Author Note: Is anybody else feeling the strain of the isolation get to them yet? I have 3 more chapters left of this story and started work on the sequel to this one, In between working remote from home (which I feel extremely blessed to do, given there are plenty who are out of work during this time of crisis), I'm finding it a challenge to stay busy when I'm not working, so I seem to be filling my free time with finishing up Nancy's Black Lake story arc in between re-playing Treasure in the Royal Tower. Seemed only fitting since we, like Nancy in that game, are trapped within the confines of our homes. I'm anxious to get to her next story in this 'alternate universe' without Ned (Sorry Ned, but maybe you can date Deidre! LOL) , and hopefully the sequel to this one will be lighter. I will say in just the rough outline I have planned so far, the next story in my Nancy Drew universe will be lighter (I hope!)
Random fun fact: Out of all my N.D. stories I've written thus far, this one has surpassed the length of all the others, effectively making it the longest story for Nancy I've written yet, which I think is pretty neat! I've got lots of shenanigans in mind for our favorite detective in the sequel too, so we'll see where it goes once Black Lake is finished!
Ned Nickerson decided during mile three of his six mile walk as he wandered aimlessly through the deserted streets of Casston's little town to give up his former life and start fresh. His eyes never left the road ahead and as he passed the few onlookers as he entered the heart of the coastal town of Casston, there was the mumbling of bitter words spat more than spoken. Ned could not help but quirk a quizzical brow towards the newcomer's arrival as he wandered aimlessly down the sidewalk. He'd been on his way to that little café that the old blind man loved so much, the very one where he'd run into Nancy and the others, to have breakfast there before heading back to River Heights. Ned was unable to get his mind off of his and Nancy's breakup. This would undoubtedly make his parents, especially his mother, proud. She especially had been pressuring him to date and find his own happiness with someone other than River Heights' own teen detective, but his schedule with as quarterback on his college football team didn't leave much time to date, at least in the summer, though with summer ending soon, he'd have more time.
He couldn't explain it, but he liked her. A lot. And he wanted to be with her, if she would have him, for the rest of his life. Ned briefly wondered if Nan would take him back.
Ned knew by the second date that this girl was the one. Ned often wondered how long it took the average person to fall in love. A second? A month? A year? More than that? An eternity, even? To him, it was like asking someone how long it takes them to fall asleep. Some people were gone as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Others lie awake for hours and it's only when their brain stops churning for a while that sleep sneaks in and drags them under. For him, it was almost instantaneous, the moment she'd thrown that ball and smiled. There was something infectious about Nancy Drew that made him feel so young inside, but not in a childish way. She woke the pure side of Ned, the best side, all the facets of himself that only required love and affection to be healthy and whole. Should he be fortunate enough to have eternity to be with this girl, he would sink into serenity, just content to keep her close at his side. Their energy when they were together vibrated in such a unique way, a connection he'd never had with any other girl before, each the perfect complement of each other.
Ned was not simply "in love" with Nancy Drew. Hell to the no. No, he was well and truly smitten with her. Any other was only a poor reflection, no more substantial than a shadow of the real thing. Norah Jameson is what made his heart strong. Her beautiful white smile alone burnished his soul into a beauty it could have never achieved on its own. Before they met, he was one, now he was a half, or so he hoped, at least assuming that by the time he got back to River Heights, all went according to his plan.
He had painstakingly planned what he wanted to say to Nancy, down to the last syllable. Yet somehow, he was so much more than he ever was before. Ned startled as he glanced at his own reflection in a nearby antiques shop window, not surprised to see his already pale face was almost white, devoid of color, his blue eyes wide and round like dinner plates. There was no getting around this. He was, for better or worse, falling hard in love with Nancy. Again, though he'd never really told her.
Actually, come to think of it, the two of them had never said those three most sacred of words to each other in the whole two years they were dating. There was no trying to deny it anymore. After their first date ended back home in River Heights two years ago and she'd gone home, he'd lingered by the pier, content to watch the night sky and constellations. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her.
Ned didn't know how she had so easily gotten into his head. And he hated the fact that the fiery redheaded beauty could mess up his mind just so damn easily.
