Come Get Me Page 17

  “If it was him, why would he wait all this time before coming for us? Why not just come and get us the next night or the night after that? Why wait all this time?” Jim was still trying to figure out how to calm Pete down. Yes, they had called the creature but he’d never shown. So, if he’d never been there in the first place how could he come back? “It doesn’t make any sense that he would wait so long. C’mon Pete think about it.”

  “Think about it!” Pete said sarcastically. “What do you think I’ve been doing ever since it happened? Why don’t you think about it?” He must’ve seen the look in Jim’s eyes because he started laughing. “You don’t remember, do you? You don’t remember that thing chasing us through the woods for hours. You don’t remember it disappearing then reappearing right in front of our eyes. You don’t remember us hiding all night long, playing mouse to its cat. You don’t remember that the only thing that saved us was the sun coming up the next morning. It could’ve caught us any time it wanted but it just toyed with us instead. That whole thing was just the preliminaries. This, what’s happening now, the deaths and heads and stuff, this is the finals! He’s back and he’s already got two of us. What do you think's going to happen next Jimbo? I’ll tell you what, since the proverbial cat seems to have gotten your tongue, we’re the only two left from that night so all this means is that we’re next. We’re the next ones to be killed. We’re both going to die!” Pete was straining against the guards grip and laughing hysterically by the time he finished. Jim could only stand across from him horrified at what he was seeing and hearing. He didn’t know what to say. He knew everything Pete said was crazy but deep down he knew it was true. They had been chased. They had been terrified that night and the only thing that had saved them was morning. Both Tommy and Rob had been there that night and now they were dead and not from natural causes like he kept trying to convince himself. The only explanation left was that the Goatman was coming to get them and there was nothing either of them could do about it.

  “You know I’m right!” Pete yelled. “I can see it in your eyes! Time doesn’t matter to him! All that matters is that we called him and now he’s going to get us. We might as well bend over and kiss our asses’ goodbye!” his voice trailed off into insane laughter.

  The guards were having a hard time holding him. They were shouting for other guards to come help. Jim turned and quickly made his way to the door wanting to get as far away from Pete’s insanity as he could. Other officers rushed in as he reached the door. Pete was still laughing as they grabbed whatever they could to try and restrain him. As he stepped out the door Pete quit laughing and called to him again. He turned even though he knew he shouldn’t and looked at the person who had once been his friend. “C’mon Jimmy, say it with me once more for old time’s sake!” he yelled as a smile spread over his face. Jim tore his eyes from Pete and began to shut the door but not before he heard Pete yelling, “Goatman, Goatman, Goatman! Come get me!”

  Jim ran down the hall and out to his car. His hands were shaking so hard he could barely get the key in the ignition. Once it was in he didn’t turn it on, he just sat for a while trying to will his heart to slow its frantic beating. He slowly regained control and started the car. It roared to life but the sound of the engine did nothing to quiet the sounds in his head. Driving off he could still hear Pete yelling the words that had brought the Goatman after them all those years ago and that now would surely bring him after them again.

  11

  Jim started the drive back to his mothers’ house with every intention of getting some sleep before his date but when he came to the turn off for Jill’s house he took it and drove down her road. He knew he was going to see her in a little while but after his disturbing run in with Pete he didn’t really want to be alone right now. If he went home his mother would just want to ask all kinds of questions he didn’t want to answer.

  He didn’t want his mother right now. He wanted Jill.

  If he was going to talk to anyone he wanted it to be Jill. She at least might understand a little bit about what he was going through since she’d heard Grandma’s story. When he stopped in front of her house he was surprised to see Grandma sitting on the front porch.

  “She ain’t here,” she said as he got out of his car. She didn’t sound too good to Jim. Now that he thought of it he hadn’t seen her at Tommy’s funeral either. She sounded tired. Not wanting to pry he just assumed she wasn’t feeling well. He couldn’t really blame her what with all the stuff going on. She’d been close to both Tommy and Rob when they were little. It was probably actually harder on her since she’d watched them grow all the years he’d been gone. When he’d dropped Jill off earlier he hadn’t thought to ask about her and now felt bad about it. She looked as if she might blow away in the wind if the screens hadn’t been covering the windows.

  “She said she was going for a walk and would be back later,” Grandma said.

  That was a little strange, he thought since he was supposed to be coming by in a little while to get her for their date. He knew he was early but he wasn’t that early. His disturbing conversation with Pete had taken longer than Jim had thought. The sky was beginning to darken and he worried for Jill’s safety. Trying to put the unpleasantness from out of his mind and wanting to find Jill he asked, “Do you know where she went?”

  “No, no idea,” she answered. “Just said she was going for a walk, gave me a kiss and left. I was in the back so I couldn’t even tell you which way she went. All I can say is she did.”

  Jim looked at the sky. It was getting dark out faster than he’d thought. Even if she’d left just before he’d arrived she still would’ve come back before dark for their date.

  “She’s a good girl Jim. She’ll be alright,” she said seeing his concern.

  He smiled at her trying to make her think she’d reassured him but she hadn’t really helped at all. He was still worried. Walking out to the road he looked both ways hoping to see her approaching. He saw nothing. Coming back to the porch Grandma tried talking to him but soon found his concern for her grand-daughter out weighed his social needs at that moment. Jim stayed for a few minutes before his impatience got the better of him and he stood to leave.

  “You take good care of her when you find her Jimmy,” she said stopping him before he could take a step. “She’s a nice girl. She doesn’t need to be hurt anymore than she already has been, so you make sure you take care of her.”

  He didn’t know what to say. Were his feelings that obvious? Had Jill confided something in her Grandmother? If she had what was it? He admitted things were off to a good start between then and he already cared for her more than he probably should this early on but it wasn’t like they were getting married or something. They were just dating. He was leaving soon too so who knew what was going to happen then. Maybe nothing, then again maybe Jill had told her Grandmother something. He wished he could ask but he knew she wouldn’t reveal anything to him. That would be too easy.

  “Don’t worry Grandma. I will,” he said instead of asking his question. He quickly walked to his car only to have Grandma stop him again.

  “Oh yeah Jim, I forgot something. That Maria girl came by looking for Jill about a half an hour before you got here. Don’t know what she wanted or whether that helps you any but there you go just the same.” He thanked her and got in his car.

  Why would Maria come looking for Jill he wondered as he drove off. As far as he knew they didn’t like each other much less come and visit each other at home. He didn’t know what the problem was other than him. He didn’t want to seem conceited but they both seemed to have the hots for him. Every time he’d been around the both of them at the same time he felt like a fight would break out any minute. Jill usually tried to control herself and settled for just making a few barbed comments but Maria acted like she was in heat and he was the only male around that could satisfy her. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t just give up and go after Johnny. It was obvious from what he saw that he was in
love with her. Johnny was a good guy too. Maybe she just couldn’t see it.

  Trying to figure out where Jill might be he slowly drove down the road through the quickly gathering darkness hoping his headlight would spot Jill walking back to her house. Unfortunately he reached the end of the road and had seen nothing. Since he had no idea of where to look for her he decided he would do the next best thing. Grandma said Maria had come looking for her earlier. He might not know where Jill was but he knew where Maria was. If he couldn’t find the one he would ask the other. Hopefully she knew where Jill could be found.

  12

  Jim drove through town until he came to the second of the new restaurants that Maria had said she worked at. Driving through town was slightly spooky this time of night. It seemed like it something dead. Nothing was moving. There were no people about on last minute errands or even eating at the restaurants. It was as if the town was afraid to be out after dark. Jim could certainly understand that feeling. If it weren’t for Jill he probably wouldn’t be out either.

