Page 41 of Seer
“It’s a cemetery. I don’t know the name, but you’ll exit in about two miles, and I can direct you from there.”
I saw Edgar’s raised eyebrows in the rear-view mirror, but I didn’t say anything else. He knew damn well I’d never been able to identify exactly where a Wonder was located via a connection before. Hopefully he’d wait until we were alone before he interrogated me about my new abilities.
Since Cal had touched me earlier, all I had to do was focus on a particular Wonder I was connected to, and I knew exactly where they were geographically. And if I concentrated hard enough, I could get a tiny hint of their emotional state.
I ignored the giant pulsing connection I now had with Cal. Surely it would wither away if we didn’t touch each other again. We hadn’t even intentionally created it.
Too bad connections didn’t work like that. It was here to stay.
I directed Edgar through a residential neighborhood. Eventually the houses fell away and we were driving along the edge of a cemetery. Black wrought iron gates stood open and welcomed us to the Forest Rest Memorial Park. The road wound through grassy areas studded with gravestones and huge oak trees.
Thomas had been at the very back of the cemetery, where a high stone wall marked the edge of the property. A dense forest was visible on the other side of the wall. Edgar parked as close as he could, and we all got out.
“What kind of Wonder was Thomas?” Cal asked as we tromped over the lush grass, dodging the occasional headstone.
“Imp,” I replied. I pointed at the wall. “He could’ve made it over that, no problem.”
I walked closer until I was standing exactly where Thomas had died. “He was attacked here.”
I was only fifteen feet from the wall.
Cal turned so he faced back into the cemetery, then he stared at the wall again. He pulled out his phone.
Edgar said, “There isn’t any blood, and the monster must have taken his body.”
I didnotwant to think about why.
I cleared my throat. “I guess when he saw the monster, he ran for the trees.” I pointed at the branches hanging over the top of the wall. I put my hands on my hips and scanned the cemetery for any belongings Thomas might have left behind, but there was nothing.
“Did he have a loved one buried here?” Edgar asked.
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know, but we can see if there’s some sort of roster of the, um, occupants.”
Cal said, “I think he came from the other side of the wall.”
Edgar and I turned to stare at him.
He held out his phone. “Look.” He’d pulled up Google Earth for the cemetery. Cal pointed at the top of the screen. “On the other side of the wall is this reservoir. Could he have been swimming or fishing? Or just walking around?” He gestured at the cemetery. “Plus, where’s his car?”
I blinked. “You’re right. And we’re far enough from his house that he wouldn’t have walked. You know, the creature this morning seemed to be trying to get us into the trees. Thomas might’ve been trying to getoutof the trees instead of into them.”
Edgar and I started walking toward the SUV, but Cal said, “Does anyone have something we can leave on the wall so we can see where Thomas went over from the other side? I already put a pin in the map, but it’ll help to have a visual cue.”
Edgar and I processed this.
“Fuck, that’s smart,” I said. He might be woefully untidy, but Cal was impressively intelligent.
“I’ve got some tie-down straps in the back of the Bronco,” Edgar said. “We could drape one over the top of the wall.”
It was only a matter of a couple of minutes to grab the bright orange strap out of the car and throw one end over the wall. After we got back into the Bronco, Cal directed us to the access road for the reservoir. An old gray sedan was parked on one side.
When we got out, Cal jogged over to the car and peered through the windows. He turned back and said, “There’s a sweater and a towel in there, but that’s it.”
The reservoir was quiet, the water barely lapping at the shore. It was surrounded on three sides by dense trees. I was relieved to hear birds chirping and insects buzzing.
My phone chimed with a text. I checked it, then sighed and sent Craig a quick GIF back.
Cal pointed. “We need to go this way.”
