encounter. Maybe it was just the early morning chill—no matter where you were, desert or jungle, it got really cold right around 4:00 a.m. Fieldwork taught her that. New Mexico, Utah, Turkey, Belize—always the same, that’s when the chill came. It was cold like that right now, which at least had to mean the dawn was almost upon them. She looked at her sleeping bag crumpled against the wall. If she started to shiver it was going to be hard to stop.
She brought her knees up, hugged them again to her chest. —Well Pete, you’re the expert. Any idea what those things were?
A long moment passed before he answered —I dunno. Pause. —They must have something to do with the thing outside. Its breath, its spit, something it sheds? Its babies, its eggs? Some kind of parasites that slid off its skin? Hallucinations it caused us to see?
—Two of them hit me. The big flickering thing and one of the blobs. They all went right through me. I felt them though. I can still kind of feel where the blob hit. It feels wet but it’s not. Whatever they were I don’t think they were hallucinations exactly. Not the way I felt them.
—Whatever they were I think you attracted them sitting where you are. I wish you would come away from there before you attract something worse.
—I already did. I attracted you . Better I take my chances with this monster and its friends.
—Don’t talk that way Sue! I’m not like that! I swear. I swear on my mother’s grave. I swear on the American flag. If you come back here I will leave you alone. No means no, I get that , I know. I was lonely, that was all. And scared. I admit it, I was scared. I’m still scared. We’re both scared. Not all men are what you think. I just had a bad moment. I’m OK now. You’re safe with me.
—I’m scared of you , don’t you get that? And I have very good reason.
She couldn’t see his facial expression but she saw him hang his head. Bullshit acting.
—I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Please come back this way. I won’t touch you again. But we’ll both be safer if you come away from the cave mouth. That much I’m sure of.
She regarded his vague huddled form in the rear of the space, tried to gauge his sincerity, his acting ability, the ratio of one to the other. His fear, hers. A leopard doesn’t change its spots , something her adoptive father used to say. Fear could do a lot though.
Sue-Min glanced outside and up. Was the bat-melting blossom really closer now, larger? How much longer before it reached out for her? Her gut told her Pete was right at least about the danger of her location. Hadn’t Ron most likely attracted its attention simply by standing in this very spot? She envisioned the pinwheel dipping and spinning, licking her up with a flick of one immense petal. . .
—Please Sue-Min? Please come away from there.
She waited, considered, weighed her fears. —Okay. First off you understand I’ll scream as loud as I can the second you come near me, right?
—Yeah, no problem, I’ll leave you alone, just like I said. I swear.
—Second, you need to move as far as you can into that sort of alcove behind you.
He immediately began wriggling the final few feet into the last rounded extremity of the shelter. He had to hunch just a little once he was all the way in.
She took a deep breath, said —All right. Not one move or I will scream like nothing you ever heard before.
—Yeah, yeah, okay. I get it. Just come away from the entrance.
She began to crawl toward the rear of the cave, the dusty cobbles wedging beneath her kneecaps again. She wished she had her kneepads in her pack, but she hadn’t expected to do any caving on this hike so she’d left them behind. Not that this dinky rockshelter with no real dark zone counted as a genuine cave. She kept Pete in the corner of her eye the entire time, flicked glances at him every few feet.
At the wall she considered her sleeping bag. Her bag and Ron’s, still zipped as one. She
She brought her knees up, hugged them again to her chest. —Well Pete, you’re the expert. Any idea what those things were?
A long moment passed before he answered —I dunno. Pause. —They must have something to do with the thing outside. Its breath, its spit, something it sheds? Its babies, its eggs? Some kind of parasites that slid off its skin? Hallucinations it caused us to see?
—Two of them hit me. The big flickering thing and one of the blobs. They all went right through me. I felt them though. I can still kind of feel where the blob hit. It feels wet but it’s not. Whatever they were I don’t think they were hallucinations exactly. Not the way I felt them.
—Whatever they were I think you attracted them sitting where you are. I wish you would come away from there before you attract something worse.
—I already did. I attracted you . Better I take my chances with this monster and its friends.
—Don’t talk that way Sue! I’m not like that! I swear. I swear on my mother’s grave. I swear on the American flag. If you come back here I will leave you alone. No means no, I get that , I know. I was lonely, that was all. And scared. I admit it, I was scared. I’m still scared. We’re both scared. Not all men are what you think. I just had a bad moment. I’m OK now. You’re safe with me.
—I’m scared of you , don’t you get that? And I have very good reason.
She couldn’t see his facial expression but she saw him hang his head. Bullshit acting.
—I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. Please come back this way. I won’t touch you again. But we’ll both be safer if you come away from the cave mouth. That much I’m sure of.
She regarded his vague huddled form in the rear of the space, tried to gauge his sincerity, his acting ability, the ratio of one to the other. His fear, hers. A leopard doesn’t change its spots , something her adoptive father used to say. Fear could do a lot though.
Sue-Min glanced outside and up. Was the bat-melting blossom really closer now, larger? How much longer before it reached out for her? Her gut told her Pete was right at least about the danger of her location. Hadn’t Ron most likely attracted its attention simply by standing in this very spot? She envisioned the pinwheel dipping and spinning, licking her up with a flick of one immense petal. . .
—Please Sue-Min? Please come away from there.
She waited, considered, weighed her fears. —Okay. First off you understand I’ll scream as loud as I can the second you come near me, right?
—Yeah, no problem, I’ll leave you alone, just like I said. I swear.
—Second, you need to move as far as you can into that sort of alcove behind you.
He immediately began wriggling the final few feet into the last rounded extremity of the shelter. He had to hunch just a little once he was all the way in.
She took a deep breath, said —All right. Not one move or I will scream like nothing you ever heard before.
—Yeah, yeah, okay. I get it. Just come away from the entrance.
She began to crawl toward the rear of the cave, the dusty cobbles wedging beneath her kneecaps again. She wished she had her kneepads in her pack, but she hadn’t expected to do any caving on this hike so she’d left them behind. Not that this dinky rockshelter with no real dark zone counted as a genuine cave. She kept Pete in the corner of her eye the entire time, flicked glances at him every few feet.
At the wall she considered her sleeping bag. Her bag and Ron’s, still zipped as one. She
Similar Books
