“Garvey? That you?”
The legs flashed again in the path of his flashlight. He moved toward them.
“Garvey, man, if you’re pulling a prank, it isn’t funny. Come on out and let’s get you home.”
Nothing but the soft swirling of the fog answered him until a soft pattering of footsteps overpowered the fog.
“Garvey, it’s not funny. Come on out. It’s your buddy, Ash.”
A pair of eyes shone in his flashlight next, but he did a double take. There was something not right about the eyes. Silver flashes sparked from the fog, and the denim covered legs appeared again. Icy fingers of fog caressed Ash’s cheek, and the hair on his neck stood straight up.
“My momma always said you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped, so I’m getting back in my car now. If you want my help, you’ll have to come to me,” Ash said as he ran back to his car, still surrounded by thick, heavy fog, and got in the driver’s seat. He’d wait only a minute or two before driving off just in case. The driver’s side door opened quietly, and Garvey slid into the seat.
“Help me, man,” he said. “I gotta stop him before it’s too late.”
“Stop who?” Ash asked as the back door to his cruiser opened. Fog swirled in and refused to let him get a clear look at who entered.
A deep voice rumbled from the backseat. “He’s talking about me, us, them. Look out your window.”
Faces pressed against his windows. Some he recognized, some he didn’t. Almost all the faces were ashen and grotesque, as if they had been dead a long time.
“Garvey, what’s going on?” Garvey was the only normal looking one there, and even then there was something off about his appearance. “If this is some prank, you can stop now.”
“Mae’s coming,” Garvey said before he slid out of the cruiser. The fog crept in to replace him, and when daylight came, the cruiser was empty. Ash was nowhere to be found.
CALEB WOKE WITH A START. A sudden sense of unease crept over him, and he had an overwhelming urge to go into town. He needed to see Everly. So what if she had some boyfriend no one ever saw. So what if he’d always thought of her like a sister. He’d realized recently that his feelings had changed. She wasn’t his sister, and his feelings for her were real.
“Ma!” he called. “Can I use your car?”
Jennifer poked her head in his doorway. “What for?”
“I need to go into town. I haven’t slept right since Sheriff Greyson mentioned Garvey. Please, Ma, can I use your car?”
Jennifer expelled a breath. She didn’t want to, but if she said no, he might take her car, anyway.
“Take a shower, eat something hot, and if you still feel that way, then I’ll let you go. Deal?”
Caleb’s exasperated sigh was the only answer she received before he disappeared into the bathroom. She heard the shower run and smiled. It was good to see him functioning again. She returned to the kitchen and made him breakfast.
“Gosh, Ma. You didn’t have to do all this,” Caleb said as he entered the kitchen and sat at the table. His hair glistened with droplets of water, and his freshly shaven face glowed.
Jennifer sniffed. He looked so much like his dad; it startled her sometimes.
“All what? It’s just bacon and eggs,” she said innocently.
“And pancakes. You hiding some home fries over there, too?” Caleb laughed.
“No and don’t get your hopes up. I have to go into town anyway, so why don’t we go together?”
“Ma! You’ll hover.”
“I promise I won’t. I’ll drop you wherever you want while I get groceries. Promise.”
“No questions asked?”
“Well, no, I don’t promise that. I guess that’s just the chance you’ll take if you want to go to town, won’t you?” Jennifer smiled smugly. Little victories sometimes made all the difference.
“Fine, Ma. Drop me at Billy’s Auto and pick me up at the cafe.”
“Sounds like a plan. Will you text me if that changes, please? And don’t overexert yourself.”
“Gah, Ma! Stop being such a mom!” Caleb said as he buckled up in the passenger seat.
Jennifer giggled. “That’s my job! All set?”
A roadblock stopped them on their way into town. Jennifer rolled down her window as Tom approached.
“What’s going on, Tom?”
“Got an officer missing. His cruiser is here, but there's no sign of him. Ash, one of my younger deputies, too.” Tom’s face was drawn in sorrow. He genuinely liked the kid. “He was looking into Garvey’s disappearance, and now he’s gone, too, just up and disappeared in the fog like Garvey did.”
“It’s Mae, I’m telling you, Tom. This is exactly how it started thirty years ago, only it was my Shane who disappeared. You know my story well.”
“That I do, and I believe you, but you know my hands are tied. You know what I lost thirty years ago myself. The old folks in Rickdale would have a fit if we started talking about it now. Who knows what will happen then?”
Caleb interrupted. “The truth might come out?”
Tom scowled at Caleb. “What are you implying?”
Caleb’s shoulders shrugged. “Nothing, really. Just this whole thing is more like an urban legend meant to keep us from leaving Rickdale is all.”
Tom scowled again. “Not at all. You’re free to come and go as you wish. It’s just this particular year, and this particular date, and with the full moon coming and all, it’s extra dangerous.”
Caleb laughed. “What’s the full moon got to do with anything?”
Jennifer touched Tom’s hand. “I’ll fill him in, Tom. I know you have other things on your mind. This is my story to tell him, whether he wants to hear it or not.”
Tom gave her a slight nod of his head. “Thank you, Jennifer. You’re right. I have a lot to process. All I ask is that if you hear anything in town about either of the missing men, you let me know right away.” He pulled his card out of his pocket again and held it out, but Jennifer didn’t take it.
“You know I don’t need that. We’ll keep our ears open and let you know if we hear anything. Caleb’s going to the cafe, and that’s always a treasure trove for gossip.”
“Thank you. I’ll wave you through.”
Jennifer put her car in drive and slowly made her way around the patrol cars. She waited until they had cleared the scene before speaking again.
“The full moon,” she said.
“Yeah, yeah. I suppose I have to listen now,” Caleb interrupted rudely.
“Look, son, I know you don’t believe me, but you need to know the whole story. You keep asking questions that make everyone, including yourself, uncomfortable. If you just took the time to listen, and open your mind to what you hear, you might surprise yourself.”
“Can you make your long story short?”
Jennifer rolled her eyes. She knew his request was two-fold. First, his low attention span meant he would probably miss the middle of the story and forget the beginning. Second, he wasn’t invested in wanting to know the real story enough to fight the lack of concentration.