The Fragile Things, page 5
“They’re okay. But. . .like I was saying—”
“Wanna hang with them? I mean, go out. . .you know, around town?”
“Hayley, like I told you, I’m hungry. . .and sweaty, too.” She pulled her T-shirt away from her body and waved it. “I’m sorry to be a downer, but. . .”
Hayley stood with her hands on her hips. “Aw, Em, just a little while longer.”
“Hey, if you want to stay, it’s okay. I’ll just walk back alone. It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
Actually, it wasn’t fine. Emily didn’t really know which way to take back to the college campus. Hayley had led the way, and they were talking so much that Emily didn’t pay much attention. Before going back to the table, Emily stood firm on her decision to leave. She hoped Hayley wouldn’t call her bluff and let her go back alone. It wasn’t a far walk, only about 20-minutes or so. If only she knew the way.
Hayley made a face and then palmed Emily’s shoulders. “Okay, okay, we’ll leave. But you owe me big time, Em. Just remember this favor.”
“Got it,” Emily replied, relieved at being able to go. The two guys they’d met didn’t impress her in the least, and between the loud music, warm beer, and the heat, this was all like a bad dream.
“Hey, guys,” Hayley announced as she and Emily returned to the table where Jake and Trevor sat.
“Hey, sweetie,” Jake said, raising a fresh mug of beer to his lips.
“Listen, we’ve gotta run, now.” Hayley lent a mock frown.
“What for?” Jake replied. “You chicks meeting up with someone else?”
Hayley giggled. “No, no.” She flashed a smile. “My friend. . .” She gestured with her thumb.
Emily grabbed the sleeve of Hayley’s T-shirt and gently tugged to get her attention. “Come on, Hayley.”
“Sorry, we gotta run,” Hayley called with a wave.
“You serious?” Jake said. His expression turned sour. He banged down his mug. “We were just getting to know ya.”
Hayley shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll be back”—she glanced at Emily—“like tomorrow night, maybe. Right Em?”
Emily turned even more uncomfortable now and wanted to disappear. She’d never been referred to as a chick before and didn’t know how to process it. She was sure Hayley could handle it; obviously, a year older, she’d been around the block, or so it seemed to Emily and probably more experienced. To Emily, Jake’s eyes held a menacing glow in the dim lights, like a wolfhound or tiger. Was he drunk? She couldn’t tell, but if anyone were a chick, it certainly wasn’t her. Unless, of course, teeth with braces was the look he was after. Another reason to get out of there.
Chapter Thirteen
The night pulsed with energy. Emily felt a heady rush to be out on her own, especially at this hour. The pungent aroma of sizzling beef permeated the air. . .piercing high-pitched screams came from the circling Ferris wheel. . .neon lights cast a carnival of colors everywhere, and the sweet scent of perfume drifted in the warm shadows of the evening.
“There’s the White Dog,” Emily said, pointing across the plaza. The girls stopped and ordered hamburgers and sodas. They brought their food outside and took a seat on one of the benches.
“Yum,” Emily said. “I love eating outside.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty good. I could use a smoke though.” Hayley looked around the plaza.
“How long have you been smoking?” Emily asked through a mouthful.
Hayley shrugged. “A while. . .at least a year.”
“What does you mom say about it?”
“She doesn’t know.”
Emily was shocked that she could keep it a secret.
After finishing their meal, the girls walked around the plaza. Haley gestured toward the Smoke Shop. “I need to get more cigarettes. I’m running low.”
“Hayley, you’re underage,” Emily scolded. “Besides, it feels late. Shouldn’t we be getting back now?”
“What time is it?”
Emily brought out her cell. “It’s almost nine.”
“That all?” Hayley tossed her soda cup into a trash receptacle. “It’s not late.”
“We have practice in the morning, don’t forget.”
“Ugh, that camp.”
“It’s really not that bad. I don’t know why you hate it so much.”
Hayley rolled her eyes.
