Page 24 of Monsters

“I’m not embarrassed,” I lied.

“Keep that up, and you’ll be sweet sixteen and never been kissed,” Mason continued the jibe, shaking his head in amusement, and by-passing us to take the lead.

“Don’t listen to him,” Lucas assured, loud enough for his brother to hear. He smiled his lop-sided smile I’d always found endearing and wondered for the millionth time what it would be like to kiss those lips. Many times I’d seen Lucas look at me the same way I did him. Like he wanted to close the space between us and take our friendship to that ‘something’ more. But there was always hesitation. I hesitated. He hesitated.

The intensity in Lucas’s eyes tingled my skin. Nervously, my tongue slid over my bottom lip, and my best friend’s eyes followed the movement, his fingers reaching for mine once more. Before they could touch, another pair of eyes watched from over Lucas’s shoulder. Mason’s narrowed, concentrated gaze told a story that turned the pleasurable tingles from only moments ago to something more spine-tingling. Two brothers with the same genes, yet they couldn’t be more different. One looked at me with the kindest, most endearing tenderness, while the other had a heart of malice waiting for the perfect time to hurt me.

A heavy raindrop fell on my eyelash, and I blinked to shake it off. It fell down my cheek like an unwanted tear catching both the brother’s attention. The rhythmic pitter-patter of rain landing on unsuspecting leaves fell around us. We looked above at what had otherwise been a beautiful sunny day. Within only a few passing heartbeats, the tempo increased, and soon the three of us bolted in the direction we were headed, towards a cave at the most western point of the Delaware Forest.

“Come on, Gem,” Lucas yelled over his shoulder reaching for my outstretched hand. Taking his, I used my free hand to shield the raindrops that felt more like sharp blades slicing our skin. The forest canopy grew sparse, exposing us to the violent weather. Like the desperate teens we were, we expertly dodged low hung branches, fallen logs and deep, injury-promising ditches. Mason led the way like the pack leader of a school marathon, bravely navigating the terrain with precision.

Mason was a few yards ahead when without warning, he came to a dead stop. I collided with Lucas’s back, his hands awkwardly reaching behind him to grab my waist and stop me from falling. Now standing side by side, ignorant to the heavy, sharp rain pelting down, the three of us stared at the sight before us.

“I didn’t know this was here,” Lucas said, not breaking his gaze.

“Neither did I,” Mason concurred.

“Who would live all the way out here?” I asked.

“Only one way to find out.” Mason, the risk taker, marched forward until Lucas gripped his forearm.

“You can’t just go in there!”

“Why not?”

“That could be someone’s home.”

Mason laughed, brows arched in disbelief. “Does it look like someone’s home to you?”

We stared ahead silently weighing the options. The old wooden log cabin was run down and by all appearances, looked abandoned. The overgrown vines creeping around the exterior had claimed their ownership. Thick cobwebs were laced over every window frame and awning. And most importantly, there was no sign of life.

“What if someone died in there and nobody found them?” I asked, taking a cautious step back.

“What’s the matter, Gem?” Mason snickered. “Worried the bogeyman might be hiding somewhere inside waiting for you?”

“Well, why would someone leave this place? It’s obvious it was lived in for quite some time. And yes, I may not believe in the bogeyman, but I do believe in ghosts!”

“Hold my hand, I’ll keep you safe,” Mason goaded with a wink. Lucas rolled his eyes, and inwardly I cringed. “Come on, you pussies.”

Sans the hand-holding, we edged closer to the cabin. The boys seemed more at peace with their decision, but my eyes darted nervously around praying for no unwanted surprises.

Mason reached the window first and dusted away the thick grey webs. Pressing his nose against the glass pane, he cupped his eyes and looked for any evidence to suggest the cabin was inhabited. “There’s no one inside,” Mason finally offered.

“They could be out for the day?” I suggested.

Without a second thought, the brothers were at the door twisting the old brass handle. It wasn’t locked, and with the slightest push, it slowly creaked open. We threw a questionable glance at each other before searching the darkness within. The light from the outside barely touched anything, but it was evident the place had been long abandoned. It had possibly been left in this state for years.

A thick layer of dust coated almost every inch of the cabin. A two-seater couch greeted us on entry that could, at one stage, have been a navy-blue color but was now an ash gray. A double bed, messily made, was against the far wall with picture frames above its headboard. A small, make-do kitchenette was to the right with a camp stove perched on the counter. A few other items like pots, pans, cutlery, salt and pepper shakers lay scattered. There was an old, moldy smell to the cabin that could be easily fixed with a good airing out.

“I don’t think anyone is coming back here in a hurry,” Lucas stated, eyes scanning around the room.

“I doubt anyone else knows of this place,” Mason concurred. “Otherwise, it would have been claimed by now.” He pulled a frame off the wall, and a thick sprinkling of dust was dislodged, falling like snow over the bed covers. Wiping the glass with the palm of his hand, Mason studied the photo. “This must be the owner.”

Looking over his shoulders, we studied the old man who had aged before his time. Having lived it rough, he looked like the type to steer clear of mainstream society. The hermit type. He was tall and gangly with leathery skin. The woman standing next to him was short and stout. With a large forehead and small beady eyes, she too looked much older than what she probably was.

“Do you think they’re both…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish.

“Dead?” Mason offered.

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