Those Who Came Before Page 7

  “They didn’t want it,” Kinew continued before she could answer. “And my ancestors didn’t want it either. They argued against it. Already there was talk that the land was cursed.”

  “Were the rest of the settlers ever found?”

  “Eventually folks discovered good ol’ Thomas J. had been telling the truth about what became of his party, if nothing else. By then, animals had had their way, so there wasn’t much left to find, but it was clear something terrible had taken place. Omens and portents were respected back then. A lot of my people still respect them. I challenge you to find one person from our community who is willing to spend the night in that campground.”

  “Seems like a weird place to designate as a campground, doesn’t it? Or did you figure tourists wouldn’t care about a few scary stories?”

  Kinew pressed his lips together. A muscle twitched in his cheek. “The campground wasn’t our idea. We fought it. But apparently, even though it is ‘our’ land, the government has a say. They liked the idea of ‘lessening our dependence’ on them.” He made quotation marks in the air. “But when they tried to make us wardens, that’s where we drew the line.”

  “That’s why Conservation takes care of it.”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry about what happened to the settlers, and to the lost tribe, assuming they didn’t relocate. But those are old stories. I’m not sure I understand why people still talk about them.”

  Kinew stared at her as if she were insane. “We still talk about them because the killing hasn’t stopped.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “I can’t believe you’re sleeping. You must have no conscience.”

  With her arms folded across her chest and her foot tapping with impatience, Jessica was a caricature of a furious woman. Nothing about it was funny, though. Her eyes blazed with rage.

  “Of course I have a conscience. I feel terrible about what happened to you, to all of you.” I could see Kira watching me from behind Jess. Where is Dan?

  “And yet, you’re sleeping like a baby. Thanks for the concern, Reese. Nice of you to feel so terrible. Nice of you to care so much.”

  I recoiled at the pain in her voice. It sharpened the edge of her words, and she used it to cut me raw. “I didn’t fall asleep so much as collapsed. What did you expect me to do? Stay awake forever?”

  “You could have had the decency to join us. Especially since this was your fault.”

  “Yeah, Reese,” Kira chimed in. She looked cute as ever, but something was off. The spark in her eyes was no longer mischievous. Now it seemed…malevolent. “That’s the least you could do.”

  “What do you mean, it’s my fault? I didn’t do anything.”

  Jessica’s face twisted in anger. She rushed me. I tried to get away, but there was nowhere to go. No matter how much I sidestepped, there she was again, jabbing her finger against my chest. “You chose the campsite, even though it was closed. You cut that tree. You left us alone to die.”

  “Hey, I didn’t leave you alone. That was your choice.”

  “It wasn’t like I was going to share a tent with you. How would you like it if I’d been making the moves on Dan all night? Would you have wanted to sleep with me?” She rolled her eyes. “Never mind. You’d probably see it as a challenge or something.”

  “I d-don’t know what you’re talking about. You were pissed at me before the trip started. That’s why you stayed in the tent with Kira.”

  But I could see from the girls’ expressions that I was convincing no one, least of all myself.

  “Stop the lies, Reese. I’ve told her everything. She knows about us,” Kira said, smirking.

  At that moment I hated her, dead or not. “I don’t know what you’re on, but there is no us. There never was.”

  “Don’t bother. You know how I can tell you’re lying? Your lips are moving.” Jessica jabbed me in the chest again, and her nail was sharp. A few more times and she’d break the skin.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake. I thought she was cute, that’s it. It’s not like it’s cheating to look.”

  My girlfriend sneered, her face becoming hideous. “Cheating begins in the mind. You were planning to dump me and go after her. Admit it.”

  Out of all her accusations, this was the one that truly shocked me. They wanted honesty? Fine, they would get honesty. “Fuck no. That bitch would have driven me crazy. I just wanted to ball her.”