“Well, my feet are getting sore,” Emily said, hoping this would encourage Hayley to take them back to the camp. “I wanna go now. C’mon, let’s go.”
“Okay, fine.”
****
“I hope we remember how to get back,” Emily said after they’d left the entertainment district and had been walking for a while. “Are you sure this is the way?” She didn’t pay much attention to the route Hayley led them on their way up to the Stacks. She’d been more concerned about whether they’d be caught skipping out of dinner with the others at the camp.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.” Hayley drew out her last cigarette and lit it. She exhaled and turned her gaze from one side of the street to the other. “It’s gotta be this way.” She pointed to the left. Emily wasn’t sure but took Hayley’s word for it.
Row upon row of houses—some converted commercially into stores—lined the darkening streets in the neighborhood. The clusters of people grew less and less dense the farther they walked, and soon Hayley and Emily were just two of only a few others on the street. The night air remained thick, and the bass beat from one of the rock bands thumped in the distance.
After a while, a sense of dread welled up inside Emily. “Feels like we’ve been walking around in circles. Are you sure we’re going in the right direction?”
“I thought it was this way,” Haley replied, pointing down the street.
They stopped mid-way along 3rd street where most of the commercial district’s storefronts, including a tanning salon, a hardware store, and a boutique shop were all closed and dark inside. The only place open for business was Pasquale’s Pizza. The orange-red neon outline of a pizza glowed in the front window. As they passed, Emily noticed there were no customers inside and the frame of a short man could be seen behind the counter.
Farther down, a stone church draped in ivy appeared gothic in the dim shadows. Emily’s gut told her something was wrong. “I don’t know. . .I think we’re going in the wrong direction. I think we’re heading toward the river.”
“I’m no good at directions,” Hayley said, stomping out the cigarette. “Sorry.”
Emily took the unofficial lead down the street and turned at the corner of 3rd and New Streets. Not knowing if this was the correct way back to campus, she took a gamble and headed east onto New Street where the breeze carried the subtle scent of lichen and green vegetation. The girls traversed another quarter-mile or so until Emily slowed her pace. “This still doesn’t feel right, Hayley.”
“Just keep going,” Hayley replied. “We can’t be that far off.”
In the near distance, life-sized statues of people dotted the open space of brick pavers.
“They look so real, don’t they?” Hayley said. “It’s like they’re staring back.”
Emily ignored her. Ogling statues wasn’t her idea of fun, especially while lost at night. Set on getting back to the campus was her main priority. Being out alone in a strange city was scary enough without any additional threats.
“They might just be staring at us,” joked Hayley as they walked past the darkening figures. “Their eyes look like they’re following us.” Hayley reached out and grabbed Emily playfully by the neck. “Oooo,” she uttered.
“Stop it!”
“Scared?” Hayley chuckled. “Em, you’re such a nerd. Just chill out.”
Emily swallowed her fear and trudged on. After a while, the heel of her foot began to chafe as it rubbed up against the back of her sneaker. She stopped to loosen the laces a bit. A ring of pink had already formed she could tell by the light of the street lamp. Fortunately, it hadn’t totally blistered yet. Moments later, Emily stopped short to listen. The sound of churning water would normally be soothing, calming even. Not now. “Oh, no, the river!” she exclaimed. “We didn’t come this way before, Hayley. We’re definitely going in the wrong direction!”
“Uh-oh,” Hayley replied. “I think we’re lost.”
Chapter Fourteen
The thought of being trapped in the maze of this unfamiliar town drew Emily’s anxiety. She tried to keep her feelings at bay, but fear overtook her and tears drew to her eyes. She wiped them away quickly in an effort to hide her emotions from Hayley. The girl probably already thought her to be a child and crying now in front of her would only confirm it. Images of grand English hedge mazes came to mind from the pictures in her history book. The extravagantly laid out labyrinths—upwards of three miles of pathway in some of them—could be just about impossible to navigate. How long could it take a person to find their way out? The only saving grace now was that she had Hayley with her, plus her cell phone, and she wasn’t behind a tall hedge that could obscure everything completely. At least, there were street lights to guide. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Unfortunately, it was useless as the signal was too weak to make any connection.
