crinkled her nose at his label.
The cruiser rolled out of the high school parking lot. Aaron felt a knot raveling in his stomach as he knew they were heading back to where he had escaped, where Steve was gunned down, and where Mike was probably wounded–or dead.
They sped past the vast football field and bleachers surrounding the school, as Aaron pondered what they would find at their destination. The ride out of town seemed interminably long, in complete silence, and made all the more unbearable by the uncomfortable seating, compared to the cushy limousine that Aaron was accustomed to traveling in. He blinked heavy eyelids and watched as they left behind the last row ofporched houses, each candy-colored house a carbon copy of the one before, reaching the end of the paved road.
“Turn here,” Aaron said.
Carl looked into the rear-view; Aaron was tense. He steered down the wooded path, and after a few bends; they pulled in just a few strides from the hood of Tremblay's cruiser, which was parked in the opposite direction, facing up the hill. Aaron swallowed as he glanced out the window, thinking of the white van that was once here, starting this whole goddamn mess in the first place.
Suddenly, the door opened and Aaron lost his arm rest, his elbow slipping. He almost fell, exhausted, from the cruiser, but Carl suddenly gripped his upper arm, holding Aaron in place with a rough grip. Aaron looked up at Carl, who was signaling for him to get out while pulling on his arm. Aaron looked at Carl and looked at his arm pointedly. Carl released his tight grip, and Aaron and Amanda stepped out of the cruiser, both showing signs of anticipation.
“Stay here,” Carl said to Amanda with a stern glare.
“I'm a big girl, Carl. I can.”
“It might not be safe, babe.” Carl tried to turn on the charm, but he didn't have much in him. Instead, he managed a scornful expression and a cutesy whine, “Please? For me?”
Amanda nodded before he could say something stupid like pretty please with sugar on top. “And what am I supposed to do?”
“Suck on a lollipop,” Carl winked at her. “There's a couple in the glove box.”
So, instead of following, Amanda folded her arms in a huff and leaned against Carl's cruiser. Carl walked into the woods with Aaron at his side. Aaron looked around the woods, disoriented. “I'm not exactly sure where it is from here,” Aaron murmured, trying to decipher the labyrinth of trees.
“Sheriff? You around?” Carl yelled.
“Over here,” Tremblay boomed, not far away.
“Come on,” Carl said, taking Aaron's arm and leading him into the bushes in the direction of Tremblay.
Aaron's feet were struggling to keep up with Carl, getting caught on branches and roots. “Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming.” His eyes widened as he recognized the clearing up ahead. He was there. The campsite.
Yet, when Carl and Aaron stepped out of the woods; the scene wasn't how Aaron had left it. He saw the fire pit, and the overturned canoe–but Jake, the bearded man's body had disappeared.
“Did you move him already?” Aaron said, increasingly anxious and confused.
“Who?” Carl said.
“The body. The dead guy.” Aaron walked over to the canoe, scanning the ground for any sign of life, or death. There were only a smattering of leaves, sticks and twigs. No body. No blood.
“Where was he?” Carl asked thoughtfully.
Aaron pointed next to the canoe. “Right here.”
Carl looked left and right. “Maybe he wasn't dead.”
“I saw him die! It was right here!” Aaron exploded excitedly, kicking the canoe with a loud thud.
A twig cracked as Tremblay wandered out of the bushes where Steve and Mike had been hiding. The sheriff slowly ambled toward Carl and Aaron, looking at the ground intently as he approached. He bent down once to inspect a leaf, picking it up and slowly twirling it in front of his face. Tremblay shrugged, dropped the leaf, and looked directly at Aaron through his aviator
The cruiser rolled out of the high school parking lot. Aaron felt a knot raveling in his stomach as he knew they were heading back to where he had escaped, where Steve was gunned down, and where Mike was probably wounded–or dead.
They sped past the vast football field and bleachers surrounding the school, as Aaron pondered what they would find at their destination. The ride out of town seemed interminably long, in complete silence, and made all the more unbearable by the uncomfortable seating, compared to the cushy limousine that Aaron was accustomed to traveling in. He blinked heavy eyelids and watched as they left behind the last row ofporched houses, each candy-colored house a carbon copy of the one before, reaching the end of the paved road.
“Turn here,” Aaron said.
Carl looked into the rear-view; Aaron was tense. He steered down the wooded path, and after a few bends; they pulled in just a few strides from the hood of Tremblay's cruiser, which was parked in the opposite direction, facing up the hill. Aaron swallowed as he glanced out the window, thinking of the white van that was once here, starting this whole goddamn mess in the first place.
Suddenly, the door opened and Aaron lost his arm rest, his elbow slipping. He almost fell, exhausted, from the cruiser, but Carl suddenly gripped his upper arm, holding Aaron in place with a rough grip. Aaron looked up at Carl, who was signaling for him to get out while pulling on his arm. Aaron looked at Carl and looked at his arm pointedly. Carl released his tight grip, and Aaron and Amanda stepped out of the cruiser, both showing signs of anticipation.
“Stay here,” Carl said to Amanda with a stern glare.
“I'm a big girl, Carl. I can.”
“It might not be safe, babe.” Carl tried to turn on the charm, but he didn't have much in him. Instead, he managed a scornful expression and a cutesy whine, “Please? For me?”
Amanda nodded before he could say something stupid like pretty please with sugar on top. “And what am I supposed to do?”
“Suck on a lollipop,” Carl winked at her. “There's a couple in the glove box.”
So, instead of following, Amanda folded her arms in a huff and leaned against Carl's cruiser. Carl walked into the woods with Aaron at his side. Aaron looked around the woods, disoriented. “I'm not exactly sure where it is from here,” Aaron murmured, trying to decipher the labyrinth of trees.
“Sheriff? You around?” Carl yelled.
“Over here,” Tremblay boomed, not far away.
“Come on,” Carl said, taking Aaron's arm and leading him into the bushes in the direction of Tremblay.
Aaron's feet were struggling to keep up with Carl, getting caught on branches and roots. “Yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming.” His eyes widened as he recognized the clearing up ahead. He was there. The campsite.
Yet, when Carl and Aaron stepped out of the woods; the scene wasn't how Aaron had left it. He saw the fire pit, and the overturned canoe–but Jake, the bearded man's body had disappeared.
“Did you move him already?” Aaron said, increasingly anxious and confused.
“Who?” Carl said.
“The body. The dead guy.” Aaron walked over to the canoe, scanning the ground for any sign of life, or death. There were only a smattering of leaves, sticks and twigs. No body. No blood.
“Where was he?” Carl asked thoughtfully.
Aaron pointed next to the canoe. “Right here.”
Carl looked left and right. “Maybe he wasn't dead.”
“I saw him die! It was right here!” Aaron exploded excitedly, kicking the canoe with a loud thud.
A twig cracked as Tremblay wandered out of the bushes where Steve and Mike had been hiding. The sheriff slowly ambled toward Carl and Aaron, looking at the ground intently as he approached. He bent down once to inspect a leaf, picking it up and slowly twirling it in front of his face. Tremblay shrugged, dropped the leaf, and looked directly at Aaron through his aviator
Similar Books
