Izzy

Caleb pulled out of the dirt clearing in silence. He hadn't asked Izzy if she wanted to drive, and she hadn't offered. They hadn't spoken the whole walk back to the car. The impending twilight gave the woods an ethereal, eerie feel with the shadows growing long and the jagged tree branches reaching across the path like sharp claws.

He eased the Lexus down the dirt path more slowly this time, almost like he was afraid to hurt her. But she didn't feel hurt, she felt numb, empty, emotionless.

Her phone buzzed. "Crap," she murmured. "I forgot to text Brie."

"You'd better send her a message. I think she was serious about calling the cops if she didn't hear from us."

"I thought you wanted to call the cops?" Izzy said, side-eyeing him as she typed a text to Brie.

Izzy: We're fine! Driving back now.

Brie: Find anything?

Izzy: Sort of. Tell you tomorrow.

She got a thumbs up in response, followed by a winking ghost emoji and a cheering lobster GIF.

"It's good to see a smile," Caleb said.

"Huh?" Izzy looked up from her phone. "Is Brie always that silly?"

"She tries to keep it light."

"I should probably tell my mom I'm not going to be home in time for dinner." Izzy pulled up her mom's number and pressed record. "Olá mãe! I'm running late 'cuz of my study session today. Say hi, Caleb!"

"Uh, hi, Mrs. Sinclair," he said.

"We're studying for our Algebra test next week. I'll be back in an hour or so. Save me some food, ta?" Izzy finished the recording and plugged the phone into the car charger.

"Thanks," she said. "That should get her off my back."

"I didn't realize you spoke Spanish."

"Portuguese," Izzy corrected. "My mom's Brazilian. Actually, she's Japanese-Brazilian."

"Really? That's cool." Caleb slowly turned onto the main road. "Are your parents strict?"

"No usually. They're gone a lot, but they're still mad at me for that D in math. They think that I," Izzy deepened her voice to impersonate her father, "am too distracted at school, and obsessing about cheerleading and boys is wasting the privilege of going to Pinnacle Crest Academy." She dropped the voice. "At least, that's what my father thinks, so they made me drop out of cheerleading, and I'm grounded from going on dates or anything until my grades come up. Not that it matters."

"Pinnacle Crest is a good opportunity."

"You would say that. You're obsessed with the place."

"Not all of us were born into money," he said softly.

She let that hang in the air for a moment. "I'm sorry. You're right."

After a moment, Caleb said, "My mom's a detective. She used to bring me to crime scenes when I was little."

"Really? You're kidding."

"It could be hard to get childcare in an emergency, so I tagged along. It got me interested in crime and mystery."

Izzy half smiled. "Thanks for at least coming with me and trying to help. I wish we had found something better... but I'm glad you didn't let me come out here alone." She twisted her fingers at the edges of her soft, tangerine shirt.

Caleb glanced over at her. "Listen -"

"Watch out!"

Caleb's head flew up as a large animal crashed out of the woods. He slammed on the brakes, turning the car sharply to the right. Izzy screamed as the car swerved and bumped off the side of the road and into a ditch. They jerked forward, then the seatbelts yanked them back. For a moment, all she could hear was the sound of breathing: loud, heavy, and panting. Was that her? Caleb? An animal?

"Are you okay?" Caleb asked, unbuckling his seatbelt and turning to her.

"I'm fine!" she said, leaning back in the seat and squeezing her eyes shut. She tried to focus on the sound, but no longer heard it.

"What was that thing?" he asked.

"It had to be a bear, but it came out so fast, I didn't get a good look." Her eyes widened suddenly and she jumped out of the passenger side. "Oh my God, the car! Dad's gonna kill me!"

Caleb rushed out as well. "I'm so sorry! I almost didn't see it."

"We're lucky you didn't hit it," Izzy said while they inspected the Lexus. She ran her hand along the body, crossing around to the front.

"Yeah, or he'd never let you drive his car again." He ducked down to check the driver's side.

"It's my car. You think he'd be caught dead in a sonic blue Lexus?"

"The Lexus is yours?" His head popped up.

"It seems ok, but there's a drop-off on this side and the front wheel's hanging off the road a little. I think we're gonna need to push it back."

He came around front, examining her in the headlights of the car. He brushed his hand down her upper arm. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She met his eyes directly, staring at him for a moment. "I, I'm fine." The car's lights cut shadows across his face, illuminating the sharp cheekbones she hadn't noticed before. Why would she? She'd known him for over two years, but had never taken the time to study him. He tended to blend into the crowd, even sinking into the slightly oversized dark clothes he always wore. She could feel the warmth and strength in his grip. He smelled fresh, like the early fall breeze before the winter chill set in. A moment passed, silent and still....

CRASH!

A tree branch crashed nearby. Footsteps pounded against the forest floor, growing closer.

She shook her head clear. "We need to go."

