Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

That evening, after everyone has gone to sleep, I creep through the darkness over to Kincaid's tent. Luckily he pitched his close to mine so I don't have far to go.

He unzips it for me, and I crawl inside, not wanting to be alone. The memories of the mycelia wrapping around me, the flowers licking me—I keep thinking that if I close my eyes I'll be devoured by the earth without Kincaid there to pull me out.

But we don't sleep. We have sex instead, quiet and controlled movements that keep the tent shaking to a minimum. Kincaid takes his time, slow and teasing as he pushes in and out, pausing to lick up my body. Sometimes he goes down on me again, a thirsty boy who can't seem to get his fill, and then he's rolling me over on my back and taking me from behind.

At some point in the haze of sex, footsteps crunch outside the tent and a light appears, showing a silhouette.

I freeze but Kincaid keeps fucking.

"Wes," Hernandez whispers. "Are you awake? Where did you put the extra stakes?"

Kincaid places his hand over my mouth and clears his throat. "They're underneath the bag with the extra blankets," he says evenly, as if he's not currently thrusting his dick into me.

I stare up at Kincaid, wide-eyed, and he grins down at me, clearly enjoying the fact that we're fucking in front of his co-worker, who currently has no idea but could catch us at any second.

"Thanks. Sorry to wake you," Hernandez says as he shuffles away.

"Wasn't asleep," Kincaid says after him, and quickly brings me to climax, never taking his hand away.

After that I sleep soundly, no bad dreams or anything until Kincaid rouses me awake at first light. "Better get back to your tent. The moment that sun is up, everyone will be awake."

I thought I got back to my tent in the grey dawn without anyone seeing me, but later Lauren pulls me aside and says, "I saw you sneaking out of his tent."

My stomach churns uneasily and I give her a sheepish look. "Well, you did say he was always staring at me. Just wanted to see if it was true."

I expect her to laugh because she has always been teasing me about Kincaid, but she doesn't. Her expression is grave, tone serious. "I want you to be careful," she says. "He's taking advantage of you."

I frown. "No, he isn't. What do you mean?"

She puts her hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. "Just be careful with him, please."

After that, everyone has a breakfast of oatmeal and nuts and we're tasked with taking down our tents. But I can't help thinking about what Lauren said. I know Kincaid isn't taking advantage of me, because I'm the one initiating everything. I want her to know that, but I have a hard time getting her alone without Rav or Munawar around.

Just as we had all tucked our tents into their respective packs, Kincaid, who had been conversing with Hernandez over something that looked serious, listening to a small radio in his hand, turns to us.

"Can I have your attention?" Kincaid booms, giving us an uneasy smile. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. The weather center is calling for a massive pacific storm to hit us in forty-eight hours, with the first bands coming in at twenty-four hours. The peninsula is exposed to the elements on all three corners and the weather is usually foul as it is. We can't risk it and will have to head back to the lodge immediately."

Everyone breaks out into a disappointed groan, myself included.

"I know, I know," Kincaid says. "I'm just as upset about it as you, especially as the weather right now is brilliant for once. But things change here, and when they do, they change fast. We can reschedule the trip for next week, as soon as the storm clears, I promise. At least then you'll know what to expect."

"Can we have better food than sandwiches?" Munawar asks.

Kincaid chuckles. "Yes. I promise."

So with that, we all get our packs on, knowing we're going to be heading back down instead of up.

It's funny, being away from Madrona has helped my head clear for the first time. Not counting my bizarre sexual plant hallucinations in the forest, since I still don't know what the fuck that was about. I decide to wrap up that moment with a little bow and shove it back in my head, where it can collect dust along with other memories I don't want to look at ever again.

At least the hike back down goes faster than the one going up. I try to focus on the positives about returning to the lodge early, and the only one I can come up with is the fact that it's much easier for me to sneak into Kincaid's boat in the middle of the night instead of a tent. And that's enough of a perk for me. Having sex with Kincaid is the only thing that feels normal these days, like he's the only thing keeping me remotely sane.

But when we finally reach the ATVs, the weather has started to change. It's much cooler, with a wet ocean breeze, and the clouds are stiflingly low, threatening us with rain.

Of course since we're back early, there isn't an extra ATV for us.

"There's not enough room for everyone," Kincaid says, rubbing his jaw in thought.

"I can ride in the trailer!" Munawar offers.

"Still not enough room," Hernandez says. "We have two ATVs and three groups, so one group will have to stay behind while the other drops people off and comes back for you."

"I have the rifle," Kincaid says. "And I'm the only one licensed to have one. I'll stay behind."

And I'm not going back to the lodge alone. "I'll stay, too," I speak up, and I don't give a fuck if that seems weird. I purposely avoid Lauren's stare, but then she says, "I'll stay too."

