Chapter 19 #2
“We’ll just take a break,” he says. “You’ll get your strength back.”
“I don’t know. I feel like these boots weigh a hundred pounds each.”
“Are you trying to get me to carry you?”
I flutter my eyelashes at him. “You’re so smart.”
He laughs.
“I’m kidding. I mean, you are smart. But I don’t expect you to carry me.” I take a bite of oatmeal, almonds, and dark chocolate. “This is good.”
“Drink some water, too.”
“The sun is going down.”
He looks west. “Yeah.”
A shiver runs down my spine. “Can we find our way back in the dark?”
“It won’t get dark for a while. We’re good.”
“I’m glad you’re so positive.” I drink some water as my mouth has gone dry.
“I’m sorry, Nik.” He meets my eyes, regret tugging down his eyebrows. “I’ll look after you. I promise.”
“I know.” I hold his gaze and steady my breathing. If there’s anyone I trust to take care of me, it’s Marek.
We finish up, storing our refuse in the backpack, and start on our way again, this time following our footsteps. Marek checks his phone frequently and realizes where we went wrong. “We should be there soon.”
“What’s that?” I stop and point at a pile of crumbling stone. “It looks like a grave.”
“It’s not a grave.”
“I want to see.”
“Nik, we’re running out of daylight.”
“It’ll just take a minute.” I trudge through snow to look at the stone.
I realize that it’s surrounded by a circle of pine trees, here in the middle of a deciduous forest. The sun has now sunk behind the forest and it’s dim and shadowy here.
I can just make out engraving on some of the stone.
“It’s a headstone,” I say weakly. “Whoa.”
He treks in after me. “I did read something about a cemetery somewhere around here. A witch’s cemetery.”
I whirl around to face him. “A what!”
He grins. “Witch’s cemetery. This must be it.”
I spin back around to the headstone. “A witch is buried here.”
“There’s no such thing as witches.”
My eyes fly open wide. “Are you kidding? Of course there is!”
He sighs.
At that moment, an eerie noise reaches our ears. A kind of squealing noise in the distance. In the darkening distance.
My heart flips over. I let out a little squawk and jump at Marek. He grabs me.
“What was that?” I yelp. “Oh my God. Marek!”
He holds onto me. “I don’t know. Just an animal.”
We hear it again. “It sounds like a horse,” I say shakily. “A tiny, high-pitched horse neighing. Are there horses around here?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Fuck! It’s the ghost of the witch!”
“There’s no such thing as ghosts either.”
“We have to get out of here!” I tug at his jacket. “Come on!”
He doesn’t argue with me, and we both make haste down the path at a run, which is even harder than walking in the snow. My boots now weigh five hundred pounds but my panic gives me the adrenaline rush I need to keep going.
I have to give Marek credit, he holds onto my gloved hand the whole way, shortening his steps so I can keep up with him as we run from ghosts.
Then I start to laugh. Out of breath, I stop running and Marek stops, too, and then he’s laughing with me and we’re both nearly falling down in the snow we’re laughing so hard.
I have to wipe tears from my eyes and we lean on each other.
“Oh my God,” I wheeze. “We are so bonkers.”
He shakes with laughter. “You’re bonkers. I was trying to tell you there’s no such thing as ghosts.”
“You ran with me!” More giggles flood helplessly from inside me.
“I was saving you from the tiny horses.”
“Ahhhh hahaha!” I’m dying again.
Finally we get ourselves together enough to start walking.
But Marek halts. “I think we missed the turn again.”
I let out a little scream. “We’re doomed. Done for. The witch’s ghost is going to get us.”
He’s trying not to laugh again. “Calm down, Nik.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and hold on tight while he checks his phone again.
“Okay, yeah, just a bit back. We must have missed it because we were running.”
“Because we were scared shitless.”
“Speak for yourself.”
I become aware of soft snowflakes drifting down around us. Panic grips me like a hand around my windpipe and my arms tighten around him. “Noooo!”
“What?”
“It’s snowing!”
“It’s okay.” He rubs my back through my jacket. “It’s just a few flakes. Come on, diva. We got this.”
My heart stutters in my chest. I can’t help but think of the snow that fell in Berlin and the danger it brought. A whimper escapes me as we turn around and retrace our steps yet again, me staying as close to Marek as I can.
“Are we sure this is the right path?” I ask when we arrive at the intersection.
“Yeah. Look.” He points to the sign, another small wooden one that says Ridge Falls with an arrow. “So we go this way.”
I cross my arms. “I think we should go back to the falls.”
He frowns. “Why?”
“Because we know for sure we can get back that way. What if we go this way and it’s wrong, too?”
“It’s not wrong.” But doubt edges his voice.
I raise my eyebrows.
“This way is shorter,” he adds unconvincingly.
“Can you 100 percent guarantee that?”
“No.” He exhales and studies me. His face softens. “Fine. We’ll go back this way.”
I nod in satisfaction.
We trek in silence, thankfully not hearing any more ghosts. Or tiny horses. We soon reach the falls and I’m relieved, because there’s only one path back to the parking lot. I think…
“Is this the only way back?” I ask Marek.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Just checking.” I look over at him. “Don’t roll your eyes at me! I’m saving our lives.”
He shouts out a laugh, grabs me, and kisses my forehead. “You’re right. Sorry.”
Smiling, I set out down the path.
The snow is falling faster and thicker. It’s hard to breathe with my heart lodged in my throat but I’m determined to get through this without a full-blown panic attack. The good thing about the snow is that it keeps things bright in the falling darkness.
Finally we make it back to the parking lot. When I see Marek’s SUV I let out a long breath of relief, my knees going spongy. “Thank God. I was afraid it would be gone.”
He unlocks the doors. “Did you think the witch ghost took it?”
“I did consider that, yes.” I climb into the vehicle and collapse into the passenger seat. “Oh my God. I can’t move.”
“Relax, honey. We’ll be back at the inn in no time.”
The endearment and his kind tone of voice divert me from my agitation. We made it. We’re fine. “What time is it? Midnight?”
“Nearly six.”
“That’s it?” I whimper. “Can I go to bed when we get back?”
“No. I have other things planned for you.”
I eye him dubiously. “While I do enjoy a little four-legged frolic, I don’t think I’m up for much tonight. You’ll have to do all the work.”
He chokes on a laugh as he pulls onto the road. “That’s not exactly what I have in mind.”
“Oh.” Now I’m disappointed. I close my eyes and lean against the door for the drive back to the inn. What does he have in mind, then?