Come Get Me (23 page)

“If it was him, why would he wait all this
time before coming for us? Why not just come and get us the next
night or the night after that? Why wait all this time?” Jim was
still trying to figure out how to calm Pete down. Yes, they had
called the creature but he’d never shown. So, if he’d never been
there in the first place how could he come back? “It doesn’t make
any sense that he would wait so long. C’mon Pete think about
it.”

“Think about it!” Pete said sarcastically.
“What do you think I’ve been doing ever since it happened? Why
don’t you think about it?” He must’ve seen the look in Jim’s eyes
because he started laughing. “You don’t remember, do you? You don’t
remember that thing chasing us through the woods for hours. You
don’t remember it disappearing then reappearing right in front of
our eyes. You don’t remember us hiding all night long, playing
mouse to its cat. You don’t remember that the only thing that saved
us was the sun coming up the next morning. It could’ve caught us
any time it wanted but it just toyed with us instead. That whole
thing was just the preliminaries. This, what’s happening now, the
deaths and heads and stuff, this is the finals! He’s back and he’s
already got two of us. What do you think's going to happen next
Jimbo? I’ll tell you what, since the proverbial cat seems to have
gotten your tongue, we’re the only two left from that night so all
this means is that we’re next. We’re the next ones to be killed.
We’re both going to die!” Pete was straining against the guards
grip and laughing hysterically by the time he finished. Jim could
only stand across from him horrified at what he was seeing and
hearing. He didn’t know what to say. He knew everything Pete said
was crazy but deep down he knew it was true. They had been chased.
They had been terrified that night and the only thing that had
saved them was morning. Both Tommy and Rob had been there that
night and now they were dead and not from natural causes like he
kept trying to convince himself. The only explanation left was that
the Goatman was coming to get them and there was nothing either of
them could do about it.

“You know I’m right!” Pete yelled. “I can see
it in your eyes! Time doesn’t matter to him! All that matters is
that we called him and now he’s going to get us. We might as well
bend over and kiss our asses’ goodbye!” his voice trailed off into
insane laughter.

The guards were having a hard time holding
him. They were shouting for other guards to come help. Jim turned
and quickly made his way to the door wanting to get as far away
from Pete’s insanity as he could. Other officers rushed in as he
reached the door. Pete was still laughing as they grabbed whatever
they could to try and restrain him. As he stepped out the door Pete
quit laughing and called to him again. He turned even though he
knew he shouldn’t and looked at the person who had once been his
friend. “C’mon Jimmy, say it with me once more for old time’s
sake!” he yelled as a smile spread over his face. Jim tore his eyes
from Pete and began to shut the door but not before he heard Pete
yelling, “Goatman, Goatman, Goatman! Come get me!”

Jim ran down the hall and out to his car. His
hands were shaking so hard he could barely get the key in the
ignition. Once it was in he didn’t turn it on, he just sat for a
while trying to will his heart to slow its frantic beating. He
slowly regained control and started the car. It roared to life but
the sound of the engine did nothing to quiet the sounds in his
head. Driving off he could still hear Pete yelling the words that
had brought the Goatman after them all those years ago and that now
would surely bring him after them again.

11

Jim started the drive back to his mothers’
house with every intention of getting some sleep before his date
but when he came to the turn off for Jill’s house he took it and
drove down her road. He knew he was going to see her in a little
while but after his disturbing run in with Pete he didn’t really
want to be alone right now. If he went home his mother would just
want to ask all kinds of questions he didn’t want to answer.

He didn’t want his mother right now. He
wanted Jill.

If he was going to talk to anyone he wanted
it to be Jill. She at least might understand a little bit about
what he was going through since she’d heard Grandma’s story. When
he stopped in front of her house he was surprised to see Grandma
sitting on the front porch.

“She ain’t here,” she said as he got out of
his car. She didn’t sound too good to Jim. Now that he thought of
it he hadn’t seen her at Tommy’s funeral either. She sounded tired.
Not wanting to pry he just assumed she wasn’t feeling well. He
couldn’t really blame her what with all the stuff going on. She’d
been close to both Tommy and Rob when they were little. It was
probably actually harder on her since she’d watched them grow all
the years he’d been gone. When he’d dropped Jill off earlier he
hadn’t thought to ask about her and now felt bad about it. She
looked as if she might blow away in the wind if the screens hadn’t
been covering the windows.

“She said she was going for a walk and would
be back later,” Grandma said.

That was a little strange, he thought since
he was supposed to be coming by in a little while to get her for
their date. He knew he was early but he wasn’t that early. His
disturbing conversation with Pete had taken longer than Jim had
thought. The sky was beginning to darken and he worried for Jill’s
safety. Trying to put the unpleasantness from out of his mind and
wanting to find Jill he asked, “Do you know where she went?”

“No, no idea,” she answered. “Just said she
was going for a walk, gave me a kiss and left. I was in the back so
I couldn’t even tell you which way she went. All I can say is she
did.”

Jim looked at the sky. It was getting dark
out faster than he’d thought. Even if she’d left just before he’d
arrived she still would’ve come back before dark for their
date.

“She’s a good girl Jim. She’ll be alright,”
she said seeing his concern.

He smiled at her trying to make her think
she’d reassured him but she hadn’t really helped at all. He was
still worried. Walking out to the road he looked both ways hoping
to see her approaching. He saw nothing. Coming back to the porch
Grandma tried talking to him but soon found his concern for her
grand-daughter out weighed his social needs at that moment. Jim
stayed for a few minutes before his impatience got the better of
him and he stood to leave.

