A Job From Hell (4 page)

"I'm being sil y," I muttered to myself as I inspected myself in the mirror for the umpteenth time. The blue skinny jeans looked real y good on me, making my legs seem so much longer. Shame Aidan wouldn't be in the woods to watch me break into the hut dressed in my best outfit.

On Friday, the house was deserted as usual. No voices, no slamming doors, no sign of anyone living here whatsoever. I left through the back, leaving the kitchen door unlocked. No one bothered to lock it anyway. As much as McAl ister liked his privacy, he didn't seem too concerned about the possibility of burglary.

Dal as's car was parked down the street. I hoped his loud muffler wouldn't draw anyone's attention, but then again who would hear it in the middle of nowhere? I jumped onto the passenger seat, pushing a black backpack aside.

"You're late," Dal as said.

I glared at him. "You said to wait until everyone's asleep. That's exactly what I did." Irritated, I peered inside the backpack. "What's with the compass?"

Dal as started the car and sped off. "I couldn't get my hands on a pair of night vision goggles, so I figured a compass was the next best thing."

"You don't know where we're going?" I turned to face him, flabbergasted.

"Of course I do." He hesitated for a moment before adding, "Sort of."

"Great. What better way to spend a Friday night than with my half-wit brother, trekking through the freezing Highlands, looking for a shed to break into? You've real y topped yourself this time."

He shot me a glare. "You only get thirty per cent since you keep insulting me. I know the way."

I held up the compass. "Sure you do."

"Hey, that's for peace of mind. Do you have any idea how dark it's going to be in those woods?"

"What did I get myself into?" I sighed. Expecting him to change his mind and give up on his grand plan made me the bigger idiot out of the two of us.

"Twenty per cent," Dal as said.

"Gee, why am I not doing it for free? I don't mind scrubbing toilets for the rest of my life."

We drove in silence for half an hour before Dal as cleared his throat and resumed a conversation, stil scowling. "How's the job?"

I shrugged. "Okay. I've done worse."

Dal as smiled and steered the car onto a narrow path, then kil ed the engine. "You definitely have. I remember when you glued tattoos al over yourself in the hope to get the receptionist job at a tattoo parlour."

"I looked ridiculous." I returned the smile. "Shame they realised my body art was fake."

He gave my hand a quick squeeze. "This is our chance, Amber. We'l make it."

With a groan, I buttoned up my coat and exited the warmth of the car. The inclining track was narrow, surrounded by tal trees. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a soft glow on my brother's face. A cold wind whipped my hair against my skin. Dal as pul ed out the compass, threw the backpack over his shoulder, switched on the flashlight and locked the car. I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Come on." He motioned me to fol ow and set off up the winding trail.

"Are you sure this is safe? You're not going to get us lost, are you?" I poked him in the back, but he didn't reply. I could only hope his lack of reassurance originated from deep concentration rather than from an inability to dispel my fears.

The air grew colder with every wearying pace I made. Dal as marched in silence, but I didn't fail to notice the hesitation in his steps every now and then. The trail wound upward, climbing into complete darkness. The stars in the sky looked like pale, gleaming dots too far away to cast any light through the thick canopy above our head. Although the ground was frozen and bare of twigs, I stumbled more than once.

By the time Dal as stopped to consult his compass yet again, my thighs ached and I felt blisters forming on my feet. I could hear my own panting and decided it was time to join the gym. Plopping down on the chil y ground, I remembered I wore my favourite jeans and jumped up. "So, how's that compass thing working for you? How long until we get there?" I asked.

"What are you, five? It's not far from here." Dal as resumed his walk. I took a deep breath and fol owed.

There was something in the air. I could feel an eerie vibe as though the air trembled. Twigs snapped, a soft humming carried over from the trees. I stopped dead in my tracks whispering, "Dal as? Do you hear that?"

My brother threw an irritated glance over his shoulder. "What now? No break."

A soft whistle echoed in the distance. "I think someone's fol owing us." I peered behind me, noticing a blue streak of light flashing through the black night.

"You've always been paranoid." He quickened his pace.

