Oblivion (38 page)

“She got dragged over to a car to sign somebody’s yearbook,” the hippie said and rolled his eyes. “This party’s a drag. Nobody even has any good pot. Listen to that horrible music? You call that music? It sounds like screaming.”

Jace grinned as he heard the loud heavy metal blaring from a van where a sound system was set up. “Just do as I say, ok?”

The pair wandered away. He went to seek out Lindsay, growing alarmed when he didn’t find her anywhere. He looked for Cameron and he was no longer standing across from the spot where Lindsay was. He knew something went wrong. Wilson was watching Matt right now, not Cameron. Meanwhile Cameron was missing and so was his girl.

~ ~ ~

“See ya,” Lindsay said as she handed the girl back her yearbook, feeling a little better knowing some people she went to school with didn’t hate her. She stepped away to sign the yearbook and was gone for only a few minutes, thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal.

She walked back towards the bomb fire, walking in between two cars when she was grabbed from behind. A hand clamped over her mouth to cut off her screams. She struggled futilely as she was dragged off into the darkness.

“You really shouldn’t wander around in the dark, Lindsay,” Cameron whispered at her ear as he yanked her away from the many cars lining the party site, pulling her farther and farther away from the bomb fire. “I’m glad you came to say goodbye though. We got all kinds of time.”

Lindsay struggled even more, knowing she had seriously messed up by walking away from the bomb fire. Nobody could see her and Cameron was dragging her to the woods. She fought and kicked, but he was too strong.

“Easy babe, don’t think I haven’t thought this through,” he said as he hefted her up and pulled her towards the edge of the trees. “Your buddy Wilson is watching Matt right now, thinking everything is fine.”

Lindsay thought of the microphone in her bra that was capturing all of this and relaxed, allowed herself to be dragged into the woods. Cameron might kill her, she realized, but everything would be caught on tape.

Hysteria filled her to know Jace couldn’t save her now. She goofed and allowed herself to be caught unaware by Cameron. The gun she still had reminded her it was far from over. Tears brightened her gaze as Cameron trudged through the woods, carrying her against his chest, his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming.

~ ~ ~

Gary went back to his car and turned up the volume on the recorder and heard only static. He smacked the box a couple of times, but realized the microphone wasn’t working anymore. He fumed and got back to the hill and watched through his binoculars, his sights on Cameron still standing off alone drinking a beer.

He frowned. Something was wrong. Why was the kid hanging by himself? This was his party. He watched after several minutes and didn’t like the feeling of alarm he was starting to feel when he looked for Lindsay. He couldn’t find her among the other kids down at The Point. There were too many petite blonde girls. He couldn’t make her out in the growing crowd. He got up and returned to the car. He grabbed his gun off the seat and walked down the hill to the road. He had no choice. He lost communication with Lindsay and he was feeling nervous, a sure sign something went wrong.

~ ~ ~

Jace knew Cameron had Lindsay when he failed to find either of them. Sal joined him and indicated she never returned from the yearbook signing. He ran in the direction she was last seen, standing between cars and looking high and low for her.

He stared behind the many cars to the woods and knew Cameron had taken her. He started running, a blur through the field as he entered the woods, his vision at night better from being in Oblivion. He listened and strained to hear something.

Panic for what would happen if he didn’t find her made him speed up. As fast as he was he could catch up with them. Cameron knew these woods like the back of his hands. They spent hours out here playing hide and seek as kids. Cameron’s favorite game of Bloody Murder came to mind and he grimaced.

~ ~ ~

Lindsay clutched her purse with one hand and felt for the gun, trying to open it as Cameron dragged her through the woods. She unzipped her bag with one hand and grabbed the cold steel in her palm. She felt her heart pounding so loud in her head she couldn’t hear anything else.

Cameron was too busy finding a place to kill her to realize she had the gun. She gripped it tightly. When they arrived in a clearing near a slow-running stream he tossed her on the ground and stood over her. He changed before her eyes. His blue eyes faded to black.

Lindsay stared up at him and her mouth opened but no sound came out, seeing it wasn’t Cameron anymore she was looking at. His eyes were completely black, empty sockets that stared back at her with no mercy within them. Faint snarls escaped his lips, his face contorted into a savage, terrifying mask of death.

