teeth. The ones that remained didn’t look like they’d been brushed in a long, long time. “Do you ladies need a ride?”
“Oh, that’d be great,” sang Jamie, hopping into the bed of the truck. “We’re only about three miles down the road, on the left. It’s a little cottage. You can’t miss it.”
She was settling into the back, which meant there was no hope of turning down this gesture from the strange man. I sighed and used the tire as a ladder in. Still uncomfortable with this arrangement, I sat on the corner of the bed, not completely getting in. Jamie noticed and called me on it.
“He’s not a rapist, Ash.”
I rolled my eyes.
“It’s only three miles,” she whined.
“It’s fine. We need to get back, anyway,” I said, holding onto the edges of the bed. “Let’s go.”
Jamie began our previous conversation yet again. She wasn’t going to let this go. “But, like I was saying, there’s something fishy about the guys. I just think it’s odd they’re all about stalking me and keeping you out of the way. That sounds like horror movie material. I mean what are they expecting, a serial killer to come after us?”
She was mixing up all of my words, jumbling them into a different order. However, when she put it that way, she had a point. I wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. It seemed like everyone had a secret they were keeping except for her. I was glad to have one person I could confide in and trust.
“We should go play pool tonight with Andy,” she said as we came around the bend and the Walsh’s house came into sight.
I was going to listen to Memaw and stay with the guys and Tess. It wasn’t a hard promise to keep. I enjoyed their presence, even if we had gotten in an argument that morning. “No, Jamie, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Groaning, Jamie caught sight of Desmond and Issac walking down the driveway. “Well, that complicates things. Andy…” she said, a cautionary call for him to slow down.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
As we neared the driveway, I tensed my legs in preparation to jump out of the truck bed. Instead of slowing down, Andy accelerated. At the sound of the tires squealing against the pavement, Desmond looked away from Issac. Issac’s head snapped up, following the source of his brother’s attention. His face turned white.
It all happened very fast.
Desmond yelled at the house. Jesse, Liam, and Tess sprinted out, looking for the source of the commotion. Confused by what could have freaked Desmond out, I looked past Jamie. Did the old man fall asleep at the wheel? Did the engine catch fire? Were we on a collision course with a giant meteor?
None of those things had happened. It was worse. Much worse.
Sucking in a shocked breath, I began to scream.
Where Jamie once sat was someone – something - I had never seen in my life.
Skin tinged green, hair in mossy snarls and flying in all directions was what moments ago had been my blonde-haired friend. She was still pixie-like in size, but her venomous glare and sudden growth of fangs took away every aspect of a Barbie that she once had. Instead, she was closer to a glorious version of the swamp thing. Still beautiful, yet completely horrifying, she moved toward me like a hunter cornering its prey. She grinned. I swallowed convulsively. For some reason I didn’t think this version of Jamie wanted to have a slumber party or paint each other’s toenails. No, this Jamie was deadly. Mom and Memaw would have to write my obituary. This wasn’t going to end well.
Jamie lunged forward suddenly with her clawed hands extended. I fell off the back of the truck bed in an attempt to get away. Instead of hitting the ground, I was hanging upside down. My head was six inches from the ground, looking under the body of the truck. Mud from the tires filled
“Oh, that’d be great,” sang Jamie, hopping into the bed of the truck. “We’re only about three miles down the road, on the left. It’s a little cottage. You can’t miss it.”
She was settling into the back, which meant there was no hope of turning down this gesture from the strange man. I sighed and used the tire as a ladder in. Still uncomfortable with this arrangement, I sat on the corner of the bed, not completely getting in. Jamie noticed and called me on it.
“He’s not a rapist, Ash.”
I rolled my eyes.
“It’s only three miles,” she whined.
“It’s fine. We need to get back, anyway,” I said, holding onto the edges of the bed. “Let’s go.”
Jamie began our previous conversation yet again. She wasn’t going to let this go. “But, like I was saying, there’s something fishy about the guys. I just think it’s odd they’re all about stalking me and keeping you out of the way. That sounds like horror movie material. I mean what are they expecting, a serial killer to come after us?”
She was mixing up all of my words, jumbling them into a different order. However, when she put it that way, she had a point. I wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. It seemed like everyone had a secret they were keeping except for her. I was glad to have one person I could confide in and trust.
“We should go play pool tonight with Andy,” she said as we came around the bend and the Walsh’s house came into sight.
I was going to listen to Memaw and stay with the guys and Tess. It wasn’t a hard promise to keep. I enjoyed their presence, even if we had gotten in an argument that morning. “No, Jamie, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Groaning, Jamie caught sight of Desmond and Issac walking down the driveway. “Well, that complicates things. Andy…” she said, a cautionary call for him to slow down.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
As we neared the driveway, I tensed my legs in preparation to jump out of the truck bed. Instead of slowing down, Andy accelerated. At the sound of the tires squealing against the pavement, Desmond looked away from Issac. Issac’s head snapped up, following the source of his brother’s attention. His face turned white.
It all happened very fast.
Desmond yelled at the house. Jesse, Liam, and Tess sprinted out, looking for the source of the commotion. Confused by what could have freaked Desmond out, I looked past Jamie. Did the old man fall asleep at the wheel? Did the engine catch fire? Were we on a collision course with a giant meteor?
None of those things had happened. It was worse. Much worse.
Sucking in a shocked breath, I began to scream.
Where Jamie once sat was someone – something - I had never seen in my life.
Skin tinged green, hair in mossy snarls and flying in all directions was what moments ago had been my blonde-haired friend. She was still pixie-like in size, but her venomous glare and sudden growth of fangs took away every aspect of a Barbie that she once had. Instead, she was closer to a glorious version of the swamp thing. Still beautiful, yet completely horrifying, she moved toward me like a hunter cornering its prey. She grinned. I swallowed convulsively. For some reason I didn’t think this version of Jamie wanted to have a slumber party or paint each other’s toenails. No, this Jamie was deadly. Mom and Memaw would have to write my obituary. This wasn’t going to end well.
Jamie lunged forward suddenly with her clawed hands extended. I fell off the back of the truck bed in an attempt to get away. Instead of hitting the ground, I was hanging upside down. My head was six inches from the ground, looking under the body of the truck. Mud from the tires filled
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