I scanned the forest behind us, but nothing moved. Apart from the usual rustling of leaves, everything seemed deserted. Maybe I was just tired and sick from constantly tripping over my own feet. My overactive mind had to be playing tricks on me. After al , we hadn't passed any car on our way here, so no one could've fol owed us.

We trudged forward until we reached a clearing. The moon peered from behind dark clouds that looked like a huge, gaping mouth mocking me.

"It's got to be somewhere here," Dal as said.

I rol ed my eyes. "Are you sure? We've only been marching for a few hours. I don't need to be home before morning."

"Stop acting like a baby, Amber." He tossed the backpack on the ground. "You wait here. I've got to take a leak."

I shook my head, trying to keep a straight face. "Nope. You said no breaks."

"But nature's cal ing. I'm taking the flashlight."

"No way." I shook my head and snatched the flashlight out of his hand. "Just make sure no one's biting anything off. Not sure we'd find it in the dark."

He smirked and slapped the back of my head like he used to do when we were children. Shining the flashlight on him, I watched him disappear into the thicket. I sat down on the damp ground, the wet grass soaking my jeans instantly. It had cost me a fortune. I considered getting up again, then thought, Screw it. We had plenty of stain remover stacked up in the utility closet to clean a whole shop. Besides, my feet were kil ing me. I peered into the darkness around me, counting the seconds.

On the horizon to my right, a blue light flashed between the trees again. What the heck? A shudder ran through me. There had to be a logical explanation. Maybe it was swamp gas, but that wouldn't make sense. We were in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. No swamps as far as I could see.

I sat up and cal ed out, "Hey, are you finished? Hurry up." When my brother didn't answer, I jumped to my feet and walked in the direction in which he disappeared a few minutes ago. "Dal as? It's getting real y freaky out here. I just saw this weird light flash. Someone might be fol owing us."

Holding my breath, I strained to hear any approaching footsteps. There were none. The blue light flashed again in the distance. "Dal as?" My voice cut through the silence of the night, almost as loud as my pounding heart. "Come on. This isn't funny. If you're playing a prank on me I swear I'm going to kil you."

Crap! Where was he? What took him so long? My heart hammered like a drum. Rubbing my clammy hands on my jeans, I peered around me, unsure what to do. Should I start searching, or just wait? Leaning against the thick trunk of a tree I waited a few more minutes, cal ing my brother's name. I received no answer. My mind started to race, eager to come up with possible explanations.

Maybe he got lost. It was more likely than him playing a prank on me. He had done many stupid things in the past, but walking away and leaving me alone in the middle of the night wasn't one of them. I should never have let him drag me out here with him. I considered my options. Either walk back to the car and wait there for him, or hike through the woods and find him. A whimper escaped my throat as I pictured my brother crying out my name, thick blood pouring out of grisly wounds. What if he wasn't lost? Maybe whoever was fol owing us found and hurt him. Going back to the car wasn't an option. I wouldn't leave my only brother dying.

Setting my jaw, I threw the backpack over my shoulder and hurried up the path, cal ing his name over and over again. Another flash of blue threw a soft glow on a black shack hidden behind the trees less than fifty feet away. Could this be the hut? Maybe Dal as had found it and was inside, finishing what we came for. I changed course away from the path, heading through the trees, grazing my hands as I pushed branches aside. And then I found myself staring at the dilapidated hut. I rummaged through my backpack and pul ed out a flashlight, switching it on.

From outside, the wooden hut didn't seem bigger than a garden shed. A door hung from old hinges that looked as though a single kick would suffice to send the whole wal plummeting to the ground. There was no handle, just a metal rod to pul with a missing padlock. Dal as had said the hut was locked; maybe someone had been here already, raiding it before us?

"Dal as? Are you here?" I whispered even though I knew he wasn't nearby.

Before I could change my mind, I yanked the door open, cringing at the squeaking sound of rusty hinges, then shone the flashlight inside. The room seemed quite big; the wooden floor was surprisingly clean for a hut. Beneath the single dirty window—the one through which Dal as must've seen the gemstones—stretched a wide pit fil ed with what looked like thick mud. On the far left side was a high podium. I inched closer to lift a scrol .