To be honest, he had always been afraid of love. He was afraid of the feeling that someone kept staying in his heart, making him wonder all night whether she had feelings for him too. You know that kind of pain. Pains in life were caused by being rejected when you made the conscious decision to give all your heart and soul to someone who doesn't need it. Pains were caused by opening your heart so easily, so casually. But here he was, alone, heartbroken after so many rejections
. Oh, plenty of girls would have been all too happy to date him, but not for him. For his fame, his money. He could see it when he looked in their eyes, all they saw was the stigma attached to his title and number. It made him depressed, but he could never think by himself how to escape the constant nightmare. Until he met Nancy, that is. Following their first date, he daydreamed about her, their life together. And now, Ned found himself doing it again. No. No, don't, that's stupid! The irrational side of his fears were taunting him. He could tell himself that she wasn't the right one for him, but he knew it was all lies. Maybe she is. Maybe I should keep my distance from her. Having Nancy in his life made him feel like everything was possible in this world, like he could conquer anything.
He did not regret meeting her, and she knew that she was his first girl that he'd shown an active interest in dating, given his busy college schedule. It was one of the first confessions out of his mouth their first date, over Dairy Queen blizzards, following his admission that he was something of a chocolate nut. It was a relief to him to learn she was one. Ned knew that she might be his first girlfriend, but what he really wished in life was for her to be his last and only. One day, his wife. Not for at least another several years, though. Though the thought had crossed his mind what she would think of him if he were to eventually pop the question and propose. And now, his plans didn't matter anymore because Nancy was gone from his life. Forever. Ned sighed as he continued walking down the sidewalk, his hands in his jacket pocket.
The town was what a village becomes with no city planning and a great enthusiasm for architecture. Every building was different, borrowing this and that from another era from times past. It made the place as glorious as his own beloved grandma's quilt, every patch unique and as eye catching as the one that came before it. A sudden gust of wind blew through the town square, and that was also conveniently he happened to catch a stranger's eye, just briefly. A woman from the looks of the dress. He tried to imagine the young woman as a baby, a toddler, a child, a teen, and found he couldn't. There was something about her eyes… Haunted, he thought wildly. So full of life, anger, rage, hurt. Why? Somehow, Ned knew as he looked at the little elfin like blonde woman with the haunted blue eyes, that all her days had somehow led her here, to being nothing more than human surplus: unregarded, unrequired, unvalued. Unloved, even. A quick glance at her finger on his left hand bore no ring, so she was unmarried, and she looked around Nancy's age. When she turned her head just so, Ned drew in a sharp breath that pained his lungs as his brown eyes wandered upwards, studying the patch of skin beneath the woman's right eye. "Ouch. Got a nice shiner going, miss. What'd you do, piss off a rhino?" he asked.
The newcomer grunted quietly and turned the bruised eye toward Ned, before opening her uncovered eye and looking down at him through her lashes. She bit her bottom lip and hesitated.
"Th—thank god! I was hoping to run into someone. I…" here she hesitated. "I got into a fistfight with some man before I got up here, but thanks for asking. I'm Megan."
Ned frowned, seeing how nervous and skittish she was. "Look, I was just on my way to this little cafe just up the street, great little spot. You look like you haven't eaten in a good long while. Let me buy you breakfast. I know it's midnight and late, but…I'd like to." When the young woman opened her mouth to protest and vehemently decline, Ned flashed the girl a charming grin and clapped her on the back, steering her to the left and down the sidewalk, towards the café. "It's the least I can do. You new in town?" he asked.
"Yes," lied Megan, surprised at how easily the lie came to her. "I am." Even the truth as she spoke it, to this stranger, sounded like a fiction, and in her mind, it was. And so, she buried the truth in the fiction of her made-up story as she and Ned headed towards Café Mnemonic on 10th Street.
"Gotta find Nancy and the others, warn them," she murmured under her breath, which earned a quizzical look from the young and best quarterback on the River Heights Bull Dogs, but if it surprised him, Ned chose to make no comment on it. Though he did not know yet, he would soon learn it for himself. Ned had just made his first friend in his brand-new life.
"You go on ahead," Megan murmured as he opened the door of the restaurant for her. "I want to…check something."
Ned furrowed his brow into a frown but nodded, wordlessly going inside. Megan breathed a sigh of relief and turned back towards the empty street, walking away from the restaurant.
The world, Megan had learned the hard way, had teeth and it could bite you with them any time it wanted. The world, she thought, looks almost fake sometimes. Like the mountains and sky in the distance are a backdrop for a set. A green screen. I hate the places my mind can take me. The places that scream everything is plastic and nothing is real. None of this feels real…
It was quiet. Too quiet…A flash, a creak. There was something lurking in the shadows, an evil no one could see. A monster that tormented the people of Casston. This monster sought out the weak and made itself a home inside of their heads. Megan Grunhild drew in a sharp breath that pained her lungs as she lifted the skirts of her mauve pink maxi dress, careful not to trip on its long hem. She cursed under her breath, wishing she'd worn jeans and sneakers instead of her favorite dress and sandals. But such thoughts were not important right now.
