|WOLVES ∆ND THE W∆TER|

His sparkling eyes stared at me, wide with fright for at least a minute before he spoke again.

"You saw it too?" He asked me anxiously, but hopeful too. Perhaps me seeing it too confirms that he isn't crazy.

"Yes.. Not the woods, but the lake with fog like you described. I saw the creature in town..."

"What else did you see? Tell me everything Harley.."

"I was in the street and I thought I heard something behind me, but I didn't see anything...then I heard it again on the other side of the street. The noise seemed to be coming from all around me...then I saw it in a dark alley.." My heart pounded as I realized how closely our nightmares matched up.

"That's exactly how it felt. The sounds were all around me, yet no where at all.." He seemed to be talking mostly to himself now, trying to wrap his head around the strange things he saw.

A new thought entered my mind now. I assumed I couldn't feel temperature changes, but the chills hit me all at once starting at my backbone, and ending at my fingertips. "Larson...what we saw couldn't have been nightmares.."

He looked up at me, paler than usual. "What do you mean, I don't remember it as a memory..."

"That's because it hasn't happened yet." I said quietly. "Think about it, you said the trees didn't have leaves.." I pointed up to the canopy above us, "well they do now, so unless it happened last winter..."

I could see his mind put two and two together. "You're right.." He said. "What did you do after you saw the creature?"

I thought for a moment. "I laid in the street watching the traffic light and talking to...Josiah.." I suddenly realized that I missed something big. "Josiah, he appeared out of no where..right after...after I saw it..." My mind was jumbled, unable to distinguish one crazy thought from another.

Larson didn't seem to have any trouble with his next words. "Josiah. He's got something to do with all this, I know it."

I stood quietly while he continued. I had never shared what little information I have on Josiah with Larson. I still don't know how.

"When did you meet him?" He asked, acquiring the role of interrogator.

"Right before I met you, at the school."

"So you just happened to walk up on him, like you did me?"

I thought back to mine and Josiah's first encounter. "No. It wasn't by chance. He...he knew me, he called me by name. He said he had been searching for me..." I was starting to get nervous as my words poured out.

Larson seemed as horrified as I was. "And he isn't dead, you said that right?"

"Yes."

"Then what is he? This place is for the dead I thought? So what is he Harley?" Larson's voice was louder, angrier even.

"I don't know Larson..." I whispered.

Suddenly, his eyes held guilt. "Harley..I'm sorry, I'm just freaked out..."

"Me too." I said.

"If he's not dead, then that means he's alive, obviously, but what can enter this place without being dead? Humans can't."

I stared at Larson in horror as he tried to piece this story together. His eyes were glued to the dirt below us.

"Wonder if he has something to do with the creature?" Suddenly, his navy eyes were locked on mine. "No, wonder if he is the creature?"

I suddenly remembered something Josiah told me. He said he collected people after they died. Collected them how? Like a sheep dog collects sheep? Like a hunter collects stuffed trophies?

These aren't questions I want to discuss right now, not in the darkening woods. "Let's keep going, we're almost to the lake."

He didn't object, so I started off in the same direction as before. The familiar crunch of his Converse in the leaves followed behind me.

He was beside me now, with his hood over his head. "I'm scared Harley." He whispered.

"It's gonna be okay. We'll get to the lake, and we'll figure out what's going on here." I said with confidence, but I'm not sure how much of it was real.

"It's got to be him though. He's doing this to us. He knows too much about you Harley. He's creepy."

The more Larson said, the more I realized the truth in his words. I remember when Josiah and I talked in front of my memorial. When I said I was beautiful, he looked at me like he knew me; the human me.

How did he know where to find me? Why does he always try to stop me from searching for answers? What doesn't he want me to find out?

We stepped out from under the shadows of the trees, and next to the lake.

It was huge, well, huge doesn't even describe it. It wasn't as scary as it was in my "vision", in fact, the sun shone off of it quite nicely; making it a fiery orange color.

"This is the big, scary lake?" Larson asked. I can see that he's back to his same old joking self.

"Yes, but we're not on the right side of it, we're too close to the mountains. The mountains are across the lake from the dock."

His eyes were focused on the woods behind me. "Well can we find the dock tomorrow? I'm tired of walking for today."

The sun was setting, and it would be dark soon. "I guess so." I said. "Let's meet here tomorrow at dawn."

"Okay..." He said, confused as to why I wasn't coming with him. I didn't bother to explain that I needed alone time. I have a lot of questions to sort through on my own.

His figure vanished in a matter of seconds, leaving me to myself.

This lake wasn't so scary now. I almost can't imagine it with the fog, or the dark waves. I would say normal, but it's more than that, it's beautiful.

Out of no where, someone cleared their throat behind me; from the woods.

My posture immediately froze, but I tried to act normal. I turned slowly to face him. I didn't see him at first; he blended in well will the dark trees, but his figure was eventually distinguishable as he grew closer.

"Josiah..." I whispered to myself.

"Yes, it is me." He answered, though I thought I had said it too low for him to hear it.

How long was he there? Was he following us?
"Have you been watching me?" I asked carefully.

"I am always watching you Harley." He said with a secretive smile. "I hope that is okay.."

Actually it's not..

He stepped even further from the forest; closer to me.
His head turned slightly when he noticed me recoil. His eyes danced over me, silently questioning me.

"Something is wrong.." He said. I couldn't tell if it was a question or just an observation.

I decided to answer anyway. "No, nothing's wrong." I said, hoping that he would believe it.

I wanted to question him; to ask him why he follows me, but I didn't want him to know I was on to him. Hopefully he didn't over hear mine and Larson's conversation.

"You didn't find what you were looking for, did you?" He asked, motioning toward the lake. A noticeable smile spread across his face; he gave no effort to stop it.

"No." I said. I haven't really looked either, but I didn't want him to know that.

His smile finally faded, and he let out a long sigh, "Harley, I wish you would give this up already... It would be so much easier that way.."

"What would, Josiah? Tell me what you mean."

I waited silently for a while until he finally answered.

"I can't tell you what I mean, you just have to trust me."

I pursed my lips, "Well I can't do that, not without some kind of answers.."

"What do you want to know?" He offered.

I shifted through several thoughts, debating on which to discuss first. Which ones are safe to discuss?

"Why do you follow me?"

This one was easy for him to answer, he didn't hesitate. "To keep you safe." He said.

"I am safe." I answered.

He clenched his jaw closed tightly, but otherwise didn't respond to my answer.

I took that as a 'next'. "Why are you here, in this place?"

This question required a little more thought. "I've always been here; it's you that is out of place. You should figure out why you are here, rather than worry about my reason.."

He always manages to bring out my anger, but, at least the fear is gone. "That's what I'm trying to do Josiah! Don't you see that? You keep holding me back!"

He waited until my tantrum was over before he continued. "I mean that you are searching for the wrong thing." He said it so calmly, I almost felt bad for yelling at him.

"Your answers never get me any closer to the truth, they just bring more questions to the surface." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "I think that's what you want though; you want to keep me in the dark..." I stared at him for maybe a minute. He didn't deny my claims, he only stared back at me with anger filled eyes. "Just go Josiah, please. If you're not going to help me, then just leave me alone."

He waited a while to respond. When he did, his words were quiet, and they gave off a warning tone. "I won't keep trying to help you Harley. Eventually your time will run out and you will be on your own..."

I thought about my response briefly before saying it out loud. "That's what I want."

I turned to face the lake. He never responded, and after a few minutes, I realized it was because he was gone.