Convergence - The Last Science #2.2 - Heroes and Villains

Interlude VII - Call of Destiny - III

  "Is this good?" she asked.

  "Works for me. We're as far north as paved roads will take us, unless you want to drive straight into Rallsburg."

  She shuddered. "No thanks. I'm still creeped out by that whole story."

  "Me too." He shaded his eyes as they pulled off the road to a small turnaround bordering the forest. "Plus they're still cordoning the whole area. There's no way to get in."

  "That's not what I heard," she smirked.

  "Well, there aren't really any good places to take pictures there either. You're better off circling around north up the mountain."

  "Been out here a lot?" she asked, as she started navigating the rough dirt roads.

  "For work, yes."

  "What kind of work is out here that gets you shot?" she wondered aloud rhetorically. "Whoah!"

  "What?" Lani asked, looking up. He'd been glancing through his phone one last time before the signal vanished, getting the latest update from Jeremy. His partner was still up in Vancouver, working with his sister and a mystery partner on some huge project having to do with magic. Lani had considered going up to join them, but after hearing about the Diaries the night before... he knew he didn't have time to spare.

  Jeremy would have to wait. This was way more important.

  "I thought I saw someone..." She glanced around nervously. "Trick of the light, I guess."

  "I mean, it's possible. There's a lot of people heading this way."

  "Oh, right." She sighed. "Well, we haven't seen another car yet, so I'll call it a good sign."

  They didn't either, all the way down the road. They took a split off from the route to Rallsburg, going the opposite route further north and east. The trees got thicker, and the road got steeper. They wound through ridges and hills, climbing higher.

  "There!" she shouted, pointing out on the right side and nearly smacking Lani in the face. "You saw that, right?"

  "I saw something," he agreed.

  "Looked like a person, right?"

  "Definitely."

  She leaned on the gas, picking up a little speed. "I don't know why I'm so jumpy. I've done this a thousand times."

  Lani hesitated. "...Do you believe in ghosts?"

  She shrugged. "I don't know enough to not believe in 'em. I've seen some spooky things before, camping alone on top of mountain ridges for a week." A glance his way, and relief washed over him. It wasn't the concerned skepticism of Maddie, or the exhausted dismissal of Jeremy. She seemed genuinely interested. "What about you?"

  "I didn't for a long time. My family always talked about them though. You know, spirits and ghosts."

  "Didn't stick, huh?" She nodded. "My family and I went separate ways in our beliefs too."

  "Yeah. But after this year," Lani went on, "after everything I've seen, I don't think they were totally wrong."

  "Tell me," she prompted softly, when Lani fell silent for a bit. They were bumping along a particularly rough part of ground, and she had to fight with the wheel to keep it steady.

  "I've seen impossible things. People who were supposed to be dead, and people who could vanish into thin air. People who could make fire from nothing and knew things they shouldn't possibly know." Okay, so I didn't actually see the last bit. That's from Jeremy. But Jeremy isn't the type to make this stuff up. "I walked through Rallsburg not too long after the incident. I swear to you, I saw ghosts there. All the dead in that town, still rooted to the ground."

  "Wow..." She nodded. "I wish I could've seen that."

  "I wish I hadn't," he muttered.

  "How'd you get in, anyway?"

  "Part of my job."

  "Ah." She didn't ask any further. After another thunk as they crossed a thick section of roots, she spoke up again. "You're still alive though, even after seeing all that. So I think you're pretty lucky."

  "Yeah, I guess so."

  "I'm gonna break the rule a little, okay?"

  He hesitated. "What do you mean?"

  She smiled. "I kiiiinda lied to you a bit. I'm not just out here to take photos of the forest." She glanced around, as if worried they might be overheard—despite riding in a loud, four-wheel open-top jeep through the forest. "I saw the news last night too, same as everybody else."

  "So you're out here looking for it too?" he asked excitedly.

  He was rewarded with another laugh. "Hell yeah I'm looking for magic. I'm just lucky enough to have a good excuse. It got me through the airport without too many questions."

  Lani was about to ask another question, but they pulled out of the woods suddenly into open space. Totally open space.

  "Look out!" he shouted, but she'd already hit the brakes hard.

  "Holy shit, I forgot how close that was," she panted. "You good?"

  His shoulder twinged again to disagree wholeheartedly, but he nodded. "Totally fine." He gazed out over the edge of the cliff, into the sea of gently sloping trees like waves of green in an ocean forest. "Wow."

  "I know, right?" She pulled the jeep over to the side and parked it. "I gotta get some pictures of this."

  "Definitely."

  Lani got out, and she was already heading to the edge of the cliff with her handheld camera. "Oh man, this is amazing!" The camera started clicking rapidly. "Hey, do me a favor," she called over her shoulder, since Lani was still leaning against the warm car to stave off the chill. "Get my tripod from the big bag. It should be right on top of the main pocket."

  "On it!" he called back, heading around to the trunk. He opened the main pocket, and sure enough, a tripod waited inside. He had to shift the bag around a bit to get it out, and as he did, he saw a long narrow wooden rifle underneath, alongside a box of ammo and a bag of equipment.

  "You like to go hunting?" he asked, rejoining her at the cliff's edge with the tripod.

  She shrugged. "Not really, but sometimes when you're out alone, it's necessary. Can't be too careful."

  "I guess so." Lani shifted uncomfortably, his own sidearm holstered inside his jacket. Luckily, it was so cold he had no reason to take it off anytime soon, but he wondered what she'd think about him carrying a weapon. Well, if she's got one, mine's probably okay.

  "Well, I think a good long exposure here should turn out amazing." She finished adjusting one of the larger cameras from her bag on top of the tripod. A few more taps through the settings and she stood up straight. "Want to head out? We still got plenty of time before sunset."

  "What about your camera?" Lani asked, glancing around. "What if someone comes up and takes it?"

  "It's chained up," she pointed out. He hadn't noticed, but she'd tied a security wire from the tripod to the front of the jeep. "Unless someone comes up here with a blowtorch, it should be good." She grinned, hurrying back to the jeep and grabbing up her long bag. "Come on, we've got a whole haunted forest to explore!"