Hidden Moon (28 page)

“Tiffany. I’m so sorry. Whatever you had done, you didn’t deserve this,” my voice came out hoarse and whispery.

I lay my head against the cool, stone wall behind me and cried while my thoughts ran rampant. My subconscious kept warning me,
You may be in a Deadland. This will happen to you and they’ll never find you here.

“It won’t happen to me. I won’t let it,” I argued with Tiffany’s still body as if she were the one who had thought the words instead of me.

My eyes fully adjusted, I stayed close to the wall of the small underground chamber, keeping one hand on the wall to steady me. The water, once at my knees, went up to my hips in some places, as I made my way around the small room. I ignored the small bumps of floating things in the water, since I was certain that I didn’t want to know what they were, and concentrated on keeping my footing.

I realized there was no other exit as I came full circle to where I had started. The only way out was the way I had come in, which had to have been from above. I squinted up at the little crack of light. I had to find a way up. I made another circle, this time keeping both hands on the wall, feeling for any handhold I could get. I slid my hands against the cold rock until they sank into mud.

Ecstatic that I had found a way up, I made my way slowly up towards the light. For every inch I went up, I seemed to slide back two.

“You can do it, you can do it,” I chanted, ignoring the scrapes of small rocks that dug into my stomach as I pushed upwards with my legs and grabbed for any hand hold I could find.

After what seemed hours, I made it to the top and probed the small crack with my fingers. It was only a couple inches wide and solid rock was all around it. I took my fingers back out and pushed as hard as I dared against the roof. It didn’t give at all. I shoved harder, adrenaline coursed through my body as panic set in. I couldn’t die here, I had to get out. This rock had to move. Forgetting that I sat precariously on a steep mud wall, I shoved with all my strength, hitting the rock as hard as I could with my hands. The shock reverberated back down my arms a millisecond before I lost my footing and went half-sliding, half-bouncing back down the wall and landed in the water on my butt.

I threw my head back and screamed as loud as I could in frustration. I curled my knees up to my chest, and hid my face in my hands. Hot, angry tears seeped between my fingers. I would never get out of here, I would be like the others, just another missing girl. The Keepers would look for me and never find me. Mom would never know what happened to me. What if they never found Emily, either? Mom would be all alone, with no one to help her if both of her girls were gone. I eyed the dark, putrid water as something pale and bloated bobbed inches from me. Some part of my brain reasoned that my little sister may very well be down here with me as well. I looked down at Tiffany’s blonde tendrils and imagined Emily’s dark curls floating in the water.

I stifled the urge to scream and forced myself to take deep breaths. The air filled my nostrils with the stench of rotting flesh. My stomach, having found some small particle of food deep down, surrendered, and sent me vomiting against slick, wet wall. Drained once again, I leaned my forehead against the cold rock and forced myself to concentrate on Adam.

I wondered if he could sense at all where I was. If he couldn’t, would he think me dead? Would he stop looking if he knew all he would find would be my bones? Would he mourn me forever or would he find another? Would it be Hannah? That thought of Hannah had me back on my feet, more determined and frustrated than ever.

I was suddenly overcome with a feeling of absolute satisfaction. It felt as if everything was right with the world, I was on top, and nothing would bring me down. I would do as I wished and no one would stop me
.

He’s coming back, I thought, panicking. The killer hadn’t left me here to die, yet. I glanced over my shoulder at Tiffany’s broken body, and prayed that wasn’t his intention. Deciding it would be better to know what he had planned, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, steeling myself against the fear that roiled in my stomach.

I shouldn’t come back here so soon. He may find me out, but I can’t help it. I need to smell her fear and hear her beg for her life. I heard her scream a minute ago, so I know she’s awake. Did the other girls frighten her? Or is she just hurt? I can’t help it, I must know. I have time. He won’t find me here now. He knows the others are searching. He’ll stay away for awhile.

The double sensation of panic and relief surged through me. The killer had heard me, but maybe someone else had, too. If I could only keep him talking to me, maybe someone would find me. I concentrated on taking deep breaths; I would need my wits about me. I couldn’t let myself get out of sorts.