"Me too," say Munawar and Rav.

Patrick, who was with us on the way up, shrugs and says he'll also stay.

"Now, to find out which one of you can drive an ATV," Hernandez says, clapping his hands together.

Surprisingly Natasha raises her hand. "My parents have a dairy farm outside Chicago. I can do it."

So Natasha gets behind the wheel, looking very comfortable, and Hernandez gets behind the other as the rest of the students pile in. They wave and drive off, leaving us in their dust.

I swallow hard. "Now what?" I say, looking at Kincaid for guidance.

"We can sit here and twiddle our thumbs, or we can get moving," he says. "I say we get moving. I'm sure we'll be halfway down by the time they return for us. Beats waiting."

We start walking down the logging road. The rain seems to hold off and the wind dies down to nothing. But in its place rises the mist, condensing on everything, leaving the atmosphere cold, dank, and spooky. The forest rises up from other side of the road, but you can only see a few yards through the trees and the tops become covered in fog.

None of us say much at first, the air filling with a thick, eerie silence punctuated only by the crunching of our shoes on the dirt, and the soft clang of the bear bells. The fog seems to bring the mosquitoes, and I try to wave them away as they whine in my ears.

But as I'm doing so, something in the misty woods catches my eye.

There's something there, something dark lurking, sliding between the trunks.

"Hey guys," I say, raising my voice. "I might be seeing things, but is there something to our right? Look between the trees."

Kincaid instinctively reaches back to touch his rifle as everyone looks where I'm staring.

"I don't know, it's hard to tell when we're moving too," Rav says. "Maybe we should st?—?"

"No," Kincaid cuts him off, taking the rifle off his shoulder. "No, we keep walking. We keep talking. Loudly."

"Okay great!" Munawar says. "Because I think there's something to our left."

Our heads swivel to the other side of the road. I squint to see what looks like moving bushes until something rises up out of it, a black shape.

"What is that?" Lauren whispers. "Is that a bear?"

"Maybe it's a wolf," I say, looking back to the other side now. Whatever it is closest to me on the right, it's staying just out of view, a murky dark shape amongst all the blackberry bushes that rustle as it brushes past. If the fog would clear a little, we would get a better look, but none of us want to venture closer.

"No, I think it's a bear," Kincaid says. "Two adult bears on either side of us."

"Grizzlies?" Patrick asks in a shaky voice.

"Black bears," Kincaid says. "Which normally stay away, as you know. They don't want to bother us, we don't want to bother them. They could be curious, escorting us out of their territory. That's why they're not coming closer."

But at the mention of bears, I don't picture the mother and cubs we saw yesterday. I picture something else. I picture the baby goat, I picture the wolf. I see a bear with its fur sliding off its skull, exposing the white bone of its long jaw, the sharp teeth, the empty eye socket filled with writhing mycelia. I imagine a beating heart covered with mold, lungs filled with orange spores.

And the more I stare at the shapes in the trees, the more I think that's what I see. The bear moves strangely too, limping, dragging its feet, and sometimes when the mist clears in places, I think I see wild fur standing straight up, like a hyena.

Please let this be a normal bear, please let this be a normal bear.

I catch Kincaid's eyes as he looks back at me, and from the grim expression on his face, and the way he's holding the gun, I can tell that he's thinking the exact same.

"Seriously, fuck this place," I grumble under my breath.

But when I glance at the others, expecting to see admonishment, they nod in agreement.

Fuck this place indeed.

We keep walking. We ring the bells louder. Munawar starts singing the Bangladesh national anthem at the top of his lungs and then rattles off the players on his favorite cricket team. I think we all feel like we're going absolutely insane listening to him, but all the while, the bears in the brush keep following us. Even when Kincaid suggests we walk faster, the bears keep pace with us, their movements becoming even more erratic.

"How long can we keep this up?" I say to Kincaid.

"As long as it takes," he says, brandishing the weapon. "Don't worry, I have enough bullets."

Normally I would protest, hating the idea of shooting a bear, even in self-defense. I think I'd rather get a little mauled first than cause death. But I know these aren't normal bears. I feel it my soul, in my blood, in my bones. I mean I actually feel it, like my veins are vibrating.

Then the fog starts getting thicker, nearly blotting out the trees, but we can still see the bears, which means they're getting closer.

Much closer.

"I want to run," Rav says, his breath shallow. "When do we run?"

"Never," Kincaid says sharply. "We never run from a bear. We keep doing what we're doing, and eventually?—"

He stops talking as the roar of an engine is heard.

"Oh, thank fuck!" Lauren yelps. "They're here!"

Headlights flash through the fog and the ATV nearly takes us out, unable to see us until the last minute.

