfully southwestern airport, I became inexplicably weak in the knees.

    I ducked into a bathroom and lightly dabbed a wet paper towel on my cheeks, trying to regain my breath that had become increasingly labored and erratic. I nervously put on blush, eyeliner and lipstick, and smeared powder all over my face, then quickly ran a brush through my hair. Looking less like I was on a plane for the last couple of hours, my heart started to calm down and I regained feeling in my legs. It was funny how these wee panic attacks of mine crept up at the strangest times. I don¡¯t know why I got so nervous about seeing Dex again. I took a deep breath and emerged from the bathroom.

    I walked to the baggage claim and arrivals area, self-conscious, thinking he was somewhere, waiting for me. I scanned the crowd for that face of his. I wanted to say it was a familiar face but for a few split seconds I had forgotten what he looked like.

    Despite the fact that the crowd was quickly dwindling, I couldn¡¯t spot anyone that jogged my memory. I positioned myself by the half-empty baggage carousel, trying to look like I was waiting for my bags. After ten minutes had rolled by and all the bags had been taken off, I felt my chest fill with ice and started to wonder what the hell would happen if he didn¡¯t show up. How stupid was I to fly down to freaking New Mexico by myself with no back-up plans?

    As I tormented myself with ¡°what-if¡± scenarios and guilt-tripping for not being more responsible, I felt a solid tap on my shoulder.

    I spun around, ducking slightly, my arms poised and ready. Karate instincts.

    It was Dex, of course.

    He took a quick step back, eyeing my ninja arms, then gave me an apologetic look.

    ¡°Sorry, my flight got in late, I was just renting the car.¡±

    I barely heard his gruff voice. I was focused on the fact that what used to be a very slight dusting of facial hair on his lip was now a full-on moustache.

    ¡°Nice stache!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but exclaim with a laugh. He did somehow look different than he did three weeks ago. Aside from the moustache, which I admit suited him for some reason, his black hair was a bit longer and shaggier, a swoop of it falling across his broad forehead. Even his chin scruff was thicker and covered more territory.

    His eyes were still dark and intense though they had that sleepy, heavy-lidded look which I had come to associate with his subdued moods. Thankfully, he did look happy to see me.

    He stroked his moustache like a master villain and broke into his very Joker-esque smile. ¡°Thanks. I thought I would get a head start with Movember next month.¡±

    Movember, in November, was the month where men decide to grow moustaches. Not many women looked forward to Movember.

    ¡°Well, luckily you pull it off,¡± I said brightly, feeling just a little awkward.

    He grinned again, shook his head and fished a packet of Nicorette out of his pocket. He popped a square into his mouth and bit down, looking at me the whole time. I had forgotten about the unnerving way he studied people, especially me.

    ¡°You got everything?¡± he asked, eying my bag.

    I patted it. ¡°I travel light.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know women could do that.¡±

    He turned and walked off towards the doors. Even though he was already on the thin side and had on a big navy hoodie and black cargo shorts, he looked like he might have dropped some weight recently. His ass still looked good. OK, I shouldn¡¯t have been looking but I couldn¡¯t help it.

    I followed him outside where the dry yet surprisingly cold air nipped at my face and seeped through my light jacket. It wasn¡¯t raining like it would have been in Portland, in fact I could already see many stars in the sky despite the city lights, but it wasn¡¯t exactly warm either.

    I brought my jacket in closer around me and scuttled after him towards the parking lot. For a guy that was only 5¡¯9¡± at best, he did cover a lot of ground with his strides. Then again, I was a good five inches shorter than him with stubby legs that didn¡¯t quite move as smoothly as I would have liked. I blamed my flabby thighs for always slowing me down. Damn friction.

    As we walked, he spat out his gum, reached into his other pocket, brought out a packet of cigarettes and stuck one in his mouth. He looked behind him at me and stopped, bringing out his gold lighter and igniting it with one quick motion.

    I caught up to him with what must have been an incredulous look on my face.

    He shrugged at my expression. ¡°At least I¡¯m not smoking and chewing at the same time.¡±

    Yeah. At least. I gave him a disapproving look and we started off for the car again. Funny thing was that Dex wasn¡¯t really a smoker. I remembered he only lit up a few times towards the end of our last ¡°adventure¡± and that was only after we survived nearly getting blown up in the lighthouse.

    Then again, Dex wasn¡¯t normal. He admitted before that he was bi-polar but I wasn¡¯t sure if I believed that. I mean, he was strange and weird and quite manic at times but I had never seen him depressed or anything. Whatever he was, I did know he took medication for it. Whether that medication did him any good, well, I didn¡¯t know him well enough to have an opinion. I hoped that by the end of our trip I would, though. I had forgotten how much this man intrigued me.

    We located the car (a Jeep, in case we were headed for rough and tumble lands) and soon we were on our way. Where? I had no idea.

    I expected an element of awkwardness while in the car with Dex. It always took me awhile to get into the groove when meeting people again and he wasn¡¯t the type of person to ever make things easy for you. But surprisingly, he was acting relaxed and jovial.

    ¡°Where are we spending the night?¡± I asked, watching the lights of the airport disappear in the side mirrors.

    ¡°I thought we would camp in the middle of the desert. I told you we were doing this on the cheap.¡±

    I looked out at the blackness and felt deathly uncomfortable from the fathomless deserts that it hid. Camping in the desert seemed like a death wish.

    I tried to look at him as calmly as possible but I could tell my eyes were raging. He gave me a sleepy grin.

    ¡°Relax, stress case. We¡¯ve got a motel. One we¡¯ll probably be sharing with a bunch of hookers, but I take it you¡¯re pretty liberal.¡±

    ¡°Hardy har har.¡± I glared at him, enjoying our sparring. He gave me a wink and turned his attention back to the road.

    ¡°So, how are you?¡± he asked. The sincerity in his voice made me suspicious.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a terrible liar.¡±

    I cocked my head at him. ¡°What? I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t say I was great.¡±

    ¡°You should be great, Perry. You should be jazzed as shit. New Mexico, man. Just look at this place.¡± He gestured at the darkness then took a quick peek at me.

    ¡°Something¡¯s different with you.¡±

    I shrugged. ¡°To be fair, you don¡¯t know me all that well.¡±

    ¡°This is true. But there¡¯s something you¡¯re not telling me.¡±

    It was my turn to laugh. ¡°There are many things I¡¯m not telling you.¡±

    He peered at me, his brown eyes glinted like black stones. A flicker of intensity ran across them. ¡°I¡¯ll get to the bottom of you before this is all over.¡±

    I held his gaze while an impulsive smile gently tugged at the corner of my mouth. There was a current of tension in the car, but of what kind I didn¡¯t know. It was wishful thinking on my part to think it was sexual in any way.

    I looked away first and just in time to see a car parked up ahead in the middle of the road. We were seconds from colliding with it.

    ¡°Dex!¡± I screamed and thrust my hands out on the dash, bracing for certain impact.

    The rest was a blur. The high pitched squeal of brakes filled my ears as Dex slammed on them and whipped the wheel around. The Jeep slid and lurched beneath us but thanks to his fancy maneuvering, we came to a stop on the shoulder, a few yards past the car. The road was dark and devoid of traffic at that moment, which probably saved our life.

    But alive and well or not, I could barely breathe and my poor heart was skipping loudly. Dex was leaning forward, clutching the wheel desperately. He slowly loosened his grip and looked over at me. He looked absolutely stunned.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    I nodded, trying to regain my breath.

    He nodded too, as if to say he was OK. He looked behind us. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡±

    I turned around in my seat. The car was a small compact and was parked at a diagonal across both lanes of the highway. The lights outside and inside the car were on and all four doors were open wide. There was no one in the car at all. It was like they all ran out and vanished into the darkness. That thought made me very ill and very afraid.

    ¡°What happened?¡± I whispered. He shook his head and then unbuckled his seat belt. I immediately put my hand on his to stop him.

    ¡°What are you doing, you can¡¯t go out there!¡± I hissed.

    He unbuckled it anyway and opened the door.

    ¡°You stay here. People might be hurt.¡±

    And with that he shut the door on me and left me in the car. Fuck that!

    I quickly unbuckled mine, leaped out of the car and ran over to Dex. I expected him to tell me to go back but it¡¯s like he knew I would join him anyway.

    There were still no other cars around, which I thought was eerie considering we weren¡¯t that far from the city. The lights from the abandoned car and our Jeep were the only lights we could see.

    The car wasn¡¯t running. We saw no tire marks on the road to indicate they had to stop quickly (unlike our Jeep which left hefty marks in its wake). It was like someone calmly decided to park it there and leave.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± I started but Dex quickly threw his arm back at me and held me in place, finger to his lips. He stopped and peered intently at the car. We were only a few feet away. I wanted to grab on to him for dear life.

    I also wanted to ask him what he was looking at but didn¡¯t dare speak. Or breathe.

    He took a tentative step forward.

    Then I saw it.

    Something popped up in the backseat and then disappeared. I didn¡¯t know what it was but I can tell you it wasn¡¯t human.

 Page 6

    Dex slowly turned and looked at me, the whites of his eyes glowing madly in the sparse light.

    ¡°We better leave,¡± he said quickly, turning around and yanking me towards our car.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I cried out, still wanting to see despite the thick fear in my throat. I looked back as Dex dragged me forward, his grip on my arm strong.

    Something shadowy moved in the backseat again. The car rocked back and forth for a few seconds¡­

    The head of a coyote poked out of the car. Seeing us, it jumped out of the backseat and onto the road.

    I gasped. Dex turned to look and stopped.

    The coyote held us in its gaze, its eyes strangely familiar. I¡¯d seen coyotes before; they were a nuisance in the countryside around Portland. But there was something strangely terrifying about this one. Maybe it was the circumstances¡­had that coyote just eaten everyone in the car?

    I couldn¡¯t tear my eyes away from it. It just stood there, as still as the air around us, but I had this feeling like it already had its teeth in me. Its eyes were the strangest green color. They sparked with intelligence. Did coyotes even have green eyes?

    Suddenly, I felt a hard pull on my arm again. Dex dragged me towards the Jeep. I looked back and the coyote was gone.

    It was like some heavy fog lifted from my eyes, as if the last few seconds had been a dream and I was finally coming to. We quickly got in our vehicle and without saying a word to me, he thrust it into gear and we sprinted down the highway at an alarming speed.

    I stared at him. His hands were back to holding the steering wheel with a Kung-Fu grip, his mouth was set in a firm line and his eyes¡­well, his eyes weren¡¯t fearful but they were lost in thought.

    I wanted to ask him what had just happened¡­where did the occupants of the car go? Why was there a coyote in the car? Why did we have to leave so fast? But I could see I wouldn¡¯t be getting anything out of him tonight. I had to come up with the answers by myself. I turned my attention to the blackness sweeping past us, made more mysterious now knowing a party of people could be out there, just wandering the desert.

    I didn¡¯t know what had happened to the people in the car, but I knew they weren¡¯t attacked by a coyote. Coyotes wouldn¡¯t dare attack a party of humans, no matter how hungry they were. If anything, the car was abandoned and the coyote was scavenging for any¡­leftovers. I shuddered at the thought of rogue body parts in the backseat.

    I wasn¡¯t quite satisfied with that conclusion but it had to do for the remainder of the drive. Within an hour we were pulling up to a nondescript motel perched at the edge of a deadbeat town. We hadn¡¯t said a word to each other the whole time.

    My room looked straight out of a bad 70¡¯s porn. The wallpaper was peeling in the corners, there were nicotine stains on the walls, and the bed was one of those coin-operated models. The only thing missing was the shag carpeting.

    I plunked my bag on the lone chair, not willing to trust the patchy ground, and carefully sat on the corner of the bed. I had a bad experience with bedbugs once and that was in a quality hotel. I didn¡¯t want to think of what could be hiding in the scratchy sheets here.

    I sighed and took stock. Had my life really come to this? Staying in a gross motel in New Mexico on some crazy ghost hunting expedition? Things always sounded cooler before you actually lived them. We hadn¡¯t even seen any ghosts and already I had the creeps, which explained why I jumped out of my skin a bit when there was a sudden knock at the door.

    I got up and peered through the peephole. My heart eased as I saw Dex, though I wasn¡¯t quite sure who else it would have been.

    I opened the door. He leaned against the frame, not moving. He looked a bit stoned; his eyes were glazed and looking past me at some blank spot on the bed. A toothpick jutted about lazily in his mouth.

    ¡°Um, hey. Good hotel pick, by the way,¡± I joked. ¡°I was thinking we could put our beds beside each other and race down the hallway¡­might cost a couple of bucks extra though.¡±

    He grinned. ¡°Are you coming on to me?¡±

    I wasn¡¯t but I felt heat come to my cheeks anyway. I rolled my eyes. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Just checking up on you,¡± he said defensively.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­considerate. What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    The glaze left his eyes for a second before he laughed it away. ¡°OK, suit yourself. Thought you may have wanted some company.¡±

    Was he coming on to me? I narrowed my eyes, studying him. I can¡¯t say the thought didn¡¯t entice me. But aside from his languid gaze, I couldn¡¯t pick up on anything different. It was just Dex. Standing seductively in the doorway of my seedy motel room (OK, so you can see why I would naturally jump to such conclusions).

    And suddenly, while this dialogue was going on inside my head, I realized the situation had become awkward. At least for me, anyway. Dex didn¡¯t seem disturbed in the slightest.

    Regardless, he said, ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll be setting off at 8AM tomorrow. The town of Red Fox is about a two or three hour drive from here. Just be ready and primped and all that before then.¡±

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m gonna get much sleep¡­or primping¡­done in this place?¡±

    He laughed. ¡°Princess, I don¡¯t care. See you in the morning.¡±

    And with that he spun around and walked to his room next door. I heard his door close. I slowly shut mine and felt incredibly alone. And miffed. Princess? Who did he think he was?

    I turned and nervously eyed the bed. I decided to sleep on top of the sheets that night.

    CHAPTER FOUR

    The day was already hot and arid, even at 8AM. The hotel manager said they were having an unseasonably warm fall and we would probably approach the upper nineties later that afternoon. As I stood outside by the Jeep and waited for Dex to finish up paying for the rooms, I welcomed the impending heat. I think it was the Pacific Northwestern in me; most of the year we were enveloped in depressing dampness so I soaked up every warm opportunity I had.

    The sun sat loftily above the mountains, its sharp light clearing the cobwebs from my foggy head. I was running on very little sleep. When I wasn¡¯t freezing cold from the room¡¯s air con which just wouldn¡¯t switch off, I was dreaming about bedbugs and/or some coyote zombies. After last night¡¯s ¡°incident¡± (and I¡¯m sure there will be many of them) I convinced myself coyote zombies were an actual thing.

    It wasn¡¯t long before Dex emerged from the office and made his way out towards me. He had black shades on, a plain black tee shirt which fit him perfectly and his black cargo shorts. Against the dry backdrop he bared a resemblance to an emo Man in Black.

    ¡°The desert seems to suit you, Mr. Cash,¡± I said, smiling. He didn¡¯t smile back. He went straight for the back of the Jeep and started riffling through his bag in the trunk.

    I peeked over as he frantically started dumping stuff everywhere, searching for something.

    ¡°Is everything OK? Did your credit card not go through?¡±

    There was no way I could afford to pay for us.

    He quickly shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s all fine.¡±

    He sighed loudly and stood up, his hands pressed against the sides of his head. The next words out of my mouth were going to be ¡®what is it?¡¯ but there was something hostile about his current crisis. I decided not to say anything and see what would happen.

    I bit my lip, looked away at the mountains and kicked up the dust on the ground with my vintage cowboy boots.

    He exhaled again, almost like he was begging me to say something, then quickly turned and ran back into the hotel. He went past the lobby, I guess to his room.

    It was obvious that he had forgotten something. I looked in the back where his bag had expunged its bowels. Things were scattered everywhere, but as far as I could make out, all of the camera equipment was present. And he had packed several pairs of underwear (boxer briefs, in case you were wondering. I know I had been).

    If we had our gear and were able to pay for the hotel, I wasn¡¯t sure what he was freaking out about. So, I just leaned back against the Jeep, the hot exterior already singing my skin, and waited. I was determined not to freak my own self out just because Dex had lost something important. Lately, when I found myself getting panicky over other people I started reminding myself that it wasn¡¯t my problem.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a problem,¡± Dex said as he came out of the building, his jaw stern, eyes hidden by the shades.

    My heart did a few slow thumpa-thumps. Spoke too soon.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked slowly.

    He pointed to the door. ¡°Nevermind. Let¡¯s just get going. Can¡¯t do anything about it right now.¡±

    I exhaled and shook my head at him as I got in the car. He didn¡¯t notice.

    I waited for him to say something but five minutes into the drive, he seemed more interested in popping his CDs into the player. As he fumbled for a Deftones album, I caught a shimmer from his left hand. I looked closer. He had a friggin¡¯ ring on his ring finger. It looked exactly like a wedding band.

    My heart went thumpa-thump again. Only the feeling was much more devastating than anything else that caused my chest distress in the last 24 hours.

    Did Dex get married over the last few weeks? I didn¡¯t even know he was engaged - he had always referred to Jenn as his girlfriend.

    I felt stupid and na?ve and, also, a bit sick. I couldn¡¯t help my feelings. It was now obvious that I liked him a lot more than I had let myself believe. If he was married now¡­ugh. I just felt like it was all over. My despair surprised me.

    I think he must have noticed the sudden weight of my mood because he gave me a curious look.

    ¡°What? I know you love Chino.¡±

    I shook my head slowly (though yes, I did love the Deftones¡¯ singer) and nodded at his left hand. How could I have not noticed it yesterday?

    He looked down at it and wiggled it around in the air. It was hefty platinum ring and looked handsome on his long fingers.

    ¡°Ah, you like it? I¡¯m not much of a ring man but I thought it looked passable.¡±

    ¡°When did you get married?¡± I said, my voice a little squeakier than I would have liked.

    He raised his glasses on top of his head and stared into my eyes. His own looked red and a bit wired. He searched me earnestly for a moment before a smile slowly broke across his wide mouth.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡± he asked.

    I didn¡¯t know. I shrugged, confused.

    He laughed and put his sunglasses back on.

    ¡°OK kiddo, I guess now¡¯s the time to fill you in on some things.¡±

    Yes, please.

    He reached into his pant pocket with his other hand and fished around for something. I watched, still, but my heart was doing summersaults inside.

    ¡°Put out your hand,¡± he said.

    I put out my right one. He took my left one instead, flipped it palm down, and slid a ring over my own ring finger.

    I looked down. It was a pretty silver ring with a solitary pear-cut diamond on it.

    I didn¡¯t know what to say. Or think. What the hell was going on? I felt the tiniest flicker of a shameless, hopeful thought forming at the back of my head.

    ¡°Now we are betrothed,¡± he announced, which only caused the flicker to flame.

    ¡°Ummm¡­.,¡± was the only response I had.

 Page 7

    ¡°Funny, I thought you¡¯d be more into it than that,¡± he joked. I stared at the ring, then at him and then at the ring again.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly filling me in on anything. I would have remembered if we had gotten married,¡± I finally managed.

    ¡°Well, it would depend on how drunk you were.¡±

    I gave him an impatient look. The flame was going out.

    He smiled at me and shook his head. ¡°OK, well here¡¯s the thing. We¡¯re going to have to be married for the next couple of days. Hope that¡¯s OK with you. And if it¡¯s not, tough tits.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°The house, the people we are staying with in Red Fox, the people with the ghost problem, are a devout Christian couple.¡±

    ¡°I thought they were Native American¡­¡±

    ¡°They are. But converted to Christianity, I guess. Anyway, the only way they said they¡¯d let us stay with them is if we were married. And so I told them no problem, we were. Been married for three years.¡±

    This was not going to go well. I was a good liar when I had to be, but I always got the feeling that people could see straight through me. It was probably a confidence thing.

    Not only that but Dex and I were not even a couple. I didn¡¯t see how anyone would possibly buy that we were husband and wife. This scheme seemed cooked up out of a Three¡¯s Company episode and we all knew how those ended.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be Perry Foray.¡±

    ¡°That sounds way too much like Perry Farrell,¡± I said.

    ¡°Then it¡¯ll be easier for you to remember.¡±

    He turned his attention back to the dry, endless road and turned up the stereo as if to signify the conversation was over. I will admit that I was feeling a lot better about this scenario than the other scenario (that he had gotten married to Jennifer), but¡­

    I reached over and turned down the volume. He looked ticked but I figured if we were fake married, I could start acting more like a bossy wife.

    ¡°What was the other thing?¡± I asked.

    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    I sighed. ¡°You lost something. Said you¡¯d tell me about it in the car. We are in the car. The marriage thing obviously wasn¡¯t it. So what was it? Are we getting divorced now too?¡±

    He briefly bit his lip. If I could see his eyes, they probably would have been roaming fretfully.

    Finally he said, ¡°Yeah. Well, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±

    ¡°You said it was a problem.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my problem.¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Now that we¡¯re married, your problem is my problem.¡±

    A wry tug at his lips. ¡°Oh is that how relationships work?¡±

    ¡°I hear the good ones do.¡±

    He nodded, looking serious, and said, ¡°I forgot my medication.¡±

    His medication. Dex¡¯s pills that kept him at an even keel. Least, that¡¯s how I understood it. As I said earlier, all I knew was that he was bi-polar or something akin to that but I had yet to really understand what that meant with him.

    ¡°Oh. OK. Can¡¯t you go to a drugstore and get a refill?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he said simply.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure if they called your doctor they could do a transfer or something.¡±

    ¡°No, not these pills.¡±

    Uh huh. Not only did he forget them but they seemed to be ultra top-secret medication as well. Why did everything have to be so difficult with him?

    ¡°Are you going to be¡­OK?¡±

    He shrugged, which didn¡¯t really assuage my fears.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve only been on these pills, well, since we last saw each other.¡±

    ¡°Did I drive you to new medication?¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡± It didn¡¯t seem like he was joking.

    ¡°Gee, thanks,¡± I said, mildly hurt. Though this was nothing new, it didn¡¯t help to hear it from him. What was it about me that drove people up the wall?

    He gave me a quick smile. ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself, kiddo. There was a lot going on and anyway, I think our whole, uh, situation, was enough to cause anyone to re-evaluate things. Didn¡¯t you start to question whether you were losing your mind after the lighthouse? You know, almost dying at the hands of a¡­thing?¡±

    Before I had time to think, I said, ¡°Yeah, but you were losing your mind way before that.¡±

    He stiffened at that remark.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said quickly. ¡°I¡­¡±

    He raised his hand to shut me up.

    ¡°The point is,¡± he continued, ¡°I thought I should be in a better frame of mind if we were to continue to do this whole fucking circus. So, no, I haven¡¯t been on them long enough to miss a dose and know what happens if I do. But if it¡¯s anything like before, it shouldn¡¯t be that big of a deal.¡±

    I still felt uneasy.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to murder me in my sleep are you?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± he said, not smiling. ¡°It¡¯ll be easy to do since we¡¯ll be sharing the same bed. I expect you¡¯ll put out now.¡±

    He looked at me, mouth shut and taught.

    I assumed he was kidding but there was always that tiny part of me who never knew what to believe. I swallowed hard and turned my attention to the landscape that was becoming more rugged and blistering as we drove on.

    Out of the corner of my eye, I eventually I caught Dex grinning. Of course it was a joke. I felt like this might be the longest weekend of my entire life.

    Two miserable hours later, we pulled into the sleepy, somewhat desolate town of Red Fox. The air-conditioning in the car decided to putz out 30 minutes into our drive, which meant the last two and a half hours we had the windows down, but with the outside temps, it didn¡¯t do anything to cool us. It was like having a hot blowdryer on your face. My hair was an absolute rat¡¯s nest, tangled to shit, my face was as dry as the cracked desert floor that tumbled by monotonously, and my entire back was soaked with sweat.

    Dex didn¡¯t look so good either. He was getting a bit twitchy and irritable, which I would have before attributed to driving in an oven, but now that I knew about his pill situation I couldn¡¯t help keep that in mind. He knew it, too. He kept nervously glancing at me from time to time, wiping the sweat off of his brow and flinging it out the window.

    Dry, rolling ranches dotted with sheep and cows announced our arrival into the township. As we got further in, the acres were replaced with a simple mix of adobe storefronts with ¡°For Lease¡± signs, peeling bungalows with broken fences and rusted bicycles, and a scattering of crooked trailer homes. I¡¯d never been in the Southwest before, but from what I gathered, it looked like a forgotten town, where residents clung desperately to their roots, no matter how badly the rest of the world moved on. There were quite a few Native Americans driving around in faded trucks or strolling the streets nonchalantly. The heat didn¡¯t seem to affect them in the slightest.

    We drove through the dusty streets, over the gritty pavement and potholes, until we came to a low wood building at the edge of town. It reminded me of that last structure of civilization that always sat at the edge of an old West main street. Indeed, there wasn¡¯t much beyond the building except the highway and endless scrub which stretched into the surrounding mountains.

    Dex drove up beside a weathered Ford truck and put the car in park. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. A bead of sweat dripped down his nose.

    I peered at the building. A small, hand-painted sign said ¡°Rudy¡¯s Place¡± and beside that, a neon Budweiser logo. A bar. It wasn¡¯t even noon but Dex drove us straight to the right place. Suddenly, nothing seemed as important as a cold, refreshing beer.

    ¡°You read my mind,¡± I told him.

    He didn¡¯t open his eyes or wipe away the sweat droplet, which now hung from the tip of his nose. It started to bug me.

    Without thinking, I reached over with my hand and wiped it off. To his credit, Dex didn¡¯t flinch. He opened his eyes though and gave me a strange look.

    ¡°We¡¯re meeting someone here,¡± he said in a tone that insinuated I should know.

    ¡°Whatever, I can¡¯t sit any longer.¡±

    I rolled up the window, grabbed my purse and stepped out of the car. I had no idea who we were meeting, I just needed to get out of the car, even though being outside wasn¡¯t much better.

    It was absolutely sweltering. You know when people tell you it¡¯s OK because it¡¯s a dry heat? That¡¯s bullshit. 100 degrees dry is still 100 degrees and I was sweating like a pig. I stretched my legs back and forth and tried to take in a breath of fresh air but all I got was dry dust.

    A pretty, pale pink adobe house across the street caught my eye in a weird way. There wasn¡¯t anything really unusual about it except for surprisingly colorful flowers adorning the sides. It would have been a soothing sight among all dirt, except for seven large crows perched ominously in a dead tree in the front yard. It was such a weird contrast ¨C perhaps that¡¯s why I felt drawn to it. The murder seemed like a black blot on the smooth fa?ade of the only nice building in town.

    And then, a movement at the window of the house caught my eye. There was someone standing there, watching me, watching us. I wished the glare of the window wasn¡¯t obscuring so much, but from what I could make out it was a woman. A woman in a long, poofy, shiny gown with¡­

    I stopped myself. It couldn¡¯t be, could it?

    I squinted, straining against the sun. It looked like there were multi-colored dots or pom poms on the dress, scattered throughout. I had seen that before. It made my ears ring and my blood whoosh loudly in my head.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Dex¡¯s voice broke into my trance.

    I looked behind me. He was standing by the door, beckoning me over to the bar with his finger, as if he had been waiting a while. Though, maybe he had.

    I looked back at the house. The woman in the clown-ish dress was gone. Only the crows remained, as if they were her loyal guardians. I waited a few beats before walking back to Dex.

    He took off his sunglasses, shoved them in his pocket and peered at me.

    ¡°You OK there, kiddo?¡±

    I nodded, knowing there was no use explaining what I probably didn¡¯t see. ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡±

    He gave me the once over. ¡°You can¡¯t handle the heat, huh?¡±

    Phhfff. As if he could. His shirt was clinging to him (to his pecs, nicely), his hair was a damp mop on his forehead, and if it wasn¡¯t for his telltale smirk I would have thought he was close to passing out.

    I crossed my sweaty arms and nodded at the glass door. The layer of grime gave no glimpse to the inside.

    ¡°So, who are we meeting here?¡±

    ¡°An old friend.¡±

    ¡°Of mine?¡±

    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Max. My old friend, Max. He was the guy who told me about this place.¡±

    ¡°How do you know him?¡±

    Dex squinted off into the distance, pursed his lips slightly. ¡°In college. We were in the same band.¡±

    ¡°Sing Sin Sinatra,¡± I said excitedly, remembering that he used to be the singer in a lounge/rock band. He never talked about it much and there were no YouTube clips so I didn¡¯t know too much about them. But I did know he had an amazing voice, no surprise considering how sexy his gravely speaking voice was.

 Page 8

    Did I say sexy? Whoops.

    He looked a bit chagrined, maybe a bit annoyed. ¡°Yeah, that was it. He played bass. We lost touch but, you know, found each other and shit on Facebook. Turns out these days, he¡¯s a¡­a¡­well, I¡¯ll just come out and say it, a ghost whisperer.¡±

    I raised my brows. ¡°Aren¡¯t we considered that?¡±

    He smiled and fished out a piece of Nicorette gum out of his pocket. He started chewing it faster than he should have. Old friend or not, Dex didn¡¯t like talking about him. Or maybe it was the past he didn¡¯t like talking about.

    ¡°This guy is supposedly a real ghost whisperer,¡± he said between chews. ¡°He¡¯s kind of for hire. People call him when they want someone to talk to their dead loved ones.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    His mouth slowed down. ¡°I am serious. Doesn¡¯t mean I think he¡¯s legit.¡±

    He looked around him and peered through the door before continuing, voice lowered, ¡°Actually, I think he¡¯s full of shit. But he called me here and I don¡¯t think he would have done that for nothing.¡±

    And with that he spit out his gum and opened the door to the bar. ¡°After you.¡±

    I walked into the bar. It was dark, very dark, with shades pulled down on most of the streaky windows. It was probably to keep the heat out, and it was doing a fine job, along with the various huge wooden fans that whirred creakily from the ceiling. It gave the place a rather morbid, squalid feel.

    A woman stood behind the bar serving a beer to a man who looked like Will Farrell¡¯s Old Prospector from Saturday Night Live, complete with filthy hat and denim jacket. The bartender paused, looking us up and down before giving the man his drink. She was tall, pushing late thirties, weathered and no nonsense. She regarded us very cautiously with no hint of hospitality.

    Dex came in beside me gave the woman a quick wave and smile. ¡°Good afternoon. We¡¯re here to meet someone.¡±

    She didn¡¯t say anything but her eyes shifted to the left.

    To the left we looked. That part of the bar opened up into a much larger area. There were a couple of pool tables, an ancient pinball machine, scattered tables and chairs, a sawdust floor, lazily placed barrels for ¡°ambience¡± and a row of booths. In the last booth sat a tall man, the only other person in the bar.

    I looked at Dex and whispered, ¡°Is that him?¡±

    Dex stared at him and didn¡¯t mutter a word, but I could see the recognition in his eyes, the wheels turning. We¡¯d found him.

    Max looked down at the table, writing something with care. He had earphones on, so he probably didn¡¯t hear us come in but from the engrossed look on his face, he probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed anyway. He was rather attractive ¨C my first thought was that he looked like a ginger rockabilly. He had red hair pushed back into a top-heavy coif, thick lips that were ready to snarl. I couldn¡¯t see his eyes properly but I bet they were green. He was wearing a faded blue flannel shirt that fit his wide frame nicely and gave him a wholesome look that stood out in this joint. Light spilled in from the window next to him, showcasing the dust that floated around his head.

    Dex cleared his throat (nervously?) and walked towards him. I followed, wondering if this was going to awkward somehow.

    Max looked up as Dex approached and immediately grinned. He threw his earphones on the table with a clatter and leaped up. Standing in front of us I could see how tall he really was, a big, barrel-chested thing of a man.

    ¡°Well looky what the cat dragged in!¡± Max exclaimed and embraced Dex in a bear hug that nearly picked him off the ground. I couldn¡¯t see Dex¡¯s face but he had to be uncomfortable. He didn¡¯t seem like a public affection kind of guy.

    They parted, the dust swirling around them.

    ¡°Good to see you Max,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    Dex sounded a bit melancholic. Max continued to smile but his eyes fell a bit. I felt like I was intruding on something from out of the past. A lot of baggage hung in the air between them.

    ¡°It¡¯s been too long,¡± Max said carefully, still with a grin. He had a creamy Southern drawl.

    ¡°Just long enough.¡±

    They both smiled at each other with a tinge of shame. Maybe I was imagining that though. Either way, I was starting to feel shy and out of place. I looked behind me at the bartender. She was watching us all intensely. She caught my eye, moved over to a radio and flicked a switch. ¡°Radar Love¡± came blaring on the speakers. It took me a second to realize the bar must have been dead quiet before.

    ¡°Max, this is Perry,¡± I heard Dex say.

    I turned and gave the tall redhead a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you, Max.¡±

    I offered him my hand which he took and shook between his two, large hands. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at them. Nice hands, nice forearms. No wedding ring. Then I remembered I had one on my own damn hand.

    ¡°You can call me Maximus, please,¡± he implored. I looked up at him. I was right, he had very nice, bright green eyes.

    Dex snorted. ¡°Maximus? You hated that name.¡±

    Maximus let go of my hand and answered Dex while looking at me, ¡°I hated a lot of things when I was young and stupid.¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Dex injected, ¡°shall we get down to it?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in quite the rush, aren¡¯t you?¡± Max pondered, more of statement than a question. He was right. Dex was looking agitated, the toothpick was back in his mouth again. I felt a rush of sympathy remembering his medication problems, so I touched Dex¡¯s shoulder and gently pushed him to the booth.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you boys sit down while I get us all beers, OK? My treat,¡± I smiled broadly at them, trying to dissipate the tension that seemed to be emanating from Dex.

    ¡°Why, thank you Perry,¡± Maximus drawled. ¡°That¡¯s mighty kind of you. Shit.¡±

    I giggled internally at the sound of his drawl and made my way over to the bar. I didn¡¯t really have the extra cash, nor did I want to deal with the bartender but I had to do something. Besides I wanted a beer from the moment we pulled into this desolate town.

    Luckily, the bartender was pleasant enough to serve me my three beers. She didn¡¯t make any small talk but neither did I.

    When I got back to the table I was relieved to see that they weren¡¯t involved in any intimate conversation. I plunked the beers down in front of them and Dex visibly relaxed. I motioned for him to scoot over so I could sit down and he did.

    ¡°Cheers,¡± Maximus said, holding up his beer. We all clinked.

    ¡°To new beginnings,¡± Dex said.

    ¡°Ain''t that the truth,¡± I muttered. I didn¡¯t want to be reminded of how new everything was for me at this moment. Not just the here and now but what waited back for me at home¡­uncertainty. It had being pawing at my subconscious all day long.

    And at that I took the longest swig of my beer. Nothing has ever tasted so good in my life. I put the bottle down, surprised to see it half gone already. Everyone else¡¯s was as well.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to need more beer soon, I reckon,¡± Maximus laughed. ¡°This time I¡¯m buying.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m counting on it,¡± Dex said. ¡°In the meantime, why not fill Perry in a little on what¡¯s going. I haven¡¯t told her too much.¡±

    Maximus nodded, his face growing more serious but his eyes still frothy in the harsh afternoon light.

    ¡°Well then Perry. As you may or may not know, I¡¯m a ghost mediator-¡±

    I felt Dex kick me lightly under the table at that.

    ¡°-who helps people connect with their loved ones. Most of the time they just want to know if they are OK, want to know if they are still remembered. I don¡¯t do anything special, I can¡¯t really pass on messages like people seem to think. All I can do is go to a place that someone has died and get a sort of life energy from that spot. I don¡¯t know how to explain it scientifically, hell it would all be considered hooey to most people, but I feel like when people die, the act of death itself leaves a magnetic mark. Somehow I am able to see and feel this mark. I can know how they died, how they felt at the time and right before.¡±

    I was trying to keep an open look on my face while listening to this, in case he thought I was being judgmental. But it was hard not to be, even though in the context of what I¡¯ve been through it was actually perfectly logical.

    ¡°So you can¡¯t really communicate with them¡­the dead?¡± I said.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s a one-way street at best. But most people still ask me to tell the dead things¡­I don¡¯t argue. It¡¯s money.¡± He shrugged then continued, ¡°And it¡¯s because of that belief, I get most of my business. I helped a widower with her late husband a while back. Nothing unusual, the man just had a heart attack. But she wanted to know if he felt loved. Seems they had an argument earlier that day about something stupid like the dishes or something. The man didn¡¯t die happy, I can tell you that much but I didn¡¯t tell her that. No one dies happy.¡±

    I felt Dex tense up beside me. I stole a quick glance at him. He was peeling the label off his perspiring bottle. I had an abstract thought about sexual frustration then turned my attention back to Maximus.

    ¡°But from what I felt, he had lived a pretty fulfilled life and he loved his wife, I guess, so that¡¯s what I told her. She told a lot of people she knew, including one of her cousins. Will Lancaster. Will lives here in Red Fox. Called me about a week ago about a disturbance at his ranch. Sort of your stereotypical haunting stuff if you ask me¡­rocks being thrown at the window and roof, doors slamming shut, the feeling of being watched, sheep carcasses turning up all bloodied and disfigured, crows flying through the house.¡±

    I shuddered at the mention of crows. I looked out the window to the house across the street and sure enough they were still there, that black blot on the dead tree. Maximus followed my gaze and nodded.

    ¡°So I went there and tried to do a reading to figure out what was going on. Wasn¡¯t much help. Will was scared, clearly, but ashamed of it. He¡¯s a big Navajo man, he didn¡¯t like to admit to his ranch hands that he brought me there. Let alone his wife. Sarah, she¡¯s blind and¡­well, kind of a bitch.¡±

    Dex laughed. I wanted to but felt like I should admonish him. Maximus caught my eye sheepishly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s true. Lordy, she did not want me there. And she¡¯s not going to want you there, so I¡¯m warning you now.¡±

    ¡°Fabulous,¡± I sighed. ¡°So, what did you find?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± He held up his earphones, which were connected to an mp3 device. ¡°I¡¯ve been going back and listening to my notes, our conversations¡­nothing died there, that¡¯s the problem. I couldn¡¯t pick up on anything at all.¡±

    He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you this¡­there is something strange going on. I don¡¯t know what but that¡¯s why you¡¯re here now.¡±

    Dex finished the rest of his beer. I looked at him for his opinion but he wasn¡¯t very forthcoming. He just tapped his foot on the floor to the beat of an unknown song.

    ¡°So¡­how do we begin?¡± I asked.

 Page 9

    ¡°For starters, I was hoping that Rudy would be here. But he¡¯s not in until tomorrow night.¡±

    I raised my brow.

    ¡°Rudy owns the bar,¡± he explained. ¡°He¡¯s also a guy who knows a lot. Knows a lot of people, has lived here his whole life and has seen a lot of things. A lot of things.¡±

    ¡°So we come back here tomorrow night. And what do we do until then?¡±

    Dex impulsively reached over and grabbed my left hand and displayed it for Maximus to see.

    ¡°Made an honest woman out of her, like you said.¡±

    Maximus laughed and leaned back in the booth, giving me a wry look. ¡°Sorry about having you get hitched to Dex here. Will and Sarah are fiercely Christian. At least Sarah is¡­real old school. Now I¡¯ve dealt with a lot of religious mamas in Lafayette, but she takes the cake. Pretty much walks around with a cross. She¡¯d probably throw holy water on you if she found out you weren¡¯t actually married. Two singletons sharing the same bed? Blasphemous shit.¡±

    He laughed again and got up. ¡°Time for more beers.¡±

    ¡°Jack Daniels,¡± Dex shot at him. ¡°You owe me a double.¡±

    Maximus waved him off and walked his hulking body over to the bar.

    I inched away from Dex to get a good look at him. He had the label off and was working at folding it into an origami figure. He looked pale, his eyes were burning holes into this project, his brow furrowed, jaw clenched, and toe tapping.

    Finally, he stopped, put down the paper (a bird of some sort) and closed his eyes. ¡°What is it?¡±

    I looked behind me to make sure Maximus was at the bar and, satisfied, I leaned in closer to his ear. ¡°I just wanted to see how you were doing.¡±

    He let out a chuckle. ¡°You care suddenly?¡±

    He was acting like a little boy, not the Dex I was used to seeing.

    ¡°Of course I care. I mean, you know¡­I¡¯m worried about you. The medication withdrawal, meeting an old friend-¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a friend,¡± he said. He picked up the origami bird and shoved it down the bottle of his empty beer. He took out a match from one of his pockets, lit it on the table and dropped it in the bottle. The paper began to curl and smolder, smoke rising out of the neck. I watched, fascinated.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°You were in the same band, same school¡­¡±

    He raised the bottle up and watched the smoke snake around. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you that it all means nothing. Do I?¡±

    I guess he didn¡¯t. I hated 90% of the people that I went to school with.

    ¡°Well, OK then,¡± I said, annoyed. ¡°You know, I have to work with you for the next few days. I just want to make sure you¡¯re OK¡­OK?¡±

    I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly. There was something so irresistibly vulnerable about him. He eyed my hand for a moment, then spat in the bottle to put out the flame. Pretty disgusting way to ruin a moment, Dex.

    He looked at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Just worry about yourself.¡±

    That was easier said than done.

    ¡°I am worried about myself,¡± I blurted out.

    He raised his brow, the eyebrow ring glinting. I said too much. Now he looked concerned.

    ¡°Remember I said I¡¯d get to the bottom of you¡­¡±

    I nodded and switched the subject, ¡°So do you trust Maximus here?¡±

    Dex held my eyes for a few beats. I could see he wasn¡¯t satisfied. But he looked over at Maximus who was now walking back over. ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone Perry. Neither should you. But I¡¯ll give him the benefit of the doubt.¡±

    ¡°Your refreshments,¡± Maximus said proudly, placing our drinks down. I think he knew we had been talking about him but it didn¡¯t seem to bother him. Wish I had that ability to just shrug things off like that.

    As we drank our drinks, the conversation went to more ¡°normal¡± topics. Unfortunately, they were topics that seemed to make both Dex and I a bit apprehensive. I was asked a lot about my life: what I did, my family, my personal life. I felt like I lied through all of it, even when I told the truth. Guess I was just so used to it now. Dex could tell too, he was watching me, which made me even more nervous. I¡¯m not sure why I still felt like I had to lie and pretend everything was peachy back at home but there it was. It was like I had more power in the lie.

    Then Maximus told us a bit about what he had been doing after college and how he got into the business of ¡°ghost mediating.¡± Apparently he always had the gift, I guess you could call it, but just thought he was a bit mad. But, as interesting as it was to me, the more Maximus talked about the dead, the more annoyed Dex became. And any mention of their times together in college, or in the band, were always approached with caution and tension. Dex reminded me of the sketchy addicts that wandered around in Portland¡¯s Chinatown.

    Thankfully, by the time that Dex finished his Jack Daniels (straight up, by the way) and we talked about the show and what we wanted to do with it, he had loosened up considerably.

    I, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t. I felt more apprehensive about Dex with each passing hour, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could trust Maximus (though I wanted to), I thought the whole married couple staying with a blind bitch and a poltergeist was ridiculous, and I was freaking starving. The only thing I had eaten that day was a bag of chips I pilfered from the hotel¡¯s vending machine. The beers went straight to my head at a time when I needed clarity.

    The heat didn¡¯t help either. When it was ready to roll, we got back into the sweat mobile, dropped Maximus at his motel and followed his truck out of town, and into the rocky hills until we came to a sprawling ranch. We had arrived.

    CHAPTER FIVE

    The Lancaster¡¯s ranch was spread over a variety of terrain; flat desert, scrubby valleys grazed by muddy-looking sheep and horses, low hills dotted with pine building to a crooked mountain range topped with high alpine plants. It was beautiful, sprawling and a hundred shades of sienna. Fences of gnarled wood framed it all with a poetic bow.

    Past the gates with the stereotypical overhanging ranch sign (¡°The Lancasters¡±) and open cattle grate there were two barns and various sheep related chutes and shelters, plus the main house. The farm looked deserted and down at its heels, but given the rest of the town, and the harsh surroundings, that didn¡¯t really surprise me. I looked over at Dex as he drove our car over beside Maximus¡¯s and parked it at the side of the house. His eyes were alert and searching, probably thrilled that the location was so photogenic and charismatic.

    We stepped out of the car into the dust and walked over to Maximus. He gave us a cautionary look and glanced up at the house. There was a woman standing at the second story A-frame window. I couldn¡¯t see her clearly from our angle but it seemed she wasn¡¯t actually looking at us, rather, past us at the farm. If that was the blind woman, Sarah, then it made perfect sense. It also gave me the creeps.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± a deep voice called out from behind us. We turned to see a lumbering native fellow coming towards us from across the paddock, wiping his dusty hands on the sides of his faded jeans.

    Maximus gave the man a quick wave and spoke to us out of the side of his mouth, ¡°That¡¯s Bird, the main rancher.¡±

    Bird stopped in front of us, greeted Maximus like he was an old friend and set his eyes on Dex and I. He was about the same height as Maximus but despite Maximus¡¯s breadth, Bird made him appear tiny. He was built like an ox but with sincere dark eyes, and when he said he was glad to finally meet the ¡°famous duo,¡± I could tell he meant it. My hand disappeared into his when he shook it, but it left me feeling safe, something I hadn¡¯t felt yet on this trip.

    Bird eyed the house and smiled at us. ¡°I think Sarah is having her afternoon nap. This is usually the time that Will does some work around the house, you know, time to himself. I can give you a tour of the ranch first. There will be plenty of time to unpack after.¡±

    I looked at Dex. ¡°Should we bring the camera?¡±

    He looked at Maximus, who in turn looked at Bird.

    Bird laughed. ¡°She¡¯s an eager one! It¡¯s probably best to leave that for afterwards, some folk here can be a bit, er, picky.¡±

    His expression on the word picky made me pause. Hesitation noted.

    We followed Bird across the dusty paddock and around the side of the larger barn. In the shade of the roof¡¯s overhang, a diminutive man of Latino descent was bent over a bench, hammering some nails into the horn of a western saddle. He didn¡¯t look up, even when we had all stopped in front of him.

    Bird cleared his throat. ¡°Miguel.¡±

    Miguel paused ever so slightly, but kept working for a minute. Either to finish the job or to make us wait.

    He eventually looked up. His eyes were narrow, as if he prepared to hate us off the bat, his lips set in a dry, straight line that a crowbar couldn¡¯t have pried open. This must be the ¡°picky¡± one. I¡¯m sure if we did have the camera out, we would have gotten a good Cameron Diaz-style paparazzi beat-down.

    ¡°Miguel.¡± Bird cleared his throat again. Even though he was three times the size of Miguel, it seemed like Bird was a little afraid of him.

    Miguel looked straight into Bird¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    I¡¯m not sure if was my imagination or not but I could have sworn Miguel gripped the hammer tighter.

    ¡°These are Maximus¡¯s friends, Perry and Dex,¡± Bird said quickly, with a loud, forced friendliness.

    ¡°The ghost hunters, yes?¡± Miguel said with a trace of amusement. Not the funny kind. He gave Maximus and Dex a quick, dismissive glance then set his sights on me. His expression changed from annoyed to predatory.

    ¡°So you¡¯re the girl, yes?¡± He snarled at me and looked me up and down. Now, I know I was looking all shades of hell which made his lustful gaze even more disturbing. I guess they didn¡¯t get many women out here.

    ¡°Easy Miguel,¡± Bird cautioned. Miguel took a quick step towards me, an uncanny sense of speed at his disposal. He was just inches away, smelling like sweat, dirt and beer.

    I tried not to look at him but he made it impossible. Then he smiled.

    ¡°You won¡¯t last a day,¡± he said slowly, exaggerating each word. He leaned in further. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was coming to kill me or kiss me.

    Before I could get out of his way, an arm shot out around me and pulled me to the side. It was Dex and I was snuggly pressed up against him.

    ¡°My wife would last longer than any of us,¡± Dex challenged. The term ¡°wife¡± was jarring to my ears. I had forgotten all about that, again, but I was immediately grateful for my fake husband. He was smiling broadly at Miguel but his eyes meant business. Beat still my heart.

    Miguel scoffed and turned back to his saddle. ¡°Just keep out of my way, Birdy.¡±

    Bird nodded grimly and pointed at the smaller barn which was down a bit of a slope and surrounded by spindly corrals. ¡°OK, let¡¯s go see Shan with the horses. He¡¯s a bit more welcoming than Miguel here.¡±

    He walked off and Maximus followed, giving Dex a shrug by way of explaining the situation. Dex took no notice. He kept his arm around me, watching Miguel hammer back at the saddle. He didn¡¯t look up. I wanted to get the fuck out of there but apparently Dex was feeling a bit confrontational. There was now something as equally intense in his eyes as there had been in Miguel¡¯s. I¡¯d seen that look a few times before.

 Page 10

    I poked him in the side and gestured at Bird and Maximus and tried to walk in that direction. His arm held me in place, then relented and off we went. We didn¡¯t say anything to each other and as we neared the horse barn, he took his arm off me. I felt both vulnerable and free.

    We followed the tall frames of Bird and Maximus into the barn. The happy smell of horses and hay contrasted with the musty darkness. We walked down a row of empty stalls, the doors covered with heavy cobwebs, the interiors looking strangely damp.

    One stall had a lone, lit bulb that was swinging subtly back and forth, casting an eerie moving glow on the cruddy walls. I poked my head through the stall, expecting to see an impatient horse inside. There was nothing.

    But something in the shadows caught my eye. It was like the shadows were moving. Was it a trick of the light? My eyes? I tried to focus until I picked out a shape.

    I saw a pair of yellow eyes, low to the ground. I would have screamed at the sight, or moved, or something, but all I could do was stand there and stare. I felt like I couldn¡¯t look away even if I wanted.

    Then they slowly faded into the blackness. It was like they were never there to begin with. With them gone, I felt the weird trance-like sensation leaving my body. I took my head out of the stall and looked down the dark corridor at the three guys. I saw Dex looking in my direction but I couldn¡¯t see his expression.

    ¡°Shan?!¡± Bird called out, his voice echoing against the wood walls. No response. Bird walked further on and said it again.

    ¡°Hello,¡± a raspy voice whispered beside me. I jumped at the sound and jumped again when I saw a man standing in the stall where I was just looking. I almost screamed, in fact I thought I had screamed, but it was caught in my throat and expanded there silently.

    The man was only a foot away from me, but again I had trouble focusing on him, as if he was buried in the shadows. His face was blank, devoid of expression, and at times seemed featureless.

    But that was ridiculous. He had features. He had a flat nose, a pointy chin, scraggly hairs that made up a beard, black, low brows and high cheekbones. He was maybe 50 years old. He was also native, Navajo I was guessing, with dark reddish skin. I could see these things clearly, when I made myself. But it took effort. When I relaxed my eyes, it was like his features went back to mask-like putty. It was the strangest thing ever.

