Page 55 of Vanished in the Mist
“I didn’t tell you to stop. Move.”
She stayed rooted to the spot, staring at the remains of the last bonfire that had been held here, and at the lake beyond. She’d been right after all. KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Everything came back to where it had all begun, this place. Where Tanya’s life had ended and the bullies who’d killed her began to disappear or die, one by one. He hadn’t admitted it, but she’d heard enough, seen enough to no longer have any doubt. And if she didn’t do something she was going to become his latest victim.
The water sparkled off to her right. How many times had she dived into a pool, felt the thrill of the water rushing over her, the satisfaction of well-toned muscles pulling her through it like a fish. All she had to do was run, jump in, and swim away. This Phantom—Phil—was tall and strong. But he was older than her, past middle age. And she was fast in the water, or had been. Olympic champion hopeful fast.
Go. Run. Jump.
She tried to make her legs move. But she was frozen in place. Images of the last time she’d been in the water flooded her vision. Her hair, pulling her down. Trapped. Bubbles of air escaping her lungs, rising to the surface above her. And when she couldn’t hold her breath another second, the burn of chlorine spilling into her lungs as they filled with water.
Her hands fisted at her sides as she stared at the lake. But she couldn’t make herself move.
He grabbed her arm, swearing when she fell. “What’s wrong with you?” He grabbed her again and yanked her up, then pushed her away from the water, past the bonfire area, circling behind a large boulder.
She stopped in confusion.
“In there,” he said, motioning her toward a tree in front of one of the boulders.
“I don’t… What do you mean? There’s nowhere to go.”
He chuckled. “Sure there is. That tree is hollow. Duck down. You’ll see. The cave is dark, so anyone looking at the hole in the tree won’t see it. I discovered it years ago.” His mouth scrunched up in a sneer. “Go on. She’s waiting.”
“She?”
“Tanya. You’re about to join her.”
He was going to kill her. Right now.
She lashed out with her foot, trying to sweep his legs out from under him.
He jumped to the side, laughing, then shoved her down and pushed her inside the hole in the tree.
She brought her hands up to protect her face from being slammed into the back of the tree. But she kept going, falling forward to the ground.
He was right. There’d been a hole in the back of the tree. She was on the cool, damp ground. A cave?
It was so dark, she could barely make out the rock walls around her. The cave dipped down, several feet below ground level. That explained why no one else had ever found it. No one would expect a large cave to be hidden behind a half-rotten tree and a boulder that was about six feet by six feet.
She sensed more than saw him standing beside her. He moved past her and she heard the sound of…keys? There was a loudclick and the squeak of metal. A moment later, he was back, his hot breath making her shiver with revulsion as he leaned in close. The flashlight snapped on, startling her as it painted his face in light and shadow, like a creepy mask in a horror movie.
He laughed and aimed the light down at the sloping floor. “Shanna Hudson, meet Tanya Jericho.”
She swallowed, hard, trying not to gag as he pointed the flashlight at the piles of bones that had apparently been hidden here ever since Tanya had gone missing. Except that there wasn’t a pile of bones. There were metal floor-to-ceiling bars secured toward the back of the cave. And in the middle was a door, open now. That’s probably the sound she’d heard earlier, his jailor’s keys as he’d unlocked it. But it was what was behind that open door that had Shanna starting to shake again.
Dirty red hair, wide, frightened eyes blinking and turning away from the light. Painfully thin arms lifting to cover her eyes.
Tanya Jericho.She was alive.
Shanna’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. Then, as if the two of them were the best of friends and had known each other for years, she ran to the other girl. They wrapped their arms around each other and held on tight, Tanya’s tears quickly soaking through Shanna’s shirt.
The door clanged shut behind them, startling them apart. The Phantom turned his key in the lock and chuckled. “Enjoy each other’s company for a while. I’ll even leave you a light.” He slid the flashlight through the bars and set it on the ground. “I don’t want anything to spoil this day. After all, I have big plans for Jack. Another bully will be taught a valuable lesson before the sun goes down. And don’t you worry, Tanya. I’ll get the others. They can’t hide forever. Just ask your new friend, Shanna. I took care of her bully, too.” He laughed and left the cave.
As soon as he was gone, Shanna pulled the shaking young girl down to sit on the ground. “Tanya, I can’t believe it’s really you. We thought you’d drowned.”
“I almost did. Better if I had.”
Shanna pushed the girl’s hair back from her face. “Don’t say that. Don’t give up now. Somehow, by some miracle, you’ve survived for almost a year since you went missing. We’re going to get out of here.”
Tanya stared at her as if in shock. “A year? I’ve been here a whole…year?”