Lindsay forgot about the gun, forgot about everything in that moment. Whatever this thing was; it was no longer Cameron. She screamed then, sliding away from the creature on the ground.

~ ~ ~

Gary walked among the party goers and gave the stink eye to those he knew. They ducked and dumped beer and cigarettes as he passed, mumbling apologetically. He ignored them as he looked for Lindsay everywhere.

He felt a sense of panic to know he sent her here. If anything happened to her it was his fault. He was so sure of his own plan, he never allowed for the obvious snag of her microphone failing.

More kids recognized him and jumped out of his way as he moved among them.

He looked up and down the area of the party and his expression was grim as he spotted Cameron standing off away from everyone. He might have lost Lindsay in the confusion, but he had the kid in his sights. He didn’t think about anything but removing the threat that was Cameron Chase at that moment.   

He started walking in that direction. The loud music and dancing teenagers blocked his view for a moment. The bomb fire was raging, sending smoke billowing into the air. The noise was deafening. He counted on it as he adjusted the silencer on his weapon, his eyes never leaving the kid in the jersey that drank a beer and stood alone at the edge of the woods.

Gary got about a hundred feet closer and realized it wasn’t Cameron, but Matt Lauder, wearing his jersey and hat. He spun around and ran back the other way, pushing kids out of his way to get back to the road.

~ ~ ~

Jace heard the scream and hurried, blazing through the trees, his heart in his throat to think of any harm befalling Lindsay. He was close, could hear her crying out. His only thought was to get to her side.

He saw them then, up ahead. Cameron was stalking her, his back to him. Lindsay looked horrified, transfixed as she scooted backward on the ground. Why didn’t she get up and run, he thought as he slowed and entered the clearing, his focus on Cameron at that moment.

Cameron spun around, sensing him there. He knew those eyes, having killed enough of them in Oblivion. He was looking into the empty black orbs of the demon with a sense of alarm, knowing if it got its hands on Lindsay she would be lost forever.

A demon followed him here, got through somehow. Daphne must have not sealed the ripple well enough. Whatever happened, he brought a demon with him. The demon already took Cameron. He could care less, knowing where his murderer was going now. His only concern was the petite blonde girl inching away from the creature, a look of horror and disbelief on her face.

“Lindsay, do as I say,” he called to her, never taking his eyes off the creature. They were slow and not very smart, but they were strong. If it got a hold of him it was all over. He could kiss his soul and hers goodbye. “Do you still have the gun?”

The creature snarled at him and forgot about Lindsay for the moment. Those soulless eyes met his and a low hiss escaped its lips. It started moving in his direction now.

“Yeah…I got it,” she managed and looked like she was in shock. “What’s wrong with Cam, Jace?”

“It’s not Cam anymore, Lindsay,” Jace said in a tight voice as he poised for the creature to spring at him. “Shoot it!” he yelled at her furiously.

Lindsay’s hand shook as she pointed the gun at Cameron’s back and her expression was terrified. “What is it, Jace?”

“You don’t want to know, honey,” he replied, never taking his eyes off the creature that moved towards him. “Just shoot it!”

Lindsay bit back a sob and started firing blindly at the creature as it sprang at Jace, getting its attention. She missed and it now moved back towards her. She sobbed as she saw the empty black sockets, heard the low growling. She pointed the gun and began to fire.

~ ~ ~

Gary heard the shots and began to run in the direction of the woods. He swore as he slowed down to rest after a few minutes, blaming it on the donuts and rich food as he ran in the direction of the shots, four and then five of them. He was getting closer when he heard the sixth shot.

He pushed bushed and brush out of his way as he hurried on, his only thoughts of Lindsay, praying he wasn’t too late.

~ ~ ~

Jace stared down at the dead demon and back at his sobbing girlfriend and smiled. “You hit something this time, Linds.”

“What was that thing?” she managed as she threw down the gun and backed away from the body of Cameron that lay dead and unmoving.

“It was a demon. They can take any form they choose. It followed me here,” he explained and regarded her sorrowfully. “I’m sorry Lindsay. I thought the door was shut behind me. One must have gotten through and Daphne didn’t know it.”