“You take good care of her when you find her
Jimmy,” she said stopping him before he could take a step. “She’s a
nice girl. She doesn’t need to be hurt anymore than she already has
been, so you make sure you take care of her.”

He didn’t know what to say. Were his feelings
that obvious? Had Jill confided something in her Grandmother? If
she had what was it? He admitted things were off to a good start
between then and he already cared for her more than he probably
should this early on but it wasn’t like they were getting married
or something. They were just dating. He was leaving soon too so who
knew what was going to happen then. Maybe nothing, then again maybe
Jill had told her Grandmother something. He wished he could ask but
he knew she wouldn’t reveal anything to him. That would be too
easy.

“Don’t worry Grandma. I will,” he said
instead of asking his question. He quickly walked to his car only
to have Grandma stop him again.

“Oh yeah Jim, I forgot something. That Maria
girl came by looking for Jill about a half an hour before you got
here. Don’t know what she wanted or whether that helps you any but
there you go just the same.” He thanked her and got in his car.

Why would Maria come looking for Jill he
wondered as he drove off. As far as he knew they didn’t like each
other much less come and visit each other at home. He didn’t know
what the problem was other than him. He didn’t want to seem
conceited but they both seemed to have the hots for him. Every time
he’d been around the both of them at the same time he felt like a
fight would break out any minute. Jill usually tried to control
herself and settled for just making a few barbed comments but Maria
acted like she was in heat and he was the only male around that
could satisfy her. He couldn’t understand why she didn’t just give
up and go after Johnny. It was obvious from what he saw that he was
in love with her. Johnny was a good guy too. Maybe she just
couldn’t see it.

Trying to figure out where Jill might be he
slowly drove down the road through the quickly gathering darkness
hoping his headlight would spot Jill walking back to her house.
Unfortunately he reached the end of the road and had seen nothing.
Since he had no idea of where to look for her he decided he would
do the next best thing. Grandma said Maria had come looking for her
earlier. He might not know where Jill was but he knew where Maria
was. If he couldn’t find the one he would ask the other. Hopefully
she knew where Jill could be found.

12

Jim drove through town until he came to the
second of the new restaurants that Maria had said she worked at.
Driving through town was slightly spooky this time of night. It
seemed like it something dead. Nothing was moving. There were no
people about on last minute errands or even eating at the
restaurants. It was as if the town was afraid to be out after dark.
Jim could certainly understand that feeling. If it weren’t for Jill
he probably wouldn’t be out either.

When he turned into the dimly lit parking lot
outside the place his lights quickly picked out Maria’s form
leaning against the rear of the building. At first look it seemed
as if she’d been expecting someone. But that couldn’t be right. She
must’ve just been taking a break. His mind was making him see
things that just weren’t there.

He thought he saw her smile as the lights
pinned her in place but wasn’t sure. He slowly got out of the car
but left it running as she held her hand up to block the beams
shining in her eyes. When he’d first seen her everything had
appeared normal, at least as normal as someone dressed in a
restaurant outfit could look, but as he approached he noticed
something wasn’t quite right. Her hair which was had been perfect
every other time he’d seen her now looked as if a small tornado had
passed through it. Usually she was one of those types that had to
have everything just right and in place before she’d venture out
into the world for all to see but now her hair was hanging down in
her face like an old mop and what he could see of her face was
flushed and pink like cotton candy. Maybe she had found Jill and
things hadn’t turned out the way she wanted. Jill was nowhere to be
seen so he reached into the car and turned off the lights.

As he walked up she tried fluffing her hair
into some semblance of its normal look but quickly gave up when she
realized it was doing no good. Jim saw a flash of red on her
knuckles as she did and immediately suspected something bad had
happened to her. Looking around the parking lot he saw nobody in
any obvious places lurking about but he wasn’t sure about the
shadows. They were dark and uninviting and seemed to be watching
him. Any manner of creature could be hiding there. Even a creature
like the Goatman. Pete’s words were getting to him. Not wanting to
pursue that thought he turned his attention back to Maria.

“The manager was getting a little too touchy
feely,” she said before he could even ask anything. “He didn’t seem
to understand that when a girl says no she means no.”

Jim was instantly relieved. Not because she
had been attacked but because it was by something human. When he’d
seen nobody upon arriving he’d thought for a moment that maybe she
had found Jill and they’d had some type of altercation and that
maybe Jill, had come out on the wrong side of things. Quickly
looking around again he saw no sign of Jill but that still didn’t
mean they hadn’t met. He was still suspicious but since there was
no sign of anything else he had no choice but to accept her
explanation.

“Oh, I thought maybe something else might’ve
happened,” he said.

“Now what else would you think could happen?”
she teased. For someone who’d just been attacked she was in a good
mood. Maybe she was into that type of thing. He’d seen and heard of
some weird things since he’d left town. Maybe they were catching up
to the normal world in ways other than just getting a few new
places to eat. Then again maybe not. Her comment just reinforced
Jim’s earlier thoughts about her being to strange for him to have
anything to do with. If she was into stuff like that he wanted none
of it.

“So did you change your mind about our date?”
she asked hopefully. “Managers don’t really appreciate it when you
knee them in the nuts, so I don’t think I have to worry about
having a job anymore, which means I’m free to do whatever you want
whenever you want.” The last part of her little request was said in
such a way that Jim knew exactly what she wanted. It didn’t get his
interest like she probably hoped it would. Quite the opposite in
fact. Having a mental picture of what she insinuated made his skin
crawl.

“No actually, I didn’t come looking for you
for that reason.” He could almost see her deflate a little but that
wasn’t his concern, Jill was. “I heard that you had come by looking
for Jill earlier and was wondering if you’d found her or not.”