Chapter 56: Chapter 56

The day had dragged by, and even though Ru had gotten a lot of work done for school, she was constantly looking at the clock. Finally, at 3:00, she allowed herself to go get ready for her date. Kyle was supposed to be there in an hour, and she wanted to look as good as she possibly could, considering they were going on a date that involved hiking through the woods.

At first, she’d thought it was a little odd that he wanted to leave so late in the afternoon since it would be dark in a few hours, but he said he had to help Jess with some stuff in her classroom and that would take most of the day. So, even though she wasn’t really one for strolling through the forest in the dark, she hoped that would mean they wouldn’t be walking long, and then maybe they could go do something more fun. Ru had a few ideas….

She showered and dressed in an older pair of jeans that still looked good. She put on a long-sleeved T-shirt and a sweater that would fit under her coat. Once her hair and makeup looked reasonable, she slipped on some thick socks and the pair of hiking boots she’d found in the back of her closet earlier that morning. It was supposed to be in the lower fifties, so she thought she’d be warm enough, and if she got too hot, she could always take off a layer, though the thought of lugging around her sweater while walking through the woods was unappealing.

Kyle was exactly on time to pick her up, and she hardly got the door open before his lips were on hers. It was a surprise, a pleasant one, and the more he kissed her, the more Ru thought maybe they should just stay at her place. This wasn’t a first date, after all.

“Sorry,” Kyle said, smiling at her sheepishly as he took a step backward onto the porch. “I’ve just been thinking about you all day.”

“That’s okay.” Ru knew she was smiling like a school girl, but she didn’t care. She was completely smitten with this guy. “I’ve been thinking about you, too.”

“Are you ready to go?”

Though part of her wanted to invite him inside instead, a moment of clarity struck, and she decided to stick with the plan. “Yeah. Just let me get my coat. Wait here?” she asked, playfully.

Kyle nodded, still smiling at her broadly, and Ru reached behind the door and grabbed a coat warmer than her everyday jacket. She made sure her phone was in her pocket and then picked up her keys. Once the door was locked, she took his hand and he led her to the passenger side of his car, kissing her one more time before she got in.

The second he was behind the wheel, Kyle scooped up her hand, and Ru found it remarkable how complete she felt already. It was as if her hand belonged in his. “How did it go today, working with your sister?”

“Good,” Kyle replied, turning to check over his shoulder before he backed out of the driveway. “She feels a lot better about her setup now.”

“That’s great. It’s always rough the first year when it seems like everyone else has everything, and you have nothing.”

“Yeah, I think that’s how she feels.” He turned the car so they were headed out of town. “You spent much time out here at Rockefeller?”

“No,” Ru admitted. “I went there a few times when I was in high school. Stupid kids looking for the Headless Horseman.” She almost chuckled, as she had every time she’d told that story in her life, until she remembered what Cutter had told her. What would Kyle say if she told him that the Headless Horseman was real? That she was half-angel? That she had once produced blue lights in the palms of her hands? He’d think she was psycho.

“Think we’ll run into him?” Kyle asked, a crooked grin on his face.

“We better not,” Ru replied, hoping she sounded like she was just being silly. Knowing what she knew now, she wouldn’t be shocked at all to run into a monster in the woods, though. The thought made her stomach restrict a bit. Cutter had mentioned that the Reapers were after her, too. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to be going out into the middle of the woods near dusk….

Kyle glanced in the rearview mirror, a strange expression on his face. Ru wanted to ask if something had alarmed him, but she didn’t. When he did it again, her concern got the better of her. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Fine.” He looked at her and smiled before returning his attention back to the road, but something looked off. As discreetly as possible, Ru looked in her side mirror to see if there was anything unusual behind them. She didn’t see anything, so she decided to let it go.

The drive was only about another fifteen minutes, and while they were riding, Kyle listed off some of the other places where he’d gone hiking. Normally, Ru wouldn’t be interested in hearing about excursions into nature, but if Kyle was reading her the phone book, she’d be fascinated by every nuance.

Even though he was talking about something that interested him, she couldn’t help but notice he seemed a little more tense than usual, and every once in a while, his eyes would shift back to the mirror. Ru thought he might just be an extra-cautious driver, but she hadn’t noticed any of that the other night when they’d gone out. She found it a little odd but thought she must be growing a bit paranoid. Learning that a group of demons was chasing you down could probably do that to a person if they chose to dwell on it a bit.

The trees were growing denser out the window, and eventually, Kyle pulled his car to the side of the road. Ru knew there were actual parking lots scattered around the park, and she thought it strange that he just pulled over, but he turned to her and said, “One of Jess’s coworkers said there’re some really interesting trees back through here. I think this is the right place if I looked at the mile markers right. May as well check it out.”

“Okay,” Ru said, smiling. “Sounds good.” Before opening his door, Kyle leaned over and kissed her, and Ru found herself growing weak in the knees again. She slid her hand up the side of his face and caressed his cheek as his hand made its way up her leg, inside of her coat, stopping near her rib cage. The entire path was on fire.

Just when she was beginning to melt into him, he pulled back. “Ready?”

Disappointed at being cut off abruptly twice in a half hour’s time, Ru reluctantly nodded and got out of the car. Kyle met her in time to shut the door for her. He looked up and down the road in both directions and then took her hand and led her toward the trees.

“Is this Rockefeller?” she asked as they began to wind their way between gnarly trunks. There was no path, no markings, nothing. “The trees look different to me.”

“Rockefeller’s on the other side,” Kyle explained, moving a dead vine so they could get through. “This area butts up to it.”

“Oh.” Ru was puzzled. She thought Cutter’s house wasn’t too far from here, and these trees reminded her a lot of the ones near his old home in the middle of nowhere. Their trunks were crooked and scraggly, their leaves brown and wilted. There wasn’t a trace of the brilliant fall colors she’d expected to see, though mainly on the ground at this point. Still, she continued to follow him, trusting that he had a plan. If there was something in particular he wanted to see, and this was the best way to get to it, she may as well go along.

As they walked, Kyle pointed out different types of trees and other plants to her, but Ru knew very little about flora so she couldn’t contribute to the conversation. The deeper they walked into the woods, the thicker the canopy above them seemed to grow, and Ru realized it would be dark much quicker in here than it would be in an area where the sunlight could penetrate.

“Kyle,” she said, about twenty minutes into their stroll, “it’s getting dark.”

“It’s okay,” he said, smiling at her and squeezing her hand. “You don’t need to be afraid of the dark, Ru. It’s just the absence of light.”

She stared at him for a moment, not sure what to make of that answer. It made sense, though it was a bit deeper than she expected, and though she continued to walk along with him, she was growing more and more concerned with each step. “But… we won’t be able to see to get out if it’s dark.”

Kyle stopped and turned to face her. “What’s the matter, Ru? Don’t you trust me? I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Of course, it’s not that,” she said, seeing the hurt in his eyes. “I totally trust you. I would never go off into the woods with a man I just met a week ago if I didn’t completely trust you.” Saying the words out loud made her realize she was being a complete idiot. What did she know about Kyle anyway? Just because he was incredibly hot, had a gorgeous smile, and knew how to kiss her so that her insides turned into molten lava did not mean he wasn’t a serial killer.

As if sensing she was beginning to grow a little scared, Kyle took both of her hands in his, and looking her in the eye, he said, “Come on, Ru. We’re almost there. I can feel it.”

With a nod, she gave her consent, and he dropped one of her hands and began to walk again. This time, Ru could feel his pace was quickened, and she started to feel like he was dragging her, like he was about to break into a jog. She glanced behind them and saw nothing at all familiar. She had no idea where they had come from, and she doubted she’d be able to find her way out of these woods easily. She had to put all of her trust in him.