  When he turned into the dimly lit parking lot outside the place his lights quickly picked out Maria’s form leaning against the rear of the building. At first look it seemed as if she’d been expecting someone. But that couldn’t be right. She must’ve just been taking a break. His mind was making him see things that just weren’t there.

  He thought he saw her smile as the lights pinned her in place but wasn’t sure. He slowly got out of the car but left it running as she held her hand up to block the beams shining in her eyes. When he’d first seen her everything had appeared normal, at least as normal as someone dressed in a restaurant outfit could look, but as he approached he noticed something wasn’t quite right. Her hair which was had been perfect every other time he’d seen her now looked as if a small tornado had passed through it. Usually she was one of those types that had to have everything just right and in place before she’d venture out into the world for all to see but now her hair was hanging down in her face like an old mop and what he could see of her face was flushed and pink like cotton candy. Maybe she had found Jill and things hadn’t turned out the way she wanted. Jill was nowhere to be seen so he reached into the car and turned off the lights.

  As he walked up she tried fluffing her hair into some semblance of its normal look but quickly gave up when she realized it was doing no good. Jim saw a flash of red on her knuckles as she did and immediately suspected something bad had happened to her. Looking around the parking lot he saw nobody in any obvious places lurking about but he wasn’t sure about the shadows. They were dark and uninviting and seemed to be watching him. Any manner of creature could be hiding there. Even a creature like the Goatman. Pete’s words were getting to him. Not wanting to pursue that thought he turned his attention back to Maria.

  “The manager was getting a little too touchy feely,” she said before he could even ask anything. “He didn’t seem to understand that when a girl says no she means no.”

  Jim was instantly relieved. Not because she had been attacked but because it was by something human. When he’d seen nobody upon arriving he’d thought for a moment that maybe she had found Jill and they’d had some type of altercation and that maybe Jill, had come out on the wrong side of things. Quickly looking around again he saw no sign of Jill but that still didn’t mean they hadn’t met. He was still suspicious but since there was no sign of anything else he had no choice but to accept her explanation.

  “Oh, I thought maybe something else might’ve happened,” he said.

  “Now what else would you think could happen?” she teased. For someone who’d just been attacked she was in a good mood. Maybe she was into that type of thing. He’d seen and heard of some weird things since he’d left town. Maybe they were catching up to the normal world in ways other than just getting a few new places to eat. Then again maybe not. Her comment just reinforced Jim’s earlier thoughts about her being to strange for him to have anything to do with. If she was into stuff like that he wanted none of it.

  “So did you change your mind about our date?” she asked hopefully. “Managers don’t really appreciate it when you knee them in the nuts, so I don’t think I have to worry about having a job anymore, which means I’m free to do whatever you want whenever you want.” The last part of her little request was said in such a way that Jim knew exactly what she wanted. It didn’t get his interest like she probably hoped it would. Quite the opposite in fact. Having a mental picture of what she insinuated made his skin crawl.

  “No actually, I didn’t come looking for you for that reason.” He could almost see her deflate a little but that wasn’t his concern, Jill was. “I heard that you had come by looking for Jill earlier and was wondering if you’d found her or not.”

  “Yeah I found her,” she answered. What had once been a voice filled with innuendo was now one filled with razors. If her words had been capable of cutting, Jim was sure he’d be dead. “Johnny told me he’d heard she was looking for me so I decided to go to her. You know, being nice and whatnot.” She smiled wickedly for a moment then continued. “Anyways, after I left the bitch’s, I mean Jill’s house I saw her walking up the road all alone. Why do you think she was alone Jimmy? Oh, I know, maybe she was coming from someone’s house or something.” Jim knew she was just trying to make him mad but he refused to take the bait. Instead he just stood there in the cold waiting for her to continue.

