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“He still hasn’t moved,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, like, at all,” Mel added.
“All right, listen. Whoever isn’t comfortable walking over there should wait here, as close to the shuttle as possible. You don’t want to be out in the middle of the road if that grate opens for another car,” Ciaran declared. Glancing at me, he added, “You coming or waiting?”
“We’re all coming,” I answered for the three of us. No way were we staying behind. Mel and Gracelyn made no objections, both on the same page I was.
Ciaran surveyed our group as a whole and nodded to himself. “Let’s go then.”
He started walking and everyone followed.
I guess no one was up for being the one person who stayed behind. Couldn’t blame them for that.
Taking a quick headcount, I found there were thirteen of us in total. That was after I accounted for the people who’d died on the shuttle and the missing drive being.
I set my sights on the guard shack and the fence in front of us. It ran straight across on either side, disappearing into the dark of the woods.
“Where’s that fog coming from?” Gracelyn asked.
“Shouldn’t be there at all, it isn’t natural,” Kyrous responded.
As we closed in on the shack, a wave of confusion swept through the group.
“Um…?” the redhead trailed off.
I looked through the Plexiglas with a frown, stating the obvious. “He isn’t real.”
The man was nothing but a dummy, an actual wax figure dressed as a security guard.
Even more concerning than that was the laminated note and recorder taped to the window. The word PRESS ME had been typed out in bold, blocky letters. A small black arrow pointed to the device. Below the window was an oil drum with a decent sized hole drilled into the top.
Maverick took it upon himself to hit the button on the recorder. There was a slight whirring noise, and then a woman’s cheery voice began to speak.
“Please place all mobile phones into the drum, and then you may proceed to the route.”
The recording clicked off, leaving no further instructions or an explanation as to what the hell was going on.
“The route?”
I took another look around, my eyes eventually landing on a graveled path that ran between the trees on the other side of the fence. I was going to go out on a limb and assume that’s what they meant.
“There’s a sign a bit further up ahead,” the brunette said, gesturing in the general direction I’d just been looking.
“You’re not really going to do what this thing says?” Redhead objected. “That’s crazy.”
“You got a better idea, Pebbles?” Charon asked.
“Selena,” she emphasized, disdain for the nickname he’d used evident in her tone, “and no, not at the moment.”
“We should follow the directive. We’ve already determined we can’t go back the way we came,” one of the older women reasoned, reaching past us to drop her cell into the drum. There was a faint splash as it landed in whatever liquid was inside.
I began to protest, ultimately being ignored as the others followed her lead. I shook my head and moved away from the group, breaking free of their restrictive bubble. Mel and Grace were quick to do the same.
Hearing what I swore was a twig snap, I looked over my shoulder in the direction it had come from. Gracelyn and Mel met my eye. I silently asked, “Did you hear that?”
They both nodded, their body language becoming uneasy.
I strained to hear if it would happen again, but the brunette’s voice drowned out anything I could have detected.
“There, we’ve all done it. Your turn now.”
I ignored her and focused on the others. “After what just happened and that recording we heard on the shuttle, what makes you think this is a good idea?”
“That’s what I want to know,” Mel muttered, “and my phone’s back on the bus. I lost it during the crash.”
“I don’t have mine either,” Gracelyn said. “It’s in my bag.”
“Whoever does have a phone, can they please put it in the barrel like the sign says.” Mr. Authority pleaded.
“I’ve yet to hear why that’s a good idea.”
“Do you have a better plan?” Kyrous asked.
“Yeah. Not taking instructions from a tape recorder,” I retorted.
Something metal clinked from somewhere in the woods. The girl in glasses huddled closer to Maverick.
“I don’t think we’re alone out here,” she murmured.
Right on cue, another few branches snapped from the opposite direction—this time clearly closer than before. Had someone been watching us this entire time?
I looked over my shoulder again but still didn’t see anyone.
Melantha looked at me, the question of what to do in her eyes. The three of us wouldn’t split up—that wasn’t an option—and it was clear where she stood in her opinion. There was more breaking of twigs, another low clicking noise accompanying them. What the hell was that?
People began to talk at once, urging us—more specifically me—to give up our phones, starting to panic.
