F. Wilson - Secret Circles

A blast of rage blazed through Jack. He felt his lips pulling back from his teeth in a snarl as he looked back at the piney. The skinny man had stopped running and was screaming something incoherent as he waved the stick.

What if that rock had hit Weezy? What would he have done?

“Jack?”

Weezy‟s voice.

He looked and found her staring at him with a worried look.

“What?”

“You … you looked kind of scary just now.”

“Didn‟t you see that rock? It just missed you.”

“I know. But the important word is „missed.‟ You looked like you wanted to kill him.”

For a second there, Jack realized, that was exactly what he had wanted to do.

“Just don‟t like people throwing rocks at my friends.”

She kept looking at him. “We are friends, aren‟t we.”

“We are. Old friends.”

“I like that.”

The fading rage was replaced by a warm glow that hung on until they found the lost man.

6

Eddie had sped on ahead, racing back to town while Jack and Weezy took their time,

talking. Or rather, Jack listening to her rattle on about the two pyramids and wonder how they fit into the Secret History. She glowed with excitement and vindication. She started talking about finding a way into the Lodge to retrieve their little pyramid. He might have said that they didn‟t even know if it was in there, but didn‟t want to interrupt her flow. She seemed happy just fantasizing about it.

Something else stopped her—a voice shouting from a distance.

“Help! Help! Don‟t leave! Please don‟t leave!”

They stopped their bikes and saw a disheveled man stumbling their way out of

the trees, waving his arms. “Please!” he cried in a dry, cracked voice. “I‟m lost! I‟ve been wandering around in circles for three days.”

Jack looked at Weezy. “What do we do?”

“Do? We help him back to town. What else?”

Good question. That pyramid and the tracks, plus the piney, had left him jumpy. Now this stranger wandering out of nowhere. He didn‟t like it.

And the guy was getting closer.

“What happened, mister?” he called.

“Lost. I‟ve got a Land Rover somewhere. Came out to do some bird-watching and got turned around and couldn‟t find my car.”

Bird-watcher? Yeah, a lot of bird-watchers in the Pines, but usually in groups. No binoculars around his neck. He could have lost them, but …

Jack was liking this less and less. He studied the man, closer now, and could see he looked maybe forty, fifty tops. He needed a shave, his shirt was torn, and his pants were filthy. His longish brown hair was all tangled.

Jack looked at Weezy. “Be ready to ride.”

“What‟s the matter, Jack? You‟re acting all strange.”

“Just being careful is all.”

Her expression turned concerned as he unlocked his bike chain and unwound it from the seat pole.

“He‟s in trouble, Jack. We‟ve got to help him.”

“We will. But of all people, you, the Queen of Conspiracies, should know things aren‟t always what they seem.”

The man stumbled onto the firebreak trail. He had a wild look in his blue eyes.

“Thank God! You don‟t know what I‟ve been through!”

Keeping a tight grip on the chain, Jack said, “You must be thirsty.”

“Like you wouldn‟t believe. Found a pond of cedar water yesterday but nothing since. You kids got anything—a soda, maybe? Anything?”

“Sorry. Come on. We‟ll lead you back.”

“Where?”

“Johnson.”

“Never heard of it. Far?”

“Couple of miles that way,” Weezy said, pointing west.

He looked at her. “I don‟t know if I can make it. Think one of you could ride into town and send a cop or an ambulance back?”

Dream on, Jack thought.

“We‟ll both go. You just wait here and—”

He waved his hands and began walking. “No-no. I don‟t want to even think about being left alone again. I‟ll make it. Besides …” He looked around. “I don‟t want to run into that thing again. Ever.”

“What thing?” Weezy said as they began to push their bikes, pacing him.

Jack positioned himself between the guy and Weezy. If he went for her, he‟d have to go through Jack. And Jack had his chain.

“I don‟t know. I heard something pushing through the brush last night and thought it was another human. I was about to give it a shout when I heard it make a sound like a hiss. Right then I knew it wasn‟t human. Or if it was, not any human I wanted anything to do with. Suddenly it seemed to catch on that I was there. It let out this ungodly screech and started charging my way.”

Jack saw Weezy‟s eyes widen—she lived for this stuff—and he knew she was thinking about the tracks around the pyramid.

“What did it look like?” she said.

“I didn‟t wait to see. I ran.”

“Obviously you won the race,” Jack said. Otherwise he wouldn‟t be here to tell his tale.

He shook his head. “I might have in my college days, but I‟m way out of shape. No, I got smart and climbed a tree.”

“And the thing couldn‟t climb?” Jack was having trouble buying into this.

“Unfortunately it could.”

Weezy said, “Then how—?”

“It was heavier than me—a good deal heavier. I was climbing as fast as I could and it was right behind me and gaining when I heard branches start to crack, then break. I kept going until branches started breaking under my own weight. I stopped—I had no choice. I looked down.”

“What did it look like?” Weezy repeated.

He shook his head again. “Couldn‟t tell you. The sky was overcast—no moon, no stars. The only thing I could see was this dark blob maybe ten feet below me, screeching and clawing at the bark. Then it stopped clawing and started shaking the tree. I tell you, I had to hold on for dear life.”

“How‟d you get away?”

“I didn‟t. I mean, I‟m here now, but not because of anything else I did. The thing howled and shook the tree for what seemed like forever. Then it finally quieted and climbed down. I prayed it would move on but it didn‟t. It dug up some sort of stone and started slamming it against the tree trunk again and again. I realized it was trying to cut it down.”

“Oh my god, you must have been scared out of your mind.”

“Scared? I damn near shit” He cut off as he glanced at Weezy. “I was the most scared I‟ve ever been in my whole life.”

Jack relaxed his grip on the chain. Maybe this guy was all right.

“So I just hung on all night, rain and all. As the sky began to lighten, the banging stopped. The thing gave the tree one last shake, let loose with one more scream, and disappeared into the trees.

But I wasn‟t going to be fooled. I stayed where I was until it was full light. I wished I could have seen the sun itself, but the dawn gave me an idea where east was, so I climbed down and started walking. I knew if I kept walking east I‟d eventually hit the Parkway.”

“But you were heading west when we saw you.”

He stopped and shook his head. “I guess I was.”

Jack pointed up at the thick low clouds. “That‟s what a vanilla sky will do to you.”

“Vanilla sky?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah. Overcast and all one color. And since the Barrens are mostly flat with no landmarks, people get lost all the time.”

“Vanilla sky …” He looked up. “That‟s why I haven‟t been able to find my way out of here.

Damn clouds. If you don‟t know where the sun is, you can‟t tell your directions.”

“That‟s why they make compasses,” Jack said.

The guy didn‟t appreciate the remark. He gave Jack a look. “I know that, kid.”

“There‟s always moss,” Weezy said.