"That was close," Hernandez says, skidding to a stop. He looks at our faces, then the gun. "What is it?"

"Bears!" Kincaid yells, ushering us all to climb in. With no spare seat, he climbs in the trailer at the back and thuds his fist against the metal. "Go, go, go!"

We barely strap ourselves in before Hernandez takes the ATV at a wide angle and I'm dangerously close to the edge of the road, the blackberry and salmonberry bushes brushing against my thighs.

And that's when I stare right into the mist, right into those trees, and see the shape of a creature charging at me. Just a flash of an empty eye socket, white skull and matted hair, mouth open in a guttural roar.

The ATV peels away just in time, rocks and dirt kicked back, and Kincaid bounces in the trailer behind us, rifle out and aimed as we speed down the road.

"Did you see that?" I whisper to no one in particular.

"I saw it," Lauren says firmly.

The relief is palpable.

She saw the half-dead creature.

I'm not fucking crazy.

"Look!" Rav yells.

We watch in the distance as the creatures come to the middle of the road, still half-buried by the fog so only their outlines can be seen. They don't run after us but the bears are joined by others. It looks like a dozen of them have gathered, watching us leave, before the mist swallows them entirely.

Lauren reaches over and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. I squeeze her hand back. "Rabid bears, maybe?" she asks.

"Maybe," I say. But I know now that's not it.

It's not even close.

By the time we get back to the lodge, the mist has cleared a little, and we march right into the dining hall for dinner. The atmosphere is still tense, especially for those of us who saw the bears, and we mostly eat in silence. Even the other groups seem to be on edge as we dig into our chicken pot pies. Though the fire roars from the hearth, I can't seem to shake a chill.

After dinner some of us hang out in the common room, snacking on cookies with mugs of hot chocolate. I hang out with the usual crew, though Patrick has joined us now, all of us sitting in the chairs in the corner, talking about what we saw, trying to make sense of it. Lauren and I seemed to be the only ones to see the bears melting faces but the others don't dismiss us. Instead they believe it. Everything about that encounter seemed to be against the laws of nature.

"Strange vibes," Lauren says, nibbling on a cookie and dusting the crumbs off her thighs. "Not just from the journey, but like here." She motions around her. "This place. The lodge."

I have to agree. I feel with us coming back early we interrupted something. I know the lodge is just a bunch of buildings, but some days, particularly at night, I feel it has a personality of its own—and it's not a nice personality. Moody, perhaps. And tonight, I feel like it wants us gone, like we're not supposed to be here.

"Okay, I'm actually going to have an early one tonight," Lauren says, getting to her feet.

"Yeah me too," Rav says, stifling a yawn. He and Lauren lock eyes and a knowing look passes between them before they wave goodbye to us and head up the stairs together.

"Oh, they are so doing it," Munawar says.

I elbow him, almost causing his hot chocolate to spill on his shirt that says All Mushrooms are Edible—Some Only Once.

"Nah, they are," says Patrick. "Good thing I don't share a wall with either of them."

And at that the rest of us decide to turn in.

I say goodbye to the guys, unlock my door, and step inside my room. I head straight to the sink, washing all the camping off my face and hands until I feel clean and refreshed, even if my mind is still in the murk.

Suddenly an impossibly loud, clanging alarm sounds, and the room starts flashing red, like I'm in a submarine and a missile is coming. I yelp and cover my ears with my hands, unable to block out the noise as a shuddering sound starts to shake the building.

"Warning," a robotic voice announces over loudspeakers I didn't even know existed. "Dangerous animal reported in area. Please seek shelter immediately. Warning. Dangerous animal reported in area. Please seek shelter immediately."

"Oh my god," I cry out, running to my door and opening it to see everyone filing out of their rooms, some excited, some in a panic.

"Do you think it's the bears?" Munawar says, grabbing my arm, and I can't tell if he's excited or not.

"What bears?" Natasha asks, holding Justin's hand.

Further down the hall I spot Lauren and Rav stumbling out of her room, their clothes askew, their hair messy. If I wasn't starting to panic myself, I'd think it comical that the lodge is cock-blocking her.

"We're locked in!" someone yells from downstairs.

We all clamor down the steps to the common room where Toshio is struggling to open the door. It only moves an inch before it hits metal siding.

"No way, they have automatic shutters," Justin says. "This is like living in the middle of a bank robbery!"

The door to reception opens and Michelle steps out, red-faced and looking flustered as hell, her palms raised.

"Don't panic everyone!" she shouts. "Remain calm. This happens sometimes, it's probably just a cougar."

"Yeah but cougars avoid people if they can help it," Noor points out. "They're not velociraptors trying to find their way in."

"I did not need that visual!" Munawar shrieks.

Chaos. It's utter chaos.

