Wilderness, p.17
Wilderness, page 17
Fear flashes across Kekoa’s face. In a sick way, I enjoy it. She deserves it after everything she’s said about the others. About me.
I turn to the group. “You guys want to know why she’s here? What Mr. Shadow showed me? She’s not crazy—”
Kekoa shakes her head. “Stop, Cody—”
But I don’t listen. “She wasn’t a drug dealer…” She reaches out for my hand, but I pull it away. “And she didn’t kill anyone.”
“Don’t, please—”
“She was raped.”
It’s like I reached into her chest and ripped out her heart. She freezes, staring at me with absolute shock. No one moves. No one speaks.
“By her friend. She told her dad, but he didn’t believe her. So you know what she did? She tried to kill herself. Swallowed a bunch of pills, just like Meadow. She succeeded, though. Flatlined twice in the ambulance. That’s why she’s here. Guess you’re no better—”
I turn back to Kekoa. Her shoulders are hunched; her lower lip quivers; and a single tear glides down her cheek. She looks…broken.
As soon as I see her shattered face, I regret every word. All I’ve wanted to do since I got to know her was help her—and now all I’ve done is hurt her more than anyone else here. More than Mr. Shadow even. I reached into her most secret spot, yanked out her diary, and pulled open the pages for all to see. Noah. Being called a liar. Everything. I know the pain of isolation, of never being believed by those you love. The cold blood of regret floods my body, and all I want to do is throw myself at her feet and beg for forgiveness.
I could blame my betrayal on Mr. Shadow. Say he’s feeding on our agony. It makes sense that he’s using us to hurt one another. A nightmarish puppet master forcing us to say things, to cut as deep as possible to divide the group. Fan the flames of pain, terror, and hopelessness. This is what he wants so he can grow stronger. It’s why he didn’t show me anything from the beginning, not until Kekoa and I got close. Not until the truth would cause the most damage. He wants to tear us apart, and he waited for the perfect moment.
But Mr. Shadow isn’t here. He didn’t force me to say these things. All he did was plant the bomb—I detonated it. I’m the one who broke Kekoa’s trust. I broke her heart.
My mind races to say something—anything—to let her know I didn’t mean it, but before I can get a word out, a strange sound cuts through the silence. It’s familiar, but I can’t quite place it. An airy, shrill whistle echoes through the space, drawing everyone’s attention.
Where have I heard that before? Then the notes change. It’s not a whistle. It’s music. Music we’ve woken up to almost every morning for the last two weeks. Marcus’s harmonica.
“Do you guys hear that?” Deacon asks.
Tyler tilts his head like a deer listening for a predator. “Where’s it c-c-coming from?”
A chill grips my stomach and drags it down. I know. Marcus put the harmonica in his backpack. The backpack he was wearing when he left. “It’s coming from the cellar.”
Meadow perks up a little. “It’s Marcus.”
“No, it’s not,” I try, but Meadow’s smile doesn’t falter; she’s desperate for a ray of hope.
“You shut the hell up,” Deacon orders. “You’ve screwed up enough.”
“You were down there,” I argue. “Marcus isn’t there. He and Shawn are in the cooler.”
“Did you s-s-see their b-b-bodies, Deacon?” Tyler asks.
“Couldn’t see much after the lights turned off and he dragged me out,” Deacon gripes.
“I’m telling you, it wasn’t—”
Meadow cuts me off. “Kekoa!”
I turn to see Kekoa storm into the kitchen. “This shit ends now.”
“Kekoa, no!” I take off at a full sprint with the others on my tail. Mr. Shadow must have snuck through the window right behind me before we boarded it up. This is a trap. He’s leading us down into the cellar, down into the darkness.
Kekoa grabs the cellar handle. I lunge, but I’m a second too late. She pulls the door open.
The space beyond the door is pitch-black. Any light from the kitchen is sucked in and disappears. An arctic blast rushes up and nearly knocks the wind out of me.
“Come up and face us, you son of a bitch!” Kekoa screams down the stairs.
The harmonica stops. We wait in hushed anticipation, but nothing comes from below.
