Bound by an Echo Read online

  The plane bounced off the runway as the landing gear guided it to a rolling stop. There were more announcements that she chose not to listen to as she collected her stuff. She glanced out the small window of the plane, seeing nothing but mountains along the horizon and the snow-capped peaks gleaming from the setting sun. “Here goes nothing,” she sighed to no-one as she stood to collect her carry-on from above.

  After exchanging pleasantries with the star-struck attendant, and a quick signature on a plastic cup, she had escaped the plane somewhat unnoticed. She only hoped there would be less recognition as she made her way through the rest of the airport. It was nearing midnight, and the traffic within the terminal was sparse. Gift shops were closing their doors, leaving only the bartenders to tend to landing passengers. She had to get a car and find a hotel; hopefully there was availability. Her home was sold long ago, and she had no idea where to stay. She wondered if Rory stayed back; if he waited for her to return. She knew the unlikeliness of him remembering her, but kept her first kiss memory alive. He was so sweet when he told her he loved her, handing her a hand full of dandelions. Laurel was eleven when she left, and now regrets mashing them into his face, turning his cheeks yellow. He was the one that got away, even though she was the one that left.

  With her head down and her hoodie covering her head, Laurel made it through the terminal with no issues. The paparazzi either had no idea that she left, or had no idea where in the hell to find her. This made her visit a pleasure already. She found the car rental counters with one company willing to work this late.

  “How may I help you?” the overly friendly and extremely peppy girl behind the counter asked.

  Laurel smiled, “I need a car for a couple of days, please.”

  The girl, Sammy, according to her name tag, began punching away at the keyboard. Her smile never faltered even as she noticed the line of people forming behind Laurel. “I have a compact car available. That is the best I can do. This has been a busy week, with all of the tourists heading for Crater City. If you would like a larger vehicle, I can have one brought in from another site, but it won’t be ready until tomorrow,” she sounded empathetic, even though I only needed a car for myself.

  “Don’t worry about it, hun. I will be traveling alone, so there is no need for more space. As long as it makes it through the mountains, I will be fine.” Laurel picks through her wallet to hand her ID and credit card over to Sammy, thanking her for her help.

  Sammy collects the info, offers the extra insurance and hands Laurel the keys, “Have a great time in Crater City, Ms. Blackwell.” Sammy sends her to the garage to collect her rental, thankfully not recognizing her.

  Laurel checks her cell for messages that she is sure her agent has left, since she was supposed to board a flight to Milan. There was a text from Anibet wishing her luck, Facebook messages from a few friends, and a voicemail that she chose not to check. Her agent was kind of a bitch, but she got the job done. Now, she needed to find the best way out of this city, and into the mountain areas she used to call home.

  Chapter Four

  Rory

  There was never traffic in Crater until now, which pissed him off. The one day he overslept, was the day he had a meeting and he would be late. These kind of people weren’t the ones you tried to make angry, the best you could hope for is to do your job and keep your head down. He should have been out by now, but somehow every time he tried to break away, something happened and he couldn’t leave. He had thought by opening the business, he would have his way out. He would have an income and not have to depend on the extra cash from his side work. He honked and flipped off some damn tourist. His cell phone rang and he had to search for it. Finally finding it under his seat, he answered.

  “Rory.” He wasn’t big on pleasantries.

  “Where the fuck are you, you should have been here by now. They are all here and waiting on you,” Dale fiercely whispered into the phone.

  “What do you mean they are all there waiting?” Rory was nervous now.

  “Just what you think, the boss is here.” Dale was sounding more and more anxious.

  “I’m stuck in fucking traffic, stall them, make something up, I will be there as fast as I can.” Rory hung up without waiting for his response. “Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!” he screamed to no one.

  If the boss was there, this was a very important job, and he was going to be fucked for being late. He started driving erratically, weaving in and out of lanes, speeding, even driving on the shoulder to get there as fast as he could. Screeching to a halt in front of the seemly innocent office building, he turned the truck off and looked at the time. Thirty fucking minutes late. He hoped Dale came up with a good story, about how he was out saving a kitten from a tree. That didn’t work on these guys. He slammed the truck door and ran to the doors, buzzing repeatedly until someone finally let him in. He didn’t stop running until he was outside of their office. He paused briefly to compose himself, the only thing worse than being late is showing up, looking like you were worried about it. It was all about appearances, and cool, calm, and deadly was the best one to wear. He opened the door and strolled in like he was fifteen minutes early.

  “Well, look who decides to show up. Glad you could fit us into your busy schedule.”

  Rory bit his tongue and kept his face steeled in place. Looking around the room, he finally found Dale standing in the corner. He looked as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop any minute. Rory decided to finally break the uneasy silence.

  "What's the job, Boss? I'm ready to get to work," he proclaimed.

  A deep laugh echoed before Yury spoke. “Yes, we have a job for you boys. Everyone is aware of the Carnival’s anniversary and the twenty-year anniversary of the accident that destroyed the original. You boys are going to help me destroy the new one. It’s bad for business; I can’t have all of these people in Crater City, and keep my shipments under the radar. "

  Rory couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was twenty years all over again, and he was that little boy back at the carnival. The screams echoed in his head; the sickening sounds from the swing, the explosions, the screams from the dying town, and he and Laurel barely escaping death. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t sabotage this one, and cause the pain to others he lived with.