This is the last time you wear a dress out in these damn woods, she thought darkly, careful not to make a noise. She'd spotted Baines leaving the old barn out on the west side of the Black Lake, with what horribly looked like to be two unconscious figures slumped over either of his shoulders. Megan shivered, clutching herself as it was now cold, and she had no jacket. She had been trailing Baines for the better part of an hour, once she recognized that flash of vibrant red hair and her heart sank. This must be Nancy, the girl Eve told me about. If he's got her… Megan didn't even like to think it. She drew in a sharp breath of cold air that pained her lungs and paused outside of Cliff's shop. It had been pure happenstance that she'd stumbled across the town at all, after crashing her car a few hours ago.
The young blonde stumbled towards the pawn shop, praying that Cliff was still there, that the old shopkeeper could help her, somehow. He couldn't drive, given he was blind, but he had a phone, and hers was on its last lifeline of battery life a half hour ago, so she had to conserve whatever was left so she could call for help if needed.
"Save them," she managed to gasp through clenched teeth, clutching at her ribcage, which throbbed and screamed for relief. "Can't let…him get to them, the—the monster," she panted weakly. Searing fiery bursts pulsated around the wound, intensifying with each dragging step, jarring and brutal. With each step the pain amplified, the bloody muscle quivered, her consciousness ebbed. Black mists swirled at the edges of her mind drawing her into sweet oblivion.
Casston had its own monster. And that monster was the Black Lake Killer, Todd Baines. Todd had, over the years, turned into something of a legend, becoming nothing more than ghost stories for the parents to tell the children, so they would be good and avoid the temptation to misbehave. They would say, "Be quiet and eat your dinner or Todd Baines will get you. He'll snatch you away and eat you up if you aren't good." All a bit macabre in Megan's opinion, but it worked. Megan furrowed her brow into a frown as she took another weak, staggering step forward. Inside her head…she could feel it, raging inside of her. Just loud enough for her to hear, but there was a door in between them. Megan had locked it up for years, tried to keep it as far away from her as possible, but things had become personable when the killer had taken her little brother from her. And this voice inside her head, it was still there…tearing through the holes, trying to reach what was left of her sanity. Her humanity. She figured it was only a matter of time before the monster managed to break through. The young woman had managed to keep it locked up for years, and had, as a result of severe trauma and abuse at the hands of her parents, been forced to harden her heart, and so, she had shut these memories and emotions in a door, but the door Megan Grunhild had put between the two was starting to collapse and crumble. And the Black Lake Killer knew this, she realized just then as it hit her. "Maybe," she breathed, exhausted, hardly daring to believe the own words that were coming out of her mouth, "it's why he let me go…"
Megan came upon old man Cliff's shop and flinched. She glanced at her reflection in the shop window and saw it, staring straight back at her. Watching her through her own blue eyes. Seeing everything she saw. It was waiting for her to become like Todd. Hoping that she would finally let her guard down after all these years. Knowing that sooner or later, the door would break. Lately, it had been finding ways to show itself. Ways to change itself. Ways to change her. As the seconds turned into minutes, the monster began to look more like her than anything else. Megan realized she could lose it all…
Unless he was killing someone, the young former camp counselor knew that Baines had always gone unnoticed in their small little sleepy town of Casston, except by the ones he'd stalked. Which, she supposed she was familiar with, given that he had stalked her recently.
He wasn't invisible, but he might as well have been for all the attention the cops of Casston paid the Black Lake Killer. At first, law enforcement officials thought it was just dumb kids playing pranks, telling ghost stories around the campfire at night to stir up more trouble.
In the three summer months she'd spent at Black Lake's campgrounds, she knew there was more to Todd's story than anyone else, except…for the sister. She would know better than most, and the only one who knew of the girl's whereabouts had been… "Cliff," she breathed. Megan had tried for the better part of two weeks once to get him to tell her where she lived so she could get more information out of Baines' only sibling for her term paper, but he had pursed his lips into a pencil thin straight line and flat out told the young woman no way.
"That family's suffered enough, leave 'em be, woman," he had growled darkly, no semblance of warmth ins his voice. "Sometimes, all someone wants to do is start over, make a clean slate of life. Best thing we can do for Jessica is give her some space, Miss Grunhild. Last thing she needs is folks snoopin' around askin' after Todd. Drop it. Leave the family alone and don't go near her, you hear?" She hadn't liked the rejection, but she'd obliged, virtually seeing no other choice but to comply. Megan let out a huff of frustration and turned away from the man's shop after trying the front door, jiggling the knob in frustration and finding it locked. "Damn," she swore. It was cold, dark, and the heady scent of rain and dark rumbling clouds loomed high in the sky above, threatening a thunderstorm in the not-so-distant future, which really sucked.
