“I think we can be there the day after tomorrow,” Alec announced when they returned. “Maybe not until the sun poops out, but we can get there. We’ll rest up and then try to figure what to do the next morning.”
“Sounds good,” Mark said absently as he repacked his stuff. He was still kind of floating, at least temporarily relieved from all the crap.
“Then let’s quit yappin’ and let’s get slappin’,” Alec said.
The statement didn’t make much sense to Mark, but he shrugged and looked at Trina. She had a smile on her face. He hoped the other two fell asleep really early tonight.
They had to resist the urge to hold hands again as they set off after the old grizzly bear and Lana.
That night, the camp was dark and quiet except for the sound of Alec snoring and the soft sighs of Trina’s breath on Mark’s chest. They’d waited until Alec and Lana zonked out, then scooted together and cuddled.
Mark looked up at the branches of the trees, finding a clear spot that revealed brilliant stars overhead. His mom had taught him the constellations when he was really young, and he’d passed the valuable information on to his little sister, Madison. The stories behind the constellations were his favorite part, and he loved sharing them. Especially since it was such a rarity to see the starry sky when you lived in a huge city like New York. Every trip out to the country was a huge treat. They’d spend hours pointing out the different myths and legends hanging far above them.
He spotted Orion, the belt brighter than he’d ever seen it before. Orion. That had been Madison’s favorite constellation because it was so easy to find and had such a cool story behind it-the hunter and his sword, his dogs, all of them fighting a demonic bull. Mark embellished the tale a little more each time he’d told it. The thought brought a lump to his throat, and his eyes moistened. He missed Madison so much. So much. The darker part of him almost wanted to forget her because it hurt so deeply.
He heard the crack of breaking branches out in the woods.
His thoughts of his little sister evaporated as he bolted upright, practically shoving Trina off his chest before he could think about what he was doing. She muttered something, then rolled over onto her side, falling back into her obviously deep sleep just as another crack sounded from the forest.
He put a hand on her shoulder as he got to his knees and then scanned the area around them. It was way too dark to see anything out in the thick of trees, even with the moon- and starlight. But his hearing had sharpened considerably since power and artificial lights had mostly become a thing of his past. He calmed himself and concentrated. Listened. He knew it could be a deer, a squirrel, lots of things. But he hadn’t survived a year of the sun-ravaged world by making assumptions.
There were more snapping of twigs and cracking of branches. Heavy and definitely two-footed.
He was just about to shout Alec’s name when a shadow appeared in front of him, stepping out from behind a tree. There was the scratching sound of a match being lit right before it flared to life, revealing the man who held it.
The Toad.
“What…,” Mark said, relief like a bursting cloud in his chest. “Toad. Sheesh, man, you about scared me to death.”
The Toad dropped to his knees and held the lit match closer to his face. He looked gaunt, and his eyes were moist and haunted.
“Are… you okay?” Mark asked, hoping his friend was just tired.
“I’m not,” the Toad answered, his face quivering as if he were about to cry. “I’m not, Mark. I’m not okay at all. There are things living inside my skull.”
CHAPTER 16
Mark shook Trina awake and scrambled to his feet, pulling her up with him. The Toad was definitely sick, and he was standing just a few feet from their camp. They didn’t know anything about this sickness, but that only made it scarier. Trina seemed disoriented, but Mark didn’t relent, half dragging her to the other side of the dead coals of their fire from earlier that night.
“Alec!” he shouted. “Lana! Wake up!”
As if the two were still soldiers, they were on their feet in three seconds. But neither of them had noticed the visitor yet.
Mark didn’t waste time explaining. “Toad. I’m glad you came, that you’re safe. But… are you feeling sick?”
“Why?” Toad asked, still on his knees. His face was only a shadow. “Why did you leave me like that after all we’ve been through?”
Mark’s heart was breaking. The question had no good answer. “I… I… we tried to get you to come with us.”
Toad acted as if he hadn’t heard. “I have things in my skull. I need help getting them out of there. Before they eat my brain and start heading for my heart.” He whimpered, a sound that seemed to Mark more like it would come from an injured dog than from a human.
“What symptoms are you feeling?” Lana asked. “What happened to Misty?”
Mark watched as the Toad raised his hands up and pressed them against the sides of his head. Even his silhouette was creepy doing such a thing.
“There… are… things in my head,” he repeated slowly. Deliberately. His voice was laced with anger. “Of all the people on this forsaken planet, I thought my friends of over a year would be willing to help me get them out.” He got to his feet and began to shout. “Get these things out of my head!”
“Just calm down there, Toad,” Alec said, the threat clear in his voice.
Mark didn’t want the situation to explode into something they’d all regret. “Toad, listen to me. We’re going to help you however we can. But we need you to sit down and stop shouting. Screaming at us won’t help.”
The Toad didn’t respond, but his figure seemed rigid. Mark could tell his hands were clenched into fists.
“Toad? We need you to sit down. And then tell us everything that’s happened since we left the village.”
The guy didn’t move.
“Come on,” Mark pushed. “We want to help. Just sit down and relax.”
After a few seconds, Toad obeyed, collapsing to the ground in a heap, lying there like he’d been shot. Several moans escaped him as he shifted, rocking back and forth on his side.
Mark took a deep breath, feeling like the situation was back under some kind of control. He realized that he and Trina were standing right next to each other, but neither Alec nor Lana seemed to have noticed yet. Mark took a few steps forward, to the side of the fire pit, and sat down.
“That poor kid,” he heard Alec mutter behind him, thankfully not loud enough for the Toad to hear. Sometimes the old man said exactly what he was thinking.
Thankfully, Lana’s nursing instincts won out and she took the reins of the conversation.
“Okay,” she began. “Toad. It seems like you’re in a lot of pain. I’m really sorry about that. But if we’re going to help you, we need to know some things. Are you feeling well enough to talk about it?”
The Toad continued rocking and moaning softly. But he answered. “I’ll do my best, guys. I don’t know how long the things in my head will let me do it, though. Better hurry.”
“Good,” Lana responded. “Good. Let’s begin from the second we left you at the village. What did you do?”
“I sat at the door and talked to Misty,” the Toad said in a tired voice. “What else would I do? She’s my best friend-the best friend I’ve ever had. I don’t care about anything else. How can anyone abandon their best friend?”
“Right. I understand that. I’m glad she had someone to be there with her.”
“She needed me. I could tell when it got bad for her, so I went in and held her. Held her to my chest and hugged her and kissed her forehead. Like a baby. Like my baby. I’ve never felt so happy as when I held her, watching her die slowly in my arms.”
Mark squirmed in his seat, sickened by the Toad’s words. He hoped Lana was able to learn something about what was going on.
