Chapter Two

Dangerous Plans

The Burlingame residence smelled of stewing vegetables and a cooking meat that Chris couldn't identify upon walking into the house. The living room was small, neatly decorated, the most noticeable knickknacks being the photos of Jessie and her siblings during different stages in their lives. He eagerly allowed Jessie and her mother to give him a quick tour of the house, showing him the upstairs, as well as the furnished basement, before leading him into the kitchen to take a seat at the dining room table. James and Jacob were already seated, along with a boy that looked Sadie's age that neither Jessie nor Chris had been introduced to.

"Jess and Chris, this is my boyfriend, Richard King." Sadie introduced, shooting the boy at the table a soft smile, which he returned.

Now it was Jessie's turn to be slightly protective of her baby sister. "How long have you two been dating?" She asked, the questioned about at Richard, though she was looking at her sister.

"Four months." Sadie and her boyfriend answered in unison, bringing childish laughter out of both of them.

Jessie was about to ask yet another question when Chris squeezed her hand, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. "I guess now you know how your brother and father feel." Jessie pursed her lips and looked up at Chris with a sheepish look upon her face.

With a good bit of three degree over from both parties, Jessie and Chris took their seats at the dinner table, sitting side by side in between Sadie and James. Chris made sure to complicate Molly on her roast beef and vegetable stew and listen half attentively to James' war stories as Jessie held his hand beneath the table.

During her father's third story, Sadie finally interrupted, clearing her throat impatiently. "Daddy, please, you can tell Chris about how you did a whole bunch of boring stuff later on." She suggested, with all the freedom of a child who could still cuddle up with her father on the couch and pretend to watch Monday Night Football. "Let's give someone else a chance to talk."

James puffed indignantly at his youngest daughter before turning his attention to Chris and Jessie, who looked relieved that Sadie had finally spoken. "So, Chris, what made you want to become a doctor?" The man questioned, more then ready to resume questioning to see if this new man was good enough for his daughter.

"My father was a doctor and he always told me stories about helping people. When I was ten, my sister fell off her bike while messing around when our parents weren't home so it was up to me to bandage her cuts and such and I realized that I really liked helping people feel better." Chris answered, knowing that his story wasn't filled with blood or excitement but it was the answer to the question that James had asked.

Molly smiled appreciatively, shooting a warm look at her daughter. "That's very nice, Chris. It's good to be doing something that you love." She said with a gentle smile still upon her face. Chris believed that he could begin to like Ms. Burlingame much quicker then any of the Burlingame males.

Sadie smiled first at her sister and then at Chris, before saying, "Jess, what are you plans for the weekend? Richard and I are going camping with some of his friends and wondered if you and Chris might like to come."

Jessie frowned as soon as she heard her sister's words, pursing her lips and leaning back against her wooden chair. She felt a wave of uneasy cross over her and wondered if her face really was as pale as it felt; Chris squeezed her hand reassuringly, feeling slightly nervous as well. He hadn't lost all of his friends in the woods like Jessie had, but he had still seen them get slaughtered and could still hear Jessie's screams, Cary's pained sobs and the mutated monsters' ludicrous laughter in his deepest nightmares. He knew Jessie experienced the same thing, though fueled by the feeling of guilt that she unfairly cared with her.

"Um, Sadie, do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, there are some crazies out there in the woods." Jessie managed to choke out when she could grab hold of herself long enough to speak. There was so much more she wanted to say to her sister then that, because she knew exactly what stretch of woods Sadie's camping trip was going to take place and it was almost too much to risk not saying anything.

Sadie gave her a strange look, trying to figure out where her sister's words were coming from. "Jess, what are you talking about? Crazy people in the woods, it sounds like you've been watching Deliverance one too many times." She remarked, more concerned then anything, worried about how pale and nervous her sister suddenly looked.

Molly cleared her throat, drawing all eyes to her. "Sadie, you can talk about your plans later. Right now, I'd like to hear more about Chris and anything he'd like to tell us." She said, looking over at Chris, who nodded appreciatively for the change in subject. He would be more then happy to relate the most boring of his life's stories just to keep the topic off anything involving the woods.

* * *

Jessie and Chris followed James and Jacob down into the basement once more so that the Burlingame men could show off their technological toys. Sadie, Molly and Richard took on the responsibility of cleaning up after dinner, which gave Sadie the chance to ask her mother about her beloved sister's strange behavior.

"Mom, why did Jessie act so strange when I brought up the subject of going camping?" Sadie questioned as she ran water over a dirty dish, looking over at her mother, who simply frowned.

"A few months ago, when Jessie and her friends went camping they were harassed by some drunk rednecks, who ended up killing all of your sister's friends and almost killing her. That's how she and Chris met, he was driving through the woods and he was able to save her. That's why your sister got so upset when you talked about camping." Molly answered, looking slightly upset.

Sadie's face fell as she heard her mother's words, staring down at the running water, feeling like a real jackass for even bringing up the topic in the first place. She only wished that someone had told her about what had really happened to Carly (whom she had adored every time they had been together) and Scott (who told her that she could be the flower girl in his and Carly's wedding, even though she was sixteen) and Evan and Francine (who had attempted to show her how to roll a blunt before Jessie had caught them.) Her mother had told her that they'd died in a car accident, which was why she hadn't known not to say anything about the woods. But, she still felt bad about bringing it up.

"Rednecks, huh?" Sadie mumbled to herself, setting her dish aside finally. "Maybe we shouldn't go camping after all." She looked over at Richard as she spoke, an unsure expression flickering across her face.

Richard shook his head, attempting to look reassuring. "Sadie, I'm sure that your sister didn't go camping in the same place that we're going to go. And besides, those rednecks were probably arrested for what they did." He assured her, not wanting to put his camping plans on hold.

Sadie thought about what he had said but still wasn't quite convinced; Richard saw the doubt still upon his girlfriend's face and added, "Don't worry, Sadie, we'll be fine."