There Are No Words

Chapter 21

Walker

A pair of mourning doves coo down the road. As we approached the lake, I can hear the current slapping up against the sand, bubbles forming in its wake as it rolls back into itself.

Sometimes, when things had been tense the night before, or when we just needed an escape, my brother and I would wake up early and go out for a hike. We'd burn off the residual thoughts from the previous day and clear our heads for the new one about to begin.

When we broach the shore, Cian is the first to notice her. Hence, he kept himself upright. I was lost in my own head or I would've seen her, too. As it turns out, by the time I realize she's there, I'm tripping on top of her. Going down with a crash I land on my ass with a thud, hitting a nearby fallen log in the process. I look up, rubbing my head, and remove dead bark from my hair. Jenny is biting her lip and looking at me. I can't tell if she's doing it to keep from laughing or to try to maintain the serious mood I interrupted by falling on her.

"Good One, Walker," my brother says, peering down at me. He takes a seat on a nearby rock and just shakes his head at the two of us. "Well, isn't this a coincidence?" He sighs and looks out towards the water before standing up again. "You two need to talk." As he turns to leave, Jenny stands up and grabs his hand.

"D...o...n't l...ea...ve. Sta...y. S...it."

Cian glances between us and with a weary sigh, sits back down. As he repositions himself on the rock, he rubs the back of his neck and looks like he wants to throttle the both of us. The night before fresh on my mind, I had really been looking forward to an escape this morning. With Candace back at our cabin, and Jenny here next to me, my head is a mess. I'm pretty sure Jenny is feeling similarly out of sorts. Coming to the lake alone the night before and now again at dawn today in her PJs is a pretty big clue. As if reading my mind, she looks up. I can see her mental wheels turning. It's clear she has a lot to say, but doesn't know where to begin.

"This is crazy. Walker, you're a big boy. Fix this," Cian says, moving up and away from us again.

Since it's still so early, his retreat is a pretty slow one, but short-lived at that.

"Oh, shit! SHIT! Crap. Ouch." I hear him yell. He's jumping up and down, swatting his legs over his pants. He looks in our direction and curses some more. "Fu...I mean, shit. Ouch. Yo, get up. Get up! Move! Ouch! Fuck! Shit! They're everywhere. Go! Get in the water! Get up, get up! Shit! That hurt! Run!"

Jenny and I exchange knowing looks and take in the path around us. It's narrow and leads right to where Cian is standing, not ten feet away. We have two options, run into the yellow jackets or into the lake. At 5 o'clock in the morning, the last thing either of us want is an early morning swim in frigid water. Why are those wasps even still active this time of year? I know it's been a warm fall but shouldn't they be dormant by now? Getting stung by a swarm of yellow jackets doesn't sound too appealing so the decision is pretty clear.

I look at Cian again and see that he's quickly coming our way, losing socks and shoes as he goes.

"Help! Ouch! Shit! Shit!" he curses, tumbling by and towards the lake at high speed.

Hearing the approaching frenzy of wasps, Jenny and I follow suit, losing some of our own clothes and shoes before dashing into the water as well. Cripes, it's cold in here! Damn! Body parts that were still asleep two seconds ago are wide away now. Fuck!

I look around to find Jenny on my right shivering in her nightshirt and PJ pants. She dropped her slippers back on the bank. Cian is still mumbling curses under his breath, rubbing his arms for warmth and poking at sting spots simultaneously.