Ellie, she thought, if you can hear me… She craned her neck farther to see more of the clearing. But she didn’t finish the thought. She couldn’t ask for protection. Not after what had happened. All she could do was stay awake and hope it didn’t find her like the Sickle Moon Killer had.
She lay and watched the trees for so long she lost track of time. The crevice was dark and reassuring, her own safe little cavern, and after an hour of tense watching, she began to relax and rest a little. The dry fleece and polypropylene undershirt felt warm and soft.
Madeline awoke with a start when an owl called out.
A predawn glow filled the crevice, and she realized with amazement that she’d actually fallen asleep. Light spilled into her world. Dawn had never looked so good to her before. She felt overjoyed and relieved that it had finally come.
It was day, and she could find someone to help her.
Carefully she crept out of the crevice, scanning the clearing and trees for any sign of the creature or Noah. She studied the trees. She felt alone, not like she was being watched…
Being watched.
Yesterday, on the mountain, just before the water hit, she’d had the feeling of being watched…
Could it have been the creature, even then, readying to attack her?
Madeline shuddered and pushed off the image. Since acquiring her ability, she’d dealt with the unknown, lived with a talent no one else possessed in her small town. But this was something new. In the back of her mind, she’d always known that her psychic ability could be just another part of the brain that most did not use. But the creature-she thought of its round disk eyes, the mouth full of teeth, the shadowlike skin-was beyond even her expanded scope of what the mundane world held within its ordinary grasp. From here out was unexplored territory. She’d hoped to come to the backcountry to clear her mind, decide how to fit her unusual gift into the usual world. But instead, the world itself had grown unusual, deeper, revealing more of its supernatural secrets. It was far stranger, far more frightening and inexplicable than she’d thought.
She brought a hand to her bandage, not letting the feelings overwhelm her. She had to concentrate on the present, find out exactly where she was and how far it was to the ranger station.
Quickly she unzipped the pack and looked inside. The map lay right on top, and she pulled it out
Noah drinking a morning cup of coffee.
Later, afraid, the thing close behind.
Madeline forced the images away and studied the map. After guessing how long she’d walked the night before, and what kind of time she’d made in the darkness, she figured it was another hour to the ranger station.
Not bad at all.
Stuffing the map back into the pack, she noticed the water bottle. Taking several long pulls on it, she gazed up at the deep blue morning sky, golden clouds set afire in the east. Her head throbbed as she tilted it up, the bandaged gash on her head feeling twice its actual size. She replaced the bottle and stood up. Hoisting the pack onto her back, she buckled it as she began to walk, all the while watching the trees and rocks for any sign of movement. Soon she was back on the trail, rushing toward the backcountry station.
Gratefully Madeline stepped onto the wooden porch of the backcountry ranger station and opened the door. A young ranger sitting behind a beat-up counter looked up as she entered. He was in his early twenties, with straight, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. She approached the desk, which stood on one side of a small room with a couple of shelves holding books and maps. The ranger stared at her.
“What can I help you with?” he asked. He put down the paper he had been reading. His features were angular and his skin dark, his coloration reminding her of a Romanian friend she’d had in high school. His name tag read Michael Zuwalski.
“Something…” She reached the desk, trailed off, trying to catch her breath.
“Yes?” He arched one eyebrow expectantly.
“Something attacked me and my friend in the backcountry.”
“A grizzly?” The ranger grew alarmed.
“No, nothing like that,” she said quickly, then paused. “Look,” she went on firmly, “I don’t know what it was.”
“It was probably a grizzly. Sometimes people have a hard time identifying wildlife-”
She cut him off. “This was not wildlife. This was a… thing. It specifically, methodically, went after me and this other guy.”
“Who?”
“Noah someone. I don’t know his last name. He went after the thing to lead it away.”
“You were in the backcountry with someone whose last name you don’t even know?”
“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t know him, he just pulled me out of the river and then the creature showed up and-”
“Wait… slow down.”
“Well, I’d never seen an animal like it before, but it was really smart. It was hunting us. Noah seemed to know what it was,” she went on, hoping the story would sound better if she filled it out more. “He went after it. And now I want to send a rescue for him.”
The ranger was just silent. He stared at the bandage on her head. “Nasty blow there.”
She touched it gingerly and then waved her hand, dismissing it. “It’ll heal. But Noah’s in real danger.”
The ranger remained silent.
“Well? Aren’t you going to do anything?” she demanded. “Radio somebody?”
“Are you saying you were caught in the flash flood?”
She nodded.
“Well, look, that thing was bad. It’s amazing you even got out. Just about every available person we’ve got is helping people who were caught in it.”
“Well, ‘just about every person’ must mean you have someone who can help.”
“Only for genuine emergencies.”
“This is an emergency!” she practically yelled.
The ranger crossed his arms. “Did you see the creature after you bumped your head?”
Madeline became flustered. “Well, yes, but I don’t see…” And then she did. She saw perfectly. He thought she imagined the whole thing.
Exasperated, she said, “It all really happened!” Looking down at herself in Noah’s clothes suddenly reaffirmed that.
“Look at these clothes. They’re huge on me!”
“So?”
“They’re Noah’s. He gave them to me before the thing attacked.”
“I see,” he responded.
But she could tell that he didn’t see.
“This guy Noah…” the ranger went on, then he trailed off. “Listen,” he said finally. “There are a lot of guys out there who’ll take advantage of you. Tell you a scary story to make you vulnerable.”
“It wasn’t like that!” she yelled. “He didn’t make this up, I saw it!”
“Are you sure?” he said, gesturing at her head and leaning over the counter with a condescending look. “That is quite a nasty blow.”
Madeline grew more and more frustrated. Forced herself to take a deep breath. Normally, rangers were so helpful, but this guy was pure aggravation. “Look. Regardless of whether or not you believe I was attacked by some thing, there is a guy named Noah out there, and he’s in danger.” She paused, her eyes falling to the registration book on the desk. “Please,” she asked, trying to hold back the anger she felt at that moment. “Could you just look in the book and at least see when Noah’s supposed to get back? Maybe he’s already overdue.”
The ranger remained still for a few moments, then shrugged. “If it’ll make you feel better,” he said.
“It will.”
“Okay.” He slid the book over toward himself. Scanned the first page of people who’d signed up for backcountry passes. Flipped backward. Scanned that page. Then the one before, and the one before, and the one before that. Then he went back over them again, and flipped even farther back. “I’m at three weeks ago now. No one named Noah has taken out a pass.”