“Yeah?”
“Now I’m thinking about everything Valentin told us at the camp.... This man wasn’t buried right.”
“He wasn’t buried at all, Huck.”
“That’s what’s worrying me! What did Valentin call it, the vampire creature?”
“Strigoiormullo,” I said. “But I think that involves the body reanimating. Clearly this guy isn’t going anywhere, unless he can figure out a way to keep his bones together.”
“What about things like fetches? Wraiths? Ghosts?”
I glanced around the cabin, a little nervous. Maybe also a little interested. “Don’t see any ghosts.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed! What about...? I mean, the heartbeat sound when you were near the ring in Sighi?oara, and all that stuff Lovena told you about your blood...”
“What about it? You think I can attract ghosts now?”
“No! I meant, can you hear any?”
Oh. I glanced around the cabin, listening. “I don’t think so?”
He let out a long breath. “Thank the saints.”
“Maybe I should take a photograph, just in case it shows up on film?”
“Please don’t tempt fate. Something’s not right in these woods. Maybe there’s a reason it’s rumored to be haunted. I swear to God, banshee. If we see the trapper’s ghost, I’m giving up—what are you doing? You’re seriously going to take photographs?”
I pulled my camera out from my satchel and checked the lens to make sure it hadn’t broken during our tumble down the ridge. It seemed fine. While Huck complained, I snapped several quick photographs of the skeleton and animal skulls.
“Are you quite finished?” Huck said.
I capped the lens and stowed the camera. “You may thank me later if any apparitions show up on the film and I become famous.”
“No. I’ll be pissing my trousers in fear, as I’m close to doing now. First wolves. Now this...” He glanced at the door. “What do we do about it?”
“The wolves?”
“Theskeleton! The fucking body on the bed, banshee!” he said, his Irish lilt rising an octave.
“It’s not going anywhere, Huck.”
“I can’t stay in here with a dirty, dead hellion leering at me. Isn’t it enough that we have to stare at all of these poor, dead creatures with spooky symbols carved into them? This is a bad place. A man died here. Right here!”
“Not sure what choice we have. If we open the door to get the skeleton outside, the wolves might tear out our throats.”
“Death by wolf or death by fright? That’s our choice?”
“Plus, it’s never a good idea to disturb remains. Could stir up bad bacteria.” Or bad juju. “Best to just hunker down here until morning and forget about it.”
Huck set the lantern down on the table barricading the door. Then he paced the floorboards, staying well away from the cot. “Okay, okay. Let’s think about this, shall we? We’re alive. That’s most important, yeah?”
“Would seem so, yes.”
“And we have shelter,” he said.
“Maybe warmth, too.” There was a stack of dusty wood in the corner, covered in more spiderwebs.
“Warm is good,” he said. “No food...”
