“Do you recognize him?” Vincent looked at Jillian. “He said he saw you in the woods on the other side of the river, that a man was trying to hurt you.”
“That was…” Her heart was practically vibrating in her chest. “The bear from when Ted attacked me… That was Conner?”
Having the back of her head smashed against a rock had her more than a little disoriented when that bear had shown up. She couldn’t be sure if it were the same animal, but that would have explained how they knew about Ted. Something this bizarre being possible might even explain the vision she’d had. Jillian cleared her throat and took a deep breath, trying to process what was right in front of her.
Could this be a trick using smoke and mirrors or holograms, maybe even whatever psychedelics that caused that weird snake vision? As the bear came closer, her fear subsided. It would have made sense to be terrified of him, but she wasn’t. Her hand lifted on its own, reaching out to stroke the fur on his front leg. Completely taken in by the beauty of such a majestic creature, a soft smile crossed her lips.
This is happening.
As much as the skeptic in her wanted to deny what her senses affirmed, something inside shifted, sparking energy that ignited like wildfire; not just desperation to survive, but curiosity. If this were the reality, what else was out there? Her mind opened to a world much bigger than the one she’d woken up to, and she knew that if she lived through this, she would never be the same.
“So, is seeing believing?” Vincent patted the bear on the shoulder. “Are you willing to at least give this ritual a try?”
“After everything that’s happened, I don’t even know if I can trust my own eyes.” Jillian covered her face with her hands before leaning back to prop herself up on her elbows. “I don’t know why, but everything in my body is telling me to trust you guys. What do we have to do?”
“First things first.” Vincent waved Finn over. “We have to get you to the circle. It’s too deep for us to carry you on the stretcher.”
The bear that had been Conner a moment ago bellowed, lumbering to the edge of the water and looked over his shoulder, snorting decisively.
“That could work,” Vincent responded to the bear and then turned to Jillian. “Do you think you could hold onto him while he swims you to the edge?”
“I…” She flexed her fingers, noting the tremors in her hand. “I’m not sure.”
The bear waded out into the water, making grumbly vocalizations.
“Well, let’s give it a try.” Vincent nodded to Finn, and they lifted the stretcher walking into the water before helping Jillian roll onto his back. Every movement sent a stabbing pain through her entire body, and she screamed through clenched teeth, clinging to Conner for dear life as he paddled out toward the rock. Finn and Vincent swam on either side of them, poised to rescue her if her strength failed.
As they neared the stone, Vincent pulled himself up onto the ledge and got to his feet. Jillian released a handful of Conner’s fur to reach for Vincent’s outstretched hand. His fingers closed around her wrist, and he lifted her with ease. The stone platform was much bigger than it had looked from the shore. It was a good twenty feet in diameter.
“Fuck!” She yelped, putting all her weight on her functional foot as she grasped for the collar of Vincent’s shirt.
He smelled good, not like cologne or aftershave, something earthy that seemed familiar even though she couldn’t place it.
“Easy there, Goldie.” Finn climbed up behind them. His arm encircled her waist as she leaned on his shoulder. He helped her hobble to the center of the circle, where she laid down, clenching her teeth, breathing through the pain. “The worst part is over.”
That was hard to believe, considering every time she had thought the pain couldn’t get any worse, it managed to prove her wrong. Her leg was so swollen that she worried it might break open like a sausage that someone forgot in the microwave.
Jillian glanced around, searching the surrounding area for some distraction to take her mind off the fact that her blood was on fire. Her vision blurred as she ran her fingers over the indentations in the stone beneath her. Looking down, she realized these weren’t the natural cracks or erosion one would expect to find. They were symbols, carved directly into the rock.
Vincent had called this thing the circle, and as Jillian sat up and studied it, she realized that it wasn’t just round; it was perfectly symmetrical; almost too perfect to be a part of the natural world. Clenching her fists as another wave of pain surged through her, she returned her gaze to the symbols. They didn’t look like anything she had ever seen before, not even in a college textbook or a documentary.
Conner and Vincent swam back to the beach while Finn perched on the edge of the circle, staring intently at the mist coming off the waterfall. Conner shifted back to his old self and quickly started throwing his clothes back on. Vincent picked up a backpack and waded back into the water.
“It’s beautiful out here.” A smile spread across her pale lips. “This wouldn’t be the worst place to die… better than my last two close calls.”
“There’s only room for one pessimist in this group.” Finn crossed his arms.
Vincent swam across with one arm out of the water, clutching the backpack, which Finn grabbed, allowing Vincent to pull himself up onto the ledge.
“I prefer the term realist.” Jillian shrugged, suddenly distracted by the sight of Vincent in a wet, black tank top.