“These things are down there with you in that place?” she asked in fear and she looked like she was ready to fall apart.

Jace grinned and shrugged. “They’re like pests, mostly, but dangerous if they get their hands on one of us. They steal souls. This one actually had to kill you before it could take yours. It was more of a threat to me because I’m already dead.”

“I don’t get it and I don’t want to,” she replied and stared at Cameron’s lifeless form, thinking about all of this with a shake of her head. She knew she was hysterical as she got up off the ground and stared at Cameron’s eyes, now blue once more, staring up at the sky. “What does this mean for Cameron?”

Jace brooded that and avoided her gaze. “I hope he’s in Hell where he belongs.”

“You don’t know?” she asked.

He glared at her defensively then. “Lindsay, I haven’t been down there that long. I don’t know everything there is to know. Merrick isn’t here to ask.”

“Is…is…it dead?” she asked hesitantly as she stepped away from the corpse.

“Yeah, he’s dead, babe, you shot him five times,” Jace said proudly and shook his head. “Now if I could teach Daphne to shoot like that she could go out on patrols with us.”

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” she said weakly and went down on her knees in the grass and started vomiting. It was then that Sheriff Wilson crashed through the woods with his gun drawn, seeing Lindsay and the fallen Cameron, he relaxed.

“You ok, Lindsay?” he asked as he kept his gun drawn and looked around, finally going and checking Cameron’s pulse, confirming he was dead. He picked up Lindsay’s gun and put it in his coat pocket.

“Yeah, I’m ok,” she said and started to cry, looking at Jace and wishing he could hold her. “I didn’t get the confession, Sheriff. He grabbed me and dragged me here. I’m sorry.”

Gary looked at her as he came over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he drew her away from the sight, letting her lean on him.

“The microphone quit working. That’s why I ran down here. I got to the party and found out I was watching Matt the whole time, and not Cam.”

“He knew you’d be watching him,” she said and bit her lip. “Dooley told him I was working for you. He’s been telling them everything from the start.”

“It’s ok, he’s back to being a deputy if he even has a job.”

Gary guided Lindsay away from the clearing. Jace walked with them, eyeing his girlfriend in concern.

“You’re gonna be alright, Lindsay,” Jace told her, his brown eyes trained on her pale features. “It doesn’t matter to me if he didn’t confess.”

“What happens now, Sheriff?” Lindsay wanted to know, her eyes on Jace. “Are you going to arrest Matt for Jace’s murder?”

Sheriff Wilson smiled with little humor. “If your source is right and his DNA is a match; we got our killer. He’ll confess to Cameron’s part in this. I’d say the case is solved. Did he tell you why he did it, Lindsay?”

She looked at Jace and could see he was troubled by that too. They didn’t know beyond the thrill why the pair decided to kill Jace. The unanswered question still bothered Jace. She could tell by his expression.

“No, he didn’t say anything to me. I guess we’ll never know.”

“Lindsay, I took the gun. This whole thing never happened, do you hear? That’s the way it’s gonna stay.”

“What do you mean?” she asked and looked up at the Sheriff in alarm. “He tried to kill me! I want everybody in the town to know that.”

He sighed and looked down at her as they walked through the woods. “Lindsay, I got nothing on that tape to back you up. You got an unregistered gun too. It’s your word against a dead body. Forget about it. This’ll be blamed on the drug dealers he owes money too. I’m sorry, but this stays between us. I got reasonable cause to arrest Lauder. He’ll implicate Cameron. It’s done.”

Lindsay saw Jace nod in agreement and appeared angry that she couldn’t expose Cameron’s attacking her, but at least it was over. She shivered but not from the cold, recalling those black eyes filled with evil, thinking of Jace dealing with those creatures everyday where he was. Tomorrow he would go back there to fight more of them.

Jace was quiet when they returned to the party. Sheriff Wilson left them there and went back up to his car to call Bob to come in and arrest Matt. Lindsay and Jace kept an eye on Matt who still stood at the edge of the woods thinking the Sheriff was still on the hill watching him.

Jace grinned to see Artie and Sal and the others moving towards Matt.

“This should be good,” he said as he pointed. “Keep your eyes on our buddy Matt.”