Darkness Falls Read online

  Oh my gosh. After everything we said, that’s what stands out in his mind? “Aidan,” I start. “These guys are bad news. I’m pretty sure they’re the ones who killed the woman you guys found, and I’m pretty sure they killed and cooked one of the cats from that yard where we met.” I pause to let the information sink in.

  “No offense, Quinn, but you’re starting to sound a little crazy,” Aidan says.

  I drop my head back on the couch cushion and groan. He can be so frustrating sometimes.

  “A little?” Jeff adds. “I’d say you’re being kind with that estimate.”

  Riley speaks up. I watch in awe as my meek sister commands the conversation. “Guys, Quinn’s right. Jim and Dan are showing their true colors. They don’t care who they hurt as long as they have what they need. We can’t trust them, and it’s not safe to stay here any longer. I can’t think of a better escape than taking those bikes, weaving through the wreck blocking the highway, and high-tailing it out of here. You guys have your friends and you have a plan. But Quinn and I, all we’ve got is each other.”

  Pride rockets through my chest. I’ve never heard Riley speak so firmly. The mood shifts in an instant, and the guys wipe the smirks off their faces.

  “Not to sound like an ass,” Jeff starts. “But what’s in it for us? I’m not saying we won’t help you, I’m just wondering what our role is besides pushing the bikes out of here for you?”

  “We only need one bike,” I explain. “You guys can take the other. I know it’s not just the two of you, but maybe you can use the bike somehow?” I know we’re making a lot of assumptions here—like the bikes will have gas in them and won’t break down, but the more Riley and I talked about her plan, the more we felt the need to share one bike. We won’t be able to carry as much with us, and we won’t have a backup bike, but at least we can’t get separated this way.

  Jeff looks to Aidan and he finally speaks. “How about this,” he rubs his chin again in thought, “We’ll help you get the bikes, but then the four of us head back to our camp. You meet our friends and together we’ll all figure out what to do next.”

  Looking to Riley, my thoughts reflect in her eyes. Why should we go to their camp and meet their friends? We have our plan and, once we have transportation, all we need is each other to carry it out. Riley throws me a subtle nod and I know we’re both thinking the same thing. If this is what it takes to get that bike, we’ll do it. It’s just a brief distraction from our goal.

  “Deal,” I say confidently.

  Aidan raises his hand to shake mine and I slowly take hold of his. Eye to eye, we seal the deal with mutually firm grips. I silently pray that my face isn’t flushing as my brain recognizes that we just briefly held hands.

  Jeff stands, thankfully taking the focus off of me and Aidan. He claps his hands together once and says, “While I thought this arrangement was going to be much more interesting, I see we have a plan. Let’s do this.”

  Riley and I grab the backpacks we filled earlier and hand them to Jeff and Aidan, who promptly sling them over their shoulders. We can’t exactly carry backpacks around with us if Dan and Jim are going to believe our story. Riley unfolds our crude map and shows the guys where Jim and Dan’s trailer is—and where they keep the dirt bikes. I run outside to turn the trailer’s water off. The plan is for Riley to tell Jim and Dan that she thinks a pipe burst because our water just stopped working. We don’t want to cause any real damage to the trailer, so I’m just switching the water off, something I’ve seen my dad do at the end of every vacation after we loaded the car to go home.

  Dashing back inside the trailer, I wave to the guys as Riley leads them out the door. She’s going to point out some hiding places for them while I change into my running gear and sneakers. When she returns, we meet in the kitchen for one last pow-wow.

  “You ready for this?” I ask her. She doesn’t have a dishonest bone in her body. I’m still shocked that she ran with my idea. She nods with determination. “We’re gonna do this, Quinn. We’re getting out of here, and we’re going home. We’ll figure out something to tell Benny, but he’ll understand.”

  I’ve never seen this side of Riley, but I like it. Her newfound confidence comforts me. Maybe I don’t always have to take the lead. Tugging her into my arms for a quick embrace, she reciprocates before pulling back. She gives me one sharp nod, as if saying, “Go!”

