Chapter 4

Along the river: Unknown hours after the fall;

Isaac:

The little ghost was annoying, but it was helping me stay awake as I continued my death march. The occasional shouts of ‘BEAR!’ when there was nothing about seemed to spike my adrenaline or whatever was still keeping me going aside from pure and unadulterated stubbornness.

I’d come to the determination that stubbornness kept my heart beating. Pure spite was making my lungs keep working in spite of occasionally spitting up gunk. My right leg was working on fury, while my left was trailing behind as it was only fueled by fantasies of vengeance. I refused to die before I’d buried them all next to Chase.

I still wasn’t sure what he was; an actual ghost, a fever dream (I was increasingly certain I was feverish), or some kind of hallucination drummed up by head trauma. He could be any number of things, but right then he was helping, and I needed all the help I could get.

Aside from stopping for water a dozen times I’d managed to keep going in spite of everything. The fingers on my soon-to-be bad arm had turned blue and it was still uselessly hanging there. The random bits of cold spells didn’t fill me with confidence.

Chase ran back to me and smiled dancing back and forth, “I spy, with my little eye something that starts with P.”

“Pussywillow?” I gasped out. It was getting harder to breathe.

A singsong, “No. It also starts with R.”

“raccoon.”

He did a little happy dance, “Give up?”

No, not yet. Not until they burn.

“Yeah, fine.”

He smirked and pointed, “Paved Road.”

I followed the line from his spectral finger and he was right. I’d met back up with the road up towards Maiden’s peak. I still had miles to go to get to Adrian’s house. It was the only place I was guaranteed to be safe, but the sight filled me with joy for a few seconds.

I hobbled faster, faster than I thought I could, faster than I probably should’ve. Eventually, I stepped onto the cold gray asphalt, and I looked up and saw my salvation. A green pick-up truck pulled up and I opened the door. I pulled myself into and looked at the truest friend I had and immediately spit up blood or bile.

I wiped my mouth and felt my sense of self fading and I spoke, “Tried to murder me. Hospital. Not near here. No cops. Keep Scarf. Eagle cam.” And with that I was somewhere else.

I wasn’t completely somewhere else. I could vaguely feel the motion of Addy’s truck, so my body was still in it. What I perceived on the other hand was an open field with a net on either side and Chase standing before me next to a woman.

He was kicking a ball that had seemed to appear from nowhere. When he saw me, he smiled, “I know it doesn’t change anything, but I’m glad I was able to help.”

I looked at the woman and Chase answered for her, “She says, ‘not yet.”

Not until they burn.

He blinked out of existence leaving me alone in the field. I lay down and stared at clouds swirling above me. I said aloud, “Storm Brewing.” Sleep came quickly.

19 hours after the fall:

Adrian:

I knew something was wrong. There was some kind of tear in my gut oozing out anxiety. I’d texted Isaac a dozen times last night and kept receiving message not delivered’ back. He was never the best at responding to me when I texted him, but he’d said that he would call to check in after the thing at Maiden’s Point. When he didn’t show up for school I knew it was bad. He wasn’t above disappearing for night, but he didn’t miss school or a job unless it was important or he’d told me in advance. Making it through the day sucked.