My Darkest Rose

Chapter 19

Running Away

As he walked through the dark house, he'd all but convinced himself it was a dream. Then he saw her through the window. She was walking down the path toward the lake.

Wearing only a towel, he slipped and stumbled down the path to reach her, calling her name, but she didn't turn.

She stopped at the water's edge.

"No!" he yelled, reaching her just as she lifted her foot to step into the water.

She looked calm, almost patient, like she was addressing a small child. "You have to come with me, Jack."

"What?" He'd do anything to stay with her, but he could not go into the lake.

She held out her hand and he took it, but instead of following her into the water, he pulled her toward him.

"Rose, stay with me."

"I'm sorry, Jack."

He looked down at the water. Passing clouds reflected in the surface. For a moment it seemed possible that he could step forward into the water, that he could go with her, wherever that was. That he could die, if that's what she needed him to do, if that's what he had to do to be with her.

But then the memory of that night came back to him. Rose dragged from the path by a creature that was more shadow than human. Her skin torn. Her body thrashing as she was dragged into the water and into the jaws of the waiting fish.

It hadn't been a hallucination, he was certain of that now. It was real, and that creature was still here, lurking somewhere in the forest. And the fish were real too. He could see them in the water, schooling patiently just a few feet from where Rose stood.

He remembered his mother's cremated remains floating on the water's surface and the nightmares he'd had of monstrous fish rising to the surface to eat them.

Fear froze him. He clung desperately to Rose's arm, stopping her from going into the water where the fish seemed to grow more excited. He could see their spines above the water now, huge and snake-like.

He yanked her away from the shore and caught her as she stumbled into him. She didn't resist as he pulled her to his chest.

Over her shoulder, across the lake, he could see the creature lurking by a tree, watching. It leaned forward in anticipation.

"Run," he said, pushing Rose to go ahead of him.

They fled up the path and back into the house. He ran into the living room where his bag was and pulled out a pair of jeans for himself and a tshirt for Rose. They dressed quickly, neither saying a word.

"We're going to take a drive," he said, "Ok, Rose?"

She settled the oversized shirt around her hips. "Where are we going?"

"Away from here," he said. They could go to Mandy's. Robbie would help him.

They left the house through the front door. When he opened the passenger door to the Jeep, she was hesitant to get inside. "Go on, Rose, It's OK."

"It won't let us leave, Jack."

"What? No, don't be afraid," he said, his own heart racing. "You're safe now. I won't let anything hurt you again."

She looked at him with such sadness he almost let it convince him that he was wrong, that he was missing some vital part of this that would help him understand. But he refused to be drawn backward. This wasn't going to be like last time. This time he was going to save Rose, save himself.

He wanted to kiss her, to hold her and reassure her that he could protect her, but there was no time.

He helped her climb into the passenger seat. He closed the door and walked around the front, scanning the surrounding forest for any movement.

He could hear splashing from the lake. He had the sudden, terrifying thought that the fish were coming out of the water, that they would flop their way up the path and get to them.

He jumped behind the steering wheel, started the car, and peeled out of the driveway, spraying the front of the house with rock.

But the driveway was blocked. A huge tree lay across the exit atop the broken gate.

"Shit," he said, coming to a stop. There was no way he could move such a large tree. It would have to be cut up and the pieces moved aside with machinery.

Determined, he turned the steering wheel hard to the left, driving off the gravel path and onto the ground. It was only forty feet or so to the road, but the ground was wet and thick with mud. He revved the engine, but the more the tires spun, the deeper they sank.

"Fuck!" Jack yelled, pounding the steering wheel. Rose sat silent beside him, staring out the window into the forest.

"We'll have to walk," he said. He checked his phone but there was still no signal.

"Jack," she said.

"Yeah?" He looked over her shoulder and out the window where she was staring. The creature stood beside an old fallen tree, watching them. It's movements were almost imperceptible. But it was coming for them, or they were moving toward it, or the world between them was collapsing in on itself. He couldn't tell which.

Rose turned to face him. The fear was etched in her face. She knew exactly what would happen when it reached the Jeep.

Afraid she was about to start screaming, he put a finger to his lips and whispered, "Shhhhhh."

His mother's voice came to him. Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.

He wanted to run, to drag Rose from the Jeep and flee up the road, run until they found someone, anyone, who might be able to help. But looking at the creature was like choking, its eyes were like whole worlds in themselves that trapped you in their sights. He thought it possible that they could sit there forever, the creature moving toward them in miniscule increments that lasted a lifetime.

Rose's eyes filled with tears. He was helpless, again, to do anything.

But this wasn't the same, he realized. Last time he'd been a kid, he'd been high. He'd been devastated, almost to the point of paralysis, by his mother's death. He'd been consumed with love and lust for Rose and used her as a protective shield against the world.

Without her he'd been like an exposed and wounded animal. Yet here she was, seated between him and the creature, looking to him for answers, reaching her hand across the seat to touch his arm. And the time for running was over.