  Mad with fury, the women bared their teeth and lunged at me, more animal than human. Unable to run, I stood my ground, fists raised. I’d never hit a woman before, but it didn’t count if they were dead, did it? Froth dripped from Jessica’s mouth and I shuddered as she pounced, fangs curving toward her chin.

  Fangs?

  Before they could reach me, a man stepped between us. He was tall and powerfully built, his shoulders so broad I could no longer see the girls or whatever it was they had become. His bronze skin was covered with tattoos, but other than the body art, his only adornment was a small cloth around his waist. He carried an ornate walking stick, which he brandished at them.

  Jessica hissed, but Kira whimpered like a kicked puppy.

  When he turned to me, his face was stern. “What are you doing back here? I told you, you are not welcome. Leave and never return, not even in your dreams.”

  “You! You’re the one who talked to me that night,” I said, remembering his words more than his voice, which had only been a whisper. Surely I’d remember seeing a man who looked like him. Wouldn’t I?

  “Smart people only need to be warned once,” he said. When I didn’t react, he scowled and I felt a stabbing pain in my head. “Go. And don’t come back. You are not welcome here.”

  The barrier that had kept me from leaving was gone, and I ran down the gravel path as fast as I could, convinced the girls were chasing me.

  I sprinted through the dark until I thought my lungs would burst. Finally I stopped to catch my breath, bent over and gasping.

  Something brushed against my arm.

  I screamed.

  “Hey, take it easy. It’s me, Dan.”

  And it was Dan, his head thankfully reattached. His face was as round and white as the moon, his eyes bulging. “You’ve got to get me out of here. Take me with you?”

  I checked behind him, but no large native man loomed out of the darkness. Neither did those things Jessica and Kira had become. Dan sounded normal, even though he looked terrified. Still, I wasn’t sure bringing a dead guy with me was the smartest thing to do. What if he turned into a monster too?

  “Reese, it’s Dan. I’m your friend. I’m not going to hurt you.” His eyes begged me for compassion, and I could feel myself weakening. He’d always been my favorite of the three. “Are you seriously thinking of leaving me out here? I wouldn’t do that to you. You have to come get me.”

  “What do you mean, ‘come get you’? I’m already here.”

  He shook his head. “No, you’re not. It feels like you are, because you left us here. You’ll keep coming back, night after night, until you get me out.”

  Did he look a bit crazed now, or was it only the clouds skittering across the moon, casting shadows on his face? I couldn’t tell.

  “Don’t leave me here, Reese. Please.”

  I opened my eyes.

  I heard a harsh sound in the darkness and almost cried out before I realized it wasn’t the pant of an animal.

  It was my own breathing.

  Dan needs me.

  I had to get to him.

  Had I been wrong? I’d been sure Dan was dead. I mean, his blood had been everywhere. It had covered the inside of our tent.

  Maybe it wasn’t his blood.

  I’d seen his head separated from his body. It had rolled over to me and hit me on the leg. But maybe, somehow, the paramedics and doctors had saved him.


  Could someone live through that?

  I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t a doctor, so what did I know? I’d just seen him, and he needed my help. That was all I knew, and it was enough.

  Fumbling in the dark to get dressed, I pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt that was lying rumpled on the floor. I crept down the hallway to the kitchen, grabbing Mom’s keys and a light jacket. The damn cops still had my truck. Getting to the campsite without four-wheel drive was going to be a problem, especially if the gate remained shut. I’d have to walk in.

  My hand was on the doorknob when a voice made me pause.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Dad flicked on the light, blinding me.

  “Out for a drive. I can’t sleep.”

  “I know you’re going for a drive. I can see the keys in your hand. That’s not what I asked.”

  He sat in the living room in his old terrycloth robe, looking like he hadn’t slept in years. My father used to be a robust man, but lately, time had caught up with him and then some. An empty highball glass rested beside him on the end table, but I could guess what had been in it – a Black Russian. Dad rarely drank, but when he did, it was always a Black Russian. He thought they helped him sleep.