I heard him above me and the rock above moved as if it were light as a feather. I was bathed in blinding light. I blinked up at the man who squatted near the edge of the hole. As my eyes adjusted, I looked up in shock at the familiar face with a silver streak of hair. Emotions mixed and twisted inside my head. Shock and fury ran through me as I looked up at Reuben.

“I see you are awake,” Reuben stated, as if he had just met me in the store and asked how I was doing.

Disbelief won over every other emotion as I stood there and gaped at him, not sure what to say. What do you say to a sadistic murderer? Hi, nice day, isn’t it? Why ruin a perfect day with murder? I hear it’s going to rain tomorrow and my schedule is free…

“I suppose you’ve met my other girls?” he added conversationally, a slight smile curving his lips.

All the little bumps of things in the water with you are people. Dead, murdered hikers
. Well, not all hikers
.
I turned and looked again at Tiffany’s torn body, biting my lower lip to try to hold the hysterical scream back that threatened to tear from my throat.

“Why are you doing this?” My voice shook, and I hated myself for sounding so weak. I had to keep him talking so someone could find me. I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin stubbornly and glared up at him.

“Well, my dear. You wouldn’t stay out of the way, so I had to take care of you. I could not have you mess up my plans. You threaten too much that I hold dear. With you out of the way, no one would ever have to know what I am—who I am.” His smile was getting more eerie by the second.

“The Trail Killer,” I shivered.

He laughed. It was a short, loud burst that didn’t at all sound amused. “Yes, that’s what they call me. But I’m so much more. They don’t have any idea of everything I am or the power I hold.”

Okay, so he was a lunatic
and
a sadistic murderer, I decided. I tried to keep my voice level and strong, in spite of my body that was still quivering. “My sister. What have you done with Emily?”

“Oh, your little brat is fine. I didn’t have to touch her” he scoffed, waving his hand down as my little sister were nothing but a trivial matter. “She was only bait to get you to leave the game. Being a Keeper for as long as I have, you learn that sometimes you can make your Seer see things that aren’t precisely true, especially if you concentrate hard enough. I’ve done it with Jenna White Hawk for years. All I had to do was concentrate and think about abducting your little brat and that’s all you saw. The hardest part was getting that teddy bear so you would get close enough to the trees. I didn’t think she would ever leave it where I could snatch it. I finally did, though, and then everything was so simple. You believe everything you see so easily.”

Relief flooded through me that Emily was safe, and all the tension left. I was the only one in danger, so I could deal with this. I would find a way to get out of this deep, dark hole. Adam would find me, and then this man in front of me would have hell to pay.

Keep him talking. You need to find out more
,
I reminded myself.

“Where am I and what is this place?”

“Well, my dear, you are in a hole, in case you haven’t noticed. And it isn’t all that far away from your house. I happened upon it years ago when I was leaning against the rock and it gave a little. I pushed it, and discovered the nicest little hiding place. I knew no one would ever find anything here, being as it’s close to the edge of a Deadland,” he said, seeming rather satisfied. “I haven’t had to worry much, since your grandmother was so old. When she died, I made sure I was given the house at the rental agency to watch over. There hadn’t been any trouble until you showed up. Now, all of a sudden, the leader of the pack decides to travel this way on a daily basis. At least this stone blocks their scent.” He peered down triumphantly at me.

“Why Tiffany? Why is she here? She wasn’t one of the hikers. What had she done to you?” Sure, she had made everyone in school mad at her from one time to another, but I couldn’t make a connection from the hikers to her to
him.

Sudden rage flared up in his dark eyes. “She was after the boy, but it was only because of you. She would never have bothered with him if you hadn’t …” he broke off and his head snapped up, as if he had heard something.

Now was my chance, someone was coming. “Help! Help me, please!” The sounds of my screams were cut off as he jumped to his feet and had the massive stone slid back in place in a mere second. My last word bounced and echoed against the walls, as if it were as trapped as I was.

