Free Out of Place by Shane Scollins

said from behind them, “No, we should just go.”
    “Yeah,” Javier added. “We came up here, there’s nothing to see. I say we just go back to the camp.”
    Zack looked at the classic Ford Mustang in the driveway. Maybe they were right. It was probably none of his business. Just because they looked out of place and something felt strange didn’t mean something was. He was a little surprised to see New Jersey license plates on the car, a funny coincidence, perhaps.
    “C’mon,” Donovan said.
    Zack sighed. He was probably jumping to conclusions. It would’ve been different had he gotten here and heard a scream or something, but all was quiet. Perhaps it wasn’t even a couple but a father and his daughter. That would not excuse the slapping, but it would certainly change the dynamics of the situation. Maybe he was seeing things out of context.
    But as he was about to walk away , he remembered the blood and stopped.
    “What is it?” Rick asked.
    “She had blood on her shirt.” Without thinking on it for another second, Zack headed up the steps of the cabin and knocked on the door.
    Rick stepped up and settled in next to him with a nod.
    They waited, but at first no one answered. It wasn’t a large cabin, so Zack knocked again and waited. He wasn’t going away and he could hear someone in there moving softly.
    Finally , the door opened a bit, just enough to reveal the face of a very cute hazel-eyed blonde. Half her body was hidden behind the door. She looked at him for several awkward seconds before she said, “Can I help you?”
    Zack looked into her soulful eyes, trying to read them. He wanted to be smart about this. There was no doubt in his mind something was wrong here, but he didn’t want to set anything off. He thought for a second then said, “We were wondering if you had a phone we could use. Or some electricity we could charge with?”
    Her eyes never left his, locked on , as she shook her head. “No.”
    “ Stupid us, we got off the main trail and can’t find our way back. But there’s a ranger station not far from here. I have the number, but all of our phones are dead. Do you know if anyone around here does have access to some juice?”
    “No.” Her eyes continued to burn him with intensity.
    Zack looked at Rick, then back to the girl. “Are you okay?”
    Her eyes flickered away finally. A slight waiver in them, a touch of moisture was evident. Zack shared another look with Rick, he saw it, too, and neither one had any idea how to play this.
    “Are you hurt?” Zack asked, nodding to the blood on her shirt.
    Then the girl couldn’t hide the severity of the situation. Her eyes flooded with tears as she broke her gaze with Zack and then couldn’t meet his eyes at all. She showed him with her eyes what he already suspected. Someone was behind the door.
    “You should go now ,.” the girl said. “Please, you have to go now.”
    Zack nodded slightly. A few different ideas were at war in his head. He could see her steel herself and then meet his eyes again. “Please go now.” She closed the door. Rick shrugged and the others started to walk away. Zack didn’t want to leave. But after a minute he turned and followed his friends.
    “You were right about one thing ,” Rick said.
    “What’s that?”
    “She’s really cute.”
    “I just hope she’s not in danger.”
    Rick gave him a look of worry , but didn’t say anything.
    As they headed down the trail , Zack felt bad. But maybe they’d done all they could. They headed back to the camp to pack up, and the whole time Zack just kept thinking about the girl. She just looked so scared, and something wonderful was just beneath the surface of those eyes. He could picture a wonderful playfulness and intelligence. As they say, the eyes are the window to the soul, he fully believed that. And he saw a wonderful soul in there. That beautiful face would haunt his every second until he saw it again.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter