He thought about saying as much and then decided that it was probably safer to keep his mouth shut. It felt like every time he said something, he risked pushing her towards anger.
“I didn’t want to be alone,” she said eventually. “Too many thoughts intruding on me and I wanted to go somewhere quiet. I know a place, but it’s a bit of a drive. I hope you were serious about staying up all night.”
“I am if you know somewhere we can stop for a coffee,” he said.
“Of course.”
Ricky looked through his window and watched the passing landscape. It wasn’t too much different than Maine. Of course the weather was vastly different. There were no snow drifts, but it almost looked the way Maine would look in a few months. They got all four seasons in Maine, it was just that some of them were incredibly short. Winter was a good half of the year. Spring went until June and then it was summer for a week or two before autumn started. He thought about saying as much to Amber, but she probably wouldn’t think it was funny.
They had the same stores for the most part. He watched a McDonald’s and a Best Buy go by his window. She pulled into a convenience store that would have been a Cumberland Farms up near him. Down here it was called Croc and Shop.
“Best coffee is here,” she said.
Ricky got out when she did.
# # #
They got back in, sipping from plastic lids, and Ricky figured he could risk a question.
“So, where are we headed?”
“The ocean,” she said. “I know a place.”
“Cool,” he said. “This is good coffee.”
Amber nodded.
Once they merged onto the highway headed east, something occurred to Ricky. If they were talking on the phone and he asked a question that she didn’t want to answer, she could just hang up. Now that they were in the car, driving down the highway, they were both captive to the trip. He might be able to get an answer out of her that she normally wouldn’t give.
“I’ve been wanting to ask,” he said.
She didn’t look over at him, but she didn’t immediately change the subject either.
“What happened to you?”
“Sorry?” she asked.
“Well, your neighbor attacked you, right?”
Amber didn’t reply.
“John, right? He was your uncle’s neighbor briefly and then your neighbor very briefly.”
“Sure.”
“Well, if I’m right, then that means that there was something in your blood that made you attractive to him. I think that suggests that there’s something in your past—like a paranormal trauma or whatever. With me, it was a demon. With the Harpers, it was those creatures that move through their property every October. Everyone had a different event. I’ve talked to friends and family of the victims at the wedding. It seemed that everyone had a story, even if they didn’t believe it. What’s your story?”
“It was probably just that I saw him for what he was,” she said. “Or maybe because I was staying in my uncle’s house.”
“You saw him?”
“Before John completely changed,” she said, “I saw him in transition. His hand was changing into a claw and his eyes were already pretty hypnotic. When I visited, it was by candlelight, but I still caught a glimpse of what he was becoming. I believe that’s why he came after me. He didn’t want to leave any witnesses.”
“Maybe,” Ricky said. “Maybe. He killed two police officers though. I think it’s likely that if he was able to kill two armed officers, he could have killed you if he wanted to. I would be inclined to conclude that he tripped up and was more vulnerable with you because he wanted to infect you instead of merely killing you.”
“You’re saying that I’m too weak to survive? I did just as well as anyone that night after the wedding.”
“Yes, better than most, in fact. Again, though, those monsters were trying to feed from us and probably infect us rather than just kill.”
“I think you’re giving them too much credit,” Amber said. “They were transformed into dumb animals.”
“Maybe,” Ricky said.
The conversation died for several seconds.
Amber broke the silence.
“You’re not convinced that John only wanted me because I suspected him.”
“I think you’re avoiding the original question,” Ricky said. “Something happened to you, didn’t it? Before you even thought about coming to Maine.”
“I’ll say yes if it will make you drop the subject,” Amber said. “And I don’t think it matters either way. How about you just assume that something happened to me when I was younger, it left its mark on me, and John could sense it.”
“Okay. But…”
“What?” she asked with another sigh.
“If we take your story and add it to the others, maybe we get a clearer pattern. Maybe we can learn how to better predict who they’re going after. There were some rooms in the hotel after the wedding where the creatures didn’t bother the people at all. We could really benefit from knowing why.”
Amber stayed silent. They drove through the night and the terrain changed. The farther east they went, it seemed like everything around the car shrank. The trees were shorter and the hills were flatter. In Maine, the coast remained jagged and rocky right down to the water’s edge. Down here, it was like the whole landscape sloped down until it transitioned into water. The bridge that crossed the sound was so low that it looked like the water might swell over the sides and wash them away. The road swung north and they were headed towards Nags Head.
“Where are we going?” Ricky asked.
“I know a spot.”
# # #
Amber parked next to a sand dune that was covered with scrubby grass. Ricky pulled his jacket tight against the wind and followed her up and over the sand. The ocean was a black line against the