She let out a heavy sigh and stood on the sidewalk, trying to decide which direction to take, and she let out a pained cry as her footing faltered on something in the middle of the street. Her body twirled and jerked as she fell. Groaning, a hand on her forehead, she sat up straighter, looking around wildly for the source of the thing that had caused her to lose her footing. Frowning, she slowly inched forward for a careful look, and let out a horrible piercing scream that she was surprised didn't wake the whole damn town and bring them running.
Greg lay in the middle of the deserted street, cold, pale, and lifeless. Lifeless. His light brown hair was a disarray of tangles and matted, congealed blood, crimson in its garish wake. His dark eyes were wide open, but his eyes held a sudden sadness. His clothes, jeans and a green-t shirt, were bloodied, soaked to the brim. And the smell. The smell was the most disgusting thing Megan had ever had the misfortune to sniff. Her heart pounded as one question continued to race through her mind? Who did this? And then…as soon as she asked herself, she knew it.
"He did this," she whispered, pinching her nose with her thumb and forefinger, bolting past his lifeless corpse. Despite her best efforts to block out the smell, it reached her again and her stomach heaved. The nausea clawed at her throat, and she tried to force down the bile, but it was too late. Her stomach kept on contracting violently and forcing everything up and out. Her face was white and dripping bile, sweat, and tears. She lurched forward and sunk to her knees. The pungent stench invaded her nostrils and she heaved even though there was nothing left to go. "Jesus—Jesus Christ!" she swore, weakly wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, wishing she had a napkin. "S—sorry this happened to you, Greg…."
Megan Grunhild had never liked Greg, but even she had to admit, she didn't think he deserved…this. If she saw him in trouble, she just did not know if she would help. Oftentimes, whenever he would scold her for something or other, or the comments he had made when she had interviewed for the job about her family's history, she would imagine him dangling from a high-rise tower, and the only thing between him and certain death was her outstretched hand. The more her mind lingered on all the mean things she'd said to him and Troy, the more she saw Greg falling to the cracked sidewalk below, and now…and now…well…
"This," she whispered. That was enough. Megan could feel herself losing her mind…again.
The young woman could feel it unraveling, the threads of every happy memory she could ever once recall, nothing more than a disarray of strings scattered at her feet. "Can't let him get away with this. Troy. He took Troy. Killed him. Troy's gone, Troy's dead. Got to stop him."
Megan felt like she needed to conserve her energy so she could focus first and foremost on finding out wherever the hell Todd was taking his latest victims, though she could guess it.
"Why? Why am I like this?" she groaned, biting her nails. "I really am a stupid woman," Megan moaned, painfully twisting her hands together, weaving her fingers in between her knuckles and biting her bottom lip hard enough to bleed.
Am I really considering following him into those woods? Her conscience was tormenting her. Wild animals and creepy things roamed those woods at night—especially lately with the whole Black Lake Serial killer thing going on. The creep could come at any time and claim Nancy and her friends at any time if a wild animal didn't, if she couldn't find them all first.
"Nancy!" Megan called out as she walked. She was so winded and out of breath, she couldn't manage to call out for Nancy or Eve too many more times. "Have to…stay strong."
Besides, calling out her position for Baines to hear her repeatedly would have been stupid. Cursing herself for her inability to think rationally, she let out an anguished moan and ran a bleeding hand through her blonde pixie cut, wishing she could find someone to get help.
"Anyone? Hello?" Her voice came out as a weak, hoarse croak, barely heard above the sudden gust of wind that kissed her hair and ruffled the skirts of her maxi dress. "Eve?"
I'm not enough, I'm not enough, I'm not strong enough. Can't do this. Failure. Her conscience could not have picked a worse time to start its usual daily torment of her mind.
Mumbling to herself, she tugged at a lock of her hair and continued walking. Her heartbeat loudly, this heavy pounding drum rattling against the cage of her chest only she could hear.
Megan soon found herself scrambling through the woods, following the same path Todd Baines had taken, following the indentation of his boot prints, checking back cautiously over her shoulder to see if she was being followed. Moonlight reflected in the puddles, leaves scrunching underneath her summer sandals. A shadow appeared, looming behind her.
Silence. Megan paused, circled around, straining her hearing to see if she could make out the slightest movement. The sound of a breaking twig echoed in her head. Then it hit her.
This was that devilish fear in her mind, controlling her emotions, her actions. Using her.
