Devil's Elbow

Act I: Chapter 3

As the sun began to set at dusk, Shani smiled at the group as they pulled out the beers and started the campfire. “Cole, Kodi, Seth, one of you give me a lighter please?”

“Here bud,” Cole flicked his zippo over and Shani started the fire. “Okay for the sake of the ladies, we are gonna be splitting into three tents. Three guys in one, two in the other and the girls in yours, Mica.”

“Sounds fair to me. Who’s ready for s’mores?” She asked, smiling at the boys.

“Jus’ after this blunt!” Kodi smiled from the log he and Seth were sharing.

“Well I am hungry so... me?” Vincent grinned, finishing unpacking his stuff inside his and Shani’s tent. “Same,” Shani smiled.

“How do you want it, slightly burnt or cooked?” She asked the two, looking at Shani.

“Nuke it.” Vincent smirked and Shani shrugged. “Light for me.”

“Well you can do it yourself sir,” She smirked, walking past him going to Vincent to give him his s’more.

“Damn, that is cold.” Shani smirked as Vincent just shrugged with a s**t-eating grin.

“Now’s as good a time as any, Mr. Perry.” Gavri smiled as she walked up to him with her hands behind her back.

“Likewise, Miss Nelaon.” He smirked, referring to Cole, who she still avoided like he was the plague.

She sighed and clenched the bridge of her nose. “Fine, but so help me DeShan Perry, if you don’t attempt to ask her out, I am calling all rights to whooping your ass, deal?”

“Deal.” He smirked as she poked him at the button of his nose warningly before walking off.

As the gang all circled around the campfire. “So has anybody got some horror stories?” Shani asked.

“I do.” Kodi grinned. “Now, as you guys recall, most of Washington belonged once to the Native Americans of the Pacific Region, people who held onto the belief that life didn’t just end here. It passed on into the next realm like animals,” he said, inhaling a small puff from his pipe.

“Once there was once a man, a Native American, who went by the name Taryn Cloud, a name of his own choice. Most friends called him Cloudy, not just for his name, but also for the fact the man had a spacy, wandering mind. Always on the move and looking for adventure.” He smirked. Everyone laughed at the nickname and he chuckled as well. “Laugh all you want, but this guy, Cloudy, eventually strolled down hearing a stream running down the hill he was lumbering on. He went down to see it and gazed at this stream that ran white from foam and was mesmerized.” Kodi said before his tone became more darkened.

“But when he saw something move in the water, Cloudy decided to look further into the water. Where a giant monster scooped him up and pulled him into the waves as he screamed.” He said to the group who went silent, the crackle of fire being the only thing heard in the forest.

“Later, his friends went in search and found his body, mangled beyond recognition. Were it not for his tribe’s talisman that he wore at all times, it’s most likely no one would have recognized him. His brother Qineukette, or Quinn for short, saw his spirit and warned him of the creak's predator, a wraith unlike any he had ever seen that snatched those who fell under the stream's trap. To this day, no one has gone back and fears the stream of Silva to be dangerous where Natives warn others to never visit.” He finished sighing.

Everyone was silent before Cole finally broke the ice. “Man I am gonna have to quote Stephen A Smith here; Stay off the weed-”

Cole didn't have time to finish as a wolf howled not far from the camp, causing Mica to look up, spooked by the sound. Shani didn’t seem at all bothered and smiled at her. “Scared?” He asked.

“Me? Scared? No.” She smirked, composing herself quickly embarrassed. “Uh-huh.” He said not buying it and earned a punch. Gavri rolled her eyes at the two and looked at the fire thoughtfully, wishing her fiance was there.

“I wonder though, if there is a life after this one,” Gavri smiled at the sky.

“The only way to know is to die, and dunno about you guys, but I’d rather live for forty more years, thank you.” Cole chuckled, with Shani and the group joining except for Gavri, who just looked at him making him frown before looking away.