“I’m so thirsty,” she said, lamenting the fact that she didn’t get a bottled water when she had the chance. She cast her gaze down the street, hoping for a 24-hour convenience store or anyplace open at this hour.
“Me, too,” echoed Hayley while shifting her hobo bag to the other shoulder. The tinkling sound of something fragile came from inside the bag.
“What’s in there?” Emily asked. “Sounds like glass—or something.”
“Nothing important.” Hayley put a protective hand over the clasp. “Just stuff.”
A sense of dread overcame Emily. The commercial district had all but closed for the night. Very few cars—if any—even came down the street.
“I think we’d better go back the other way. This isn’t the right direction.” Emily turned around and before going more than a few paces, she slowed her gait and then froze.
“Why’d you stop, Em?”
“I-I don’t feel right.”
“You’re sick?”
“No. That guy.”
“What guy? Where?”
“Up the block—but, wait—don’t look obvious. He just got out,” Emily said, eyeing him askance. She remembered the white vehicle passing by them before; it was the one now parked at the corner.
“So? What’s the problem? He looks like he’s just having a smoke.”
“That car looks familiar.” Emily hushed her voice. “I think it’s been trailing us.”
“Em, I think you’ve been watching too many thrillers.”
Emily’s nerves tensed. “It might be nothing, but I don’t want to walk by him.”
Call it instinct, but every cell in her body said to get out of there. If only they hadn’t been so conspicuously out in the open—and alone. She kept her eyes fixed and watched him take a step down the sidewalk in their direction. Emily’s pulse quickened. “Come on, Hayley.” Emily grabbed her friend by the strap of her bag. “Let’s go!”
Emily hustled across the street with Hayley at her heels. She led at a clipped pace until the scent of woods and water became prominent again. This isn’t the right way. . .oh, which way to go? Emily took a gamble and made a right at the corner and scurried down to the next block toward the direction they probably should have been going in the first place.
“Okay. . .wait,” Hayley called out.
Emily turned and stopped to catch her breath.
“Damn!”
“You okay?”
“My sandal. The strap came loose.”
Emily watched as Hayley fiddled with the sandal and, while still breathing hard, she searched up and down the street. Not seeing anything amiss and no one behind them, she pointed to the left. “I think the campus is this way. Let’s just stay in one direction this time and see where it leads us.” She hustled down the street, picking up her stride as she went.
“Fine with me. . .ouch, wait up,” Hayley cried, attempting to keep up the pace.
“Did you fix it?” Emily called back.
“No, I’ll just go barefoot.”
“The campus shouldn’t be too much farther ahead,” Emily said, double-timing her steps. God, please lead us back safely.
A couple of blocks later, Emily’s frustration turned to hopelessness when the street came to a dead end at a gnarled thicket beside a big trash receptacle. Now what? Compounding things was something else. Across the street loomed the same white car that passed them earlier. The despair that draped over her quickly escalated to fear at seeing the figure of a man heading in their direction. The way he walked and that smirk of a smile—more chiseled than warm—gave her the creeps. Why was he wearing sunglasses at night? Emily stood cold in her tracks. Her pulse beat in her ears while her imagination rose into overdrive.
“Need a ride, ladies?” he said in a slightly southern drawl and whipped off his glasses. The look in his eyes—the cold, hard stare—didn’t look friendly in the least to Emily. Her throat turned dry and her heart thumped in overtime. A trickle of sweat rolled down her left arm. “Seen you been walking around town without an escort. . .not a good idea.” He smirked again.
Emily shot a glance at Hayley, hoping that she sensed the danger, too, as he came closer. After seeing one too many thriller movies, she couldn’t walk down a dark, empty alley without thinking someone was following her. Was she paranoid? She didn’t care. Either way, her instincts would not betray her; this unsettled feeling deep down was there for a reason. The man stepped closer. He was about fifty feet away now. . .then forty. . .thirty. . .twenty. . . The adrenaline coursing through her veins summoned a nerve she didn’t know she owned.