Megan was breathing heavily. Not from her fatigue or her injuries from the car crash, not from lack of physical capability. But from fear. Genuine, honest to God fear. She stood at the edges of the woods in the cold midnight air, knowing that if anyone in her circle, what was left of the few family members that actually gave a damn about her, knew what she was doing, they'd most definitely slaughter her. And then…a tumble of movement caught her gaze.
Someone had parked their car at the edge of the woods, not quite near the campground's entrance, but far enough away from it, they could still venture into the woods if they wished.
It looked to be two of them, whoever they were, and Megan could tell they could not see her standing there watching them due to the lack of light. The wind gently brushed her hair and grazed her cheekbones, almost soothingly. This was what she needed though.
Redemption. She would do this, try her hardest to save Nancy. She owed Eve. The reporter had been so kind to her, offering her a place of shelter and safety when no one else cared. Even if there was some risk, some danger in what she was about to do, and…and…
Wait. What exactly was she about to do? Did she even have any kind of plan? Did she just hope that she would stumble across the Black Lake Killer's hideout and by some miracle, he would let them all go alive and unharmed? "No way," whisper-hissed Megan angrily through gritted teeth, her fingers curling into a protective, tight fist over the strap of her purse.
Her legs no longer taking directions from her brain, she began walking, taking one ragged breath after another, her shaking legs putting on a strong façade. What the hell am I doing?
Fate, Megan Grunhild knew, was as cruel as Death, which was something she knew firsthand. There were demons in her life, guys like her father had been, who held her feelings and faults over her head daily and insisted she stay by his side at all times, doing unspeakable things to her that left her scarred, both physically and emotionally. She was a broken, battered wreck. The demons held onto her neck so tightly, they squeezed the very air out of her lungs.
Yet, she figured that at least fate would get tired of suffocating, that its clutches would numb and eventually loosen their grip. Love was like that, when it got in its strongest, it always weakened and eventually let go. Even so, Love was powerful, but Fate was unstoppable.
But… if she could help Nancy, save them, it just might be the key to her freedom, to a lifetime of peace and rest. It could release her and change her fate if it so desired, but as Megan climbed towards the edge of the wood's entry point, not sure nor was she caring so where she went at this point, she knew that this one simple act would never set her free.
At that moment, Megan had no idea the events in motion she was about to unleash, the lives she would touch and change, not to mention her own. She let out a tiny groan. She had reached the top of the hill had the edge of the woods and could climb no further. This was the moment. The moment she must make a choice, to enter or to turn around. To her, the choice should be relatively easy. But it wasn't.
Megan drew in a breath as the silhouettes of the figures who had emerged from the car stepped forward slightly into the moonlight. She recognized that outfit and dark tumble of long wavy chocolate hair. "Eve," she whispered, feeling her shoulder slump in relief.
But who is that with her? After she had put the pieces together, the fear kicked in at an overwhelming rate. This man that was with the young reporter was a stranger, and Daddy had always warned her growing up to be wary of strangers. The man, tall, slender, and mostly handsome, caught the young blonde's gaze at last. She visibly flinched and remained rooted to the spot. Before she had time to run, the young woman turned ad pulled out her cell phone out of her bag and rang the number Megan had given Eve Vanderhilt when they first met.
Her phone, miraculously, on its last leg of battery, blared out in the otherwise silent night air. Startled, the young reporter turned around to face the corner where Megan now stood.
Eve stopped the call and plunked the phone back into her bag. With a kind grin, Eve showed her gentle white smile, holding out her arms, expecting an embrace of some kind. Damn. She couldn't run now. They had found her, or rather, Megan had allowed herself to be caught. She trusted Eve well enough, but what if…who was that man, and why was Eve with him? After she remained standing there, Eve disappointingly dropped her arms to her sides, discontinued that grin and opened the passenger door to their rental car, rather angrily. "Get in," she demanded. Eve and her companion were surprised when the young woman clenched her eyes shut and turned her head sharply to the left, refusing to look at either one.
She thinks we mean to hurt her, Eve thought, and felt a pang of guilt tug at her heartstrings. The young woman looked positively miserable. The hem of her long dress torn and muddied slightly. A cut above her left brow bone was bleeding, and had trickled down her cheek, leaving a stained trail of crimson in its wake. A smudge of dirt on her left cheek was present and one of her eyes was developing a rather nasty-looking purple bruise underneath.
Eve gingerly took a step forward, her arm outreached, and laid a gentle hand on Megan's shoulder, which was trembling badly. "Megan," Eve said calmly. "Open your eyes, hon."
