Good Intentions (Book 3 in the Road to Salvation Series)

CHAPTER 5

Katie walked along the beach of a lake. It wasn't the reservoir, but it felt familiar. The fine sand squished between her toes and a gentle breeze touched her face, bringing with it the scent of pine. The sun warmed her back. She stopped and took in her surroundings. The water was to her left, gently lapping the earth at her feet. A forest of pine trees surrounded her on the other side. She turned around. Behind her was a dock with a wood hut. There was a broken sign above the door that read "tals." At one point, it probably had said "Rentals." She knew where she was now. Her mom and her grandparents had brought her here after her dad died. They'd all needed to get away for a while, and Katie had spent a lot of time on the beach, figuring out in her young brain what she was going to do without her dad. Her mom had sat on a chair near the forest, crying. It was on this beach that she'd had to decide how she was going to deal with change. She turned back around with a sigh.

She continued her stroll down the sand. Why was she here? She couldn't remember the last time she'd thought about this place. Had she ever? Movement in the trees caught her eyes. She froze. She wasn't afraid, but concerned. What in the world could be out there? Irritation flashed through her. This was her time. She didn't want to share it.

The figure stepped out of the trees and into the sunlight. Katie's irritation was instantly replaced with shock. What was Wes doing there? The shock quickly changed into fear, and she glanced around, searching for demons. She didn't want there to be another fight. And she especially didn't want to get tackled onto a tile floor again. All was quiet, but that didn't comfort her. The shadow appeared from nowhere last time.

Her gaze fell back on Wes. She noted that he looked much better than he had at their previous meeting. Good even. Did she really just think that? It didn't matter that it was true. His face wasn't pale, his eyes weren't red-rimmed, and his shoulders didn't slouch forward. And yet, sadness still covered his face. He placed his hands in the front pockets of his dark jeans, and the breeze ruffled his blue T-shirt. She stared at him, waiting for him to speak. Several long moments ticked by.

"I'm sorry for invading your mind like this." His voice was distant and seemed to echo. "It's not our preferred method of contact, but it works."

Katie stared at him, not really understanding what he was saying. Invading her mind? What did that mean?

He took a small step forward. The sadness on his face deepened. "I want you to know that I'm sorry, Katie. For everything." He shook his head. "I don't blame you for the choices you've made. And if I could go back and do things over, I would. But I can't. So now we have to deal with what we have." He held his hand out to her. "Just hear me out. That's all I ask."

Katie pushed her eyebrows together. Her gaze darted from his hand to his face. Was he serious? What the hell was he doing? She took a step back, and his hand dropped to his side. Lines creased his forehead.

"I'm not giving up on you." He spoke as his body vanished from view.

She stared at the spot he had been standing in. What had just happened? Where did he go? Would he be coming back? The sun seemed to grow hotter as she stood there. The breeze stopped blowing. The sound of the waves ceased lapping on the beach. Sweat dripped down her back.

She tore her gaze from the spot Wes had been in and noticed that the forest was on fire. It was then that she realized she was dreaming. The place wasn't real, only a distant memory. Somehow, that didn't make her feel better. It made Wes's words that more ominous. Flames devoured everything around her, including the lake. In the flames, dark shadows roughly in the shape of humans moved around her. They darted and moved with unbelievable quickness, and Katie turned to keep them all in her sight. Were they going to attack? There were too many to keep her eyes on. She was surrounded. Her heart slammed against her rib cage. As the flames drew nearer, so did the figures. Her chest was tight. She spun around, looking for an escape, but there wasn't one. She was trapped.