“Run, Hayley!” she shouted and madly bolted across the street. Emily ran blindly, not even daring to turn around. Either Hayley was with her or not, but the chance the man was on her heels would be too scary to find out. Better not even look, though something about him seemed vaguely familiar and she tried to place him. He may or may not have been a bad actor, but now was not the time to find out. While it was hard to tell in the dark, she still wondered if she knew him from somewhere?
Her chest heaved as she sucked up the air she was expending. She kept running. . .past the post office, a funeral home, and then an ivy-covered building before approaching a warehouse. Breathlessly, she scrambled around the building, keeping up the pace of an Olympian athlete. Her athleticism in school, which proved her to be the best eighth-grade short distance runner, came to be a blessing. The image of a roaring lion not far behind harnessed her energy and kept her moving no less swiftly than a fired-up locomotive leaving the station. Her legs—now moving faster than her body could carry them—soon turned rubbery until they could no longer hold her. A moment later, she went down, taking a hard fall on the ground.
“Owww,” she cried out in pain as her bare knee met the sharp edge of a semi-buried rock. Blood rushed to the surface and began to trickle down her leg. Hot, sweating, and out of breath, she took the hem of her cotton top and pressed it to her knee to stop the oozing flow. She cringed at the sight of the blood staining the bright white of her T-shirt. While she dabbed her knee, the sound of rushing water beckoned beyond the trees. Though her instincts told her this still wasn’t the right direction to get back to the camp, she managed to stand up and press on, bloody knee and all, toward the water.
Security lights on the roof top of a warehouse revealed a clearing in the weedy overgrowth that led to a path through some gnarled trees. She cut through the brush and bramble and stopped short at the edge of a steep river bank. The angle couldn’t have been more sheer—practically a 90 degree drop into the water. Behind her rose an odd sounding squall she didn’t recognize. Animal or human? She couldn’t tell. Panic took another stab, sending a jolt of adrenaline through her limbs.
Far below, the river cascaded tirelessly over rocks and boulders on its way downstream. In the darkness, the water sounded ominously imposing like a waterfall, reminding her of the surging flow of the famous Niagara Falls that had frightened her as a child. Even while holding her father’s hand on the sidewalk several blocks away, the power of the roaring water was daunting to her as it caused the sidewalk underneath her feet to quake.
Emily followed the path that eventually led to a footbridge to the other side of the river. In the darkness, her heart trembled—both out of fear that the footbridge might not be stable if she put her weight on it, and also that the strange man wasn’t still somewhere behind her and ready to pounce. He couldn’t have chased both of them down. What were the odds that he’d chosen her and was lurking somewhere behind? Then a sense of guilt rose. Poor Hailey. He may have gotten a hold of her. Without her sandals, how could the girl have even run at all?
Chapter Fifteen
Faint moon light cast an eerie glow as Emily’s paranoia grew. She braced herself and took a tentative step onto the foot bridge. The rickety wood swayed under her weight. She’d been on the same type of bridge before when she’d visited relatives in Montana. The rush of the Kootenai River rapids far below had been daunting enough to take her breath away back then, and midway across the rapids, the bridge shook even more vigorously as others stepped onto it behind her. Their weight shook not only the bridge but her composure as well. What if the wooden slats cracked midway or the rope frayed and snapped? How far down would she drop into the deep, dark river?
The same fear overtook her once again as she trembled alone in the dark. While standing midway with fear gripping down to her bones, Emily spotted a copse of trees a little way down the river jutting out from a tiny island. In the dimness, there was just enough on-shore light to see a boat docked, and she heard the sound of voices floating across the water. She wanted to cry out for help but feared calling attention to herself. Surely, someone could help her to get back to where she belonged. If only someone knew she was there.