The young reporter frowned, moving her hand away from the blonde's shoulder and staring down at her, tossing her dark locks over her shoulder, crossing her arms across her chest.
One glance at Eli was more than enough. "She's been through a lot," the cop spoke up quietly, leaning forward slightly to whisper it into the shell of her ear and it did not escape Eve's attention that his hand automatically drifted towards the gun he wore around his belt, his fingers twitching. "There's no telling what she might do," he warned, lines appearing on his forehead as he furrowed his brow into a frown. "You ask me, we need to get her to a hospital, Eve, and fast." He pointed to her ribcage. "See that? She's bleeding, and it's only going to get worse. Could become infected if not treated."
"Oh." Eve breathed and drew in a sharp breath that was more like a hiss. The girl was bleeding, and blood had already soaked through the side of her dress. "You're right."
The reporter turned her attention to Megan. "Who did that to you?" she asked, jerking her head towards the wound in Megan's side. "Did…did Todd Baines do that to you, Megan?"
Swallowing back the lump forming in her throat, she took a timid step forward towards Megan, who automatically took a fumbling step backwards, then another. The last thing Eve wanted to do was to scare the young woman away. Not when they'd come all this way to find her now, even if her fear didn't make any sense. Megan let out a muffled little squeak, still refusing to open her eyes. "Megan, it's me!" Eve urged softly, doing her best to quell the tremor that lingered in her voice. She put a gentle hand on Megan's face and reached up a shaking finger and brushed back a lock of her blonde bangs that had fallen into her eyes.
Still, Megan shirked back from Eve's touch, as though frightened she would hurt her.
"Open your eyes, Megan, and look at me," came Eve's command again, fiercer this time, but not unkind, meant to shake the young blonde out of whatever shock she was experiencing. "Megan, it's me. It's Eve," she breathed, putting her hand back on Megan's shoulder and giving it a firm but gentle squeeze, as if she thought the gesture alone could reassure the broken young woman that everything would be all right in the end. You'll see.
"E—Eve?" whispered Megan in a tiny, weak-sounding voice, finally opening her eyes wide, blinking back briny tears as her lower lip trembled. The reporter's sharp eyes did not fail to notice that the camp counselor was looking disoriented as she blinked tiredly up at Eve. "Is it really you? Th—this isn't a trick?" she croaked. "I—I haven't…died or anything, have I?"
Eve frowned. Whatever had happened to Megan had been serious. She exhaled softly as she looked down her nose at Grunhild's beaten, battered form. "Yeah. It's me. This is my…" Here, she glanced sideways at the cop, seemingly struggling to determine what to call him. "My date. He's a cop. His name is Eli, and he won't hurt you," she said at last after a few moments of silence. Megan noticed the cop breath an audible sigh of relief and relax a little.
"We won't hurt you, ma'am," Eli spoke up cautiously, his tone guarded but friendly enough. "Can you tell us what happened to you? Are you hurt? Do you need a doctor?"
At the mention of a doctor and going to the hospital, Megan's eyes flung wide open.
"No!" she shouted, her voice rising an octave, and even she flinched at how loud her voice was. Wincing, she swallowed back the lump forming in her throat, forcing herself to try again. "N—no doctors, no hospitals," she panted, clenching her side as a fresh wave of pain swelled in her abdomen. "N—not yet. Nancy, the others…got them…have to save them, Eve…."
Adrenaline flooded young Megan Grunhild's system, it pumped and beat like it was trying to escape. Megan thought her heart will explode and her blue eyes were wide with fear. Her body wanted to either run fast for the safety of the camp or get in the car and just go, go anywhere, just get away from this cursed camp, but instead the young woman remained where she was. Let's face it, there was only one thing she could do: Pray he didn't kill them.
Eli took a step forward and unfastened a miniature flashlight from his belt, flicked it open, and shone the beam of light directly into Megan's pupils. "Something's wrong," he murmured under his breath. "Look at her pupils, Eve. They're dilated to holy hell. She's been drugged."
Eve's frown deepened and she steadied Megan by her shoulders. Megan looked so damn scared, but also seeming to be on the verge of passing out from stress and utter exhaustion.
"Okay." She nodded. "We're not going to leave you, Maggie," she whispered, hoping the use of her nickname would entice the young woman to calm down and tell them what happened. Eve glanced towards Megan, who seemed like she wanted to say something, but…she was obviously holding something back. She seemed so uncertain. So scared, even.
Still, Eve felt the all-too familiar hot spark of anger escaping her. "I—we looked everywhere for you," Eve spoke, holding open the backseat of the passenger door of their rental car open for her. "We've been looking for you all day, Megan. You shouldn't have left River Heights."
