“What were you arguing about?” a third voice asked. This one belonged to Luke, which meant the four of us were standing on the side of an interstate, probably looking like morons to passersby. That didn’t change the fact that the sense of dread gripping me by the throat in the truck wasn’t dissipating. No, it was only growing greater.
“Just ... stuff,” Kade replied. He was too loyal to admit what we were really arguing about. He would protect me no matter what. “I didn’t understand the Christmas set-up and it led to a minor argument. It’s not a big deal.”
“And yet she jumped out of the truck,” Cole said. “That’s weird, right?”
“Really weird,” Luke confirmed. I could sense him as he moved closer to me. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know that he was coming to check on me, to make sure I was okay. “Why are you mad at Captain Do-Right? I thought you two were still floating on puffy clouds and happily in love with one another.”
“We are,” I gritted out, moving closer to the lip of the embankment. Something was calling to me and I couldn’t ignore it. “I’m not angry. I ... there!” I jabbed a finger at something metallic on the other side of the steep incline. “That’s what I sensed.”
Luke kept a hand on my arm as he peered over, his eyes going wide. “That’s a truck.”
“Oh, you think? I sensed it as we were approaching. That’s why I told him to pull over.”
“That’s great.” Luke didn’t look as if he believed the claim. “But what do we do?”
“We call the police,” Cole said. “We can’t get down there to save them ourselves, and explaining what we’re doing won’t go over well.” He pulled out his phone. “Let me handle it. I’ll say we saw the sun glinting off the truck and decided to check it out.”
With those words, he was gone and I was left to stare at what was left of the mangled truck.
“Is anyone alive down there?” Kade asked, his hand automatically moving to my back.
“I don’t know.” The feeling of dread that had overtaken me as we drove grew. “I just don’t know.”
2
Two
It took the state troopers longer than I would’ve liked to arrive. Kade and Luke had to stop me three times from trying to climb down the embankment. Finally, Cole pointed toward the jagged rocks and asked if I wanted to split my head open. I didn’t like his methods, but it was a convincing argument.
It didn’t matter. Everyone in the truck was dead.
I didn’t even get their names. The troopers weren’t keen to share information. All they would say is that it looked as if the truck had somehow gone off the road in the middle of the night — perhaps because the driver fell asleep — and they would take over now. They thanked us for being conscientious drivers and sent us on our way.
That was it.
There were no insightful questions or even accusatory stares.
There was simply … nothing.
I was annoyed at the brushoff, especially since something about the scene bothered me. It was with great reluctance that I climbed into Kade’s truck as the heavy machinery to pull the wrecked vehicle back to the road arrived. Both of us were subdued after that, our argument long forgotten.
Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the fairgrounds that would serve as our home for the next week. The rest of our group was already there. They’d seen us pulled over at the side of the road when they passed. Given the law enforcement presence, they didn’t stop. That was probably wise.
“What was it?” Nelson “Nellie” Adler was excited as he approached us. He wore a floral dress that showed off his hairy shoulders, pairing it with a set of combat boots that didn’t match the overall theme. He didn’t care. Honestly, he never cared. He went his own way on fashion and we were fine with it.
“A wreck,” Luke replied as I continued to pout. “I heard one of the troopers talking even though he was trying to keep it quiet. He said it was a family, at least four people.”
“Were they dead?”
Luke nodded. “Yeah. It’s sad, but at least Poet found them so they weren’t down there a long time. The troopers said it likely happened last night. I still don’t understand how you knew to look.” His eyes landed on me. “I understand if they were alive and you sensed one of them in pain, but they were all gone. I’m guessing they went instantly given the incline and what was left of the vehicle.”
“I don’t know what caused me to stop,” I admitted as I accepted the metal chair Kade handed me. He had been largely silent since the incident and was now unloading the back of his truck. We were getting a later start on the unpacking than normal, so we needed to get everything unloaded and then start on dinner. Darkness would fall faster than any of us were prepared to deal with. “I just sensed something.”
“Well, it’s good you did.” Nellie shot me a sympathetic smile. There were times I thought he could read me better than most, but there were other times I wondered if he knew me at all. “At least now any family they have won’t be stuck wondering what happened to them. Given the way that road was set up, it could’ve been months before anyone found them.”
“Weeks anyway,” Cole agreed, moving to my side and accepting the bistro table Kade handed him. He was the type who pitched in right away and didn’t have to be told what to do. That was a plus on his side, but I was still leery of him. “Once hunting season hits, it’s likely someone would’ve found the vehicle. But it’s definitely better that it happened this way.”
I wasn’t so sure. The family being dead had been a blow. I wanted to save at least one of them, but that could’ve been my hero complex. Given the fact that we fought monsters on a weekly basis, we all suffered from the same mental malady. We wanted to help people and save the day. It was something I couldn’t shake.
“It’s sad,” I said finally. “I don’t understand how they ended up down there. I mean ... did anyone see any tracks?”
Cole’s gaze was thoughtful as he slid his eyes to me. “You noticed that, too? I couldn’t figure out why you guys were pulling over. Tracks would’ve caused me to do the same, but I keep forgetting that you’re a powerful seer. The echo of what happened called you.
“Once we realized what we were looking at, I searched for tracks because I assumed they had to be there, perhaps only hidden. Couldn’t find any,” he continued. “I’m not even sure which direction they were coming from to end up at that angle.”
“Maybe they somehow careened over the bridge and never hit the brakes,” Kade suggested. He’d finished emptying the back of the truck and was climbing down. “If the driver was asleep, it’s possible he never woke up.”
“I guess.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m just feeling unsettled. I would’ve preferred being able to save someone. I know that’s not always possible, but ... I just would’ve felt better if one life was saved.”
“That’s because you’re my little hero.” Kade slung his arm around my neck and kissed my temple. “You can’t let this bother you, baby. You did the best you could. Expecting more from yourself is unreasonable.”