Another icy blast rips up the stairs, carrying a faint, grating sound. Laughter. “Kekoa, close the door,” I warn, but she just stands there. We’re all frozen in place, listening to the scratching laughter grow louder and louder.
Then I see him. Even in the blackness of the cellar, Mr. Shadow’s silhouette is darker than everything else. The black shadow starts from the basement floor and grows like a malicious tree, taller and taller until his frame fills the doorway and his hat reaches the ceiling.
My legs are locked; my muscles are frozen; and my hands are clenched so hard I feel my nails digging into my palms. I also feel Meadow’s necklace in my grip.
The triquetra! I force my arm to lift the pendant like a shield between Mr. Shadow and us.
“Leave us alone!” I scream.
But nothing happens. Mr. Shadow isn’t forced back; no light flashes from the pendant; and I don’t even feel an ounce of energy coming from the crystal.
Mr. Shadow laughs again, his scathing voice like a hot poker in my ear. The others hear it too, cringing away from the towering black mass and covering their ears.
Mr. Shadow’s head snaps up. He’s no longer a blurry shadow I’d see out of the corner of my eye. There are wrinkles in his dead skin, rot in his yellowed teeth, and cracks in his blistered lips. His sunken blue eyes stare back at me with morbid excitement.
Let’s have some fun.
And the lights go out.
Chapter 24
Someone screams. For all I know it could be me. We panic. I crash into a warm body and fall to the floor. Behind me is the glow from the fireplace in the living room. I crawl on my hands and knees as fast as I can to reach that beacon of safety.
“Get to the fire!” I yell.
We scramble out of the kitchen, away from the cellar and Mr. Shadow, and into the living room. Kekoa grabs a handful of glow sticks and snaps them all at once. She throws them into the darkest corners, giving the space an eerie green glow.
There’s no sign of Mr. Shadow. My heart feels like it’s going to explode. He’s changed. Defined, vivid. I felt his cold breath on my face.
Deacon sounds like he’s about to hyperventilate. “Holyshitholyshitholyshit—what the hell was that?!”
Meadow cries into Tyler’s shoulder. Tyler’s lips open and close like a goldfish gasping for air. “It-it-its m-m-mouth,” he tries, but can’t get the words out.
Realization hits me. “Wait, you guys saw him too?”
“That’s Mr. Shadow?” Meadow chokes out.
“That’s what you’ve been seeing this whole time?” Deacon asks, stunned. “How are you even remotely sane? I’d be loaded all the time if that freaking thing was following me.”
“He’s different. He’s changing. He’s becoming—”
“Real,” Kekoa finishes my thought.
I hold up Meadow’s necklace. “It didn’t work. He just laughed at it.”
All heads turn to Meadow, who buries her face deeper into Tyler’s shoulder, but even he pulls away a little. “Meadow, y-y-you said the p-p-pendant would work.”
“I thought it would,” she whispers.
“You thought ?” Deacon snaps. “It was a guess? We’re banking our lives on your ‘expertise,’ but you’re just a wannabe. Just another way to seek attention.”
I’m having a hard time not agreeing with him. I dove into a pool of human decay. I risked my life to go out into the woods and find that thing. All because she said it would protect us. I thought she had the answers, thought she was someone I could turn to after being alone in the dark for so long, but she’s as clueless as I am.
The reality of us not getting out of here alive starts to become as tangible as Mr. Shadow. In the back of my mind, I’ve been hoping we could come up with a way to stop him. And when Meadow mentioned the power of the crystal, there was a glimmer of hope. There’s a chance I could get back to my mom and sisters.
But now that small light has been extinguished.
Mr. Shadow is real; the others can see and hear him; and the pendant doesn’t work. We’re all trapped in a cabin in the middle of the woods with a murderous spectral who wants to drain us for every drop of fear we have before killing us. And there’s nothing we can do to stop him.
But the last thing we need right now is to fall apart. As much as I want to blame Meadow, it’s not her fault. She had an idea, and that’s more than I can say for me.
