Page 5 of Coveted By the Bear

I tied Bobby off at the nearest tree and ran for the bear. I yanked and pulled on its tail until the body gave a little, then used the momentum to drag him as best as my weakened body could manage. I made it about ten yards before my shaking legs refused another inch. I kicked leaves over the animal to help mask the smell, but it wouldn’t do much. I tried Bobby again. He made it close enough to Caleb, but he sure as hell wasn’t gracious about it.

“Caleb,” I wheezed, finding it increasingly difficult to catch my breath. “Caleb,” I tried again as I shook his shoulder gently.

He groaned.

I looked up to the sky. “A little help?” I asked to no answer. It was probable that I’d placed one too many flaming bags of dog turds on God’s doorstep to earn any assistance.

“Just you and me,” I said to Caleb whose eyes rolled back and forth under his closed eyelids.

Hands under his arms and pull.

Rest.

Pull.

Rest.

Pull.

Bobby backed up.

I cursed.

Dragged Bobby closer.

“Caleb!” Teeth gritted against the effort of propping him up.

Caleb yelled in pain.

“Help me get you up, and you can pass out on me again,” I implored.

Caleb’s knees bent and his muscles moved and twitched just enough to get him standing and leaning against Bobby.

Bobby shied.

I cursed again.

Caleb grunted in pain and effort as he hoisted himself upward.

He passed out lopsided.

I pushed him onto a sidestepping Bobby.

I clambered on, clenched the saddle horn, and swallowed a sob at how pitiful my body felt.

Squeezing Caleb in place with my knees, I held on tight. “Bobby, home.”

I kept staring at the blood stain on Bobby’s neck. It was such a stark contrast to his light gray coat. In any other situation, the colors together would have struck me as beautiful. Not today, though. I would never forget this ride for the rest of my life.

When we finally made it back to the house, we slid off the saddle together like we had no bones at all. I lay curled in the dirt beside Caleb’s still body. I wretched over and over until my stomach was empty, but my stubborn body tried one more time to the same result. My hands shook so badly, I had trouble using them. Cold sweat dotted my forehead, and the edges of my vision blurred. Maybe Caleb McCreedy and I would die here together in the dirt in front of this old haunted house. The thought of it made the corners of my lips turn up in a pained smile.

He was no Romeo, and I couldn’t be further from Juliet if I tried.

I crawled up the stairs and stood unsteadily to let myself in the house. For the hundredth time, I searched the pantry in the kitchen for something to eat. Anything that would keep me up and useful to Caleb. It was empty, as it had been for days. I didn’t even try to check the old fridge. The generator had gone out three months after Uncle Brady died, and I hadn’t been able to figure out a way to fix it. I suspected the smell of that fridge alone could kill me. The door stayed firmly shut.

I was going to pass out soon, but Caleb couldn’t just lay there in direct sunlight. With the last bit of my strength, I dragged him up the stairs and into the front room of my uncle’s house. Caleb was probably dead already. I fell hard on my backside and lay down in defeat. I’d fought it longer than I thought I would’ve been able to.

Caleb lay there, face up in my living room. I tried to see if he was breathing but my attention was pulled in all directions, and it was hard to focus. I closed my eyes and opened them slowly. They grew so heavy, I couldn’t keep them open any longer.