    No stranger though, than his eyes. They weren¡¯t mean like Miguel¡¯s had been but they were hypnotizing. Shades of green, amber and streaks of vibrant yellow made their way to a pinpoint pupil. Maybe these were the eyes I had just seen in the stall. Even though that was impossible.

    ¡°Shan,¡± Bird boomed out. I jumped again. Bird, Maximus and Dex were right beside me. Bird was smiling at Shan pleasantly, but Dex and Maximus were staring at me, wild-eyed.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡± Maximus asked me skeptically.

    I nodded with some effort. Then realized why they were staring at me so strangely. I looked down. My hands were up around my throat, as if I was choking myself. I delicately removed them, each finger coming off the grooves on my cold neck, my heart pounding in my chest. I was scared shitless. What the fuck was I just doing?

    Bird smiled uneasily at me. ¡°Have you got a sore throat?¡±

    I cleared my throat, afraid I was unable to speak, but a meek, ¡°That must be it¡± came out from my lips. I looked at Dex. He didn¡¯t look as concerned as the others did, he just looked full on mistrustful of me, as if I had the plague or something.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got a lot of teas that will fix you up in a second. Isn¡¯t that right, Shan?¡± Bird asked.

    Shan slid the door open and stepped out into the hall. He nodded and smiled at me. In the light (and reality) he looked like your normal rancher. Lean, relaxed, weather-beaten. His eyes were still peculiar and vivid enough though, that I found myself avoiding them.

    ¡°We sure do,¡± Shan spoke with a gregarious, lightly accented voice. ¡°The Navajo have the real medicine. Don¡¯t trust any of that cheap garbage that Will might give you. He¡¯s lost the way.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he got married.¡± Bird laughed and Shan joined him. I didn¡¯t feel like laughing yet. In fact, I just wanted to get out of that barn and into the light. I smiled quickly at them. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine. It was nice to meet you Shan. I need some fresh air. I think I¡¯m¡­allergic to hay.¡±

    I coughed a little for effect, turned on my heel and quickly walked out of the barn. I heard Dex mutter something and Shan and Bird laughing along with him. I didn¡¯t care.

    Outside, the air was filled with swirling dust and wasn¡¯t exactly fresh but it was dry and the intense sunlight and overexposed landscape immediately made me feel better.

    I heard footsteps shuffling towards me from behind. I turned around thinking I¡¯d see Dex but it was Maximus kicking up the dust. He looked down at me, squinting in the light, and put one meaty hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°What happened in there?¡± he drawled.

    I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe I really am allergic to hay.¡±

    He squeezed my shoulder. It felt nice. ¡°No. I mean, why were you choking yourself? You picked the wrong place to try and get high.¡±

    I may have smiled. He had the same humor as Dex. And apparently way more concern.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t know I was doing that. I was just looking in the stall, I thought I saw something in there-¡±

    ¡°Something?¡±

    I wasn¡¯t about to tell him, then I realized he of all people might understand.

    ¡°I thought I saw a pair of eyes. Like, low to the ground.¡±

    He took his hand off of my shoulder and ran it through his shlock of fiery hair and gazed off into the distance.

    ¡°What color were they?¡±

    ¡°Yellow,¡± I said hesitantly. ¡°Then they disappeared, then this Shan guy popped up and then apparently I was choking myself. You know as much as I do.¡±

    He mulled that over. He seemed to be holding something back from me and I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to find out what it was.

    ¡°Well,¡± he said slowly. ¡°Strange things happen here, you can bet your mother.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why we¡¯re here,¡± I said.

    He smiled warily. He really was quite a handsome guy.

    ¡°Just¡­be careful while you¡¯re here. Especially when I¡¯m not here.¡±

    I frowned. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    He shrugged, dust flying off his plaid-clad shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re just going to want someone capable on your side in this crazy land. If you have any doubts, just talk to Bird. I trust him.¡±

    ¡°I trust Dex,¡± I said stubbornly.

    He scratched at his sideburn and looked wistful, ¡°I know you do. I reckon that might be a problem.¡±

    How was that a problem? I opened my mouth to say something in his defense when Bird and Dex came out of the barn.

    ¡°There you are,¡± said Bird. ¡°I was afraid you wandered off somewhere.¡±

    Bird peered at me. On the surface he played the concerned grandfather type but deep in his eyes I sensed an even deeper worry. Sometimes I saw that same thing in my mother¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Feeling better?¡±

    Well, no, not after what Maximus had just told me but I said yes anyway.

    Dex was eyeing us suspiciously. He probably knew we were just talking about him. I glanced between the two ex-friends and knew that a phantom choking incident and a volatile rancher were going to be the least of my problems. Something obviously happened between these two guys and the past wasn¡¯t having an easy time being buried. I had a feeling I¡¯d find out by the time the weekend was over, and it wasn¡¯t going to come from Dex¡¯s mouth.

    Bird sensed something too. Or he had good timing.

    ¡°So, what say we introduce you to Lancasters and get the ball rolling?¡±

    We agreed and walked back to the house. Bird stayed a few feet ahead; I had the boys on either side of me.

    ¡°Hey, just remember,¡± Maximus whispered to us and pointed at his ring finger.

    Right, the married thing. Though Sarah was blind, she¡¯d still probably see right through us.

    ¡°Play it cool,¡± he continued. ¡°And don¡¯t take anything she says personally.¡±

    We walked up on to the porch and waited while Bird knocked a few times and waited with baited breath for this mysterious Sarah woman. The door opened and revealed a tiny, tawny-skinned woman in her mid-life, with sunglasses and a cane. She was wearing a very pretty green floral dress that complimented her black, bunned hair. I might have been expecting her to look like a witch.

    ¡°Sarah, m¡¯am. I thought you were napping. Where¡¯s Will?¡± Bird asked apologetically.

    She snorted. ¡°How can I nap when I know strangers are snooping around my ranch.¡±

    She looked at us¡­well, at least in our direction. It felt accusatory.

    ¡°Sarah, these are strangers no more. You know Maximus-¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± she sniped.

    ¡°And the other two people here are Dex and Perry Foray. They¡¯ve come on behalf of your husband.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass why they are here,¡± she muttered contemptuously, still looking straight at us. ¡°My husband should know better.¡±

    Bird cleared his throat. ¡°Well, they¡¯ve come an awful long way to come meet with Will¡­¡±

    She dismissed us with a faint wave of her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Send them back.¡±

    I know Maximus had just said to not take it personally but it was too late. I felt extremely uncomfortable. What if we came here for nothing?

    ¡°Mrs. Lancaster, please,¡± Dex spoke up. ¡°My wife and I have not come here to do any harm. We are here to help you. We implore your Christian hospitality to help us fight the good fight.¡±

    I looked up at Dex. He looked the part, brow softened, eyes pleading, voice rich and sincere. For good measure, even though she couldn¡¯t see it, he put his arm around me and squeezed.

    She frowned. I wished I could have seen underneath the oversized shades.

    ¡°Christian hospitality, you say?¡± A dusting of amusement came across her face.

    ¡°Sarah! What are you doing up?¡± a voice said from behind her. A stocky man of medium height and a double-chin came out from the house. Will, I presumed.

    ¡°I was about to turn these vagrants away but it was brought to my attention that it might be very ¡®un-Christian¡¯ of me.¡± She laughed and headed back inside, as able-bodied as anyone.

    Will looked away sheepishly and took an awkward step towards us, hand extended. His handshake was clammy and quick.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she¡¯s supposed to be napping. She hasn¡¯t been too happy with this whole experience that¡¯s been going on.¡±

    He looked at Maximus, who nodded knowingly, then at us.

    ¡°You must be Dex and Perry. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you two. Really, I am very glad that you are here. You must forgive Sarah, she¡¯s been dealt a few rough hands with life.¡±

    Hadn¡¯t we all?

    I smiled anyway. Will seemed like a decent person.

    ¡°Thanks for showing them around, Bird,¡± Will said to him respectfully.

    Bird showed his palm as if to say it was no bother. He tipped his cowboy hat at us,.¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you all soon.¡±

 Page 11

    He walked back to the barn, leaving us alone with Will.

    ¡°Ok then,¡± he clapped his hands together. ¡°How about we get your stuff and show you to your rooms? Maximus, are you staying too?¡±

    Dex and I both looked at him. He gave Will a quick smile, ¡°No, I¡¯m booked in at the hotel. Wanted to give the happy couple some privacy.¡±

    He locked eyes with me for a second. Suddenly, I felt like I couldn¡¯t let him go.

    But he looked away, walked over to his truck and gave us a wave.

    ¡°Give me a call in the morning Dex,¡± he drawled before popping in the driver¡¯s seat and leaving us in the heat. Even with Dex beside me, I now felt dangerously alone.

    CHAPTER SIX

    Once Maximus left, Dex and I settled into the room Will and Sarah had assigned for us. It was small but homely with a large queen bed and peeling periwinkle wallpaper. The rabbit-eared TV was on a handmade dresser, the same as the wardrobe and side tables and matched the gnarled-fence around the property. Turns out Will was quite the handyman and made most of the wood furnishings himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you for supper,¡± Will said before closing the door.

    I looked at Dex. He was lying on the bed, arms behind his head, fingers tapping on the top of his skull. His face was unreadable.

    ¡°Not going to bother unpacking?¡± I asked and started to put my clothes away in the various drawers.

    He didn¡¯t say anything, just continued tapping. I didn¡¯t like it when Dex was in silent mode, it made everything more awkward and sharing a room with him was already going to be awkward to the max.

    I finished putting everything away and fixed myself up in the bathroom. It was quaint and clean with its claw-foot tub and old sink. This look would totally be in vogue in any bed and breakfast. I looked at myself in the mirror, my first look this whole day.

    I looked tired, of course. There was a fine layer of dust on my hair and my lips and the skin around my nose were cracked beyond belief. I felt chagrined that I walked around all day looking like this, especially around Maximus. Not that I was thinking of pursuing him in any way (seriously, I wasn¡¯t), I just hated to think I looked like crap around tall, handsome men. Even if they were gingers.

    Then there was Dex. He was acting peculiar. I guess no more than usual, but I¡¯ll admit I was disappointed that he hadn¡¯t once asked if I was OK or expressed any interest in my well-being. Maybe it was the medication (and lack thereof), maybe it was Maximus, or maybe it was something else entirely.

    After I slipped out of my sweaty, dirty clothes and plunked on light leggings and a flouncy jersey dress that I figured was flattering yet demure enough for a supposedly hardcore Christian couple, I stepped back into the room. Dex was still on the bed. He hadn¡¯t moved an inch. He was staring at a blank spot on the wall, still tapping away to an imaginary beat.

    ¡°What are you drumming to?¡± I asked.

    He didn¡¯t look at me, just kept tapping away on his head. It was annoying, made even more so by the fact that I was trying to pick out the beat. It definitely wasn¡¯t Slayer.

    I sighed, loudly, and threw my dirty clothes across the room. They landed on the rocking chair in the corner, sending it to and fro with aged wooden squeaks. Still no response.

    My next move was strangely impulsive.

    I leaped onto the bed and straddled him. My arms took his out from behind his head and pinned them onto the bed.

    ¡°Hey!¡± I yelled in his face. ¡°Hubby!¡±

    He looked up at me, surprised and maybe a bit scared. I felt foolish for a second but ignored it and plowed on. I pressed his hands further into the pillow and looked straight into his wavering eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to pay attention to me now, OK? Like it or not, and I know we don¡¯t like it, but I¡¯m your fake wife and we¡¯ve got a fucking job to do so I would appreciate it if you could at least just acknowledge that I¡¯m in the room with you. OK partner?¡±

    The fear slowly seeped off his face until I saw an expression I knew all too well. Sarcastic smile tugging at his mouth, brow aloof, eyes blas¨¦. Of course, this regression back to quintessential Dex made the fact that I was just inches from his face, and physically pinning him down on the bed, very intriguing. And potentially embarrassing. My face was red hot in an instant.

    I shoved at his hands again before coming off of him and sat on the far side of the bed. I eyed his reaction warily.

    He sat up slowly and let out a chuckle. He looked over at me and grinned. ¡°So I guess there¡¯s no question as to who wears the pants in this relationship, huh?¡±

    I shrugged, exasperated. ¡°Just trying to get your attention.¡±

    He nodded, closing his eyes briefly. ¡°Sorry if I¡¯m a little spacey. It¡¯s¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t finish. He didn¡¯t need to. But it still didn¡¯t explain everything.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t seem all that concerned with what happened to me in the barn,¡± I couldn¡¯t help saying.

    His eyes grew darker, like a thunder cloud had blocked out all light. He sat up straighter and leaned forward so he was closer to me. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out, at first. He looked down at his hands and thought things through.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he ended up saying.

    That was it?

    ¡°There¡¯s something else,¡± I said, prodding him.

    He sighed so lightly that it barely registered.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± he said. ¡°You really gave me a fright.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a laugh. ¡°I gave you a fright? Dex, one minute I¡¯m looking into a horse stall, the next minute I find my own hands around my neck. And meanwhile my partner just stares at me like I¡¯m the devil.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t handle it very well, I know. I¡¯m sorry. I just¡­I¡¯m not really sure what¡¯s going on with me at the moment. I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m processing things like I should.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cuz you aren¡¯t on the pills, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    He looked at me sharply. I thought he was going to say something biting but he hesitated. His features relaxed.

    ¡°It would seem so.¡±

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    He shook his head. Not good enough. Why wouldn¡¯t he open up to me?

    ¡°Talk to me,¡± I implored. His lips grew tighter. I leaned in closer.

    ¡°Please,¡± I said, trying to get him to relent. I peered at him hopefully. ¡°I know we don¡¯t know each other all that well. In fact, when I think I am finally getting to know you, you do something different and I feel like I have to start all over again. And that¡¯s cool, I get it. I know I¡¯m complicated too. But please, you have to start talking to me. Even if we aren¡¯t friends, we¡¯re at least partners. Business partners. This project, this show, it means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to you too and if it¡¯s going to work at all, you¡¯re going to have to start trusting me. And I¡¯ll start trusting you. And that starts when we begin, you know, communicating with each other.¡±

    I gestured to the room, the waning afternoon light leaving long shadows on the walls. ¡°Look where we are. We¡¯re playing house, with people we don¡¯t know, in New Mexico. I¡¯m nervous. I¡¯m scared. I have bad vibes about this place, there¡¯s a woman who doesn¡¯t want us here, some Mexican who says I won¡¯t last a day, I saw some scary fucking shit in that barn, you¡¯ve got your so-called ex-friend here who had to warn me about you¨C¡±

    ¡°Warn you?¡± he perked up, eyes blazing.

    ¡°And then I¡¯ve got my partner, who I¡¯m sharing a bed with, who I don¡¯t actually know all that well, who is going through all sorts of problems of his own and not letting me in on any of them. If you can¡¯t talk to me Dex, then I don¡¯t know who you can talk to. Maybe your girlfriend, but she¡¯s not here. I¡¯m here. That says a lot, I think. I¡¯m here and I need you to talk to me because this weekend is only going to get worse before it gets better. We both know it.¡±

    I gulped in a bunch of air. It was exhausting saying all of this but I felt relieved. I watched him carefully, pleading internally for my spiel to work, for him to just say something to me so I could understand.

    He was silent for a while, mulling things over, staring at the pattern on the duvet. Then he leaned in slightly, looking me straight in the eyes.

    ¡°My heart is racing. Constantly. I¡¯ve got a bunch of irrational thoughts running through my head. I feel agitated. I feel impulsive and I¡¯m worried I can¡¯t control myself. I don¡¯t know what I want to do exactly, but I¡¯m afraid to find out. I want to scream, I want to run around. Everything is rubbing me the wrong way. I, too, have got a million bad feelings about this place that seem to quadruple by the minute. I want to get in the car and drive far away. I feel fucked up. I mean, really fucked up. But I also feel. See, I¡¯m not used to that. And my mind is going a mile a minute but its fucking brilliant at the same time because I¡¯m getting ideas and these ideas want to make something out of this hellhole. I love it and I hate it. This is how I am feeling. I¡¯m fighting it.¡±

    I tried to take that all in. ¡°Maybe you should just¡­go with the flow?¡±

    He smiled sarcastically, more for himself than for me.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d like that.¡±

    ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°Just a hunch. I¡­well, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to want to hear this but since I¡¯ve said too much already¡­I¡¯m a bit afraid of you.¡±

    My heart stuttered a bit and I found my eyes narrowing involuntarily. It wasn¡¯t as insulting to hear as you might think, though, probably because I was certain Dex had told me this before, back when we were investigating the lighthouse.

    ¡°Why is it,¡± I said calmly, looking away at the shadows on the wall, ¡°that you always end up being afraid of me when there are other things to be afraid of?¡±

    ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t make sense, I know you¡¯re not¡­scary.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. OK, I was starting to feel a little bit insulted.

    ¡°Well, Maximus doesn¡¯t seem afraid of me,¡± I said haughtily.

    Dex didn¡¯t look amused. ¡°I know. That¡¯s because he wants to get in your pants.¡±

    I can¡¯t pretend the thought didn¡¯t intrigue me and pick me up a bit. What I really wanted to say was ¡°Really?¡± and pry him for information like a schoolgirl. But I didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Very funny,¡± was my reply.

    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t mean any disrespect by it. And I know that¡¯s hard to believe coming from me. I think¡­I think that contrary to what you may think about me, I, in the end, actually don¡¯t know much about you. That doesn¡¯t help. I can see your brain going a mile a minute too. I know you¡¯re thinking a bunch of different things and that I¡¯m not going to be on the receiving end of any of those thoughts.¡±

    Another intriguing thought. Did he want me thinking about him?

    ¡°I need you to talk to me too,¡± he finished.

    ¡°I am talking!¡± I exclaimed.

    ¡°Not right now. You expect me to talk, to ask you things but you don¡¯t do the same thing in return. You¡¯re such a typical female.¡±

 Page 12

    ¡°Excuse me!¡± I said, getting off the bed in a huff, arms crossed, trying to control my temper.

    He smiled lazily. ¡°Don¡¯t just yell at me. Tell me how you¡¯re really feeling.¡±

    Was he just fucking with me now? I felt myself snarling at him automatically. If he wanted to be afraid of me, fine. I¡¯d give him something to really be afraid of.

    ¡°You see!¡± he said, getting out of bed and pointing his finger at me. ¡°There you go, your mind is racing. You¡¯re pissed off as fuck, plotting all these things you¡¯re going to do to me.¡±

    I would have chalked that up to paranoia, but he was right.

    He walked around the bed towards me. A jolt of apprehension ran through me and down my spine. What was he going to do?

    He came right up to me in the same manner that Miguel did but put both of his hands around the small of my waist. He looked down into my eyes, his face only inches from mine. I stiffened up awkwardly. Was he going to kiss me? That¡¯s pretty much what had to happen.

    I swallowed hard, my sides rigid against his warm hands that reached the small of my back. And I was supposed to be the scary one here. I thought I may just die of fright.

    I tried to keep my eyes unemotional, my face blank as his languid eyes roamed all over my faces, making stops at my own eyes, at my cheek, at my lips. The corner of his mouth teetered, a smile appearing.

    ¡°So,¡± he said throatily. ¡°Can you tell me what you¡¯re thinking right now?¡±

    No. I couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t tell him that I all I wanted him to do was kiss me. I couldn¡¯t tell him that he if didn¡¯t let go of me in a few seconds, I¡¯d be the one kissing him. I couldn¡¯t tell him that all I could think about was how I never wanted anyone so badly in my entire life.

    So I didn¡¯t tell him that. I had to play it cool.

    ¡°I think you have the wrong idea, Dex,¡± I said carefully (suddenly worried about my breath).

    He smiled and took his arms off of me. ¡°Probably. Though I¡¯m just doing what you did to me. This is what I get for being impulsive¡­this is me, going with the flow. You didn¡¯t like that, did you?¡±

    I stared into his eyes trying figure out if he liked it. All I got was maybe.

    There was a knock at the door. We both jumped a bit and turned around. Will had opened the door and was peering in.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    He saw us by the wall and quickly looked away. ¡°Oh, I am so sorry. I was calling you and I didn¡¯t hear anything. So sorry¡­¡±

    He started to close the door.

    ¡°Hey, Will,¡± Dex called after him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, we were just discussing something. Come on in.¡±

    Will looked sheepish. ¡°Sorry. I should have waited. I forget what it¡¯s like to be young and in love. Supper is ready. We would love it if you¡¯d come down and join us.¡±

    Dex nodded. ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    Will nodded, smiling to himself for thinking he had interrupted some hanky panky, and closed the door.

    Dex looked back at me. The extra space between us was a relief.

    ¡°I know your deepest, secret fear,¡± he spontaneously sang to me in his baritone voice, then twirled around the bed over to his suitcase and started unpacking.

    I had no idea what just happened. I stood there for a few seconds, not saying anything.

    Then Dex started to take off his pants.

    ¡°Uh,¡± I stammered and started finding somewhere else in the room to rest my eyes.

    ¡°Oh come on wifey, I¡¯m just in my boxers,¡± I heard him say. That didn¡¯t make it any better. Still, I had to peek. They were blue with stars on them. ¡°You¡¯ve caught men with their pants down before, I hope.¡±

    Not the same, I thought.

    Then his shirt came off. I finally saw the rest of the tattoo that he had on his upper arm. It was a large, black fleur de lis. He also had cursive writing tattooed across his chest, though I couldn¡¯t read it properly. I was surprised. And a bit turned on (yes, again). I wanted to get a better look at it, to ask him about it, about both his tattoos. But his lightly defined abs, were distracting me as well. I blushed despite myself. I had to get out of there before I said something stupid.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you downstairs,¡± I said quickly and exited the room. I didn¡¯t want to face Sarah and the dinner table on my own but it was looking like the better option.

    I gently closed the door on Dex and cautiously crept through the upper hallway towards the stairs. I wanted my presence minimized as I examined the hanging artwork and photos that adorned the walls. I found a lot of framed scripture, stereotypical phrases and prayers from the Bible, a few crosses and artwork, as well. Most had a desert theme. There was nothing native or Navajo at all. I guess they really had turned their back on their roots. Not that I was one to judge¡­I just found it odd. But really, the whole situation was odd.

    I paused at the top of the stairs and took in a deep breath, preparing myself to deal with dinner with strangers.

    ¡°Come on down already,¡± Sarah¡¯s voice echoed from downstairs.

    How did she know I was standing there?

    ¡°I can smell you,¡± she said simply. That was kind of gross. Was she a mind reader too?

    I made my way down the stairs and turned the corner into their rustic dining room. The table was long, maybe it was supposed to seat a huge farm family, but luckily she and Will were at opposite ends at the head of the table and quite a distance from the places she set up for Dex and I.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said. ¡°I was waiting for Dex.¡±

    Will gestured to my seat, nervous but warm. ¡°Please sit down, Perry.¡±

    I smiled and sat down. The food was already served on the plates. Corn niblets, gravy, chicken and stuffing. Glad I wasn¡¯t a vegetarian.

    ¡°Dex,¡± Sarah sniffed. She was still wearing her frock, poised at the end of the table like she was putting on a show. ¡°What kind of name is that anyway?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s short for Declan,¡± I told her.

    She snorted acerbically, ¡°It is not.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to argue with her over his name, so I told her the only thing I knew. ¡°Apparently his mom didn¡¯t know how to pronounce it properly.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t know?¡±

    I took my chance to make her feel bad, as shameless as it was. ¡°Yes, she¡¯s dead.¡±

    The weight of my words made Will nod sadly but Sarah wouldn¡¯t have any of it.

    ¡°Your mother-in-law is dead? You lucky thing,¡± she cackled. ¡°That¡¯s every wife¡¯s dream.¡±

    ¡°Sarah!¡± Will admonished from the other end. ¡°Have some respect.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said looking at me (or not) with a saccharine smile. ¡°I guess I have fantasies about Mrs. Lancaster going on her merry way.¡±

    OK. This was definitely getting uncomfortable. Where the hell was Dex? Not that I wanted him to walk into a conversation about his dead mother but still.

    ¡°Ignore her,¡± Will said. ¡°Dig in.¡±

    I tasted some of the corn. So far, so good.

    ¡°So how long have you been doing your show?¡± Will asked.

    ¡°Oh, we just started,¡± I said slowly. I didn¡¯t like talking without Dex, it made me think our stories were going to get crossed at some point.

    ¡°Oh? What were you two doing before?¡±

    ¡°I worked as a cameraman. Perry still works in advertising,¡± Dex said, appearing out of the foyer¡¯s darkness. I wondered how long he had been standing there. Didn¡¯t matter, I was relieved.

    He sat down across from me. ¡°Sorry, Jenn called.¡±

    My eyes were this close to popping out of my head. A) the mention of Jenn sent my heart amok and B) there shouldn¡¯t be a Jenn in this scenario, so my reaction had to be as cool as possible.

    I looked at Will. ¡°Jenn¡¯s our production manager. She¡¯s very uptight about how things get done.¡±

    Some might say she¡¯s a skinny-ass bitch, I wanted to add but I restrained myself.

    I didn¡¯t look at Dex in case that gave anything away but I could tell he was embarrassed by his slip-up. Pretending to be married was going to be hard.

    Neither Lancaster picked up on anything being awry though and we were able to eat without much incident and with a lot of small talk.

    In fact, aside from a few hostile interjections from Sarah, dinner was actually quite pleasant and by the end I felt a lot more at ease with the Lancasters and our situation. Well, that was until I heard more about our situation.

    ¡°It¡¯s really the sheep I am worried about,¡± Will said, explaining the hauntings. ¡°In a way, I can live with the stones being thrown at the windows and the animals running through the house. I just can¡¯t afford to lose anymore sheep. We¡¯re struggling enough as it is here. The government does nothing to help.¡±

    ¡°Um, animals running through the house?¡± I asked.

    He shrugged. His weathered, jowly face looked nonchalant but he couldn¡¯t hide the seriousness in his tone. ¡°Something running through the house¡­sometimes it looks like people, sometimes it looks like animals¡­I can put up with it¡­¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but chortle at the absurdity of that. ¡°Yeah but you shouldn¡¯t have to.¡±

    ¡°Well, Maximus couldn¡¯t do anything to help me. If you guys can, I¡¯d be much obliged.¡±

    ¡°Oh, like they would help you,¡± Sarah abruptly laughed. She had been silent this whole time except for the occasional disapproving stutter.

    I exchanged a look across the table with Dex.

    ¡°William you are such the fool,¡± she continued. ¡°They don¡¯t want to help your problem, they want to profit from it.¡±

    ¡°To be fair,¡± I found myself saying, ¡°he contacted us.¡±

    ¡°Because that damn redhead told him to,¡± she countered. ¡°You¡¯re just going to rape and pillage this farm and our lives all for the sake of a little notoriety. You don¡¯t want to help us and you can¡¯t. You¡¯re nothing but a bunch of hacks.¡±

    ¡°So you think you do need help then,¡± I said, surprised at my balls.

    She paused. My peripheral vision detected an uncomfortable glance between Will and Dex. The boys were staying out of it.

    ¡°I think my husband is losing it. I haven¡¯t seen anything running through the halls. And no, it¡¯s not because I¡¯m blind. I can detect far more than you ever could with your eyes. But the sheep having been going missing and have been killed in, well, gruesome ways and if that isn¡¯t enough to send a man and his bags packing for greener pastures of the mind, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±

    And with that she wiped her lips with her napkin and threw it on the table.

    ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m off to bed. Having people in the house is tiring.¡±

    Will pushed his chair back and was ready to get up but she whipped her cane up in his direction. ¡°You stay. You know I¡¯m fully capable. You don¡¯t need to make a show in front of your guests.¡±

    Will closed his eyes, muttered something to himself and sat back down as Sarah went upstairs.

    ¡°Again, sorry,¡± he said, fumbling for an explanation. ¡°She just doesn¡¯t deal with new people very well. And she doesn¡¯t believe in ghosts or anything of the supernatural variety.¡±

 Page 13

    ¡°That¡¯s OK,¡± Dex said reassuringly. ¡°Most people don¡¯t. Even we have a hard time with it.¡±

    That was an understatement.

    Will nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad then that you are here. I needed some proof that I wasn¡¯t going crazy.¡±

    I suddenly felt a flooding of warmth towards him. ¡°You aren¡¯t going crazy Mr. Lancaster. We won¡¯t leave until we figure this whole thing out.¡±

    ¡°Please, call me Will. And thank you. It helps to hear that.¡±

    ¡°So, Will, what have you been seeing? And when did it start?¡± Dex prompted. ¡°And do you mind if I get my video camera?¡±

    I had totally forgotten about the filming. Somehow it just felt wrong at this moment. Will, however, just lifted his hand and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I understand.¡±

    Dex left and quickly came back with his small camcorder in hand and some papers. Much less intrusive than the big number he had filmed me with before. He walked over to Will and plunked the papers in front of him.

    ¡°Just need you to sign this. Basically that you don¡¯t object to being on camera¡­unless you do, which may make things a little trickier.¡±

    Will nodded and signed them after a slight hesitation.

    Dex smiled. ¡°Perfect. We¡¯ll see if we can get Bird and the others to sign off on them tomorrow as well. I¡¯d like to interview them.¡±

    See, this is why Dex was in charge. I had no idea about these waivers and whatnot.

    Will looked skeptical. ¡°I don¡¯t know if Shan or Miguel will sign them but you¡¯re welcome to try.¡±

    ¡°I got the feeling Miguel won¡¯t be singing that,¡± I said.

    ¡°Oh, you met Miguel already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dex said as he sat down across from me and flipped on the camera. ¡°Charming fellow.¡±

    Will cleared his throat a few times. ¡°He¡¯s not easy to get along with but he works hard and he¡¯s easy to afford. In better times, I wouldn¡¯t have him here but, well, we don¡¯t have much choice. He¡¯s also had a tough life. It¡¯s hard to judge him.¡±

    Strange, it was easy for me to judge him. I gave Dex a quick look across the table but he was fiddling with the camera.

    ¡°And what is Shan¡¯s deal?¡± Dex asked carefully without looking up.

    ¡°Shan?¡± Will sounded surprised. ¡°Shan¡¯s a good man. He¡¯s been a friend of the family for many, many years. Grew up with Sarah, in town. Smart as whip. Doesn¡¯t say much but he¡¯s easy to get along with. He gets the job done.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± Dex raised up the camera and pressed play. The red button stopped flashing. Thankfully, he turned the camera to Will and not to me.

    Dex asked him a few questions, mainly about the working logistics of the ranch. How many sheep they had, if they had cattle, when they first started farming, how the economic climate has changed things, the government, the decline of Red Fox, etc. By the time the set-up questions were done, Will had relaxed considerably and I felt pretty empathetic for the guy. I thought I had it bad; I thought times were tough where I lived but seeing this grown man almost get weepy over the decline of his livelihood was something else. Being a native man, in this area of the country wasn¡¯t easy and all the added turmoil was just the piss icing on a cake made of crap.

    Dex got down to business. He aimed the camera my way, which made me flinch considerably. My looks had certainly not improved since the last time I looked in the mirror, but I couldn¡¯t be vain about it.

    ¡°Start asking questions,¡± he urged. ¡°About what¡¯s been going on¡­here¡­lately.¡±

    You know, I had all day to prepare for what we were doing but somehow it never crossed my mind. Was it procrastination or just lack of attention? I hated how my bad habits were catching up with me.

    I took a deep breath and put my faith in Dex¡¯s editing skills. I turned to Will and put on my ¡°investigative reporter¡± face.

    ¡°Tell me, Will, when did you first notice anything unusual happening?¡±

    He sighed reluctantly before saying, ¡°It was a few weeks ago. I was lying in bed and heard something growling. I thought it was a dream at first but the more I listened, the louder it got. It was coming from the door. I didn¡¯t know what to think. I didn¡¯t want to get up but if Sarah was down the hall, she might need my protection. I grabbed my old baseball bat and opened the door. The growling stopped. There was nothing there. I didn¡¯t want to wake up Sarah if I didn¡¯t need to but the next day she said she heard growling too. She also thought it was a dream. Then Bird came over and told us a few sheep had been¡­ripped to pieces. Three of them, up on the ridge. Heads, legs¡­all separated. But the sheep hadn¡¯t been eaten at all. It¡¯s like whoever did this, did it for fun.¡±

    His story gave me the creeps. Didn¡¯t help that the house suddenly felt so large and dark.

    ¡°Who do you think did it?¡±

    ¡°Obviously coyotes did. Or wolves, though they are rare in this area. But it just doesn¡¯t make sense. They would have eaten the sheep. Especially before winter. Now is the time to fatten up.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t think young punks or kids from town did it? People can be pretty fucked up when it comes to animals,¡± I said, remembering a bunch of cat-killings we had in our neighborhood a few years ago.

    He shook his head. ¡°No. I know the kids in this town sometimes don¡¯t have anything better to do, but they would never do anything like that.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any enemies that would want to hurt the ranch?¡±

    He shook his head. I believed him. He was a hard man to dislike.

    ¡°What about Sarah?¡± Dex asked carefully.

    Will managed a smile. ¡°Who would want to hurt a blind woman?¡±

    I resisted the urge to exchange a sarcastic glance with Dex. This was on camera, after all.

    Will continued on, ¡°Also, a few days ago a bunch of kids were roaming the hills above here. Doing what, I don¡¯t know. Sometimes they go looking for Navajo artifacts to sell. They said they were attacked by a pair of foxes.¡±

    ¡°Foxes?¡± I repeated. Cute little foxes?

    ¡°That¡¯s what they say. I think they meant to say coyotes but even that is strange. Coyotes never attack people, unless it¡¯s an infant and alone. Never heard anything like that before. I¡¯m sure if you go to the pub, maybe not tonight but tomorrow night, you¡¯ll find them. Ask around.¡±

    ¡°So, people and sheep have been attacked by canines, basically? And you heard one in the house¡­¡±

    ¡°And saw one in the house.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± I didn¡¯t really want to be staying in the house anymore.

    ¡°It was right before Maximus arrived to do the reading. I was sitting in the living room all night because of the rock throwing-¡±

    ¡°Rock throwing?¡±

    Dex kicked me under the table. ¡°He¡¯ll get to it,¡± he hushed.

    I glared at him though the camera was on Will. Dex motioned for him to continue.

    ¡°And I heard something creak on the upper step. I called out for Sarah, thinking it was her. Obviously. Who else would it be? No answer. And from the living room, I can¡¯t see the stairs. But I heard a snuffling noise. Then the clack of nails on the floor. Then the shadow of an animal came around the corner.¡±

    He pointed around the corner to where the dining room floor met the living room. I shivered.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t see it clearly but it certainly looked like a coyote. It wasn¡¯t all that big but the hairs on its back were standing up a lot higher than normal. It was like its coat was about two feet long. I couldn¡¯t see its eyes either. They didn¡¯t glow. It was just blank. I thought maybe it didn¡¯t even have eyes, just empty holes. I didn¡¯t know what to do so I froze. The rock throwing continued all the while too but the animal didn¡¯t notice. Finally, it went around to the kitchen and disappeared. Then the noise stopped. I must have sat there for ten minutes before I gathered enough strength to run up to Sarah and see if she was all right. She was fine. Asleep.¡±

    ¡°And the rock throwing¡­someone¡¯s just throwing rocks at the house?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes, the house. Sometimes the barn. Sometimes the worker¡¯s quarters. I know Miguel has heard it.¡±

    ¡°Where do they sleep by the way? I don¡¯t think I saw it earlier.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a small house behind the big barn. It¡¯s hidden by some trees, privacy you know. Nothing fancy but they all get their own rooms. Well, Shan and Miguel. Bird lives in town.¡±

    I nodded and looked at Dex for feedback. I had no idea if I was asking everything I should. He sensed my gaze and brought his eyes off the display screen to meet mine. Then he paused. His eyes shifted left, fixed on a point past my shoulder.

    I immediately felt afraid. I opened my mouth to say something but he slowly shook his head, keeping his eyes on the spot. I turned my head and looked in to the dark kitchen behind me. I couldn¡¯t make out anything but shadows.

    I looked back at Dex and at Will. Will had his ear cocked, listening. Dex raised his finger and motioned for me to stay quiet. He picked up the camera and aimed it at the kitchen.

    I looked again. Still, I saw nothing. So I listened. And then I heard it. A small tap at the kitchen window. Followed by another tap. I felt very uneasy.

    It was as if someone stood outside the window and tapped a single finger on the pane. It was low, quick and sporadic. It could have almost been a tree branch bumping in the wind but there was no tree.

    RATTLE.

    We were surrounded by a wall of sound, the taps, clattering, rattling of rocks falling on the roof and flying at the windows. The sound was deafening.

    ¡°Holy shit!¡± exclaimed Dex. He jumped up and ran for the kitchen.

    I looked at Will, confused and scared. ¡°These are the rocks?¡±

    His eyes were wide. ¡°They¡¯ve never been this loud.¡±

    He got up and went after Dex. Naturally I couldn¡¯t sit alone at the table while this storm of sonic violence engulfed the house, so I got up and ran over to join them in the kitchen.

    Dex switched the night vision on the camera and was aiming it at the window, which was physically being shaken. You could see stones bouncing off the glass and ricocheting back into the darkness.

    ¡°This is unbelievable,¡± Dex said, barely audible, and beckoned for me to join him by the window. Though the rocks seemed to be coming harder, being beside him felt safer than hanging in the kitchen doorway with my back exposed to the depths of the lonely house, so I scuttled over and sandwiched myself between the two men.

    Up close, you couldn¡¯t see anything. It was a hailstorm of rocks. But only a few were actually hitting the window. It seemed like a cloud had opened up above the house with the roof taking the brunt of it.

    ¡°So this isn¡¯t normal?¡± I yelled above the noise.

    ¡°No!¡± Will shouted back. ¡°It¡¯s never this bad.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve made it angry by being here,¡± Dex said cryptically.

    ¡°It?!¡± I cried out. What the fuck was ¡°it?¡± A rock shower was not the work of a poltergeist. Opened cupboards were the work of a poltergeist. I didn¡¯t know what the hell we were dealing with.

 Page 14

    ¡°I think you¡¯re right,¡± Will said.

    ¡°This could just be a freaky science thing,¡± I tried to reason. ¡°Sometimes frogs fall from the sky. I read it in a book.¡±

    OK, I was really making myself sound stupid but it was true. In that Charles Burlitz¡¯s World of Strange Phenomenon book, there were a ton of cases where things were sucked up somewhere and fell down somewhere else.

    Dex nudged me in my side and pointed out at the moon which sat above the black mountaintops.

    ¡°Clear sky. The falling frogs, and the corn that fell in Colorado in the 1980¡¯s, was usually linked to a weather pattern.¡±

    The sound tapered off. The rocks on the roof became less and less. They ceased to hit the window. It looked like the stone storm was dying off. I slowly let out my breath, my ears still listening to the peculiar sounds.

    I turned my head up at Will, ¡°Is that-¡±

    CRACK!

    A huge rock hit the window, cracking it. I nearly shit myself. We all stepped backwards.

    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Will managed to say. Dex focused the camera on the window, but his eyes were jetting about nervously.

    ¡°Yeah, maybe we should-¡±

    BAM! CRASH!

    A rock went sailing through the window right for Dex and I. Without thinking, I leaped to my left, colliding into Will and felt the flying glass flicker against my skin.

    Will caught me and steadied me. I saw the rock hit the ground and roll across the kitchen and against the fridge. Dex was to my right, crouched with the camera and his hand over his head for cover.

    ¡°We need to get out of here,¡± I croaked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get Sarah,¡± Will said and hurried out of the kitchen.

    I knelt down beside Dex and put my hand on his shoulder, just as another rock came crashing through at the spot where Will had just been.

    ¡°Jesus Christ!¡± I yelled and gripped Dex¡¯s shoulder instinctively. ¡°Are you OK?¡±

    He nodded and took his arms off his head. His eyes were wide, panicked. I¡¯m sure I looked the same.

    ¡°What now?¡± I said.

    ¡°We go outside,¡± he said. Determination settled on his jaw.

    ¡°What?¡±

    He stayed crouched and grabbed my arm and shuffled us quickly out of the kitchen. Once in the dining room, we looked up the stairs. Neither Will or Sarah were there.

    ¡°We can¡¯t go outside,¡± I hissed. ¡°That¡¯s where the rocks are coming from you moron.¡±

    ¡°Are they?¡± he asked.

    I didn¡¯t even know how to respond to that. ¡°What about Will and Sarah?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine, we need to get this on camera.¡±

    And with that, Dex was off and running out the front door, pulling me along with him. The outside air was like stepping into a freezer. Gone was the sweltering heat and blinding light of day. Now it was dark as hell and cold as the depths of a cave.

    We ran a few feet away from the house and looked around us frantically. Shoes would have helped. A flashlight would have even better. I could still hear rocks hitting the side of the house but so far no more glass being broken.

    ¡°Run over there!¡± Dex yelled and gestured the camera to the side of the house where the kitchen was.

    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me!? You go over there!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the host!¡± he growled. Oh man, not this again. Last time we got into this dilemma I was practically dragged up the stairs of a lighthouse. ¡°Man up!¡± he added. ¡°I¡¯ll be beside you the whole time, I just need to get you on camera.¡±

    I shook my head but knew he was right. Why did I sign up for this?

    I walked slowly over to the side of the house. I felt no urgency to surprise whatever the hell it was.

    As we inched closer, I told him to turn on the camera light. Night vision didn¡¯t help me in anyway.

    The light flicked on and my path was illuminated, albeit poorly. My vision was filled with grain, but I could make out the kitchen window, its broken glass glistening, a faint light from the dining room shining through. A rock or two still bounced off the window. Dex moved the light to the origin of the rocks ¨C my heart caught in my throat at what it might reveal ¨C but there was nothing there. It was like the rocks were being thrown out of thin air. It was just¡­darkness.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± a voice snaked out from behind me.

    I yelped and we both spun around. Dex aimed the light showing Miguel a few feet behind us, wearing pajamas and holding a shotgun.

    ¡°Jesus!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but swear again. I was a bit relieved it wasn¡¯t some ghost but I can¡¯t say Miguel with a gun made me feel any less scared.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± he snarled. ¡°I hear all these screams, glass breaking.¡±

    ¡°I was hoping you could tell us,¡± Dex said, filming him now.

    ¡°Get that thing out of my face, I¡¯m not telling you anything. Where is Will?¡±

    ¡°Right here,¡± I heard Will say. He came out from around the front of the house, huffing and puffing. ¡°Sarah¡¯s OK, I think it stopped.¡±

    It had stopped. Probably didn¡¯t help that we were all standing right at the rock epicenter.

    ¡°What is it this time?¡± Miguel said. ¡°I told you you¡¯d never last a day here. I never screamed at some rocks.¡±

    ¡°You would this time, they came through the darn window,¡± Will said pointing at the broken window. ¡°How am I going to replace that?¡±

    ¡°Dumb teenagers,¡± Miguel said. ¡°We should set up video to catch them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of what this is,¡± Dex said.

    ¡°You think they are teenagers? No person could have done this,¡± I said forcefully, annoyed at Miguel¡¯s assumptions. Wouldn¡¯t last a day? Go fuck yourself.

    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Will agreed. ¡°Miguel, I¡¯ve never seen it so bad.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re all loco. That¡¯s what you are. Go to bed,¡± he snarled and started to walk back across the yard. ¡°I¡¯ll fix your window in the morning.¡±

    Morning. The term never sounded so foreign to me. How the hell were we going to get through till morning?

    Somehow though, we were on our way. After Miguel slinked off, we decided it might be time for us to all turn in. Will insisted in doing the dishes and cleaning up in the kitchen and I have to say I wasn¡¯t one to protest. After what we just witnessed, the kitchen was the last place we wanted to be. I told Will to make sure to lock all the doors a million times too. I don¡¯t know how he wasn¡¯t going mental with all this crazy crap going on. I was already feeling frayed.

    On the way down the upper hallway, Dex and I inched past Sarah¡¯s room, careful not to be too loud. Apparently she had heard the rocks too but wasn¡¯t scared, least not more than normal. Either she was a liar or very good at hiding things from her husband. There was no way in hell that she could just shrug off what just happened as a normal occurrence.

    Once inside our room, I locked the door, turned on all the lights available and shut the blinds. The darkness outside was unnerving, even from a second story window.

    Somehow with all the scariness and commotion, I had forgotten how awkward bedtime was going to be. Seemed like fear erased all sorts of non-issues like that one. In the bathroom, I got changed into PJ pants and a baggy concert tee (Mr. Bungle) and quickly washed my face and brushed my teeth. I didn¡¯t like being alone, even with Dex outside the door. I did run the taps while I did my business, but the walls were too thin for any real privacy.

    When I was done, Dex was already in bed and scribbling into a notebook. He was shirtless. Despite what you¡¯d think, I hoped he was wearing pants of some sort underneath the covers.

    He looked up at me and smiled. ¡°So this is your sleeping attire. Classy.¡±

    ¡°I hope your sleeping attire consists of undergarments of some sort,¡± I replied dryly, getting into my side of the bed.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re just going to have to find out for yourself,¡± he said with a smirk. I gave him a look and settled underneath the covers. Now that I was actually in the bed, it felt immensely small. I couldn¡¯t lie here without rubbing against his shoulder.

    I eyed his chest, now that I had a closer look at it. The words tattooed across it said, ¡°And with madness comes the light.¡±

    He caught me looking. ¡°Admiring my pecs or trying to figure out the tattoo?¡±

    Both.

    ¡°The tattoo,¡± I said. ¡°What does it mean?¡±

    ¡°Song lyric,¡± he said, his lips clamping together, signifying not to ask him anymore. So I didn¡¯t. About that tattoo.

    ¡°And the arm? What¡¯s the fleur de lis for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m French.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were Irish.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a mutt. Done with your questions?¡±

    I shook my head and pulled my covers up closer. ¡°What¡¯s the point of tattoos if they aren¡¯t a conversation starter?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t need conversations starters, kiddo.¡±

    We stared at each other for a few weird beats. We were too close to each other. I could see the tiny spirals of ebony in his etched brown irises.

    ¡°This is cozy,¡± I blurted out. I turned my face away from his.

    ¡°We could make it cozier,¡± he grinned, the bristles on his moustache sticking up. He seemed quite relaxed considering what had happened earlier and considering what he had been going through.

    ¡°You¡¯re just begging for a pillow fight, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    He smiled even broader, showing his shiny white teeth. ¡°Actually, I was hoping you might warm up my feet.¡±

    Suddenly his feet surrounded mine, cold blocks of ice. I nearly screamed but caught myself. I flinched, my body turned rigid.

    ¡°Get away!¡± I hissed, hitting him on the arm.

    He just smiled and stuck them further up my legs, getting under the pajama pant opening. The coldness jarred me and I had nowhere to go but off the actual bed. I started laughing and pushing him away.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± I said and shoved him hard.

    He turned over on his side, retracting his feet and grinned up at me. ¡°But you¡¯re so warm.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a hot-blooded mammal. You¡¯re a cold-blooded reptile. Do the math.¡±

    ¡°Reptiles need love too.¡±

    I paused at that and gave him a curious look. He was still smiling at me, though his eyes were full of sarcasm.

    I shook my head and then pulled the covers up over me.

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t snore,¡± I added.

    ¡°I only snore when my feet are cold.¡±

    I sighed and rolled over, away from him. He still had the light on for his writing but it didn¡¯t matter to me. I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep. All the joking around had miraculously erased the fear from my body. I didn¡¯t know if Dex planned it that way, but it worked. Despite everything that happened earlier, I felt safe knowing that my major annoyance at the moment was his cold feet

    My eyes flickered open. Something had woken me. I froze and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. I was still on my side, facing the wall. I wasn¡¯t sure of the time, or how long I had been asleep, but it must have been the middle of the night. I listened and heard Dex snoring lightly beside me. His back was to mine, his butt square against me. Good thing he was wearing pants after all.

 Page 15

    Despite that warmth and contact, I felt scared. I often did when I woke up for no reason. I tried to remember the dreams I just had but they were flitting away from my memory. Something about an owl¡­ Dex¡­rocks.

    The rocks! I remembered what had happened earlier. Could rocks have woken me up? I listened again, harder. I couldn¡¯t hear anything hitting the window or the roof.

    Then I felt something brush up against my foot. My feet were underneath the covers but far away from Dex¡¯s feet. My heart stopped. I felt icky. I had to roll over and see what it was but doing so was going to be the toughest, most terrifying thing ever.

    I took a deep breath and slowly turned over.

    I felt the life being sucked out of me.

    There was an animal sitting at the foot of the bed, just six feet away, on top of my feet. As they turned over with the rest of me, I felt my toes jabbing up into his soft bottom.

    It was a fox. I couldn¡¯t see it clearly but I knew that¡¯s what it was. A fox, about the size of a collie, sitting on its hindquarters, ears creating a pointy silhouette. It looked right at me. Its eyes were a hazel color but they didn¡¯t glow like a normal animal. They locked with mine. It was like looking into the eyes of someone I knew.

    Was this for real? Was this actually happening? I wanted to look at Dex but I couldn¡¯t tear my eyes away. The more I stared into those knowing, harmful eyes, the more I felt entranced. My legs and arms were replaced by lead pipes. I still felt the animal¡¯s weight on my feet, which meant what I was experiencing was real.

    I don¡¯t know if I was breathing; I didn¡¯t think I was. My heart thumped loudly in my chest, but even that started to slow. It wasn¡¯t like I was calming down in any way ¨C in fact I could feel the terror slowly take hold of my body ¨C but my heart still slowed until the thumps were further and further apart. My thoughts became sluggish. I needed to look away from those eyes.

    Then the fox shifted onto its front feet, perfectly positioned between my legs. It moved closer now and our eye contact had not been broken. I felt like I was drowning internally, my lungs were without air and I was too weak to gasp for it. The room started to spin, with the fox still front and center.

    It took a step forward, mouth open. Was it smiling at me? Its eyes said the opposite. They said I was dead.

    I tried to talk, to scream but nothing came out. Either I was going to wake up in a second or something horrifying was about to happen. And I couldn¡¯t do anything about it.

    It took another step, its tail waving subtly. The eyes narrowed, as if it was glaring at me.

    I felt Dex shift and a smattering of hope rushed through me. The fox didn¡¯t break its stare but it paused, its red coat bristling.

    Dex stirred again and rolled over. I couldn¡¯t turn to look at him ¨C the paralysis had taken hold of my bones ¨Cbut I prayed for him to open his eyes.

    I felt him shuffle back in the bed and then, stop.

    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± he yelled.

    Startled, the fox leaped off the bed and dashed towards the door, which had been open the whole time.

    Dex leaped out of bed, dragging half the blanket with him, and hollered frantically, ¡°Will! There¡¯s an animal in here!¡±

    He followed the fox out the door, then turned and ran back to me. I still couldn¡¯t move, I still couldn¡¯t breathe. My eyes and body were locked down.

