Page 45 of This is Why We Lied

Will’s face went stony.

Sara slid on her sandals. “Babe? Are you—”

“Ready?”

Will didn’t give her a chance to answer. He went ahead of her up the path. They passed the cottage, then veered left onto the Loop. She could feel him making an effort to match his pace to hers. Sara would’ve normally broken into a run, but her sandals made that impossible.

He finally stopped, turning to her. “Is it okay if—”

“Go. I’ll catch up.” Sara watched him run into the dense forest. He was bypassing the Loop, making a straight line toward the main house, which made sense because that was where the only light was coming from.

Sara turned back toward the lake. From the map, there had been three sections, one tiered larger than the next like a wedding cake. She could’ve sworn the scream came from the bottom layer, at the opposite end of the Shallows. Or maybe it wasn’t a scream. Maybe an owl had plucked a rabbit from the forest floor. Or a mountain lion had squared off with a raccoon.

“Stop,” Sara chided herself.

This was insanity. They’d darted off without a plan. It wasn’t like Sara could run around waking people up because she might have heard a scream. There had been enough drama at the lodge tonight. The problem was likely Will and Sara. Neither one of them could turn off their brains from work. There was nothing for her to do but continue up to the main house. She would sit on the porch stairs and wait for Will to join her. Maybe one of the fluffy cats would keep her company.

Sara was grateful for the low voltage lighting along the trail as she made her way up to the house. She couldn’t tell if the walk felt longer or shorter this time. There were no landmarks to pick out. She didn’t have a watch. Time seemed to stand still. Sara listened to the sounds of the forest. Crickets chirped, creatures scattered. A breeze rustled her dress. The promise of rain was heavy in the air. Sara picked up the pace.

Another few minutes passed before she saw the porch light glowing from the main house. She was about fifty yards away when she noticed a figure coming down the stairs. The moon had gone behind some clouds. The pitch black dueled with the weak light bulb, creating a monstrous shape. Sara chastised herself for feeling afraid. She had to stop listening to Big Foot podcasts before she fell asleep. The shape was a man carrying a backpack.

She was about to call out when he stumbled across the compound, fell to his knees and started vomiting.

The sour smell of alcohol wafted through the air. Sara had a split-second where she considered turning around, finding Will, and going on with her night, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to look the other way. Particularly because she had a sinking suspicion that the monstrous figure was actually a troubled teenager.

She tried, “Jon?”

“What?” He stumbled, grabbing his backpack as he tried to stand. “Go away.”

“Are you all right?” Sara could barely see him, but he was clearly not all right. He was swaying back and forth like a windsock. “Why don’t we sit down on the porch?”

“No.” He took a step back. Then another. “Fuck off.”

“I will,” she said. “But let’s find your mom first. I’m sure she wants to—”

“Help!”

Sara felt her heart freeze inside of her chest. She turned toward the sound. There was no mistaking it had come from the back part of the lake.

“Please!”

The front door had slammed closed by the time she turned back toward Jon. Sara didn’t have time for a drunk kid. She was more worried about Will. She knew that he would go directly toward the screaming woman.

She had no choice but to take off her sandals. She lifted the hem of her dress and started running across the compound. Her brain furiously tried to figure out the best route. At cocktails, Cecil had mentioned Lost Widow Trail led to the bottom of the lake. Sara vaguely recalled seeing it marked on the map. She ran around the Loop, bypassing the trail to the dining hall. She couldn’t find any markings for Lost Widow. All she could do was take off into the forest.

Pine needles drove into the soles of her bare feet. Briars pulled at her dress. Sara blocked the worst of the damage with her arms. This wasn’t a sprint. She had to pace herself. Judging by the map, the bottom of the lake was quite a distance from the compound. She slowed to a jog, even as she was considering all the things she should’ve done first. Locate a first aid kit. Put on her hiking boots. Alert the family, because Jon was drunk and a kid and he’d probably passed out in his room.

Poor Mercy. Her family would not come running. They had been so horrible to her at dinner. The way her mother had snapped at her. The disgusted look on her father’s face. Her brother’s pathetic silence. Sara should’ve talked to Mercy more. She should’ve pressed the woman on her fears that she wouldn’t make it to see the morning.

“Sara!”

Will’s voice was like a hand squeezing around her chest.

“Get Jon! Hurry!”

She stumbled to a stop. Sara had never heard him sound so raw. She turned back toward the direction she’d come. There was no telling how much time had passed since she’d talked to Jon outside the house. She knew that Will was close. She also knew that mindlessly running back to the compound was not what Jon needed.

Something very bad had happened to Mercy. Will wasn’t thinking straight. Mercy would not want her son to see her in distress. If Dave had gotten to her, if he had really hurt her, then there was no way Sara would let Jon have that memory etched into his brain.