I called as loudly as I felt was safe, but he didn't return. I could hear him running through the woods, but I couldn't see his black fur in all the dark.
I stepped on something hard, but it didn't break. I paused, squinting down at the ground as I raised my foot. What had I stepped on? I crouched down, shuffling the leaves away, and pulled up a brown chord. Why was this here? I raised it and found it leading away. My curiosity getting the best of me, I followed it off the path and deeper into the woods. It stopped short only about twenty feet away in a clearing. I stepped into the space and froze. I knew where I was.
This had been where Blane had been murdered.
Why had this chord led me here? I looked around, searching for something to explain what was going on, but was coming up short. I was starting to back away when I spotted something hidden behind a tree. I went to it and pulled up a small, vintage green box. It had been half-buried underneath the tree. Popping it open, I found an odd-shaped knife inside. Two of them. I didn't recognize the blade, but it was curved differently than normal hunting blades I'd seen. They were both filthy, covered in rust, dirt, and blood.
I dropped it back into the haphazardly dug hole and covered it with leaves and dirt. I stood and stepped back, only to trip on something and begin to fall. I let out a sharp scream of surprise and managed to catch a tree branch and save myself from falling completely. As I stood back up, I heard a sharp metallic sound like a zing come from the ground. I looked down to where I'dalmost landed to see a large spike protruding from the ground. My heart and stomach dropped as I recognized the spike. It was the same type that had gone through Blane's neck. This was a trap.
I froze, unsure of what to do. What if there were more traps, and this was a war zone, set with detonators everywhere? If I stepped on one, it'd eviscerate my foot.
The rattle from Georgie's collar sounded nearby, and I swore to myself as tears filled my eyes.One wrong step and he’d be killed in an instant.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and looked around. There were several chords tied low to the ground. That was what I'd followed here and most certainly what I'd tripped on. Not sure what to do, I bent down and tugged on one. The same sharp metal-on-metal sound rose up, along with a spike. I realized then that the only way for us to not set off a trap by accident was to set them off on purpose. I moved past the triggered traps and continued to pull on the ropes. As I moved, I gained more confidence in my steps. Whoever had created this trap had set over a dozen of these spikes. The fact that only one person died last night was astounding to me.
I pulled the last one and then began rounding the spikes up. I had to dig with my bare hands to pull them out, but they were small and not that heavy. I tossed them into a pile, and when I was finally done, called for Georgie again. I wanted to get out of here and shower. I'd be expected at the park today to laugh and be seen and pretend I wasn't in the middle of a bad horror movie plot.
"Georgie!" I whistled. Finally, my dearest pet listened and bounded toward me. I could hear his happy run through the trees and I continued to call him so he could find my voice. He came, but there was something in his mouth. I squinted, unable to see exactly what it was in the dark. He made it to me, wagginghis tail excitedly and panting through whatever was in his teeth. I crouched down to take it from him.
"What did you find, pal?" I grabbed the curved plastic and tugged. He let out a low, playful growl. "No, come on, Georgie, let me see what you have." I tugged harder and he released it. I lifted the slobber-covered item up and gasped, dropping it instantly.
I stared down at it in horror, a Jason Voorhees mask rocking side to side on the ground. Inside, someone had written in red.
Guess who?
Rule 40 - Domino
Don’t hand someone evidence.
Idropped the mask and fled. Georgie followed behind quickly and only once I realized that I'd abandoned him again did I pause and grab for his leash. I jerked my head side to side, searching for someone in the trees, and walked the rest of the way back out of the woods. That mask had been freshly written in. Georgie didn't just stumble upon it. Someone had given it to him.
I shuddered and kept looking over my shoulder as I walked back to camp. By the time I got back, the boys were awake and waiting for me by the cabin door, smoking their morning cigarettes and arguing.
"Where the fuck were you?" Swayze demanded when I grew closer. "You know you're not supposed to go anywhere alone."
"You got a fucking death wish?" Koi asked, taking a long drag of his smoke. "That was stupid, Domino."
I brushed past them, going into the cabin to get my shower pack. They followed behind, continuing to scold me.
"Georgie wanted his morning walk. Nothing happened. I'm fine."
"Fine? You're covered in dirt? Did you go back into the woods?" Koi grabbed me from behind and spun me around. Icouldn't meet his eyes, which told him everything he needed to know. "Jesus Christ, Blessing. You can't be doing that shit. We just got you. We can't lose you now." He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed.
I melted into his arms and inhaled, and then winced back.
"What?"
"You stink." I laughed, and after a long moment, he joined in.
"Well, you don't smell like roses yourself, Blessing. Let's go shower and then..."
My shoulders slumped. Despite having slept between both men, I was exhausted. Not my body, but my mind. We were due at the park in an hour. We had to go and ride the rides and play the games and laugh and joke like we didn't just see someone die last night. I wasn't sure if I could do that.
"Remember your list." Koi reached for my chin, lifting my face. "Do it for all your Johnny Blues. You can do this."
"And now you've got us to help." Swayze stepped closer to us. "We got promoted, remember? We get to hang out with you as Park Ambassadors now."
I pressed my lips together tightly and steeled myself. He was right. I had too many people to help to give up now. Johnny's life had been changed for the better because I'd been able to gift him that money. I wanted to do that more.