“Well if it is all the same to you guys, Imma go stretch my legs before it gets dark.” Shani smirked as he stood and moved into the forest.

“How about I join you?” Mica offered, making him pause from drinking his beer. Swallowing it and turning, his eyebrow crooked up at her. “You want to… join me?” He asked.

“Well, we heard wolves. It's best not to go alone, so yeah, can I join you?” She asked.

“He’s probably scared of cooties more.” Kodi teased, making the others laugh as Shani slapped the back of his head.

“Funny, assholes. All of you, really.” He smiled sarcastically, trying to soften the low blow Kodi gave and shrugged. “Sure if you can keep up.”

“Keep up with you? Who was ahead of everyone on the hike?” She asked him. “Who had less crap to carry?” He asked right back.

She looked up and shrugged. “Good point. Okay then let’s go then, Mr. Big and Lean.” She mocked and walked ahead, making him roll his eyes before following.

As they left, Gavri smirked and then frowned just as quickly when Cole moved beside her. “Gavri, can we talk for a second?” He asked.

She blinked and remembered her deal with Shani about giving Cole a chance and sighed. “Fine, come on.” She said and led him to the back of the girls' tent and crossed her arms, c*****g her hip to the side. “Three minutes. No more, no less.”

“Fair I guess… I wanted to say… I am sorry. About us, what I did, what I shouldn’t have done in the first place-“

“Two and a half minutes.”

“Look, I know you hate me. To be frank, you have every right. I don’t deserve any forgiveness, but Shani told me about your engagement to Austin. That’s his name, right?”

“It is, and if you are going to try and tell me to call it off Cole, or anything on those lines, so help me-“

“What? No, I was actually gonna say the guy is lucky to have you.” He said defensively, making her narrow her eyes. “Explain,”

“Look, we may have not worked out, but I am not too stupid to notice you are a different kind of special person-”

“Not special enough when you did what you did.” She retorted, to which he sighed annoyed.

“Just let me talk, damn it!” He sighed, to which she waited patiently for him to continue. “Look, you make anyone who sees your love feel better than they are. Now you can go on hating me, but I just wanted to wish you well.” He said and began to walk off. Gavri stared stunned at the maturity and needed to know one more thing. “Cole,”

He paused as she called his name. “You weren’t anywhere near this mature when we were dating. What changed?”

“Honestly? I had a great friend who decided to beat the damn sense back into me.” He said and she couldn’t hold back the chuckle.

“Shani?”

“Shani.” He smiled, turning his head. She then walked over playing with her thumbnail and pecked his cheek. “You are forgiven… dipshit.” She said and walked ahead, leaving Cole speechless before he walked back smiling that they were friends again and looked at Vincent and Seth. “Where’d Kodi go?”

“Said he had to take a piss.” Vincent shrugged, drinking his cerveza.

As they strolled, Shani couldn’t help but give small glances at her. “So how have the years been, Mica?”

“They’ve been. School has been a nightmare though. Tuition is a b***h without a scholarship.”

"That why you took up photography?"

"Have to pay the bills somehow, freelance work is the perfect fit." She smiled.

"I know what you mean," He sighed, since he had to take a break from writing as well. “Kinda makes you wish we focused more on school, huh?” Shani asked, smiling as they climbed a hill.

“We? You were always focused inside of McCarron’s class.” She smirked. “s**t, not Krueger’s. I kept passing out. Thought he was gonna hit me with his stick”

“That’s because you hate politics.” She smirked. “Yeah, hate because everyone there is a tool. Now we have Trump-a-dump running for president, and I can't tell where this country is going.” He smirked.

“Touché,” She smiled. “So, has school been well?” She asked.

“Yup, I'm getting into film school and am graduating in a few months.”

“Ah Shani, that’s great! You still do those voice impressions you did in high school?” She asked happily.

“You mean the villains?” He asked, smiling.

“Yeah! You would always be Freddy Krueger or Ghostface, just scaring everyone. It was hilarious!” She smiled, shoving him.