“That’s enough, Deacon!” I say. “Mr. Shadow’s in the house and we’re sitting ducks. We need a plan.”
Meadow’s mouth barely moves as she whispers. “I have—”
Deacon cuts her off. “Like I said, we make a break for it. Take our chances out there.”
Kekoa rolls her eyes. “Another brilliant idea from the mastermind of the group.”
“Shocker you take your boyfriend’s side,” he retorts.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
I ignore her disgusted tone. “So you’d rather get lost in the woods and die of starvation.”
“Better than waiting to be butchered by your freaking demon monster.”
“I have an idea—” Meadow tries again.
“He’s not mine!” I yell.
“This isn’t C-C-Cody’s fault,” Tyler chimes in.
“Yeah, it is. He brought that thing here. We were doing fine before—”
“ Shut up !” Meadow blasts.
Everyone freezes. Even Meadow is shocked by her outburst. She scans person to person hoping for a lifeline or an escape route, but there’s nowhere to go. Resting her back against a wall, she lets gravity draw her down. She becomes a frightened little ball chewing on her knees. “I have an idea,” she squeaks again.
Tyler puts a reassuring arm around her. It lightens the panic and stops her chewing. She turns her head to rest her cheek on her knees.
“I think I know why the crystal didn’t work. It doesn’t just enhance positive energy—it enhances all energy.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Deacon huffs.
“It worked before because we were trying to help. Cody was trying to save Kekoa, and I was trying to save Cody. But the last time, we were terrified. We were angry. That’s what the crystal was harnessing.”
I start to follow. “And that’s what you said Mr. Shadow feeds on.”
Meadow nods in agreement. “I think that’s why he’s changed so much, gotten so much stronger. I also think that’s why he hasn’t killed us.”
“So if his g-g-goal was to become r-r-real, w-w-what n-n-now?”
The room falls silent. The fire crackles, causing the light to dance across the walls. The green glow stays steady but only lightens the living room. The doors and halls that lead to the rest of the cabin remain pitch-black.
Meadow takes a breath and answers, “This whole time, Mr. Shadow has been trying to isolate us, right? First the equipment, then the counselors, now this. He’s trying to break us up. Make us vulnerable. Our strength is in unity.”
I study the group. We’re an alcoholic bully, a depressed perfectionist, a suicidal wiccan, a broken survivor, and me. We can barely hold up against our own inner demons, let alone battle a real one. I see the same thought in the others’ eyes.
Meadow sees it too, but instead of letting it deter her, she doubles down. “Take Deacon for example. He can be a hot-headed douchebag sometimes—”
“Now who’s being rude?” Deacon growls and crosses his arms.
“But he’s fiercely protective of those he cares about. In his way, he pushes us to be better. He could’ve left at any time, but he’s stayed. He is passionate and destructive but can also bring light and warmth. Like Fire.”
Deacon’s hands fall to his side as he tries to stifle a sheepish grin. He straightens his poster and flexes a little. “Yeah, sounds about right.”
Meadow turns to Tyler. “Tyler, you focus on being perfect so much that you can’t see the truth: you already are. You’re so smart and caring, I wouldn’t change a thing. You just need to believe that too. You’re thoughtful, creative, and the brains of the group. You are Air.”
For a moment, the fear that’s on the verge of overwhelming Tyler begins to abate. A whisper of a laugh escapes, and he gives his close friend a thankful nod.
“Kekoa, you’re the most stubborn, crass, intimidating person I know. You don’t let anyone tell you what to do. But you’re also the strongest. You carry so much—I don’t know how you do it. You don’t have to do it alone. You have friends. You have us . You can be dark and mysterious, but you’re also the life-force of the group. Water.”
Kekoa stands on the outskirts of the group, staring into the fire and nibbling on her thumb’s cuticle. I see her gears turning, trying to figure a way out of this, but she’s also using the flames as a distraction from looking at any of us, especially me. For a split second, she glances Meadow’s way and pulls her hand from her mouth.