  “Guess you don’t know either,” she continued. “Well, being the nice person I am I pulled over and asked her what she wanted. She asked me if I knew where Tommy had died. Well, needless to say I was surprised. I mean how would little old me know where something so horrible had happened. I told her this and asked her why and she said she wanted to go out and have a look at it. When I asked her why she just said she did and wouldn’t give me any kind of reason. For the life of me I can’t think why she would ask me of all people something like that. I mean I’m not the most innocent person in town but I wouldn’t have anything to do with something like that. Tommy was almost like family to me.”

  Jim knew most of what she said was an act. Tommy hadn’t even known who she was when he’d left all those years ago. Then again maybe they did know each other. They could’ve hooked up after he left and he’d be none the wiser. He doubted it though. Tommy would never be caught with someone like her, she just wasn’t his type. She was right about one thing though. It was kinda strange for Jill to be asking about the place Tommy had died, and what was it she wanted to look for out there. What did she hope to find? Some clue that the police might have missed? He had to admit it was possible after seeing the local police force in action but still, why would she want to go there alone. Unless maybe she was trying to hide something. No, he thought, that couldn’t be it. Jill was a nice girl, he was just being paranoid. Instead of giving voice to his paranoia he came up with another question.

  “Did you tell her where it was?” he began. “Her Grandmother told me she went for a walk, but now I can’t find her. She also said you came by so I figured you might know where she went. I’ve found you but not her. Now you tell me she was looking for the place Tommy died which doesn’t make any sense at all but if that’s where she went then that’s where I’m going. So, do you know where she is?” He knew he was babbling, but frankly he didn’t care. It was pitch black out now. He considered going back to Grandma’s to make sure she hadn’t come back but he’d only been gone for a few minutes. Looking at Maria he was sure she wasn’t going to be any help but she surprised him.

  “I’ll do you one better,” she said. “I’ll take you there.”

  “That’s ok,” he said a little too quickly. “If you just give me directions I’m sure I can find it by myself. Plus Jill and I were supposed to be going on a date so if I do find her then we probably won’t be coming back to town for a while.” He threw in the last part hoping she would take back her offer. “I don’t want to put you through any trouble.” He added when it didn’t appear she was going to.

&n
bsp; As if sensing his discomfort she smiled and happily said, “No, it’s too dark for me to give you directions Jimmy. You’d never be able to find it without me. I think the best thing is for us to go together. At least then if we get lost you won’t be alone.” When he started to protest she quickly put on a mock innocent face and said sweetly, “Don’t worry about me wasting my time. I’d do anything for you. You know that.”

  He was sure she would do anything for him and that actually kinda scared him. He was unnerved by how forward she was being. The innuendos were flying and they were all hitting home. But they weren’t having the effect she wanted. What would it take to make her understand he wasn’t interested? He repressed the urge to shudder as he tried to find a suitable answer. He’d been feeling uncomfortable since he first pulled into the lot and her offers were only making it worse. He couldn’t understand what had gotten into her. While he still couldn’t remember what she’d been like in high school he was sure it wasn’t this. He only wanted to find Jill. Now it seemed he would have to take Maria along with him on a ride to God knew where in order to do that.

  Finally realizing she wasn’t going to take no for an answer he threw his hands up in disgust and turned to the car. Maria clapped her hands happily in triumph and trotted to the other side. He was about to open his door and get in when he huff from the other side got his attention. Maria was looking at him expectantly. It took him a second to figure out what she wanted. When it did finally dawn on him he almost called the whole thing off. Keeping in mind he had to find Jill he stalked to the other side and opened the door for her. She smiled happily as she slid in and said thank you. He told her she was welcome by slamming the door in her face. He was quickly getting sick of her.

  Before walking back to his side of the car, he looked around again hoping God would smile down on him and show him where Jill was so he wouldn’t have to go anywhere with Maria but God must not have been watching. He saw nothing. Resigned to his fate he went back to his side and got in. As he slid the key into the ignition he was startled to feel Maria’s arm snake around his. Looking at her in almost undisguised horror he saw that she’d also taken it upon herself to slide as close to him as she could get.