By the time, I finished getting ready Mom and Ken had already left. I grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and pulled my jacket off the hook. With one last look in the hall mirror, I decided I looked good, for me. My hair had miraculously stayed straight. No frizz in sight which was a small miracle considering the constant dampness in the air here. Taking a breath, I flicked on the porch light, walked outside and locked the door. I hide the key under a plant, the usual hiding place, in case Mom forgot hers.
It was really dark out and as I walked to the car, I kept feeling like I was being watched. To be on the safe side, I ducked down and checked the backseat.
“See no monsters,” I tried to tell myself, but my heart pounded and my voice came out like I was being strangled. I climbed in the car and locked the doors.
Turning on the radio, music crackled out of the speakers. I punched the buttons and tried different stations but all I got was a lot of white noise. Giving up, I popped in one of my mom’s tapes in the cassette deck. Elvis’ melodic voice dragged, but it was better than silence.
Halfway through the song, his voice cleared and I thumped the steering wheel in time to the beat, singing the catchy chorus. Only one car passed me on the way to the Visitor’s Center. When I pulled in the parking lot at quarter after nine, I expected Jason to be waiting for me, but he wasn’t here yet. I shivered.
“Just nerves,” I told myself except it didn’t exactly feel like nerves. The feeling gathering in the pit of my stomach was something else…something I didn’t want to think on too much. I was scared.
Headlights approached in the distance. Pulling down my visor, the little light flashed on and I checked my face. Something big, like a person, raced behind my car. Freaked, I pushed back up my visor and turned around. I didn’t see anything.
“Just my imagination,” I said.
The car slowed.
“He’s here now. It’s going to be okay.” I blew out slow stream of air.
Just as I said that, the lone car, sped up and flew past the entrance.
“Dangit!” Reaching forward, I dug under the trash in my glove box and pulled out my Taser. I looked down at my phone. It was nine twenty. I called him back but there was no answer. Frustrated, I tossed my phone on the seat beside me.
“Come on, Jason.” If he didn’t show by nine thirty, I was leaving. I’d sit in the driveway until one o’clock if I had to.
I heard something behind my car. I grabbed my Taser and jerked around.
Two hands plastered up against my window.
I screamed.
“You should see your face,” Kirk laughed hysterically.
“You jerk!” I yelled.
“Whoa, calm down… Amber,” he sang my name.
Gooseflesh rose on my arms. “What are you doing here?”
“What?” He made a face. “I don’t get a… hey Kirk…it’s great to see you?” His eyes glittered strangely.
“Where’s Jason?” I rolled my window up a notch when he turned.
“He’s on his way.” He turned back around, peering down in my window.
“Oh.” I stared at the road. So much for Jason’s promise not to bring Kirk, I thought, getting riled.
“I’ll wait with you,” he said. “Let me in.” He tried the handle but it was still locked. And that’s the way it was going to stay. I didn’t want him in my car. He was freaking me out. I grabbed up my phone and held my finger in the air, pretending I had a call.
“Just a sec,” I said and held my phone to my ear. When he moved around the front of my car, I rolled my window up further. There was only a tiny crack now.
He walked over to the passenger door and tried again. I nearly dropped my phone in my lap.
“Let me in,” he shouted through the glass and jerked my handle. “It is cold out.” He jumped up and down, theatrically.
It wasn’t that cold. “Hold on,” I stalled and pointed to my phone.
Aggravated, he hit my door and walked back in front of my car. I felt like he was trying to block me from leaving. Nonchalantly, I pulled my Taser on my lap and put it between my legs. When he glanced over his shoulder at me, I moved my lips, pretending to be talking. He leaned back against my hood. I was half tempted to put my car in gear and plow him over if he didn’t move. Luckily for him, a car pulled in the parking lot.
A station wagon pulled up to my side of the car. It was Jason. His car was in worse shape than mine. He rolled down his window.
I cracked mine, still not trusting Kirk. Only when Kirk walked over to Jason’s car and got in the passenger door did I roll my window down. “Hey,” I said, glaring at Jason.
“Sorry,” Jason mouthed.
Sorry wasn’t going to cut it. I was on the verge of bailing. “Jason, I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“What?” His eyes widened behind his glasses. “Why?”
I leveled my gaze on Kirk who was fiddling with Jason’s radio. Apparently, he could get a radio station just fine. Hell’s Bells’ by ACDC blared out of the window.
“I won’t know anyone there,” I said.
“Sure you will,” Jason said. “You know me and Kirk.”
That wasn’t helping his argument. “I don’t know,” I hedged. “Where is it anyway?”
“Not too far from here.”
Gee, could he be less specific. My irritation flared once again. “Where’s Kirk’s car?”
Jason shook his head and turned to Kirk, saying something I couldn’t hear. He turned back around. “He parked it over behind the Timber Museum. That little piece of information should have sent big warning flags up but for some reason I didn’t put two and two together…yet.