Crossroad by W. H. Cameron

Author:W. H. Cameron
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS

TWENTY-SEVEN

Asylum

Somehow Landry manages to keep his feet, but his sudden tears and the howl in his throat tell me I’ve hit my target. I try to slip past him toward the screaming teen moms uphill, but he throws himself across my path. His long arms swing toward me, so quick all I can do is throw myself backward. I can’t tell if he’s trying to cut me again or tackle me, but I’m not sure it matters. When he lunges, I turn and bolt the other way.

Heedlessly, I hurl myself through the forest. The path cuts ever downward, first through pines, then across a second lava flow. About the time my lungs begin to burn, the trail zigzags at a switchback. Seconds later, I’m back at the lava field, maybe thirty yards below where I just crossed. Panting, I skid to a stop.

Somewhere above, Landry screams, “Fucking bitch!”

I want to scream too. I’ve evaded Landry, but now I’m cut off from the trailhead and the Stiff.

Farther down, the trail crosses the lava again, suggesting a second switchback ahead. From there, it disappears into the forest for good.

The lava field offers no cover. If he spots me, I’m sure Landry will have no problem angling down the broken slope to catch up.

And I’m already feeling spent.

I retrace my steps back through the forest, scanning downhill. At the switchback, I find what I’m looking for. A game track, half-carved by snowmelt, leads away from Landry and the exposed lava field. Without hesitating, I push through a clump of pine saplings and down the track.

Branches snap against my arms and face. I hurtle from tree to tree, catching myself on rough-barked trunks and half-sliding through dirt and pine needles. Sweat pours into my eyes, and a burning stitch shoots up my side. Somehow, I keep my feet, and before I know it, I blunder into a small clearing and skid to a stop, gasping.

Firs and larch grow among the red ponderosa. An ancient wooden sign nailed to a tree reads “DHA ½” with an arrow pointing out a path. Not the groomed Forest Service trail, but something rougher—perhaps an older track abandoned when the switchbacked route was built. Whatever DHA is, my guess is it’s half a mile ahead.

Down trail, the forest canopy closes in. A comforting cover—should Landry come after me with a goddamn drone. The thought makes me laugh, and his screams seem to burn away like an old memory. Left behind is a vague sense I’ve overreacted, though the pain on my neck and blood-streaked shirt might suggest otherwise. I look back, but the hillside behind me is empty except for two bickering Steller’s jays in the trees.

I don’t want to go much farther, but I’m not eager to return quite yet—not until Landry has had time to give up on me. I don’t know what DHA is, but a half mile doesn’t seem too far to go to find out. Maybe the main trail connects there.

The path winds over tangled roots and rock extrusions, around the occasional fallen tree.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.