And that Charlie would.
When the sun appeared over the ridge, burning away the damp condensation and fear glueing me in place, I stepped out onto the deck. The knots in my stomach clenched further at what lay waiting for me below.
L E A V E
Scratched into the dirt and gravel beneath the tower, dried, rust-colored streaks decorated each large, jagged letter like grotesque calligraphy. Splotches of the deep red liquid pooled in divots where a boot must’ve dug in too far.
Is that blood?
By the time I made it down the stairs, my hands shook so violently I could barely grip the railing. This close, I could smell it; a warm, tangy rot that coated the back of my throat. I approached just enough to see bits of animal hair and viscera caked in the dried blood.
Lying nearby was the torn-up carcass of a bobcat.
The screams.
I turned away just in time to throw up all over the rocky ground.
Wiping at my mouth with the bottom hem of my shirt, I climbed back up the stairs away from the awful smell, took a few deep breaths to collect myself, and called Tate.
He swore when I briefly explained what’d happened last night. It was still early, and he sounded exhausted. “Are you alright? Are you sure you’re alone? They didn’t come back?”
I paced along the outer deck, scanning the trees and avoiding the gruesome sight below. “I’m sure. They could’ve broken in and didn’t. They… left a message.”
“A message? How? What does it say?”
“Check your texts,” I said, snapping a picture of the scene and sending it his way.
There was a moment of silence, and then,“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“Is that a dead animal?”
“Yes. I think I heard them killing it last night. I thought it was a person screaming, but in hindsight, I’ve heard that before. I just panicked.” My words caught in my throat. “I thought it was Janine crying for help.”
He blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. Are you armed?”
“Only the bear spray.”
He grunted. “That’s right, how could I forget?”
Under different circumstances, it would’ve been funny.
His tone shifted from processing to planning. It was verycop.“You shouldn’t hike out alone, and definitely not unarmed. I’ll call the station to let them know what’s happened and get search parties back out in that area. They’ll have to come and process the scene. I’ll ask Leonard how soon a helicopter can be available to pick you up. We’ll come back for the rest of your things later, but you’ll need to give a statement, and?—”
“No, I can’tleave.I’m not leaving,” I interrupted, panic rising in my chest.
“What the fuck do you mean, you aren’t leaving? You were attacked last night, Reece. Someone chased you out of the woods. You werethreatened.”
“I know,” I said. “I just…” I looked down at the awful message. I hadn’t yet been forced to confront the true depths of their cruelty, but there was no hiding from it, now. If this was any indication,missingwas too gentle a word to describe what those hikers had suffered.
“Look, you didn’t hear this from me,” Tate said before he paused, as if waiting for a response.
“Okay,” I prompted.
“No, I need you to say you didn’t hear this from me. You can’t repeat this to anyone. Not Bobby, not your dad,no one,do you understand?”
I blinked, staring out at the low-lying clouds moving through the pass. “I understand.”