  Chapter 18

  I walk outside and start stretching, just in case any wandering eyes catch my movement. After a too-brief warmup, I start jogging at a slow pace. I follow the dirt path that leads all the way around the park and duck into the wooded area at the far end, opposite Benny’s trailer.

  Thankfully, the sun is setting and a dim curtain spreads over the park. The surrounding trees, their mature branches already sheltering the area, throw shadows in every direction. I slowly slink to the hiding spot where Riley positioned Aidan and Jeff.

  Jeff sees me first. “Quinn, I like your outfit. You should wear that more often.” What an ass. My running tights are just that—form-fitting for ease of motion. My shirt is equally body-hugging, designed to pull sweat from my skin and keep me cool.

  “It’s my running gear,” I say condescendingly. “I wear it for function—not form or to impress you.” Jeff raises his hands in surrender and says, “Hey, no need to get all worked up. I’m just saying that you won’t offend anyone here if you want to wear stuff like that more often.” Aidan shushes us with a quick swipe of his hand through the air.

  Riley throws a sly smile our way as she marches to Jim and Dan’s door, knocking frantically. When Dan yanks the door open, she slides on a mask of concern and pleads for help. He motions her inside, and she follows compliantly.

  The three of us meld into the bushes as best we can. Watching intently, it’s not long before Jim throws the door open and leads the way to our trailer. “Oh guys, thanks so much,” Riley purrs as she trails Jim.

  “Why do I need to come?” Dan mumbles to himself.

  Jim throws him a stink-eye before slowing to match pace with Riley. “So, Quinn’s gone?” He sounds hopeful.

  Riley answers, “Yep, she went for a run. I wanted to take a shower, but I can’t get the water to work. We can’t stay here without water.”

  As they continue walking away from us, Jim says something about Riley staying with them. As if any female would want to live with those two.

  Jeff whispers, “Sounds like they’re not part of your fan club, Quinn. How’s that possible?”

  Before I can shoot back a snide remark, Aidan whispers, “Quinn, go now—and hurry. Just get the keys and get out.”

  I run full-speed toward the door, feeling self-conscious that the guys are staring at my butt. No time to worry about that now. I fly through the door, realizing we didn’t have a plan for if the guys locked it. Luckily, that thought didn’t occur to Jim and Dan either.

  Although I was just here yesterday, the place is considerably messier. Empty snack bags and dented beer cans litter the living room end tables. Video game controllers sit idle on the coffee table, cords snaking out from behind the wooden entertainment center. Not a speck of dust on those. I’d bet they provide nearly constant companionship for Jim and Dan.

  I shake my head to rein in my focus. Keys. I need to find the keys. I scan the wall on both sides of the door, searching for hooks or a key holder. Nothing. If the keys are anywhere on the end tables, I’m screwed. Besides not wanting to dig through the trash strewn about, I don’t have time to waste.

  Striding to the kitchen, I fumble my hands along the counters, pushing mail, dish towels, and pens out of the way. Finally, at the end of the counter, the bounty awaits. A round orange ashtray cradles two sets of keys. I have no idea what a dirt bike key looks like, so I’ll need to take both keychains.

  I swipe the ashtray and stash it in a cupboard on the opposite side of the kitchen. Maybe I can delay Jim and Dan’s discovery that the keys are missing if one thinks the other misplaced the whole
ashtray. With that, my work is done. I sprint to the living room and peek out the window. Seeing no movement, I slowly open the door, peering out one last time for good measure, and then dash to where Aidan and Jeff wait.

  “Good job, Quinn,” Aidan says, eyeing my bulging fists. I couldn’t hide the keyrings even if I tried to right now. “Thanks,” I say, slightly out of breath from the adrenaline rush. “Alright, phase two.” I hand the guys the keys and they start walking casually away from Jim and Dan’s place, taking a roundabout way back to our trailer.

  Once again, I break into a jog along the gravel road, winding my way back to Aunt Grace’s. All this adrenaline will support my story. Wiping the nervous sweat from my forehead, I look the part of someone who just finished a run. Within a few minutes, I’m right back where I started. Reaching the trailer’s front yard, I bend forward, stretching my supposedly tired muscles.