    ¡°Hey!¡± He jumped on the bed and shook both my shoulders. ¡°Perry, are you OK?¡±

    I tried to answer but couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Answer me! Perry! What happened?¡±

    He kept shaking me, then took my head in his hands and physically moved my face to the left until it was facing his. His eyes ¨C as crazy and worried as they were ¨C brought me a sense of reality. I felt my limbs coming back, hot flashes of nerves climbing up and down them.

    My breath followed. I gasped loudly as if I had been underwater for the last five minutes. He held my face steady, hands warm but firm.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be OK.¡± His voice matched his grip.

    There was a commotion in the hallway and Will appeared at the door. ¡°What happened, is she OK?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Dex said quickly and gestured with his head, ¡°the animal went downstairs.¡±

    Will nodded and took off down the hall, the walls shaking from his lumbering run.

    Dex looked back at me, my wide eyes searching his as all the fear came rushing in.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re fine,¡± he said. I started to shake and he brought his hands to my arms and held me there. ¡°You¡¯re going to be OK. But we need to go find out what that was.¡±

    I shook my head violently. I was still unable to speak.

    ¡°We have to,¡± he said. ¡°And I am not leaving you here by yourself. Will has his baseball bat. Whatever it was, was small, we¡¯ll be OK.¡±

    He climbed off the bed and walked around to my side. He looked down at me, smiled to himself, and picked me up in his arms.

    I tried to protest but my mouth was still full of numbing cotton balls. Despite his slight frame and my rather dumpy one, he lifted me with ease. He carried me past the bed, stooping down to pick up his camera from the dresser and then we were out of the room and into the hall. Will¡¯s door was open, as was Sarah¡¯s.

    We had made it to the bottom of the stairs when I felt fine enough to walk.

    ¡°Please put me down,¡± I croaked in a pathetic whisper.

    He stopped and lowered me. My legs felt like jelly but at least they felt like my own again. He held the camera with one hand and gripped my hand with the other. We walked slowly through the downstairs area. The lights were all off.

    ¡°It was a fox,¡± I said, my tongue feeling unused and awkward. We peeked around into the empty living room.

    ¡°What the fuck was it doing?¡± he asked.

    I shook my head. I didn¡¯t know, but I knew what it was going to do. Eat me alive.

    We flicked on the lights and saw neither fox, nor Will, nor Sarah. A breeze rustled in through the holes in the kitchen window. The clock on the microwave glowed 3AM.

    The front door was wide open, so we walked over to it and cautiously peered around the doorway. I couldn¡¯t see them but I could hear Will, Sarah and Miguel all talking excitedly in the dark.

    WHOOSH!

    A huge white owl flapped in front of me, inches from my face.

    I screamed and ducked as Dex stuck his arm out and thwacked it. He hit the owl square in the chest. I peered up, hands around my head. The owl squawked and flew off into the night. I looked up at Dex. He took back his clenched fist and let out a low breath. He was just as freaked out as I was. He looked down at me and offered his hand.

    ¡°What a hoot,¡± he joked but his voice was pinched with nerves.

    Seconds later, Will, Sarah and Miguel came around the corner to see what happened. I explained as much as I could. The owl part of the story paled in comparison to the fox. It turns out that they hadn¡¯t seen either creature. Out of all three of them, I knew Will was the one who believed me whole-heartedly. Sarah had only a few choice words and a couple of poignant sighs but for the most part she didn¡¯t argue with what I said too much. I knew she didn¡¯t want us there at all but I finally saw that she believed what was going on. And Miguel, well Miguel was a sneering, sniveling son of a bitch. But even he walked back to his quarters looking more wary than before.

    And that was the end of the night for me. I wasn¡¯t about to go to sleep again and neither was Dex. So we stayed up, sitting on top of the bed and playing games with a bunch of cards we found in one of the drawers. We stayed up until the sun began its quick rise above the mountaintops and the fears of the night were washed away by the desert light. Only then was I finally able to close my eyes for a few minutes.

    CHAPTER SEVEN

    The next morning was understandably sluggish. Miguel and Will were taking up most of the kitchen, fixing the windows, so our breakfast consisted of dry toast and cereal. Dex and I ate it at the dining room table with a giant pot of coffee. Between two caffeine addicts, it didn¡¯t sustain us very well. I thought he was going to fight me for the last cup but I convinced him I needed it more.

    And I did. I was tired and drained from only getting about two hours of sleep and the last thing Dex needed was more stimulants. He was already jittery from the lack of medication and his four cups of the black drug just made it worse.

    ¡°So, have you figured out the plan yet?¡± I asked as he flipped through a bunch of ghost and history books he brought in from the car. His foot was tapping again to a fast, imaginary beat and he was chewing his Nicorette (while drinking coffee, mind you).

    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered quickly, scanning the pages like a speed reader.

    ¡°Does it involve a nap?¡±

    He grinned and looked up at me. His eyes were red, his complexion ashy. For once, he didn¡¯t look too good.

    ¡°What am I? 80? I don¡¯t need sleep. You worry too much,¡± he said and went back to reading.

    This was true. But considering what happened last night, his withdrawal from medication, and the day ahead of us, lack of sleep wasn¡¯t something to scoff at. I had every reason to worry about him. Besides, it made it easier to forget about what happened to me. I hated seeing those spiteful fox eyes every time I let my mind wander.

    ¡°I thought my job was to read the books,¡± I said, wanting him to relax a little bit.

    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d like to know what the fuck is going on.¡±

    He glanced at the kitchen. Will and Miguel were busy hammering away at something.

    ¡°I think they know a lot more than they¡¯re telling us.¡±

    I nodded. I felt that way too.

    ¡°So, how do we get them to spill the beans?¡± I said, lowering my voice.

    He shrugged and went back to his book. ¡°Dunno. But I think Max might be able to help us out with it.¡±

    My Led Zeppelin ringtone went off and I jumped in my seat, my coffee spilling out of the cup.

    ¡°Easy there spaz,¡± he said and tossed a napkin at me. Maybe I didn¡¯t need that extra cup. Maybe I should start putting my phone on vibrate.

    I quickly mopped up the table and fished my phone out of my jean pocket. It was my parents. If I didn¡¯t answer it, they¡¯d call every five minutes until I did.

    ¡°Hello,¡± I said and got up. I needed privacy.

    I walked outside into the apocalyptic heat and shut the front door behind me. It was hard to believe that this arid yet outstandingly pretty place, with its detailed peaks, ridges of green and dots of sheep, was all so scary last night.

    ¡°Perry, it¡¯s your father,¡± he said from the other end. ¡°Just wanting to make sure everything¡¯s OK. You never called last night.¡±

    ¡°You never called me,¡± I reasoned.

    ¡°Do you want us to call you more often?¡±

    ¡°Hell no.¡±

    ¡°Perry,¡± he warned me. And then he went off into a big long spiel about how if I was going to be a responsible adult I would have to start acting like one and that meant checking in with the elders every night. If he only knew what I was really up to, he¡¯d be bit more understanding. Actually, he would be a million times more paranoid. Though it felt wrong to lie, the truth would do nothing to help them in this situation.

    ¡°How is this Dex fellow, is he treating you well?¡±

 Page 16

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping with him are you?¡±

    My jaw dropped. My dad had never brought up sex with me before.

    ¡°Perry? You there?¡±

    I laughed, astonished. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here. I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what to say, dad. What the hell kind of question is that?¡±

    ¡°Stop using that word.¡±

    ¡°Dad?¡±

    ¡°Perry, I am serious.¡±

    I wiped the sweat off my forehead and looked back at the house, where Dex was probably still flipping through the books. I guess technically I was ¡°sleeping¡± with him, but¡­

    ¡°No, dad. I am not sleeping with him, sheesh. He¡¯s kind of my boss in a way.¡±

    Now that was a weird thought.

    He sighed, long and heavy. Silence hung in the air. I knew better than to say anymore.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t see why you¡¯re doing this, that¡¯s all, pumpkin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you thought I was doing all of this for sex, is that it?¡±

    ¡°Ghosts don¡¯t exist Perry. You know they don¡¯t. Anyone who says they do are after something else themselves. You¡¯re chasing after an illusion and the sooner you drop this charade and start putting your extra time and effort into your career, your job, the better off you¡¯ll be. You need to get serious about your life.¡±

    My turn to sigh. It was amazing how being in a wind-dusted barren field, with an azure cloudless sky, could feel so restrictive. Cell phones were the devil.

    ¡°Dad. We can talk about this when I get back. I¡¯m here now, this is what I¡¯m doing, I¡¯m smack in the middle of it. You¡¯re just going to have to deal with it for now.¡±

    The front door to the house opened and Dex came out, the bigger camera hoisted on his shoulder this time. I raised my finger at him to indicate I was busy, if he couldn¡¯t already tell, and turned my back.

    ¡°And by the way, it¡¯s not cool to call me when I¡¯m out here working and lay all this stuff on me,¡± I hissed into the phone. ¡°That¡¯s not being very adult.¡±

    My dad started to say something back but the phone was suddenly snatched out of my hands. Dex put it up his mouth.

    ¡°Hello dad!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± I yelled and tried to take it back from him but he just pushed me away with the camera.

    ¡°Yes, this is Dex.¡± He grinned, looking far too pleased with himself. I felt sick.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m taking real good care of your daughter,¡± he said in a tone my dad was bound to find sarcastic. ¡°Actually, I should say she¡¯s taking real good care of me.¡±

    ¡°Please give me back the phone,¡± I pleaded.

    He gave me a dismissive look and listened to whatever my dad was saying.

    ¡°Oh, I know career is very important,¡± he said, winking at me. ¡°Believe me, if I found out that she¡¯d trade in a good job for what we are doing here, well¡­I¡¯d probably call her an idiot.¡±

    At the mention of idiot, I knew my face fell. Dex didn¡¯t know about my situation still and I didn¡¯t want him to know but at that exact second my face probably said it all.

    But if he picked up on it, he didn¡¯t show it. He watched me as he continued, ¡°She¡¯s a smart girl though, you raised her well. She knows what¡¯s important. Yes, I¡¯ll make sure she calls you tomorrow. Okay, see ya pops.¡±

    And with that he hung up and tossed the phone up in the air. I scrambled for it and barely caught it before it smashed on the hard earth. It¡¯s just my freaking ultra-breakable, irreplaceable iPhone, no big deal, you stupid jerk, I thought wildly.

    ¡°What the fuck, asshole?¡± I exclaimed, and wiped down the screen.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got good reflexes,¡± he said nonchalantly and started off towards the car.

    I stayed put. ¡°No I mean, don¡¯t you dare talk to my parents again.¡±

    He stopped and gave me a lazy look. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? I only said nice things.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± I said simply. That¡¯s really all I could say. I was lying to both of them.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t. Now let¡¯s get moving.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°We are going into town. Meet up with Max, walk around, take some set-up shots of the town, maybe ask around, talk to some people, perhaps find those guys who got attacked a few days ago.¡± He walked towards the car.

    ¡°You go,¡± I found myself saying.

    He stopped, turned and folded his arms, thinking. He looked angry at first, then confused, then concerned, all in the space of a few seconds.

    ¡°I kind of need you,¡± he finally said.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t. Not for setting up shots. And you¡¯ve got your buddy there to help you anyway.¡± I put a sarcastic spin on the word buddy.

    He frowned but didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°I just want some time alone, that¡¯s all,¡± I admitted. ¡°I need to process everything that¡¯s happened so far.¡±

    He rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. I could tell he was mulling it over.

    He walked back over to me and stopped a few feet away. His eyes roamed all over my face. Sometimes Dex reminded me of a truth-sniffing dog.

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel good about leaving you here,¡± he said in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯d feel better if you were with me.¡±

    ¡°Are you worried about me or about what might happen to me?¡±

    He nodded at that and looked at the barn. ¡°Just stay put. Stay around Will or Bird. I¡¯ll be back soon. Call me the minute you¡­need to.¡±

    I gave him a quick smile. ¡°Thanks dad.¡±

    He walked over to the car, calling over his shoulder, ¡°I don¡¯t need to be your dad to worry about you.¡±

    I watched him get into the Jeep and speed out of the ranch, dust clouds blooming behind him until they disintegrated into the blue. I breathed out a huge sigh of relief. I know that being alone may have seemed like a bad idea, but I honestly needed some time to just be.

    I thought about going back into the house and maybe reading those books again but I was sure Sarah would be prowling about somewhere. I hadn¡¯t seen her at breakfast, thank goodness, but figured by now she was in the living room, knitting a voodoo doll version of me (I had seen traces of her yarn collection), or perhaps complaining to Will and Miguel as they worked on the window. It¡¯s not that I was afraid of Sarah, but there was something about her that made me extremely uneasy. And I didn¡¯t like her impulsiveness and her total lack of tact. If I was alone with her I might end up saying something I¡¯d really regret and spoil everything for us.

    I turned around and looked at the barn and the paddocks. I couldn¡¯t see Shan or Bird but figured they were somewhere doing ranchy-type stuff. I didn¡¯t want to bug them either.

    A nice walk, alone, would do me good.

    Though my skinny jeans weren¡¯t exactly New Mexico material and they were already making me sweat, my long tank top was airy and at least I had piled sunscreen on my arms. I didn¡¯t have a hat or water, but I did have a phone. And my Doc Martens were perfect for any potential ruggedness.

    I looked up at the low ridges that snaked away from the back of the paddocks. There was something about those ridges that had looked so familiar from the moment I had arrived. I wanted to explore them, climb to the top to get a better look. Also, I had a strange affinity for climbing up low rugged hills. Something about an exposed landscape up close got me feeling so¡­free. So different from the dense, dark, tree-covered slopes back home.

    I walked to the edge of the paddocks and assessed the best way up. It wasn¡¯t steep at all, just a low, gradual slope through rock and the occasional cacti and scrubby brush until it flattened out amid some pine and junipers. If I followed the ridge along the trees to the left it eventually came to a clearing on a bluff. The view from that point would overlook the whole ranch, and maybe part of the town.

    I walked up the hill, my footing slipping on rocks occasionally, but overall my boots held out. I kept looking behind me to make sure the house was still visible. If I just followed my route as planned, it would never leave my sight.

    Sweat dripped off my face by the time I got to the ridge and I was grateful for the shelter that the sparse pines provided. It was cooler in the shade too, making the sweat on my back feel refreshing. I caught my breath and leaned against a tree. I was maybe 150 feet above the flatlands, not too shabby considering I got up there without an actual path.

    Once my heart slowed to a reasonable rate, I walked along the ridge¡¯s edge, weaving in and out among the trees and tracing the rocky slope which slowly took me higher and higher. It took a lot longer for me to get to the clearing than I had thought, maybe twenty minutes, but the trees finally ended and there was the flat butte thrusting out above the valley.

    I walked across the butte and stopped near the edge. The wind had picked up, rushing across my body, and the view was stupendous. I could see the entire farm, now looking a lot smaller than before, like a Lego version of it. The sheep roamed the dry pastures below like tiny cotton balls. I could see the road leading away from the ranch and disappearing up and down as the undulating desert took it as far as the tiny dot of Red Fox on the horizon. Above that, the big sky enveloped everything, and I imagined I could see the curvature of the atmosphere, spreading from the jagged peaks of my right to the lower, smoother desert hills of my left.

    I thought about bringing my phone out to take a photo but decided against it. No way would that camera do this scene justice. No camera could. I just had to commit the sight and feeling to memory and hope it lasted.

    I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. I really did feel a million times better than earlier and I was so thankful that I took the time to be by myself and regroup. I wasn¡¯t used to being around people all the time. Up here, on this mesa, I felt real freedom. Miles of open desert, blue sky and intense sunlight that made me feel like anything was possible. I wanted to keep that feeling in me forever.

    I smiled to myself and opened my eyes. I looked around for a tree stump or a rock I could sit down on, so I could take everything in and just meditate. But the ground here was plain, rough and dusty and the concept of scorpions, snakes and spiders was creeping at the back of my head.

    The butte sloped off to the left and led back towards a few more clearings surrounded by forest. The rocks over by the base of another ridge looked promising.

    I skid down the slope a bit, the tops of my boots filling up with red dirt, and darted between a few jagged edges. I reached the rocks by the ridge but they were a lot pointier up close and there were far too many dark and creepy cave-like holes between them.

    I looked up the ridge. If I could just climb up the rocks ¨C providing they didn¡¯t roll away from under me ¨C I would make it to the next ridge. Who knew what I¡¯d see from that vantage point?

    I paused and looked behind me. I couldn¡¯t see the valley anymore, at least not where the farm was. So much for not letting the ranch leave my sight.

    A tiny, uneasy feeling nagged at the back of my head. But that was the adventure, wasn¡¯t it? I¡¯d just have to tell it to shut up. I was in exploration mode and I couldn¡¯t quit now. I¡¯d quit at the top. That¡¯s it.

 Page 17

    I looked at my phone for the time: 11AM. Dex had been gone an hour but there was no way he could be back already. I had more than enough time to climb up there, take a look around, then climb back down and head back to the farm before anyone worried about me.

    Feeling better about it, I rubbed my hands on my jeans, made sure my phone was secure, and made a go for it.

    I stepped up on the rock and made a grab for the next one. I tried hard not to look through the cobwebby, dark spaces in between and kept my eyes focused on the ridge ahead. Two hands, two feet, onto the next rock.

    Soon I was stepping off the last rock and onto the flatter ridge. I got to my feet and looked around, feeling like Sir Edmund Hilary. The view from up here was even better and the valley sprawled out in front of it like a patched quilt. To my surprise there was some sheep below as well. I guess the Lancaster¡¯s had more land that I thought.

    I walked to the edge and looked down. There was another plateau about ten feet below which fed into the treeline leading down to the valley.

    There was something on that plateau, though, that caught my eye. There was a strange, dark area on the dirt with a lot of shuffled earth around it. I put my hand up to my forehead to shield the sun and squinted.

    SQUAWK!

    BAM!

    Something hit me on the back of the head with frightening speed. My skull was scraped. I wheeled around to see a blur of black feathers and sky.

    The impact knocked me off balance and I put my left leg back. There was no stability. It sank into the slope and I fell backwards.

    I smashed onto it, feeling the sharp rocks and sticks poking mercilessly into my back, and tumbled for a few dizzying feet, like a child rolling down a grassy hill. Then the rolling stopped and I was airborne for what felt like a very long time. No thoughts came into my head except the fear that I would be dead when I hit the ground.

    I struck the ground with my left shoulder which sent a shockwave of brutal, nauseating pain all the way to my legs, which slammed the ground like a slab of meat.

    I screamed from the pain and rolled over on my stomach, my face eating dirt.

    Between the shock and the currents of pain, I had one thought: I am a fucking idiot. How could everything go from frivolity to fucking up my body in two seconds?

    It was a damn crow. Where the hell had that come from?

    When the pain subsided slightly and I was able to get my mouth away from the earth, I took in a few deep breaths and tried to assess the damage. I carefully rolled onto my right shoulder and felt my left arm. I could feel it, which was a good sign. I moved my head (another plus) and looked down at it. It was scraped, wet with blood and caked with dirt, but I didn¡¯t see anything disgusting like a protruding bone or deep gashes. I inhaled, braced for pain and attempted to lift my arm. I let out another whimpering scream. I bent my elbow and wriggled my wrist and fingers around. They were all in working order, though the skin felt so tight and exposed that it stung with each movement.

    I sat back, putting most of my weight on my good arm. My left leg didn¡¯t feel so good and moving it was tricky. I bent over and rolled up the pant leg. The jeans had protected my legs but my ankle felt hot underneath the boots. I awkwardly tried to untie it using my right arm, loosening it, and felt around. Yep, definitely swollen.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I yelled. I sat on the ground for a few minutes feeling utterly stupid and hopeless. I was hoping my ankle would be good enough to walk on but it probably wouldn¡¯t survive me climbing up the slope I just fell down. I¡¯d just have to find another way back to the farm. Dex was going to give me so much shit. No way could I hide my massacre of an arm.

    I got to my feet, very slowly, and tried to put pressure on the bad ankle. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought, though I wasn¡¯t going to be walking properly for a while. I dusted off my pants and eyed my dirty arm. First things first, I had to go back to the farm and douse it in extra-strength antiseptic.

    I looked around for the best way down into the forest when the dark patch caught my eye again. Now that I was down here, I could see what it was. I limped over and saw that it was a fire pit of some sort. The ground was blackened and a few pieces of burnt kindling were in the center of the circle. Around it there were a few holes in the earth and piles of dirt, as if someone had been digging. I looked closer at the ground. Footprints of different pairs of shoes, at least two, led to the fire and back into the trees. From the other side, near the ridge I just fell off of, there were more markings leading to the fire. Not footprints, though. I moved closer to them. I could make out one of them and it made my heart dislodge with one giant skip.

    A paw print.

    I shuddered and quickly looked around me. I didn¡¯t want to be here anymore. Forget the fact that I mangled one half of my body - that was the least of my worries now. I didn¡¯t want to be somewhere where paw prints and footprints intermingled. Especially around a fire. I could almost see the flames blazing, the embers flying up into the air¡­

    And that¡¯s when it struck me. This was the setting of my dream. My dream where I was sitting around the fire while the lady with the yellow eyes told me that something had been unearthed here.

    I looked down at my feet, at the holes. Something had been unearthed here. I don¡¯t know how I dreamed this but there was no mistaking it.

    I glanced around me again, scrutinizing the landscape for any extra signs. To the right, as the foliage from the trees crept up onto where I was standing, something foreign poked out. I hobbled over and saw a rusty shovel lying in a scrubby brush. I picked it up and looked at the spade. It was dark and stained with something. I smelled it. It smelled like blood¡­or rust. Of course I¡¯d think the worst thing first.

    I peered over into the forest to see what else I could find. There was nothing except what looked like a path. Maybe if I followed it, it would take me back to the ranch.

    CAW!

    A crow¡¯s call resounded from the trees. I looked up fearfully but didn¡¯t see anything in the branches. I waited a few moments, tense and listening. Nothing.

    I looked behind me at the fire pit and the holes. Perhaps if I started digging, I¡¯d find something. I didn¡¯t know what but there had to be something here. Why on earth would I dream about this place?

    SMACK!

    My head whipped back as I was hit straight in the forehead. I fell again but this time I caught myself on the ground with my good arm.

    I never saw it coming. Then I saw the shadow as it flew underneath the sun. The crow had returned for me.

    I looked up just in time to see it dive. Instinctively, I reached for the shovel but I had dropped it too far away from me. I barely had enough time to shield my face with my hands as the crow came by again and swooped at my forearms with its outstretched claws. I felt them sink into my thin skin with sickening clarity. The bird made a go through my hands with its lethal beak, trying to get at my eyes, and pecking bloody holes into my palms.

    I summoned all my fright and used it to fling my arms to the side until the crow released its grasp, then I made one chop into its chest. Feathers flew and the bird was flung backward into the air. It cried, which sounded too much like laughter, and landed on the ground with a dusty thump.

    My eyes were raging; adrenaline flowed through every inch of my being. I was ready to kick the fucking hell out of that god damn evil piece of shit.

    The crow flapped its wings a few times, creating a thick cloud of dust, but to my dismay it was still able to fly off. I watched it soar over the trees in a crooked line. I held my breath, poised, waiting for its return.

    It didn¡¯t come back right away, so I quickly looked at my hands for damage assessment. I looked like I had fucking stigmata. I gently placed them on the dirt, wincing at the sting, ready to push myself up again, when, out of the corner of my eye, the cloud of dust where the crow had been stirred. I froze and looked over.

    At first I couldn¡¯t see anything but a low, hazy shadow. Then through the cloud, a snake emerged. It was no more than four feet away, slithering slowly along the rough earth, heading in my direction.

    I was transfixed, paralyzed in total fear. My breathing stopped, I felt encased in ice. I watched it come closer, watched the details of its movements, the way the scales ebbed and flowed with each slink, the way the forked tongue slid in and out of its angular mouth¡­and its eyes. Its eyes weren¡¯t like snake eyes at all.

    I had barely any time to think about my actions. The snake was coming for me. It wasn¡¯t going to stop. It would strike me, it would hurt, and there was no way of knowing how fast the venom would kill me. I was at least thirty minutes from the farm and that¡¯s if I ran, which I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to do with my ankle, not to mention the fucking venom coursing through my veins. I took my eyes off the snake for a split second and noted how far the shovel was. If I made a move for the shovel, would I get to it first or was the snake able to strike faster than that?

    It seemed like my only option and with each second I spent thinking about it, I knew I was losing the battle. The snake was unbearably close now. Would I even be able to move?

    I took a deep breath and was about to go for it when the snake pounced in one quick movement. I had no time to react, no time to scream. I could only sit there and watch in slow motion as the snake coiled its head back and flung itself at me, mouth open, fangs protruding.

    I braced for impact.

    And heard the loudest BANG rip through the sky and shake the earth. Before my eyes, the snake suddenly exploded into a million pieces. A plume of dirt flew straight up into the air like a geyser and my ears throbbed with the sonic boom.

    I felt wet. I looked down. Bloody bits and pieces of snake were sticking to me. But the snake was gone and dead.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡± a voice shot out from behind me.

    I turned my head and looked up at the slope. At the top of the ridge was Bird, white Stetson on his head, pistol in hand, looking like something out of a Gary Cooper film. He was staring down at me, his face stern.

    He may have just saved my life. I looked at where the snake was, just to make sure it really was dead, that I really managed to escape that. It was gone. I was safe.

    I nodded, not sure what to say.

    ¡°Stay there,¡± he commanded and quickly slid down the slope, jumping down the last bit. He knelt beside me, sorrow etched into his knobby forehead. He looked me over and nodded to himself a few times.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be OK. Can you walk?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I croaked out. I cleared my throat, trying to seem more in control and less stupid. ¡°I can, my ankle kind of hurts but I don¡¯t think I sprained it.¡±

    He walked around behind me and pulled me up from underneath my arms, careful not to hurt me. I got to my feet, too embarrassed to even look him in the eye.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said quietly.

    ¡°A snake is a bad omen. Killing one can be even worse,¡± he said. ¡°But it would have been far worse if that one had gotten a hold of you.¡±

    ¡°Was it poisonous?¡±

    ¡°The worst. But it can¡¯t hurt you now.¡±

    ¡°You must think I¡¯m a total moron. Going off into the mountains by myself, not even telling anyone. And now my whole left side is a disgusting mess.¡±

    He lay his hand lightly on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. His own were gentle, as always, and seemed to possess endless wisdom.

 Page 18

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a so-called moron. Though you should have told someone where you were going. But I was watching you, the whole time, until you disappeared from the mesa. I know now I don¡¯t have to tell you that these hills aren¡¯t as pretty as they look. There¡¯s a lot more things out here than snakes, worse things. I know you won¡¯t be doing that again.¡±

    I shook my head, looking at the ground, feeling like a child.

    ¡°And your arm isn¡¯t as bad as you think.¡±

    He licked his finger and brought it down against it. The dirt lifted clean off showing the skin beneath had only superficial scratches.

    ¡°We¡¯ll get you cleaned up. Come on, would you like me to carry you?¡±

    I smiled anxiously. ¡°No, I¡¯m good. Really. Lead the way.¡±

    He walked down through the trees, through the makeshift path I saw earlier, offering his hand every few steps. I stubbornly refused in the nicest way possible.

    We walked through the forest for about five minutes. I felt the elevation dropping and the air growing warmer, even underneath the fragrant shade.

    ¡°So,¡± I said. ¡°I noticed someone had been there before.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± he replied and kept walking forward.

    ¡°There was a fire, a shovel, footprints. Looked like people were digging for something.¡±

    ¡°It happens all the time here.¡±

    ¡°Is it Miguel or Shan?¡±

    Bird laughed and skirted around an outcrop that stuck out into the trees. ¡°No, not them. New Mexico is a lot different from Oregon. We don¡¯t have a lot of property laws. People generally come and go on your land as they please.¡±

    ¡°But digging up stuff, I mean whatever it is, isn¡¯t it yours?¡±

    ¡°It depends. If they are looking for Navajo objects, it¡¯s probably everyone¡¯s. Everyone Navajo that is. To be honest with you, if a fellow brother finds something Navajo on the Lancaster¡¯s property, it¡¯s better off in their hands anyway. Will and Sarah wouldn¡¯t care, they don¡¯t follow that way anymore.¡±

    Interesting. I almost detected a hint of animosity in Bird¡¯s gentle voice.

    ¡°Is it a big problem when people give up their¡­way?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It can be. It usually is for their families. But, you know, people in town, we¡¯ve all become a lot more tolerant. It¡¯s a shame but you can¡¯t blame them in this day and age. It wasn¡¯t working for them, maybe. Maybe being a Christian has been more rewarding.¡±

    I stifled a laugh.

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me they feel more rewarded,¡± I said. ¡°For someone as blatantly Christian as Sarah¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°That woman is not rewarded. She¡¯s a hypocrite.¡±

    Bird stopped and I almost ran into his back. I was suddenly afraid I had angered him. There I was shooting my mouth off again.

    He turned and looked at me, eyebrow cocked. ¡°You think Sarah is a liar?¡±

    ¡°No. Not at all, I just don¡¯t get how she can be all Christian and religious and stuff and then act like the complete opposite. Maybe it¡¯s just me though. Maybe she just rubs me the wrong way.¡±

    He nodded, musing it over. He looked up at the trees and the sunlight filtering through the needles. Bird always seemed so poised.

    ¡°You have to understand¡­she wasn¡¯t always like this. Even years ago, when she was still blind, she was a lot better. I don¡¯t know what happened. Especially lately. But Will and Sarah are not an easy pair to figure out and I can only say that forsaking the Navajo way can¡¯t have been easy, ever. Growing pains. Besides, all religions are full of hypocrites.¡±

    ¡°True.¡± I nodded.

    ¡°What do you believe in?¡± he asked gently.

    ¡°I believe in God. Or some great power beyond what we can imagine. But I think religion is a manmade prison,¡± I answered honestly. Try telling that to my father, though, I thought.

    ¡°You¡¯re a smart woman, Perry. There¡¯s a lot more to you than some people give you credit for. I know you feel that.¡±

    I smiled shyly. ¡°I guess.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short. I think you¡¯re going to need every ounce of confidence while you¡¯re here.¡±

    His last words had a bit of an edge to them. I didn¡¯t like that.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I think you know. Will explained to me what happened last night. And look what happened just now. You¡­being here¡­is not going to be easy.¡±

    ¡°I can handle it,¡± I said bluntly. He was starting to sound like Miguel.

    He chuckled but his lips quickly turned down. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. I believe you can. But¡­what I¡¯m trying to say is that you, you are causing this.¡±

    I stiffened.

    ¡°And it¡¯s going to follow you, wherever you go.¡±

    I felt currents of electricity spark at the base of my skull and travel down my nerves in waves.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± I said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not the wisest man. I¡¯m not the most powerful. I am just a man amongst others just like me. But I do know I have more connection, more¡­heart,¡± he reached over and tapped my upper chest with his hand, ¡°to people, to the earth, to the spirits. I listen closely and I hear things. I open my eyes wider and I see things. You¡¯ve got a lot of energy, a lot of power in your little form, and there are some things in this world, and in other worlds, evil things, that are going to want to take that from you.¡±

    My first thought was that I was living Poltergeist and I was the little girl and Bird was that creepy midget psychic woman. My second thought was a sick sort of relief. I wasn¡¯t sure if I believed it entirely but what Bird said confirmed a few thoughts I had of my own. Yes, I had always felt I was different. Only to think that there was something special about me was rather egotistical, so I avoided it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m all that special,¡± I said.

    He smiled. ¡°I know you don¡¯t. And that¡¯s part of your ¡®charm.¡¯ But the sooner that you own it, the sooner you¡¯ll be in control over what happens to you. You must prepare for anything now and you must, must realize that whatever happens to you, it¡¯s not going to be easy.¡±

    ¡°My life has never been easy,¡± I mumbled.

    ¡°No one¡¯s is, even the lives we think are effortless. Some people take a longer time to open their eyes to it though. But you¡¯re open. And that¡¯s irresistible to some things¡­and some people. Like Dex.¡±

    My heart skipped.

    ¡°He sees it too.¡±

    I nodded and felt my cheeks growing hot. I wasn¡¯t sure what to make of that.

    ¡°So what do I do? Should I leave? I mean, I don¡¯t want to bring this stuff here to you guys.¡±

    ¡°Will and Sarah are being tormented by something terrible,¡± he answered gravely. ¡°It would happen whether you were here or not. But now that you are here, these things are going to come after you and they are going to do whatever they can to destroy you. The good news is, that in the end, that very power they want is the very power you have to defeat them.¡±

    ¡°Uh, this is really starting to sound like some epic superhero movie.¡±

    He laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not. This is just what happens. And it happens a lot here. The Navajo deal with the spirits, or what you call the supernatural, very often. It¡¯s not supernatural to us, it¡¯s just¡­natural.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve dealt with stuff like this before?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°Well, what are we dealing with?¡±

    He eyed the trees, not quite worried but still with the barest hint of trepidation.

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not discuss it yet, not till I¡¯m sure. This isn¡¯t the time. We better get moving.¡±

    I glanced around me at the forest, feeling the shadows reaching out from the depths. This whole conversation made my paranoia level amp up to eleven.

    We continued walking, a bit quicker now, as the ground became level and the trees thinned out. Soon we were out of the forest and making our way across the craggy desert, coming towards the house and barn from the far left. It was closer to noon now and the sun was at its grandest. My shadow stuck as close to me as possible, as if it was afraid to stray.

    In the distance I could see the Jeep. Dex was back. Suddenly I didn¡¯t want to go any further.

    Sensing this, Bird stopped and looked at me.

    ¡°Want to rest your foot here?¡±

    I nodded.

    He gave me a gentle smile. ¡°You¡¯re worried what your husband¡¯s going to think?¡±

    I tried not to flinch at that term.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I admitted.

    ¡°He¡¯s an interesting fellow,¡± Bird said with no hint of irony. ¡°I can see how you guys found each other. You¡¯re very similar.¡±

    I tried to hide the annoyance that must have splashed across my face but Bird caught it and only smiled. ¡°I can back you up in any way you need me to.¡±

    That came as such a sweet relief to me. It was so nice to know Bird was on my side. Maximus was right about that. I could trust him.

    ¡°Thank you Bird,¡± I said sincerely, hoping he really knew how thankful I was. ¡°That means a lot. But I mean, what can I say? I was an idiot. You saved me. That¡¯s kind of the story of my life.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll get better,¡± Bird said and patted me affectionately on the shoulder. ¡°Just remember what I told you.¡±

    That I was the target of whatever the fuck was happening? How could I forget?

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you fixed up.¡±

    I was about fifty feet away when the front door was flung open. Dex came out, followed by Maximus and Will.

    I half expected Dex to hang in the background, but the moment he got a better look at me he came running over. He looked livid.

    ¡°What the fuck happened to you?¡± he yelled at me, hands in the air. I looked at Bird. Suddenly, I wanted Bird to explain everything.

    ¡°She took a little tumble, she¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not fine,¡± Dex spat out angrily. He looked at my arm, then at my face. I couldn¡¯t really tell if he was just pissed off or extremely concerned.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go find the first aid kit,¡± Bird said quickly and walked off to the house, leaving me with Dex. Maximus and Will were still hanging out around the porch, trying not to watch us.

    I avoided Dex¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said sheepishly. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡±

    He rubbed his chin quickly.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I went for a walk¨C¡±

    ¡°God damn it, Perry!¡± he exclaimed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just thought I would go up to that ridge there.¡± I turned and pointed at the ridge but he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him rather roughly. My fists clenched in surprise.

    ¡°Ow!¡± I cried. I opened up my palm. The holes from the crow¡¯s talons stung and looked nasty. He loosened his grip on my wrist but didn¡¯t let go and peered down at my hands.

    ¡°Ah, jeez. You¡¯re a fucking mess.¡±

    ¡°You can let go now.¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to leash you to me from now on.¡±

 Page 19

    My shoulders sank. There went my freedom. Maybe I did need a babysitter. I always thought it would be the other way around.

    ¡°Look. Dex. I am sorry. But this isn¡¯t about you. It¡¯s my problem. I took the tumble. That crow attacked me.¡±

    ¡°Crow?¡± he repeated, his tone perking up.

    And here was the can of worms.

    ¡°Yes. Some crow attacked me out of nowhere, that¡¯s what these are from.¡± I pointed to my hands and wrists.

    ¡°And what the fuck is this?¡± He picked a piece of bloody snakeskin off my shirt and held it up.

    ¡°That¡­that was a snake. Bird shot it.¡±

    He sighed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Unbelievable. I leave you alone for two hours and you fall off a cliff, get attacked by a crow and a snake explodes all over you.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much.¡±

    He grimaced but seemed to be calming down. ¡°Well I hate to say I told you so but¡­I so fucking told you so. You wanna listen to me next time?¡±

    I glared at him. ¡°It depends, Dex. You¡¯re not normally the voice of reason here.¡±

    ¡°Neither of us are,¡± he said and finally let go of my wrist. ¡°You better wash up.¡±

    We walked to the house. I smiled awkwardly at Will and Maximus as I went up the front steps.

    ¡°My Lord,¡± Maximus said, shaking his head as he looked me over. Neither of them looked very impressed. I tried to brush it off.

    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a klutz, what can I say?¡±

    I walked past them and straight up the stairs before they could see how it was so much more than that.

    I entered my room and quickly shut the door behind me and made a beeline for the bathroom.

    I looked in the mirror and gasped. I had a huge gash across my left cheekbone, with trails of blood and dirt streaking off of it. There were twigs and dust in my hair and my tank top was absolutely ruined with snake guts, blood and caked earth. No wonder everyone had been looking at me like that, I looked far worse than I actually was. In fact, I looked like I walked away from some sort of murder.

    And it could have happened. There was no way I could pass that crow and snake off as just mere animals. They had to have been under the power of someone else. Maybe that¡¯s what Bird wasn¡¯t saying ¨C maybe what we were dealing with here was witchcraft. Perhaps some evil shaman, or something to that extent, was trying to get me and Dex away from the ranch. But even if that was the case, why would they be harassing the Lancasters to begin with? The stones, the dead sheep, the birds, the fox, the snake¡­it was all so scattered and disjointed without a real pattern. What if it really was all just a bunch of coincidences?

    But I knew in my heart they weren¡¯t. I just couldn¡¯t figure it out yet. I hoped I would be able to by the time the weekend was over.

    As I pondered that, I stripped out of my clothes, a pile of dirt collecting on the clean floor, and ran the shower until it was abrasively hot. The steam fogged up the window and I stepped in. The water was painful on my scratches and I winced at the sting, but after a few moments it faded into a happy numbness, as the murky water swirled down the drain.

    It was Saturday. We only had two more days to capture everything we needed, but it no longer felt like the show was the only goal of the weekend. Even if we did get more strange happenings and scenarios on camera, even if we compiled some interesting interviews with Bird, Maximus and whoever, and walked away with a fairly solid body of work¡­I didn¡¯t want to walk away. I couldn¡¯t. I felt as involved with the ¡°case¡± as the Lancasters were. We were just the eyes, sent here to film it all, but we couldn¡¯t do anything about it in the end. We weren¡¯t shamans. We weren¡¯t exorcists. We weren¡¯t even ghost hunters. We were exploitive journalists (and that was pushing it) who would go on our happy way and leave the Lancasters to deal with a problem they might not ever solve. It suddenly felt so¡­pointless. Why did Will want us there when we couldn¡¯t do a thing to help?

    My brain felt stuck on that question as I reluctantly turned off the hot taps and wrung my hair out in the tub. It felt warm at first in my sore hands but quickly turned cold as the beads of water moved down my arms.

    I stopped and froze. I had that dreadful feeling that I was no longer alone in the bathroom.

    I couldn¡¯t see anything through the white shower curtain, though I was certain I¡¯d see a Ma Bates figure rushing towards me with a raised butcher knife. I listened hard, trying to steady my breath as quietly as I could.

    ¡°I can smell blood on you,¡± Sarah¡¯s voice echoed across the bathroom. It wasn¡¯t particularly sinister or accusing but it was creepy as hell. How did she get in here without me hearing her? And what the hell, I was in the shower, hadn¡¯t she heard of a little privacy?

    I didn¡¯t know what to say, so I pulled back part of the curtain and stuck my head out to get a look at her.

    There was no one there. The door to the bathroom was closed.

    Total mindfuck.

    I stepped out of the shower and quickly wrapped a towel around me. It was a bit too small and barely covered my rack but it would have to do. I looked around the tub for her but I was alone in the room. The clothes on the floor looked undisturbed. The window was open only a crack and a hot, sweet-smelling breeze was blowing through in mild bursts. Did I really hear Sarah? Or was I imagining things? I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, trying to get the clarity I had back on that open mesa.

    A knock at the door.

    I yelped despite myself, my wet hair flinging water droplets around the room.

    ¡°It¡¯s Dex,¡± I heard him mumble from the other side. The handle jiggled.

    Heart in my throat, I cautiously opened it. Indeed, Dex was standing outside the door, a first aid kit in his hand. He looked wary of me until his eyes drifted onto my chest and legs, on display courtesy of the bathmat-sized towel.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± he said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile.

    I didn¡¯t give into the embarrassment of him seeing me half-naked.

    ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡±

    ¡°I just got here,¡± he said, still staring at my chest.

    I rolled my eyes and reached over, pushing at his forehead until he was looking me in the eyes.

    ¡°Did you see just see Sarah leave?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°Why?¡±

    I closed my eyes, feeling worse. ¡°Nevermind.¡±

    I started to close the door on him but he stuck his hand out and stopped it. ¡°Nuh uh.¡±

    He pushed his way into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. ¡°You need some attending.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯d like that wouldn¡¯t you,¡± I sniped.

    He sighed as he opened the kit and spread it out on the standalone sink. ¡°Actually I¡¯d like it if you were being the sexy nurse, not me.¡±

    He opened a bottle of rubbing alcohol and splashed it on sheets of gauze and held it above my arm, warning me, ¡°This is going to sting, probably.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t be worse than your tongue.¡±

    ¡°Ha,¡± he said and pressed the gauze forcefully into my arm. I flinched. It burned like a motherfucker.

    He took the pad and, more gentle this time, pressed it further down my arm, dabbing it on each cut. His brow was furrowed intensely as he worked. It was vaguely charming to see him doting on me.

    After he worked his way down, he lightly stroked the tops of my forearms where the crow¡¯s talons had scratched away. The hair on my arms rose in response. Only this time not in fear. His fingers felt nice.

    He slowed them and raised his brow at me, eyebrow ring glinting. ¡°Did the crow do this?¡±

    I nodded and turned over my hands, opening the palms.

    He held the backs of my hands in his for a few seconds, giving them a warm but barely perceptible squeeze, before he returned to the kit. He ripped open a packet of iodine-soaked pads and pressed them into my palms. That hurt even more than before. My face scrunched up with the sharp bursts of pain.

    ¡°Sorry, kiddo,¡± he said softly. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can be too careful. Crows are dirty fuckers.¡±

    When he was done, he started to wrap my hands like you would a boxer.

    ¡°I¡¯m sort of waiting for you to tell me how this happened,¡± he said as if I had missed my cue or something.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know. I had climbed to this ridge and was just looking at the view when I guess it came at me from behind. Messed up the back of my head and knocked me off balance. I rolled down this slope, and actually was like airborne for a few seconds before I landed on this arm.¡±

    He let out a low whistle, ¡°Perry¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± I said before he could lecture me, ¡°I didn¡¯t break anything and wasn¡¯t really all that hurt so I got up and then saw this fire pit. I guess someone had a fire there at some point. There were footprints, maybe a paw print too.¡±

    He stopped wrapping, his complete attention on me.

    ¡°And there was a shovel and holes in the earth, like someone had been digging for something.¡±

    ¡°Those boys who were attacked by the fox,¡± he said, thinking out loud.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. I didn¡¯t see anything else though, there wasn¡¯t really any evidence but I know there¡¯s something about that place. I had been there before. In my dream.¡±

    He cocked his head. His eyes grew from mahogany to a steely shade of brown, as if the moon passed in front of the sun.

    ¡°You had a dream about this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­it was earlier in the week.¡±

    ¡°You had a dream and you didn¡¯t tell me?¡± he sounded slightly offended.

    I shrugged, carefully, so that my towel didn¡¯t spring open and said, ¡°It was just a dream. How was I supposed to know it would¡­mean something?¡±

    ¡°Because of what happened last time, you tard. Don¡¯t you see? You dreamt about being in the lighthouse and then you were there. You can¡¯t pass these things off as dreams anymore. Those days are over.¡±

    I started to protest but he cut me off, ¡°What happened in your dream?¡±

    I told him everything and then added, ¡°But maybe it¡¯s not the same place anyway.¡±

    He fell silent. He finished wrapping and then started on my other hand. ¡°Pretty big coincidence to dream about that when you were back in Portland and had no knowledge of the desert, coyotes, and stuff being unearthed, you know.¡±

    I tensed up as he applied the iodine on the other hand.

    ¡°Almost done,¡± he said, gesturing to my palm. ¡°So then when did the crow do this?¡±

    ¡°When I was looking things over. I don¡¯t know how it happened without me seeing it but I think it hit me in my head from the front. I fell down and it just started attacking me, like fucking claws out and everything. I stopped it with my arms but it was still using its beak to like try and peck my eyes out or something. Then I like flung it on the ground somehow and it flew away. Then the snake appeared, from out of nowhere.¡±

    Dex closed his eyes briefly but continued wrapping. ¡°And then¡­¡±

    ¡°Bird shot it. Just as it was going for me. If he hadn¡¯t followed me, I-¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± he interjected. He finished wrapping my hand, then looked at me and gave me a terse smile. ¡°I can only imagine.¡±

 Page 20

    I could tell Dex was genuinely worried about me. Even though it caused butterflies at the base of my stomach, I felt like an idiot again for putting myself in that situation.

    Dex let go of my hands and put one of his hands under my chin. He took the iodine pad and aimed it at my cheekbone gash.

    ¡°You know the drill,¡± he commanded and turned my face, gently dabbing it against my cheek. I barely felt it. I only noticed the strange look in his eyes as they stared into mine. Though they were tinged with sadness, their intensity made me feel weak in the knees and I was once again very aware that I was a shuffle away from being completely exposed.

    I don¡¯t know how long that moment lasted, or even if it was a moment, but eventually he looked away and did a final dab on my cheek. He let out a large puff of air, smelling faintly like sweet tobacco, and stepped back.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to have a rusty blotch on your face from the iodine, but I think if you wash it in an hour you should be good to go.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Dex,¡± I said softly.

    He gave me a quick smile and then opened the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be downstairs.¡±

    And with that he was gone. I was alone again in the bathroom, my wounds cleaned but my mind more infected than ever.

    CHAPTER EIGHT

    After I had thrown my ratty tank in the trashcan, it was time for me to pretty-up. I threw on slim-cut olive cargo pants and a billowy black kimono shirt (loose sleeves were my friend at the moment) and piled my wet hair back into a low braid, before attacking my fragile face with makeup. There was nothing I could do about the orange smear of iodine on my cheekbone but at least I could do my eyes up. Maybe I over did it with the eyeliner but I needed something to distract from my wounds.

    When I felt more or less composed, I made my way downstairs. I heard voices coming from the living room and saw, well, pretty much everyone sitting there.

    Will and Bird were sitting on the couch, while Maximus sat back in the loveseat beside Dex, who was scribbling into a spiral notebook. His camera sat on the table. Across from that was Sarah in her rocking chair, going through the knitting motions.

    Everyone stopped talking as soon as they saw me. I could not have felt more awkward.

    I waved. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we had a party going on.¡±

    ¡°Bird was just telling us about what happened,¡± Will explained. ¡°Then Dex filled us in on the rest.¡±

    I shot Dex a killer look. I thought everything I just told him was confidential!

    ¡°They all needed to know exactly what happened,¡± he said, ignoring my death glare and turning his attention back to the books.

    Maximus nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the only way we¡¯ll actually figure out how to deal with all of this.¡±

    Sarah laughed. ¡°All of this? Any of you think that perhaps Miss Snoops here just doesn¡¯t get along with animals? I mean she barely gets by with-¡±

    ¡°Sarah,¡± Will warned, wagging his finger despite the fact she couldn¡¯t see the gesture.

    She clucked and continued knitting. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, this is a lot of fuss for some city girl who went for a walk in the woods. It¡¯s a lot easier to blame something else.¡±

    I crossed my arms impatiently (and carefully).

    ¡°OK, well since you were all talking about me while I was gone, how about you fill me in on any conclusions you may have had?¡±

    Dex and Maximus and Bird all exchanged a three-way glance. I waited for them to say something but no one uttered a word. At last, Will spoke up.

    ¡°The Navajo believe that people can be cursed by someone,¡± Will said with embarrassment. ¡°They believe that if a curse is placed on the person, that the person will continue to suffer from the curse until they die. Unless the curse is found and burned.¡±

    I must have looked confused because Bird elaborated, ¡°The curse is usually a bundle of twigs, maybe animal skin, a drawing depicting the curse and a personal item of the person, like hair or jewelry. If you can find the bundle, usually by using a medicine man, you can burn it and destroy the curse forever.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s bull,¡± Will said, wriggling uncomfortably in his seat and avoiding Bird¡¯s eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t believe any of that for a second and you know it Bird.¡±

    ¡°But you believe in ghosts,¡± Maximus drawled nonchalantly.

    ¡°That¡¯s different,¡± said Will. But that¡¯s all he said.

    ¡°That aside then,¡± I said, ¡°could all of this be the work of a curse, Bird? If you believed it, could you get a medicine man here to find the bundle or whatever and lift the curse?¡±

    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Bird. He looked down and adjusted the hat on his head. ¡°Technically, yes.¡±

    ¡°But¡­,¡± Dex added.

    ¡°But nothing,¡± Bird said, slapping his hands against his knees. ¡°We could do it, if this really was a curse. But that¡¯s a big if.¡±

    ¡°But couldn¡¯t a medicine man tell you if it was or wasn¡¯t? Maybe we just need confirmation and then we can cross it off the list,¡± I offered.

    ¡°Shan¡¯s a medicine man,¡± Sarah piped up.

    That simple remark managed to change the whole dynamic of the room.

    Judging from their faces, Maximus and Dex were just as surprised to hear that as I was. Bird was shaking his head ever so slightly as if he was mad at Sarah for bringing it up, Will was rolling his eyes and Sarah looked downright smug.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me,¡± I finally said.

    ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m kidding?¡± Sarah said, then went back to her knitting, smiling to herself.

    ¡°It¡¯s true, Shan was a medicine man,¡± Bird spoke slowly. ¡°Was, though. He¡¯s not anymore. It¡¯s complicated.¡±

    ¡°Damn right, it¡¯s complicated,¡± Will said. ¡°And you aren¡¯t involving him in any of this. Let him do his job, his proper job. Which you should be doing too, Bird.¡±

    Sarah suddenly sprung out of her chair and flung her knitting stuff to the side, the needle ricocheting off the wood floor with a clatter. Her agility surprised me.

