“He’s pissed that you got the brass ring and you’ve only known her for what, four days?”

Steve sat up, glancing at Joe and biting his lip like he was debating whether or not to admit a secret. “I was Jen’s neighbor until she was eleven,” Steve revealed. “She and my kid sister were best friends before we moved out of town.”

“You’re kidding?” When Steve shook his head, Joe let a little laugh escape. “Really, wow, I didn’t know that.” He shifted and glanced down the hall before returning his attention back to Steve. “I didn’t even know you had a sister?” He wondered what else about this guy they didn’t know -- not that it would matter when all was said and done.

Steve shook his head. “She died,” he said and stretched back down, staring blankly into his book.

“I’m sorry man.” Joe wondered if Bill knew any of this.

* * * *

Steve nodded and looked back at Joe. “Shit happens,” he said, and went back to studying. He heard the door close as Joe left.

The phone rang and he flipped it open.

“I’m home,” Jennifer said. “Still no sign of Bill and Tracy.”

“Thanks for calling,” Steve closed his book. He had to get on the computer and do some more research into the town history and any lore he could find about the lake and Paradise Cove. If Jennifer was right and this thing wasn’t human, he needed to know what it was and how to stop it.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

“You know how hard that was for me?”

“Yes. As hard as it was for me to drive away. I almost turned around a couple times.”

Steve inhaled, letting the last of the aggravation go. “I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ve got that public relations class again, then we can go back to your place and I’ll make you lunch.”

“You sure you don’t want me to cook?”

“No, you live in such a nice place. I’d hate to see you burn it down.”

“I can boil noodles.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you can. Goodnight, angel.”

* * * *

“Good night,” she said, and hung up. She smiled and held the phone to her chest when Bill and Tracy came stumbling in.

“What’r you doin’ here?” Tracy slurred and stumbled forward. Bill caught her before she crashed into the wall.

Jennifer shrugged and waved toward the television. “Watching a movie.”

Bill leered at her with the same expression as the guys at the fraternity.

“Where’s Steve?” he asked, looking around.

“At the frat house. He had some homework to do.” She shrugged.

“Ah,” Tracy said, and stumbled again. Bill caught her with ease. He picked her up and disappeared down the hall.

Jennifer could hear Tracy giggling, which led to other noises she didn’t want to hear. She turned up the television volume and curled up on the couch. She had a tough time keeping her eyes open, drifting to sleep before the next commercial.

Chapter 28

Bill finished screwing Tracy and headed into the bathroom. He came back a few minutes later to find Tracy passed out and snoring. The television still blared down the hall, so he weaved his way to the living room and lowered the volume.

He stood watching Jennifer sleep for a while. Curled on her side with her top leg folded over the edge of the cushion, her dress slipped up her thigh revealing a glimpse of her underwear. With one hand under her cheek and the other arm draped behind her back, her position gave him a full view of her ample cleavage.

The small smile on her lips drove him mad.

He wanted to take her there on the couch. He wanted to feel her skin under his hands, under his body. He wanted to fuck her until she screamed. He crouched next to her and reached for her exposed thigh. Warmth radiated from her, stopping his hand less than a centimeter from her skin. He didn’t touch her thigh, but pushed the dress up a little and reached between her legs, lightly stroking the fabric of her underwear with his index finger.

Her body responded and she moved her leg higher, leaning into the couch and whispering Steve’s name.

Bill continued the gentle stroking, his heart pounding in his chest. He sped up, stroking her to the beat of his heart. If she woke, he would have to silence her a couple days earlier than planned. He continued anyway, despite the consequences, and when she came in her sleep, he moved the edge of her underwear away, sliding his finger inside the wetness. He pulled his hand away. Sucking his finger, tasting her sweetness, he headed back to Tracy’s room, closing the door behind him.

He fucked Tracy’s unconscious body hard and fast, ridding himself of the built up need.

Chapter 29

Jennifer woke up and stretched, smiling at the wetness between her legs and the gratified ache in her muscles. Her wet dream still colored her mind. Steve can even satisfy me in a dream. She turned the television off and headed to bed.

* * * *

When Jennifer came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her, Bill stopped halfway through the dressing room. He stared at her, the feel of her body still with him.

“Oh, hey, Bill,” Jennifer said, brushing her long locks. “How’s Tracy this morning?”

“Hangover from hell. I’m not far behind either.” He scurried out of the room.

Bill drained a glass of orange juice in the kitchen as Jennifer walked in. He smiled at the exceptionally hot combination of the white mini-skirt and blue shirt she wore with her wet hair flowing over her shoulders. “Steve’s a lucky guy,” he said, and he put the glass in the sink.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

Bill raised his eyebrows. “Huh?”

“I don’t like it when you check me out.”

“Since when?”

“What do you mean since when?”

“I’ve always checked you out. You didn’t seem to mind it for all these years.” He walked over to her and lifted her chin so she looked at his face. “Why does it bother you now?”

Jennifer floundered and stepped away from him. “Because the way you look at me is different now. It’s no longer just appreciation.”

“Then what exactly is it you see?” he asked curious to hear her answer.

“Anticipation,” she spat.

Bill let out a laugh. “Your little episode yesterday must have messed with your mind more than you realize,” he said, but his eyes betrayed him as they grazed her again.

“It’s never going to happen.” She stepped away and walked out of the apartment, leaving him watching after her.

“That’s what you think,” he whispered as he slipped on his shoes by the door. He let himself out and entered the lobby as she drove by in her car. “In less than thirty-six hours, to be exact.” He stepped out of the building and into the warm September sunshine. “Anticipation,” he laughed.

She’d hit that one dead on.

Chapter 30

Steve rolled out of bed, grumpy without Jennifer next to him. It seemed unnatural, and he marveled at how quickly the need stirred in him. He missed her and vowed this would be the last time he ever woke up without her by his side.

He scoured the internet for most of the night and came up with some interesting lore but it didn’t enlighten him as to how to stop the horrors happening in Brooksfield.

The urban legends provided the most interesting information. According to some obscure sources, the curse spewed forth from a dying Palawion called a dark demon from the depths of hell to ravage any white man found on the sacred land. For years following his death, the area became a much bigger legend than the Bermuda Triangle, no white man dared to step onto Abinaqui territory.

Decades later, settlers came into the area with a witch doctor who swindled a deal with the demon, promising an annual sacrifice in return for reprieve in the attacks. When the demon took the deal, the lore said he was bound to the contract, which chained him to a small area of the forest as long as the sacrificial rites continued.