"I…" Megan bit her lip, hesitating. "I'm sorry," she whispered, immediately dropping her gaze to her sandals and shuffling her feet. "I…got lost when I came back. Car crash, a—and got lost in the…. woods," she finished lamely, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks at the thought of telling the cop and the reporter that she had very foolishly almost followed the Black Lake Killer into the woods, all for the sake of saving a young woman she didn't know.
Her blue eyes widened, her breathing became ragged and harsh. Her hands trembled at her sides, and she jammed her bloodied fist into her mouth to stifle the panicked yell of anguish.
None of them were going to make it out alive if Nancy Drew and the others didn't get help, if someone didn't stop Baines first. Megan lifted her chin slightly to meet Eve's gaze.
The dark-haired reporter was regarding the young counselor with something akin to pity in her hazel eyes, still continuously keeping her arms folded across her chest, though after exchanging a quick glance with her cop boyfriend, she saw the two nod, and turn to Megan.
"Get in." This time, it was the man, Eli, who spoke. "We're taking you to a hospital."
"He's got Nancy and the others!" wailed Megan suddenly, not sure where her outburst had come from as she twisted her hands together painfully. It hurt, but she ignored the pain for now. "A—at the place…where he works. Old barn, I think, out near the west side of the lake. You—we have to hurry, or he's going to cut them all up into little pieces, kill them all!"
Her hysteria was reaching its peak. Eli studied the young blonde in silence for a moment, and he felt a sudden shift within himself, and tightened his holster and got into the driver side door. "Get in." It was not a request. It was an order. Seeing no other choice, they did so.
"Where did he take them, Megan?" Eli urged. "I'm taking you to a hospital. Eve, you stay with her till I call you. Yes," the cop added, his tone clipped and hard, and both Eve and Megan recognized the police officer was on the verge of losing his patience, seeing Eve in the rearview mirror as she slid in the backseat of the cruiser to sit next to Megan to try what she could to keep the young woman calm. "It's not safe for you. Trust me, Eve. I'm a cop. We're gonna catch this bastard, but someone needs to stay with her," he said somberly, jerking his head towards Megan, who had begun mumbling inaudibly to herself and rocking in her seat.
Eve nodded numbly. It would do her no good to argue here. Not right now, of all times.
One glance to the left at Megan was more than enough for her. The young blonde woman had welts on her arms, long, red marks, and it looked like she'd been stabbed in the ribcage.
There were dark bruises along the column of her throat too—some of them finger markings. Her entire body was shivering, and the edges of her lips were tinged blue from cold.
The poor girl's skin felt a lot colder than it ought to have, and Eve hissed and recoiled at how icy Megan's skin was when she laid a gentle finger on the girl's wrist to check for a pulse as Megan Grunhild's eyelids fluttered closed, and her head rested against the passenger seat's headrest. "All right, but we don't exactly know where to go, but the message he left…"
Where the crows fly alone… "Where the crows fly," Eve murmured, staring at the window as Eli raced through the deserted streets, frantically punching in the address of the closest hospital into his iPhone, swearing under his breath as the damn thing struggled to get a signal.
Her mind was a jumble of tired thoughts, and the reporter knew not to fight it. Where the black birds congregate. Where the crows fly, meaning in the wind, or in the open…Wait. In the open. In the air. Where everyone can see you. Follow me where I can see you. I will find you. Eve let her thoughts circulate, just like crows would, taking whatever path her mind liked, however jerky or abstract. A full five minutes had passed as they drove in silence, and she let out a sigh of frustration, resting her chin in her hand as her elbow leaned on the passenger side door's armrest and that was when she saw it. The crow. That bird.
Only one, but it was more than enough. Perched high on top of an old roof, its shrill cry piercing the silent air. She wouldn't have heard it at all had she not rolled down her window in the backseat to try to get some fresh air flowing through the vehicle to ease Megan's suffering and to hopefully calm her down from whatever panic attack she was experiencing.
"There!" she cried, her voice raising an octave as she pointed out the window. "That's the place, Eli, look! Where the crows fly! I...I did it!" she breathed, not even bothering to hide the note of relief and excitement that had crept into her voice had having figured out this creep's damn riddle. The cop tried his hardest to see where she was looking, and he did so. The barn had seen better days. Twenty years of rain, sleet and baking summer sun had taken its toll. The structure that once kept the weather off the summer hay and the sheltering animals was now draftier than a railway platform. The roof that had been cedar shingle the same as the old farmhouse was worse than a gap-toothed sailor. Tiles were missing, rotten or sticking up at awkward angles. In places a stubborn patch of sun-bleached red paint clung to the wooden sides, but otherwise it was as brown as the rutted mud around it. The place looked like one good gust of wind in a freak storm would blow it down.
