“You’re not a doctor!” she screeched before turning to run down the road.
She ran one way and stopped. The woman turned in a full circle before running in another direction. She had no idea where to go to find a doctor.
A woman stepped between Erik and me and placed her palm on his shoulder. “Stay calm, my friends. Help is on the way. We do not need to panic.”
The cross hanging around her neck glimmered in the sunlight. Erik smiled at the woman.
“Thanks,” he said with a nod.
He didn’t want to tell the woman what he’d told us. It didn’t seem as though she would have believed him anyway.
Erik ushered Sam and me back toward the bay. He kept his voice feather-soft. “We need to get out of here.”
Two men walking in the opposite direction were talking about the plane that had crashed into the bay. One of them said it had brushed against the treetops. The other said he’d seen a dead body floating in the water.
There were so many people… and while that was typical of the tourist town in summer, the way they were acting was not normal. So many worried voices. It felt as though I was being swarmed, even though there wasn’t anyone that close to me.
My feet stopped moving, and my vision narrowed, tunneling to a specific location in the distance. The only thing I could see was Erik’s boat, while it felt as though I’d heard every voice in the town.
“Mel? Mel!”
Sam’s face was blurry. I tried to focus on her, but I couldn’t, and her voice echoed in my mind like a ringing church bell.
“What’s wrong?” Erik asked.
“She’s fine,” Sam said defensively. “Right, Mel? You’re fine. A few more steps, and we’re out of here. Ready to walk?”
She grabbed my arm and pulled me while staying in front of me. A calm smile curled onto her lips.
I sucked in a breath as the tunnel widened, and the town became visible again. I was able to move my feet again.
“We’re almost there,” Sam said gently, as if she were talking to her daughter.
Shouting erupted from my left, and a man stumbled backward, falling on the ground several feet away from Sam and me. A second man wobbled out of the building and picked the guy up off the ground.
“You’re dead, you fucking asshole,” the man shouted as he launched his fist into the man’s face.
Several other men appeared, attempting to pull the bigger, aggressive man off the guy who seemed as though he’d lost consciousness. Sam and Erik both pulled me away.
People crowded around them, swearing and cursing. Fists were thrown left and right as the men from the bar brawled on the concrete.
“Shit,” Erik muttered. “This is only going to get worse.”
We were close to the dock when someone ran up behind us. My whole body shook at the touch of a finger poking into my back.
“Hey, you!” a cheery voice rang out.
I spun on my heel. My hands would have clawed at the man’s face if Erik and Sam hadn’t been holding my arms.
“Funny running into you both here,” he said, rubbing his hands together.
Sam groaned. “Are you kidding me?”
9
The gas station clerk from the other night stood in front of us, grinning from ear to ear. He ignored the men fighting behind him, even with one of them loudly yelling that they were in charge.
He pointed a shaking finger at me as his cheesy smile grew. “After you left, I remembered why you looked so familiar.”
“We need to be on our way,” Erik said, his deep voice firm.
“It’s me, Dorian. From the gas station. And you’re Melaney Carter!” he said, crossing his arms over his thin chest, wearing a satisfied expression. “Only took me two minutes to place you after you left.”
My hands were shaking. I’d been on the verge of a panic attack, and Sam had only managed to barely pull me back.
“You must have me confused with someone else,” I mumbled.
“So, you’re not Melaney Carter?” Dorian asked, his brow wrinkling.
“We really just want to get out of here,” Erik said, taking a step between Dorian and me.
“It’s not like I don’t know where she lives,” Dorian said with a half-shrug.
Sam’s cheeks turned cherry red from anger. “I knew it! You are some kind of stalker creep!”
“I know her from school!” Dorian said, holding up his hands. “I was a junior when she was a freshman. We had classes together.”
“Oh, okay,” I said awkwardly.
“Hey, so would you guys mind if I catch a ride with you?” Dorian asked, ignoring Sam as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
Sam grabbed Dorian’s shirt and jerked him closer. “Can’t you take a hint, jerk?”
“Sam,” I said, lightly touching her shoulder. “Let him go.”
“You knew him like four years ago. People change.” Sam cocked her head to the side. “Maybe he was always a stalker creep.”
“Aw, come on,” Dorian said, throwing his hands in the air. “I just want to get out of town.”
Sam pushed both palms hard against Dorian’s chest. “Back off!”
“Jeez! I’m sorry!” Dorian squeaked.
“Sam, please,” I said as my eyes shifted and landed on a vehicle parked in the lot for the hotel.
A big black truck I hadn’t noticed before. Familiar. Or maybe just similar. It was identical to the truck Elijah owned.
Why was his truck everywhere?
“Let’s go, please,” I said, locking eyes with Erik. I felt lightheaded. Even though it was a boat that would rock on the waves, I wanted to sit down.
“So, how about that ride?” Dorian asked as Erik helped me into the boat.
“I don’t think so,” Erik said.
Dorian frowned, and