The dim glow of the flashlight il uminated the golden letters as I read:

Two plus one but less than seven chosen in scarlet for Travel.

A tiger's eye for Sight, increased by ten for those reaching Beyond.

Green as the summer's morning leaf crushed in the velvet-blue sky for Abundance.

White smoke for those who may not come back from their eternal journey.

The list went on and on with one point stranger than the other. It was al gibberish to me, so I put the scrol back on the podium and returned to the pit. The mud shimmered black. If Dal as got lost, he'd never forgive me for finding the shed and not taking the gemstones. In spite of my better judgement, I kneeled down, pul ed my sleeves back and dived my arms into the mud. I was up to my elbows when I reached the bottom. It didn't feel much different from the mud facials I usual y spread on my face, just a little warmer and smoother to the touch. Stil , who knew what was lurking down there, waiting to bite me? So, the sooner I finished the faster I could get away from this place. Taking a deep breath, I patted the ground, ready to pul back should something not feel right.

The strong gust of wind rattled the door, startling me. I flinched, stopping for a brief moment. When nothing moved, I continued my search.

Eventual y my fingers brushed against something hard and I pul ed out a milky white gemstone the size of a walnut. My heartbeat quickened as I dropped it inside the bag and went about fishing out more gemstones.

The wind outside blew stronger, shaking the glass in the window. I sat up, my arms aching from the effort of delving through the thick mud and pul ing out one stone after another. I didn't know how many I had, probably a dozen or more, al of them as large as the first one. Larger than any stone I'd ever seen, and worth mil ions if they weren't fake. Dal as would be so proud of me.

A twig snapped, making me jump. Maybe my brother had found his way to the shed, or it was an animal searching for food. I zipped up my backpack and slung it over my shoulder, then hurried out the door. Something rattled in the distance. Chains? But that made no sense. Why would there be chains in the woods?

"Dal as?" I whispered.

Feet shuffled behind the trees to my right. I snapped my head in that direction. Something or someone was out there, and judging from the lack of answer it wasn't my brother.

The smel of damp earth and oncoming storm lingered in the air. Fear grabbed hold of me as realisation kicked in. Maybe whoever fol owed us kil ed Dal as and was back to get me. I was alone in the middle of nowhere. No one would ever hear my screams. My heart hammered like a drum in my ears, stifling the usual sounds of the woods. My breathing came shal ow and laboured as I leaned against the wal of the shed, unsteady on my legs, my eyes scanning my surroundings. I feared my irregular panting would betray my presence. When seconds passed and nothing moved, I breathed out, feeling sil y. The woods sheltered al sorts of creatures, mice, foxes and the likes. They probably found me just as scary as I found them. My imagination was running wild again. It used to do that a lot lately.

Just to be on the safe side, I counted to three and dashed down the path. When I reached the clearing I stopped, panting, my sides burning from the effort. I leaned against a tree trunk and bent forward, palms pressed against my thighs, to gather my breath. Something shuffled through the thicket. My gaze darted toward the thick wal of bushes as I straightened, ready to sprint again.

A shadow stepped out of the darkness, his long, black coat swaying in the cold breeze. "Drop your backpack," a male voice demanded. It was barely more than a whisper, but there was something in his tone that left no doubt he usual y got his way. I hesitated, frozen to the spot. My mind screamed to run, but my legs wouldn't budge. The man took a step closer and lifted a gloved hand. Something thin like a long string swished past me, leaving a trail of burning flames in the high grass. The air smel ed of burnt wood. "I said drop it. Or you won't live to see tomorrow."

I stared at him, wide-eyed. Should I give up the bag? What was the point since he'd kil me anyway? Whatever happened, I wouldn't give up without putting up a fight. Even though my hands trembled, my mind remained surprisingly cool. I took a steadying breath. The flashlight dropped to the ground as I tore down the path, twigs snapping beneath my feet. I didn't think, didn't slow down to see whether the man gave chase, just ran until I reached the car and dropped to my knees a few feet away, shaking, my heart pounding hard.

The door opened and Dal as stepped out. "Where've you been? I've been waiting for ages."

"Get in the car. Go, go, go!" I could barely speak. My lungs sucked the cold air in, making a whistling sound.