"And why are the windows not covered?" Lauren says, peering out of one.

That gives me an idea. I decide to run up the stairs and back to my room.

I hurry over to the window to get a visual. I can see people running beneath the trees, and though I can't make out who they are, some of them are carrying rifles.

Jesus. I guess this really is a big deal.

I keep watching, waiting for someone else, something else, but it seems like they've all run off some place I can't see. I'm about to head downstairs and join the rest when movement catches my eye.

It's crawling all crouched, like an animal, and pale, but then it straightens up once it's under the cedar tree across from me, looking decidedly human as it climbs up. The cedar branches begin to shake, and every now and then I can see glimpses of hands, of feet, of a face, until finally it moves out onto a branch at eye level with me.

A scream dies in my throat.

It's Clayton.

It's hard to tell at first because his face is covered in shadow, but the shadows are slick and when I realize it's covered in blood, my mouth waters with nausea.

He's staring right at me, naked. He's been cut open down his chest, staples holding him back together. His fingers curl around the branch and he's trying to speak, to tell me something.

I'm about to open the window when suddenly he twists to look behind him and a bunch of people run under the tree. A gun goes off, shaking the window, and Clayton is hit, falling out of the tree and to the ground in a lifeless heap.

I scream.

I scream and I scream and then someone down below looks up at me, his face in shadow.

Michael.

Then he disappears and Clayton is dragged out of sight, just as Lauren and Rav run into my room, followed by the others.

"What is it, what happened?" she cries out. "I heard a gun!"

I point at the tree, shaking my hand violently. "Clayton! It's not a cougar, it's Clayton! He was in the tree and they shot him. Oh my god, they fucking shot him, they killed him!"

"Clayton?" Lauren repeats.

"Clayton went home on the seaplane," says Patrick.

"I know but he didn't! Kincaid lied, he lied." Oh my god, he lied to me. "He lied to us all. They're all lying to us! That was Clayton. I know it was. Go outside and check, there will be blood! They shot him out of the tree!"

"Okay, calm down," Michelle says from the door as she pushes her way into my room and through the crowd, grabbing me roughly by the shoulders. "You're the one who is lying, Sydney. Clayton went home. You saw a cougar."

"No I didn't," I snarl, trying to get away from her. "Let go of me! Get your fucking hands off me!"

Michelle's nails dig in harder, her awful pink lips in a sneer, and then Lauren is there, yanking at her sleeve.

"She said to not touch her, now fuck off!" Lauren yells, and then Natasha steps forward, grabbing Michelle by the other arm. If I wasn't freaking the fuck out I'd be utterly touched by their support.

I stumble backward until I hit the wall. "I am not lying! I saw Clayton. They lied about him, they're keeping him here, he looked operated on and?—"

"Alright, alright, what's going on here," says Michael.

I freeze when I see him walk in the door, followed by Everly and David. "Everyone clear out, including you, Michelle."

"No!" I yell, trying to hold on to Lauren. "No, I'm not going to be alone with you people. You're murderers!"

"You're overreacting, Sydney," Everly says in her calm voice. "It's okay, everyone here knows that you're prone to such things."

I shake my head in confusion. "What do you mean everyone here knows?" I stare at Lauren. "What did they tell you?"

She just stares at me, blinking.

"They know you've been through a lot," Everly says, coming closer. She looks at Lauren and gestures with her head for her to go. Lauren looks torn. "It's okay, Lauren. You're a good friend. But clearly she didn't see Clayton in the tree. None of that makes any logical sense. If you don't believe us, we have logs of the seaplane. We have his flight information from Vancouver back to Montana. We would be happy to show you, but first we have to deal with poor Sydney." She pouts at me.

"Fuck you!" I yelp and try to run at her, but Michael jumps in front of me and with a quick maneuver wrenches my arms behind my back.

"Everyone out!" Michael bellows. "David, escort them all to their rooms."

David tries, but it's like herding cats, none of the students want to go anywhere.

"Don't leave me alone with them," I plead.

"That's enough Sydney," Everly snaps. She looks at everyone. "As you can see, she's in need of treatment and TLC. Please, go back to your rooms. We're just going to check her over in the nurse's office. We'll release her when we're done."

"Now!" Michael barks, and that's enough for everyone to jump and then start slowly shuffling out of the room.

"You need to calm down," Everly says, turning her back to everyone as she brings out a needle from her coat and jabs it in my arm. "There. Now we can take you to get your rabies shot. You're due for your last one."

I feel the shot almost immediately. The room starts to swim and my knees buckle. It's only then that I notice Michael's dark shirt has been splattered with blood.

"You're going to be okay," Everly says as the world starts to get fuzzy. "You're having an episode. But don't worry, Nurse Everly is going to make it all better."