Page 154 of A Curse On Black Lake
Her boots are still by the door. Maybe she couldn’t sleep, and she’s sitting on the porch. I check out front, and she’s not there either.
Dread curls in my stomach. I grab my boots, throwing them on, and reach for the flashlight and pistol I keep hidden in a drawer.
I can go about this in two ways. If the asshole that’s been stalking her has her, I’ll give myself away.
If she’s out on a walk, then she’ll know I’m looking for her.
But my gut tells me that if she walked out the door, Tiny followed, regardless if she asked him to or not.
Quietly closing the front door behind me, I stop and listen — nothing but crickets and tree frogs. Flipping my flashlight on, I head down to the barn. The bright moon shines through the thinly clouded sky, muting the intensity of the light. I jog around the perimeter and check inside the barn. She’s nowhere to be found.
My stomach lurches as my mind flashes the images of women found around Black Lake. It can’t be her. I won’t let it be her.
The only thing I can think of is to get on a horse and start looking. I saddle Daisy, who is not happy with me right now, and head out towards the wooded part of the property. I didn’t see any signs of her in the open areas, so maybe she went towards the woods, or was taken there.
Forcing deep, even breaths into my lungs, I pull myself into a familiar calm similar to when I was a captain. I’ve been in a few firefights, on top of seeing the depravity of what humans do to other humans, so a calm detachment is utterly necessary to do the job. In order for me to find her, I have to keep my head.
I whistle, hoping Tiny comes running. I know the other dogs probably heard me, so they will come too, but if Tiny comes, hopefully he can lead me to her. I didn’t train him this way, but he’s smart. I can only hope he’ll understand.
Trotting towards the woods, I keep sweeping the flashlight back and forth looking for any signs of her.
But there’s not a single clue, as if she disappeared.
Please, dear God, please don’t let it happen.
A few minutes later I hear a bark and spot Tiny’s large, white body running through the woods. I heel Daisy into a canter in the direction he’s coming from.
He comes up to me and stops, but shifts back and forth on his feet as if he’s excited about something and wants to show me. Moonbeam comes up to me, and I’m sure the other dogs aren’t far behind.
“Come on, Tiny, find our girl,” I tell him.
As odd as it sounds, I think he understood me. Tiny turns tail and goes into the woods, in the opposite direction of the lake. Moonbeam happily follows him, and I trail behind on Daisy and slap my back for the tenth time from the mosquito bites. I didn’t even think about putting on a shirt, too concerned about Eliana.
It feels like we go a couple of miles following Tiny to a small, open meadow in the middle of the trees. Tiny barks and a bone-deep, dead of winter cold make my bones feel brittle. To my right, there’s a nearly translucent woman standing off to the side next to a tree. She makes eye contact with me and lifts what looks like a mangled hand, and points.
That’s when I see her, lying there in the t-shirt she went to bed in, unmoving, surrounded by Death Flowers.
“Eliana!” I yell.
I lurch off Daisy, running to her, ignoring the ghost woman.
Dropping to my knees, I check her pulse, hoping and praying it’s still beating and … it is. Strongly. Yet, her body is ice cold. It could be because she’s outside, and it’s chilly, but it’s notthatcold for her to feel this way.
I move the flashlight to her face, and her eyes are wide open. But she’s not looking at me. She doesn’t blink at all.
“Eliana?” I reach for her hand, and it’s limp. Renewed panic fills my blood and coats my bones.No.
As hard as I tried to remain calm and find her, I can’t stop the fear from bubbling up. Needing to double-check myself, I rest my ear over her chest, and listen to the beat of her heart.
I pass my finger under her nose, and she’s breathing fine.
“Eliana.” I call for her, but she doesn’t move.
I shake her, but no response. She’s never been like this to my knowledge. The Spirits will grip her, but she’s never froze like this before.
Why is she out here?
Did she come out here and then drop? What if she’s sick? What if it’s the curse? If I’ve learned anything, it doesn’t discriminate. It takes whoever it wants whenever it wants. Did something else do this to her? Is that possible? Then again, anything is possible in Black Lake.
