Katie chuckles slightly and brings herself to her feet. “Sure. Listen, you just got here. We have been with him for days. Where did he get you?”
Jeremy can’t help but smile.
“Cal is my lab partner. We’re in the same grad program.” She twitches her head from side to side, ever vigilant.
“Who is Cal? Is he out here too?” Katie looks confused and frustrated.
Jeremy laughs out loud.
Emily quirks a brow, flicking her eyes to the side. “He’s the one who’s doing all this. I thought you said you had spent days with him.”
She looks confused too. Jeremy is delighted.
Katie is visibly annoyed. “I don’t know who the hell Cal is, but this guy’s name is Jeremy.”
“Whatever you say. Listen, who else is out here? Is there anyone else?” Emily asks.
He can see the panic return to Emily’s face as she considers the possibility that there are more of him around her.
Katie softly whimpers, utterly exhausted. “My friend Matt. He should be around here somewhere. Unless Jeremy already found him.”
Emily takes an audible sharp breath in and looks around.
“All right, Katie. We have to move. Let’s try to find Matt,” she declares.
He sees the light of Katie’s flashlight dim slightly. Emily can see it too.
“You should probably turn off your flashlight.” She gestures toward the dimming beam of Katie’s light.
Katie chuckles mockingly and shakes her head.
“No way. I have been in a pitch-black basement for days. Why the hell would I want to stumble around in the dark out here too?”
Emily bites at her lip and tries to maintain her composure as she explains, “Well, the way it’s dimming, you won’t have a choice pretty soon.”
Her voice is sharp and aggravated.
Katie flips the light to shine into her own face and shrugs. “Like I said, he’s not going to let us go, and I’m not dying in the dark.”
Emily concedes and walks after her.
The song ends. Emily and Katie both look up into the sky with relief. Then, without warning, Van Morrison’s “Moondance” begins to fill the darkness, causing them both to jump a bit at the surprise. As they trudge through the thick brush, ducking under slimy Spanish moss and sinking into the ankle-deep swamp with every step, he can see Emily struggling to stay alert through the smothering sounds of the Louisiana bayou and sickeningly jovial music.
“What was that?” She stops moving and cranes her neck to sift through the chaos.
Jeremy is moving now. He slithers slowly and quietly toward them. He remains far enough away to stay out of sight, but close enough to observe the scene with his own senses. Katie freezes and spins her light in every direction, much to Emily’s obvious chagrin.
“Matt?” she calls out too loudly.
Emily grabs Katie and throws her hand over her mouth, hushing her aggressively.
“What if Cal hears you?!” she whispers harshly in her ear, loud enough for Jeremy to hear.
He’s smiling now. It’s like watching a show. He didn’t anticipate it would play out so seamlessly. Katie and Emily have embodied their roles like actors on a stage.
Katie peels her hand away, shooting Emily an angry look and dropping her light to her side. “What if it’s Matt?” she snarls.
Emily puts a finger up to silence her again and cranes her head to listen. The familiar click of metal on metal. Jeremy pumps his shotgun loudly, becoming a part of the performance.