28
Wyatt
When I woke the next morning, it was still dark. The house was quiet. Still, I opened the window, half expecting to see Danielle again. Nothing there. But by the slim circle of moonlight, I could tell it had snowed all night long, snowed deep enough to obliterate any memory of grass. I stood for a second longer, listening for a voice on the wind. For a second, I thought I heard it. Then, it faded away. I started to put down the window. It was old and hard to pull up on, and as I struggled with it, I felt a chill run through my arms. Then, my entire body. At the same time, I noticed a car pull up in front of the house beside a bank of snowy evergreens. Its lights went out, and it disappeared. This was strange. Few cars passed in the morning. Eighteen wheelers, yes, but few cars, and fewer stopped. Probably, the driver was waiting for someone. Still, I’d remember to look when I came down.
Now, I dressed quickly in warm clothes, bringing extra jeans and a sweater in case of another mishap. I crept into the hall. Mrs. G. wasn’t up. I’d beaten her, for once. What luck. I tiptoed down the dark stairs and left a note telling her I was going skiing with Josh.
At the last minute, I went into the hallway coat closet and found a coat. I was careful to choose one from the back, so Mrs. G. wouldn’t notice it missing. I took the car keys and stepped outside.
The car was in the garage, which was an old one without an electric door. But the driveway was completely snowed in. That meant I had to shovel it first. The road was already clear.
As I shoveled, I noticed the car was still there, out on the road, far in front of the house, motor running.
Finally, I put down the garage door and pulled onto the road.
The car followed me.
The road was otherwise deserted. I glanced at the dashboard clock. Six thirty. I decided to change my plans and go to the grocery store the next town over, which was south instead of north. I found a safe place, then pulled off the road without signaling. The car soared past me. It was some kind of sedan, an Accord or Taurus, dark blue or black. I made a U-turn and sped in the opposite direction.
A minute later, I saw the same car, behind me again, its lights blazing in the window.
Finally, I reached the grocery store. Again, I turned off without signaling, without warning. Again, the car soared past me.
I had to wait a few minutes before the store opened at seven, but I could see the employees inside. I knew the guy would be back in a minute. Then, he was. The light was good enough, now, that I could see it was an old, dark blue Taurus. Whoever it was stayed in the car. The store opened its doors, and I walked around, choosing random items, fruit and donuts for breakfast. Why would anyone be following me? Me, who knew nothing, who wasn’t even from around here? Could it be because I’d asked about Zach? But no, I hadn’t even given my real address. What if it was someone looking for Rachel, someone who’d seen me go to her? But even that seemed insane. No one knew about Rachel. She said she hadn’t seen anyone but the woman who took care of her, a woman she called Mama even though she wasn’t her mother, in years. Still, I had to lose the guy before I went to her. I approached the register. The car was still out there.
The cashier was a girl about my age. I remembered what Astrid had said, about everyone knowing everyone around here. “I think that blue car’s been following me. Any idea who it is?”
She glanced outside, squinted, then shrugged. “Doesn’t look familiar. You from around here?”
Considering the circumstances, I said, “I’m from Long Island, staying at the Big Spruce Lodge.”
“Shame. We don’t get many new people here.”
“I’m staying a month. I’ll stop by again. You always work mornings?”
“No, during school I work nights.”
“Perfect. I’ll stop by.
She nodded. “I’ll look for you.”
She was still watching me as I walked out the door. Which was good because she could be a witness if anything happened later on.
Clutching my groceries in one hand, my keys in the other, I sprinted for the car. It took a minute to open the door since Mrs. Greenwood, of course, didn’t have remote door locks. I got in, locked the door, and waved to the check-out girl. I drove to the exit, signaled left, but turned right. The guy still followed me. I accelerated. It was about half a mile to the expressway entrance, and I wanted to be going fast, real fast, when I got there. The guy kept pace with me.
As soon as the expressway signs came into view, I started to signal. The guy signaled too.
I took the ramp and made like I was going for the southbound entrance. The guy followed me. We were going close to eighty. At the last minute, I swerved left, taking the northbound entrance.
The Taurus missed it and soared into the southbound lane. I headed north.
I’d lost him. But it didn’t explain why he’d been following me in the first place.
The distance between exits around here might be ten miles or more. I had lost him in a real way. Still, I would keep one eye on the rearview.
To further evade the guy, I got off at a later exit, then drove back. No one was on the road but the snowplows. I followed them until I got to the back road I’d taken to the cabin, then realized it hadn’t been cleared. Fortunately, the trees protected it a great deal, so the snow coating was light. Still, I pulled over earlier than before and began to slog through the snow. It was even harder than the first time, but now, I had a goal. Rachel. Beautiful Rachel, Rachel who knew better than me or anyone what it was to be all alone.
My legs ached, and it was hard to lift them in and out of the soft snow. Still, I did. The pain felt good. It made me feel alive and like my life had purpose.
I knew what that purpose was too, to persuade Rachel to come with me, to run away with me. It was the only safe way. I was certain the guy who had followed me was really after her. He knew about her, somehow. She had told me about her mother’s killer. He wanted to find her. Maybe I had tipped him off. If she came with me, we could find someone, the police, the FBI. Someone who wasn’t me to get to the bottom of this. After all, what reason did she have to stay, other than some woman who was holding her captive?
And suddenly, I heard a voice in the distance, singing something. But it couldn’t be. The tower was tall, and surely, the window was closed against the cold and snow. Was I delirious from the frigid weather? Or was some supernatural force calling me toward her?