The Wilderness Within: A Fanfiction (Draft)

Chapter 2

"George, please sit down. You're freaking me out."

I laughed coldly, but didn't move from my spot by the window. "I'm freaking you out?" I turned sharply, my face devoid of humor, and stared straight at Kami.

She said rigidly on the farthest of the two motel beds. Her tiny figure barely wrinkled the stiff comforter.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten about it already? Sorry it's taking me a while to get over the idea that I was a few feet away from being killed."

"Alex wasn't going to hit you."

"I'm not talking about the car, and you know it!" I paused, my voice breaking.

Kami whispered. "I know. I didn't forget. But I want to."

We both jumped as the latch turned, the door swinging open.

Alex slipped in with two plastic bags, which he set on the table beside the television. "I filled up the tank and got us some food," he said cheerfully.

I ignored the granola bars and microwave dinners. "Did you talk to the cashier?" I demanded.

Alex dropped his happy expression. "I tried," he said. "It was hard to get anything out of him. He kept sneezing non stop." He grimaced. "He did say people see a lot of strange things around here, so somehow I doubt he really believed me."

I threw up my hands helplessly, then turned back on Kami, who was poking holes in the thin film on her microwave lasagna.

"You're our conspiracist, you know more about the weird and supernatural than anybody. Why won't you believe it?"

"Maybe I don't want to believe it," she said softly. "Besides, I'm not even sure what I saw."

I just looked at her blankly, at this tiny woman trying to keep her tiny hands from shaking by clinging to her stupid plastic container.

After a beat I shook my head and turned back to the window. "Whatever," I muttered, arms crossed tightly.

The microwave rattled as Kami heated up her dinner. Alex took a pillow from my bed and got comfortable on the couch. He closed his eyes. "Whatever that was," he tried to sound indifferent, "we still have a ways before we get home tomorrow. You should try to sleep, George, if you're not going to eat."

I stood where I was, my nose mere inches from the cold windowpane, dutifully scrutinizing the dark street for any shadow that dared to move.

My fear kept me awake for most of the night, so I felt a bit fuzzy the next morning. Those monstrous red eyes haunted me every time I closed my eyes. I had moved an armchair by the window in the middle of the night while the others were asleep, so my bed was mostly untouched. I did eat some granola bars last night, but besides that and some water, nothing. I didn't think my stomach could handle it.

I heard some rustling and looked over my shoulder. Alex was waking up. He stood up and stretched before noticing me. "Anything?" he asked.

"Just a couple stray cats," I said wearily. We both turned and watched Kami doze on the far side of the room. She must have felt our gaze because she soon stirred. I looked away. "Maybe I am overreacting," I sighed.

We didn't speak much the entire time we got ready to check out. As we left the office and headed to the car, I said, "Can we stop somewhere for an energy drink or something?"

"Sure," said Alex as he took our bags and threw them in the back seat. "I thought I saw some at the gas station last night." He gestured to the convenience store across the street. I walked cautiously beside him as Kami silently trailed behind.

I pushed open the door, ringing a small bell. The small shop, which consisted of a few aisles of shelves, a wall of refrigerated items, and a slushie machine, was empty. A cashier was nowhere to be seen.

"This store is open, isn't it?" I said quietly.

Alex nodded. "Pretty sure. Maybe he's just in the back."

Kami grabbed a basket and went to look at potato chips while Ryan and I made a beeline to the cold drinks.

I inspected the shelves before opening any refrigerator doors. "Cherry wave? Rain berry? These sound a lot like shampoo," I said incredulously. "Where's the Red Bull?"

Alex grunted in agreement.

A loud crash resounded from the back room.

I froze. Kami popped out from behind a shelf, basket piled high. "Did you hear that?"

"It was probably nothing," assured Alex, but he seemed just as on edge as I was.

We heard a loud growl and heavy shuffling. I peeked around a corner and saw a wide man with fresh red stains on the front of his shirt stumble out of the back room. His vacant eyes were red. My eyes widened and I jumped back.

"Be quiet," I hissed and pushed the others out of sight. I got as low as I could and watched the thing behind the counter.

The counter was open on one side, so nothing was keeping it from jumping at us once it noticed us. From the way it kept snarling and rubbing at its face, something was seriously bothering it. I wanted to stay as far from it as possible. Too bad our only way out was the door we came in through, right beside the counter.

The others peered around the corner. Alex gasped. "That was him. I was talking to him just last night."

Kami pulled her head back and made a strange expression. She straightened slightly and looked around desperately, but she came to the same conclusion I did.

"We have to make a run for it," she said, hushed.

I nodded, pulling the others to their feet and pushing them ahead of me. "Go, go!" I hissed.