  Jim struts out the door, leaving it wide open. Riley follows him a moment later. “Everything looks good in there, I don’t get it,” he’s murmuring.

  Riley sees me first. “Quinn, hey, the water won’t turn on, so I got Jim and Dan. I thought they could help us figure out what’s wrong.”

  Jim’s heading toward the water valve access panel.

  I make a quick confession before he finds the sabotaged switch. “Oh, Riley, that’s my fault. I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you,” I explain, “I shut the water off. Nothing’s wrong. I can turn it back on.”

  Clearly annoyed, Jim turns toward me. “Now why the hell would you do that?” he asks. As if it’s any of his business.

  “I just…with everything going on, I thought we should conserve water. I figured I’d turn it back on when we needed it.”

  “Well, nice if you would have told your sister,” Jim snipes. I’ve sufficiently annoyed Jim, so my job here is done.

  Dan wanders outside and Jim motions for them to leave.

  Riley calls to them as Jim storms off and Dan hustles to catch up with his brother. “I’m so sorry guys. Thanks for coming over. Sorry to bug you.”

  Before a laugh escapes me, I dash into the trailer.

  Riley follows and tugs the door closed.

  We both collapse in a fit of giggles. I can barely breathe as I mock Jim. “Nice if you would have told your sister!” A fast knock on the door startles us both.

  Riley jumps up and answers it. If Jim’s back, he may lunge at me if he heard my impersonation.

  Chapter 19

  As soon as Riley cracks the door open, Jeff and Aidan push their way inside. “Forget about anything, ladies? Or should I say anyone?” Jeff says indignantly. Riley closes and locks the door as we both burst out laughing again.

  Aidan and Jeff patiently wait while Riley and I expel the last of our laughter. Once we’ve calmed down, we head back to the bedroom to grab two more bags. The guys hid our backpacks from earlier with the bikes. Now we’ve got to load up. Riley and I don’t plan to come back to Aunt Grace’s trailer. It’s too risky if Jim and Dan ever figure out that we had anything to do with their bikes disappearing. We’ve got to get word to Benny, just so he knows not to expect us at the base. Maybe we can figure something out after we talk to Aidan and Jeff’s friends. We may have to make a quick stop at Benny’s trailer before leaving town.

  Gathering the last of the belongings we can feasibly carry, we make our way to the door. I turn to give the trailer one last look. Hopefully, it’s goodbye for now and not forever. Until things get back to normal again—at least for the rest of the world. I have a feeling nothing will ever feel normal again for me and Riley.

  After locking the door, we slink off through the night to where Aidan and Jeff hid the bikes. We all agree the guys should drive. They both claim they’ve ridden dirt bikes before, and Riley and I have no idea where we’re headed anyway. We wheel the bikes out to the highway, into the center of the traffic mess. When we feel sufficiently concealed, Aidan and Jeff each hop on a bike and look at us expectantly.

  Riley gives me a knowing look and hops on the back of Jeff’s bike.

  Heat sears across my cheeks as I walk to Aidan’s bike and plant myself behind him.

  Aidan and Jeff wear our backpacks across their chests so that we can hold onto them.

  Trying to wrap my arms around Aidan is awkward, if not impossible, with one bag tucked across my chest and another slung over my shoulder, readying itself to bounce along my back the whole ride.

  He turns his head toward me, our faces dangerously close. “You ready?”

  With a big gulp and zero confidence I reply, “Yes.” It’s all the confirmation Aidan needs; he starts the bike and takes off.

  Jeff follows.

  I cringe when the engines roar to life. Let’s hope Jim and Dan are busy, caught up in some netherworld realm battling each other with medieval weapons. I envision them sitting on their couch, a beer in one hand and a video game controller in the other.

  Jeff and Riley follow close behind. We ride single file as we weave around both crashed and parked cars. Less than two miles down the road, the gaps widen, and the vehicles become fewer and farther between. After a right turn, we hit open road and the guys drive the bikes parallel, as if they’re fighter pilots in formation. The guys’ giddiness increases along with the bikes’ speed. Unfortunately, the added wind and motion leave Riley and I struggling to hang onto our flailing belongings and our drivers.

