Chapter 1 - The Diner
Drizzle pattered on the outside of the diner window beside Harper as she picked at her food. Long lines of reflected red light from the neon sign on the other side of the street stretched across the wet road outside. The same reflected light danced crimson across the ginger’s pale reflection in the glass. She noted that the stark contrast made her look like a demented clown.
“So, you know what they did?” Tom said as he leaned in. The table groaned under his substantial weight. The bearded fellow wasn’t fat, rather, he was the most solidly built of the group. He lifted his coffee with a pause to build anticipation.
“If you don’t say that they packed everything up and got the hell out of there, I’m calling bullshit on the whole story,” Otto said. He was Tom’s opposite, tall and thin. His fidgeting dinged his fork against the edge of the diner-white plate.
Tom laughed. “No, no. They dug up every one of the corpses, all the ones that tuberculosis got that year. Lined them up.” He rolled the remaining sausages on his plate to illustrate. “Split every one of their chests open, chop, chop, chop,” Tom poked each meat roll in turn, gleaming eyes fixed on Otto. Harper wasn’t sure if that gleam stemmed from making everyone squirm, or he just loved sharing the lore that much. “Tore out their hearts and burned them in the blacksmith’s forge. Can you imagine? All those hearts cooking and popping like blood-filled popcorn kernels?”
“Bullshit,” Ben groaned. Harper’s brother was also a redhead, but where she wore her loose waves pulled back, he kept his in tight curls. He gave Tom an elbow.
Harper cringed. If she wanted a horror story she’d go across the street to the theater and watch The Conjuring. She’d probably chicken out and watch the third Iron Man movie instead.
“Are you okay?” Henry said. He reached out and set his hand on Harper’s forearm. His expression softened; the touch lingered. “Come on, guys. You know how Harper gets with graphic stuff.”
“I’m fine.” Harper drew her arm away from Henry’s touch. His fingers started to follow, but after a tick, retreated to his club sandwich. While she didn’t need Henry’s heavy-handed coddling, the truth was that Tom’s visualization did churn her stomach a bit.
“Oh, shit,” Tom said, realization dawning. He offered an apologetic grin and sipped at his coffee. “Sorry.”
“I still say it’s bullshit,” Ben reiterated.
“He’s spot on,” Conrad said as he returned to the table. “There’s a display here in Shetland’s Brook covering the vampire panic. We can stop by there in the morning before we head out if you like? The locals have all sorts of stories about these parts. They’ve also got a few slices of banana cream left at the counter, Harper.”
“Oh!” Harper beamed. She focused her attention on the handsome leader of their little troupe. Conrad and Ben were the same age, two years older than her and not likely to let her forget it. In fact, all the boys were slightly older. She shifted in her seat. “Thanks for checking, I appreciate it.”
“Anything for you, Harp.” Conrad winked. Her insides fluttered. Henry sighed and filled his mouth with toast dry enough to scrape the gums.
“I don’t think we’ll have time,” Ben said. He shrugged and motioned for the waitress. “Our ride leaves at 6, remember?”
“That puts us at the drop off for 7,” Tom confirmed. He wagged a sausage at Ben. “We should’ve turned in an hour ago.”
The table shared a laugh. When the waitress swung by, Ben ordered two slices of banana cream pie, for Harper and himself. “Don’t worry, sis, this one’s on me.”
Harper puffed her cheeks. She wanted to object, but also didn’t want to break her meager ‘budget.’ “Thanks, Ben.”
“No problem,” Ben said.
“Did it work?” Otto injected himself back into the conversation. “The heart stuff?”
“I guess?” Tom said. “The epidemic died down. I doubt that was the cause, but, you know, all the places around the Thornwoods have these sorts of tales.”
Harper’s shoulders twitched. She sipped at her water. “And this is where you suggested we go backpacking, Conrad?”
Conrad hung a boyish grin and said, “It’s fine. Just spooky stories. Hell, I’ve not even shared the story of the Hangman’s Ghost or the Dead Pine’s Witch.”
“Come on, guys, enough,” Henry admonished with a sideways look to Harper.