"There's where he has them," breathed Eve, her knuckles white as she clutched onto the arm rest to steady herself. "Pull over!" she demanded, hearing her own voice go hard.
Eli, who had been thinking the same thing, craned his neck and pulled the rental car over to the shoulder. He wasted no time in making sure the safety of his gun was off, and pulled his jacket tighter around himself for warmth, all the while holding the driver side door open for Eve as she clambered over the backseat and into the front, the keys still left in the ignition.
"Be safe," she whispered hoarsely. "Kill this guy before he gets to anyone else," she begged.
Eli nodded solemnly. "I'll try." Eve frowned. He didn't say that he would, just he would try. He noticed her furrow her arched eyebrows into a frown and elaborated. "This guy's good, E. Way out of my jurisdiction. You ask me, the FBI needs to be brought in, bring in a special investigations unit to catch this asshole, not an out-of-state cop from River Heights."
Eve returned the nod in quiet agreement, her gaze drifting towards his hands. His fingers still twitched as they hovered over his weapon. The cold metal made grayer the skin of his hand as if his own blood ran from the gun. Eli had said on their date that the chill was because the weapon took hostage a part of your soul; he said you only got it back if you used the gun for love, for protection and defense. Apparently, it was part of the natural order of things and the gun, something made of the matter of this universe, had to obey it as much as we did.
"Take Megan, get in the car, and take her to the nearest hospital and stay there," he ordered, his tone clipped and hard as he holstered his weapon, fixing Eve with an icy stare. "I will call you and come get you as soon as…" this is finished, is what he wanted to say.
But if he was being honest with himself, there was a strong possibility he wouldn't make it out alive. There was a reason, according to Eve, what little he knew of this killer and his M.O. that he had never been caught. He was good. Really good. And that was dangerous.
Eli let out a sigh of anxiety, running his hands through his dark hair as he glanced over his shoulder towards the decrepit barn that may or may not be housing a mass murderer.
He didn't have much time to say what was on his mind, so he had to make this count.
"I care about you in a way you can't even begin to explain, Eve," he said cautiously, lifting his chin to meet her gaze and he drew in a breath that pained his lungs as he watched her hazel eyes grow wide and round with shock as she processed his declarations of his feelings for her. "In just the span of what, a day and a half, you made me feel excited, angry, jealous, pissed off, scared, numb, insane, and everything in between, all at once, I might add," he added, with no small measure of amusement and admiration in his tone, "which is a very difficult thing for someone like you to do to me. The point is, the emotions that I felt for you tonight, it isn't healthy, but it's worth something. I wouldn't ever feel that kind of…twisted passion towards someone that I don't care about on some level, and you and I, we just met, and it's no secret to you and me that I…that there's something here between us, and…" Feeling suddenly sheepish and pressed for time, he reached up at an itch to scratch at his ear, wishing with all his might that she would look at anything else but him. "Dating you, I can already tell is going to cause me more stress than literally anyone else in River Heights that I know." Eli watched as the beautiful brunette's face suddenly grew crestfallen.
Swallowing back the lump in his throat, he took that as his cue to continue speaking.
"But I care about you, a—and I'd like to…to…take you on a second date after…all this is over, if we make it out of this alive, that is," he finished lamely. When she did not respond immediately, he felt the panic take over, and he had to stop himself from asking the question that was burning on the tip of his tongue.
Finally, he couldn't resist the urge anymore. He had to know. "So? What's your answer?"
Eve nodded, resting her chin against the rolled down windowsill. "Yes," she whispered. "I'd really like that, Eli. But if you don't mind…can we talk about this later? The girl needs a hospital, and you have a killer to catch. Officer." Eve opened her mouth to say something else and was caught completely unprepared. She would have thought that after all the hours she'd spent with Eli - watching him talk, laugh and frown - that the young reporter would know all there was to know about his lips. But she never could have imagined how warm they would feel pressed up against her own. He broke apart first, gave Eve a curt little nod, and jogged off towards the barn. Eve watched, frowning slightly as she watched him disappear. "Be safe," she whispered, and waited until his silhouette faded completely from view before putting her foot on the gas pedal and heading off towards the nearest hospital. This week was a first for her. The first date that had, like all the others, ended in utter disaster, but also the first of its kind to end with a feeling that Eve did not recognize.
Hope. It was small and faint, barely just a flicker above the wind, but it was enough.
We're going to get you out of this, Nancy, Eve promised as drove. I promise...