  Thankfully, a few minutes later, the guys decrease speed and pull off the road. After taking two rights and a left, I think we’ve reached a dead end. A crumbling pavement path leads us through a gap in the trees just wide enough for a small SUV. The dirt bikes’ headlights shine ahead, spotlighting a decrepit wooden sign dangling from a scraggly oak tree. White letters carved into the green sign welcome us to the Rustic Shores Campground.

  The guys switch off the bikes’ headlights and slow to a crawl. The engines are much quieter at a snail’s pace.

  In the moonlight I can make out the shapes of small buildings, cabins probably. They form a small village. The closer we roll toward the center of the space, the more structures come into view. A soft orange light flickers, bouncing off the external walls of a few cabins.

  Aidan and Jeff stop the bikes, planting their feet firmly on the ground.

  “We’re here,” Aidan announces.

  Chapter 20

  This place must have closed years ago. The ramshackle cabins look more like oversized sheds about to collapse. The road, or what is supposed to be a road, bears giant cracks with weeds choking out of every opening. I keep my thoughts to myself. As I climb off the bike, I reposition my bags, so they no longer dig into my shoulders and back. I notice Riley doing the same.

  Aidan and Jeff switch our backpacks from their chests to their backs and then turn, watching us.

  I take a deep breath and run my fingers through my hair, which is now completely wind-blown from the ride. Surrendering to the fact that it isn’t going to get any better without some heavy-duty brushing, I shrug and say, “Ready.”

  The guys lead us along a narrow path winding around the back of the nearest cabin. It appears to be the largest structure in the cluster. When we round the corner and near a flickering campfire, I’m shocked by the size of the “group.” Aidan said they were travelling with some friends. I expected more than two.

  One girl and one guy, both seemingly around our age, sit on logs flanking the fire. Unless others are inside the nearby cabins, four people barely constitute a group. I clamp my lips shut before asking “Is this it?”

  The guy and girl stop talking. Their eyes shift nervously from their friends to the strangers invading what is probably the only safe place they’ve known since the crash that stranded us all. As they rise to their feet, Jeff closes the gap and clasps his hand around the guy’s shoulder, saying, “Hey, man!” The girl watches cautiously.

  As if brokering a deal, Jeff maintains his position between us and them. “Jasmine, Wes, I’d like you to meet Riley and Quinn.”

&
nbsp; I throw a weak wave in the air and mutter a half-hearted, “Hello.”

  Always polite, Riley gives them both an enthusiastic, “Nice to meet you.” Her words spring from a genuine smile. I can hear it in her tone.

  Aidan moves past us toward Jeff. “Why don’t we all have a seat and maybe get to know each other a little better?”

  Riley and I move to the nearest log and lower ourselves onto it.

  The guys each take a separate log, and Jasmine settles in next to Jeff. The orange glow of the flames illuminates her high cheekbones and full lips. Her dark, cautious eyes scrutinize me, resulting in a fierce expression that would be better served flaunting the latest shade of eyeshadow in a commercial or magazine. Curly black locks hover just above her shoulders, framing her face, and her golden-umber complexion appears flawless in the dancing shadows.

  As if Jasmine’s perfection isn’t intimidating enough, her posture is stiff and uninviting. Jeff must notice too. He clamps a strong hand around her knee and gives it a shake. She jumps slightly but rewards his effort with a sincere smile. Okay, maybe she’s just nervous around new people. I need to put aside my high school girl mentality. This girl isn’t a threat to me. In fact, after tomorrow, I won’t ever see her again. Riley and I will be on our way home. While one nightmare will be behind us, another will be just beginning.

  I’m not sure how life will go on without our parents, but we have to try. Just as I’m about to mentally conjure up a list of which relatives we should try to get a hold of first, Wes breaks the silence.

  “You guys did good,” he says, nodding toward Aidan and Jeff. The flickering flame dances across his full lips and wide nose, giving him an eerie quality. “We haven’t eaten all day and these two look like they’ll be tasty!”

  Chapter 21