Chapter 2
Something about the swamp was off.
Standing near the water’s edge, with a wrecked bus on its side only feet away, didn’t help any. Instead of a glorious piece of untouched nature, it was a backdrop to destruction.
Every once in a while, the water would shift like something was adjusting its weight below the surface.
Everyone exited the toppled vehicle, and it was a small miracle that there weren’t any injuries other than a few bumps and bruises.
From what I could tell, I’d gotten the worst of it.
Make a mental note, don’t lean on windows.
“Are you okay, Talia?” A sharp frown tugged Professor Gale’s thick lips downwards as he rushed up to me, flashing a light in my eyes.
“I’m okay.”
He studied my eyes a little longer, his fingers landing on the side of my face, as if he could feel past the skin and bone to see the ooze beneath that made up who I was. His fingers lingered a beat too long, and the intensity in his grey eyes made me want to squirm away.
His eyes always bothered me, but I could never make out why. They reminded me of something that made my heart race and my stomach fold on itself, but I could never pinpoint what that was.
That said, he was a more laid back and calm professor. It was strange to see the serious expression etched into his features. He actually looked like a professor for once.
It made me scratch the back of my neck, to brush off something that wasn’t there.
Eventually, he nodded and kept walking to talk to the other professor leading the trip, as she reported what happened on her cell phone to emergency services.
Every once in a while she’d yell, “Hello! Can you hear me?”
But after she took a few steps, they seemed to hear her fine. I checked my phone realizing I only had one bar. That explained why some of the other students were complaining.
Burning hatred seared the side of my head, until I turned to find Shannon glaring at me with her pretty hazel eyes sharper than knives.
“Are you okay, Talia?” Her pretty face twisted into a sneer as she mocked Professor Gale’s concerned tone.
“Is there something I can do to help you?” I asked her. “You’re being more uppity than usual.”
“I’m tired of you getting to stomp on all the rules to get a leg up.” She stormed away to go sit on the suitcases and bags we could easily grab on the way out.
I focused on the professors talking to each other. Their body language relaxed as they got a plan together. The stress visibly melted away as they realized things weren’t as bad as they could be.
I’m glad they felt that way. I wasn’t so sure.
The wind blew around me like a cool caress that soothed my heated skin. I’d been right. The temperature was even worse out here.
The breeze carried a scent of dirt and sulfur over to me, making my eyes dart back to the water, like a reminder that it was there beside me.
Hope you didn’t forget about me.
I had to make peace with the water. It wasn’t going anywhere.
The professors approached us with smiles that didn’t suit the bus behind them and made me toy with the obsidian pendant around my neck.
Professor Gale ran a hand through his tousled black hair that was peppered with grays. Most people thought they made him look handsome, instead of older. It probably helped that his skin was perfect for a man in his forties. “Okay, team. Listen up.”
The water slunk closer to the edge as if it wanted to hear what he had to say.
The independent conversations surrounding me went quiet as all fourteen students gave the two elders their attention.
Once Gale knew we were paying attention, he continued.
“Professor Carter and I have spoken to the local authorities. They are aware of the crash, but since everyone is safe, they will not be coming to the scene. Something about it being too dark to come out.”
I looked up where the sun was hidden behind ugly storm clouds that threatened to pour at any moment. Sure the light was suffocated, but the sun hadn’t even hit its peak yet. I checked my phone to confirm it was only ten in the morning.
Why would the cops say it was too dark? “That doesn’t make sense.”
Professor Carter’s mouth opened, but she closed it with resignation that made my eyes study her closer. Discomfort tensed her mouth, creating wrinkles in the process.
“Local superstition, Talia,” Gale answered easily. “You know places like this have their own culture.”
I nodded my acceptance. We’d been on enough expeditions together to experience some of that. Still, the urge to run itched beneath my skin.
Where would I even go?
Something was thinly veiled beneath the surface of the water. I could just make out something sinking deeper. I stepped closer, hoping to get a better look at the threat lurking at us, ready to react if I needed to.
It was next to impossible to see, but as I moved closer, ripples pushed away. I must have scared whatever it was off.
“The bus driver will stay here with the bus for triple A, and the company will send us a replacement in the next few days. Since we have plenty of supplies until then, and our turn off is right there,” he pointed to a dirt road a few yards behind us.
“We don’t see a reason to hold off our expedition.
We’ll trek a few miles into our intended camping spot. ”
Most of the students groaned, and I was mildly surprised that Shannon wasn’t one of them. Most of these students weren’t prepared for this kind of trek.
“Is that the best idea?” I asked myself as well as the professors. Maybe we needed to take our sign from the universe and go. But where did that leave me for the next month?
Professor Gale strolled up to me, his smile growing as he got closer. “You’ve survived worse conditions.”
He was right about that. This was nothing.
I whispered unenthusiastically, “Yeah.”
He put his arm over my shoulder and pulled me too close to his side. “I know you aren’t scared.”
“A healthy amount of fear is good for your health,” I told him, and he belted out a big belly laugh that screeched against my nerves.
“You are right about that.”
“Well, I’m not scared. I’m staying.” Shannon appeared beside us, staring down at me with contempt.
I hated when she used her height to hover over my five foot form.
“And you are my only ally on this trip, so get your crap together. I refuse to be left alone with a bunch of heathens, with no respect for the environment.”
Shannon and I were the only students on this project intending to gather a strong enough argument to declare this place a protected sanctuary. The other students wanted to destroy and build over it.
Maybe that was why the bus crashed. Plain ol’ karma.
Shannon was right. If she didn’t have me backing her claims, the other twelve students would roll right over her during the debate portion of the project.
I took a deep breath to ease the adrenaline surging through my veins. The scratches around my ankle throbbed with each beat of my racing heart.
I’m still here.
“Fine.” I pushed the nausea in my throat down with a hard swallow.
“Good,” Professor Gale said with a gentle tone that didn’t sound right. “It’s good for your scholarship renewal.”
There it was. The soft threat.
A knife that would destroy everything.
Shannon crossed her arms, hearing the suggestion without understanding it. Thinking I was curating more favor.
Realization hit me. I was going to have to make peace with my enemy. At least for the next four weeks. I hadn’t considered that when we boarded that cursed bus this morning.
“Let’s go!” Professor Carter clapped her hands. “Welcome to South Carolina.”
The chittering of bugs in the air went silent, as if they were also shocked we intended to keep going. The wind even grew still, making the air that much more oppressive.
I grabbed my one bag of belongings and my equipment, taking a step towards the road that would lead me deeper into the swamp's embrace.
A rock almost tripped me, and I noticed symbols concreted into the ground. I squatted to get a better look and pulled out my camera.
Gale stopped beside me, “Already got something?”
“A repeating symbol has been cemented into the ground just outside the swamp.” My eyes followed the road to find the small symbols that followed the length of the road. “Like someone molded it in when they poured the concrete."
Did it go all the way around? Like an invisible fence.
What about the straight line of herbs following the symbols like a fortification?
When my fingers touched the herb, Shannon lifted an eyebrow. “Sage. It’s not on my natives list.”
So someone planted it here intentionally. A brisk wind made a shiver roll through me.
“Old places like this have their quirks.” He kept walking, like it wasn’t weird that the modern world would do something like this. Not a carving on a tree or effigies.
I pointed to the long, rectangular hard case in his hand. “You brought that?”
“We don’t usually have so many untrained people with us. Thought it might come in handy.”
What kind of superstitions did this place have?