“It’s fine, Henry. I’m not a squeamish little girl anymore.”
“I know. I know,” Henry apologized.
Harper shook her head with a dance of tresses. Of course, based on the way his eyes raked over her curves, Henry was well aware that she’d matured. Turning away from his hungry gaze, Harper returned her attention to the window where something obscured the view. A large vehicle idled at the main intersection of the sleepy little town.
“Well, the Hangman’s Ghost,” Conrad said, “they say there was an executioner who loved his job a little too much. He lived up the highway a few hours, in Roth Junction. He used to take joy in seeing criminals swing. He preferred to strangle his victims real slow and made special nooses that wouldn’t break their necks when they dropped. Watch them dance, he’d say.”
Harper half-listened to Conrad’s deep, soothing voice while inspecting the old-fashion panel truck. It hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. Mud caked its tires and undercarriage, but the rest of the dirt didn’t hide the clown painted on the side, complete with primary color balloons. She didn’t even notice the slice of pie being set in front of her. Ben poked her hand with his fork, but it didn’t break her focus.
“So, this woman’s set to be hung, Sarah something-or-other. They say she killed her suitor after he dared to dance with another woman--the prettiest in town--at a big festival. I’m sure they had a roll in the hay too to make Sarah so mad. Anyway, the hangman was really looking forward to watching Sarah suffer. Sarah’s brothers on the other hand, not so much. Breaking their sister out of jail wasn’t going to work. So, they did the next best thing and murdered the executioner the night before the hanging.”
The panel truck rumbled and drove away as the light changed. Harper couldn’t make out the old English lettering painted on its side. The tires were thick and heavy, the sort one saw on military jeeps. Harper shivered, shook her head, and turned back to her friends.
“Pie,” Ben said. She smiled at him, rolled her eyes, and dug in.
“But the hangman wouldn’t be denied his due. While her death was delayed, they found Sarah hanging in her cell a few days later. When they went to inform her kin, they found the whole family strung up from the big tree outside their home along with a written confession of their crime. To this day, less savory folks still show up dangling from the trees around there. Work of the Hangman’s Ghost, so they say,” Conrad said. He mimed a dangling motion with two of his fingers.
“Serves them right.” Harper wiggled her pie-filled fork at the men. “Sadistic bastard or not, this hangman was doing his job, you know? He didn’t deserve to get murdered up.”
Conrad grinned at her and tapped his foot against hers. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Harp.”
She regretted having just stuffed her mouth with dessert. She gave him a bright smile instead. Then, shyly, she tapped his foot back. Conrad’s leg settled against hers. It was so warm.
Henry cleared his throat, covered his plate with a napkin, and said, “Tom’s right, though, we should turn in for the night. We’ve got a long few days ahead of us. The Thornwoods are pretty untamed. We ought to be rested up to cross them, right?”
“Right,” Conrad agreed. “You guys are in for a treat though. Granddad and I used to hike around the edges all the time. It’s a bit eerie, but pristine. Just the sort of trip we all need, I think. It’s been a long damn year. And it’s just, real nice to be gathered back up again. It’s been too long, guys.”
“Damn right,” Tom saluted with his coffee before slurping the last of it down.
“But our pie,” Ben said.
Otto rubbed at his forearms and instinctively checked his watch. “Are you sure it’s going to be safe, Conrad?”
“Don’t worry Otto,” Tom said, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“It’ll take us four, five days tops to get to the other side,” Conrad said. “I’ve already got folks arranged to pick us up near Appleton. There’s fire roads and forest rangers if we need. I mean, it’s been a while, but we’ve done stuff like this before. Don’t worry, Otto.”
The gangly fellow bobbed his head.
Ben swallowed a bite bigger than was wise. “Yeah, we’ve got this. We all need some time away and I’d not want to spend said time with anyone other than you idiots.”
“Agreed!” Henry said with a grin. “I’ve really missed you guys, all of you.”
Harper happily sighed and filled her fork again. She hadn’t felt this content in months. Life was simpler when she hung out with her boys. “I really missed all of you too.”…