"Right," Caleb said, pulling his hand back. "Get in the driver's seat, and I'll push. Put it in neutral, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay!"

Izzy dashed around to the driver's side and slid into the seat, cracking the window open. She put it in neutral and took her foot off the brake.

"On the count of three! One!" Caleb rocked the car gently. "Two!" He put his weight on his back foot, and pushed forward again. "Three!" He shoved forward with everything he had.

The car rolled back, and Izzy quickly threw it in drive, easing back onto the road. "I think we're good. You can get in now–" Her voice caught in her throat. On the far side of the road, a pair of glowing eyes watched them from the tree line.

Caleb straightened up and brushed his hands against his shorts. "That was easier than expected."

"Caleb," she choked in a harsh whisper, glancing at him. With a shaking hand, she yanked the car into gear.

"One sec, got a rock in my shoe." He leaned against the hood of the car and pulled his black Converse off, tilting it upside down to smack against his hand.

"Caleb!" she hissed, flicking her gaze back to the trees. The eyes were gone. She exhaled and looked up. Suddenly, a tall black figure darted in front of the car toward Caleb.

Izzy slammed her foot on the gas and jerked the car to the left. She braced for impact, but it never came. Caleb yelled as he fell away from the car and hit the ground hard, rolling over the bank. The wheels kicked up a cloud of dust, and she shielded her eyes while yanking the car back into park. She left it in the middle of the road and ran over to the drop-off. With a deep breath, she slid down about 20 feet on the loose gravel and dirt, skidding to a halt on the flat bank at the bottom. He moaned as he rolled to a stop beside her. "What the hell was that! I could have been killed!"

"I know! We need to get out of here now!" She leaned down to grab his arm, barely able to see him in the descending darkness. "Are you okay? Is anything broken?"

"Am I okay?" He sat up and winced, scooting away from her and grabbing his glasses. "You just tried to kill me! What do you think?"

"Kill you?" she dropped her voice. "I was trying to save you! You didn't see that thing in the road behind you?"

He ignored her hand and stumbled to his feet, holding his elbow. "The bear? I didn't see anything."

"It wasn't a bear, and it's probably still around. Now can we go?"

Just then, a heavy branch cracked and crashed to the ground nearby. Izzy looked around wildly, seeing nothing. Caleb grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a large boulder. They crouched and held their breath.

With her back pressed up against the cold rock she tried to calm her hammering heart. Her hand shook uncontrollably until Caleb wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed. He held tight while the heavy footsteps came closer. A hot snarl reverberated through the trees before a bear barreled down the embankment. She pushed closer to him, squeezing her eyes shut and trembling. Her eyes snapped open as the bear flew toward them, but it never even saw them. In pursuit was a tall, black shadow figure. Izzy shrunk back as it flashed past. She tried to study it, tried to pick out some details, but she couldn't focus on it, as though the edges were blurred.

The bear crashed through the shallow stream and plunged back into the trees on the other side. They heard a piercing scream, terrifying and inhuman, followed by a sudden silence. Caleb pulled on Izzy's shaking arm and whispered, "We go. Now. You drive!"

Izzy nodded silently, unmoving.

"Now!" He half dragged her up the bank as they scrambled to the car. Izzy forced herself to move, stumbling around to the driver's side. Caleb snatched his shoe off the ground, dove into the passenger seat, and slammed the door. "Hurry!"

She shoved the car into gear and tore off. As she did, Caleb swung his head around to check behind them. "Oh my God," he choked out.

"What?"

"I think it's behind us."

"Are you serious?"

"Faster!"

Izzy flew down the road. She careened around corners, the car fishtailing in the loose gravel. But she kept her grip on the wheel and her eyes on the road, blocking out anything besides the white lines against the dark pavement. She veered around another steep curve, her breath even and fast. Finally, the main road was in sight.

"We're almost there! Go!"

Izzy floored the gas as she sped down the last straight stretch. Closer, closer...

HOOOOOONK!

A horn blared as she almost t-boned an oncoming car. Trembling, she slammed on the brakes and spun out into the main road. She got control of the car and kept going.

"Is it gone?" she asked breathlessly.

"I think so." But Caleb kept staring in the other direction, and they drove in silence for several tense minutes before he turned around.

Her arms shook with tension, her knuckles white. "So you saw it then?"

He let out a long breath and sat back into the seat, facing forward. "I don't know what I saw. It was dark, blurry."

"But there was something there, right? Tell me I'm not crazy."

He shook his head. "You're not crazy, but maybe I am. I just, I can't explain it."

Izzy swallowed, suddenly noticing the blood and dirt all over Caleb's arms. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm bruised and scraped up, but nothing's broken"

"I'm sorry," she choked out.

"No, I get it now. It's not your fault." He grit his teeth. "I mean it. We're coming back, but not alone."

She nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"No, I don't think I am. You?"

"Not at all."