Curiosity Killed Shaney(16)

“Alien abductions are just ridiculous. Anyone claiming to have been abducted probably smoked too much crack.” Todd downshifted, turning onto the road that rounded Gull Pond.

“Anyone would think I’d been smoking crack if I’d told them what I just told you!”

“I believe you,” Todd said with steely resolve.

“Yeah, well, we’ve been sharing the same crack pipe then,” he mumbled.

Why wasn’t Shaney excited, relieved, jumping for joy, or all of the above, that Todd actually believed him? To preserve his sanity Shaney had decided that what he’d experienced at the cabin really hadn’t happened. He’d even tried logic (of which he had in short supply). An increase in intra-cranial pressure from the concussion had incited auditory and sensory hallucinations. In short, temporary insanity. Anyone even remotely acquainted with Shaney would believe that.

“You do realize I recently suffered a head injury. Could be a freaky side effect,” Shaney said, using reason.

“You mean like thinking Hudson has the hots for you?” Todd snickered.

“Asshat,” Shaney mumbled. “If I’m going insane, I might as well take the full tour.”

Shaney’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. Holy shit. Hudson? Calling him? He groaned audibly. Just seeing the man’s number sent a flush of heat through his body.

“What?” Todd asked absently.

“Hudson.” Shaney stared at the phone as if it would bite him.

Todd’s head whipped around. “Ask him about the cabin. Did he feel anything weird?”

Shaney shook his head at the request, took a deep breath, and hit the button. “Hello,” he managed to squeak out.

“Shaney, it’s Hudson.” Same brisk, terse tone, but a damn sexy voice.

“Umm, hey there,” Shaney replied, and then rolled his eyes at how stupid he’d sounded.

Hudson cleared his throat. “Just checking on how you’re doing.” There was a short pause. “I mean, to see about tomorrow, of course.”

Of course. “I’m good. Just out with Todd.” Shaney rubbed his sweaty palm on his thigh.

Another long pause and Shaney started to think the call had dropped.

“Todd who?” Did Hudson just growl at him?

“Todd, my roommate.”

“So you’re out?”

An icy wave crashed over Shaney. Did he mean ‘out’ as in gay? Hudson knew he was gay? Oh, shit, he was so getting fired! Big Louie, here I come.

Play dumb. “What?”

“You just said you were out with Todd. Where?”

A big fucking sigh of relief left every cell of his body. “Just driving around the pond.”

“The pond,” Hudson repeated. He was acting weird.

“Ask him,” Todd mouthed.

Shit. “Hey, Hudson, when we were at the cabin, did anything weird happen? I mean, when you were inside?”

“What do you mean weird?” he asked with evident annoyance.

Shaney swallowed hard. “Oh, you know, did you see or feel anything weird?”

Shaney could swear he heard a gasp escape from Hudson, followed by a sharp intake of air. “Nothing happened at the cabin, so forget about it. Seven a.m. tomorrow. Be ready,” he warned and the line went dead.

Well, that hadn’t sounded suspicious or anything. Shaney returned his phone to his pocket. “He said nothing happened and to forget about it.” He frowned.

Todd glanced at Shaney. “You think he was lying?”

Unease flipped Shaney’s stomach. “Not just think. I know.” As if a neon light had been blinking the word.

The sun sat low in the sky practically blinding him, but he recognized the turn off. Shaney sat up. “Here.”

Todd pulled onto the narrow road.

“Park by those trees. We’ll have to walk. The road’s too muddy,” Shaney said, reaching behind the seat to grab his backpack.

“How far?” Todd asked, getting out and pocketing the keys.

“About a mile,” Shaney said. He pulled out a flashlight for each of them from his pack and then tossed a spray can at Todd. Fumbling the catch, Todd recovered it and looked at the can with a frowned.

Shaney smiled knowingly. “Believe me, you’re going to need it.”

* * * *

As they walked, Shaney pulled on his sweatshirt. With the sun dipping behind the mountains, the temperature was dropping quickly. The thick canopy of trees obscured the faint light of dusk, cloaking everything in near darkness. The sounds of the woods intensified. Crickets and grasshoppers chirped, tree frogs croaked, whippoorwills sang, even a squirrel chattered. The familiar noises did little to calm the uneasiness roiling in Shaney’s gut. He rubbed at his stomach, trying to source the apprehension. Walking in the dark woods armed with only a flashlight and a can of bug spray wasn’t anything new. Encountering dangerous animals wasn’t a concern either. Unless threatened, the animals in this area generally high-tailed it when humans were too close, so no fears there. Well, except for skunks. Just say just the word and watch Shaney flee. A few years ago, he had a failed mission to capture one after receiving faulty intel from Johnny Masters. He’d told Shaney a skunk couldn’t spray if you held its tail down. Try getting close enough to one to test that theory. Oh, that stinking, putrid, gut-churning smell! Shaney had then experimented with a stink remover he’d concocted at home and… well, suffice it to say, for days, Shaney had wanted to peel his skin off.