  “Yury, with all due respect, I don’t think we are the right guys for the job. If something else comes up, we will be on it. This just isn’t the one for us.” He wasn’t under the illusion that Yury would just say ok and let it go, but he had to try.

  Again, that deep laugh bellowed out.” I’m sorry, when did I give you the idea that you had a fucking choice in this? Since when are you able to question your assignments? You work for me, and until the day I tell you that you don’t, you will do whatever fucking job I tell you.”

  Rory wanted to argue, but he looked at Dale and saw panic written all over his face. He would have to figure out a way to get them out of this, but for now, he would have to go along with it. He had already disrespected him when he showed up late, if he stood here arguing, who knows what would happen to them.

  “If that’s it, we will be on our way.” Rory turned his back and headed to the door.

  “Don’t cross me мальчик, you won’t live long enough to regret it.” His words stopped Rory dead in his tracks.

  Yury spoke English very well. Russian only slipped out when he was pissed, and he sounded even more menacing than usual. For some reason, the Russian word sounded familiar to him, yet he couldn’t remember where he would have heard it before now. Rory took a deep breath, and with his head up, left the room, only hoping Dale was behind him. He made his way to the truck before even glancing behind him. Dale was walking with his head down, silently.

  “I need to head to the house and get some work done. Can you head to the bar and get it set up for tonight? I should be in later.” Truth was, Rory need to wrap his head around what was going on and what he was supposed to do.

  “I think we need to tal
k about what just happened in there, don’t you?” Dale asked him.

  “We will, just let me get some stuff straight and we can talk tonight.” Rory got in the truck and shut the door, leaving Dale on the outside staring in.

  He started the truck and got the hell out of there. How was he supposed to sabotage the carnival? Laurel’s face immediately came back to him, how terrified she was that day. They never did find out who caused the accidents, if you could call them that, twenty years ago. Not paying attention, he almost missed his turn. Somehow, he had driven to the one place he stayed as far away from as possible. The old carnival site was in front of him. They decided when building the new one, they would leave the over grown ruins of the original where they were. They hoped it would add to the mystery of the new carnival, and bring in more attention. He got out of the truck and stared at the wreckage that laid ahead. He knew he should get back in the truck and go to work, but his feet had a mind of their own. The air grew chilly, and he almost swore it had gotten darker the further he went. Grass and weeds grew up around most of what was left. The bigger pieces of debris were rusted, sticking up out of the jungle growing around it. The rollercoaster stood where it had been, paint peeled away now. Some kids must have spray painted Death Coaster on the sign. He remembered seeing part of the track fall and wedging in the tunnel opening, he could hear the screams dying as only the bodies of the passengers emerged from the other end. He hurried by, trying to put the image out of his head. It was one memory after another assaulting him, he couldn’t walk anywhere and not see someone dying. The one spot that was void of anything, was the spot where he made his first kill, even if he hadn’t meant to do it at the time. He could smell the burning flesh as Laurel’s father was electrocuted.

  He couldn’t do this, he needed to get out of here. He walked faster, obviously getting turned around, because he wasn’t finding the entrance. He reached the spot that had changed everything, and he stopped dead in his tracks. This was the spot he had chosen to save Laurel at the cost of the life of his mother. He dropped to his knees and just stared. His mother was an amazing woman, and he still couldn’t tell you why he had chosen to protect Laurel, except he had made a promise to her and he knew that he would never break a promise made to her. He didn’t know how long he had been there in the same spot, his legs had fallen asleep, and the sky had turned dark. He finally stood and waited for the tingling in his legs to subside before heading back to his truck.

  For some reason, he had no trouble finding his way out this time, even in the dark. He got in the truck and tried to start it up, but the engine just kept clicking. He grabbed his flashlight from behind his seat, went to investigate the problem. The hood wasn’t shut all the way, and when he put his hand down to open it, he felt something warm and sticky. He shined the light on top of the hood and read was written in oil, “мальчик”

  “God damn son of bitch!” he yelled into the darkness.

  He opened the hood all of the way to discover a mess of wires and the smell of oil everywhere. He slammed the hood closed and went to find his phone. Digging in the truck, he finally found it, and made the call to the only person that would understand.

  He answered after the first ring. “Dale, it’s me. Come and pick me up from the old carnival site.” Rory hung up, there was no need to say anything else.

  Chapter Five

  Laurel

  Driving during the night was always more relaxing for Laurel. She pulled out of the garage in her dark blue Kia. The lights from the small airport illuminated the area well enough for her to navigate through the one-way streets on her way to the freeway. The thing about Crater City was, there was one way in, and one way out. The mountain was unforgiving to tourists and locals alike. The roads were narrow and windy, unlike the bypasses and freeways leading up to it.