“And Cody. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. If that thing has been with you for ten years, I can’t imagine what your life has been like. To face that and keep going, even when you’re scared, gives me the courage to overcome my struggles. Because of what you can see and your ability to overcome it, you are Spirit.”
I’ve never been called brave before. Tough to consider when I’ve lived most of my life in a constant state of terror. But bravery isn’t the lack of fear—it’s the ability to overcome it. And I’m still here, still standing against my living nightmare. I am Spirit, which is all the more appropriate since that’s what I used to call spectrals. I give Meadow a reassuring smile.
“As for me, I’m Earth. I take on the characteristics of those around me to better suit their needs. I’m a giver. But I also need to stay strong and hold to my foundations. Together, the five of us make the Pentacle. It’s one of the most powerful symbols in all of human history.”
Kekoa's arms are crossed. “That’s great and all, but how’s that going to help us?”
Meadow smiles. “We make a Devil’s Trap.”
Chapter 25
“This is a bad idea,” Deacon repeats for the hundredth time. “A very, very bad idea.”
Kekoa shrugs. “It’s better than nothing.”
“You’re not the one going down to the cellar. Why does she get to stay up here again?”
Meadow sighs at having to repeat herself. Again. “I need her to watch my back while I make the trap.” She turns her attention to me. “The salt’s in the kitchen?”
I nod. “Big bag of it right next to the stove.”
“And that will r-r-repel Mr. Shadow?”
Meadow hesitates. “It should create a protective barrier from evil spirits.”
Deacon turns on Meadow. “What do you mean ‘should’?”
“It’s not like this is an exact science or…like I’ve ever done this before.”
“And if he’s not in the cellar?” I ask, trying to keep everyone focused. “What if he’s somewhere else in the cabin?”
“I’ll pour salt in front of each door and behind you guys after you go downstairs.”
“ Should be fun,” Deacon grumbles.
“So all we have to do is get the lights working?” I confirm.
Meadow nods. “If we channel the light through the crystal and focus it on Mr. Shadow, it should destroy him.”
Deacon shakes his head. “There it is again. I’m really starting to hate the word ‘should.’”
“I-I-I don’t th-th-think I c-c-can…” Tyler tries but can’t get the words out. Meadow catches him by the hand.
“What are the main parts of a generator?” Meadow asks.
Tyler crinkles his brow in confusion but answers, “An internal c-c-combustion engine, a-a-alternator, starter, fuel tank, and outlets, b-b-but—”
“And how do they work?”
“If gas-powered, which from the description provided is what we’re working with, first you run the engine. This in turn p-p-powers an onboard alternator to generate electrical power. The outlets are used for—”
Meadow smiles and squeezes his hand. “See? Already better. Focus on what you know. We need the power for the plan to work, and you’re the only one who can fix the generator if Mr. Shadow did something to it. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to work, okay?”
Tyler takes a deep breath and nods.
“It’ll work,” I say with as much confidence as I can muster, but the truth is, I’m with Deacon. If anyone has something to complain about, it’s me. I’m not setting the trap, fixing the generator, or protecting the others. We need someone to distract Mr. Shadow. I’m the bait.
It makes sense in a twisted way. If Mr. Shadow wanted me dead, he could’ve killed me a long time ago. But that was before he took on a physical form. Now…I’m not so sure.
Each of us takes one of the five remaining glow sticks. There was a good argument for only using three and saving the other two, but no one wants to be the one without light. Plus, if the plan works, we won’t need them anymore. And if it doesn’t…we still won’t need them. Using the fishing line from Shawn’s bag, we hang the glow sticks around our necks.
With me in front, we head for the kitchen. In my mind, Mr. Shadow is waiting down every hall, around every dark corner, and behind every door. He’s stalking us, patient for the moment one of us is alone so he can rip us into the darkness, never to be seen again.
I open the kitchen door, but as soon as the green glow illuminates the space, I want to slam it shut. It’s a room of nightmares. Dark, thick blood drips down the walls; the chairs and cabinets have aged a hundred years with rot; cobwebs cover every inch; and the dining room table centerpieces are the severed heads of Tyler, Meadow, Deacon, and Kekoa.