  “Where are you going, son?”

  “No particular place. Just going to drive around for a bit, clear my head.”

  “Why don’t we try that again, without the bullshit?”

  My mouth went dry. Dad seldom engaged in more than small talk with my brother and me. Mom was the one who did the talking, too much talking. When I’d discussed my family with Jessica, she had laughed at me. “What are you, Goldilocks?” she’d teased. “Everything has to be just right?”

  No, not everything. But it would be nice if something were.

  Wait, why was I lying to him, anyway? It wasn’t like I was a little kid who needed to ask permission. I was a grown man. I could do whatever I wanted. “I thought I’d go to Strong Lake, take a look around.”

  “That’s what I thought. Sit down.”

  “Dad, I really have to—”

  “Sit your ass down and have a drink with your old man.”

  He shuffled over to the bar cabinet where he kept the liqueur and vodka.

  “No thanks, Dad. I don’t want anything.”

  He considered me with a weary eye, and poured us both a drink anyway. Handing a glass to me, he went back to his chair, gesturing to my mother’s. “Go ahead, sit down. It’s not like what’s out there won’t keep.”

  I wasn’t sure about that. I thought of Dan, his face drawn and pale with fear. You have to get me out of here.

  Dad tipped his glass at mine like a toast before slugging back half his drink. I sniffed the concoction and wrinkled my nose. I didn’t like coffee liqueur, but how would he know? He didn’t know the slightest thing about me.

  “Go on. It’ll put color in your cheeks.”

  Feeling shaky after my dream, I figured it couldn’t hurt. I tried not to taste the alcohol going down, but the flavor of coffee filled my mouth and started a slow burn in my throat. I coughed.

  “Never took you for a lightweight,” my dad said, and at that moment I hated him.

  “I’m not. I don’t like Black Russians.”

  “No accounting for taste, I guess.” He frowned. “Now why in hell would you want to go back to that campsite? That’s where your friends died, isn’t it?”

  Something kept me from telling him about Dan. He’d think I was crazy, and I wouldn’t be able to help anyone if I were in an asylum.

  “I need to figure out something. I have to go back for a bit.”

  Dad shook his head like he’d heard nothing so stupid in his life. Sighing, he asked, “Why would you want to do something like that?”

  “I can’t explain it.” Especially not to you. “It’s what I need to do.”

  “It’s a crime scene, son. Don’t you get it? The police won’t let you anywhere near it.”

  Oh. Now I did feel dumb. I hadn’t thought of that, but he was probably right. What had once been our campsite was now the center of an investigation. Even if the cops had gone home for the night, there would be crime-scene tape and barricades everywhere. And what if I ended up leaving new evidence behind, like some of my hair or a shoeprint? Things would be even worse for me than Gregory Pompous had predicted.

  There was no choice but to risk it, though. I couldn’t leave Dan out there.

  “I have to go.” I rose from the chair, putting distance between the hateful Black Russian and me. I couldn’t stand the way it smelled. How he could drink that crap was beyond me. “It may seem stupid to you, but I have to see it again.”

  I have to make sure Dan’s okay. I wanted to say it, but I couldn’t. Dad would tell me Dan was dead, that his body wasn’t at the campsite anymore, that my vision had been a bad dream, likely brought on by survivor’s guilt. It was probably true, but it hadn’t felt like a dream. I’d never forgive myself if Dan needed me and I didn’t go.

  “At least wait until morning.” Dad checked his watch. He was one of the few people on the planet who continued to wear one. “That’s not far off, only a couple of hours. You can wait a couple of hours, can’t you?”

  The thought of returning to that campsite at all, let alone in the dark, gave me the creeps. I wanted to help Dan, but if he were really there, he’d be there in a couple of hours, wouldn’t he?

  “Get your mother to call that lawyer of yours. He should go with you. Otherwise, it’ll look suspicious.” He drained the rest of his drink and wiped his mouth with the ever-present handkerchief he kept in his robe pocket. “Everyone knows the killer always returns to the scene of the crime.”

