The Withered Series (Book 1): Wither Read online

  FIFTEEN

  We moved steadily south over the next four days, but our progress was stunted by a blown head gasket on the truck, leaving us stranded on the side of the road less than thirty miles from town on that first day. We continued by foot, moving parallel to the highway to stay on course. On the fifth day we were hit by the mother of all winter storms driving us back into the shelter of the forest. It crashed over us like a tidal wave, spilling arctic air from the North. By our best guess we have traveled nearly eighty miles from St. Louis but it is not nearly far enough to outrun winter.

  By the time we stumbled across a hunting cabin deep in the forest, we were all nearly frozen through. Cable and Alex remained alert for the first two days as the storm raged, but I found myself able to relax for the first time in quite some time.

  The Moaners seem to have vanished again, leaving us in peace. Maybe they don’t like the cold either. If that’s true, I may change directions and head to Canada!

  Though I have not seen a Moaner in nearly three days, they haunt my dreams, chasing me with gnashing teeth and rabid eyes. Anger. Desperation. Condemnation. None of those emotions make any sense but waking in the early hours before dawn, each one feels real to me.

  The winds that battered the cabin have fallen still, the loud howling diminished to its normal gale. The icicles dangling from the pitched roof drip onto the wooden porch, making it a dangerous skating rink at night. The ice has receded greatly beneath the heat of the sun, the first time we’ve spied its presence in days. It is a welcome sight, if for no other reason than to bring a bit of cheer once more.

  The cabin is cozy, snug and warm. Whoever built it meant for it to be a vacation home, not some shanty used only for fishing or deer season. It is well insulated and stocked with enough wood to last us weeks. The cupboards were bare when we arrived but we have made do, spreading our remaining rations thin.

  The A-frame shelter isn’t large but it fits the five of us well enough. A king sized bed is housed in the loft, accessible by a leaning wooden ladder. Another bedroom sits off the small kitchen. Two twin beds fill the small space, with a single dresser between. A gas lantern sits on the empty table top.

  Cable and I took the bed in the loft, seeing as how we have become used to watching over each other. Cable remains a gentleman, wrapping himself in a separate blanket before huddling up behind me for warmth. Victoria and Alex claim the twin beds while Sal sleeps on a pull out sofa, though he prefers the recliner more. I suspect he remains out there to rummage through our things in the middle of the night. I try to listen for his movements in the dark but the inviting comfort of the bed draws me into a deep, restful slumber.

  Our time spent here has not been bad. In fact, it has almost felt like a little slice of home. After rising this morning, and seeing to the more basic human needs, I resumed my usual spot by the window, lounging the day away. I read a book this afternoon. It wasn’t very good. Some stupid hunting how-to novel, but it passed the time well enough. I may have even learned a thing or two about setting traps.

  It feels weird to not be walking, to not be fighting to survive. I could get used to that.

  Now I sit in the corner of the cabin in an oversized rocking chair and watch the people in my group. Victoria buzzes like a contented little bee. The clacking of knitting needles can be heard over the crackling of fire in the stone hearth. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy. The stash of yarn and needles she discovered in the upstairs loft was all it took to bring her out of her weird depression.

  “Look at her,” I whisper to Cable who sits on the floor beside my knee. I rock slowly, enjoying the warmth of the nearby fire. “She looks so happy.”

  “She is.”

  “It’s just yarn.”

  Cable turns his head to look up at me. “It’s familiar, something from the past. Maybe it will do her some good”

  I try not to speak to Victoria. She and I have had our differences in the past, but her most recent decline into crazy land has left her as my least favorite conversation partner.

  Alex sits perched upon an old wooden barstool across the room, his gaze focused on the back of Sal’s head. When he first mentioned his concerns in the back of the truck I thought he might be overacting, but even I’ve begun to see changes in his personality.

  Increased irritability. Spreading rash along his neck. A facial tic under his right eye. He scratches in his sleep, muttering and moaning loud enough to wake all of us. In the light of day I see a change in his eyes.