    ¡°I say we go see him right now and see what he says!¡± she exclaimed.

    ¡°Sarah, don¡¯t you dare,¡± Will said as he got up and made a grab for his wife but she was already beyond his reach and shuffling with her cane towards the door.

    She felt for her shoes and slipped them on effortlessly. ¡°Well come on you ghost hunters, don¡¯t you want to talk to a real medicine man and see if he can put an end to all of this?¡±

    I did but there was something terribly off-putting about the way she was so gung-ho. I glanced at Dex who was already staring at me. His expression agreed. Something didn¡¯t gel here.

    But to Maximus it did and he was already joining Sarah by the door. ¡°Bring the camera just in case,¡± he said and motioned to Dex, as if he was suddenly in charge of the whole operation.

    ¡°This is a bad idea,¡± Bird said getting out of the couch, his jaw set firmly. Will agreed.

    I gave them a shrug to show that it wasn¡¯t my idea, but I wasn¡¯t missing this either. Dex snatched up his camera (with some annoyance, I¡¯m sure, at being told what to do) and we ran after Maximus and Sarah who were already out the door and heading to the barn.

    ¡°She can sure move fast for a blind lady,¡± I said under my breath to Dex as we went after them. I couldn¡¯t run thanks to my ankle so it was a gimpy speedwalk of sorts.

    ¡°Mmmmm,¡± he muttered, flipping on the camera switches.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± I asked. He had something going on in that head of his.

    ¡°I¡¯d say the same thing you are,¡± he said and stopped. ¡°Hold on.¡±

    He licked his thumb and then smudged it along my cheek, wiping off the iodine.

    ¡°Which is what?¡±

    ¡°Something¡¯s not right. But we¡¯ll figure it out. You ready?¡±

    ¡°Ready for what?¡±

    ¡°Ready for anything. Come on, we can¡¯t lose them,¡± he broke into a trot heading to the barn where Sarah and Maximus just disappeared into. I did my best to keep pace.

    As we entered the darkness of the barn, my eyes had a hell of a time adjusting to the light. I walked blindly for a few moments, feeling for Dex, when I heard a Spanish-accented snarl.

    ¡°You too?¡± Miguel¡¯s voice came from the shadows.

    We stopped. Miguel came out from a tack room, wiping his hands on a dirty cloth.

    ¡°Sarah and¨C¡± Dex started.

    ¡°They went to see Shan,¡± Miguel interrupted, pointing out the other end of the barn where the hall opened into a tunnel of light. ¡°I don¡¯t know why. He¡¯s sick.¡±

    He nearly spat out that last word, like it was our fault.

    ¡°He¡¯s sick?¡± Dex repeated.

    ¡°His chest hurts. Nothing bad but he¡¯s in bed.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Dex said and began for the end of the barn.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s stupid. Leave the man alone,¡± Miguel said. I gave him a small smile as I passed him. His dark eyes were glaring at me with all their might as per usual, but I felt an aura of fear radiating off of him. Maybe it was my imagination. It was obviously having its way with me today.

    I couldn¡¯t dwell on it. I limped after Dex, our footsteps echoing down the cloudy hall until we entered the sunlight again and made our way for Shan and Miguel¡¯s house, just behind a line of junipers.

    It was a simple, small bungalow made with faded grey wood. Maximus was standing alone outside the front door. It was closed.

    ¡°Thanks for waiting,¡± Dex said sarcastically. ¡°Where¡¯s Sarah?¡±

    Maximus ignored him with a twitch of his head and pointed at the door. ¡°She went in there. Miguel said Shan was feeling ill and she freaked right out.¡±

    ¡°Chest pains?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I reckon so. Hope it¡¯s not a heart attack. I don¡¯t know how well equipped the hospital is here.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said absently. That off-feeling was nagging at me again. I wondered if Maximus sensed it too.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go in there with her?¡± I asked him.

    He shook his head and stepped away from the door. He came over to us in a hush, putting one big arm over each of our shoulders, and led us away from the house.

    ¡°Are any of you getting a bad feeling about this?¡± he whispered, head between us.

    Dex and I agreed. I hadn¡¯t been in a huddle since my childhood softball games.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what though,¡± I added.

    ¡°Yeah, me neither,¡± Maximus sighed and straightened up.

    The sound of the door opening caused us all to turn around. If Sarah could have seen us we¡¯d have probably looked a might suspicious in our little head to head. But she couldn¡¯t.

    She closed the door firmly behind her and said, ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Dex answered, walking over to her. ¡°Is Shan OK? Miguel told us what happened.¡±

    She poked her cane out in front of her, almost nailing Dex in the knee, and walked toward the trees. ¡°He¡¯s fine, just has a sore chest,¡± she said dismissively.

    ¡°Sore chest?¡± I repeated.

    She stopped but didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°Yes. A sore chest. Are you deaf? He probably pulled something. He does most of the work around here, don¡¯t let Miguel or Bird tell you otherwise.¡±

 Page 21

    Maximus walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Want some help getting through the trees?¡±

    She brushed off his hand. ¡°Do I look like an invalid to you, white boy?¡±

    I almost laughed at his taken aback expression. He ran his hand through his red hair and gave us a shrug. She began to walk again, quicker, as if to prove she wasn¡¯t an invalid. Not that we doubted that anyway.

    I limped after her, the boys following.

    ¡°But if he¡¯s a medicine man, can¡¯t he heal himself?¡± I asked innocently.

    Sarah laughed. ¡°You really know nothing about the Navajo, do you? A healer cannot heal himself. He must find another medicine man to do that.¡±

    She sounded quite grave but her tone became more flippant when she added, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s nothing that some Aspirin won¡¯t fix. Maybe tomorrow you can have a talk with him about this medicine man stuff. I¡¯m sure he would love to enlighten you all.¡±

    We followed her to the house in silence but came to a halt outside the door. After she went inside, I turned to the guys and told them I was starving.

    And I did not want to eat lunch in the house. I wanted to get out of there for a bit.

    Maximus nodded and headed up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll just tell them we are getting lunch in town before they start making us stuff.¡±

    I looked at Dex.

    ¡°Need anything from inside. Books, perhaps?¡±

    He shook his head No and walked over to the Jeep. ¡°There¡¯s a few books in here I got from the library while you were out on your little, uh, hike. I think we¡¯re going to want to read them. As soon as possible.¡±

    We ended up driving a little ways out of town, to one of the gas stations on the outskirts that doubled as a greasy spoon diner.

    We piled into a small booth, Maximus squished up against me, and quickly ordered our food from the indifferent waitress before getting down to business. She didn¡¯t even bat an eye at my bandaged hands.

    After she brought us our much-needed meals, Dex had the books out and pushed one of them towards us.

    ¡°I think this is what we are dealing with here,¡± he said, eyeing the book. He glanced at me quickly and then looked away, giving the impression that though he was serious, he was still a bit apprehensive of what I might think.

    I looked at the title. ¡°Navajo myths and folklore?¡±

    ¡°All myths come from somewhere,¡± Dex said.

    I flipped open the book to the index. ¡°Any particular chapter?¡±

    Maximus laid his well-groomed fingertip beneath Chapter Two: Skinwalkers and poked it hard for emphasis.

    I looked at Dex for assurance. He nodded. I flipped to the chapter and skimmed through it.

    I had heard of skinwalkers before, or shapeshifters, as they are called in other cultures. But I mean, that really was a myth. Like the werewolf. And trolls. And leprechauns.

    It was all so strange and fantastic that I stopped after a few pages and gave Dex the most disbelieving look I could muster.

    ¡°Are you kidding me? You think we are dealing with skinwalkers?¡±

    ¡°Shhhh!¡± Maximus shushed me, glancing around the near empty diner. The few truck drivers and the waitress didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be talking too loudly about this.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± I snorted.

    Dex leaned across the table, his voice low, ¡°Because the people here, they really do believe in this. And if they hear a bunch of white people talking about it, that could cause some problems.¡±

    I got that but still¡­

    ¡°I know they believe it but I mean¡­it¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°What I do is impossible,¡± Maximus said through a neat mouthful of his BLT.

    ¡°What we¡¯ve seen is impossible,¡± Dex added. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±

    The difference was that ghosts could be explained. To me, anyway, it almost made scientific sense. After you died, it was inherently possible that you could still exist in some form¡­whether it was not moving on, getting stuck in some limbo alternate universe, leftover electric energy, or some other kind of ¡°force¡±, the concept of having something survive after you die didn¡¯t really seem like that much of a stretch when you thought about it. But the fact that a person could physically become an animal, at will, and then revert back to human form was just ridiculous.

    ¡°I hate to get all Scully on your Mulder asses but I just don¡¯t think this is what¡¯s happening,¡± I said. Maximus laughed at that, appreciating the X-Files reference.

    ¡°But you¡¯d believe a curse?¡± Dex questioned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I admitted and tucked into my overtly salty French onion soup. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I believe anymore. I mean, if it¡¯s so obvious to you guys that this a skinwalker situation, then why hasn¡¯t anyone else, any of the actual Navajo people, said anything about it?¡±

    ¡°Because they don¡¯t discuss it with non-believers if they don¡¯t have to,¡± Dex explained. ¡°I think Bird knows exactly what is going on, he¡¯s just waiting for the time to tell us. Or maybe waiting for the right person to tell us.¡±

    ¡°And he knows Will and Sarah wouldn¡¯t have any of it if that¡¯s what it came down to,¡± said Maximus. ¡°Could you imagine it? After all their forsaking of their beliefs and heritage, it turns out to be the very thing that is causing all their problems.¡±

    Actually, what he said made perfect sense. It was a little too ironic. I told them that.

    ¡°But maybe it¡¯s someone tormenting them for turning their backs on the Navajo. Maybe someone wants to teach them a lesson.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s a skinwalker, it¡¯s someone,¡± Dex lowered his voice even more, as if that someone could be in the diner with us. ¡°If it¡¯s a curse, it¡¯s also someone. I don¡¯t think we are dealing with ghosts here. Not at all.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you, brother,¡± said Maximus, pushing his empty plate away.

    Dex narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°Don¡¯t call me brother.¡±

    Maximus met his eyes and a testosterone staring contest ensued.

    ¡°Oh come on, knock it off you two,¡± I sighed. ¡°Put whatever weirdass bullshit you have aside, at least for this weekend, all right?¡±

    ¡°Easy there, kiddo¡± Dex said, reaching across the table and patting my hand. ¡°We¡¯re just playing.¡±

    Maximus smiled at me with an Elvis-like lip curl. ¡°If we aren¡¯t dealing with ghosts per se, it could be why I can¡¯t sense anything. There¡¯s no death here.¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± I said without thinking, as the biggest sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu slammed into me like hailstorm. The room seemed to vibrate and shift, the drone of a fly on the dirty window became louder and louder. Dex squeezed my hand.

    ¡°Perry,¡± he whispered.

    I tried to focus on my soup, on the drowning bits of sodden bread in the briny broth. The buzz of the fly became so loud, it was as if it were burrowing in my ear, an audio root canal. Dex squeezed my hand harder and it stopped. I looked at him, his eyes were full of knowing, knowing more than I did. The room stopped spinning but the feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu still lingered.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I gasped, not sure of what just happened. Was that a panic attack? Or just a dizzy spell?

    ¡°Do you realize what you just said?¡± he asked quietly.

    He kept his hand on mine and looked at Maximus. ¡°And what you just said?¡±

    I looked at Maximus. His strong face was as puzzled as mine.

    ¡°Perry had a dream a few days ago,¡± Dex started and proceeded to tell Maximus all of it. My mind caught up quickly. No wonder I had d¨¦j¨¤ vu, Maximus and I just spoke to each other the dialogue in the dream. ¡°There is no death here,¡± I said slowly to myself. ¡°Not yet.¡±

    If everything in my dream was slowly coming true¡­what was next, for coyotes to start walking on two legs and then¡­? I shuddered. Perhaps the skinwalker conclusion wasn¡¯t too far off.

    I pushed my bowl of soup away, my appetite gone. I suddenly missed my old job. Working in the safe, sterile ad agency didn¡¯t seem so bad anymore.

    After we finished up our food, we made our way back to the ranch. I sat in the back of the Jeep and listened absently to Dex and Maximus talk about what their chums from the old college days were doing now. My attention flitted in and out as I flipped through the book to feed my overstuffed mind. If skinwalkers were a possibility, I needed to know exactly what we were dealing with.

    According to the book, skinwalkers were ¡°evil¡± Navajo witches who could shapeshift into any animal form, usually something local like a coyote, a fox, a bird or a bear. Sometimes they tormented their victims by throwing stones or banging on the walls, other times they would attack you in your car or they¡¯d do some other sort of malicious prank. It didn¡¯t say too much about disfigured livestock, nor did it mention any cases of anyone actually being physically hurt by the skinwalkers, which was a relief of sorts. Not that I had even begun to accept it, but it was good to know. If my dreams were some sort of foreshadowing of events to come, I definitely did not want the part where the coyote people ripped me from limb to limb to come true.

    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Maximus asked, turning around in the passenger seat, his warm voice slinking off the walls.

    I shut the book and put on a brave face. ¡°I¡¯m OK.¡±

    He had such a sexy energy at times that I couldn¡¯t help but want to put up a front around him. Me, scared of skinwalkers? Nonsense.

    He pursed his lips for a second and then grinned in his aw shucks way. ¡°You¡¯re braver than I am.¡±

    I leaned in closer and made sure to speak a bit breathier, ¡°I have a hard time believing you¡¯d buy into this skinwalker business, let alone be scared of it. You look like you could take on a grizzly bear with your own hands.¡±

    Yes, that¡¯s right. I was flirting with him. I couldn¡¯t help it. I think my nerves needed a pleasant diversion. So, I flashed him a smile that made the cut on my cheek sting. I could see Dex¡¯s eyes float up to the rear view mirror and glance at me curiously. I remembered what he said about Maximus wanting to get in my pants. I wanted to test that theory and part of me wanted to do it to see if Dex would care. Why he would, I don¡¯t know, but I was going to do it anyway.

    Maximus actually blushed. Or at least the tops of his forehead were starting to match his hair.

    ¡°I am not about to wrestle no bears, but I did used to catch baby gators for my cousin back in Louisiana,¡± he said. ¡°They were easy once you got their mouths clamped shut.¡±

    ¡°Just like Perry,¡± Dex chimed in cheerfully.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± I glared at him. He gave me a skeezy look in the mirror and laughed.

    I shook my head and looked back at Maximus who was trying not to laugh himself. I rolled my eyes. ¡°Anyway¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Maximus repeated, still grinning at me, ¡°just because I¡¯m 6¡¯4¡± doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t get scared every once in a while.¡±

    I cocked my head. ¡°Do you ever get scared on the job. You know, doing a reading?¡±

    He nodded, his green eyes sobering. ¡°Oh, of course. How can you not? The most terrifying moment is the one right before I do it. I don¡¯t know how these people died. I mean, I know to some extent but to feel what people feel when they go¡­it is God awful. It hits you like brick. Every time. I can¡¯t even prepare for it. I reckon I never will. You think you know death, you think you have some idea of what happens, of how you¡¯ll feel but you don¡¯t know. And I only feel, probably, fifty per cent of what they went through. The terror. The¡­ questions they had. It¡¯s always, why? Why now? Why me? It is so powerful, it leaves a fucking imprint that some hillbilly like me can pick up on. And each time I do it¡­¡±

 Page 22

    He trailed off, his eyes leaving mine and stared out the back window, watching the dusty road disappear behind us. His blush was gone and he had turned a wicked shade of alabaster. This big, burly man with his sexy snarl looked like a freckled little boy, sleeping with the nightlight on.

    Instinctively, I reached over and brushed his hair back lightly. He had nice, thick hair.

    He gave me a quick smile. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say I wouldn¡¯t wish death upon my greatest enemy.¡±

    ¡°Jesus. Can we shut up with the death talk, please?¡± Dex grumbled, eyeing us in the mirror, anger sparking.

    Maximus looked sheepish. ¡°Sorry man, I forgot.¡±

    Dex shot him a sharp look but Maximus was turning around in his seat and didn¡¯t notice. I did though. What did that mean¡­¡°I forgot?¡± Forgot what? I know Dex¡¯s family was dead¡­I guess that had to be it. But it felt like something much deeper and rawer than that.

    And being me, I couldn¡¯t let it rest. I wanted to know and if I brought it up later, I wouldn¡¯t have Maximus there for support and whatnot.

    ¡°Well you picked an ironic profession if you didn¡¯t want to talk about death,¡± I challenged. I meant to say that a bit nicer.

    Maximus turned his head to look at Dex. Dex didn¡¯t move or say anything but his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

    ¡°Skinwalkers aren¡¯t technically dead though,¡± Maximus said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about skinwalkers, which by the way, I am not totally sold on yet. I just mean with Dex. You, Dex, what¡¯s with the ¡®shut up with the death talk¡¯ all of a sudden?¡±

    Dex slowly moved his eyes up to the mirror to meet mine. I hadn¡¯t seen him glare that good for a long time. He was the king of glares. Sometimes they were sexy (probably by accident) but they were always effective. When his black, arched brow lowered and connected with those dark eyes and his lips set in a snake-like twist, he just radiated intensity. The depths always surprised me. It was like looking into a cave and thinking you could see the back of it, but it just ended up being a trick of the eye. There was always more, another twist, another turn.

    This was the best exampled I had seen yet; I thought the glass in the mirror might shatter.

    It made me sit back in my seat just a bit, but I wasn¡¯t going to back off.

    ¡°What?¡± I shrugged, playing the ignorant card. I tapped Maximus on the shoulder. ¡°Tell me more about what people feel when they die.¡±

    ¡°Uh,¡± he glanced warily at Dex. Dex looked right back at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let me stop you,¡± he sneered. ¡°If she wants to know, she wants to know.¡±

    Maximus looked back at me, his voice a bit shaky, ¡°Okay then. Well, it depends.¡±

    ¡°What was the scariest reading you¡¯ve done?¡±

    ¡°I reckon it would have to be this woman who was murdered. By her own daughter.¡±

    I grimaced. ¡°Ugh.¡±

    Maximus quickly glanced at Dex and continued, ¡°Yeah. She was sick. No one could figure out what was wrong with her. Her daughter was taking care of her and I guess it got to be too much. She smothered her with a pillow. You can¡¯t¡­ imagine what that woman felt as her own child killed her. To raise someone and love someone that much and then for them to turn around and take your life, like it all meant nothing, was-¡±

    SCREEE!

    Dex suddenly slammed on the brakes and the Jeep was careening off to the side of the road. We stopped on the shoulder in a mist of red dust.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I cried, thinking we had almost hit something.

    Dex got out of the car and slammed the door. I looked at Maximus, mouth agape. He looked uneasy.

    ¡°You stay here, please,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± I protested but it was too late. He was out of the car.

    ¡°This is how people get killed in horror films,¡± I pouted to myself, wishing the dust would clear so I could get a proper look outside.

    I had no idea why we stopped. It was like Dex just had enough. I was starting to feel bad for provoking him but maybe it was something else. Unlikely, but possible.

    Seconds later Maximus got back inside, coughing from the air outside.

    ¡°Well, what happened?¡± I asked anxiously.

    He let out a low groan. ¡°Oh. You know Dex.¡±

    I leaned forward on his seat and tried to see out the front. The red cloud was clearing and I could see someone, I presumed Dex, walking away from the car.

    ¡°Where is he going?¡±

    ¡°Just give him a few minutes,¡± Maximus replied simply. I looked at him closer, at the freckles on his nose, the sienna hairs of his five o¡¯ clock shadow. He moved his head to face mine and gave me a little smile.

    ¡°You guys sure are fucked up.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± I said.

    His smile grew wider. He stuck the tip of his tongue out between his teeth.

    ¡°You¡¯re almost worse than he is,¡± he said rather suggestively. ¡°It¡¯s OK, I¡¯m all for women with a little more adventure to them.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t tell if he was kidding so I ignored it.

    ¡°Yesterday, you told me I couldn¡¯t trust Dex,¡± I said.

    ¡°I told you that you shouldn¡¯t. Not that you couldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why did you say that?¡±

    ¡°Dex isn¡¯t well¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, I know that Sherlock.¡±

    He squinted those emerald peepers at me. ¡°Watson, more like it. You know he¡¯s a few cards short of the deck.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I mean, who can¡¯t see that. Plus he actually told me. He¡¯s bipolar or something and, you know, right now he¡¯s not even on any meds so he¡¯s all out of sorts.¡± I felt strangely defensive about Dex¡¯s mental health.

    ¡°Do you reckon he¡¯s bipolar?¡±

    I thought about it. ¡°Maybe. I mean, I guess. Why would he lie?¡±

    He adjusted in his seat to get more comfortable and rested his chin on the back of it.

    ¡°Dex is one of the greatest liars you¡¯ll ever come across. The man turns it into an art.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t good to hear. I felt a bit icky, as if he was about to spring something on me that would change my view of Dex forever. I didn¡¯t want to change my view about him. I liked him. A lot.

    Maximus was watching me closely. ¡°You¡¯re worried about him.¡±

    ¡°Well, uh,¡± I stammered. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. He¡¯s been this way a long time and he¡¯s still around and kicking. Doing better now more than ever. I mean, have you seen his girlfriend?¡±

    My face fell for a split second but I pushed it into blas¨¦ territory before he could notice. ¡°Yeah, I know who she is.¡±

    ¡°When we were together at NYU, he was always all over the place. Like a wind-up toy. Sometimes he would be on and when he was on, he was really on. Ideas coming from all over the place, intelligent debates that would last into the wee hours of the morning, and just creating the most incredible shit out of nothing¡­especially, music. He would write the craziest songs yet they always worked. We didn¡¯t end up using those songs, after all we were a cover band, you know, Henry Mancini and all that, but he still wrote them. And his voice...and he would write too, like thoughts, fiction¡­just stay up all night drinking and writing pages of¡­anything. He would never share that with anyone, but I caught a few glances here and there. That boy had a wicked imagination.

    ¡°And then when he was off, he was off. Just shut off from the world. It was hard to tolerate the two sides of him, especially when he would be on doing rehearsals, and then would shut off on stage. You can imagine that doesn¡¯t go over very well. But I mean, he was it. He was our singer. He was the guy we wanted to be even though none of us would admit it. And sometimes, he was a very good friend, when he wasn¡¯t being tortured by some personal demon of some sort. He never let us in close but when he took the effort to put himself aside for a change, he was fiercely loyal.¡±

    ¡°I can see that,¡± I said, nodding.

    ¡°And then he fell in love. With a real sweet girl. Abby. She was kind of a fangirl at first. Frankly I think she was after me but I had a girlfriend at the time. She was far too nice for Dex but he went for her. I guess sensed her vulnerability or whatever. She could put up with a lot and she really cared. But the more involved they got, the more Dex, like¡­fell. My Lord, I have never seen a boy that smitten over someone so meek and mousy but that¡¯s what happened. That¡¯s love, you can¡¯t explain it. He was apeshit in love. And soon, he became more possessive. He was jealous. And at first he had no reason to be. But the more, uh, crazed he became, the more Abby pulled away. I know she started cheating on him. My girlfriend became friends with her and she told me. I ended up telling Dex. I shouldn¡¯t have but, you know, honestly I thought the moment those two broke up, the more Dex could concentrate on his music. It was very Yoko Ono and John Lennon.¡±

    ¡°Except John Lennon doesn¡¯t die in this case,¡± I said, fascinated by what I was hearing.

    His face tightened. I felt the energy in the car drop.

    ¡°No. But she did.¡±

    I was stunned but managed to ask, ¡°How?¡±

    Please don¡¯t let Dex have killed her, I thought absently.

    ¡°Happens every weekend,¡± Maximus said sadly. ¡°Driving drunk. Dex had gone over there as soon as I told him and he ended up finding Abby and some guy in bed together.¡±

    I gasped, personally knowing all too well what Dex had gone through.

    Maximus continued, ¡°I think he may have punched the guy or threw him out. I¡¯m glad nothing worse happened to him because when Dex loses it, he really goes all out. He and Abby had a yelling match. The people at the dorm said they heard glass breaking, lamps were thrown, though I don¡¯t know who did what. It was an epic fight, I know that much. Dex has a short temper anyway. Abby was so distraught that she had to call my girlfriend to come get her. Of course, I was with her so I came too. I could put Dex in his place if I needed to. He¡¯s a scrappy fighter but I¡¯ve got a clear head. And maybe I could talk him down.

    ¡°We came and I had to kick down the door. Felt very badass. Dex was sitting on the couch with his head between his hands. Eyes all wide and wild but strangely¡­empty. He said Abby had locked herself in the bathroom with a bottle of gin. My girlfriend tried to coax her out of the bathroom but none doing. Eventually I had to kick that door down too. Just totally destroyed that apartment. The bathroom was empty, as was the bottle of gin in the sink. And it was a big bottle. The room was on the first floor and the window was open. She went out that way, then I guess went to her car and drove somewhere. We don¡¯t know where, she never called anyone from her phone. I guess she was too drunk. Drove straight into a tree, about five minutes away from the dorm.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to say. My fingers were at my mouth.

    He noticed and gave me an empathetic shrug. ¡°There¡¯s been too much death in his life. Dex couldn¡¯t handle it. And then he really lost it. Basically lost his mind from the shock and blame.¡±

    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t his fault,¡± I said. My heart ached.

 Page 23

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. And Abby was known to drink a lot and drive from time to time, long before she met Dex. But given his¡­past, he automatically blamed himself. He started behaving irrationally. He had to drop out of school, out of the band, then basically out of life. He¡­ shoot, I don¡¯t even think I should be telling you this much. Sorry Perry, that¡¯s all I¡¯ll say. It wasn¡¯t even my place.¡±

    He looked regretful and let out a long sigh.

    ¡°And you¡¯re saying I¡¯m just as bad as he is?¡± I reminded him.

    ¡°I guess you aren¡¯t. So far.¡±

    I hit Maximus lightly on the shoulder. ¡°Very funny.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a good girl, Perry,¡± he admitted. ¡°I just think you two can be a bit too alike. Two wrongs don¡¯t make a right. And I mean that in the nicest sense.¡±

    I sat back in my seat, feeling like crap. All this new information about Dex was a bit overwhelming. I couldn¡¯t help but feel so bad for him. How horrible would that be? Accident or not, I know I couldn¡¯t deal with it very well. I had a hard enough time dealing with my own past that was nowhere near that bad. No wonder he didn¡¯t want us talking about death.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I told Maximus. ¡°I¡¯m going to go get him.¡±

    ¡°If you know what you are doing,¡± he replied. ¡°Just don¡¯t forget about me here. I think I¡¯ve got ten minutes before the heat eats me alive.¡±

    It was disgustingly hot in the car. I hadn¡¯t even noticed this whole time. Even though sitting in there and talking to Maximus was intriguing and I adored listening to his southern drawl, I couldn¡¯t leave Dex out there, now knowing what had happened to him. I had this urge to run up to him and give him the biggest hug, even though Dex was not a huggy type.

    I stepped out into the dust and closed the door so no more would come in. It had died down but was still fanned by passing cars.

    Dex¡¯s hunched figure stood by the side of the road. It wasn¡¯t like he was hitchhiking, he was just standing there, looking bleak.

    I ran down the shoulder while being careful with my ankle and stopped beside him. He kept his eyes forward. I followed his blank gaze across the road. On a fencepost, among pointy scrub and cacti, was an owl. It was staring back at us, big eyes sticking out of its snowy head like black marbles, unmoving.

    We watched the owl in silence for a while, before it flew off with huge pumps of its wings that disturbed the brush around it. I kept my eye on it until it was just a dot on the horizon and then disappeared from our sight.

    I looked up at Dex. His face was smooth, maybe a bit of worry in the forehead. He was smoking a hand-rolled cigarette that smelled heavenly. I had smelled it on him earlier in the bathroom.

    ¡°May I?¡± I asked, putting my hand out for it.

    He finally turned to look at me. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Can I have a puff? It smells good.¡±

    He stared at me thoughtfully and had another long drag himself.

    Eventually, through a large puff of white smoke, he said, ¡°No.¡±

    I looked back to where the owl had been.

    ¡°How long had that owl been there?¡±

    ¡°Since I walked over here.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you pulled over?¡± I tested.

    He flicked the cigarette out onto the road, right on time for a passing truck to drive over it. He looked into my eyes, his gaze steady and poignant.

    ¡°No,¡± he said flatly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°For being inconsiderate.¡±

    ¡°Inconsiderate of what?¡± he replied lazily.

    Oh jeez, he was going to make me spell it out for him, wasn¡¯t he? I didn¡¯t want to get Maximus in trouble. I had a feeling he probably wasn¡¯t supposed to enlighten me with Dex¡¯s troubled past.

    ¡°I am just¡­sorry. OK?¡± I held out my hand. ¡°Friends?¡±

    He looked at my hand and then back at me, seeming to think about it. After five seconds, I felt a bit foolish to have my bandaged hand sticking out like that, unshaken.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said slowly. ¡°We¡¯re friends.¡±

    He took my hand in his and turned it over. ¡°How does it feel?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sore but I¡¯ll live. My nurse did a good job.¡±

    He nibbled on his lip, a gesture I was starting to find adorable.

    ¡°I guess we are even.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind.¡±

    I grabbed him at the elbow for emphasis.

    ¡°No, please, don¡¯t nevermind me,¡± I pleaded. ¡°Remember that talking thing we talked about yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Vaguely,¡± was his reply.

    I sighed. He was impossible.

    ¡°Just¡­,¡± I started. Then threw my hands up in the air. It was too hot and dusty here to be arguing and it was a fairly one-sided argument. I didn¡¯t know why we were suddenly even and maybe it was better that way.

    I started walking to the car.

    ¡°Perry,¡± he said. There was a melancholy infliction in his voice that made me stop and turn around.

    ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d come out and get me.¡±

    I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head, pondering that revelation.

    ¡°Well,¡± I said, feeling truthful. ¡°I¡¯m always going to come and get you.¡±

    We stood there on the side of the road, just looking at each other, with ten feet between us. Neither of us said anything, maybe we didn¡¯t need to.

    I waved him over to me. He shuffled forward. I grabbed his hand, dry and rough, and gave it a squeeze. A literal spark, a current, rushed from his hand to mine. In seconds it caused internal shivers around my neck. I don¡¯t know if he felt it. He eyed my hand anxiously, at first anyway. Then squeezed back. More sparks.

    Too bad I couldn¡¯t enjoy them for long, before random images of Jennifer flashed through my head and made me realize I may not be helping the situation at all. So I let go of him slowly, and together we walked back to the car, and to Maximus, who was no doubt sweating like a poor dog that¡¯s been forsaken by its owners.

    CHAPTER NINE

    ¡°Apparently skinwalkers can¡¯t be killed,¡± Maximus said from across the room. He, Dex, and I were holed up in our bedroom at the Lancasters. Dex was on his laptop reviewing footage he shot earlier that day in town, mainly establishing shots of scenery, as they didn¡¯t find anyone to interview, while Maximus read through the library book, occasionally pointing out things of interest which I would scribble down in Dex¡¯s planner.

    We were all waiting for dinner to be ready. As soon as we got back from lunch, Will informed us that we would all be having a great feast tonight (his words) with everyone, meaning Bird, Shan, even Miguel. Of course, Maximus was invited too. The idea of this gathering put me in a weird ¡°Us versus Them¡± type mood but at least the more people that there were, the less awkward it would be with Sarah. Maybe I wouldn¡¯t have to talk at all.

    I was too introspective today for chit chat, anyway. I was curled up in the rocking chair in the corner while the boys sat on the end of the bed, and when I wasn¡¯t writing things, I was watching Dex. He sat cross-legged, his grey cargo pants contrasting with his bright green socks, never once looking up at me or Maximus while he intently studied the screen. Occasionally he would rub his goatee in some rough, nervous gesture, or he¡¯d pop in a piece of Nicorette for a few seconds before spitting it out.

    I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of him. Ever since I heard his back-story, or at least parts of it, my thoughts kept turning back to Dex. About what happened. And what else there was to know. How could this guy, my madcap, smartass Dex, have gone through so much? And how could he be OK? I mean, he couldn¡¯t be. No wonder he was on medication. And not even at the moment. My heart pinched in the most unexpected way. I felt so much for him at that moment, it kind of hurt. My emotions and my hormones were having a catfight in my chest. I just wanted to walk over to that bed and¡­

    ¡°Perry,¡± Maximus¡¯s voice broke through my thoughts like a rake. ¡°Did you write that down?¡±

    At that, Dex looked up at me before I could look away. His eyes were soft, shiny pools from across the room. I held his eyes with mine. My heart clenched again, intensifying my feelings, steadying my gaze.

    ¡°Bullets dipped in ash?¡± Maximus added, a bit louder this time. I closed my eyes. I felt the current I had with Dex power down, like I was turning off like a fuse box. Did he feel it too? I opened my eyes to check but he was focused on the computer again.

    I turned my head at Maximus, trying to hide my annoyance.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    Maximus did a quick sideways glance at Dex for observation, then laid a prominent smirk on me. ¡°I said¡­one of the ways you can kill a skinwalker is bullets dipped in white ash.¡±

    ¡°Oh, white ash. So simple,¡± I quipped. I wrote it down knowing full well we weren¡¯t going to be using any guns with ash bullets inside them.

    Maximus flipped a page, shrugged. ¡°Hey, you never know out here.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s the only way to¡­get rid of them?¡± I asked.

    ¡°As far as I know. Unless the person has a change of heart and decides to stop doing evil or something.¡±

    ¡°So what the hell can we do?¡± I said, frustrated.

    They both looked up at my tone of voice.

    ¡°What, we¡¯re going to shoot some animal with white bullets?¡± I continued, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    Maximus gestured at the book. ¡°Hey, no one said we¡¯ll be doing that. I¡¯m just reading it out loud.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it,¡± I sighed. ¡°I mean, so say everything goes as planned¡­I mean, no, wait. What even is the plan?¡±

    I looked at Dex for an explanation. He seemed puzzled, I assume more by my outburst than the lack of a plan.

    ¡°Well,¡± he cleared his throat. ¡°I, we¡­get to the bottom of it and¨C¡±

    ¡°In the next day?¡± I interrupted. ¡°So we find out it¡¯s a curse, or maybe it really is a haunting of some sort, or perhaps just the crazy ass mythic skinwalker¡­then what?¡±

    ¡°We film it,¡± he replied.

    ¡°And then what?¡±

    ¡°And we show it?¡± Dex looked adorably confused. ¡°Have you forgotten some things about what we do?¡±

    ¡°And then we go back home. But what happens to the Lancasters?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not our problem,¡± he said bluntly, almost smiling.

    And there was Dex, back to being a heartless beast in an instant. I looked at Maximus for help. ¡°Do you know what I mean?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°I do. But, I mean, Dex is right in a way¡­it¡¯s not our job to deal with people¡¯s problems. I show them to people. You record it to show to other people. We aren¡¯t, well, Ghostbusters.¡±

    ¡°Why do think they wanted us here in the first place?¡± Dex asked me seriously. ¡°Will just wants to prove he isn¡¯t crazy. If we see it too, if we film it, then it means it¡¯s real. It means he¡¯s not going insane on this ranch with his wife looking the other way. Pardon the pun. He hasn¡¯t thought as far as how to get rid of it, whatever the fuck this is. That will come later.¡±

 Page 24

    ¡°I just think if I¡¯m making things worse¡­,¡± I found myself saying unexpectedly.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Dex shot in, his hand raised. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re making things worse?¡±

    I sank back into my chair wanting to disappear. My eyes drifted to the floor. I really shouldn¡¯t have said anything. It was too stupid to explain what Bird had told me.

    ¡°Um,¡± I said slowly. ¡°I just felt like maybe things are worse because I¡¯m here.¡±

    Maximus snorted. ¡°Things were the same a week ago. Don¡¯t be giving yourself too much credit there.¡±

    I nodded. I could feel Dex¡¯s eyes on me and knew he wasn¡¯t going to let that go.

    But I was saved by the knock at the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± I announced, straightening up, alert.

    The door opened and Bird poked his head in.

    ¡°Supposed to tell you all that dinner is ready,¡± he smiled. Then lowered his voice, ¡°Can I come in?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Maximus waved him inside.

    Bird stepped in before shooting a glance outside the door and closing it quietly behind him. He obviously had something important to tell us. We all looked up at him, wondering.

    He walked over to the bed and perched on the corner. He gave us all hurried glances that made us lean in closer to hear what he had to say.

    ¡°I just wanted to tell you that we should go to Rudy¡¯s bar after dinner. I think he can help us with this whole thing. In fact, I know he can.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± asked Dex, ever demanding.

    Bird smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll let him tell you that. But we must not mention it to anyone, you understand?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Dex said. ¡°Enlighten us.¡±

    I could see Bird was tired and wished Dex wouldn¡¯t push him so when he was trying to help. He smiled politely. ¡°The people downstairs. They wouldn¡¯t like it. They would try and stop us and I think it¡¯s best if we do things without them knowing. Just trust me with that. If Rudy can help us we need to do it as cleanly as possible.¡±

    ¡°Help us help them,¡± Max mused.

    ¡°Right,¡± said Bird. He got up and pointed at me. ¡°And help her.¡±

    My eyes widened. So much for that. But before Dex and Maximus could ask what that meant (and from the looks on their faces, I could tell they wanted to), Bird opened the door and led the way with his arm.

    ¡°Come on, dinner is getting cold,¡± he said a bit too loudly, for the benefit of the listeners downstairs. He jerked his head for us to join him.

    Maximus got up first and followed him out the door. I scuttled after him while Dex closed the door behind us. I felt him brush up beside me as we walked down the hall.

    ¡°What are you keeping from me?¡± he asked gruffly in my ear. I melted a bit from the feel of his hot breath on my neck and the roughness of his voice.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± I whispered. Then, remembering my lecture about sharing, I relented. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡±

    We walked down the stairs and into the living room. No surprise, everyone else was seated and waiting for us.

    Sarah and Will were on opposite sides at the heads of the table. In a cozy row on one side sat Miguel, Shan and a place for Maximus. The other side was for me, Dex and Bird.

    ¡°How are you feeling Perry?¡± Will asked as I took my spot near him. He had his hands clasped in a prayer-like gesture, his shirt was neatly buttoned all the way to the top. His eyes were kind as always but his smile was a bit forced. He must have been on edge like everyone else. There was an air of tension floating just above our heads.

    I attempted my most convincing smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m doing much better, thank you. I¡¯ve always been so clumsy. My mother used to tie couch cushions to me when I was a kid cuz I fell down so much.¡±

    To my surprise, everyone at the table roared with laughter. Was this what it felt like to be Patton Oswalt? Granted, it was a nervous type of laughter but I¡¯d take anything.

    Will cleared his throat after the chuckles died down and proceeded to lead us all in a quick prayer of grace. I bowed my head and kept one eye open on Shan and Bird. They repeated the prayer without hesitation.

    We started on our salads which were actually quite tasty. I remarked on how crisp the greens were and Sarah informed me that she had a lovely garden out back, behind the house. She did so without a hint of malice or sarcasm. It seemed everyone was on their best behavior.

    Sarah looked as done up as her husband. Her big, dark glasses even had tiny rhinestones in the frames which added some punch to her simple, high-necked burgundy dress. Her hair was in a long dark braid going down her back. Now that it wasn¡¯t in a bun, I could see how marvelously long it was and how it didn¡¯t have a single speck of grey hair. For someone that was at least fifty, I found that to be amazing. Actually the more I stared at her face, especially the way it looked in the low light of the dining room, the younger she looked. How funny to look so fabulously young for your age and not even be able to see it.

    Shan and Miguel cleaned up well, too. Miguel still looked like a rat bastard with that contemptuous glint in his beady eyes, but at least he was in a pressed rodeo shirt and his hands looked clean. Shan actually looked quite handsome without some grimy hat on his head. He was hunched over slightly, I suppose from his chest pains of earlier but his face was open, a sun-beaten but fresh complexion. Inside, in this situation, he looked younger too, somehow.

    He was explaining something to Will about some tricks a local rancher had taught his horse to do, and as he was moving his hands around, flashes of silver and shine caught my eye. He had silver rings on almost every finger on his hands. Most were solid but a few had some gorgeous turquoise jewels on them. I then noticed a few beaded and metal bracelets on his wrists and a few rope necklaces disappearing into the V of his neckline. One necklace lay on front, a tiny suede pouch at the bottom. I hadn¡¯t recalled seeing so much jewelry on him before. As unusual as it was though, to see a man decked out in that much bling, it kind of suited him.

    ¡°So, Perry,¡± Shan said, catching my eyes on him. I played it cool and smiled, avoiding looking straight into those yellowish brown eyes of his. ¡°Tell me about how you and Dex first met.¡±

    Oh crap.

    I looked at Dex and smiled, letting out a laugh I hoped came across as ¡®oh this old story¡¯ rather than the nervous one it was. Dex did the exact same thing.

    What was our story? Did we have one? Could we just tell the truth? We met at a lighthouse. I know, we met on the beach. No, we met online. Wait, what if they quizzed him?

    ¡°Do you want to tell the story, sweetie?¡± I asked him, patting him on the arm like a good little wife would do when she didn¡¯t want to hog the spotlight.

    He cocked his head at me with a smile that usually accompanied a wagging finger. ¡°No, sweetie, you can tell it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell it!¡± Maximus announced from across the table. We both looked at him in unison. This was new. I gave him an uneasy smile as a means to continue. This could totally ruin our cover but at the same time it was easy for just one person to tell it. Whatever it was, we were about to find out.

    He looked at Will with his aw shucks grin. ¡°After all, I was only the best man at their wedding!¡±

    I rolled my eyes without thinking, then looked around to see if anyone noticed. They hadn¡¯t. This was going to be something else.

    I reached over with my left hand and placed it on top of Dex¡¯s which was resting on the table. We exchanged a loving look for show but we both read the underlying one beneath. We were in this together whether we liked it or not. I tightened my grip as Maximus spun his fiction.

    ¡°Well you see, Dex and I were buddies in college. We were in the same band. Dex was the singer, I was the bassist¨C¡±

    ¡°You were a singer?¡± Sarah exclaimed, the first time she sounded mildly impressed. ¡°Sing us something!¡±

    Dex chuckled while shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid ¡®were¡¯ is the operative term here. You wouldn¡¯t want to hear me sing now.¡±

    I knew that wasn¡¯t true. Dex¡¯s voice was spine-tingling good but I knew he wasn¡¯t going to do a stirring rendition of ¡°Amazing Grace¡± at the dinner table for Sarah, either.

    ¡°Yup, he was the singer. Our fantastic singer,¡± Maximus continued. I detected the smallest trace of animosity in his lazy drawl. ¡°And well, Perry was a groupie.¡±

    ¡°I was not!¡± I exclaimed before I realized what I had said. My heart caught in my throat but everyone was laughing, even Dex.

    Maximus tilted his head at Miguel who seemed amused by all of this. ¡°She says she wasn¡¯t a groupie, but we all know it was true. You should have seen the other bands she went for. If you ask the right people around New York, y¡¯all may just hear the legend of Perry and her fateful night with Mick Jagger in the bathroom of a Burger King.¡±

    I burst out laughing. I couldn¡¯t help it. My fake bio was getting better by the minute. I knew people at the table were watching me for my reaction so I just went with it, shaking my head with good humor at that cheeky red-headed Cajun. I wasn¡¯t sure how he was making all of this up on the fly.

    Dex wanted in, so he turned to me with playful eyes. ¡°That was you?!¡±

    I ignored him and Maximus continued.

    ¡°So naturally, Perry was going after me. I mean, why not?¡± he grinned. ¡°I¡¯m taller, stronger and I have a really big¡­bass.¡±

    At least that comment made Miguel snicker.

    ¡°But alas I had to turn her away. You see, I had a girlfriend at the time and I am a romantic, one woman guy. And I guess, in her depressed, rejected state Perry went after the next best thing. Dex. Even though, I personally know she only went after him to get closer to me. In fact, Perry, marrying him may have gone a little too far.¡±

    ¡°Hardy har har,¡± I said while everyone laughed. Everyone except Dex, that is. He had fallen strangely serious, almost glaring at Maximus. I¡¯m sure it looked to everyone else like he was playing up the jealous card but I think it had to do with how closely his story imitated real life, with Abby. I hoped Maximus had the right sense to quit while he was ahead, though I could now see he was just feeding off of the attention.

    ¡°And the rest is history,¡± I said, putting an end to it.

    Sarah laughed from her end. ¡°Is it? I have to say I¡¯ve never met a married couple with so much sexual tension between them. You two must be dynamite in the bedroom.¡±

    My eyes widened. I took my hand off of Dex¡¯s. Maximus and his side of the table burst out laughing.

    ¡°Sarah, please,¡± Will said, embarrassed. ¡°That¡¯s not the way to talk at the dinner table.¡±

    She pointed in Maximus¡¯s direction defensively. ¡°He was talking about the size of his bass.¡±

    ¡°I think everyone¡¯s maturity level in this room took a huge step down,¡± Bird remarked humorously, man of few words so far.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re right Sarah,¡± Dex conceded, a wicked little smile widening his mouth. ¡°Not that I¡¯m one to kiss and tell but poor Maximus didn¡¯t know what he was giving up when he passed this one my way. Ka¨CBOOM!¡±

    He slammed his fist down on the table for emphasis. The silverware rattled.

 Page 25

    I put my hand up to my face. This was so embarrassing. On so many levels. I mean, I couldn¡¯t believe that Sarah picked up on the sexual tension. You know, I could always sense that there was this current of something running between us, but I thought it was in my head, like everything else in my life seemed to be. But obviously it wasn¡¯t and I hoped to God it wasn¡¯t only radiating from me. It made me rethink the way I acted around him. Was I always staring at him with a stupid look on my face? I thought it would have been more an angry, confused and annoyed face.

    Then the actual thought of being ¡°dynamite in bed¡± with him made me feel sticky hot and flushed, like I was blushing all over my body. Dirty, inappropriate thoughts were swirling around in my head. Flashing images of our naked, grinding bodies, his sweaty, tattooed chest above me, while those hands of his roamed roughly all over me, that baritone voice snarling animalistic groans in my ear. It would be dynamite. It would be tectonic. I think the world would implode. I think I was about to implode at the dinner table.

    I swallowed hard and blinked, shifting my body away from Dex ever so slightly. I gave everyone a sarcastic smile that said ¡®boys¡¯ and breathed out air I had been holding onto. I could tell Dex was watching me but I was going to avoid looking in his general direction for the next hour, in case I actually attacked him over our main course.

    Fortunately, the conversation after that was turned on to more casual topics and I was able to calm down inside. The food was very pleasant and totally homemade. The mutton we had was unlike any mutton I had before. It wasn¡¯t tough at all and went exceedingly well with the rich gravy which had touches of fennel and mint in it. I told Will he could open his open restaurant here on the ranch if he wanted to.

    He laughed appreciatively. ¡°Red Fox needs some better places to dine, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to get rid of the ghosts first,¡± Sarah crowed. ¡°Or was it a curse? I can¡¯t remember what we had decided on this morning.¡±

    This was the first time tonight anyone brought up what was really going on. It had been the elephant in the room and we had all been avoiding it. Leave it to the matriarch though. We fell silent, heads turning to look at her.

    She sensed it and shrugged, not caring one bit. ¡°We can¡¯t ignore the real reason why our guests are here. So let¡¯s talk about.¡±

    Will looked down at his food, chewing slowly for a few moments before saying, ¡°We can leave that for another time. Maybe after dinner, with some coffee and dessert.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how nice,¡± Sarah said, her voice dripping with venom. ¡°What a lovely after dinner conversation.¡±

    She folded her hands in front of her and ¡®looked¡¯ around primly. ¡°Now that Shan and Miguel are here, I think it¡¯s only fair to let them in the conversation we had earlier. Especially since Shan became the subject of that conversation.¡±

    Shan nodded, not looking the least bit surprised or put out.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. He played with the rings on his finger, twirling them around in a hypnotic fashion. ¡°I would like to talk about you all think.¡±

    I glanced at Bird, remembering what he had told us upstairs. We were going to have to take the dumb white folk route.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before,¡± I confided. I know my voice was taking on a higher tone to match my ¡®gee golly¡¯ eyes. ¡°These ghosts sure are a persistent bunch. At home, we call them poltergeists.¡±

    Shan didn¡¯t seem to buy it. ¡°You all came looking for me today because you heard I was a medicine man.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± I said quickly. ¡°But then we realized how ridiculous that was. I mean, not that you were a medicine man. Not at all. It¡¯s just afterwards we had a talk about it, using all of our ghostly knowledge, ha, we decided it can¡¯t be anything more than your regular old haunting.¡±

    ¡°Or stupid punks from town,¡± Miguel spoke up.

    I looked at him, surprised, and helped. ¡°Yes or it could be stupid punks from town. Throwing rocks, killing your sheep¡­.¡±

    ¡°Getting crows to attack you?¡± Sarah said.

    I wish she could see me glaring at her. ¡°Oh that, well obviously I¡¯m just a bird magnet or something.¡±

    ¡°And a fox magnet,¡± she added pointedly. At that, Shan gave her a sharp look. The subtle exchange went unnoticed at the table but gave me a weird feeling.

    ¡°Yes. And a fox magnet. One thing¡¯s for certain, you have an abundance of curious wildlife here.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t sure how to handle the room. Sarah and Shan seemed almost accusatory as if they wanted us to admit what we really thought was going on. Will wanted to avoid all talk and downplay it, yet he was the only who wanted us there. He was the one with the actual problem but he didn¡¯t want to discuss it in front of anyone else. Then there was Bird who knew a lot more than he was sharing. The only thing he did share was that we had to keep our plans from everyone. Which left me really fucking confused when it came to what we could talk about.

    Dex and Maximus looked equally conflicted which would explain why they weren¡¯t saying anything.

    ¡°So, all that talk earlier about curses and skinwalkers,¡± Sarah started. My head snapped up. We never mentioned skinwalkers. I tried to keep my face emotionless but I was freaking out inside. I felt Dex tense up beside me.

    ¡°That didn¡¯t mean anything?¡± she continued. ¡°Wanting to talk to a medicine man to protect you?¡±

    Will pointed his fork at her, looking as angry as I had seen him, his neck growing a vibrant shade of fuchsia along his bulging jugular.

    ¡°No one has even mentioned skinwalkers, Sarah. You know we don¡¯t believe in that superstitious nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Then why do you look so afraid?¡± she countered. ¡°Surely the kids have heard of the yee naaldlooshii? The skinwalker.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Dex said, leaning forward. ¡°We haven¡¯t.¡±

    I¡¯m pretty sure her blind eyes rolled underneath her glasses.

