Her Terrifying Love

Part 75

When they stopped at a red light ten miles outside of town, Lyla said, "I think I found the ridge." She showed her phone to Jack, her screen displaying the aerial view of the region east of Coughlin's Farm.

"Here's the farm," she said. With her scrolling fingers, she navigated down the narrow two-lane blacktop. "And somewhere around here is where the pothole is. I think."

"Yeah, that looks about right." 

"So down here..." She continued scrolling. "Down here to the right is the woods... and over here to the left, I think this is the ridge."

"You think those dark lines are crevasses?" Jack asked.

"Maybe." She zoomed in as far as she could. "I thought I better show you now. We're definitely gonna lose wifi out there."

When the light changed to green, the driver behind them honked his horn. Jack waved his apology and continued through the intersection.

They drove for a while, feeling more confident in their chances for success. At least they had a rough idea of where to find the ridge. Retrieving the body was another matter entirely.

"Maybe he wants us to do this," she said. "You know, bury him with his family."

"Or maybe he's luring us."

She preferred her theory. It made sense considering what Keenan's mother had said about the need to bury her son in the Ames' graveyard. But knowing what a sadistic monster Keenan could be, she grudgingly admitted that Jack's theory was just as valid as hers, maybe more likely.

They both jumped when unexpectedly, the radio blared "What Makes You Beautiful." He slammed the radio knob to turn off the music.

"Scared the bejesus out of me!" she panted.

"That's your ringtone, right?"

She nodded, her heart pounding.

"How weird was that?" He regained his composure. 

They drove in silence, her eyes fixed on the radio. It wasn't long before the sounds of light traffic gave way to the chatter of insects and bird calls. The road narrowed as it ascended, cutting through the clusters of trees that held tightly to the mountainside with a tangle of moss-covered roots.

She checked her phone. "I got no bars."

"We should be getting close," he replied.

When they rounded the bend, she spotted the pothole in the asphalt. "Look, there it is."

He stopped his car then slowly backed around the curve and onto the side of the road. He shut off the engine then went to the trunk and shouldered a coil of thick rope.

When Lyla climbed out of the car, she caught sight of something moving out of the corner of her eye. She whipped around and saw a figure disappearing down the steep hillside, slicing through the brush without making a sound.

He noticed her frightened expression. "What's the matter?"

"I thought I saw... something. A guy or something."

"Where?"

"I think it was a person. He ran across the road and down the hill right there."

"Show me." He walked toward the area where she had pointed. "Here?"

She nodded, following him cautiously. She peered over Jack's shoulder as he looked for signs of the mysterious figure. 

"I don't see anything," he said. "Did it look like the same dude we saw yesterday?"

"Honestly, I'm not even sure what I saw."

A loud crowing turned their heads. Two blackbirds descended from the trees and landed on the road beside Jack's car. They paced in an agitated state, cackling as they eyed Lyla and Jack.

"That's where his body was." Her heart rate accelerated. "Why are they doing that?"

One bird remained perched on a bough, watching from above. It held a shiny object in its beak.

On the ground, the birds cawed, shrill and angry, shaking their heads. They scratched and pecked aggressively at the area where Keenan's body had been sprawled. Then, all at once, as if on cue, they took to the air, zeroing in on Lyla and Jack. 

"Get back in the car," he said as they shielded their faces from beaks and talons. Before they reached the vehicle, the birds retreated, vanishing into the thick cover of foliage.

The lone blackbird dove at them like a missile, releasing the object from its mouth. It struck Jack's shoulder before landing on the ground between them. It was the silver serpent ring.

She scanned the trees above them, a look of disbelief on her face. The bird was gone. Jack picked up the ring with a trembling hand.

"How did that bird..."

"I don't know."

"You dropped this down the sewer. I definitely saw you." 

She snatched the ring from his hand and hurled it with all her might into the forest. 

"I'm so done with this sick game," she seethed, her anger quickly giving way to fear.

"He's not," Jack replied. "You okay?" He inspected his hands and arms for scratches.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "I think so." 

He gave her a penetrating look. "So? Are we still doing this?"

"Full disclosure." She looked up into the trees. "I'm scared. I'm not gonna lie."

"You wanna wait in the car?"

She shook her head. "Not by myself. Not out here."

"So, what do you wanna do?" He readjusted the coil of rope over his shoulder. "Like you said before, the only way this ends..."

"Let's do this." She put on a brave face but she knew that it sounded like the most unconvincing thing she'd ever said.

They descended the hillside, making slow progress, their boots occasionally skidding on loose dirt and stones. At the base of the first descent, she pointed left. 

"I'm pretty sure the ridge is this way." She produced a tube of pink lipstick from her pocket.

Jack wrinkled his brow. "You're putting on makeup?"

"I'm marking the trail so we can find our way back to the car."

"Good idea."

There was nothing familiar about the path they followed, yet she sensed that they were proceeding in the right direction. She marked a tree with a short stripe of pink lipstick. 

After another fifteen minutes of hiking, the forest floor became rockier and the downward slope grew steeper.

Jack squinted through the dense brush. "I don't see anything up ahead except more trees."

"Isn't that the edge of the cliff?" She pointed further to the left. "Down there?"

He craned his neck. "Hey. I think maybe you're right."

When they made their way through the thicket of trees, the world opened up into a wide gorge, which separated them from the pine-covered hills that rose to a crest. They stepped over gnarled tree roots that clung desperately to the craggy slope out onto a rocky ledge. 

They'd found the cliff, which should have felt like a victory, but it didn't. To Lyla, she had the uneasy sensation that the world was about to suddenly shift on its access again and this time, she and Jack were going to be drawn into an inescapable trap.