  Cable follows the direction of my gaze and frowns. He drops the corner of the rug that he was fiddling with and turns, speaking from the corner of his mouth. “I don’t want you near him when I’m not around.”

  “Done.”

  His eyebrow rises. “Really? No argument? No ‘I can take care of myself’ crap?”

  I laugh and resume my rocking. “The guy’s a bona fide creep. I’ll happily place him in your charge.”

  “Huh.” He sinks back against the wall. “Well, I never thought that would happen.”

  “Disappointed?”

  “I gotta admit, I am a little.”

  I smirk and rise from the chair. “I need some air.”

  Cable glances toward the window. “It’s going to be dark soon. Not sure that’s wise.”

  “This is the point where you realize I don’t care.” I grab a towel off the back of a chair beside the fire. Several pair of socks and shirts hang nearby. “I’m just going for a wash.”

  Alex looks up. “You’ll freeze.”

  “Well,” I pause with my hand on the door and glare pointedly at Sal, “maybe this time I can get a bit of privacy and I won’t be gone long.”

  I didn’t intend to slam the door behind me but the wind rips it from my hand. I shiver and rub my hands along my arms. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.

  No. I need to go. To be alone for the first time in a few days.

  Cable has been after me to join him for a sunrise walk since the storm broke. He claims that it’s well worth losing sleep over. I still have my doubts, and zero intention of taking him up on the offer. I try to tell myself it’s because I don’t want to risk spending time alone with him, but this time it’s a bunch of bunk. I just really love to sleep!

  Alex and Cable scouted out a nearby river with a pool of water mostly enclosed by rock walls and steep cliff faces. The water is sure to be freezing but much of the winds should be blocked.

  Cable was kind enough to drag pails of water up to the cabin for Victoria and me to bathe yesterday. For all of its quaint charm, this cabin was built rustic. The bathroom was just that...for bathing. No indoor plumbing. Only a large claw foot tub and a wash basin. And no lock, so Sal was happy to discover as I was in the middle of disrobing for a wash last night. I vowed that I’d rather be dirty than let him see me naked again.

  After days of lying on dirty floors and tramping through mud, muck and deer shit, I’m desperate to feel clean. To wash the gnarls and dirt from my hair. What I wouldn’t give for a bar of soap! The last of it was used on our clothes just this afternoon.

  I know we will have to move on now that the storm has passed but I’m none too eager to go hunting around another town. The last one left a bad taste in my mouth.

  Following the path in the fading light, I tread lightly, careful not to step on the few remaining patches of ice. Leaves crunch beneath my shoes. The night approaches and with it comes a flurry of activity as the forest wakes around me. It won't be long before dusk is lost to me. I need to be back before the final drops of light fade from the sky.

  Picking up the pace, I clutch my towel to me and hurry down the path. It has been well used, though not recently by the looks of it. Much of the grass is matted down, but stray bits have begun to poke back through the trodden path.

  Up ahead I see a glint of water. I place my hand against a tree and hoist myself over the final obstacle, a downed log whose innards have long since rotted away. Placing my towel over the tree, I qu
ickly pull my shirt over my head. A shiver ripples along my skin.

  “Why does it have to be winter?” I grumble and hop around, removing my socks and shoes. The instant I am completely bare I race for the water.

  The water splashes high against my thigh as I rush into the stream to hip height. The recent storm has made it feel more like a river as it overflows its banks. My teeth begin to chatter within seconds. I scoop handfuls of water and rub it against my sensitive flesh. The frigid water is invigorating and my shivering helps to keep me warm.

  A crack of a branch nearby drops me to my knees. I scan the woods before me, listening for any unusual sounds in the night. An owl hoots from the treetops. Wind rustles the leaves along the ground. Naked tree branches clack together overhead. I feel as if I’m being watched.

  My lower half burns from the cold water, but I dare not rise. I can sense a presence. The question is...are they alive or withered? An enemy or a friend?