“One was you, you know.” He smirked. “Yeah, but what girl doesn’t like a good thrill?” She smiled.

“Normal ones?”

She punched his arm, smiling. “Asshole.”

“Just saying, you are a unique kind of girl,” He smirked, making her arch a brow. “Explain.”

“Well for one, you are the only one who, out of every girl I met that f***s with pineapple on her pizza, but will hate eating pineapple alone,” he smirked. “You have the attributes of a tomboy but the looks of a goth girl introvert. And for a girl who loves to read books and stay at home most of the time, you are not afraid to go out and have an adventure every now and again.” He said, surprising her.

“What made you see all that?” She asked curiously. “I am paying attention. Does that answer work?” He asked, smiling at her.

She just smiled, looking in his eyes for a few moments before answering. “Better than most I have heard.” She smiled and went to the springs.

“Mica, what are you doing?” He asked curiously.

“Going for a swim. Wanna join?” She asked, smiling, making him go silent and if his cheeks could change color, it would most likely be red.

“Thought you wanted to explore?” He said, trying to temper his voice.

“And we are.” She smiled, taking off her tee-shirt and walked in only a sports bra and shorts into the water.

Shani blinked and sighed, wondering if he would regret it, and began to undress.

When Mica turned to look at him as he did, she saw that despite his lanky and slim appearance, Shani was actually pretty toned with lean muscle. Walking in only his boxer briefs, he was surprised how temperately warm the water actually was.

“Feels good.”

“Sure does. Always believe the woman about everything.” She smiled at him as she moved closer.

“Did the last boyfriend do that?”

“Nah, that is why I fired them from that job.” She smiled, making them both laugh. “What about you Mr. Perry?” She asked him.

“What about me… what?” He asked, confused, raising a brow.

“Well... you know how the first one went.” He said, smiling sadly.

Five years earlier…

Shani heard a knock on his door and didn’t answer. “Whoever it is, f**k off.”

“Shani, it's Mica.” She said, making him lift his head curiously.

“Can you open the door? I want to talk with you.” She asked kindly and he went to the door.

When she looked at him, his face rang with depression. “Gavri told me about what happened to you with Nina. You okay?”

“Feel like a ray of sunshine,” he said, rather sarcastically. She frowned and hugged him close, seeing he could use one badly.

He blinked wide-eyed and he returned it slowly. “You didn’t deserve her breaking up with you like that.”

“By simply walking away without even telling me what I did wrong? Does anyone?” He asked her.

She smiled sadly and shook her head. “I hope you find someone that can help you get past it.”

I already have… If you only knew…

Present…

“Yeah… still miss her?” She asked honestly.

“Sometimes. But to be honest, I have gotten past it…” He said.

“Yeah? How?”

“As Gavri kept saying, “There are better fish in the sea.”” He smiled. “Or perhaps in… a spring?”

She arched her brow with a smirk. “DeShan Perry, are you… propositioning me?”

At the use of his full first name, Shani could feel the cringe on his cheeks.“One, call me Shani. I always feel like I am in trouble when people say my full name.”

“And you don't think you are? You could be.” She responded coyly. “And two?”

“Depends if the fish is reciprocating?” He asked jokingly.

She smiled and moved forward to the center where he stood.

“She may be.” She smiled.

He smirked back and leaned in to kiss her. She then met him halfway and kissed him fully. The moment they did, he held her neck gently and moved his other hand to her back before she stood on her toes to get closer. Within this timeframe, he couldn’t keep his excitement in check and nipped her neck tenderly, making her gasp lightly.

But before they could go any further, a scream in the night kept them from going further and both turned to the sound holding each other as chills filled their bones. “The hell was that?” Mica asked.

“I dunno but… it almost sounded like Kodi.” He said as the sun vanished from the sky.

Unaware to the whole gang, however, as the sun vanished and the night began... a force awakened from the forest's depths. And it was ready to feed.