  Anxiety was inevitable, but she thought it would stay at bay until she was closer. She had a couple of hours to convince herself that she was doing the right thing. There were too many variables to be sure yet. The new carnival may be just fine, maybe there was no reason to panic and think that history could repeat itself. What were the odds? She needed to mentally prepare herself, since she hadn’t been there in twenty years. It had been so long since she had thought about that night; she had put it well behind her. There was no good that came from the carnival being in town. It didn’t open for a week, yet here she was, driving further from civilization and closer to the memories she chose to forget.

  A local gas station had a twenty-four-hour sign flashing in the front window as she pulled into the parking lot. An old Ford pickup was the only other vehicle in the lot. She wasn’t in need of gas, but decided to fill up. She had no idea the gas mileage of this car and didn’t want to find herself stranded along a mountainside alone, with no cell signal. Laurel checked her phone again, since silencing it at the rental counter. There was another text from Anibet, threatening to fly there herself, if she didn’t message her back within ten minutes. That was thirty minutes ago, so she safely assumed Anibet was sleeping by now. She sent a quick response, assuring her everything was ok and that there was going to be spotty signals for the next few hours.

  With that finished, she climbed from the car with her purse in hand. She wanted more caffeine if she was going to stay awake for the drive through the middle of nowhere. Crater City wasn’t a very large town, it probably only has ten more people living there than when she lived there. Population – Five hundred and ten.

  The bell on the door alerted the half-asleep man from behind the register. He nearly fell off of the chair when she entered, “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you!” Laurel tried to apologize for her entry and was quickly quieted

  “No, ma’am. It’s been a long night out here; I haven’t seen a soul in a while. What can I get for ya this eve?” He gave her a once over, before sitting back in his chair.

  She glanced around the small shop, looking for the coffee pot or a can of something full of energy, “Ya know, I could really use some coffee,” her accent was becoming more and more obvious the more she talked to the locals. Years of a voice coach down the drain in the matter of a couple of hours. “Caffeine, please,” she corrected herself and her accent, just to prove she could.

  He pointed towards the corner, “Against the back wall, you’ll find some of that bottles frap-a-carp you young ins are calling coffee, or there a pot of full strength on the counter behind you.”

  Laurel was really starting to like this guy. She loved this area, no one was here to impress, and she was pretty sure none of the locals would recognize her. Her cup was filled to the rim with the black liquid that she so desperately needed; no sugar or cream, just strong.

  “What do I owe you?” She reached into her purse for cash when his arm reached across the counter.

  “Honey, that stuff is the devils’ dirt. You go on and enjoy that, now. It’s on me.” With that, he sat back in his chair and unfolded the newspaper. She thanked him and got back on the road with the ‘devils’ dirt’ in hand.

  Fewer cars passed her the further away from the city she was. The darkness was overwhelming in comparison to the bright lights of LA. She remembered how pretty the lights looked from the mountainside at night. She used to sneak out and run to the cliff with Rory. Before she left, they would wait for a clear night and look out over the tiny Christmas lights that decorated the ground a hundred miles away. Most of the locals rarely made it out of Crater City. They watched from above as other left and never returned. With the carnival coming back, Laurel was sure there was going to be a boom in business, but for how long?

  Nearing the end of her two hour drive up the mountainside, Laurel was wide awake and aware of everything, including the knocking under the hood of the car, “What the fuck?” she whispered to herself as the car began sputtering. There was plenty of gas and no reason for there to be a problem, which is why she rented a car in the first place. She pulled over to the side of the road, careful to avoid the cliff. She
had no idea how far up she was, but thankful there was a shoulder for her to park on. She got out of the car, not wanting to be in it if someone wasn’t paying attention and missed it. Falling to her death wasn’t exactly her idea of a great time.

  Her cell flashed ‘no signal’ as she pushed buttons, hoping that she was reading it wrong. Of course there is no signal, she thought as she cursed under her breath at her cell phone.

  She was stranded on the road, no cell phone and in the most dangerous parking space she could imagine. She walked to the side of the cliff and looked down, “Yep, I am not going to survive tonight.”

  Surrendering to a long walk, she grabbed her purse and slammed the door, listening to the lonely echoes against the rocks. Following the last of the reverberated sound was another conflicting noise. Another car was close. Laurel had no idea what to do. Welcome a ride from a complete stranger, or take her chances with the wildlife that she feared even as a child. She backed against the other side of the road so she wouldn’t get run over. The roaring engine was getting closer and she prayed that there was no serial killer driving it.

  Headlights shown, illuminating her bumper, since she left the headlights on to give her some light, it was obvious the driver was climbing the road. She held her breath as she waited. Praying they would continue on or stop was a conflicting decision. She wanted help, but she wanted to be safe, too. The blue truck she saw at the gas station pulled up behind her. Waiting for the driver to climb out was the longest thirty seconds of her life. She thought, for sure, the old man would fall from the drivers’ seat, but she was definitely wrong. He was not old, and not missing the teeth that the attendant was. He was exactly what she didn’t need to have finding her on the side of the road.

  His fitted flannel shirt was unbuttoned a few from the top, fitted jeans that showed wear in all the right places, and hair that screamed ‘Fuck me’. She didn’t need this distraction right now. She came to suffice a fear of the new carnival; that was it.