    ¡°With all the animals, rocks and happenings in the night, I was sure that would be the first conclusion you¡¯d be drawing.¡±

    ¡°Well maybe we think it¡¯s all a bunch of nonsense as you seem to believe it is and don¡¯t want to bother wasting our time with it,¡± Dex retorted. He flashed his eyes at Maximus. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, buddy?¡±

    Maximus pursed his lips, nodding. ¡°Yeah, I reckon Mrs. Lancaster, I¡¯m not really equipped to deal with that sort of thing. I still believe there is some kind of haunting here.¡±

    ¡°And no curse?¡± Shan asked. He sounded disbelieving, as if we couldn¡¯t answer that one to his liking.

    ¡°Actually, I told them about Navajo curses,¡± Bird said, tugging at his shirt collar. ¡°I knew they¡¯d take it with a grain of salt, not being Navajo like I am. And like you are, Shan. But they dismissed the idea pretty quickly.¡±

    Wow. Bird wasn¡¯t kidding when he said he didn¡¯t want anyone to know what we were up to. I really wanted to hear his reasoning behind it. I glanced up at the grandfather clock nearby. It was just after 8PM and the bar was waiting for us. Answers were waiting for us.

    Sarah crossed her arms and sat further back in her chair. I had no idea why she seemed to be so put out by our reluctance to talk about anything Navajo related. Everything seemed to be a battle between her and her husband. Maybe she was trying to prove something to him, though I couldn¡¯t be sure what.

    And Shan. I observed him casually. He didn¡¯t seem bothered, not that he ever really did. His face was still shining and body language was open. But his eyes were on Sarah. They looked stern, disapproving almost. I had seen that look in my father¡¯s eyes many a times.

    Maybe they are having an affair, the thought streaked across my head. I don¡¯t know why I thought that but it kind of made sense. All these untold looks at the table. Her disappearing into the cabin with him, albeit briefly. Perhaps all of this had nothing to do with us but just with them. Sarah and Shan were having an affair, Sarah was reverting back to her old ways and taunting Will with Shan¡¯s beliefs, the very beliefs that Will gave up. As if I couldn¡¯t like her any less.

    ¡°They were right too,¡± Will said, getting out of his chair. ¡°If I thought any of these occurrences had something to do with the Navajo way, I wouldn¡¯t have brought these white folks here. Now, I don¡¯t care if we find out it is punks or if it¡¯s some ghost, I just want the problem fixed. And that¡¯s what these people are here to do.¡±

    Oh¡­crap. What was I just saying earlier? Oh yes, how we couldn¡¯t just leave Will here with the problem unsolved. And what did the boys say? That¡¯s right, that it wasn¡¯t our problem and we weren¡¯t expected to do anything about it.

    I found myself glaring at Dex and Maximus. You morons.

    Will started collecting plates and took them into the kitchen.

    ¡°It was such a lovely dinner Will,¡± I called after him brightly, pushing my anger away.

    I heard a mumble from the kitchen. I looked at everyone else. Shan was twisting the giant turquoise ring around and around, his face blank. Miguel brought out a pack of toothpicks, which Dex asked for one. Miguel obliged, having warmed up a bit to Dex during the course of the night. Maximus was staring at me. I could see he was sorting through the situation like I was. Sarah was still stewing in her chair. Bird didn¡¯t say anything more. Actually his lips looked sewn shut. He picked up the remainder of the plates and joined Will in the kitchen.

    There was no dessert or coffee. I heard Bird veto that in the kitchen by telling Will that we probably wanted to get straight to work, especially after all the dinner chit chat. We must be eager to get things going. Then came our alibi: We were going to go into town and on the highway and shoot some night shots for atmosphere.

    Meanwhile, as I was eavesdropping on their kitchen talk, the conversation at the table was now very awkward. So much so that Miguel left without much more than a quick wave.

    ¡°You know, if you have any questions about the Navajo way, I would be more than willing to teach you some things,¡± Shan offered. Sarah perked up a little.

    ¡°Like what?¡± Dex asked. He hid it well, but I could hear the disbelieving, almost suspicious affliction in his voice.

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot my friend. And I know you don¡¯t believe in some of our¡­myths. But I think you would find it all quite educational. And we have a range of natural solutions.¡±

    ¡°Natural solutions?¡± I repeated.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he smiled directly at me.

    ¡°Organics are commercial now, but we have always been living and breathing off the great earth. We have teas, herbs, rituals that can solve anything. Anything you wish. Anything you want. We could try some out. Tonight.¡±

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re going into town to shoot some footage,¡± Dex put in, obviously having overheard Bird as well.

    Shan steadied his gaze at him. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I think tonight would be a great night to be a little more open-minded. Nighttime is when the spirits roam and when our hearts are speaking the clearest.¡±

    ¡°Maybe tomorrow?¡± Maximus offered.

 Page 26

    ¡°Oh, I have no doubt you¡¯ll be wanting to see me tomorrow,¡± he said. He sounded innocent enough but I wasn¡¯t sure of anything in this place. Everything felt ominous.

    He wiped his mouth with his napkin and placed it neatly on the table. He got out of his chair and turned to Sarah, ¡°Please thank your husband for the lovely meal. It¡¯s time for me to retire. Still in a bit of pain.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what happened with that?¡± Dex questioned, also getting up and facing him.

    Shan eyed him distrustfully. ¡°Chest pains.¡±

    ¡°Your heart?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. He sent a furtive glance at Sarah. ¡°My heart.¡±

    And then he was gone, the cold wind from outside gusting in as he closed the door, making the napkins on the table rise and fall. Of course, now it was us and Sarah.

    She knew it. She sighed and slowly got up. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll leave you kids to whatever you are doing. Wasting our time by the sounds of it.¡±

    We didn¡¯t say anything. There wasn¡¯t anything to say. We just looked at our hands and waited until she was walking upstairs before we made any movements.

    I exhaled. I felt like I was holding my breath for the last few hours.

    ¡°Dude,¡± Maximus agreed.

    Time to get cracking. We told Will and Bird we were going upstairs to gather our equipment. We still didn¡¯t speak, feeling that there were too many eager ears in this house, until we got our equipment in the Jeep.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take my own car,¡± Maximus said. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying at the hotel again anyway.¡±

    He got in and drove off. I climbed into the passenger side of the Jeep. Time to get to the bottom of this.

    CHAPTER TEN

    Even sitting in the Jeep, away from prying ears and eyes, I still didn¡¯t feel all that safe.

    ¡°Are we meeting Maximus at the bar?¡± I asked Dex, staring out the window, watching the shadow of Will go about in the kitchen.

    ¡°Yup,¡± he nodded, texting Maximus as we spoke.

    ¡°And where is Bird meeting us?¡±

    ¡°I assume he¡¯ll come find us at the bar too,¡± he said, pulling the car into reverse, then rolling out along the bumpy road until we were under the Lancaster¡¯s¡¯ gate and on the open road.

    ¡°Just to clarify, we aren¡¯t really doing night shots are we?¡±

    He shook his head. ¡°No m¡¯am, we are not.¡±

    The black desert rushed past my window, that unfathomable darkness stretching on as far as I could see. The headlights provided the only light, illuminating just the grey, gritty pavement as we rolled over it. Inside, the glow of the dashboard and consoles sparkled like tiny beacons in the pitchy interior. I felt like I could see our car from a bird¡¯s-eye view, a tiny moving dot of light surrounded by nothing but never ending emptiness. It gave me the shivers.

    ¡°Perry?¡± Dex asked.

    I looked at him, his face shadowed, his expression obscured.

    ¡°What do you think?¡±

    It was hard to say. Where to start?

    ¡°I think,¡± I said slowly, tracing my fingers along the window pane. ¡°We might be in over our heads.¡±

    And it didn¡¯t feel good. I felt like we were running out of time and losing our grasp on the situation. And the more I thought about that, the more scared I was to go back to Portland with a big fat FAIL hashtag.

    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, I think we¡¯re fucked too,¡± he said bluntly.

    No. That did not make me feel better.

    I sighed, having to ask, ¡°How come?¡±

    He started laughing. Really laughing. Hard enough so that he was shaking in his seat. I stared at him, dumbfounded and a bit disturbed.

    When he calmed down, he sputtered, ¡°For one, I¡¯m having a hell of a time trying to keep my mind thinking straight.¡±

    ¡°You seem like you¡¯re doing OK,¡± I told him truthfully.

    He looked at me sharply, such a contrast to his laughing fit. So when he said with lowered voice, ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± I believed him. I nodded, unsure of what to say to that.

    He continued though, voice slightly more upbeat, ¡°For another reason, Maximus is fucking me off.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°For another reason,¡± he went on, ¡°I think we may be dealing with more than just one thing here and I don¡¯t even know what one of those bloody things is. And finally, I think every single person at that ranch is lying to us.¡±

    At least we were on the same page.

    ¡°I think Bird is on our side though,¡± I pointed out.

    Dex shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t trust him. He¡¯s already gotten to you.¡±

    ¡°To me?¡±

    He shot me a long sideways glance. ¡°Yeah. You. What was all that business in the room about? You said you¡¯d tell me later. So tell me.¡±

    ¡°It was nothing.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, Perry!¡± he boomed, hitting the steering wheel with his hands. ¡°Just fucking tell me!¡±

    Whoa. Where the hell did that come from? I knew it drove him nuts when I didn¡¯t tell him stuff but seriously...

    I crossed my arms and looked out the window. Anything I would say would only fan the flames. I heard him sigh and knew he was relenting.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just¡­it hurts when I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with you.¡±

    ¡°Hurts or it bothers you?¡±

    ¡°Fine. It bothers me,¡± he admitted.

    ¡°Because you like to know everything?¡±

    ¡°Oh, like you don¡¯t? Like you¡¯re not asking me every five seconds what I¡¯m thinking? You think I don¡¯t notice you staring at me?¡±

    I blushed, suddenly thankful for the dark interior.

    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­staring. I just, well, you¡¯re tough to figure out sometimes and you know that, so whatever.¡±

    ¡°And so are you,¡± he pointed out. ¡°So we¡¯re even.¡±

    I wondered if that¡¯s what that remark on the side of the road meant.

    ¡°Look,¡± I said. ¡°When I don¡¯t tell you something it¡¯s not because I¡¯m hiding it from you¡­maybe I just don¡¯t think you¡¯d care. Or maybe I think you¡¯d think it was stupid, or ridiculous or maybe it would change your opinion of me. In the worst way.¡±

    Even though explaining that put me in a semi-vulnerable state, it felt good. As good as it felt in the bedroom the other day. I wasn¡¯t sure why it was so hard for me to just say things to him. Why I had to keep on this rollercoaster of wanting to be on the same page and then hiding bits of myself away from him. I wanted him, I wanted his thoughts and his fears and his feelings but I didn¡¯t want to give away a single ounce of myself.

    ¡°You need to get out of that head of yours,¡± he said.

    That was true.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± I ignored him. ¡°Bird had just said I would basically attract trouble wherever I went. That spirits or whatever sensed something in me, I don¡¯t know what, and that they were attracted to that. They wanted me and would always be trying to get me. Hence the stronger rock activity, the fox, the crow and the snake¡­¡±

    ¡°You were afraid to tell me that?¡± he asked, surprised.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It makes me sound¡­self-important. Like I thought I was special.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re special, Perry?¡± he asked seriously.

    I winced. ¡°A little bit. Maybe more in the Special Olympics kind of way.¡±

    He smiled and turned his eyes to the road. ¡°You are special, kiddo.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said sarcastically.

    ¡°And not entirely in a Special Olympics way. And you know it. I know it. I¡¯m not sure in how many different ways but I know we¡¯ll find out. I think you¡¯ll be very useful.¡±

    ¡°By offering me to the Gods?¡± I joked. He didn¡¯t reciprocate, smile or laugh. I narrowed my eyes, feeling a weird vibe coming off of him.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± I said. ¡°I was joking.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an off chance we may have to use you as bait,¡± he admitted, not looking at me.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°I said off chance,¡± he said defensively. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen but after the lighthouse it¡¯s pretty obvious you¡¯re partly responsible for attracting the weirdos. You¡¯re like a ghost magnet. Why do you think I like having you around?¡±

    My mouth dropped momentarily. ¡°Because I¡¯m awesome.¡±

    ¡°Oh, well that too.¡±

    And that was exactly why I didn¡¯t ever want to give a single ounce of myself away to Dex. He lulls me into a false sense of security and then treads all over me. Damn him and his stupid mustache.

    ¡°Great,¡± I muttered and leaned against the window, the lights of Red Fox not getting any closer. How freaking far was this damn bar from the ranch, anyway? I didn¡¯t remember the drive being so long.

    We traveled in silence for a few more minutes. I had no interest in talking to him for the rest of the evening. But eventually I had to remark on the fact that we were nowhere near the bar.

    ¡°Did you take a wrong turn?¡± I asked.

    He shook his head and peered at the instrument panel. The compass said we were headed southeast. ¡°How could I have taken a wrong turn, we never got off the road.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve been driving for at least twenty minutes and I could have sworn the town was ten minutes away.¡± I looked out the window uneasily. The road curved to the left and the lights were becoming distant.

    ¡°I think we should turn around,¡± I said even though behind us looked just as lost and bleak.

    Dex reached into the cup holder and handed me the phone.

    ¡°Call Maximus and explain we¡¯re going to be late.¡±

    I did just that as Dex kept driving forward. Now the lights of the town were completely gone, swallowed up by the nebulous night.

    ¡°How could you have taken a wrong turn?¡± Maximus said, voice crackling on the other line. ¡°I¡¯m already at the bar.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m not driving.¡±

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be¡­,¡± he trailed off as he thought it over, the muffled sounds of the bar jukebox coming through. At least it sounded a bit more bumping than it was the other day. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say except to turn back the way you came and start all over again. I¡¯ll go find Bird and let him know.¡±

    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll call you in a bit,¡± I said and hung up as I heard him saying ¡°be safe,¡± his tinny voice so small in the car.

    ¡°Turn around,¡± I said to Dex. ¡°Now.¡±

    He sighed looking mighty pissed off. It must have been hard for him to admit that he did something wrong. Though I really didn¡¯t see how he could have screwed up driving down a road.

    He brought us to a crawl and did a slow U-turn. As he brought the Jeep around, our headlights swirled through the dark and focused on the road heading the other way.

    There was a large buck standing in the middle of the road.

    We both gasped and Dex braked. Where the hell had that deer come from?

    We were maybe four feet away from it. It was like it had been following us ¨C stalking us ¨C down the road and our turn had caught it off guard.

    But that was impossible.

 Page 27

    We sat there in silence, the only sound coming from my beating heart and Dex¡¯s heavy breathing. The buck was huge, the biggest deer I¡¯d ever seen, and its antlers seemed to reach forever into the sky, like dead branches. Huge puffs of air came out of its wide nostrils, warm mist on a cold night. It raised its head to the side like it was getting a better look at us.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a deer,¡± Dex finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

    Of course it was a deer. It had a shiny coat, four strong legs and deep dark eyes. Actually, its eyes were a little too dark. The retinas didn¡¯t reflect like an animal¡¯s usually would when it had a light shining on it.

    ¡°What is it then?¡± I said through clenched teeth, as if I didn¡¯t want it know that we were talking about it.

    Perhaps it did, though. The deer took two steps forward, its head lowered, and grazed the front of our Jeep with its antlers.

    ¡°Jesus!¡± I swore, feeling for my seatbelt. ¡°What do we do?¡±

    ¡°I have a theory,¡± Dex said. He suddenly slammed the gears into reverse and stepped on the gas. The wheels spun for a few seconds and we were hurtling backwards for a few yards. Dex braked, flipped the car back into drive, and we sat there. The deer hadn¡¯t moved at all. Not a good sign.

    ¡°Are we going to have to run it over?¡± I asked with trepidation, not really wanting to be in a hit and run with a deer.

    ¡°It won¡¯t let itself be run over,¡± he said determinedly. He stepped on the gas and we were off, hurtling down the road, the deer in our sights. Even at the speed we were going, if we hit that thing, we¡¯d be involved in a horrific crash. I could foresee the deer¡¯s body crunching up against our front and come flying through the front windshield at us. We¡¯d be crushed.

    ¡°Dex!¡± I screamed, grabbing the Oh Shit handle.

    He kept on the gas. The deer was so close I could have counted the hairs on its coat. But it didn¡¯t budge. It was an immovable object and we were going to collide in three, two ¨C

    SCREEEECH!

    Dex suddenly twisted the wheel and the Jeep careened off the road. I watched out the window in a horrified daze as we passed the deer by mere inches. Only it wasn¡¯t just a deer anymore.

    It was a woman standing upright in a long flowing dress, a deer¡¯s head for a face. I could see it all in slow-motion detail. Clasped hands at her front, the purple flowers on her black dress, the prim posture, the high collar that led up to the massive, blank head of that deer. This time its eyes glowed and followed my stare as we zoomed past it.

    When the realization of what I had seen overtook the realization of what had happened, I let out a scream.

    Dex wrestled with the Jeep as it went bouncing along the shoulder, heading for the unending desert beyond it. The thought of the car stopping on the road with that¡­thing out there, was beyond terrifying.

    But with a final yank of the wheel and some maneuvering, the Jeep¡¯s wheels found their way back onto the smooth pavement and we were bolting down the road again. I looked behind me. I could barely see it in the fading night but the figure of the woman was still there.

    ¡°Did you see that?¡± I exclaimed.

    Dex looked in the rearview mirror. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said grimly. ¡°I really thought it was going to move.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± I said hitting him on the shoulder. ¡°I mean, did you see that. It. The woman.¡±

    His eyes widened and gleamed in the low light. ¡°No¡­what woman?¡±

    I told him what I saw and how I saw it in so much detail.

    ¡°Do you believe me?¡± I asked, as if it mattered.

    He nodded. ¡°I believe you. And this just proves one thing. We better get to Bird and fast. He¡¯s got a lot of explaining to do about these skinwalkers.¡±

    We ended up driving all the way back to the ranch. I kept my eyes vigilantly focused for any other ornery creatures or half-human beasts ready to run us off the road. I didn¡¯t see any. Nor did I see any side roads or detours that could have led us astray. Instead, we did a U-turn right in front of the Lancaster¡¯s gate and drove onwards again, slowly this time, making extra sure we weren¡¯t losing our path.

    After ten minutes of holding our breath and creeping along at a pedestrian speed, the lights of Red Fox got closer and closer, the landmarks of broken fences, mobile homes and sprawling acreages looked familiar once again and soon we were pulling right up into the dusty, packed parking lot of Rudy¡¯s bar.

    Dex put the vehicle in park, flicked off the engine and rested his head on the steering wheel with a thump.

    I patted him gently on the back. My contact made him jump slightly.

    ¡°At least we made it this time,¡± I said meekly.

    He turned his head on the wheel to look at me. The pale light that emanated from the bar and filtered in through the windscreen made him look tired and washed out. I suppose he probably was, though. I know I probably lost a few pints of blood due to fright. I still wasn¡¯t feeling all there. I felt like I was one step away from a panic attack but now that we were at the bar, where people were, I needed to hold it together.

    ¡°How the fuck did that happen?¡± he mumbled, face smushed against the wheel. ¡°Are we on The Outer Limits?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    ¡°Seriously, though. Am I going crazy?¡± he actually looked worried.

    I almost had to think before I shook my head. Sure, he might be going kind of crazy from the lack of medication but I was in the car with him. I was there too.

    ¡°If you¡¯re going crazy, then I¡¯m going crazy too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a possibility.¡±

    We had discussed that before. How two people could share a conscience and imagine the same things. But as unlikely as it had been back in Oregon, it was just as unlikely now.

    ¡°Well, whatever the hell is going on¡­we¡¯re one step closer to finding out what it is.¡± I gestured to the bar which had drunken cowboys spilling out of it already.

    We got out of the car and walked up to the door. I figured I might look a bit out of place thanks to my bandaged hands and cut-up appearance but apparently I didn¡¯t. As we walked up the stairs, three young cowboys (well, guys in cowboy hats. I just call everyone in cowboy hats cowboys) broke into wide grins at the sight of me and fired a range of greetings.

    ¡°My, aren¡¯t you a pretty young thing?¡±

    ¡°How you doing good looking?¡±

    ¡°S¡¯up?¡±

    They didn¡¯t even look twice at my cuts. Nor did they notice Dex right behind me. I gave them all a quick smile and kept walking. Dex pushed the door open for me and we stepped into the bar.

    It had done a 180 since we were in there last. The jukebox was blaring ¡°War Pigs,¡± the pool tables had crowds around them, people were cheersing their beers left, right and center. In fact, I think the clinking of glass might have been louder than the music and that said a lot. People were singing, laughing, yelling. A thick layer of smoke hung in the rafters, the air smelled like sweat, beer and stale tobacco. The bartender from earlier was still behind the bar, though with a lower cut top, and the Old Prospector was still sitting across from her at the bar.

    It was drunken chaos. Within five seconds of us standing in front of the door and surveying the area, we had been bumped into three times, the last bump spilling beer down my back.

    ¡°Arg!¡± I yelled at the perpetrator but couldn¡¯t even see who it was through the smelly throng of people around us. Dex grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the bar, squeezing through the crowd. More men stared at me with oogley eyes. Some of them were motorbike types, some were portly ranchers, and some had to have been underage. All of them creeped me out. It wasn¡¯t that it was because it was a small town setting and I was assuming they were hicks. It was that the gash on my cheek didn¡¯t disturb them at all. I guess beaten women were commonplace here. Or maybe I was not the only one being attacked by wild animals.

    The line for booze was about six people deep and six people wide but I assumed Dex was going to just ask where we could find Rudy, though I wouldn¡¯t have minded several shots of tequila. The deer incident, getting lost, this sticky, strange crowd ¨C it was all so overwhelming.

    I felt a tap on my shoulder and was about to give my most defensive ¡®I¡¯m taken¡¯ glare when I found myself eye level with a familiar chest clad in pale red plaid. Maximus. He looked happy to see me and I was more than happy to see him. I let go of Dex¡¯s hand and hugged him. He smelled like the cologne I gave my ex-boyfriend wore.

    He laughed and patted my back. ¡°Shucks. I¡¯m just as glad to see you, Perry. You too, Dex. Come on, they¡¯re just over here.¡±

    He pointed at a door near the washrooms and we followed him through the crowd, his head like a ginger beacon.

    He knocked at the door three times and it opened. It was Bird. He gave us a nod and ushered us inside.

    The room was small, your typical in-house office. There was a ratty couch, a few posters of the desert on the wood paneled walls, an overstuffed filing cabinet, a bookshelf that had been someone¡¯s carpentry project. In the middle was a steel desk piled high with books. Behind it sat a thin, wiry man with round glasses. He was expressionless, his face was narrow and pointy, his skin the color of red bark. He was dressed simply in grey jeans and a blue collared work shirt, his neck, wrists and fingers were adorned with Shan-like jewelry.

    ¡°Have a seat,¡± he said quickly, his voice clipped with the tiniest hint of an accent

    Maximus, Dex and I piled onto the couch. It slumped under our weight and I was squished in the middle. Felt like I was going to have a Dex/Maximus cave-in at any moment.

    Bird leaned against the wall and nodded at the man. ¡°This is Rudy. Rudy this is Dex and Perry.¡±

    Rudy gave us a curt nod. ¡°Welcome to my bar. Where do we begin?¡±

    ¡°You certainly don¡¯t waste any time,¡± Dex said.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t have much time to waste,¡± Rudy said and got out of his chair. He walked around the desk, a short little man, and stopped in front of us. Actually, he stopped in front of me. He put his hands on his knees and stooped over to look me in the eye. I could see my reflection in his glasses. I didn¡¯t dare move. He smelled like sage or some kind of earthy herb. It was quite pleasant but made my head spin with its headiness.

    He stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he straightened up and said to Bird, ¡°You were right about her.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, despite not really wanting to know. ¡°What about me?¡±

    Rudy looked at Bird who raised his eyebrows in response. Rudy turned back to us. ¡°It¡¯s all of you, actually.¡±

    ¡°All of us what?¡± asked Maximus.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Rudy admitted. ¡°I have my theories though but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re ready for them.¡±

    ¡°God damn it!¡± Dex yelled suddenly and sprang to his feet. He got in Rudy¡¯s face and started pointing at him. ¡°I¡¯m sick of you people lying to us!¡±

    ¡°Dex!¡± I barked at him. ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Bird chuckled and laid his hand on Dex¡¯s shoulder, pushing him back from Rudy.

    ¡°Easy there boy,¡± Bird said gently. ¡°I know you¡¯re frustrated and so are we. You have to understand that we don¡¯t¡­we aren¡¯t trying to be difficult. It¡¯s just some things are hard to explain, even to the people who would take any explanation.¡±

 Page 28

    ¡°Well, try us then,¡± Maximus sighed. I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. He may have not gotten lost on the road like we had, but the situation was wearing him down just as much.

    Dex shook his head and started pacing around the room. ¡°I just don¡¯t see what the big deal is. You obviously have an idea of what we are dealing with here.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s just an idea. But you have a right to hear it. That¡¯s why I agreed to meet with you. I might be able to help. I just needed to know how open your mind was,¡± Rudy said. At that, Dex stopped pacing and folded his arms, legs rigid in a stance.

    Rudy took off his glasses and quickly rubbed the bridge of his nose. ¡°And I¡¯m afraid time is of the essence. I won¡¯t have time for too many questions tonight, so just let me talk.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all ears,¡± I encouraged, sitting on the edge of the couch in anticipation. Maximus was alert beside me. Dex kept his sniper eyes on Rudy, waiting.

    ¡°I¡¯m a medicine man,¡± Rudy said briskly. ¡°I used to do it as a full-time job but the thing is, it doesn¡¯t pay. It¡¯s a gift. We don¡¯t take payment for the things we do. Sometimes we do but most of the time if someone needs help, we have to help them. And out here on the reservations, people aren¡¯t very well off. So I have this bar. I like to think of it as a doctor¡¯s office. People still come into see me with their problems, usually curses and the like, and I can help them and they can buy a beer at the same time. Sometimes I just listen. That¡¯s the way of life when you own a bar. But for the most part, I am just Rudy. So I can only offer you my opinion, take it with a grain of salt. I am just a man.¡±

    He walked over to the couch and sat down on the armrest beside me.

    ¡°Bird had first told me about what was happening with the Lancasters two months ago. Way before you came into the picture, Maximus. It¡¯s more than just what Will has been telling you. A lot more. There had been a lot of, uh, unusual circumstances at the ranch. And right away, we knew what it was. Yee naaldlooshii. I don¡¯t even like to say that name but all signs pointed to it. But Will would never admit that. He¡¯s turned his back on his beliefs, even though, deep inside his heart, he knows the truth. You can put lipstick on a pig but it¡¯s still a pig. And until he sees what we see, and welcomes it, it¡¯s not going to stop.¡±

    ¡°But the yee¡­the skinwalkers. What do they want with him?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure. I don¡¯t even know if there is more than one of them. Skinwalkers are people like me, medicine men, or witches who indulge in the Frenzy Way¡­wicked spiritual practices, whose only intent is to scare, harm or kill. With Will, because it¡¯s been going on for so long, I would say they just want to torture him. That¡¯s what Bird and I thought. Then you showed up, Maximus, and gave Will a reason to think it was something more¡­acceptable. I don¡¯t know why a ghost or ¡°white¡± spirits are so much more acceptable to Will than a yee naaldlooshii but that¡¯s the way it is. And this ignorance made it angry. More determined. Then Will took it further and invited two young, and white, journalists to be ghost busters. Not only that, but to get it on tape. That is bad form. If Will was still following the way he would have had this dealt with, by me, maybe, and it would have been done undercover. But to broadcast this to the world is such a slap in the face. So the skinwalker is angry. It wants more than ever to prove its existence to him. And it¡¯ll use you people to do this. Ghosts don¡¯t harm or maim people. They just scare. Skinwalkers¡­they kill. I think you are all in real danger. Even at this moment. I feel like there are people in this bar who could hurt you.¡±

    I was hanging on to every word with icy stillness but that sent a full throttle shiver through my body. Maximus put his arm around me and started rubbing me lightly, his face focused intently on Rudy.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let that happen if I can, but that¡¯s why I had to rush, to let you know before you go back out there.¡±

    ¡°But you said there was something about us¡­,¡± I said.

    ¡°Yes. Normally it wouldn¡¯t be a concern because white people are not easy to witch. You don¡¯t believe. But, unfortunately I suppose, you three do believe. And you want to believe, which is worse. And¡­there are certain energies coming from you, especially you Perry, that will work against you in this situation. Skinwalkers deal on the principle of power. The more powerful you are, the more powerful you can become. It sounds redundant. But if a skinwalker cuts the piece of the body of a dead medicine man, then they become stronger. If they encounter someone with a similar life force, they will want to¡­plug in, I guess that¡¯s the appropriate term. Or not. You¡¯re like an outlet and they are a device, always looking for more power. Even a few strands of hair would help them. Imagine what they could do if they got a hold of your finger.¡±

    I felt sick. Bird pointed at my face. ¡°Or your eyeballs.¡±

    I felt sicker. Maximus pressed me closer to him. It helped.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Bird said gently. ¡°We know that crow wasn¡¯t just a crow.¡±

    Dex was staring at me strangely before he said to Rudy, ¡°So do we know who these skinwalkers are? You say they are people?¡±

    He nodded and got up. ¡°Yes. They are people. As I said, most likely medicine men, or witches.¡±

    ¡°Shan,¡± I whispered. Everyone looked startled to hear me say that but I knew they had been thinking it too.

    Bird shook his head. ¡°And this is where it gets tricky. No one wants to play the blame game here. There are many, many medicine men around these parts. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Shan. I know it¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Dex countered.

    ¡°Because I work with the man. I know him. I know he wouldn¡¯t ever do anything to hurt the Lancasters. And besides, he¡¯s been around during a lot of the activity. A skinwalker cannot be in two places at once.¡±

    ¡°Miguel,¡± Maximus said suddenly.

    ¡°Miguel is Mexican,¡± I hissed at him.

    ¡°So?¡± He looked up at Rudy. ¡°Does it have to be Navajo? Couldn¡¯t Miguel learn?¡±

    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anyone at the ranch. It wouldn¡¯t make any sense.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s you. You¡¯re a medicine man,¡± Dex said boldly. Too boldly.

    But Rudy shrugged it off. ¡°You¡¯re right. It could be me. It¡¯s not, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re thinking that way because you can¡¯t be too careful. You must understand how serious this is.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do then?¡± I said feeling so small and so hopeless.

    ¡°You can leave,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Leave tonight.¡±

    ¡°No way,¡± Dex objected. ¡°No fucking way, Dr. Spooks.¡±

    He looked at me to see how I felt. I agreed. Sorta. I did not want to be in any danger, especially danger that kind of involved actual people¡­er, slash animals. But I couldn¡¯t go back with nothing. I couldn¡¯t. And Dex couldn¡¯t either. We didn¡¯t have a choice. We had to stay.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I put in. ¡°I don¡¯t think leaving is an option for us. We¡¯ve barely got anything. We aren¡¯t going back empty-handed.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re walking straight into the fire,¡± Rudy warned. ¡°They will make you leave and if that doesn¡¯t work, they will kill you. You understand? Kill you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a risk we are willing to take,¡± Dex said straightening up, looking as determined as ever.

    ¡°Oh come on Dex,¡± Maximus said. ¡°Seriously, if it¡¯s going to be like this, it¡¯s not worth it.¡±

    Dex ignored him and fished Nicorette out of his pocket.

    Maximus looked at me and squeezed my arm tighter. It stung. ¡°Perry. I know Dex isn¡¯t all there, but you¡¯re a smart lady. I would do as Rudy suggests. In fact, I may do as he suggests.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Dex laughed to himself. ¡°Then where would you get your fifteen seconds of fame from?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Maximus got up, his hulking height towering over Dex. Dex grinned and took a step backwards.

    Really? A fight? Was this happening now out of all things?

    ¡°You heard me,¡± Dex chewed, taunting him. ¡°That¡¯s the only reason you suggested us to Will.¡±

    Now it was Maximus¡¯s turn to laugh. ¡°Right. Like it would help me out to be on your shitty show¡­on the internet!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± I yelled and found myself getting up. I put myself between them and pushed them both away from each other. Or, at least I tried to. They were like trees, trading barbs above my head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t insult my shitty internet show,¡± I said to Maximus. I looked at Dex. ¡°And you need to shut the hell up. We¡¯ve got real fucking problems to deal with here. Not some stupid ass bullshit that you should have dealt with in college. I don¡¯t even care what it is, but you need to put that behind you. Right now! For me, if anything.¡±

    I was suddenly aware we were having a weird threesome confrontation in front of Bird and Rudy. Luckily, Bird had his diplomatic skills and walked over to us, placing each hand on the guys¡¯ shoulders.

    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re both good guys, you have a friendship here deep down. We need all of you to concentrate on what¡¯s at hand. If you¡¯re not going to leave, then you must be prepared to do what it takes to stay. Maximus, if you wish to leave, you can leave. But they are free to make their own decisions.¡±

    Maximus took his eyes off of Dex¡¯s snarl and placed them on Bird¡¯s kind face. A wash of acceptance flowed across them. He turned around, sat back down on the couch and sighed, sinking deeper.

    Bird shook Dex slightly to get his attention off of Maximus. Dex¡¯s hands were clenched, as if he was actually considering fighting the burly ginger. He cocked his head at Bird with some reluctance and gave him a lazy stare.

    Bird told him, ¡°You need to watch yourself. You¡¯re not well and that¡¯s just going to make you an easy target.¡±

    I stiffened. I thought Dex would get all crazy defensive over that but he didn¡¯t even blink.

    Bird looked down at me. ¡°You need to watch yourself too. You can¡¯t be too careful. Be vigilant. You both must look out for each other because that¡¯s all you¡¯re going to have while you¡¯re here. Till death do you part. We don¡¯t want to rush that.¡±

    Dex and I both smiled at the same time. We probably shouldn¡¯t have, given the subject matter, but I knew we both realized how bad we were at this whole fake marriage thing.

    ¡°OK,¡± Dex said, wiping his grin away with his hand. ¡°Any other advice for us? You know, so we don¡¯t die.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Rudy said. ¡°Tomorrow morning I want you to come out to my place. I have a sweat hut in the back. I can do a sweat ceremony on both of you. Maximus, you too, if you wish. It¡¯ll cleanse your soul so that the spirits can¡¯t find you.¡±

    ¡°And that will keep the skinwalkers away?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No. Skinwalkers are still people. But it will keep evil spirits away, and that will help. We can¡¯t be too careful with the Lancasters. If they are powerful enough, spirits could be involved, easily.¡±

 Page 29

    I swallowed hard. It just kept getting more and more unbelievable.

    ¡°What do we do about the skinwalkers then?¡± I whispered.

    ¡°We will ride that horse when we come to it,¡± he said simply and walked around his desk to sit down.

    ¡°What if that horse comes tonight?¡± Dex asked.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t let it inside.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Like it was that simple?

    ¡°Bird will bring you here tomorrow,¡± Rudy said, taking out a file from his desk and looking ready to busy himself. ¡°Now, I suggest you go out there and cool off. Drinks are on the house, Melinda, the bartender, knows. Forget about things for now. Bird will take care of you.¡±

    ¡°But we need to know more,¡± Dex pointed out. ¡°We deserve to know more!¡±

    Rudy peered at him through his glasses. ¡°And you will know more. But there could be spies about and the longer you are in here with me, the more that people could suspect that you¡¯re on to something. Right now, all we have is their ignorance. You¡¯re going to want to hold on to that as long as you can.¡±

    Which meant playing up the dumb white folk card. I could do that.

    We thanked Rudy and Bird led us out of the office and back into the bar. Amazingly, it had got even busier.

    ¡°Is the entire town here?¡± I asked Bird.

    ¡°Yes.¡± He smiled. He pointed past the pool tables to where some booths and tables flanked the dance floor. ¡°We¡¯ve got the booth with the reserved sign on it. I¡¯ll get the beers from Melinda.¡±

    I followed Dex and Maximus through the crowd. I couldn¡¯t help but stare at every single person we passed. I didn¡¯t even notice the oogley eyes anymore, I was just looking for signs of malice. Who here was the skinwalker? Who here wanted to prove a so point so badly that it may just end in murder?

    So far, it didn¡¯t look like anyone here wanted us dead, at least not me. The more I stared at the various dudes, the more I was met with happy drunken smiles. Even the woman, as few as they were, were friendly. It was like a surreal, redneck version of Cheers and I was Norm.

    We made our way to a booth that had a torn piece of paper, with the words ¡°Reserved¡± scribbled on it, placed under an empty beer. Don¡¯t know what I was expecting, velvet rope?

    Being as it was the only booth free, it must have been for us, so we sat down and were immediately engulfed by the awkward silence of too many uneasy thoughts in too many heads. I sat beside Dex, with Maximus on the other side. The crazy ¡°filmmakers¡± versus the ¡°ghost-talking¡± firecrotch.

    It was a prime location for people watching, though. With a pair of wasted cougars on our left and three rugged mountain men on our right, we were smack in the middle of mating town. In front of us, and a step down, lay the dance floor, the perfect place to showcase the mating rituals, which alternated between sloppy line dancing and sloppy grope fests. The schizophrenic jukebox didn¡¯t help either.

    As Bird seemed to be taking a while, I finally had to say something to ease the tension.

    ¡°So we may die this weekend. That¡¯s cool.¡±

    Both of their eyes flitted to me in unison, both totally unamused. I¡¯m not saying the concept was amusing myself, it¡¯s just I had to say what we all were thinking. I thought it was better than saying, ¡°So you guys really don¡¯t like each other, do you? Let¡¯s discuss.¡±

    I shrugged and waited for one of them to say something. They didn¡¯t. They just ignored each other (and me) until Bird came over with a tray of booze. He plunked down a beer in front of each of us and a shot of something dark and strong.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I sniffed it. It stung my nostrils, a straight hit to the head.

    ¡°Bourbon,¡± Dex said, smiling, and slammed his back without hesitation.

    ¡°Oh,¡± I raised up my shot to cheers Maximus but he was already done his as well. I looked at Bird who sat down next to him. ¡°Cheers to us then?¡±

    Bird picked up his shot glass and we clinked across the table.

    Down the hatch it went, burning wonderfully. I felt like one wasn¡¯t enough but I got started on my beer. Maybe getting drunk was the answer for right now. Rudy was right. We need to forget about things¡­at least, just for a little bit. Bird would be our eyes.

    I relaxed a little and sat back against the crusty velvet cushions. Within a minute one of the waitresses came over and put more beers and more shots down on our table. It was like she had divine telepathy.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s do this properly,¡± I said before anyone could drink. ¡°Let¡¯s just put everything aside and have some fun tonight. Here¡¯s to¡­New Mexico.¡±

    Surprisingly, Dex and Maximus both smiled at that and we all clinked. Even the cougars beside us chimed in, ¡°To New Mexico!¡±

    This shot tasted a lot better than the first and my insides were already tingly warm. The glasses of wine I had at dinner had done nothing to prepare me for this. Despite a slow metabolism and a well-padded body, I was always a lightweight when it came to drinking. That¡¯s not to say I couldn¡¯t hold my own (I was a champion drinker in high school...not that I¡¯m proud of it), but it definitely didn¡¯t take much for me to get to the tipsy zone.

    I turned my fizzy head and looked at Dex sitting beside me. He was peeling the label off of his beer again, as Maximus and Bird talked to each other about the history of the bar.

    ¡°Sexually frustrated?¡± I asked. Yup. Drinking around Dex was not going to be a good idea, I could see this already.

    He raised one brow at me in surprise. ¡°Yes,¡± he smiled, matter-of-factly.

    ¡°Because your girlfriend is not here?¡± I teased.

    ¡°Sure.¡± He had a long gulp of his beer and set it down neatly between his hands. They twitched. He was a very twitchy guy.

    The song people were dancing to (some new country piece of crap) just ended and the opening strains of Dire Straits ¡°Walk of Life¡± came on over the speakers. The song always reminded me of my dad and spending summers fishing on the Columbia River when I was a child.

    I couldn¡¯t help but cry out, ¡°I fucking love this song!¡±

    Maximus must have loved it too because he suddenly put down his beer, got up, and held his hand out in front of me.

    ¡°Care to dance?¡± he grinned. Now, normally I don¡¯t dance, at all, but dancing to this song with the studly redhead was sure to be a lot more fun than drinking with Twitchy McGee.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I smiled uneasily and took his hand. He took me out to the dance floor and held my hands and started spinning me around, back and forth, in time to the happy beat. We certainly weren¡¯t as good as the other dancers. Even though everyone was wasted, the people of Red Fox still knew how to move, even if it was sloppy. But Maximus held his own, even though he was a foot taller than I and stepped on my foot more than once (thankfully not my wonky one). I just tried to keep up. It was fun though, the most fun I think I had this entire trip. Not that that was saying much considering the circumstances. Nothing says you¡¯re having a great time like a crow trying to peck your eyes out.

    He did look awfully handsome. I know gingers get a bad rap but there was something so very masculine and manly about him. I think the booze prompted me to say the next thing.

    ¡°Red Fox,¡± I mused. ¡°Did they name the town after you?¡±

    He grinned unabashedly and spun me around.

    When the song was over, I was prepared to go sit down again, especially as U2¡¯s ¡°Still Haven¡¯t Found What I¡¯m Looking For¡± came on. But Maximus held me there, prisoner of the dance floor and Bono-rific rock.

    ¡°It¡¯s U2,¡± I explained while trying to move. Slow dancing was one thing and doing it to U2 was overkill.

    ¡°It¡¯s classic U2,¡± he said defensively, bringing me closer to him.

    ¡°My opinion of you just went down a notch.¡±

    I was tempted to be a goof and dance like an idiot to the song but Maximus looked serious. He slipped his arm around my waist until I was pressed up against him. I raised my head to see his intentions.

    He smiled, sweetly, and brought his face closer to mine, close enough to count the freckles across his broad nose. I tensed up thinking he was going to make a move on me or something, but we moved through the crowd slowly, swaying back and forth, slow dancing.

    ¡°Are you really thinking about leaving?¡± I whispered, aware of the other couples milling around us and the potential for eavesdropping.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said slowly in that rich drawl. ¡°I was hoping I might convince you to come with me.¡±

    I was startled. ¡°What? Why would I do that?¡±

    He studied me for a second before saying, ¡°Because you¡¯re crazy if you stay. As nutty as everything sounds, I believe Rudy when he says there¡¯s danger here. If Bird hadn¡¯t been there today, you¡­wouldn¡¯t be here. You¡¯d be long gone. If this is only going to get worse¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± I sighed. I really didn¡¯t want to think about this right now. ¡°But I don¡¯t have a choice.¡±

    ¡°Of course you do!¡± he exclaimed loudly. He lowered his voice at the curious faces that turned and looked at us. ¡°Of course you have a choice. Just forget it. It¡¯s not the end of the world if you don¡¯t complete this show. There will be other chances. It¡¯s not worth risking your life over, Perry.¡±

    I shook my head. He didn¡¯t understand at all. But I guess that wasn¡¯t his fault.

    He looked at me with the most regarded expression. ¡°Think about it. I¡¯ll be leaving in the morning. You can stay in the hotel with me. You¡¯ll be safe, missy. We¡¯ll get out of this darned town and you can focus your efforts on something else. Something, say, that won¡¯t get you maimed by some Navajo supernatural beast.¡±

    ¡°And then what about Dex?¡± I pointed out. I turned my head and looked over at him. He was putting quarters in the jukebox and being chatted up by more women.

    Maximus followed my gaze and chuckled. ¡°Dex will be fine.¡±

    ¡°What if he¡¯s not?¡± I said. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave him here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you can. If he doesn¡¯t want to leave, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it.¡±

    ¡°OK, I don¡¯t want to leave him here then,¡± I said begrudgingly.

    ¡°Perry. He¡¯d leave you if he had the choice,¡± he remarked. That stung. It wasn¡¯t true, was it?

    ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t¡­,¡± I trailed off despite my brave face.

    ¡°Look. Though it¡¯s been years, I reckon I know him better than you do. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s changed in many ways, but he¡¯s still the Dex that I know and the Dex that I know is a selfish son-of-a-bitch who has no regard for anyone else, ever.¡±

    That also stung. It really cut me to hear him say that, even though I wasn¡¯t in any place to counter his opinion.

    ¡°You said¡­he¡¯s been through a lot,¡± I started.

    ¡°He has. I told you that so you¡¯d have a tiny bit of understanding but it doesn¡¯t explain everything. It¡¯s no excuse. Yeah, things in life suck sometimes and they can bring you down and set you back. But all that did was give Dex an even greater excuse to continue being an asshole.¡±

 Page 30

    That was it. I had enough of this top secret mumbo jumbo bullcrap. I stopped dancing for a second and stiffened my limbs. I looked him square in the eye, demanding the truth.

    ¡°What the hell did he do to you?¡±

    Maximus glanced uneasily in Dex¡¯s direction. He was back at the booth, drinking and laughing along to something with Bird and the two cougars who had sat down with him. One of the cougars, the more attractive blonde in overtly pink lipstick, had her hand on his leg.

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider going with you if you can give me an example of all this bad blood that doesn¡¯t seem to stop gushing all over the place,¡± I goaded, hoping he would take the bait, hoping he wasn¡¯t going to say something that would actually want me to leave Dex behind.

    ¡°He slept with my girlfriend.¡±

    So it finally came out. Figures it would be that.

    ¡°I see,¡± I nodded. ¡°No wonder he was so possessive of Abby. He was just projecting himself.¡±

    ¡°He did this after what happened to Abby. When I was really there for him, helping him through all his shit. He just went and slept with her.¡± From the tone of his voice I could obviously see it was something he hadn¡¯t gotten over.

    ¡°It¡¯s been, like, ten years, hasn¡¯t it? Let it go,¡± I told him.

    ¡°You¡¯ve obviously never been cheated on,¡± he sulked.

    ¡°I have, actually. I know very well. And yeah it makes me angry but people make mistakes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re excusing it?¡±

    ¡°No. I am not. Not at all. I fucking hate my ex-boyfriend for doing that to me but, you know, I moved on. I don¡¯t forgive him for it but I can¡¯t let it eat me up inside either.¡±

    ¡°We were so close to actually getting somewhere. Then he just¡­blew it for all of us,¡± he sighed and twirled me around.

    I was pulled into his chest, confused. ¡°Blew it?¡±

    ¡°The band. We were so close to making it, and then he had to go and get himself¡­he just lost it. Lost himself. And left us. We could have been something. I mean, really something.¡±

    ¡°Wait, so what you¡¯re really upset about is the fact that your stupid band broke up?¡± I didn¡¯t mean to call the band stupid but the conversation was getting stupid.

    He didn¡¯t say anything.

    I went on, ¡°His girlfriend dies. Dies. He blames himself. He sleeps with your girlfriend. Then quits the band. Before you said it was because he, well, kind of lost it ¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, he lost it,¡± he interrupted.

    ¡°Yeah. And understandably.¡±

    ¡°We were so close,¡± he repeated. I wasn¡¯t sure if he meant this time about the band¡¯s path, or his relationship with Dex, but he probably meant both.

    ¡°And now what are you doing? Are you playing in a band? Are you practicing music?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± he mumbled. He was starting to look uncomfortable, maybe ashamed. I didn¡¯t want to add to it but someone had to be the voice of reason. I wonder if this is what Ada felt when dealing with me. The fleeting thought of Ada made me feel warm inside, stronger almost.

    ¡°Maximus. I admit I don¡¯t know you. And I don¡¯t know Dex as you say you do. But if you¡¯ve been harboring some¡­futile¡­grudge all these years, why the hell did you contact Dex to come out here?¡±

    At that, the song ended and the dancing came to a halt. He was pondering it over, his eyes anxiously roaming the space above my head as people came on and off the dance floor.

    ¡°I really wish you¡¯d come with me,¡± he said carefully and with sincerity, sidestepping the question entirely. ¡°Dex really isn¡¯t the person you think he is. I don¡¯t want you to find that out the hard way.¡±

    Now that I knew what was what, I had to take everything Maximus said with a grain of salt. I sighed, rolled my eyes and walked back to the table. Why couldn¡¯t Maximus have been the normal, much-needed, no agenda foil to Dex? I suppose his job title of ghost talker should have told me a lot to begin with. I didn¡¯t think I was ever going to meet anyone normal as long as I was filming ghosts for a living. Then again, that was people. Everyone had their baggage. God knows I was at the top of that heap.

    Just as we got back to the table, the blonde cougar gave me a territorial glare and quickly grabbed Dex¡¯s hand and yanked him up with her.

    ¡°You¡¯re dancing with me sugar,¡± she cooed. She put her arm around him and he laughed, clearly enjoying the attention.

    ¡°Like I have a choice,¡± he grinned at her. I don¡¯t think she picked up on the sarcasm. She dragged him off as ¡°Crocodile Rock¡± came on.

    He winked at me as he brushed past and I stifled a laugh. I had to see this.

    Maximus and I sat down with Bird. I guess the other cougar had gone off somewhere.

    ¡°This will be interesting,¡± Maximus commented as he plowed into his next beer. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a guess or a statement.

    I took a sip of my own beer and watched the scene.

    On the dance floor Dex actually blended in. He had on his red Charlie Harper-esque bowling shirt and had plucked a black cowboy hat off of someone and place it on his own head, giving him that spiffy, cleaned up rancher look. Not that it was my cup of tea but I had come to the conclusion that you could dress Dex up like Steve Urkel and I¡¯d still find him attractive. Sigh.

    The dancing was something else. The cougar was a quick mover. Obviously she spent a lot of years dancing at bars and manhandling young men. But Dex¡­that was the surprise.

    He moved like¡­I don¡¯t know. Using Gene Kelly as an example was pretty outdated but that¡¯s the first thing that came to my head. The man could dance. And to Elton John, no less. He was doing a bit of line dancing, a bit of swing, a bunch of something else I didn¡¯t know, and mixing it all together in some bizarre act that would have easily draw applause on So You Think You Can Dance.

    It at least drew applause from the people watching. Even Bird was mighty impressed.

    ¡°Your husband is quite the dancer,¡± he commented while adjusting his own hat.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I breathed. I stole a peek at Maximus. He didn¡¯t look surprised at all. I suppose he already knew this trick that hid up Dex¡¯s sleeves, one of many I was sure. And then I understood. Maximus was jealous of Dex, always was. Maybe he wanted us here to use Dex (that seemed to be what Dex thought with his ¡°fifteen minutes of fame¡± comment) or maybe he wanted to destroy him. Either way, I could see it in his eyes, which turned such a cool shade of jade as he watched Dex, that there was a lot of hate. And some love, too. Dex seemed to have that affect on a lot of people, myself included.

    I looked back at Dex. The song had finished and already he was with some other woman. This one was younger, maybe mid-twenties, with a shapely figure and a cute face. A twinge of jealousy ran through me. Ugh. Maybe I had more in common with the Cajun than I had thought.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t bother you?¡± Bird asked.

    I looked up at him sharply. This was the one circumstance where I could admit the truth. I could sense Maximus eyeing me expectantly.