Once again, I was left alone in my dark, watery prison. Now that I was aware that there were many more bodies down here than just Tiffany’s, my skin became super-sensitive as it felt the brush of things that bumped against my legs. I propelled myself backwards, trying to get to more shallow water. I took small, shallow breaths through my mouth in an attempt to ignore the overwhelming smell of rot and decay.

The opposite wall was closer than I judged and once again I whacked against the solid rock, whooshing out what air I had, and bumping the back of my head. If I hadn’t already had a goose egg where he hit me earlier, it probably wouldn’t have hurt as much. But being as it had already been hit once, the slight tap sent bright white spots whirling in front of me. My eyes watered and I slid down the wall to crouch, waiting for the pretty white spots to leave me and the darkness to surround me again.

Adam, where are you? I need you so much. Why can’t you find me? I gave in and cried. I brushed the tears away after a few moments, irritated that I felt so helpless. For some reason the Keepers couldn’t find me, so I would have to help them somehow. Maybe brain waves didn’t carry through solid rock. I was going to have to try to get out again, and then maybe they would find me.

I waited another minute for my head to quit throbbing, before I attempted to stand. My mind raced as it replayed the conversation with Reuben. Who was
the
boy
? Whoever he was, Reuben seemed very protective of him. If I couldn’t get out before he came back, maybe I could use that angle to gain some sympathy. I doubted it would work, but I was ready to try anything. Only his mention of
the boy
, had given him any emotion that seemed human. And human was the only part that I would be able to bargain with. Leaving my mental walls completely down in case he came back, I decided my best bet was to try to climb up the mud again and get as close to the opening as I could manage.

This time seemed easier than the first, and the closer I got to the opening, the clearer the voices and thoughts bounced into my head.

Did he hear her? If he did, there’s only one thing I can do.

Where is he? I could have sworn I thought I heard someone scream.

The first voice I knew, without a doubt, as my abductor. The other had me more perplexed. It wasn’t one of the Keepers. I knew their thoughts and voices. Each of them had a different feel that made them individual and pointed out who they were. I crawled closer to the crack and strained to hear more.

Worry took over all at once, flooding every cell in my body as my heart raced, threatening to beat out of my chest. My breath started coming in short gasps as if I had been running as fast as I could go, pushing myself harder than I had ever gone before.

Where is she? I can’t find her,
Adam’s voice fuzzed brokenly through my mind, like a radio station with bad reception filtering out the voices I heard seconds earlier. Then, a bright flash blinded me.

I was racing ahead of the pack. I had to find her. I had always known where she was until now. I felt her at the football game, then I felt her fear, and then there was nothing. How could there be nothing? I never should have left her and went searching so far away.

The other four wolves raced behind me. Feeding off my fear, they bounded through the trees faster than they ever had before. We had to get back. Something was so very wrong.

Small clips of thought from the other four worked into my head. All worried and wondering where I was and if I was still alive. And one passing thought, that if I wasn’t, they would have to lay Adam to rest beside me, because it would kill him, too.

“Oh, no,” I said as I dug my heels further into the mud and shoved my face next to the crack. “That isn’t going to happen. I’m getting out of here.”

My nose pressed against the crack, I screamed for all I was worth, taking every bit of worry and energy that I had left in my body to be as loud as I could manage. Most of the sound reverberated back from the rock and blasted into my own ears. But surely, someone had to have heard me.

Something shuffled above me. I jerked. The movement caused me to slide back in the mud a couple feet. I scrambled to dig in and keep from falling. I still was concentrating on keeping my place, hands dug down deep into the muck like suction cups, when the rock moved again.

“Click, click, snort. Humph,” a familiar voice grumbled down.

The moon cast an eerie light on the biggest, hairiest, most beautiful, massive beast I had ever laid eyes on.

“Chewy, I’m so glad to see you!”

“Humph,” the Sasquatch snorted as he peered down at me. He made a high keening sound as he spotted Tiffany behind me.

“Yeah, I know. He’s a monster, but he won’t get away with it. Adam is on his way,” I said gleefully as I dug in made my scramble toward freedom.