  Several minutes pass without a sound. My teeth chatter as I wrap my arms about myself. I have to get out or risk hypothermia, but not before I know who or what I’m dealing with.

  “Sal? If that’s you out there I swear I’ll tie you to a tree and leave your sorry ass behind for scaring me!”

  Silence.

  I begin to quake and know I don’t have a choice. I’m about to turn toward my towel when I see movement about a hundred years ahead of me. A flash of green against the dark trees and then it’s gone. Its gait was halting but fast.

  Shit!

  Turning on my heel, I prepare to dash toward my towel and come up short. There, standing just behind the tree, is Cable. His eyes are wide as they trail over my body in the fading light. A flush rises above the stubble lining his jaw.

  Standing perfectly still, I feel exposed, bare to his sight. “I uh...God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” He averts his gaze when I attempt to cover myself with my hands. “I mean I intended to come find you but I didn’t think you’d be like that. Shit,” he wipes his hands over his face, as if trying to mentally remove the image of me from his mind.

  “Did you see it?”

  His hands fall away, instantly alert. His gaze floats beyond me. “See what?”

  “The Moaner.”

  He closes the distance between himself and the edge of the water, motioning for me to hurry to his side. My feet feel like blocks of ice as I trudge through the water toward him. “It’s gone now,” I say through chattering teeth.

  “How can you be sure?” He risks a glance down at me and then jerks back up when he looks a bit too low.

  “I saw it leave.”

  “Leave?” His brow furrows. “You make it sound like it came, stayed for a while and left again.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” I wrap my arms over my chest and cross my legs.

  “That’s not possible, Avery. They don’t just watch people. They don’t feel anything, do anything beyond walk forward.”

  “I know what I saw.”

  He rubs his neck, slowly shaking his head. “You must have been mistaken. It’s too dark to really see anyway. Maybe it was a deer or coyote?”

  “I know what I saw,” I repeat. It bothers me that he doesn’t believe me, but I guess if our roles were reversed I’d have a hard time believing it too. “Can I have my towel now?”

  He jerks around and snatches it off the log. As if realizing that he can’t just toss it toward me, he hesitates. Despite the ache in my lower legs from the freezing water, and the fact that I’ve just been caught out in all my glory, I close the gap between us. He raises his gaze for a moment then lowers it again, the towel dangling from his outstretched hand.

  “I’m cold.”

  “No kidding.” He shakes the towel at me. I take it from his grasp and he wrenches his hand back.

  Wrapping the cloth around me, I wring excess water from my hair. “You act like you’ve never seen a naked girl before.”

  He swallows hard, then raises his head to meet my gaze. “None that didn’t give me previous consent.”

  I laugh and step toward him. “I forgot. You’re not like that, are you?”

  A muscle along his jaw flinches. “No.”

  “Well, then I guess it goes without saying that I’d appreciate you not telling the others about our...encounter.”

  I grab my clothes and hold them to me, wondering if I’m really going to have to ask him to turn away. His blush deepens as my intent finally sinks in. He spins on his heel. Rushing to dry myself and slip into my clothes, I hop about behind him.

  He cocks his head to listen and I hear his deep throaty chuckle. “You try putting jeans on when you’re wet,” I snap.

  He turns away but not before I notice his shoulders rising and falling with laughter. He props his arm against his side and angles toward me. “Use me.”

  “Well,” I pause and look him over, “isn’t that a fun proposal?”

  He whirls around, his gaze wide and unblinking. “I’m not decent yet!”

  “Sorry!” Heat stains his neck as I grab onto him and sort out my pants. With my hair still dripping, I shove my shirt over my head and nestle into the warm fibers.

  I kneel down and conceal my feet in socks and shoes before standing. Though I am fully dressed I still feel exposed. Tucking my hair behind my ear, I hesitate, no longer sure of what to say.

  “I guess you’re wondering why I followed you…” he begins. His voice wavers and he falls silent. I almost feel sympathy for his embarrassment. Almost.

