“There’s a safety switch,” I said proudly.
“How do you know that?”
“I read it in a murder mystery book.”
“Well where is it at?”
“That I don’t know.” Luckily, it was easy to find.
We laughed as we put the gun away and walked back home to start dinner, teasing each other about who was the worse shot the whole time.
A few minutes after we settled into our rooms for the night, I heard a loud snap followed by the sound of Brayson cursing.
“The damn cot broke,” he yelled in frustration. “I’ll fix it in the morning. I’m sleeping in the truck.” I stifled a giggle with my sweater sleeve as I heard his boots stomping past my door.
*
Mary had a little lamb…
The soothing voice tugged me out of my nightmarish dreams. I laid there on the cot, wrapped in my warm sleeping bag, as the air around my face grew instantly colder.
Little lamb…
I wasn’t sure if I was still asleep. I sat up quickly to check and the cot rocked from my movement but held firm.
Its fleece was white as snow…
“Vorie is that you?” I was definitely awake. The flashlight was on the box near my head. I grabbed it and almost dropped it as I quickly turned on the beam. No one else was in the room.
“This isn’t funny. I swear I heard you.” The light bounced along the walls as I checked all four corners again. Sighing, I clicked off the light and laid back down on the bed. Going crazy is exactly what I need right now. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep.
“Boo.”
“Damn it Vorie! That is not cool. You scared the crap out of me.” I turned my head to the side to see the translucent outline of my friend’s face laying on the jacket pillow next to me.
“Keep it down,” she giggled. “You’ll wake the dead.”
“Always with the jokes,” I groaned, but was still smiling. “So, you made it? You crossed over and you’re safe in the realm? Brayson is going to be so happy to hear this.”
“Shh.” Vorie’s voice was different. More melodic and distant than in real life. It gave me goosebumps. “I don’t want him to know that I came to see you yet. He’ll be hurt.”
“Not if you go see him too. He is over there in the truck,” I laughed. “He built these cots and his broke.”
“I know.” Her voice was so sad that I instantly felt like the worst friend ever. “But he isn’t ready to see me yet. His soul is still reaching for the realm right now and I don’t think it’s a good idea to tip the scales. Plus, I’m still learning how to do this thing and I’m not sure how long I can stay.”
“What’s it like?” I asked. “Traveling back to the real world.”
“Different,” Vorie smiled. “The complete opposite of going through the portals. No darkness, the void is light, but it’s hard to ground myself here in this world. In this…” she giggled as she looked over my head. “This bathroom. Was this seriously the best place you could find?”
“Hey.” I stuck out my bottom lip. “I cleaned it all up and I happen to think it is very cozy.” Vorie chuckled.
“I have to go now,” she said suddenly. “I just came to tell you that something is coming. You don’t need to run away or be afraid. Just be prepared and trust your gut.”
“Um, that’s a little ominous. Care to elaborate?”
Vorie shook her head sadly. “Take care of Brayson for me.”
“Wait,” I reached out to grab her, but my hand slipped through. “I saw birds today. They were singing.”
Her essence disappeared, but her words lingered in the room. “I saw them with you.”
*
Brayson and I worked together after breakfast to reinforce his cot.
“We should probably figure out how to eat some of the stuff around here,” I said as I opened another can of sausages. “The food we brought isn’t going to last us forever.” Brayson murmured something inaudible while he fastened a rope around the wood to secure the corner.
“I’m going to assume that was “yes Fawn, I agree.” Great. Let’s figure out a way to get us some fish.” I caught the slightest hint of a smile on his face before he looked to the ground.
*
After searching through the supplies to discover we didn’t have any hooks or fishing poles, I was standing in the creek trying to figure out how to turn a t-shirt into a net. Suddenly, I heard the sound of approaching engines.
“Brayson!” I screamed as I crashed through the bushes while running up the hill. “I think someone’s coming!”
He stood in the clearing by the truck with his hands in the air. The pistol was on the ground a few feet away from his feet.
“Walk out slowly Fawn and cover your arm,” he whispered loud enough for me to hear.
I pulled the sleeves of my sweater down and inched my way over to his side. There were six ATVs forming a half circle around us blocking the road. The riders held long guns pointed at our heads.
“Who are they?” I asked without moving my lips while raising my hands in the air.
The riders looked worn down with dirty faces. Some wore cowboy hats or bandannas, but most of them were wearing jeans and t-shirts. I’d never seen anyone in the mafia dress like that. My heart was racing, but Vorie’s words gave me a small bit of comfort.
A dirt bike came roaring through the center of their formation. The new rider dismounted and removed her helmet, exposing a cascade of long black hair. She reminded me of Astrid, and I felt another twinge of the guilt that plagued me for leaving my coworkers too.
The woman motioned for one of the ATV riders to go check the bathroom structure. Brayson stepped forward protectively and she raised her hand.
“We’re not here to take your stuff.” She sounded annoyed. “I just want to make sure there are no hidden surprises coming my way.” The man calmly returned from his inspection of our rooms and whispered something into her ear.
The woman turned her sharp eyes toward us and smirked. “Walk over here with your hands up. I’d tell you to stay away from the gun, but Akon over here says you can’t shoot for shit.” The man to the right of me chuckled. I felt my cheeks grow hot.
“And you are living in the bathrooms.” The woman shook her head and set her helmet on the handlebar. “Want to tell me what the hell you two are doing out here?”
Brayson stepped forward again. “We didn’t mean to infringe on anyone’s turf. We were just looking to leave the city and make a life for ourselves in the wild.”
“Sure you were,” the woman laughed. “Who are you running from?” Brayson’s eyes locked with mine as he glanced back over his shoulder.
“He’s telling the truth,” I said coldly. I was seriously starting to dislike this lady. “Where we come from is trash. There’s no jobs, no wildlife. There is nothing there except portals. We wanted to get as far away from all that as we could. It was always our plan to leave once we turned eighteen and our contracts were up.” I omitted the rest, hoping she wouldn’t see through the lie.
“You’re orphans?” she asked in a sympathetic tone which was quickly replaced by sarcasm. “They sure don’t teach you anything, do they? The supplies you have will barely last you through the summer. You’ll freeze to death up here this winter. Do you plan on moving before then? The last thing I want to do is shoot a couple of starving kids trying to raid my town.”