    ¡°It does,¡± I said slowly. ¡°But I suppose I¡¯m the jealous type.¡±

    I looked at Maximus and met his eye with all seriousness. ¡°And who isn¡¯t?¡±

    He nodded. He was going to draw his own conclusions from that and I couldn¡¯t say that he¡¯d be wrong.

    I sighed deeply and found myself peeling the label off of my own bottle.

    Then I stopped. To hell with that.

    I drank the beer instead.

    The song ended and I could see a bunch of women approaching Dex, probably asking him to dance or offering to buy him a drink. He was like the Cary Grant of the Red Fox dance floor. OK, also an outdated reference.

    The next song came on. Billy Joel. ¡°She¡¯s Always a Woman.¡± It¡¯s like the jukebox knew. This was our song, or at least our singer. Well, not really. But in my head it was. It reminded me of Oregon, when I was first getting to know him. When I found out he could sing. When I found out we were in for so much more that we thought.

    My heart sank a little bit over those first few piano notes. But Dex shook his head at the ladies, said something to them with a smile, and flashed his ring. Then he pointed at me. And my heart, my stupid heart, stopped.

    He walked off the floor, grinning at me, like he had some fantastic present behind his back. He stopped in front of our table while the disgruntled women looked on. He tipped his hat (or whoever¡¯s hat that was).

    ¡°It¡¯s our song,¡± he said. He held out his hand. I took it, as if in slow motion, and let him lead me onto the dance floor.

    He put one arm around my waist, holding me snuggly against him. It was a different kind of awkward than it was with Maximus. It was a wonderful, head-spinning awkwardness that made my heart beat out of my chest and my knees turn to putty.

    He held my hand with his other one and grinned at me, our faces so intoxicatingly close that he grazed the top of my head with the felt brim of his hat. I kept my eyes on those cocoa brown orbs of his. It wasn¡¯t hard.

    And then¡­then he started singing along with Joel¡¯s voice. Softly, quietly. I was such a sucker right there and then and he knew it, that bastard. If he wasn¡¯t holding me up, my spine would have collapsed in a warm puddle of blissed-out nerves.

    He leaned further in and sang into my ear, a deep murmur that sent shivers through me that I tried to contain. Why was he doing this to me?

    We didn¡¯t say anything else to each other. We just moved as one, gliding through the night. It was like a telephoto shot, he was the only thing in focus. Everything else just slipped away, a blur. It was wrong in so many ways, but it felt so right. I felt whole, as stupid as that sounds. I felt like nothing else mattered but this moment right now. Fuck the skinwalkers, the filming, the ranch, the show. I just needed this. I wanted this.

    I closed my eyes and, despite trying to save face, I laid my head on his shoulder. Everything that was cooped up inside, all that crap, all those worries were gone and it was just us. He smelled like aftershave, that sweet tobacco and something else that made my blood pump hot with desire. He sounded like roughed up velvet. He felt like I never wanted to take my hands off of him.

    I love you.

    My eyes snapped open in pure terror. Did I just think that? They stayed wide open, my body tensing slightly. As we made our slow turn, I could see Maximus and Bird watching us intently, but they had no bearing on what just happened. I loved him?

    I lifted my head up and pulled back ever so slightly. Dex lowered his brows knowing something was off. The song ended.

    We stopped but he still held me. And just like that I was scared. Terrified of these feelings inside of me. I wanted to get away, I needed to clear my head. I hoped to God that U2 wasn¡¯t the next song.

    ¡°Whatcha doing wifey?¡± he asked curiously.

    ¡°Song¡¯s over,¡± I said trying to sound as breezy as possible. I don¡¯t love you, I thought. That was crazy talk.

    He looked around him at nothing and everything, appearing to listen. Then he said, ¡°Is it?¡±

    ¡°Just the Way you Are¡± came on the speakers next. Are you serious?

    Dex laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried. Best fifty cents I¡¯ve ever spent.¡±

 Page 31

    ¡°What? Did you select Billy Joel¡¯s Greatest Hits or something?¡±

    ¡°Well, I tried,¡± he licked his lips. ¡°But these were the only two songs. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s Poison after this so you should probably enjoy this dance while you can.¡±

    We started moving to the music again, the slow build at the beginning.

    ¡°You really like Billy Joel, don¡¯t you?¡± I said.

    He brought me closer to him and smiled broadly, his cheeks rising. My goodness, he was handsome when he smiled. ¡°He¡¯s all right. But I figured you might dance with me if I put this on. Only fair that I get to dance with my wife.¡±

    ¡°A good wife would dance with you to anything,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Especially with you. You¡¯re a modern day Gene Kelly.¡±

    He laughed. ¡°Years of theatre school and that¡¯s the only thing that sticks.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to say to that so I just shook my head slowly to myself. Theatre school was a surprise but then again what the hell wasn¡¯t. If Dex told me that he used to work for NASA, I wouldn¡¯t have batted an eye. In fact, I could imagine him wanting to check out aliens on another planet.

    Finally, I said, ¡°You¡¯re going to continue to surprise me, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I hope so. The element of surprise is all I have,¡± he surmised.

    Then he grabbed my ass.

    I¡¯m not kidding. He full on grabbed it, squeezed it with one of his hands. I looked at him, shocked, but he was looking at Bird and Maximus, grinning like an idiot and giving them the thumbs up with his other hand.

    ¡°What the hell, Dex?¡± I hissed. I wasn¡¯t mad, just¡­well, surprised. He had that.

    He let go but still held me close in that general area.

    ¡°What? I¡¯m allowed to grab my wife¡¯s ass. She¡¯s got a nice one.¡±

    I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°What would Jennifer think?¡±

    I didn¡¯t mean to bring her up at all but it was the first thing out of my mouth. I knew ass-grabbing wasn¡¯t really a major offense in the rule book (unless it¡¯s one of your drunk uncles, now that shit is out of line) yet it seemed wrong. Probably just as wrong as that ¡°I love you¡± thought that danced across my head only moments earlier. Things, once again, were getting way out of control.

    Dex didn¡¯t seem too put out by the mention of his girlfriend, though his eyes grew serious and he calmly said, ¡°There is no Jennifer in this scenario.¡±

    I had to admit, I kind of liked that scenario. But¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re skirting dangerous territory, Dex,¡± I told him while hoping he would just get it and not have me plunge into an explanation.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he said innocently, widening those eyes of his to perfect circles.

    Of course. And what was I going to say? That he was trying to lead me on? Was he even? Did he know I liked him, let alone¡­.eh, I didn¡¯t even want to finish that thought.

    ¡°Your girlfriend is awfully trusting of you, that¡¯s all,¡± I said, even though it was very clearly not all.

    Our stare intensified for a split second. Then Dex did that lazy grin of his.

    ¡°We have a relationship based on trust. Just like you and I do.¡±

    Oh, why did he have to add that last part in there? I nodded anyway. It was true and it was foolish for me to speculate on their relationship. Didn¡¯t mean I was going to stop though, least not in my head.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re attracting some yokels at ten o¡¯ clock,¡± Dex said. I looked over my shoulder. Sure enough there was a pair of guys blatantly leering at me. They weren¡¯t wearing cowboy hats like the rest of them. Instead, they had simple jeans and t-shirts and the appearance of surly dispositions. One of them had his neck taped up with all sorts of bandages, the other had a black eye. Probably your typical aimless twentysomethings who went around their small town making trouble. I hoped that their leering wouldn¡¯t soon translate into a fight with Dex. But Dex didn¡¯t seem to mind all that much. And why should he. I was just his fictional wife.

    ¡°Lovely pair,¡± I said to him. ¡°Are you suggesting I go for them?¡±

    ¡°Only if you wanna add another cut to that cheek,¡± he replied and spun me around.

    When the song ended Dex decided it was time for the bathroom and left. Maximus had already gone to the bar to get us a round of other drinks. So I sat down beside Bird and wished the beer I had left was cold, and still full.

    ¡°I think those are the fellas that were attacked on the Lancaster¡¯s property,¡± Bird said, nodding in the direction of the douchebags. I stole another glance. They were still looking over at me with intensity. It unnerved me even more.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yup,¡± Bird said and leaned back. ¡°Want me to go ask them some questions?¡±

    I shook my head absently. If anyone was going to get answers, it was going to be me.

    ¡°Let me handle this,¡± I said confidently. I started to get up but Bird reached out for me.

    ¡°Be careful Perry,¡± he said, his eyes pleading. I couldn¡¯t upset Bird. I would be careful. Besides, what¡¯s the worst that could happen to me in this bar with all these people around? I wasn¡¯t an idiot.

    I gave him a reassuring smile and made my way over to them, doing the strut I only do when I¡¯m feeling either confident or drunk. The latter was winning out at this part. This was going to be my greatest acting mission ever.

    I stopped just in front of the guys who were perched at the bar ledge that surrounded the dance floor and put on my bimbo face.

    ¡°Say, would you two be from around here?¡± I asked them, my voice several octaves higher than usual.

    They both perked up, then played it cool.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the one with the black eye said. ¡°We¡¯re from here. You¡¯re not.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± I smiled bashfully. ¡°I¡¯m here visiting some friends of mine. You have a lovely town. Do you come to this bar often?¡±

    ¡°Only bar we have,¡± the guy said, looking me up and down. He exchanged a look with his friend. ¡°Can we buy you a drink?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Coors Light would be great, thanks,¡± I replied, not wanting to get anymore drunk at this point. His injured friend hobbled off to the bar. He definitely did look like he was attacked by something. I turned my focus back to the dude in front of me. He was about 6 feet tall, well built, with black curly hair that was on the longish side. His eyes were so dark that they almost looked entirely black. He didn¡¯t look native but was certainly tanned and his hands were rough enough to indicate he did a lot of outdoor work.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked. ¡°I¡¯m Perry.¡±

    ¡°Perry,¡± he laughed. ¡°That¡¯s fucking weird.¡±

    I smiled stiffly, resisting the urge to punch his lights out. ¡°And you are?¡±

    ¡°Daniel,¡± he said. ¡°That your boyfriend?¡±

    He was pointing past me. I looked and saw Dex making his way back to the table with several drinks under his arms in Neil Hamburger fashion.

    ¡°No,¡± I said hesitantly. I should have mentioned that he was actually my pretend husband but I thought that might interfere with my fake hitting on them. I was grateful that my wedding ring was at my side and out of his sight. I contemplated taking it off and slipping it into my pocket.

    Daniel and I managed to make some small talk though until his brother Hank came back and handed me my beer. Not that it made a difference, since Hank barely said two words. Both of them were brothers and mighty strange ones at that. Hank seemed ill almost and was constantly itching his neck. Daniel was lewd, rough and reluctant to talk about half the subjects I approached him with, even innocent ones like where he went to school and what he did for a living. Most I got was that they likened themselves to modern day Indiana Joneses. Thank goodness for the free beer, drinking it was pleasantly distracting.

    Then the questions about me came. Who was I visiting? Why was I here?

    ¡°Oh, family friends,¡± I said. ¡°The Lancasters.¡±

    They both tensed up at that. Interesting.

    ¡°You know them?¡± I said, baiting them.

    Daniel nodded, ¡°Everyone knows everyone here. One big incestual family.¡±

    I smiled awkwardly. My face felt kind of funny, like my lips didn¡¯t want to move.

    Daniel went on to say the Lancasters were on hard times, as was everyone else in the area. He didn¡¯t sound sorry about it, though.

    I listened while he talked, though I felt more and more removed from the situation. I put my hand up to my forehead. It felt hot as hell and I was starting to feel dizzy. My fingers felt numb too, which was strange. Maybe I should slow down with the drinking, I thought. I was running on adrenaline and barely any sleep. It had been the longest day ever.

    I put my beer down on the ledge. It was only half full, something I noted with strange concentration.

    ¡°Our beer not good enough for you?¡± Daniel questioned with annoyance.

    I shook my head and tried to explain, ¡°It¡¯s been a long day.¡±

    Except I slurred most of that. I looked around the room. The people laughing, yelling, singing¡­they all came in and out of focus. The room seemed poised to start spinning, like horses at a starting gate. I looked at Daniel. He looked vaguely concerned.

    ¡°Are you OK?¡± he said putting his hand on my shoulder.

    I nodded, trying to ignore it. It was hard. I felt like I couldn¡¯t even think straight. It was all the workings of one of my panic attacks. Strange, I thought disjointedly, since I had no warning signs.

    Yet my head felt like it was a sandbag. I was having troubles keeping it up as I brought my gaze over to the table. Dex and Bird were drinking and talking. I didn¡¯t know where Maximus went. It didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°I need fresh air,¡± I said slowly, trying hard not to slur. I did not want them to think anything was wrong. It was too embarrassing.

    I very carefully got to my feet and smiled as if I weren¡¯t swaying to the left helplessly. They both got up in unison and gripped both my shoulders.

    ¡°Do you feel sick?¡± Daniel asked.

    I mumbled something in response.

    They took hold of my arms and took me around the dance floor and to the back corner of the room where there was an emergency exit door. I tried to keep focused on Dex and Bird but when we passed their table, they were too occupied to notice me. And I was too incompetent to say anything to get their attention. I just watched hopelessly as I passed them by, my neck wobbling back and forth, like overcooked spaghetti.

    The boys opened the door, the emergency sign was glowing this unnatural, oversaturated red that took over my vision.

    Next thing I knew I was outside. It was freezing cold and dark as anything. For a second I felt completely sober, like the chill was enough to shock me slightly into a better sense of comprehension.

    But then I lost it. I fell to my knees, the cold dirt a terrible landing pad.

    Just leave me here. Leave me here on my all fours like a dog and I¡¯ll be happy. My thoughts felt distant, like someone else was thinking them for me. I just wanted to crawl away somewhere and sleep but I stared at the dark dirt between my hands, focusing on every grain, on every molecule. It fascinated me. All I could think of was the dirt and the cool feeling of it against my sore hands. In the bare light from the bulb above the door, it almost looked like the dirt crystals could be stars and when my vision started to blur, they sparkled like far off galaxies.

 Page 32

    ¡°Get up,¡± Daniel growled from somewhere behind me, and I felt myself being lifted up by his arms.

    I was on my feet and he was holding me. But something felt so wrong. So very, very wrong. In pure panic attack mode, I started fretting about nothing, just feeling and instinct.

    ¡°I wanna go back,¡± I said. I pointed at the door with all the might of my loosely flailing arm. My inner self knew exactly what I was trying to say. I want to go back inside and see my friends. I wanted to go back inside and get help. But it didn¡¯t come out that way.

    ¡°Shhhh,¡± Daniel said. His voice sounded like poison, dripping maliciously, and affected me similarly. ¡°We¡¯ll make you feel better.¡±

    And I was being dragged off. Literally dragged. He pulled me towards the darkness and I couldn¡¯t move my legs in any fashion, so my lower body fell in an awkward thump and my feet dragged in the dirt behind me. This was so wrong, I thought stupidly. What could I do? What was going on?

    There was a truck up ahead in front of us. I saw Hank go into the driver¡¯s side. Were they taking me to the hospital? It didn¡¯t feel like that but I didn¡¯t know anything at this moment.

    ¡°Please stop!¡± I cried out, trying to raise my voice. To his credit, Daniel did stop. He hoisted me up so I was on my feet again and I felt remotely in control. He grabbed hold of my shoulders.

    ¡°How are you feeling? You don¡¯t seem too well,¡± he said. I looked up at his face. His eyes sunk into obsidian black holes. There was nothing good in him. It ruffled me to the core.

    ¡°I need to go inside,¡± I whispered, my words slurring without my control. I tried my hardest not to lose my balance but it seemed that my muscles were on the verge of total atrophy. The fear of being totally helpless was indescribable. If I wasn¡¯t feeling numb already, that would have done it.

    ¡°You should come with us,¡± he sneered. Yes, sneered. It wasn¡¯t just in my head. My worst fears were coming true. I tried to play it cool. Cool in the best way I knew how. It got me to the front of the pit in packed rock concerts.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to puke,¡± I feigned while managing to put my hand to my mouth. It wasn¡¯t that far off, I think I could have hurled anywhere.

    But he just dug his fingers into my skin and put my face up to his. ¡°That never bothered me, darling.¡±

    And then he was kissing me. His slimy, slobbering tongue all over my mouth as I tried so hard to keep it closed. In any other circumstance I would have drawn up my stunt training skills and bopped him one up the nose, but I couldn¡¯t even move my arms. They were blocks of ice, laid down by the sheer, rebellious failure of my nerves.

    I¡¯m drugged, I thought, fleetingly. It was the most horrifying thought of the day.

    I turned my head to avoid the disgusting, cold tongue that licked my lips and face. I looked away. My brain focused on the dull details. The way the stars looked above the dark mountains, the way the mountains were a moody haze against the darker night sky, the way the bar and the town of Red Fox barely threw any light towards the heavens. It was cold enough outside to make me shiver in my long-sleeve shirt, the air was fresh as anything except for the wafts of booze coming from Daniel¡¯s face. Was I about to go on autopilot? I didn¡¯t even care. And that sickened me with every tired ounce I had left.

    And then I was on the ground. My legs gave out in slow motion and I went along with them. The back of my head hit the dirt without any pain. It just kind of sank into the chilly, soft earth, as if it were a well-worn pillow, waiting for my slumber.

    I wanted to close my eyes and pretend whatever was going to happen was just a dream, but I couldn¡¯t. They were open, observing everything. The moon behind Daniel as he started to undue his belt and zipped down his fly. His hands as they flew to my own pants and started fiddling with the zipper. They looked like yellow talons, wrinkled and dry with slick claws at the ends. I felt them slice part of my stomach near my belly button but the pain was masked by the terror in my heart.

    I never thought it would be like this. I never thought that if I was ever assaulted or raped, that I would just lie back and take it. I had so many scenarios that I had played out in my head. Where ever I was, I would spin around and deliver my own defense. Maybe it was a kick to the balls, or maybe it was some adrenaline-filled horror where I ended up jabbing my keys into a guy¡¯s neck. It was terrible but effective and though I¡¯ve doubted I would able to act without mercy, I was now faced with the truth that I may be fully conscious and unable to do a single thing. It didn¡¯t seem fair.

    Regardless, I tried to fight Daniel off. It didn¡¯t work. My hands were flying towards his face in an awkward manner, unable to fully make contact with him. He laughed and continued take off his pants until they were down by his ankles. My own pants were not all the way off but they were ripped and sticky, maybe blood from where he clawed at my stomach. He then pinned one of my hands back above my head. This was the most vulnerable, the most exposed, I had ever felt. I closed my eyes and prayed that I could find the strength to fight back.

    I felt a surge flow through me. I opened my eyes and saw Daniel¡¯s face inches from mine, that sinister snarl on his disgusting lips. His eyes weren¡¯t even human anymore.

    I turned my head away from him and looked away at the darkness between him and the truck. A small, low figure skirted past. It moved awkwardly, but quick, like a human running on all fours. It had a long leathery tail dragging behind it. It disappeared around the truck. I looked back up at Daniel to see if he had noticed. If he had, he probably welcomed it. His face seemed to contort before my eyes, his nose stretching out, growing, into a beak of some sort.

    Then, a shadow passed in front of it. I heard a metallic clink in the back of the truck and a scraping sound.

    And suddenly something dark and heavy swept past my vision and with a CRACK! Daniel went flying backwards off of me. I was dumbfounded.

    ¡°Perry!¡± I heard a disembodied voice cry. It was familiar.

    I felt a hand touch my cheek and I looked to my right. Dex¡¯s head was there, poking over me.

    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± he asked, his voice high and tight.

    I tried to shake my head but it barely registered.

    I felt him pick me up underneath the arms until I was up. I could barely hold myself up, so Dex turned me around and I fell straight into him. I clawed at his arms and back like I would never hold another person again. I whimpered, unable to express any of the millions of things I was feeling. He held me with one arm, his other holding onto a shovel that he apparently just pounded into Daniel¡¯s face.

    ¡°I got you,¡± he whispered. ¡°Was it just this guy?¡±

    No, I thought. It wasn¡¯t. There was Hank. There was an animal. I tried to speak but no words came out. I lifted my head with all my might just in time to see Hank coming around from the side of the truck.

    Dex was fast. He spun around and saw him. In that instance he let go of me and I held onto the truck for support. Dex took the shovel and wielded it in the air like a baseball bat towards Hank.

    I saw the back of the shovel hit Hank square in the face. I saw his face contort, then crumple with the blow. A splash of red and white flew out from the corner of his mouth. He flew backward and disappeared beneath the truck.

    I looked at Dex. Something manic had taken over his eyes. He was almost grinning while his eyes remained the most determined beams of pure hatred I had ever seen. He raised his shovel in the air, prepared to bring it down on Hank¡¯s face.

    ¡°No!¡± I managed to finally scream. ¡°Dex!¡±

    Then I hunched over on the truck, barely able to keep upright. My eyes averted from the violence. I didn¡¯t know what happened next, but after a grunt and a long pause, I heard the shovel drop to the ground.

    I felt him run over to me, his arms taking me in his, his hand propping my face up.

    ¡°Perry,¡± he yelled. ¡°Hang in there.¡±

    My vision started to fuzz out, along with the last few working components of my brain. My consciousness was in and out after that.

    I remember a flashlight.

    Some screams.

    Doors slamming.

    Bird¡¯s voice.

    I remembered being in a car. The lights on the console. People driving. Lying on the backseat.

    I remember being lifted in someone¡¯s arms. Smelling sweet tobacco.

    The lights of the Lancaster¡¯s porch.

    People fussing and touching me.

    I remember being carried up the stairs, seeing them rise and fall beneath me.

    The bathroom. The toilet bowl. Puking. My hair being held back. Thinking about what I ate that day.

    Then I was in the bathtub, naked. The water was pink and warm. I wasn¡¯t alone and I didn¡¯t care.

    And then I was suddenly in the room, in my pajama pants and tee shirt, being lowered onto my side of the bed by Dex.

    ¡°You¡¯re safe now, Perry,¡± said Bird¡¯s voice. I gingerly rolled my head to the side, the coolness of the pillow pressing against my cheek and looked at the door. Bird was standing in the doorway, one hand on the knob, about to leave the room. ¡°I¡¯ll be just outside your door all night. With this.¡±

    He raised his shotgun in the air for emphasis and then stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. I looked around the room, my eyes aching as they rolled in their sockets. It was just Dex.

    He was sitting beside me and pulling the blanket up to my neck, tucking me in. He looked terrible, like he had lost twenty pounds in the last few hours. His eyes were melancholic and wired all at the same time. He smiled at me, sweetly, sadly, and brushed the hair off my forehead.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± he asked gently.

    I wasn¡¯t sure, so shook my head slowly. Bad idea. The room began to spin.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he pressed my forehead with his hand. ¡°Take it easy. It¡¯s OK.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember much,¡± I managed to say, surprised by the weakness of my voice.

    ¡°That¡¯s OK. That might be better.¡±

    ¡°You saved my life,¡± I said. He looked away, embarrassed, and began to pull back.

    ¡°No,¡± I cried out while pulling my hands out of the blanket and grabbing his arms. ¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡±

    He chuckled. ¡°Perry, I am not going anywhere.¡±

    He straightened up and I let go. He kicked off his boots, walked around to his side of the bed and lay on top of the covers, rolling on his side to face me.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be here all night, remember?¡± he reassured me.

    It was silly for him to be above the covers.

    ¡°Get under the covers then,¡± I said. He looked uneasy. I guess he felt it would be too inappropriate considering what just happened but I couldn¡¯t explain how I just wanted him as near me as possible.

    He hesitantly got under the covers, still fully clothed.

    I rolled over on my side and stared at him. The room spun with the movement. Despite everything that had happened, and the things my mind didn¡¯t want me dwelling on, I was too afraid to ask him for what I really needed.

    ¡°So what happened?¡± I asked instead.

    ¡°We should probably talk about this in-¡±

    ¡°I want to talk about it now.¡±

    He nodded and sucked on his lip for a few beats.

    ¡°Do you remember being with those two guys?¡± he asked slowly.

 Page 33

    ¡°Yes. Bird had told me they may have been the guys who were attacked by the fox at-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to fucking kill Bird,¡± Dex muttered angrily. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have told you that.¡±

    I was too sick to argue. ¡°So I talked to them. I don¡¯t remember what they said but there was something off.¡±

    ¡°Did they buy you a drink?¡± Dex asked.

    ¡°Yes. A Coors Light.¡±

    ¡°Was it already opened?¡±

    I tried to think. ¡°Maybe,¡± I said. ¡°I felt sick soon after. They took me outside. I tried to tell you but I couldn¡¯t. Then he¡­he attacked me.¡±

    I started feeling a rush of emotions building up inside of me. It felt so clich¨¦, to start crying while explaining this but I knew it would happen.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t¡­rape me,¡± I said, trying to brave, trying not to blink. ¡°But he would have if you hadn¡¯t shown up. Or worse.¡±

    Dex¡¯s eyes were a bit moist too and dancing between extreme empathy and absolute anger.

    ¡°I am so sorry I wasn¡¯t there earlier,¡± he said softly, his voice cracking. I inched closer to him and put my hand on his face. It was cold, his stubble rough.

    ¡°I¡¯m OK, Dex,¡± I said.

    ¡°You¡¯re not OK,¡± he murmured. ¡°You were hurt.¡±

    I remembered the clawing. I felt down at my stomach. There was a bandaged pad there. If I ever got out of Red Fox, I was going out as a mummy made of gauze.

    ¡°Oh jeez,¡± I said feeling sick. ¡°How bad is it?¡±

    ¡°Rudy fixed you up,¡± Dex said. ¡°You¡¯re OK. He gave you some shots, some antibiotics to be safe. It just the wounds¡­I can¡¯t even talk about without wanting to kill someone, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He looked disgusted.

    ¡°What about them?¡±

    He reached up for my hand which was still at his cheek and took it in his.

    ¡°I think he may have had a knife,¡± Dex said.

    A knife. Or claws. But I didn¡¯t want to mention that now. In fact, I didn¡¯t want to know anymore. Except for one thing.

    ¡°Did you undress me?¡± I asked, squinting at him.

    He turned a bit pink in the cheeks, a color I rarely saw on him.

    ¡°Yes,¡± he said wryly. ¡°But I didn¡¯t look, I swear.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± I rolled my eyes. The fact that Dex saw me naked, and in a totally incompetent state, was just another mortifying thing to deal with. Yeah, I had bigger things to worry about but apparently I was still going to embarrass easily over something as vain as that. That was actually kind of a good sign.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, squeezing my hand again. ¡°It¡¯s all good. Don¡¯t worry about it, kiddo. Just get some sleep now. We both need it.¡±

    I smiled knowing he was right and dared to close my eyes again. The room slowly stopped swimming and I fell asleep holding his hand, my heart swollen with gratitude.

    CHAPTER ELEVEN

    I stood on the edge of precipitous cliff. In front of me lay a dark and undulating land lit by the icy power of a full moon. There were no clouds in the night sky but there was a strong wind that came from invisible origins and ruffled my hair till it was blowing behind me like a flag. I was in bare feet, just inches from falling into the shadowy canyons below. My arms were outspread like a young condor about to take its first flight.

    ¡°The truth is in the fire,¡± a voice whispered from behind me.

    I dropped my arms to the side and slowly turned around. I was facing a fire that smoldered and crackled high in the star-lit sky. Around it sat two people in high-backed chairs. On one side was a man dressed in denim overalls, on the other was a woman in a black dress. They had deer heads poking out of their collars, watching me with those blank, liquid eyes.

    ¡°Look in the fire,¡± one of them said, though their deer mouths didn¡¯t move.

    I looked at the fire. It swirled and flowed like a red river of flame. In the base of the fire, where the logs burned and cracked, the ashy black kindling moved. A snake made of charcoal crawled out of the flames leaving a trail of black soot in the ground behind it. It made its way to me and was about to strike.

    I gasped and stepped backward. There was nothing left beneath my feet.

    I fell and I fell through the air like a stone sinking in a bottomless pond. The angry mouth of the canyon below was open and waiting to engulf me with its sharp rocks and horrible depths. I was gone for.

    ¡°Perry?¡± I heard someone say.

    I opened my eyes. I was standing outside, in between the Lancaster¡¯s house and the barn. Dawn was breaking somewhere in the east, bringing hazy light to the horizon and warming up the ending night.

    I looked down at my feet. They were barefoot. In front of me was the remains of a fire, only blackened logs remaining. My hands were bloody.

    ¡°Perry!¡± I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Dex peering anxiously at me, dressed in just his pajama pants. I showed him my hands, frightened out of my gourd.

    He swallowed hard and looked me over.

    ¡°It¡¯s OK, you must have ripped open your cuts,¡± he said softly. I looked down at my stomach. Blood had seeped through my tee shirt.

    Dex leaned over and cupped my face in his hands. I had a hard time focusing on him, or on anything, really.

    ¡°What happened? Why are you out here?¡± he asked.

    I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t remember coming outside. I remembered my dream but¡­that was just a dream. Wasn¡¯t it?

    I told him about it. He took in a deep breath, trying to process it.

    ¡°And there¡¯s a fire,¡± I said slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡± we heard Bird yell out from behind us. He came barging out of the house with his shotgun in hand and ran up to us.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Dex sneered. ¡°What happened to you? You were supposed to be watching her.¡±

    Bird shook his head looking worse for wear. I felt sorry for the old man.

    ¡°I must have fallen asleep for a second, I never heard her leave,¡± he said helplessly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said meekly. ¡°I guess I was sleepwalking or something.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s all this was,¡± he said. He peered behind me at the fire remains. ¡°Somehow I doubt it. Come on, it¡¯s freezing out here.¡±

    He took one of my arms while Dex took the other and they led me back in the house like I was some kind of invalid.

    Inside it was warm and the floor felt delightful against my cold feet. They led me into the kitchen. Bird brought the first aid kit out of the top drawer. It was certainly getting a lot of use lately.

    It was dark in the kitchen except for a small lamp in the corner but the day outside was coming on brighter by the minute. It didn¡¯t seem Will or Sarah were up yet, which was a huge relief. I waited patiently while Bird lifted up my shirt and put on a new bandage on my wounds. It looked disgusting but he said it wasn¡¯t infected.

    ¡°Do you remember now how you got this?¡± Bird asked.

    I told him the truth, what I had kept from Dex last night.

    Dex was shocked. ¡°Are you serious? Claws?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what it felt like. It wasn¡¯t knives, he didn¡¯t have any. It felt like I was being raked by a giant bird. I think I know what that feels like now. It¡¯s what it looked like.¡±

    Dex folded his arms and mulled that over. I noticed he was still shirtless. And with madness comes the light. I had to disagree.

    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Bird said, his voice heavy. ¡°I think I¡¯ll give Rudy a call. The sooner we can get a start on things today, the better. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    He pulled my shirt down over the wound and left the house. I looked at Dex and managed a small smile. ¡°Sure. That¡¯s what they all say.¡±

    Dex walked over to the doorway and peeked out at the rest of the house. Satisfied, he came back in the kitchen, grabbed my hand and sat me down at the tiny kitchen table. He took both my hands in his and looked at me intently.

    ¡°Listen,¡± he said softly. ¡°I think you should leave.¡±

    I opened my mouth to say something, though I wasn¡¯t sure what yet, but he continued.

    ¡°Just listen to me. Maximus is right. It¡¯s still early, I doubt he¡¯s left yet. You can get a ride back with him to Albuquerque. The longer you stay here, the worse things are going to get. And I can¡¯t forgive myself for what happened to you last night.¡±

    ¡°Dex,¡± I started.

    ¡°I¡¯m responsible for you,¡± he said. ¡°And clearly I¡¯m not very good at taking care of anyone, let alone myself. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do if anything else happened to you. So you need leave, today. Now.¡±

    I looked into his eyes. I had never seen them so worried, so sincere. I squeezed his hands lightly. His concern melted me inside but I couldn¡¯t leave him. I wouldn¡¯t leave him here with these people. These things.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going unless you go too,¡± I whispered, paranoid that people could be listening.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± he shook his head. ¡°You know I have to stay here.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll just do something else. There are a lot of other things. Or just make something with the footage we have. We have those rocks and stuff on film, that¡¯s something. Nobody said we had to be freaking Paranormal State.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I did. If I go back with just that, Jimmy¡¯s going to laugh me out of the office and this whole thing will be done. We will be done. We only get one chance.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not worth risking your life over,¡± I implored.

    ¡°It¡¯s not worth risking your life over. Mine means nothing.¡±

    I was surprised at how serious he was about that. How could he say such a thing?

    He must have noticed my frustration because he added, ¡°And nothing is going to happen to me. It¡¯s obviously you that they want, that¡¯s what Bird and Rudy said and I really believe them now.¡±

    I leaned back in my chair and squared my gaze. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worth it,¡± he challenged back.

    ¡°Yes. You are,¡± I said. ¡°And if this is what it takes to make something of my life, then so be it. I¡¯d rather die here then leave without trying.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that,¡± he said roughly.

    ¡°Well, no, I¡¯d rather not die but staying here is worth the risk.¡± I was even unsure about that.

    ¡°Why do you care so much about this? You¡¯ve got plenty going on for you back at home.¡± He narrowed his eyes and tried to read me.

    Was this the time to tell him I was not only jobless and living a lie, but there was a possibility that I was in love with him as well? Nah.

    ¡°I just do,¡± was my winning answer.

    So we were kind of between a rock and a hard place as we sat at that kitchen table in the wee hours of the morning, when the house was still quiet and the nightmares of last night were swept away like flimsy cobwebs. We were both too stubborn to give up and neither one of us wanted to see the other one hurt.

    ¡°What if I can¡¯t protect you?¡± he said softly, looking down at my bandaged hands. Rare waves of his vulnerability and honesty were flying all over the place and hitting me straight in the chest. I had the biggest urge to tilt his chin up and kiss him gently on the lips. Just to let him know it was OK, just to see what it would feel like, just to tell him how I felt. It seemed the most fitting thing to do.

 Page 34

    Instead, I said, ¡°You did protect me last night. I don¡¯t know what would have happened if you weren¡¯t there. And in most other circumstances, I¡¯m pretty good at protecting myself.¡±

    He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, a little lost boy look in his eyes. A lock of his black hair fell across his forehead. I wanted to sweep it away but was afraid that if I touched his face in any way I wouldn¡¯t be able to help myself and it would lead to other bad things.

    Sensing something in me, he looked up and our eyes met. Sparks were flying through a current between us. This could lead to bad things too, I thought. A man and a woman just can¡¯t stare at each other like this. Something has to give.

    ¡°OK,¡± Bird said as he suddenly appeared in kitchen. We both jumped a little and gave him a sheepish look, as if he had caught us doing something we shouldn¡¯t be.

    ¡°Am I interrupting something?¡± he asked, stopping in front of us.

    Dex was first to let go of my hands and shook his head. ¡°Not at all. What¡¯s the plan?¡±

    Now, being that we were pretending to be married, it wouldn¡¯t have seemed out of place if Dex had continued to hold on to me but I guess that little thought of Jenn was still present in his head somewhere.

    ¡°As soon as you get dressed, I¡¯ll take you to Rudy¡¯s. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t eat anything either.¡±

    ¡°What do we say to Will and Sarah?¡± I whispered.

    Bird leaned in closer. ¡°Say nothing. Let me take care of that. Meet me by my truck in 15 minutes.¡±

    It ended up being about 20 minutes later when we met him by his truck. I was still super woozy and a bit sick, so getting dressed took some extra effort. It felt like it was the worst hangover I ever had and I didn¡¯t want Dex helping me anymore. I could put on my own pants, thank you very much. It just took a few attempts.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡± Bird said as we walked over to him. He looked me over and pointed at my jeans. ¡°You can¡¯t wear that to a sweat ceremony.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know,¡± I said feebly but he just shook his head. Bird had really changed in the last 24 hours. I guess we all had.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, get in,¡± he said as he climbed in the driver¡¯s seat of his red Ford truck. I exchanged a look with Dex and got in, feeling Bird¡¯s urgency.

    He backed up the truck and started to pull out of the lot. I looked back at the house and gasped. Sarah was standing at our bedroom¡¯s window, looking out at us. At least, that¡¯s what it looked like.

    I looked at Dex beside me to see if he had noticed but his eyes were focused sharply on the road, his tongue flicking a toothpick anxiously. I kept it to myself. What was the difference anyway?

    We drove for about a half hour, past the town and into the craggy gullies that jutted in and out by the surrounding mountain ranges. Down a simple dirt road, framed by cacti and boulders, lay a modest adobe rancher. We parked the truck next to a newish SUV and stepped out.

    The air here was fresher and hit my lungs sharply. I hadn¡¯t noticed a grade while on the road but perhaps we were at a higher elevation. It was still very early and the air hadn¡¯t warmed up yet.

    A lazy woof came out from around the corner of the house and a happy looking mutt came trotting towards us, tail wagging. Seeing a dog made me feel warm and fuzzy inside and I happily petted his rough fur and endured a few rounds of sloppy doggy kisses.

    Dex watched me with mild amusement as Bird started for the back of the house.

    ¡°That¡¯s just Boy Boy,¡± Bird said, waving at the dog. ¡°Come, Rudy is back here.¡±

    We walked around the corner, with Boy Boy at our heels, and saw a large tent nestled among some skinny trees. A neat fire was roaring beside it and Rudy was feeding it juniper branches and stones. I guess in my head I had pictured Rudy wearing ceremonial robes and a huge feathered headdress but those were just stereotypes floating around in my mind. Rudy looked the same as he did last night except that he was a little less blas¨¦.

    He greeted us sternly and shook his head at my pants. ¡°Those won¡¯t do. Your top is fine but you¡¯re going to have to go pantless in there.¡±

    He looked at Dex¡¯s cargo shorts and told him, ¡°You too. You could get sick in there with so many clothes on. It¡¯s customary for people to be naked during a sweat ceremony, but I understand if you don¡¯t want to do that with us here.¡±

    ¡°Hell no,¡± I muttered. Even going in there in just my underwear was going to be traumatizing. And it wasn¡¯t because of Bird and Rudy.

    The hut was about four feet high and about the size of a six-person tent. From the outside I could see it was made of heavy tarpaulin material and the door, which we would have to crawl through, was in the style of a tent¡¯s door, complete with zipper. At the moment it was unzipped, showing nothing but blackness inside. I was in no hurry to go in there.

    Rudy poked the fire one last time and gestured at the house¡¯s back door.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be another half hour before the rocks are hot enough,¡± he said. ¡°We might as well get you prepped for what¡¯s going to happen.¡±

    It sounded terrifyingly ominous. I looked at Dex who was beside me. His expression said the same thing: this wasn¡¯t going to be a typical sauna session, was it?

    We went into the house and sat in the kitchen while Rudy brought out several pitchers of water and poured us all a glass.

    ¡°Drink now and it¡¯ll help you once you¡¯re in there,¡± he said.

    Then he took out a small pouch and some rolling papers and started to roll sweet smelling cigarettes. He did this as he told us what was going to happen.

    ¡°The Great Spirit watches over us but sometimes we need a little help. Traditionally the sweat ceremony is done to cleanse one¡¯s own spirit so that it is clean and good. The negativity and evil thoughts that we experience each day, even without us knowing it, cling to our shells. The sweat purifies us so that we are born again, brand new. The good spirits can find us and protect us while the evil spirits are unable to track us. Eventually they will find us again, as evil always does, but this will give us some protection in the meantime.¡±

    He finished rolling one, lit it with a match and handed it to Dex. ¡°Here smoke some of this.¡±

    Dex took a puff, then coughed. It was a lot, even for him. He took a gulp of water and opened his eyes wide, achieving that crazy look of his.

    ¡°Wow, that is some strong shit,¡± he exclaimed.

    Rudy smiled slightly at Dex¡¯s outburst and nodded at me. ¡°Her turn. Have some Perry, it will please The Great Spirit.¡±

    This Great Spirit was so far sounding pretty cool compared to my God, though I was starting to suspect they were all one and the same. I took the cigarette from Dex¡¯s fingers and inhaled. I hadn¡¯t smoked since high school and it showed. Once the smoke entered my lungs, I also broke out into a coughing fit. It was a strong hit of nicotine and I immediately felt simultaneously alert and relaxed. The tobacco tasted very good, almost like licorice and agave. If we had packs like that on the market, there was a good chance I would take up smoking again.

    I passed it on to Bird and Rudy continued, ¡°It used to be that men and women would do the sweat separately but those things don¡¯t matter so much these days. Once the rocks are hot enough, I will move them into the center of the hut. I¡¯ll lead us through a few prayers and we will have some breaks in between where you can get out, stretch your legs and get water. As time goes on, it will get hotter and hotter. It may be so hot that you can¡¯t handle it and that¡¯s fine. I strongly suggest you stay in the tent no matter what. Lie down on the ground if you have to but if you leave the tent before the session is over, it may make everything redundant.¡±

    I started feeling a bit nervous. The cigarette hadn¡¯t helped.

    Rudy went on to explain how the tent had been made with willow branches, each branch strategically placed to pay homage to various animals and the Great Spirit himself. Everything was connected and the whole experience was to show us our place in the universe, as well as cleanse our sins.

    Soon enough, Rudy had stopped talking. It was time.

    We walked outside. The fire had died somehow, smoldering under the weight of the rocks, which glowed neon red in the morning light. We watched Rudy and Bird carrying the hot stones on a pitchfork and shovel them into the tent. I felt like I should help them somehow, but I think in this case it was OK if Dex and I were just the curious bystanders. This was sacred to them and I didn¡¯t want to mess it up.

    When they were done, Bird went into the kitchen to fetch the water. Rudy pointed at my clothes.

    ¡°No time to be shy,¡± he said simply. He took off his glasses and his denim shirt and placed them in a neat pile outside of the tent. Oh God, Great Spirit, whatever, I thought, please don¡¯t let this turn into a naked old man expedition.

    But Rudy kept his boxer shorts on. Dex did too. I sighed and slipped my pants off. Thank goodness I was wearing my comfy black underwear that pretty much covered my butt, or at least most of it. To think I was close to putting on a thong that morning.

    Bird came out with the drinks and placed them outside of the tent. He sat down on a log and wiped his brow.

    ¡°You¡¯re not coming in?¡± Dex asked him.

    ¡°No, I think it¡¯s a good idea if someone is outside of the tent,¡± he said. I had to agree with him.

    ¡°Ladies first,¡± Rudy said opening up the flap of the tent even wider and pointing inside. I really did not want to be the first to go in the hot dark tent, let alone have Dex and Rudy stare at my butt as I went in. On all fours, no less.

    I turned to look at Dex behind me. He was already grinning.

    I smacked him across the chest. ¡°You keep your eyes to yourself, mister.¡±

    ¡°That reminds me,¡± Rudy said. He walked over to us and held out his hand. ¡°You will want to take off your rings. You could swell up in there.¡±

    Rings? Oh, right. We both slipped them off and placed them in Rudy¡¯s open palm. He examined each ring closely and then stole a glance at our ring fingers. Could he even see without his glasses? I could have sworn a smile skipped across his stony lips.

    ¡°In you go,¡± he said tapping me on the shoulder.

    I took a few steps towards the entrance and got down on all fours. I heard Dex snicker behind me but ignored it. The wall of heat I felt emanating from inside the tent was intense. I took a deep breath and went inside.

    It was dark as hell except for the glowing stones in the center. The floor was packed with very soft dirt that was still cool on my knees. I crawled along the outer edge of the circular floor, making sure I was far away from the hot rocks, and sat back. It was so hot, and so dry, that I couldn¡¯t imagine it getting any hotter.

    Dex came in next, his shaggy silhouette against the door, and crawled towards me. He sat next to me, cross-legged, our knees touching. I was glad for that.

    Rudy came in last and settled across from us, pulling a doeskin bag of stuff up beside him.

    ¡°OK Bird,¡± he called out. ¡°Time to seal us.¡±

    I heard a rustling outside. Bird appeared at the door, the blinding daylight behind him. I couldn¡¯t see his face from the exposure but I could feel he was giving us all a hopeful look. He nodded and disappeared. The tent flapped shut and the loud tear of the zipper filled the air as he shut us in.

 Page 35

    Now we were sitting in complete darkness. The stones at the middle gave off a bare glow that did nothing to illuminate the interior of the tent. I heard Rudy shuffle around and the tinkling of water. I smelled sage and other herbs. A whipping sound and Rudy was hitting the rocks with wet sage branches. The smell was incredible, but the steam and heat that came off the rocks was all-encompassing.

    Rudy started to chant and sing in native Navajo. I hadn¡¯t heard it spoken yet so it was a bit jarring to my ears. But there was something beautifully rhythmic and complex about it.

    Obviously, neither Dex nor I could join in on these prayers, so we just sat there on the dirt floor that was increasingly getting warmer and did our best to endure the heat. Personally, I said a few prayers of my own to myself, followed by wishes, and then positive thoughts and mantras. I was hitting all angles.

    I wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed, it felt like hours, but just as I was getting light-headed Rudy put the branches away and said, ¡°Now time for our first break.¡±

    ¡°Bird,¡± he called out and thumped on the wall of the tent. The willow branches shook above us. The sound of the zipper and the flap opened. The light spilling inside hurt my eyes.

    We made our way out of the tent and into the sunlight. I¡¯m sure it was a hot day already but compared to the interior of the tent it felt very refreshing. I stood up unsteadily, Bird reached over and held me.

    ¡°Take it easy,¡± he passed me a bottle of water. ¡°Drink some of this, slowly.¡±

    Water had never tasted so good. When I was finished the bottle I looked over at Dex who was doing the same thing. He was a sweaty mess. I was too. Only Rudy looked remotely composed.

    ¡°Are you doing OK so far?¡± Rudy asked.

    I shrugged. I didn¡¯t feel like I was cleansed or anything. I just felt like I had been in one hell of a sauna.

    ¡°I think I lost a few pounds,¡± Dex joked.

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll all be a lot lighter when this is done. Of course, drinking water will put it all back. But the weight of our sins will be lost for long enough.¡±

    Rudy walked over to me and asked me to hold out my hands.

    I did so, palms up. The bandages were pretty gross, there hadn¡¯t been time to change them that morning.

    Rudy held his hands above mine and waved them around. I thought I could feel my wounds burning slightly but I couldn¡¯t be sure. He was giving off some heat but that was normal. We all could have doubled as radiators at that moment.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Dex asked, coming over to see.

    Rudy closed his eyes, ignoring Dex and continued to hold his hands above. Then he stopped and looked at me, ¡°Your hands will be OK in a bit. I did a prayer on them last night. They are healing fast.¡±

    He waved his hand above my stomach. ¡°This too will be OK by tomorrow.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what to do except thank him. It sounded far-fetched that some hand waving would do the trick, especially when Dex mentioned I had been pumped with antibiotics, but the truth was, whatever he did, I did feel like I was healing by the second. My hands didn¡¯t hurt anymore, my stomach didn¡¯t sting or pinch when I had sat down and a quick glance to the mirror this morning showed that my cheek cut was almost gone.

    ¡°Time for us to return,¡± he said and nodded at the tent. I took a deep breath and crawled back inside.

    This time Rudy sprinkled the water on with a different, spicier smelling branch. The steam and heat was about double the intensity as the first round.

    I shuffled further back from the stones until my back hit the wall of the tent. The tarp stung my back with its heat. I wondered if it came close to melting.

    ¡°You can lie down,¡± Rudy said in the darkness as the steam grew stronger, the hissing noise filling the space above us. ¡°You too, Dex.¡±

    I lay on my side, wanting some respite from the heat. I immediately regretted it. Yes, it was a smidge cooler but I was covered in sweat from head to toe and having to lay down on the dirt floor, I was pretty sure a layer of mud now covered my side.

    I felt Dex moving around beside me and suddenly one of his arms landed on my head.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I cried out.

    He giggled, his voice heavy and breathy. ¡°Sorry. Not much room here, kiddo.¡±

    He adjusted himself but ended up propping himself up on his elbow just behind my head. It felt nice knowing he was there, in the darkness, at my back.

    Rudy went on to recite a few more prayers. His words slowly faded and I could almost see them floating up with the steam to the roof of the hut.

    ¡°So,¡± he said slowly in English, his accent thick at first. ¡°You two aren¡¯t married, are you?¡±

    Uh. Busted?

    ¡°How could you tell?¡± I asked sheepishly but with great effort. It was becoming harder to talk.

    I heard Rudy snort for the first time. ¡°I do not need to be a medicine man to see that.¡±

    I could hear Dex breathing behind me. He wasn¡¯t saying anything. What could we say anyway?

    ¡°For one,¡± Rudy went on, ¡°your wedding rings left no tan lines on your fingers. Which means that you don¡¯t usually wear them. For another, you do not act like a married couple.¡±

    ¡°What do we act like?¡± Dex asked. Oh man, Dex, why did you have to ask that? I did not want to hear the answer.

    Rudy was silent. Then he said, ¡°You act like people who are forever on their first date.¡±

    If I had any doubt that that was true, it was quickly erased by the imminent awkward cloud hanging over our heads. I kind of liked that analogy Rudy used. I certainly felt it. But it probably didn¡¯t do me any good in Dex¡¯s head.

    Yet, I felt him move behind me until his mouth was behind my ear.

    ¡°How¡¯s our date going then?¡± he whispered. I could hear the lightness in his voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s like Groundhog Day,¡± I answered back without turning my head. I kept my eyes focused on the stones.

    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± Rudy said. ¡°I know you did all of this on behalf of the Lancasters. I¡¯m sure some would frown upon that but I can see that you didn¡¯t want to offend them and acted out of the goodness of your hearts.¡±

    Yeah. That was it. But that reminded me.

    ¡°Do you know if Maximus is still in town?¡± I asked. It occurred to me that Dex hadn¡¯t heard from him at all that morning.

    I could almost hear Rudy nod. ¡°Yes he is gone. He was sorry to go but he couldn¡¯t stay.¡±

    My heart felt a bit heavy at that, like the last chance to get out was gone and a helping hand had vanished. As much as I trusted Bird and Rudy, Maximus was an outsider like Dex and I, and even though he obviously came into this situation with his own agenda, I still knew he was on our side. He had been looking out for me, if not Dex.

    Rudy went back into the chanting and prayers for a while. I was starting to get incredibly thirsty. I could hear Dex panting heavily behind me. If I wasn¡¯t so damn uncomfortable , I would have gotten some pretty sexy thoughts from that. But alas, I could barely move or breathe without feeling gross and exhausted. Maybe all the toxins were coming out of my pores, along with the so-called evilness.

    ¡°OK,¡± we heard Rudy say. He patted on the side of the tent.

    ¡°Time for a break, Bird,¡± he called out. We waited for the zipper to open. There was nothing.

    Rudy cleared his throat and shuffled towards the tent door, yelling louder, ¡°Bird, please open the door now. We need water.¡±

    The only sound was the hissing of the rocks. As they glowed redder and redder, the sound got louder and louder. I had a funny feeling. They shouldn¡¯t be getting hotter, should they?