  Of course that crossed my mind a time of two. Cable has proven himself to be a gentleman. I can’t imagine he came for a peep show like Sal, but then why else would be have come so close? I wasn’t exactly being quiet as I splashed about.

  “I was worried about you.” He casts a surly glance toward the woods. “I guess I had a reason to be.”

  A trembling begins in my fingers that I’m not entirely sure has anything to do with the cold. What I told Cable was the truth. No human walks with the same style of stunted steps as the Withered Ones. As impossible as it may be, I know one of them was watching me. I just have no way to prove it. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Really?” He seems slightly taken aback by my admission.

  “Ok, well maybe not in this exact situation, but you know what I mean.”

  A smile slowly spreads along his lips. “Do I detect a hint of need in your voice?”

  “Ha. Did you hit your head on the way out here?”

  Cable grins. “That would make you feel better, wouldn’t it?”

  “Little bit.”

  Water drips from my hair as we walk. I wring it again. Droplets patter on the leaves underfoot. The back of my shirt has begun to soak through. “Cable?”

  “Yeah?” He turns back to look at me. I sympathize with his desire to get back to the cabin. These woods have lost their feeling of seclusion for me now.

  “I think that Moaner came from around here.”

  He stuffs his hands in his pockets as he pauses. I can’t help but wonder if he’s got his knife hidden there. It wouldn’t surprise me. “Ok, let’s say that you are right. That somehow one of those things had the capability of thought and reason. What makes you think it’s from around here?”

  “Because he was wearing a camouflage jacket, just like the one I found inside the cabin for you.”

  “This area is bound to have a lot of hunters. There are rednecks everywhere! It might not mean anything.”

  “Or it could. We should warn Alex, either way.”

  Tugging the towel from my shoulder, I bend over and wrap it around my head. Cable’s stern expression cracks when I rise back up and twirl it around my head. “Not a word,” I growl and begin tromping back through the woods.

  Cable follows close behind but not so close that I feel as if he’s invading my personal space. Ha. It’s kinda hard not to when the guy just saw me naked!

  I glance back over my shoulder. Cable has grown quiet, introspective during the five
minute hike back. I wonder what he’s thinking about. Surely it can’t be me. At least I hope seeing me naked wouldn’t put that sort of sour expression on his face.

  Why the heck do I care what he thinks about seeing me naked? It was a mistake. One I’m not about to repeat any time soon!

  As the light from the cabin finally comes into view I pause and turn, placing my hand on his chest to stop him. He stares at my hand. Through the thin layers of his shirt I can feel the thumping of his heart, feel the heat trapped within. “Look, before we go back in there I just want to say thank you for coming after me. I don’t blame you for seeing me naked. I mean, it happens, right?”

  “Sure.” He shifts his weight to his right foot and looks away. “Though that’s not quite how I imagined it happening.”

  My lips part in surprise. Did he just say he imagined seeing me naked?

  I clear my throat and try to gather my frantic thoughts. Raising my hand from his chest, I place it against his cheek until he looks back to me. “You’re the only friend I’ve got now, Cable. I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

  But I know they will just by the look in his eye. Cable wants me and I’m starting to think that the feeling is far more mutual than I would like to admit.

  SIXTEEN

  I listen to the steady rise and fall of breathing coming from the lower floor. The door to Alex and Victoria’s room is partially open, per her request. Alex humors the old lady, simply so he won’t have to hear her ranting about how it’s not safe to sleep near strange men, apparently even at her age. Sal is sacked out in the recliner, no doubt drooling on himself again.

  There’s no way to tell time but I feel as if I’ve lain awake most of the night. The heat of Cable’s back presses against mine but for once, it feels suffocating instead of inviting. Every time I inch away from him I feel emptiness and sink back.

  I’m messed up. That’s the only explanation. I punch at my pillow in frustration that only comes from hours of staring blankly at the ceiling. When I do, Cable stirs. I hold perfectly still as he rolls over and presses up against me. His arm winds around my waist.