  My body stiffened. I couldn’t have been more hurt if he had belted me. “I didn’t kill anyone.”

  Instead of reassuring me, he studied my face. Finally he nodded. “I believe you, son. But you better start telling the truth.”

  Rage festered inside me until I thought I would scream. “I am telling the truth.”

  “Maybe your lawyer believes that shit. Hell, maybe even your mother does. But I talked to that lady cop. What was her name, Running Waters? She told me those girls were torn apart. Ain’t no way you slept through that.”

  My legs lost their strength at the thought of Jessica and Kira’s suffering and I slumped into the recliner again. I hadn’t seen Kira that morning, and I was glad I hadn’t. Seeing Jessica and Dan had been enough to give me nightmares for the rest of my life.

  I’d racked my brain ever since I’d awakened in that tent to find the world as I’d known it had changed. Once I’d gotten over the strangeness of sharing a tent with another guy, it had been kind of fun. Dan had cracked jokes about Dutch ovens and Brokeback, and I’d actually been relieved I was bunking with another dude instead of dealing with Jessica and her melodrama. If I’d had any doubt about ending things with her, they’d vanished when she’d decided to spend the night with Kira. My heart ached with guilt when I thought of the speech she would have received if she’d lived.

  It’s not you; it’s me. I’m sensing we want different things. Perhaps I would have thrown in I hope we can still be friends for good measure. That would have been a laugh. We had never been friends.

  Dan had me giggling like a kid at a slumber party, and it must have been annoying, because one of the women had yelled at us to “Shut the fuck up!” I was pretty sure it had been Jessica.

  I wasn’t proud of it, but I’d been tempted to keep the party going out of spite. Who were they to kick us out of our tents and then tell us to shut up? What made them think they could control everything?

  As always, Dan had been the voice of reason.

  “Maybe we should call it a night, huh? Don’t want those two to miss out on their beauty sleep.”

  I snorted. “They could use it. Especiall
y Jess.”

  “Oh hey, she’s not so bad.” But from his expression of sympathy, I could tell none of our mutual animosity had gone unnoticed.

  “Compared to who? Hitler? Lizzie Borden?”

  Dan chuckled. “You guys got on each other’s nerves today. You’ll feel better tomorrow. Sleep and space, that’s the key.”

  He had settled in for the night, fluffing the top of his mummy-style sleeping bag to make a pillow. Thinking about it now, he might as well have been lying in a down-filled coffin. Those bags are impossible to get out of in a hurry.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  My own bag was nothing fancy, just two pieces of poly-filled, flannel-lined cotton stitched together, which meant I wore several layers of clothes to bed. Dan could get away with a pair of boxers. When I saw he’d already closed his eyes, I switched off the Maglite, plunging us into darkness. I never got used to how dark it was in the woods, and for a moment, I was tempted to sleep in the truck. But I didn’t want Dan to think I was a coward.

  “Good night.”

  “Good night, Reese.”

  Shutting my eyes, I tried my best not to think about the voice I’d heard. I thought of the girls in the tent by themselves. What if something happened to them because Dan and I weren’t there? Maybe I should have told Jess about it.

  My brain was spinning, and just when I’d thought there was no way I’d ever get to sleep that night, my eyelids got really heavy. The Sandman was dragging me under.

  “Reese?”

  Dan’s whisper jolted me back to consciousness. “Yeah?”

  “I wish I knew how to quit you.”

  We both burst out laughing.

  “You all right, Reese?”

  I brushed away a tear before my dad could see it and start with that Real men don’t cry crap. “No, I don’t think I am. I get how crazy it sounds, but I swear I didn’t hear anything. I just woke up and found them like that.”

  The last thing I remembered was rearranging my hoodie, which I’d been using as a pillow, so the zipper didn’t dig into my face. I must have crashed after that, because the next thing I’d heard had been the rain.