    Rudy sighed, annoyed. ¡°Must have gone to the washroom.¡±

    In the darkness we heard him shuffle away from the fire, then it sounded like he was trying to unzip the tent door from the inside. I waited for that loud zip of serrated teeth and the blinding flash of light but there was nothing. Only the suffocating darkness.

    Rudy mumbled something in Navajo and started pulling at something. The tent rattled.

    I felt Dex straighten up. ¡°What is it? Do you need help?¡±

    ¡°I should be OK, it¡¯s probably just stuck. It¡¯s an old tent.¡±

    Suddenly the rocks hissed loudly, louder than it had ever been. I turned to look at them. They glowed brighter until every single rock in the pit was a fiery piece of hot scarlet. They hissed and steamed as if someone was pouring buckets of water on them. They hissed and steamed as if they were angry at us.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I cried. I leaned back and felt Dex put his hands on my arms, pulling me up slightly so I was back on my heels.

    Rudy started chanting very loudly in Navajo. The rocks were now giving off enough light that I could see his hazy, grainy figure off to the side. He was facing the fire and waving his arms at it, yelling unrecognizable words.

    The rocks only hissed louder and the heat that came off of them felt like an invisible hand coming to choke me. Sweat piled off my forehead and stung my eyes.

    Then the walls of the tent started shaking violently. The willow branches overhead creaked and groaned.

    Rudy crawled for his bag and his bucket of water. He took the bucket of water and turned it over the stones in hopes to put them out. Only no water came out of the bucket. No, it wasn¡¯t water at all.

    Hundreds of small scorpions came tumbling out of it, landing on the stones and making a dash towards us.

    I have never moved so fast in my life. We screamed bloody murder and jumped to our feet. My head collided with the low ceiling and I heard more branches crack. I didn¡¯t care. We had to get out of there, even if we took the whole tent down with me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic!¡± Rudy yelled at us.

    Too fucking late. I couldn¡¯t breathe, I could barely see. We were trapped. I blindly tried to run into the walls to escape. I could feel the scorpions pinching at my feet with their little claws, aware that those venom-tinged hooks were waiting to jab me at any second.

    Dex started breaking the branches off the walls, as eager to get out of the tent as I. I joined him, hoping from one foot to another, and concentrating on getting out of there, futilely grabbing at the walls in the darkness.

    ¡°Do you have a knife?¡± I cried at him.

    ¡°Does it look like I have a knife on me?!¡± he yelled.

    ¡°Hold on, I will get rid of them,¡± Rudy said, his voice high and tight. I didn¡¯t believe him.

    I heard him reach for the sage branches behind us. Then he gasped. Something dropped to the ground with a thunk. Too heavy to be a branch. I was scared to turn around and look, so I called out, ¡°Rudy?!¡±

    Nothing. Nothing but the distinct rattle of a rattlesnake¡¯s tail amongst the hiss of the rocks. I started to think it wasn¡¯t the rocks hissing at all. I wanted to cry.

    Instead I propelled my energy into getting the tent down. I ripped a branch down with Dex and there was enough support gone that the side of the tent started to cave in.

    ¡°Now we run, ready?¡± Dex yelled, grabbing my hand. Was I ever. It was pitch black, I was so hot that I didn¡¯t think I could manage another breath and we were surrounded by scorpions and perhaps a snake or two. If I didn¡¯t get out in three seconds, I would lose my mind forever.

    We took a few steps backwards, careful not to step on the stones but unfortunately unable to miss the sting and crush of the scorpions beneath us. I ignored the pain and together we ran straight into the wall of the tent.

 Page 36

    As hoped, it started to give and we could feel the rest of the twigs and branches snapping as the tarps came loose under our force. We ran feebly, awkwardly, for a few seconds, going nowhere, until it finally gave away. We plunged forward. I almost lost my footing as the sheet covered me like a heavy blanket and weighed me down but Dex pulled me along and soon we were free. The tarp fell behind us and we were running into a supernova of bright sunshine.

    We ran for a few feet before collapsing on the ground on our knees. Our hearts could not take a moment more. I rolled over, trying to catch my breath and take in the comfort of the open world. Dex got on his fours and had a coughing fit.

    When I felt well enough, I looked behind me at the tent. It was completely flattened. Bird was nowhere around but Rudy was still under that tarp. As much as I didn¡¯t want to go back, we had to help him.

    Dex had the same idea. We got up and approached the tent, our senses heightened.

    ¡°Rudy!¡± he cried out. We stopped above a shape in the tarp. It looked like a body lay under it. I was afraid to look but we both picked up the tarp, expecting the worst.

    There was nothing under there. The bucket was there, but the bag was gone. There were no scorpions, no snakes, and no Rudy.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± I swore and put my hand to my head. I looked over at his pile of clothes, neatly stacked next to ours. Where was he?

    Dex was just as perplexed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± he said.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know but it¡¯s not good. Not good.¡± He looked behind him at the house and nodded at it. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s see if they are inside.¡±

    I followed him into the house. The backdoor was still open so we let ourselves in.

    I gasped as we turned into the kitchen.

    Boy Boy was standing on top of the kitchen table, growling at us. The raised, tough hairs on his back gave him a porcupine effect, and his teeth snarled into vicious points. His eyes were as wild as I¡¯ve ever seen on a dog before.

    ¡°Hey Boy Boy,¡± I said softly but didn¡¯t make any movements.

    ¡°We can¡¯t even be sure that¡¯s a dog anymore,¡± Dex whispered into my ear. It sent a chill down my spine. What if it never was a dog? Oh god. What if that was a skinwalker the whole time and he offed Bird and then did something to Rudy?

    Dex pulled me back towards the door. ¡°We need to leave now.¡±

    I nodded and slowly walked backward. The dog continued to stand on the table top, growling like a lawn mower. Drool dripped off of its fangs and fell to the table top with a sinister splash.

    We stepped outside and closed the door gently until it latched with a click.

    WOOF!

    Boy Boy jumped up at the window, inches from my face, snarling and snapping. I screamed in surprise. Dex ran for the side of the house and pulled me away.

    We rounded the corner and saw Bird¡¯s truck still in the driveway. Both their cars were there.

    We hopped in the red truck but of course he hadn¡¯t left his keys in the ignition. If this were a movie it would have been a different story.

    ¡°Shit, shit, shit,¡± I said hitting the dashboard.

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Dex said and started ripping wires out of the area beneath the wheel.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± I asked. How did he know how to hotwire a car? Oh, nevermind. Probably took auto-theft classes along with his years of theater school.

    ¡°It¡¯s an old truck,¡± he mumbled and concentrated. I looked out the windshield. I saw Boy Boy standing by the side of the house, staring us down. He must have gotten out somehow. I pictured him getting on two legs and physically opening that door, paws on the handle.

    ¡°Um,¡± I squeaked to Dex, ¡°could you do that any faster?¡±

    Dex paused, then kept going. ¡°The dog¡¯s out there isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Uh huh,¡± I said through clenched teeth, not wanting to make a single movement. I realize it wasn¡¯t like Jurassic Park, and just because I was still that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t see me, but it still felt better to be on the safe side.

    ¡°Okay, I think-¡±

    ¡°Dex!¡± I cried. Boy Boy made a sudden dash for us and leaped onto the hood of the truck, its nails screaming across the paint job.

    ¡°-I got it!¡± he yelled and the car suddenly vroomed to life. Dex slammed the truck into reverse and the dog went flying off the hood. He kept the truck going backwards all the way down the driveway until we reached the end and then he spun the truck around as soon as the smooth blacktop was felt underneath the wheels. Dex popped the car in gear and we were zooming down the road.

    ¡°Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God,¡± I whimpered. ¡°What the fuck happened?¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything but gave my body a quick look.¡°Do you have any bites on you from those scorpions?¡±

    I looked down at my feet. They were caked in dirt but they looked fine, no pain and no swelling. The sight of my bare thighs, though, made me wish I had put on my jeans before I left. Now they were gone forever, along with my boots.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I told him. ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing,¡± he said.

    ¡°But you saw them, didn¡¯t you? You felt them?¡± I asked, hoping he did.

    ¡°Yes, I saw them. But that doesn¡¯t mean they were really there.¡±

    ¡°How could we both imagine that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple,¡± he said but didn¡¯t offer anymore.

    It didn¡¯t matter. The fact was Bird and Rudy were gone and Rudy¡¯s happy dog just tried to kill us.

    ¡°Do you think Boy Boy killed Bird or Rudy?¡± I asked softly though I didn¡¯t want to hear his answer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Dex said grimly. ¡°Fuck, I wish I could think properly.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do?¡± I repeated.

    ¡°I guess the only thing we can do is go back to the Lancasters and explain to Will what happened.¡±

    ¡°But what if they are in on it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who is in on it anymore. For all we know, Rudy and Bird could be in on it.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to believe that but I¡¯d be lying if that thought hadn¡¯t crossed my mind, especially when Bird failed to open the tent door. It did almost have that set-up feeling. But the idea that we had no one to trust was too much to handle.

    ¡°Too bad you didn¡¯t get any of that on camera,¡± I said to him. I knew we left the equipment at home because it would have been inappropriate to film a sweat ceremony.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯ll be coming out as soon as we get back. I don¡¯t know what the hell is going to happen next but whatever it is, we are getting that shit down. If anything should happen to us, we should at least get the truth out.¡±

    I didn¡¯t like the idea of more stuff happening to us but I knew it was just going to get worse.

    We sped down the road until Red Fox came into view again. We drove down the main street and saw a blur of people up ahead. We slowed down. There was a crowd gathered in the middle of road, their backs to us, staring at something in front of them.

    We brought the car to crawl. I was tempted to get out and ask what was going on but I still wasn¡¯t wearing any pants. I was also worried that people would notice we were in Bird¡¯s truck, with no Bird in sight. But no one turned to look at us. We put the car in park.

    Dex stuck his head out the window and yelled, ¡°What¡¯s the hold up?¡± to no one in particular.

    A scrawny Mexican teenager in skate shoes turned around to see us and sauntered over.

    ¡°It¡¯s crazy,¡± he said.

    ¡°What is?¡± Dex asked.

    The teen pointed at the crowd. ¡°I don¡¯t know what caused it. There are five dead cattle on the road. They¡¯ve all been turned inside out. It¡¯s fucking sick.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I said feeling a chill go down my back. The teenager noticed me and gave me a funny look. I forgot I was covered in a lot of dirt.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said slowly. ¡°It¡¯s like science fiction or something. Their skin and muscles are gone. It¡¯s only bones and organs. Fucked up.¡±

    He sounded disgusted but there was a hint of excitement in his voice.

    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Dex asked. They hadn¡¯t been there when we drove through town.

    The boy shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Do you know another way to the La- get out of town, heading west?¡± Dex asked, almost asking for the Lancasters.

    The boy told us a quick detour down the suburban side streets. We thanked him and did a U-turn. He watched us go, looking puzzled. I didn¡¯t blame him. We were probably quite the sight. Not as gruesome as inside-out cows, though.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but exclaim again. ¡°Now cows?¡±

    ¡°That alone might be worth filming,¡± he said, his eyes squinting in thought. ¡°If we could get our cameras and go back there, that¡¯s just weird enough to make the episode worthwhile. I think we should go back, explain to Will, not Sarah, what happened. Pack our bags, get everything in the Jeep and then get the fuck out of there.¡±

    That sounded like the best plan ever.

    ¡°You should text Maximus and tell him what happened,¡± I told him.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± he yelled and pounded the steering wheel. ¡°My phone is in my shorts.¡±

    Ugh. It seemed like we couldn¡¯t have an adventure without one of our phones going MIA.

    ¡°We¡¯ll call him from the Lancasters. Will has his number.¡±

    Dex grunted, obviously upset, and kept driving until we saw their familiar gate again. We pulled the truck up to our Jeep and carefully climbed out.

    Will came hurrying out of the house and nearly fainted at the sight of us pantless, dirty people standing before him.

    ¡°What on earth?¡± he cried. ¡°Where¡¯s Bird?¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± Dex said, looking around him. He moved to the back of the truck and beckoned Will to come over.

    Dex explained what happened in a hush. Or at least part of it. We left the skinwalker talk out but said that Rudy had planned for us to take part in a sweat ceremony to cleanse us from evil spirits. The rest was history.

    Will kept shaking his head the whole time, muttering ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡± over the story. But in the end, he had no choice but to believe it. It was the truth and it was apparent that we weren¡¯t kidding.

    He looked pained. I patted him gently on his shoulder, feeling even sorrier for him than I was feeling for myself. This was his friend, this was his problem, and it seemed like we were making things worse by the minute.

    ¡°Has anything like that happened before? Where do you think they went?¡± I asked, hoping to get something out of him.

    He didn¡¯t budge. ¡°It¡¯s all too ridiculous. There has to be a simple explanation. I could call the sheriff and put an APB on both of them, just in case.¡±

    ¡°You should,¡± Dex agreed.

    Will gave us an absent look before turning back for the house and walking away. ¡°You should probably get yourselves cleaned up. Again.¡±

    I exchanged a look with Dex and whispered to him, ¡°I¡¯m starting to think we may be the bad luck twins.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t appropriate to joke about it but it¡¯s all I had left. He put a comforting arm around my shoulder and we walked back into the house. I wondered what my breaking point would be.

 Page 37

    CHAPTER TWELVE

    After we took quick showers to get the mud off us, we sprang into action and started throwing stuff into our bags. At one point my bandage from my hand got caught on the zipper and pulled a bit of it loose.

    I decided to check it out and unwrapped it. There were faint pink lines but other than that the cuts were completely healed. I undid the other hand and it was the same deal.

    ¡°Huh,¡± I mumbled. Dex came over to see what was up. I showed him my hands.

    ¡°Guess he really is a medicine man,¡± I said.

    ¡°Or was,¡± he added morbidly. He hunched down and lifted up the bottom of my tank top. I instinctively sucked in my stomach as his warm hands moved to the bandage. He peeled away the corners and peered at it inquisitively.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s something,¡± he said, sounding impressed, and gently pulled the rest of the bandage off. I looked down. It looked like the cuts on my hands. Pink and smooth, like they had been that way for years. That was amazing.

    Dex took the bandages from me and threw them in the trash. He wiped his hands and walked back to me.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope he can heal himself,¡± he said.

    There was a knock at the door. My heart beat loudly. Everything was going to catch me on edge now. Was it Bird? Was it Rudy?

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Dex asked suspiciously.

    ¡°Will,¡± was the reply.

    Dex walked over and opened the door. Will looked as pale as a ghost.

    ¡°The phone is for you,¡± he said to Dex. ¡°It¡¯s Maximus.¡±

    Huh. Dex hadn¡¯t even had the chance to phone him yet.

    ¡°I better go explain,¡± he said and left with Will downstairs. I continued to pack, mulling over the speed in which my cuts healed. Rudy truly was a medicine man. It¡¯s not that I really doubted it to begin with but I was obviously a bit skeptical. But he was a man who wanted to heal me, not harm me. If he were a skinwalker, why would he bother? No, that didn¡¯t make sense. I didn¡¯t sense anything but sincerity coming from him, even if he was a bit rough around the edges. As for Bird, I just couldn¡¯t believe it. But then where did they go? If they were skinwalkers, the ¡°logical¡± explanation would be that they turned into animals and left. If they weren¡¯t skinwalkers, the ¡°logical¡± explanation was that they had been killed or chased away by the skinwalkers. I hoped they had only been chased away, but either situation was devastating.

    I heard the door click and my head snapped up. Sarah was in the room with me, the door closed behind her, a mug of something hot in her hands. She seemed to be staring straight at me behind those glasses. I could feel her unseeing eyes.

    ¡°Sarah,¡± I stammered and nervously crammed my last shirt into my duffel bag.

    ¡°I heard the news,¡± she said. Her voice had a soft, meek tone to it, a surprising change.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said and started fiddling absently with the bag.

    She walked slowly around the bed but paused at the dresser, resting her mug on it. I studied her shyly, as if she was going to catch me staring. She didn¡¯t look all that good, actually. Ashen and unkempt.

    ¡°I¡¯m very worried,¡± she said wringing her hands. ¡°It¡¯s not like Bird to just disappear like that.¡±

    I stopped packing and faced her. ¡°Is it like Rudy?¡±

    She thought about that for a second before shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know Rudy very well. His business is none of my business. But he is an important man. That would not make much sense.¡±

    I nodded, not feeling any closer to understanding the mystery. Sarah said nothing for a while. Perhaps she was reading my vibes or something. At last she picked up the mug and shuffled over to me.

    ¡°I made you this tea,¡± she said. She held the mug out awkwardly. I eyed it.

    ¡°It¡¯s just Earl Grey,¡± she said quickly, sensing my hesitation. ¡°None of that spiritual stuff.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said slowly, ¡°but I don¡¯t really drink tea.¡±

    I tensed for her reaction. She actually smiled and shrugged a little.

    ¡°That¡¯s OK.¡± She moved forward, trying to put it down on the bedside table and missing. I grabbed it from her before it went all over the place. I sniffed it quickly. It was Earl Grey. It smelled like a London Fog actually. Damn drugs had me paranoid over everything I drank now.

    I sat down on the bed and cupped the tea in my hands. Sarah still stood there, her attention now turned to the window.

    ¡°I have a feeling he¡¯ll come back,¡± she said.

    ¡°Bird?¡±

    ¡°Mmmhmmm. As birds do.¡±

    There were so many questions that I wanted to ask her. Mainly, why was she such a snickety bitch? And what did she think was going on? What were they going to do?

    But I didn¡¯t say anything. Instead I had a sip of my tea and let the silence get awkward.

    She sighed and patted her frazzled black bun.

    ¡°Do you have a hairbrush I can use?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± I said, putting down the tea and going into the bathroom where my toiletries bag was. My hairbrush was tangled with oodles of my hair which is only gross when you have to give your brush to someone else but I figured she was blind and wouldn¡¯t know.

    I came out of the bathroom and stopped behind her.

    ¡°Here it is,¡± I said loudly and reached over and placed it in her hand.

    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± She carefully made her way over to the bathroom and started undoing her bun. Her hair was mad-ass long. She looked like an old-fashioned wench from the olden days, long dress, long hair that she slowly brushed with a blank yet fragile expression on her face. I watched her for a bit before I started to feel creepy. I turned my attention to my tea.

    Eventually she called, ¡°How does it look?¡±

    I turned and saw her standing by the bathroom. Her hair was back in a smooth bun. She was smiling broadly. Was she really proud of herself, or¡­.?

    ¡°It looks great,¡± I said.

    ¡°No bumps?¡± she asked, patting it.

    ¡°No bumps.¡±

    Suddenly the door handle jangled. I flinched but Sarah didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°Perry!¡± Dex called from outside. ¡°Why is the door locked?¡±

    I got up just as Sarah moved in front of the door, still facing me, still smiling.

    ¡°She¡¯s in here with me. You can see her in a minute,¡± she said through pearly whites.

    ¡°Sarah? Perry?¡± He tried the door again.

    I inched my way over to her, feeling something in this situation was terribly amiss.

    ¡°It¡¯s OK, Dex,¡± I projected, sounding less confident than I would have liked. I was approaching her like she was some wild animal that I didn¡¯t want to scare.

    ¡°I need to talk to my wife,¡± I heard him say.

    Sarah laughed sarcastically.

    ¡°She¡¯s not your wife,¡± she glowered.

    I guess there was no point now in pretending anything.

    She turned around, unlocked the door and opened it.

    Dex was on the other side, looking rattled. Sarah stared up at him, still smiling.

    ¡°She¡¯s all yours,¡± she remarked and shuffled past him into the hall. Dex stepped out of her way.

    He jumped in the room and shut the door quickly behind him, making sure to lock it as well. He marched over to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°Are you OK? What was she doing?¡± he asked, sounding panicked.

    I shrugged. ¡°Nothing much. She was actually being¡­nice, or something. At first anyway. She just brought me tea and wanted to talk about Bird.¡±

    His eyes started flying around the room. ¡°What tea?¡±

    I pointed to the mug on the table.

    ¡°It was fine, I only had a bit,¡± I reassured him.

    He went over to the tea and sniffed it, frowning.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked nervously.

    He slowly shook his head and put it back down. ¡°Nothing. What did she say about Bird?¡±

    ¡°She was worried about him, actually. And thought it was strange. We didn¡¯t really get into it. What did Maximus say?¡±

    Dex flopped backwards on the bed. He rubbed his face vigorously with his hands and sighed.

    ¡°He¡¯s in Gallup already. He heard about what happened with the cattle from some people there. Apparently it¡¯s a skinwalker¡­thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, fabulous. Well, at least we can film it and it is what it is.¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Why not?¡± I said, coming over and sitting down next to him.

    ¡°Will talked to the sheriff afterward. We¡¯ve put the alert out for Bird and Rudy but he says the cattle are gone. The farmer came and hauled their remains off.¡±

    ¡°So, we go to the farmer¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the fucking point?¡± he yelled abruptly and covered his face with his arm.

    He sounded hopeless. It was unlike him.

    ¡°What if,¡± I tested gently, ¡°we went back to Rudy¡¯s place? We go with Will. And a gun. And the sheriff. And we film it as the aftermath, explaining what happened? If we are lucky, Boy Boy is still there.¡±

    ¡°If we are lucky?¡± he mumbled.

    ¡°It¡¯s part of the story, Dex. It¡¯s part of our story. This happened to us. Actual people are missing or even worse. Not everything has to be some big dramatic thing. Did you really think we¡¯d capture some actual skinwalker on camera? I mean, come on¡­¡±

    He groaned as an answer.

    ¡°It makes sense,¡± I continued. ¡°It¡¯s on the way out of town, more or less. We go, now. Then at least we¡¯ve got something. I trust you, I know you can make something really¡­compelling out of all of this.¡±

    I reached over and poked his stomach. He winced but at least the arm came off of his face. His eyes looked fried, a combination of exhaustion, frustration and fear.

    I got up, ready to pull on his legs but the room spun with a swoosh and suddenly I was down, down, down.

    On the floor with a thump.

    Ow.

    Dex leaped up and peered over at me. ¡°What the hell?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I said, slowly easing myself back onto my elbows which hurt against the hard floor. ¡°Guess I¡¯m not entirely better yet.¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything. I looked up at him. He was eyeing the tea.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Did she really come here to give you tea?¡± he questioned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that was her plan. But when I said I didn¡¯t want any, she said that was fine.¡±

    ¡°Then why did you have some?¡±

    I shrugged. I didn¡¯t know, actually. My actions acted separate from my mind.

    ¡°Felt like something to do while she was brushing her hair.¡±

    ¡°She was brushing her hair?¡± he repeated slowly.

    ¡°Yeah¡­in there. With my hairbrush¡­¡±

    ¡°Why would she brush her hair in there?¡± he asked.

    I shrugged again. ¡°The mirror is in there?¡±

    Dex¡¯s eyes widened. He scampered off the bed and went into the bathroom. The mirror¡­she was blind. What good what that do?

    ¡°Where¡¯s the hairbrush?¡± he yelled.

    I sighed and got to my feet. Still a bit unsteady, I moved as quickly as I could over to the bathroom and looked in. The brush wasn¡¯t there.

    I rifled through the bag and the cupboards. Nothing.

 Page 38

    ¡°Did you see her leave with it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No,¡± I said. I tried to think. No, I only saw her smiling. Would I have noticed the brush?

    ¡°She could have hidden it in her dress or something,¡± he said leaning against the sink. ¡°You weren¡¯t watching her the whole time?¡±

    I shook my head feebly. ¡°Why would I? And why would she take my brush?¡±

    He took me by the shoulders and moved me to the bathroom window. Clouds had appeared around the mountains, covering up the sun and casting a dark, grayish gloom over the land. There was just enough light to see by. He tilted my head back and peered into my eyes. The light hurt.

    ¡°What?¡± I asked, worried.

    ¡°Your pupils,¡± he said. ¡°They aren¡¯t retracting.¡±

    ¡°Drugs?¡± I stammered.

    He nodded. ¡°I think so.¡±

    ¡°Why would she drug me? I mean¡­I was just drugged, I¡­¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t get what she wanted the first time,¡± he said under his breath. He reached over and shut the bathroom door.

    I felt sick to my stomach. Not only was I getting light-headed by the second, similar to what I felt last night, but my head was reeling with what Dex was proposing. It sounded so crazy that I couldn¡¯t even begin to comprehend it.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I whimpered.

    I felt for my forehead. Dex did too. It was hot.

    He closed his eyes as if he were conjuring up inner strength. Or the patience to deal with my questions. He knew I was only going to get stupider with time.

    ¡°I think,¡± he whispered cautiously, ¡°that we¡¯ve been played this whole time. I think Sarah is a skinwalker.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a Christian!¡±

    ¡°How do we know? Don¡¯t you think this whole Christian thing is a bit, well, much? I mean, the religion has its fair share of hypocrites but she¡¯s different. You can almost see her fighting herself when it comes to the Navajo way versus Christianity. You can see it when she talks to Shan.¡±

    ¡°Shan¡­¡± I said slowly, remembering how I had passed it off earlier as an affair. ¡°The medicine man.¡±

    ¡°Yes. And that could explain a lot of things. Bird and Rudy didn¡¯t jump to that conclusion but look where they are now. We don¡¯t know. Sarah may be an accomplice to Shan, she may be an actual skinwalker herself.¡±

    ¡°But why¡­why would she do all this¡­I mean even before we came. She would be sabotaging her own ranch, torturing her own husband.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of women do worse,¡± he said, his eyes growing darker, an edge creeping on his voice.

    ¡°But Will¡­¡±

    ¡°I think Will is the only person here we can trust. But he trusts his wife and that¡¯s going to be a problem.¡±

    ¡°Problem?¡±

    ¡°If we go to Rudy¡¯s with him and the sheriff¡­it¡¯s going to be really hard to convince them about what we think. We¡¯re just two ignorant white city fucks hunting for ghosts. They won¡¯t take us seriously.¡±

    ¡°So we pretend we don¡¯t know anything,¡± I said.

    He chewed on his lip for a second before a smile twitched on them. ¡°I picked a hell of a weekend to quit drugs, huh?¡±

    ¡°And I picked a hell of a weekend to try drugs again. Accidently, of course¡± I added.

    He gave me the once over. ¡°How are you feeling now?¡±

    I told him I was still a bit dizzy but I wasn¡¯t anything like I was the night before.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t have enough of whatever it was.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I only had a few sips.¡±

    I looked outside, at the storm clouds as they swarmed closer. It was ominous and filled my heart with a shadowy, sinking feeling.

    ¡°But I think we should probably go now, in case I do get worse.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that easy¡­,¡± he said. ¡°If she¡¯s drugged you, it¡¯s for a purpose. If she has your hair¡­it¡¯s for a purpose. A sick fucking purpose.¡±

    I remembered what Rudy had said about hair and body parts (shudder) making skinwalkers more powerful. What was she planning on doing to me? The same thing they tried to do last night? Something worse?

    ¡°Do you think that was her last night? Her and Shan?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. He carefully brushed my bangs off my forehead. His fingers felt soft, his voice was soft, too. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if skinwalkers can appear to be other people or not. But I¡¯m gonna bet that whether it was her, or just some local trash she had some kind of fucking spell on, that they had a part of it.¡±

    Maybe it was the drugs slowly working their way through my system, or maybe it was the fear, but an icy numbness made its way from my heart and down to my limbs like a slow-drip IV.

    ¡°You OK?¡± he said, searching my face with his eyes. His fingers paused on my forehead. The physical contact was all too much.

    I felt the hot, prickly sensation of tears poking around behind my eyes.

    ¡°No,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not OK. I don¡¯t want to die.¡±

    I looked away, ashamed.

    ¡°Hey,¡± he whispered. He put his arms around me and pulled me into him, embracing me. I didn¡¯t want to cry. And I definitely didn¡¯t want to die. I felt stupid.

    He stroked the back of my head with his hand. The comfort was heartbreaking. ¡°You¡¯re not going to die. I will do everything I can to make sure of that.¡±

    He kept his arms around me for a few minutes, pressing me up to him, while I gained my composure. Normally, a little thrill would have gone through me at how close we were, but I felt both like a blubbering fool and also like someone who could be having their last day on earth.

    At long last he pulled back and said, ¡°I am not going to let anything happen to you.¡±

    He looked me square in the eye and I knew he meant that. I felt it in the air around us, in the warmth of his touch. I also knew that no matter what happened in the future, whether I truly was in love with him or not, or whether he¡¯d be with Jenn forever, that it didn¡¯t really hold a candle to what was really important: I had someone in my life that had my back. I had never had that before.

    I almost got teary all over again.

    Thankfully Dex took this opportunity to shake some sense into me.

    ¡°Listen, we have one choice,¡± he said. ¡°We have to leave, out that front door.¡±

    I eyed the window. It didn¡¯t seem that awkward to go out of the room that way. We could throw our bags down, jump onto the low roof below and ¨C

    ¡°No,¡± he said, knowing what I was thinking. ¡°We go out the front door and we act like nothing is wrong. As long as Will is there, Sarah can¡¯t do anything. If you can, don¡¯t act like you¡¯re drugged.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to be easy,¡± I said. My body was wobbling as it was. Had Dex not had his hands on both my arms, I probably would have fallen over ten times by now.

    ¡°You can do it. If anything, blame it on last night.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡± I asked fearfully. The idea of seeing Sarah again, knowing now what she was, made my heart pump loudly in my ears. I wanted to vomit.

    ¡°We can get through this,¡± he said.

    ¡°At least you sound confident.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice, Perry.¡±

    I gave him a small smile. If it wasn¡¯t for Dex, I¡¯d hate to think where I¡¯d end up.

    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, mustering a bit more effort into my voice. I made my way to the bed, picked up the duffel bag, and carefully placed it on my shoulder without making myself tip over.

    He picked up his stuff and gave me a firm nod. I nodded back.

    Go time.

    He opened the door and we walked down the hall. It was dark save for the light coming from downstairs. The pictures on the wall were barely visible in the grainy dim. I studied them as I had before. Everything seemed to take on importance now. The mundane details always stood out when you thought they might be the last details you¡¯d ever see. Even someone else¡¯s photographs became something more than wall decorations.

    Now, these photos told so much: Sarah¡¯s smiling face back when she wasn¡¯t blind, her sparkling eyes, her relaxed body language as she draped herself over a giddy and less portly young Will. I compared to the later shots, Sarah with her big dark glasses, her stiff posture, Will¡¯s sad, beaten demeanor. It was all too easy to blame the change on what happened to Sarah. She went blind. That¡¯s enough to change anyone¡¯s marriage, their personality even. But from these simple photos, there was an energy radiating off of them, hinting at a story that was yet untold. Something told me we were close to finding out what that was.

    We got to the stairs and made our way down. Dex reached for my hand and held it as an act of solidarity. I knew we were done with the charade. This was just us being us.

    Down below, Shan and Miguel were sitting on one side of the dining room table, while Sarah and Will were on the other. They were quiet, waiting for us.

    We stopped at the bottom and smiled uneasily.

    Will stood up.

    ¡°I know you two probably wish to be on your way after all this. But I think Fred, our Sheriff, is going to want your cooperation.¡±

    I glanced at Dex. He seemed to be expecting this and was nonplussed.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do whatever you need to help out,¡± he said. ¡°Just figured Perry and I better be all packed and ready to go, just in case.¡±

    ¡°In case of what?¡± Sarah said. I looked at her, conscious now that I had avoided looking in her direction the entire time. I didn¡¯t want to speak or move further lest I end up saying something that would give my ¡°drugging¡± away.

    Dex knew this. He squeezed my hand and eyed her. ¡°In case we¡¯ve overstayed our welcome.¡±

    He looked back at Will. ¡°I think this is the only way we¡¯ll find Bird and Rudy.¡±

    Will nodded quickly, obviously relieved. It seemed his present company hadn¡¯t felt the same way.

    ¡°OK.¡± He wrung his hands. ¡°Sarah and Miguel will come with me. Dex, you don¡¯t mind if Shan rides with you? There¡¯s not enough room in my truck.¡±

    Dex nodded on autopilot. The room started to spin again. My heart thumped so loudly in my ears that I could have sworn someone was stomping around on the floor above us.

    Shan? In our car?

    I wanted to scream, run, protest, hide. But I couldn¡¯t do any of those things. The only thing I could do was squeeze Dex¡¯s hand even tighter. It must have turned blue.

    I caught a quick glance between Sarah and Shan as everyone started to leave the house. Odd, to see glances from the blind.

    Will hung around by the door as Dex and I were the last to step out into the gloomy evening. The air smelled tense, rain-filled, like the sky was ready to let go at any moment. It was much darker than earlier.

    We waited on the porch as Will shut the door behind him and looked up at the sky.

    ¡°Looks like a storm. We need it,¡± he said sincerely.

    He pulled his collar up against the wind that had suddenly picked up and hurried towards his truck with Sarah and Miguel following. Shan stood in front of us, expressionless and waiting. Even in the dim light, he looked more youthful and vigorous than before. Powerful.

 Page 39

    Will called over his shoulder, ¡°You remember how to get there? Do you need to follow me?¡±

    Yes, we need to follow you, don¡¯t you fuckers let us out of your sight, I thought. But Dex said: ¡°No, we¡¯re good.¡±

    I wanted to kick him. And judging from the brief wince that passed over his brow, I knew he immediately regretted it. This was not the time to hold onto our pride.

    Regardless, Dex smiled at Shan.

    ¡°Shall we? My rental chariot awaits.¡±

    I was relieved to see Dex acting as if everything was normal, or at least as normal as it could be. I hoped Shan bought it.

    I climbed in shotgun, Shan went in the back right behind me. Dex put the car on the road, but already Will and his truck was quite a way in the distance, a meager blue blot against the hazy dying light.

    The tension in the car was unbearable. I didn¡¯t know what to do. I knew Dex wanted me to play it cool but I could not play it cool with a fucking skinwalker sitting behind me. Every inch of me was on edge, my breath was short and shallow, the hairs on my arms and neck were sticking up, and I knew that Shan knew it. I kept silent, my hands fidgeting.

    Dex controlled the conversation. Anyone that didn¡¯t know him that well probably couldn¡¯t tell that he was feeling apprehensive, but I could. I hoped Shan couldn¡¯t tell something was amiss.

    ¡°Do you get big storms here this time of year?¡± Dex asked, eyeing Shan in the rearview mirror. I looked out at the graying road ahead.

    ¡°Usually. It¡¯s been pretty quiet so far this year. The rain goes a long way here, providing it isn¡¯t a flash flood.¡± Shan sounded calm and collected. Not that that was unusual.

    I couldn¡¯t stand it. Will¡¯s truck was out of sight now and it was growing darker by the minute. What were we going to do? Did we really expect to make it all the way to Rudy¡¯s place without anything happening?

    There was a brief moment where I thought that maybe we were overreacting. Maybe Shan wasn¡¯t a skinwalker after all. I mean, he didn¡¯t give me any drug tea, that was all Sarah. I kept pondering that over and over again like it was a washing machine on spin cycle. It was at least keeping me sane, and kept my fidgeting to a minimum.

    Dex continued his small talk with Shan about the weather. The more that Shan replied in a casual manner, the more I started to think that maybe we actually did have it all wrong. Maybe we were paranoid to the max and Shan really was just a loyal rancher.

    ¡°So,¡± Shan said. I could hear him leaning forward in his seat so his breath was right in my ear. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what exactly was Rudy trying to do with you?¡±

    Dex popped his nicotine gum in his mouth and chewed vigorously before saying, ¡°He had some idea that we should be cleansed with a sweat session.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what that means?¡±

    Dex nodded, keeping his eyes on the road, his hands gripped tightly on the wheel. I didn¡¯t like seeing him nervous. It destroyed what little confidence I had.

    ¡°I see,¡± Shan said thoughtfully. ¡°And I bet Rudy told you it would keep you safe from whatever is going on over here?¡±

    There was an odd tone to his voice. I saw Dex¡¯s eyes move to the mirror and frown. ¡°Yeah. Actually he did.¡±

    ¡°Did you believe him?¡±

    ¡°Of course I did. And I do.¡±

    I could feel Shan¡¯s eyes turn to me. They burned like lasers into the back of my skull. I was unable to contain a shiver that ran through me. It was like he was sucking the thoughts out of my head. I had read that they could do that.

    ¡°Did you believe him, Perry?¡±

    I wanted to look at Dex, I wanted to see what he thought but I couldn¡¯t do that. I needed every shred of control and fearlessness I had left. I turned my head to the window and stared at the dark clouds above the barren, bone landscape.

    ¡°I wanted to,¡± I said, trying to keep my voice level and my words clear.

    I heard Shan sit back in his seat. I closed my eyes and breathed out.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± he commented.

    ¡°How so?¡± asked Dex.

    ¡°Rudy¡¯s not a stupid man. To trust that a bunch of white kids would have any faith in what he was doing¡­that was quite the risk.¡±

    Dex and I didn¡¯t say anything. There was a moment of heavy, ominous silence before Shan spoke again.

    ¡°Do you feel your lack of faith is what killed him?¡±

    Shan¡¯s words cut through my very core. Killed him?

    Dex gripped the steering wheel even tighter and nervously eyed our surroundings. There was nothing but dry pastureland for miles. The lights of the city were coming closer but not close enough.

    ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± Shan asked. ¡°That is what happened to him. Is it not?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t breathe. What was Shan saying? That Rudy was dead? How did he know Rudy was dead? I wanted to ask but I was afraid of what would happen to us if we did ask. I wanted to play it cool, I really did but the wooziness of the drugs just made my heart pump harder. I wanted out of the car right there and then.

    And then, it was like my wish came true. Before either of us could say anything to Shan, the car started to slow.

    I looked at the road. It was a straight shot with nothing in front of us.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked Dex, slurring the last word a bit. I hoped Shan hadn¡¯t noticed.

    He shook his head, staring at the dashboard in confusion. ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m doing nothing.¡±

    The Jeep came to a crawl and all the lights on the panel died along with the engine. The car just died. We were engulfed in darkness. It reminded me of scenes from alien abduction movies and that did not help my courage at all.

    ¡°How old is the battery?¡± Shan asked.

    Dex shrugged, flustered, and hit the steering wheel. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a rental car, it shouldn¡¯t be more than a few years old!¡±

    ¡°You never know,¡± Shan said and opened his door. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look. Can you pop the trunk?¡±

    Dex quickly reached under the wheel and the hood unlatched with a clang. Shan stepped out and walked around to the front and lifted the hood. Once he was obscured by it, I turned to Dex.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± I whispered, panicking.

    His brown eyes were as wide as saucers as he watched Shan work. His chewing slowed down.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know,¡± he said trying to keep his voice hushed.

    I leaned further into him. ¡°He said Rudy was dead! How would he know that? Even we don¡¯t know that!¡±

    He nodded quickly. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know if he got the urgency. I reached over and grabbed his arm, hard. He looked at me, fear brimming on all his features.

    ¡°He¡¯s going to kill us,¡± I hissed.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± he mustered.

    ¡°We have to do something!¡±

    ¡°What can we do? Our car is dead.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Coincidentally it died at the right time.¡±

    I looked at the hood and could see Shan¡¯s faint figure in the crack between it and the rest of the car. It was almost nighttime, the sun had set somewhere behind the black pillows in the sky. The wind was out and rocking the car gently. It was cold. We had nowhere to go. We were stuck in the desert with a supernatural being that wanted us to go the same way that Rudy did.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to puke,¡± I whispered. I put my hand to my mouth. I wasn¡¯t lying. It was too much.

    Dex put his hand on my head and held it there.

    ¡°Stay with me,¡± he said determinedly.

    He opened the car door. I grabbed for him but he pushed away my hands and shut the door. I wanted to scream but I didn¡¯t dare. I watched him walk around to the hood and say something to Shan. Then he nodded and went around to the trunk. He opened it and started rummaging through stuff. I turned and watched him. I didn¡¯t want to say anything but his eyes met mine. I wished I could have read them in the darkness. I had no idea what Dex had planned.

    He took a small bag out of the back, shut the trunk, and walked around to Shan. Through the crack of the hood I saw Dex hand him a flashlight from a black bag that he put on the ground.

    Then I saw Dex grab a wrench out of the bag. He held it in the air, and before I knew what was going on, he brought it down behind the hood. I saw the light from the flashlight scatter and felt something hit the car with a THUNK.

    I gasped, unbuckled my seatbelt, and jumped out of the car without thinking. I ran to the front, the wind whipping my hair back, and saw Shan lying on the ground in front of the open hood. Dex stood above him with the wrench in hand, breathing heavily.

    OK. I didn¡¯t see this one coming. My first thought was that if Shan wasn¡¯t a skinwalker, we were going to be in some deep shit. My second thought was that Dex certainly had some sort of crazy fighter (or clubber) instinct in him. My third thought was a guilty sort of relief.

    ¡°Dex,¡± I squeaked out, glancing between the lifeless Shan and him. ¡°Is he dead?¡±

    Dex shook his head, staring at the body curiously. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    No, I don¡¯t think so? The way he said it so casually rattled me. He might have killed a person. Or he might have saved our lives.

    He dropped the wrench on the ground beside him. It clanked loudly causing Shan to stir slightly. Now that we knew he was alive, I was suddenly very afraid.

    He looked up at me, biting his lower lip hard. He looked worried, sad, frightened and lost, all in one. I suppose I looked the same.

    ¡°What now?¡± I asked, my voice straining to be heard in the coming wind. I put one hand against the car for balance.

    He looked around him, thinking. The approaching darkness made it hard to see. What could we do? The car didn¡¯t work. We were far from town, from anything. And Shan was unconscious in front of us.

    I did have my phone though. I reached for it and held it up so Dex could see.

    ¡°We can¡¯t tell Will with Sarah there,¡± he cautioned.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make something up. We have car troubles. That¡¯s not a lie.¡±

    ¡°Why is Shan unconscious then?¡± he said. ¡°We need another car.¡±

    I almost laughed. ¡°From where? A storm is coming and we are in the middle of the fucking desert.¡±

    ¡°We were only driving for five minutes. Look, you can see the lights from the ranch.¡±

    He pointed behind us. There were flickering lights in the distance but I couldn¡¯t be sure who they belonged to.

    I looked at Shan, who still looked eerily dangerous and powerful, even when he was in an unconscious heap. ¡°We can¡¯t leave him here like this. And we can¡¯t leave our stuff in the car.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll lock the doors.¡±

    I threw my hands up and almost fell over. ¡°Oh come on.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take the most expensive equipment with us. We go back to the ranch. We get Miguel¡¯s car. We drive to town, where there are people and we get a hold of the sheriff from there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still going to be the same problem,¡± I said.

    ¡°But we won¡¯t be here, alone.¡±

    He had a point. I sighed and tried to steady my heart and my body.

    Dex leaned over and picked up Shan underneath the shoulders and looked up at me. ¡°Get the door.¡±

 Page 40

    I walked over to his side and opened the back door. We put Shan in the backseat lying down. I felt immensely dirty, like I was hiding a dead body. It was almost the same.

    I quickly grabbed my purse from the front while Dex brought one camera and his laptop out of the trunk.

    He aimed the key at the car but I put my hand on his and lowered it.

    ¡°You can¡¯t lock someone in a car.¡±

    We looked down the road towards the house. He was right. We had only been traveling for five minutes or so. We were much closer to the Lancaster¡¯s than to any other property around here.

    ¡°Do we take the road?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should. That would be too easy.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± I nodded. It figured he would chose to slog through the rocks and cacti while I wasn¡¯t exactly in the most agile state.

    He handed me the flashlight and hoisted the camera on his shoulder and turned on the camera¡¯s light so we had extra illumination. Then he grabbed my hand and led me off the road and onto the rocky desert floor. I wished all this hand-holding could have happened in happier times.

    ¡°I think we should hurry,¡± he added. ¡°If he wakes up anytime soon¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t need to finish the sentence. We both picked up a trot simultaneously and headed across the dusty grounds in the direction of the Lancaster¡¯s lights.

    CHAPTER THIRTEEN

    We didn¡¯t say much to each other as we scampered through the darkness, across the empty, undulating desert. The lights in the distance bobbed up and down from our uneven footfalls, Dex¡¯s hand on mine kept me stable and focused most of the time. The dizziness seemed to come and go. It didn¡¯t matter in the end how I felt, all I knew is that we had to keep moving and as quickly as we could.

    It was silent except for our heavy breathing and the sound of rocks and sand sliding out from under our feet. We didn¡¯t dare speak to each other; what was there to say? We ran for about ten minutes straight before I felt my lungs start to collapse and seize.

    I slowed and then stopped, hands on my thighs and spit on the ground. Dex made a move to put a hand on my back but I waved him away. I couldn¡¯t deal with people touching me when I was out of breath and sweaty.

    After a minute of regaining my breath, I straightened up and looked around us. Other than the light from his camera and my flashlight, we were engulfed in complete blackness. It added to the suffocating feeling.

    ¡°Are you filming this?¡± I said between breaths.

    He nodded, the camera light flinching. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Stupid question.

    It didn¡¯t matter, though. Nothing really seemed to matter anymore except our own survival. Also, I knew we could probably edit out those bits of me spitting up from sheer lack of fitness. What did it even matter if we ended up dead anyway? The whole concept of filming and having our stupid web show seemed so illogical and frivolous. Maximus was right. It wasn¡¯t worth it.

    Maximus¡­.

    I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.

    ¡°What ?¡± I heard Dex say. I ignored him.

    I dialed Maximus¡¯s number. He answered quickly.

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    ¡°Maximus, its Perry.¡±

    ¡°Perry, I¡¯m so glad to hear from you. What¡¯s going on? Have you found Bird yet?¡± His voice sounded warm and full of relief. Dex watched me closely, camera still on me.

    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t. We¡¯re¡­having some problems.¡±

    Dex made a grab for the phone but I stepped out of the way and held the phone tighter to my head.

    ¡°What? What problems?¡±

    ¡°Is there any chance you might be able to come out here. Or find someone to help us?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already on my way.¡±

    ¡°You are? How?¡±

    Silence on the line. Then, ¡°When I talked to Dex earlier, I knew I couldn¡¯t just leave. I¡¯m on the road, about an hour away.¡±

    So many good emotions flooded through me. ¡°Oh, thank God.¡±

    ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going back to the Lancasters. We were in the car with Shan when it died, we¡­Dex ended up hitting him on the head. We thought he might be a skinwalker.¡±

    ¡°Is he OK?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fine, we think. He¡¯s alive. We put him in the trunk and left the car.¡±

    ¡°What about everyone else?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Will, Sarah and Miguel went to join the Sheriff at Rudy¡¯s. That¡¯s where we were heading. We think Shan and Sarah are the skinwalkers.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm.¡± While he pondered that I looked at Dex. The camera was still on me but his attention was on the horizon, in the direction we came from. He reminded me of an animal with its ears pricked. He was listening, watching. It chilled me.

    ¡°Listen, we don¡¯t have much time. I think Shan is going to come back. We¡¯ll be at the ranch though, no matter what.¡±

    ¡°Perry,¡± Maximus said breathlessly.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Stay together. Hide somewhere. If you¡¯re right, you won¡¯t stand a chance out there. Let¡¯s hope that Shan stays knocked out and that Will keeps Sarah preoccupied. I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can, OK?¡±

    I swallowed hard. ¡°OK.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to hang up the phone but I had to. We said our goodbyes just in time. Dex gave me a dark look. It was barely visible but it said enough. We had to keep moving.

    We didn¡¯t speak, just ran, faster than before. I could feel his urgency in each stride. It was obvious that he had just seen something out there. I didn¡¯t want to think about it. I just kept moving, running as fast as my stocky body would allow.

    We ran and ran until I could almost make out the windows in the Lancaster¡¯s house. We were so close, almost there.

    But there was an uneasy feeling behind me, as if something was coming for us and fast. I turned and looked, careful not to trip. I couldn¡¯t see anything but the fathomless black.

    Dex picked up on it too.

    ¡°You hear that?¡± he asked as we continued to launch forward, blindly.

    I strained my ears to hear something else besides the crunch of our footsteps. I heard a clackity rumbling off in the distance. It took me two seconds to piece together that it was the sound of a horse galloping.

    Only in this scenario did all animals need to be feared. We couldn¡¯t assume that some random horse was running wild in the distance. It was coming towards us and fast.

    I looked forward at the house. We were only a few minutes away. The horse would reach us before then.

    Without breaking stride, I yelled over at Dex who was a leg-length ahead of me.

    ¡°What should we do!?¡±

    No point even contesting what it was. We both knew. Our options were slim.

    I couldn¡¯t see anything but the black smudge of his outline in the dark and his bobbing camera light but I could tell he shrugged. It figured. We were going to have to wait and see.

    I¡¯m not sure how much time passed before it happened. Maybe it was a minute, maybe it was ten seconds. But suddenly the hoof beats were loud enough to rattle around inside my head and shake the ground beneath my feet with its steady, building rhythm.

    I moved closer to Dex and looked behind me again, my flashlight flying around wildly at whatever it could expose. What it showed was red eyes and steam from wide nostrils.

    I screamed and headed off to the left, away from the beast. I collided with Dex slightly but we both had the same idea.

    The idea was useless. In a matter of seconds the horse veered into us, hitting Dex in his back with its head so that Dex went flying, his laptop bag spinning away like a Frisbee. He landed in a heap on the rocks. I think I screamed again. The camera clattered beside him, the light still shining. The horse stopped a few yards away, close enough that I could see its shady outline, its restless foreleg pawing at the ground.

    I threw myself on my knees and tried to make sure Dex was OK. He stirred and let out a low moan but was out of it. I heard an ominous snort and looked up. The horse was pawing in our direction this time. I knew it was a matter of seconds before it charged. I didn¡¯t have much choice.

    It took off towards us, head down, wanting to make putty out of Dex¡¯s limp body. I would not let that happen.

    I threw my purse down and started running towards the horse like I was a misguided combination of a horse whisperer and a linebacker. I used to ride all the time when I was little. Sometimes I was put on the most wild school horses. I never had the privilege of breaking any horses but I knew how horses thought, at least the horses I had dealt with. And this, this wasn¡¯t even an actual horse. This was someone evil in a horse¡¯s body. Someone human, deep down. They wouldn¡¯t expect it.

    I continued to charge towards the horse as it continued on its collision course. We were playing chicken and I hoped I was the only one with the plan.

    At the last second, I darted to the right, its noble neck, sneering muzzle and glowing eyes passing within inches as it rumbled past me. I took whatever strength I had and made a move for it. I crouched and sprang as high as I could.

    Maybe it was the adrenaline in me, maybe it was something else but it was enough that my hands made contact with the mane and I grabbed and pulled on it for dear life. I used the momentum to hoist myself up onto the horse¡¯s back.

    And then things got wild. The horse started bucking and going crazy. I¡¯ve always been pretty good at staying on horses (and motorbikes) but this was no riding lesson and I wasn¡¯t ten years old. I was prepared for this. I was as low to the horse as possible, with my legs gripping its sides with ferocity.

