Lands of In Between |Book 1|

Chapter 2

"Any luck?" Owen asked as he approached the car.

Shivering a little and still alert from the ordeal, Ellie stood and hugged her friend.

He chuckled as she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hold. "Not that I'm complaining, but what is this for?"

"I'm just so glad to see you. I hate it here," Ellie whispered.

A puzzled look passed over his as he scanned her for injuries. "What happened?"

"I-I... I saw someone and—"

—"Was it him? I knew I should have taken your route. He favors ice climbs—I knew it. Why didn't you call me? Is he still there?" Owen couldn't hide his excitement.

Ellie shook her head slowly. "I didn't make it to the route."

His face fell. "Then, who did you see?"

With a deep breath, she debated how much to tell him. Her friends already thought she was close to a mental breakdown, and this would not help. "Oh, I, uh, just got spooked when my app wouldn't load. Got a little freaked out. This place reminds me of home."

Brow furrowed, he studied her face, then took her hand. "There's no need to be scared. This is nowhere near the same as trekking through the woods near Murder fucking Mountain, you know—"

—"Hey guys! I think I saw him. But, unfortunately, cell phones weren't working." Pia came jogging around the corner, waving her phone in her hand. 

Owen was by her side in an instant. "Where?"

"No idea," said Pia, shrugging. "Here's a pin I dropped and the path. It's not far, less than an hour. I took some video." She took out her own camera and flipped through her shots.

Mouth falling open, Owen gaped. "Holy fuck, it's him. It's near Dreamcatcher, but he's probably scoping out a totally new route." Turning to Ellie, he urged her forward. "Let's go, Ell."

Giving them a small, tight smile, she shook her head. "I'll just stay by the car if that's alright. All you guys want to do is talk to him today, right? No filming?"

Pia and Owen exchanged a worried look, but both nodded. Owen tossed her the keys. "We might be gone an hour or two. Stay put."

She wouldn't dream of going anywhere else. Crawling inside the SUV, Ellie swiftly locked the doors.

-    -    -

Returning to her hotel room in the middle of town wasn't enough to calm her nerves. Every sound made her jump.

She shut her eyes, trying to keep herself from breaking out in a sweat. But her heart still pounded quicker. She startled easily, but she didn't think she frightened easily.

Pulling out her camera as a distraction, she replayed the footage they'd filmed over the past few days.

Snow glittered in the sunlight from shots they'd taken this morning, and Pia's laughter calmed her racing heart. Then, finally, footage from her afternoon walk started up, and she forced herself to watch to prove she was being a bit ridiculous. While she thought she saw something, she was sure the camera wouldn't lie and prove her wrong.

Everything looked like an ordinary walk in the park until the end.

An immense pressure of cold prickles seized her body, and she froze on the spot, unable to believe what she was seeing on the camera.

Slowly floating, the woman's face was intent on Ellie—and everything down to the long sweater she favored and side braid she's worn most days was there.