    I kept my upper body flat against its withers and neck and held on for dear life. It did whatever it could to get me off but, so far, I wasn¡¯t budging, though I wasn¡¯t winning any points here for eight seconds. And I could see, from time to time, amidst my rolling and bobbing vision, Dex stirring on the ground beside us. If I could just keep this horse preoccupied, that would be enough for the time being.

    This wild bronco ride across the black plains of Red Fox continued for at least another drawn-out minute until I heard Dex exclaim: ¡°Holy shit!¡±

    That was all I needed. At this point I was done with the mane and had my arms around the neck of the writhing animal, my fingers clasped so tightly that I thought they might give way to gangrene. Seeing Dex on his feet, I had to think fast. It was only a matter of seconds before it came after him.

    ¡°Your shirt!¡± I yelled at him.

    Thankfully, he didn¡¯t hesitate. He pulled his tee shirt over his head, ran towards me a few steps, and flung it at me.

    I reached low and grabbed it by the hem. The horse reared but I managed to hold on with my other arm. I knew it was going to do that. I was counting on it.

    With the horse¡¯s head back, I yanked hard against its windpipe in an effort to support my motion and, gripping the shirt tightly, I swung it forward as if I was fly fishing.

    I only had one chance.

    The opposite hem of the shirt caught the horse¡¯s muzzle and slipped on like a feedbag until its nose went straight through and the rest of its long face was covered by the shirt. Time to go.

    I bailed less than gracefully. I tried to leap off but just ended up bailing on the hard earth. Pain shot through me but luckily I knew enough to go limp. I rolled over and got to my feet as quickly as possible. Dex was scampering towards me, camera in hand. I looked blindly around for my purse and scooped it up, eyeing the horse out of the corner of my eye. It was rearing blindly, its vision was totally obscured by the shirt that covered its face. I knew there wasn¡¯t much time before it fell off.

 Page 41

    I felt Dex grab my arm and we were running again, anywhere.

    ¡°You really like me going shirtless, don¡¯t you?¡± he panted, keeping his grip steady on my forearm, pulling me along with him.

    ¡°Is that your way of saying thank you?¡± I yelled.

    I heard him snort. I took that as a yes.

    I didn¡¯t want to look behind us. I knew the time I bought us was brief and all too willing to come to an end. We just had to keep moving, even though we were now heading away from the lights of the Lancaster¡¯s house.

    After a few yards though, we came to a fence that abruptly came up at us in the charcoal haze of night.

    ¡°The perimeter fence,¡± Dex said as he quickly scaled it.

    I darted underneath the planks, feeling the upper one take a good chunk out of my back. Didn¡¯t matter. We had officially made onto the property.

    And just in time, too. I heard a bone-chilling whiney from behind us and the galloping earth being shredded.

    We lumbered across the land, it was flatter and more groomed here, making things a bit easier. The house lights dipped behind something else, I guess it was the barn. We must have been coming across near where the worker¡¯s cabin was. Even though it was Shan¡¯s turf, it was still closer than the main house.

    I didn¡¯t want to say anything aloud to Dex but he seemed to pick up on it anyway. He subtly changed direction and the outline of the low rancher came into view against the sky. There was probably a phone in there, and at least the door had locks. Yes, it was Shan¡¯s place and he probably knew it better than the back of his hand but it was still the closest point of refuge.

    We were about ten yards away when a black figure moved in front of us, too fast for us to comprehend. Dex ran straight into it and was knocked back, as was I. I almost bit the dust but Dex¡¯s crazy strong grip on my arm kept me on my feet. Someone screamed. I¡¯m not sure if it was me.

    ¡°Whoa now,¡± a deep voice said.

    Bird?

    I shone the flashlight up in the voice¡¯s direction. Sure enough, the tall, stoic figure of Bird came into view. He looked a bit worse for wear, but it was him.

    I¡¯ve never felt more relieved.

    ¡°Bird!¡± I exclaimed and threw my arms around him. He felt solid, real.

    He chuckled softly. ¡°I¡¯m sure glad to see you two.¡±

    Dex slapped him on the shoulder. ¡°The feeling is mutual. Except I think a mutant horse is coming after us right now so we should probably run for the hills.¡±

    Bird nodded curtly and looked behind us into the dark.

    ¡°I thought as much. Follow me.¡±

    And at that he was off and running into the wilderness. Away from the Lancasters, away from the ranch house and barns. There was a tiny, nagging feeling in the back of my head that was telling me Bird could have been compromised but I couldn¡¯t do anything about it except just keep running after him. But still, the thought of whether skinwalkers could become other people, as well as animals, did cross my mind.

    We ran towards a rocky outcrop and Bird started scaling it with ease. Dex followed him and reached for my hand. Once again I ignored him and found my own way up, climbing from rock to rock until I pulled myself onto a gravely ledge that jutted out from a taller cliff face, maybe eight feet wide and ten feet off the ground.

    I got to my knees and Dex hoisted me up the rest of the way. I strained to catch my breath. My heart and lungs were working in overdrive and I was still feeling the dizzy effects of the tea.

    While I caught my breath and warily watched the ground below us for any malevolent animals, Dex let things fly into Bird.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you man, but what the fuck happened out there? You just fucking disappeared.¡±

    Bird took it in stride. ¡°I know. So did you. I went inside to use the washroom. I know I shouldn¡¯t have but I was only going to be gone a minute. I was standing over the toilet, heard the door open, turned around and was hit on the head. I woke up later, I don¡¯t know how much later but it was already starting to get dark. I was locked in the bathroom and couldn¡¯t get out.¡±

    It made sense. Yet everything had me extra suspicious.

    ¡°How did you get out?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I had to break Rudy¡¯s window. Wrapped the towel around my hand and out it went. Barely squeezed through but I made it. You were gone, Rudy was gone, the tent was destroyed¡­¡±

    ¡°And Boy Boy was going nuts?¡± Dex interjected.

    ¡°Boy Boy was nowhere to be found. I saw my truck was gone, I had hoped you took it. I had to take Rudy¡¯s all the way back here.¡±

    ¡°How long have you been here for?¡± Dex questioned.

    ¡°Not long, five minutes. I parked Rudy¡¯s car far, far away and came the rest of the way on foot.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. From the moment I woke up on that bathroom floor I knew exactly what happened.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind, can you please fill us in?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much time we have,¡± Dex said to me.

    Bird walked forward and put his hands on both of our shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We have enough time. It will take Shan some time to get used to his new body.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I replied, dumbfounded.

    ¡°When a skinwalker changes into an animal, there is an adjustment period. He has to learn what it¡¯s like to be that animal. He was a horse to cover quick distances. He¡¯ll probably be a bird next to get up here after us. Or perhaps he¡¯ll go find Sarah first for support. But it¡¯ll take him a little bit to learn how to operate in this new form.¡±

    ¡°So you know its Sarah and Shan¡­,¡± Dex mused, bitterly.

    Bird sighed, ¡°Yes. I know. Now. And I should have known then. I just didn¡¯t see it. I didn¡¯t want to believe that Sarah could do something like that. But I have a feeling it goes much deeper than what we will ever understand. I knew as soon as I woke up, that Sarah and Shan were behind it all and that Rudy was dead.¡±

    My heart froze. I found myself reaching out for Dex and holding on to his hand. Was Shan right then, that Rudy was dead? How could anyone¡­die? That was stuff that happened to other people, people I didn¡¯t know¡­other people¡¯s grandparents or dogs or goldfish. Not someone I had just seen, just trusted, that morning.

    I was speechless but Dex was not.

    ¡°How did Rudy die?¡± he asked carefully. I could feel the heaviness in his voice. I gripped his hand tighter.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but he¡¯s not coming back. He was the only one who could have possibly put an end to this, the only one with the means. So of course, they got rid of him.¡±

    Bird¡¯s voice was wavering and ripe with emotion. I felt so bad, for everyone and everything. Even though this had been going on before we got here, I couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was all my fault.

    ¡°Why are they doing this?¡± I mumbled, feeling too much at once. Dex pulled me into him and put his arm around me. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was to make me feel comfortable or to warm himself up, considering he was bare-chested and the air had a heavy, solemn chill.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can really understand. Some people get angry,¡± Bird said simply. It was true. That was pretty much the motive of every murder out there. Some people got real angry.

    ¡°What¡¯s our plan, then?¡± Dex asked.

    ¡°I think you guys had the right idea. Get out of here.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard when you¡¯ve dragged us onto a cliff,¡± Dex said.

    ¡°This is the only way I could buy us time. You think that hiding in the house would do you any good? You think it¡¯s tough for them to be human and beat down doors? It¡¯s not. He¡¯d be at you in a second. After what happened with Rudy, he¡¯s more powerful now than ever.¡±

    Dex didn¡¯t say anything but he did pull me in even closer. Maybe he was scared after all. I looked up at him. With the dark clouds obscuring all starlight, his face was just a shadow but I knew his eyes were meeting with mine. I could almost hear him thinking we¡¯ll be OK, kiddo. Only, he didn¡¯t believe it enough to say it.

    ¡°Here you guys are,¡± we heard a voice drawl from above us. We all jumped a bit and turned around to face the cliff. Five feet above us stood a tall, commanding figure. He had a branch in hand, its tip lit with fire. The glow illuminated the tell-tale face of Maximus.

    ¡°Maximus!¡± I yelled.

    He jumped off the cliff and landed beside us with a thump. It was him all right. Tall, burly, broad-chested, flannel-shirted, ginger-haired, yellow-eyed¡­

    No, wait. Maximus had green eyes...

    I tried to process that as I stared at him. He looked at Bird and slapped him hard on the back.

    ¡°Here you are, old man,¡± he drawled. The firelight showed Bird was just as perplexed as I was, though maybe a few steps closer to figuring it out. I looked up at Dex. He knew something was up. He stared intently at him.

    ¡°Maximus,¡± Dex said with a big fake smile. ¡°You got here awfully quickly. How did you find us?¡±

    ¡®Maximus¡¯ didn¡¯t miss a beat. ¡°Well, you guys make it pretty easy when you¡¯re standing on a cliff edge and jabbering loudly about skinwalkers.¡±

    He took a step towards Dex. I noticed the grip around the branch became tighter. In the flame¡¯s light, there was no mistaking that Maximus¡¯s eyes now glowed vibrant amber. It wasn¡¯t him at all.

    The truth was in the fire.

    I felt sick but before I could even let the feeling take over my body and reduce me to mud, Bird leaped for Maximus as if to tackle him.

    But Maximus was faster than that. He veered out of the way and Bird went flying onto the ground. Maximus raised his flame in the air and brought his foot back, meaning to boot Bird off the cliff.

    I looked at Bird. He stared up at Dex in horror and then pointed at me, and yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t trust her! She¡¯ll be lying!¡±

    My eyes flew to Dex¡¯s. Neither of us understood. But we did understand what happened next.

    Maximus¡¯s foot connected with Bird¡¯s side and Bird was kicked off the cliff. He screamed and grabbed blindly at the cliffside but the loose earth and rocks crumbled under his worn hands. He fell onto the land below with a cry.

    Without thinking I made a jump for Maximus and snatched the branch out of his hand while he was unaware.

    I took the branch and speared it directly into his stomach and held it there while he yelled and screamed and tried to back away. I followed him with it like I was someone possessed. I didn¡¯t know what had come over me but I knew that this was not Maximus and that he must die, by any means necessary.

    I ignored the queasy, sinking feeling, a sign I took as a matter of being human, and let my anger and determination lead the way and kept that flame pierced into him as the fire began to take over his body in one sickening charcoal burn.

    Then, poof.

    He was gone. Maximus and his flame-haired glory literally disappeared right before our eyes. One minute I was burning someone alive with a lit branch, the next I was aiming a branch at nothing but empty darkness.

    But a movement at my feet caught my eyes. I look down to see a cricket wobble back and forth uneasily before springing off into the void. You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.

 Page 42

    I dropped the branch and felt Dex scoop up our equipment and grab me by the waist.

    ¡°Come on,¡± he whispered, gently, as if he was afraid I¡¯d pick up that stick and spear it into him.

    He led me to the cliff edge and let go. He crawled down and jumped the last few feet and made me do the same. He caught me, awkwardly, for the last part.

    We looked down at the ground. Bird was lying on his back. Dex aimed his camera at him, the light still working at least. It caused Bird to blink a few times, enough for us to know he was OK.

    We stooped down and brought Bird to his feet and headed off to the Lancaster¡¯s, with him dragging along between us. He was stumbled around for the most part, coming in and out of consciousness. Occasionally he would mumble, ¡°Don¡¯t trust her, don¡¯t trust her¡± which did nothing to make us feel better. At one point he tried to walk on his own, his hands flying around my waist, as if he was going into my pant pockets. Then he went back to stumbling.

    We had rounded the barn and had sight of the house when we saw Will¡¯s truck pull up to it. It stopped and Will and Miguel got out and came running towards us. I noticed, rather absently, that Maximus¡¯s car was not there. That gave me some comfort in thinking that he was still alive somewhere and still heading for us.

    Will and Miguel were yelling things left and right. Another car pulled up behind it and a short stocky man in uniform came running out of it, the sheriff, Fred.

    I didn¡¯t know what was going on or what was being said, but Will and Miguel took Bird onto both their shoulders and dragged him towards the house. The sheriff ran up to Dex and started yammering in his ear about this and that, pointing around wildly. They too went into the house.

    I followed as quickly as I could but for some reason my steps felt slow and sloppy, like I was walking through oatmeal.

    I watched them all go inside. I was only a few steps away from the porch. I would be inside soon, in the comfort and safety and warmth.

    ¡°Perry,¡± an unfamiliar voice, metallic and hollow, said from behind me.

    I stopped and looked. I¡¯m sorry that I did.

    A six-foot tall coyote was standing behind me on two legs. It put its heavy, clawed paw on my shoulder and smiled as a coyote can only smile. Black gums and sharp teeth.

    ¡°We need him,¡± it said without moving a muscle.

    And then all the world went black.

    CHAPTER FOURTEEN

    My mind eased into a slow consciousness. The heavy cloud that seemed to hang inside my skull didn¡¯t dissipate but I found the strength to think past it. Where was I? There was nothing.

    My eyes weren¡¯t open. I had to tell myself to open them. With great pains, my left eye blinked open first, then my right. They focused on nothing, just the same blackness I had behind my eyelids. But as my thoughts became sharper, the blackness became shapes of things. It stung too much to take it all in at once but through brief glimpses I could make out a doorway, some shady things hanging from a wall.

    Still, where was I?

    Then it all came rushing back to me. Shan. The horse. Bird. Maximus. The fire. The coyote. The end.

    Where was I?

    My head snapped back and the world spun. I breathed in wildly. It smelled like hay and horses and some musty, herbaceous stuff. I couldn¡¯t move my arms or legs.

    The clouds inside my head moved and swirled into a spinning current of air. I fought against it and looked down at myself. I was sitting upright in a chair. My arms and legs were tied to it with leather straps. They didn¡¯t cut into my skin but they were restrictive enough.

    Something stirred to my left. I looked over and saw a figure standing in the doorway. There was very little light in the room but my night vision kicked slowly. It was a short figure. It didn¡¯t move much. And near the top of it, yellow orbs glowed. I knew who it was.

    Sarah.

    And there was nothing I could do about it.

    Sensing this, perhaps, she started walking towards me, step by step, her footfalls echoing throughout the room, which I guess was a tack room in one of the barns. I could make out a few western saddles on the walls, and when I thought about it, it felt like I was tied with reins.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± she said. Her voice shot across the room yet seemed to come from nothing.

    I didn¡¯t have any snappy one-liners. I was frozen in fear. I could only process what was happening here and now. If I thought far enough ahead of what could happen¡­.

    ¡°It¡¯s good to be in present, Perry,¡± she said as if she were reading my thoughts. ¡°Too many live in the future. If you keep living in the future, in what may be, then the future gets shorter every minute.¡±

    She inched towards me until she was only a foot away. She leaned over and stared at me.

    Though her face was hazy and grainy in the dark, she looked different. Her glasses were gone. And even though her eyes were the luminescent predatory shade of yellow, I could see she had nice, almond shaped eyes.

    Wait, did this mean she could always see?

    ¡°In a way, I never was blind,¡± she said. As if things couldn¡¯t get any creepier and disturbing, she was seriously reading my thoughts.

    She straightened up and peered down at me. ¡°Losing my sight was the best thing that ever happened to me. It opened my real eyes. The ones I had buried. The ones in your soul.¡±

    She tapped her chest for emphasis.

    ¡°You see, I had forgotten the way. And it was almost too late. I lost all my faith in a reckless, false God that had turned its back on me. And why not? I turned my back on him. I lost my sight, but I gained so much more. I gained what I used to have. What I used to share with Shan. Something that, later, I was taught was ¡®evil.¡¯ But how could something that could bring my eyes back, be bad? No. It was everyone else who was bad.¡±

    ¡°Including your husband?¡± I said, the words coming out of my mouth like sludge. I wondered if that earthy smell that seemed lodged in my nostrils was peyote, or something else that was used to drug me earlier.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied matter-of-factly. ¡°He was bad. He turned his back on the way and he made me do the same.¡±

    You have free will, I thought, testing.

    ¡°I know I do,¡± she said without hesitation. ¡°We all do. But to have someone you love turn¡­¡±

    You turned.

    ¡°I did. For the better. If Will could just¡­see. He is the blind one. I can see everything.¡±

    How long did you plan on torturing him this way? I thought.

    ¡°Until he gets it. You think this is all because of you? This was happening for years. These things take time.¡±

    I really wanted to say something utterly clich¨¦ such as ¡®you won¡¯t get away with it¡¯ but my humor wasn¡¯t allowing it at the moment and anyway ¨C

    ¡°I won¡¯t be getting away with anything. There is nothing to get, except for Will.¡±

    She started pacing back and forth, her hands behind her back. It almost seemed comical, like she was playing a part.

    So many questions flooded through me. Aside from the big questions ¨C as in what was going to happen to me, where was Dex, where was Bird and everyone else ¨C I wanted to know how she thought she was going to resolve her own problem. As ridiculous as it seemed, I needed to know her logic. What did she want to achieve? Bird had said that some people got angry. Could it still be that simple? There was nothing simple about this situation. At all.

    I braced in my seat, thinking she was going to answer that herself but she didn¡¯t. She just kept pacing, mumbling to herself now. She was done reading my thoughts for the meantime.

    I needed to think of a way out. Or maybe this was a decoy, for her to use my own thoughts against me when I thought she wasn¡¯t listening.

    She stopped pacing and faced me.

    ¡°Do you know why you are here?¡± she asked quietly.

    I looked her in her animal eyes and shook my head.

    ¡°You think it¡¯s because you¡¯re¡­special¡¯?¡±

    I wanted to shrug but it seemed too insignificant for what was going on.

    ¡°You have a way about you. It¡¯s useful. But you think too much. You want too much. Your ability to retract from reality is useful, but¡­we¡¯d prefer someone who is a bit ¡®all there.¡¯¡±

    I wasn¡¯t all there? Maybe not at the moment when my thoughts not only seemed like abstract objects but were being read at the same time.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be much easier,¡± she said. Her tone was tinged with menace.

    He?

    Without thinking, my arms and legs seized in their holds like I was some crazy attack dog held back by a choke chain.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ve been looking for someone else. Rudy gave Shan everything he needed. And Dex will give the same for me.¡±

    How dare she even say his name? I wildly fought against the straps. What were they planning on doing to him? Was it too late?

    The fear and anger that coursed through me was incomparable. If this were a movie, I would have broken through the straps in a Hulk-like manner and laid waste to Sarah. But this wasn¡¯t a movie. No matter how angry I was, how badly I wanted to break free, I was stuck. I tried to move and squirm but the chair held on to me with the entire rein¡¯s might. Sarah didn¡¯t even flinch. She knew how futile it was.

    ¡°He won¡¯t feel a thing,¡± she said, smiling. She kept grinning. Slowly, her teeth started to shift and elongate until they were too large for her mouth. They had become fangs and the rest of her face began to follow suit in a horrific display of shapeshifting.

    First her jaw jutted out into a narrow point that strained her skin until it broke into bloody rivets, then her face began to spread wider, the sound of her jaw and cheekbones cracking into place filled the room, contorting and stretching. I could almost feel her skull splitting, the substantial sound of thick bone snapping. This was no scene out of Teen Wolf. This was the real thing. As real as it could be.

    I looked down at her arms. I could see ripples of fur beneath her skin, like it was being caressed by underwater reeds. Soon the rippling stopped and the reeds started to poke through the skin; a demonic Chia Pet.

    And soon, Sarah was a wolf, standing awkwardly. This was the end of me.

    I closed my eyes.

    Nothing.

    I dared to peek.

    It still stood there.

    Then the fur began to retreat back into the arms and the canine jaw and head contracted quickly, as if it were sinking in itself.

    But as Sarah began to revert back to human form, I realized it wasn¡¯t going to be what I thought. Even from looking at the lower half of the transformation, I noticed she had on the same pants that I was wearing. And then it hit me.

    I glanced up at her face. As the wolf disappeared and melded into human flesh, as the fur turned into ivory skin and as the canine eyes moved closer to each other, and the mane of hair was replaced by black, groomed waves, I realized¡­it was me.

    I was staring at myself.

    There was nothing else to think. There I was.

    ¡®I¡¯ smiled at myself.

    ¡°You¡¯re in love with him,¡± the skinwalker me said, my voice exactly as it sounded in recordings.

    She took a few steps back.

    ¡°If you¡¯re lucky, he may get a chance to love you back. Before it¡¯s too late.¡±

    And with that, the skinwalker me waltzed out of the tack room and disappeared.

 Page 43

    On the plus side, I was still alive. She could have killed me but she didn¡¯t. And it meant that Dex was still alive. On the negative side, I was still tied up awaiting certain fate and Dex was about to meet his, most likely by the hands of someone he trusted the most.

    No wonder Bird had said not to trust me. He knew. If only the old idiot had actually put enough energy to explain why, it would have made a whole world of fucking difference.

    And then the spins came. Not just the spins that made my head wobble back and forth like I was having an out of body seizure, but the waves of paralysis that coursed through me. I went from feeling like I could rip out of the binds (which I knew I couldn¡¯t) to feeling like I was frozen from the inside out.

    Then the room started to move again in waves. But it wasn¡¯t my head this time. It was figures and shapes coming out of the shadows. They were ghostly, transparent. Shapes in vaguely human forms. They hovered around me. I didn¡¯t know if this was a product of going insane from the circumstances or the fact that I was drugged with peyote.

    I looked at the objects. They hovered and quivered as if they were timed to an irregular heartbeat. Whether they were real or not, I didn¡¯t have many options.

    ¡°Can you help me?¡± I pleaded, quietly at first, ashamed of my voice when there was no one around. I was talking to myself.

    ¡°Please? Can you help me? I need help.¡±

    Tears pricked at my eyes and fell unaided onto my thighs. I started bawling. I couldn¡¯t help it. I was so lost. I couldn¡¯t do a single thing. I couldn¡¯t even think.

    I cried for a few minutes, feeling stupid and useless and a sorry excuse for a human being. The love of my life (OK, so there it was) was in grave danger and I wasn¡¯t able to do a single thing about it.

    I cried for a bit more until I noticed a change of energy in the room. I looked up through my tears. My vision was watery but I could see the figures were closer to me. I wasn¡¯t afraid though. They didn¡¯t mean me harm, whatever they were.

    ¡°Please,¡± I sobbed one last time, meaning every messy note I managed to get out.

    I felt warmth around me which made me feel better. The warmth didn¡¯t undo my straps though.

    But they did make my fingers feel more agile. I started to strain my wrists behind my back, trying to loosen their casing. It worked in a sense. I worked out how I was tied to the chair. My hands were tied together but it seemed I was only connected to the chair on my right side.

    I wondered if I had anything MacGyver-ish in my left pocket. I moved my hand around in that direction, still noting that the strange white figures were hovering nearby like blurbs on badly processed film.

    I felt in my back pocket and my fingers reached something. It felt like a plastic bag. Was it a gum wrapper? Only MacGyver could make something out of a gum wrapper.

    I coiled my fingers around it and brought it out of my back pocket. I leaned forward in my seat as far as I could, so that I was almost tipped forward and tried to look behind my shoulder. I couldn¡¯t see what it was but it did feel like something soft and squishy had been encased in Saran Wrap.

    I had no idea what it could be. And I had zero patience to slowly open the bag and figure out what it was. As soon as it was in my fingers, I ripped it apart.

    I heard a faint puff of sound and felt a sprinkling of softness on my thumbs.

    The white, weird figures suddenly retreated into the depths of the room and were gone. I didn¡¯t know if that was a good sign considering they hadn¡¯t done anything wrong but, regardless, the fact that I could the rip the bag made me realize I could reach the other hand with the other.

    I concentrated as hard as I could, and even though it took a few wrong attempts, much like trying to do your hair in front of a mirror, I was finally able to get my left hand free from the straps.

    I brought the hand forward and marveled at it. It was covered in a white powder, similar to talcum. I quickly made work of my other hand. I bent over and tried to untie my feet but the reins were too tight. I looked up at the wall and spied a saw hanging above the sink. I hopped awkwardly across the tack room floor, chair clanking loudly as I went. I hoped wherever Sarah and Shan were, they wouldn¡¯t hear it.

    I got the saw off of the wall and quickly put it to use against my leg binds. The supple leather snapped easily and soon I was free of the chair. I was still dizzy and disoriented but I was free and ready to go.

    I stumbled across the room and into the barn. I heard the horses stirring nervously in their stalls as I ran past.

    Seeing the cloudy moonlight at the end of the barn, I started sprinting for it. I entered the stormy air of outside. Nothing ever smelled as sweet. The wind was really blowing now and threw my hair behind me.

    I narrowed my eyes against the flying grit and sand and tried to piece together where Dex could be. He went into the house with the sheriff, the last I saw.

    They couldn¡¯t obliterate everyone, could they? The house was the first place I would have to go.

    I scampered across the dry paddock towards the Lancaster¡¯s house, which still had the lights on. As I neared, I saw that all the cars had gone. That wasn¡¯t a good sign.

    I slowed a bit and tried to take everything into account as much as I could.

    If everyone was gone, that probably meant that they were alive. Maybe taking Bird to the hospital? Would they leave without Dex though? They couldn¡¯t, Bird wouldn¡¯t let that happen. Unless Bird was so out of it¡­

    I stopped a hundred yards from the house and instinctively crouched down, hiding myself.

    So where was Dex? I didn¡¯t have the luxury to examine all my options. All I knew was that ¨C

    A flashlight.

    Off in the juniper woods, near the other barn, there was a light bobbing in the trees. It seemed to be searching.

    I held my breath and listened. I didn¡¯t hear anything. I started running towards the light as quickly as I could while keeping as low to the ground as possible. Given my height, it wasn¡¯t that hard.

    I was close to where the sheep paddock ended and the trees began, when I heard it. I paused.

    It was me. It was my voice coming from where the flashlight was.

    ¡°Dex, help me,¡± it said.

    I opened my mouth to scream ¡°No!¡± but nothing came out. Instead, I heard my disembodied voice again coming from the trees.

    ¡°Dex, help me!¡± it said again, louder.

    And to my horror, I heard Dex¡¯s gruff rely, ¡°Perry? Where are you?!¡±

    This could not be happening. I started booking towards the trees at full throttle now, not bothering to hide myself anymore.

    I entered the forest and came crashing through. I got a few yards in when my feet caught on tangled undergrowth and I went flying onto the ground. My jaw clanked against the ground and I bit my lip on impact. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

    Footsteps.

    I froze. From where I was lying amongst the trees, I would be hard to spot.

    The footsteps were coming faster now and I saw a flashlight. Within seconds, Dex entered my view. He had the flashlight in one hand, the infrared camera in the other. That figured.

    I tried to move, to yell, but before I could do anything I saw myself come out from the trees. And by myself, I mean Sarah¡¯s skinwalker version of me.

    ¡°Dex,¡± it said, pausing a few feet away.

    Dex shone the flashlight on the fake me¡¯s face and ran up to it.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± he started apologizing. He reached out for the fake me with his hand. Every instinct in my body told me to get up and stop them but that paralysis was seeping through my veins again. My own voice was caught in my throat, borrowed by someone else.

    ¡°Dex, I¡¯m afraid,¡± it said to him. It was my voice but it sounded emotionless and robotic.

    I could see him hesitate in the dark. Did he know something was up?

    He aimed the flashlight in ¡®my¡¯ face. It turned away, squinting. He couldn¡¯t see the eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m hurt,¡± it said, still flatly. She showed her hands to him. They were covered in blood. Whose blood that was, I had no idea, but I was relieved it wasn¡¯t mine or Dex¡¯s.

    ¡°Shit,¡± he swore as he kept the flashlight at the hands.

    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked.

    She looked up at him. Her eyes were carnivorous, ravenous. An animal¡¯s.

    Before he had a chance to look into them, she reached up with her bloody hand and pulled his face towards her, closed her eyes, and kissed him.

    Er, I mean I kissed him. I was awestruck and forced to watch something that should have been the most epic moment of my life. Only it wasn¡¯t happening to me. Not really.

    I was afraid she¡¯d try and eat him. That¡¯s what it looked like she was doing.

    And Dex. Dex was kissing her back.

    Wait, he was kissing me back.

    My heart jutted around in my chest. Despite everything that was going on, the thought, the sight that Dex was kissing me (and getting quite into it, it seemed), made my insides feel giddy, and my stomach lurch around like I had butterflies. What was wrong with me?

    I watched for a few more seconds, feeling like a Peeping Tom, or like Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window. It was turning me on. It was so unbelievably wrong.

    But something happened to shake me out of it.

    ¡°Ow.¡±

    It was Dex.

    He pulled back from the makeout session and touched his mouth. He looked down at his hand. Had she bit him?

    The skinwalker me went for him with her other hand. That hand was already a full-on wolf paw. It was going to swipe across Dex¡¯s face. It would remove his handsome mug in one go.

    Something came over me. I don¡¯t know what. But I found the strength, or the strength found me. I bolted upright and screamed at the top of my lungs. I think I tried to say ¡°stop!¡± or ¡°duck¡± but it all came out in a supersonic unintelligible shriek.

    But it worked. Dex looked up just in time. He ducked and did a roll on the ground as the wolf made a lunge for him. He got to his feet and scooped up the camera, forgetting about the flashlight and aimed it at the wolf which was moving raggedly away from him, its head and neck held at an awkward angle.

    ¡°Dex!¡± I screamed again. ¡°Get away!¡±

    I ran towards him. He flashed the camera in my eyes and tried to read me from the infrared viewer. He looked as confused as you could imagine.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± he said.

    I grabbed his arm and started to pull him towards the trees. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s you she¡¯s after!¡±

    At that, it was like the heavens opened up. Whatever breeze was blowing lifted the clouds away and the moon shone down on us in a straight shot. Everything was illuminated. Dex¡¯s confused face. The wolf lurking awkwardly behind us. The crow that swooped down from the treetops and landed on the ground beside us with a squawk.

    We jumped at it, knowing full well it wasn¡¯t just a crow. But it was too late to do anything.

    The crow morphed into a snake, then a deer, then a coyote, then Shan. For two seconds Dex and I were looking into the sparkling eyes of the ranch hand, Sarah¡¯s confidante, and murdering medicine man.

    He cocked his head sideways at us but didn¡¯t say anything. Dex pushed me behind him and held me there with his arms, shielding me.

    The wolf slowly crept over to Shan. Shan raised his hand at it. It stayed still and sat back on its haunches like a dog. Like a hunting dog.

 Page 44

    ¡°If you had just left things alone¡­things didn¡¯t need to turn out this way,¡± Shan said carefully. I wasn¡¯t sure if Dex had gotten the memo of what exactly was going on but it didn¡¯t seem to matter.

    ¡°You killed Rudy. No one had to die for your fucked up cause,¡± Dex said.

    Shan laughed. ¡°Cause? You are misinformed, young man.¡±

    He looked over at the wolf and pointed at Dex. ¡°You sure this is the one you want? She seems to have more brains.¡±

    The wolf didn¡¯t say anything, though it wouldn¡¯t have been weird at this point if it had. Shan turned back to us and took in a deep, narrow breath through pursed lips before speaking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you both credit, though. You¡¯re some of the most able white kids I¡¯ve come across. It¡¯s too bad we couldn¡¯t have made this work out some other way.¡±

    Shan took a step backward. We knew what was coming but we didn¡¯t know how.

    And then it happened. Before our eyes he turned into a bear. His bones stretched and cracked, creaked and crackled like a roaring fire, as they expanded to make room for his changing body. Fur spat out of his pores until he was covered from head to toe. Which, in itself, was about eight feet tall.

    I know I had just seen it with Sarah but I still couldn¡¯t get over it. How could I? How could this be happening?

    Dex was obviously dumbfounded too. His body tensed, his hand gripped my forearm tightly. The fact that he was not filming this part, of all things, briefly (and shamefully) crossed my mind but I let it pass. What did it matter right now? What could we do to get out alive?

    We were facing a fucking grizzly bear that had the mind of a demented and merciless human being. This had to be the most dangerous animal in the course of history.

    There was a growl from beside it. Oh right, the wolf. That would make things easier.

    Whether they wanted Dex or not, I doubted we were making it out of the forest alive. But it didn¡¯t mean we would just give up. I knew I wouldn¡¯t.

    As the grizzly stood on its legs, it made a swipe at us. But like Sarah had shown before, Shan was not used to the bear body. He fell over and landed on the ground with an earth-shattering rumble. The wolf looked at the bear, concerned, or something like that.

    This was our moment.

    ¡°The tree!¡± I yelled at Dex.

    We turned on our heels and headed for the closest tree. Dex threw the camera on the ground, aiming it at the bear and wolf, and grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me up until I caught onto the first few branches. They were heavy enough to support myself and I pulled myself up, straining my muscles, cutting every inch of me on the scraping branches as I rose.

    It didn¡¯t matter. I grabbed and grabbed and climbed and climbed and felt Dex coming up behind me. I also heard a vicious bark and a scampering sound.

    The wolf was making a run for the tree.

    I couldn¡¯t get out of Dex¡¯s upward path fast enough but he managed to swing his legs up just as the frenzied, snapping jaw of the wolf came within inches of latching onto him. He grabbed onto the branches next to me and climbed up beside me. This was about as far as we could go. Anymore and the tree would start to bend over from our weight.

    It was too high for Sarah to reach us, no matter how hard she threw her wolf body into the air. But it wasn¡¯t high enough to escape the tallest reaches of the bear.

    ¡°Can bears climb trees?¡± Dex asked. I spied his frantic peepers between the branches.

    ¡°I think these bears can do anything,¡± I said sadly.

    He nodded and swallowed hard. I did the same.

    ¡°I know I already said this, but I guess it was to the wrong girl. I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, his voice breaking.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± I said. It didn¡¯t.

    ¡°When we got to the house¡­I thought you were right behind me. I¡­promised to protect you and I failed.¡±

    ¡°We both failed, Dex,¡± I sighed, so bloody conscious of the grinding teeth just feet below us and the impending threat of the bear. The impending threat of death.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d go like this,¡± he said. There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

    ¡°Death by a grizzly bear? Me neither.¡±

    ¡°No, I meant just¡­alive.¡±

    I was puzzled. It was welcoming.

    He looked below him at the wolf. The tree shook slightly as if the ground beneath was moving. I think the bear was stirring.

    He looked at me and smiled, it was shady in the scattered moonlight.

    ¡°For once, I can feel everything. Every emotion, every feeling, every sense. I¡¯ve never felt so alive. How ironic.¡±

    I sniffed. This was sad. I always thought the horror of death would have overridden any sadness, but there it was, kneading my heart until it hurt.

    ¡°Well, I hope I make the best company you¡¯ve ever had,¡± I whispered.

    ¡°You are the best,¡± he said sweetly.

    He put his hand through the branches and stroked my face. I closed my eyes at his touch and a tear rolled down my cheek. I heard the roar of the bear approaching, its deafening sound rolling through us. I cursed Sarah for getting to kiss the man I loved while I didn¡¯t get the chance.

    Dex took his legs and swung them up around a branch and twisted his body underneath the one he was holding onto so that we were both between the same set of branches, our bodies close together.

    He leaned in close, his eyes searching mine. They sparkled in the moonlight and reflected my own heartbroken face. Then he kissed me.

    His moustache tickled. His lips were warm. It was wet and sweet. He tasted good. I felt like crying and laughing and screaming all at once. My body felt as light as air. A million symphonies played in my head. If I was going to die, I was going to die happy. That was something.

    He pulled away. I wanted to cry. I did cry. It wasn¡¯t fair. Whatever it was, I only knew it for such a brief time. Another tear ran down my cheek. He gently wiped it away with his hand and tilted my chin up at me. If other things were going on at the same time, I wasn¡¯t aware of it.

    I managed a small smile.

    ¡°How was that compared to the other me?¡±

    ¡°Less dog breath,¡± he deadpanned.

    And then everything wonderful was over.

    The tree shook violently. The bear was below us and shaking it with its large limbs. Though it wouldn¡¯t support us, we had no choice but to climb up to the top of the tree. We moved our feet quickly, but already the tree started to tip over, like a heavy star on top of a Christmas tree. Between the fact that we were slowly getting closer to the ground, and the shaking, we didn¡¯t have long until our options were out. I guess our options had run out a long time ago.

    My hands began losing their grip on the branches. I was going to fall.

    I looked at Dex, eyes wide. He quickly grabbed my arms but I only brought him down with me.

    We fell out of the tree and landed on the ground in a painless THUNK. I rolled over slowly in the opposite direction of the bear. I didn¡¯t want to see this. I focused on the trees in the glen, the moonlight, the soft breeze.

    I felt Dex roll over on top of my body and cover me. It was touching. It was useless. But at least I knew he¡¯d do anything to protect me. Even when all hope was lost.

    I heard the roar and the growl and the ground rumbled beneath us.

    I was about to close my eyes to it all. It was time to go. Time to say goodbye.

    ¡°Nooooo!¡± someone yelled in full panic.

    I moved my head and saw two figures running towards us. One had a shotgun aimed beyond us. The other was making a move to stop him.

    The shotgun blasted out in a fiery explosion that lit up the base of the surrounding trees. I heard an otherworldly roar.

    The second figure, who I now recognized as Will, tried to attack the shooter, but his tall frame was too much for him. He shrugged him off and fired again, maybe at the wolf. Maybe at Will¡¯s wife.

    It was Maximus. The real Maximus. He lowered the shotgun. I could see the black shapes of the bear and wolf run off into the trees and disappear.

    Will fell to his knees and covered his face. Maximus left him and ran over to us, stooping in front of me.

    ¡°Are y¡¯all OK?¡±

    ¡°Hey man, nice shot,¡± Dex said from on top of me. He rolled off and got to his feet, then together both he and Maximus hoisted me up so I was on my own two legs.

    I looked around. The tree looked partly demolished. The wolf and the bear were gone. Will was crying a few feet away. I guess he believed enough to know what Sarah was capable of. I felt a tinge of pity for him, he was the real victim in all of this, but most of all I just felt utter exhaustion. It was as if all my feelings had been used up in the last five minutes. There was nothing left in me.

    ¡°I got here as soon as I could,¡± Maximus said, squeezing my shoulder.

    I nodded, trying to convey the gratitude I felt.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said meekly. ¡°You did good.¡±

    Maximus shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t reckon there is anything good coming out of this.¡±

    A bunch of voices came out from the brush and a few more people came running out, big searchlights in hand. It was the sheriff, Miguel, and two other people I didn¡¯t recognize.

    Maximus sighed. ¡°Now it¡¯s the time to explain the fuck out of this thing.¡±

    I looked at Dex. He looked as drained as I did. He put his arm around me and pulled me in slightly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get it over with,¡± he said. I just wanted to crawl into his car and drive away, but I suppose with the police and who else knows involved, someone had to answer to something. Even if that someone was me.

    CHAPTER FIFTEEN

    We ended up going into the Lancaster¡¯s living room and having an informal hearing of sorts. Miguel stood outside on the porch with a shotgun, keeping watch, just in case. Skinwalkers were not easy to kill and there was a good chance that Sarah and Shan were still out there, though there was no shot in hell that they could return to their normal lives. Bittersweet for Will, to know she was probably still alive but that she would never be his wife again.

    I felt stupid trying to explain to the sheriff and his colleagues what had happened to me, but it was apparent that they believed me. That was a huge help as even I didn¡¯t believe myself half the time. I think it would take me a very long time to actually grasp what happened. Maybe never.

    The motives of Shan and Sarah were based on anger and I¡¯m sure other things that we didn¡¯t understand. Even Will was in the total dark about everything. But the more we discussed the truth, the more that Will accepted what happened, and then informed us of other strange happenings that had gone on through the years. It was only this year though, that his livelihood, sheep, had been affected, and he finally decided to do something about it. So many secrets, so many blind eyes.

    The rest was fitting in with what Sarah had told me. Rudy was a threat. Bird was still a friend somehow, so they only hurt him, not killed him, though it would have easily turned that way. Like many people driven to murder, sooner or later, everyone becomes a victim if you get in their way.

    Rudy still hadn¡¯t been found. The cops were slightly optimistic but that was probably their youth. I believed Bird when he said Rudy would never come back. He was gone, and wherever he was, I hoped it was peaceful.

    They probably gained a bit of power by killing Rudy, hence why they were able to shapeshift into humans and a bear, two things that weren¡¯t usually done. Had they gotten a hold of Dex, as Sarah said they planned to, there was no telling what would have happened.

 Page 45

    The more we all talked though, the more we were all assured that none of us were crazy, even if at times I really had felt like I was. A lot of that could be blamed on the drugs. Apparently I was dosed with something similar to peyote that caused disorientation and hallucinations. That fact made me second guess some of the things I saw, but there was no denying what Dex and I witnessed in front our eyes. Just our luck though, that no one else saw it. Maybe it was always going to be that way with us. Maybe that¡¯s why we were ¡°special.¡±

    Still, I had wondered if the drugging substance was the same as what I had found in my pants, but Maximus told me that Bird had slipped that in my pocket as a means to protect me. It was just simple white ash. I couldn¡¯t say it helped me escape from the tack room, but I couldn¡¯t say it didn¡¯t, either.

    At the end of the night, I couldn¡¯t say much, actually. Dex and I were squeezed on the armchair together, and as they all talked and made up plans, I felt myself nodding off.

    ¡°Before we forget,¡± Fred, the sheriff said, getting up off the couch. He reached beside him and handed us a bag. We peeked lazily inside. It was our shoes, pants and Dex¡¯s iPhone. Everything that we had left at Rudy¡¯s, plus his laptop that they found while out combing the desert.

    Dex looked overjoyed to be reunited with his electronics again. I looked up at Fred, who had a grandfatherly face and a huge beard.

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to Boy Boy?¡± I asked. ¡°What about Rudy¡¯s bar?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about those things. I¡¯m sure Boy Boy will show up and I know Will could use a good friend right now. Everything¡¯s in our hands. You guys just go home.¡±

    Maximus got up and stretched his large frame. ¡°He¡¯s right you know. I got us all hotel rooms.¡±

    Thank goodness. I couldn¡¯t stay here another night without going insane, and I knew that the place would be buzzing with the investigation until the wee hours of the morning.

    We shuffled out of the house. Fred patted us on the back and sent us off. We didn¡¯t get a chance to say goodbye to Will but maybe that was for the best. We did get a chance to wave at Miguel, who stood on the porch, shotgun in hand. He kept his face stony and tipped his hat at us. For some reason, it meant a lot.

    We got into Maximus¡¯s car and drove in silence up the road. A few minutes later, the Jeep came into view, stalled in the middle of the road, just where we had left it.

    Maximus parked his car and handed me a room key. ¡°Here you guys go. Room 13, for luck. See you in the morning.¡±

    I looked down at the room key. There was only one of them. I guess I was sharing with Dex, then. I met Maximus¡¯s jovial eyes. He smiled to himself.

    We got out of the car. He waited until Dex was successfully able to start the car before driving off.

    We didn¡¯t waste much time either. I never wanted to see the dark, unending desert again. Dex gunned the car and we drove straight to the hotel. The drive was quick and silent and I don¡¯t think either of us breathed until the lights of the hotel came into view like a comforting beacon. We exhaled gratefully and made our way to the room.

    Maximus¡¯s car was parked just a few doors down, another promising sight.

    Dex flung open the door. It was a small room, a bit dusty with a few roaches scattering when I flung on the light, yet it was the most welcoming sight. It was downtrodden but it felt safe.

    Of course, there was only one bed. Figured Maximus would set it up like that for a laugh. I didn¡¯t care though. Even if I had been put in another room, I would not have been able to sleep without Dex at my side. Especially not on this night, of all nights.

    We put our bags down. I pulled out a clean tee shirt and slipped it on in the bathroom. I didn¡¯t even look in the mirror. I was too tired and on autopilot to deal with anything else except going to bed and putting this whole trip behind me.

    I came out of the bathroom and Dex went in. We still weren¡¯t saying much except for a few small talk phrases. That was fine with me.

    I got in on my side but left the side table light on.

    Dex came out of the bathroom. I turned to look at him. He was thinner now, somehow. I felt like I was looking at him through new eyes. I was envious of how he could lose weight after only a few days, but I think I was feeling a bit skinny as well. His chest was bruised and scratched up from who knows what. He looked like a rough and tumble warrior, world weary after war. I liked that idea of him very much. The tattoos scrawled across his chest and arm only added to the appeal.

    He got into bed and switched off his bedside light.

    ¡°Do you mind if I keep mine on?¡± I asked. He shook his head.

    ¡°Of course not.¡±

    He rolled on his back and stared up at the ceiling.

    ¡°It won¡¯t keep you up?¡±

    ¡°Kiddo, nothing is going to keep me up tonight,¡± he answered. He turned his head to look at me and opened his arm invitingly.

    ¡°Are you going to come here or not?¡± he asked, half serious.

    I smiled shyly and moved over, resting in the crook of his arm and placed my head on his warm chest. His heart thumped steadily beneath it. The sound was undeniably soothing.

    With his other hand he brought the blanket in higher around us, tucking us in.

    I started to drift off. But there was one thing I had to say.

    ¡°Dex,¡± I whispered.

    ¡°Mmmm?¡± he grunted.

    ¡°I hope you never stop feeling alive.¡±

    I could have sworn his heart skipped a few beats. He tensed. Then relaxed.

    ¡°As long as you¡¯re around,¡± he said softly, ¡°I¡¯ll be alive.¡±

    ¡°Dex,¡± I said again, mumbling into his chest.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I was fired from my job. Last week.¡±

    ¡°I see. Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be OK, kiddo. You¡¯ll see.¡±

    He squeezed me with his arm and placed a poignant kiss on my forehead.

    ¡°I told you I¡¯d get to the bottom of you,¡± he said.

    I smiled. I hoped he would. Bit by bit.

    The next morning we said our goodbyes to Maximus. It seemed we had many goodbyes over that weekend but this time we knew it would stick. For now, at least. He seemed adamant that he would be visiting the Pacific Northwest soon.

    The drive back to the airport was a long one. Thankfully, the air conditioner was working again and blasted away the thick, muggy air that swooped down on the plains with the incoming clouds. There was a constant threat of rain that never came. It suited our moods.

    As Dex drove, I flipped through all the stuff we captured on our cameras and found that the majority of the stuff was fairly useable. We didn¡¯t capture anything conclusive, not that I thought otherwise, but if Dex could do his editing magic, I think we had a damn good story.

    We talked more about the show, what we should do next and what our plans were. We knew we were extremely amateurish. If we were going to be taken seriously at all, we would need to invest in fancy gadgets like EPGs, motion detectors, heat detectors and all that sort of stuff the pros on TV all had. Once we had equipment like that, it would help us out immensely in providing some sort of proof that people needed, instead of just some low-budget version of Cloverfield or The Blair Witch Project.

    I also thought we needed to come up with some sort of plan with regards to the victims. If we were going to go around messing up people¡¯s lives and filming them, whether we were invited or not, we needed a way to fix things after we left. It was a tricky subject. Who would we call? There are no Ghostbusters to capture them into a neat little box. There were priests, but not everyone was religious. I don¡¯t even know what Dex believed in.

    ¡°We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we come to it,¡± he told me. ¡°One thing at a time.¡±

    We were almost to Albuquerque when we had to stop and fill the rental SUV up with gas.

    He started pumping and I walked around the car, stretching my legs and arms. I walked over to a fence post that bordered on the desert. Here the sun was peeking out, giving hope to the doom and gloom we had driven through. I hoped this was a sign of leaving that past behind.

    I sighed and took in a deep breath. I still couldn¡¯t really think about what happened. Dex and I didn¡¯t talk much about it in the car, other than in business terms. To keep having our lives at stake¡­that was something to think about, too. I mean, did I need special health insurance or something? What if I had died last night? What would have happened?

    Of course, I couldn¡¯t get insurance without a job anyway. And that¡¯s what was waiting back at home for me. After all of this, I was going home to the same old situation. It wasn¡¯t as terrifying as before. Nothing would ever be as terrifying after this weekend. But it was still something I couldn¡¯t run from, no matter how hard I tried.

    And I couldn¡¯t run from my feelings for Dex either. I turned around and watched him top up the tank. I wished the mere sight of him didn¡¯t set my insides ablaze.

    He was going back to Jenn. Did that kiss mean anything? Was it one of those, ¡®I¡¯m going to die so why not,¡¯ kind of things? Or did it mean more? And now that he survived a weekend without drugs, did it mean he didn¡¯t need them in the first place? Maybe there was nothing wrong with him in the end.

    Too many questions. I thought I¡¯d get answers to something this weekend but all it did was raise new ones. I had a feeling this was going to happen every time I was with him.

    I kicked a stone with my boot and started sauntering back to the Jeep. Our flight was departing in a few hours and we needed to get going.

    Dex was waiting for the receipt to come out of the gas pump when I heard a SWOOSH from above me and saw a shadow cross the ground.

    I looked up.

    A huge hawk passed by my head, with inches to spare, and swooped towards the back of Dex¡¯s head, claws outstretched.

    ¡°Dex!¡± I screamed and started running towards him.

    Dex turned in time to see the hawk coming at him. He ducked, grabbed the gas pump from its holder and swung it at the bird.

    He missed but the hawk veered off, crying loudly.

    I ran up to Dex, heart in my throat, and we watched it fly into the sky.

    ¡°That¡¯s the craziest thing I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± a woman cried out from behind us.

    We both turned and looked at her. The plump, thirty-something woman held onto her dazed, ice cream eating son and made her way to her car, shaking her head in disbelief.

    Dex smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯ve seen crazier.¡±

    The woman looked perplexed, but continued on her way. The little boy locked eyes with me in all childlike awe.

    Dex walked around and got into his side of the car.

    I neatly placed the gas nozzle back, got in my side, and we drove off down the road, towards civilization and the way home.

    I kept my eye on the door side mirror to see if the hawk would appear, flying behind us, but it never did. Until next time, maybe.