CHAPTER 69

"Ugh, that was awful. And incorrect." She looked back down the path at the lake below. "Technically, the kelpie is well-seasoned. We, on the other hand, still need a place for the night."

"I saw a fishing hut back that way." He pointed toward the lake. "Heard they have a vacancy."

Beth couldn't help it anymore. She let out a long laugh, and tears formed in her eyes. The cracks in her mental state had busted wide open, and it took her several minutes to compose herself. When she was done, she wiped the streaks from her cheeks and stood.

"Okay, enough of that. We need to find some shelter for the evening." One last giggle escaped her lips, and she put a hand over her mouth. They had almost died again, and it was either laugh or cry at this point. "So where to now?"

"Keep following the path, I'm guessing." He stood up on the rocks and looked into the distance. "It looks like the trees fade back a bit and it becomes open prairie again. I think we're almost to a plateau or something."

"Oh goodie. Big open spaces, my favorite."

He nodded, and they continued on the path. Every few minutes, they looked over their shoulders to see if the kelpie was coming after them, but Beth hoped that the creature had decided to stay in its lake and wait for an easier meal.

The path indeed led them onto a large plateau. It almost looked like the trees had been cleared away, and save for grass and bushes scattered about, the land was devoid of any other vegetation. Overhead, the sky was darkening, and a loud rumble echoed across the hilltop.

"Oh please, don't tell me that—"

The first set of raindrops bounced off her head and stained the path below. The storm itself wasn't bad, and reminded her of a summer shower. However, they had nowhere to go, and she did her best to pinch her bag shut and keep the valuable texts within from getting wet.

Forward they walked, saying little and keeping their eyes peeled. The occasional lightning crawled across the clouds, and thunder was their constant companion. Occasionally through gaps in the clouds, she could see a shimmering being shaped much like a serpent that ducked out of sight. They both stopped for a few minutes to watch the creature play amongst the clouds, then kept moving to keep warm.

By the time the rain stopped, the sky had darkened. The sun was starting to set over the edge of the plateau, and a bitter chill settled across the land. Mike took off his wet jacket, gave it a hard shake, then wrapped it around Beth, who accepted it graciously.

"Just don't steal any of my glitter," he warned her. "I'm planning a massive arts and crafts project when we get home."

"What about some buttons?" she asked.

"Well... just not the really shiny ones." He smiled, and she suddenly felt warm inside. "Those are my favorite."

"Hey, I've been wondering," she began, but didn't get a chance to finish. The sound of hooves on pavement rolled across them, and they both looked over their shoulders. Had the kelpie decided to come for them after all?

There was nothing behind them. They kept looking, and it soon became apparent that the sound was actually in front of them. In the distance, a horse with a rider stepped around a pile of rocks and paused to watch them.

"Dullahan?" Mike asked.

"I guess. Hard to tell with the sun at his back." She squinted, hoping to see any additional details.

The rider bolted toward them, and a piercing cry reached their ears just as the horseman vanished from view.

"Shit, shit... there!" Mike pointed to a large pile of rocks about a hundred yards away. Before they stepped off the path, he pulled his flashlight out and turned it on, then set it down on the stones facing the way they had been going.

"Don't we need that?" she asked.

"Let's worry about that later," he told her, and they moved into the long grass and kept down. Whatever was hunting them let out another series of cries that sent ice through her veins. The sound of hooves came closer, but that meant it was staying on the path and headed for the flashlight. They were almost to the rocks when the rider reached the light, and they both stopped to watch from behind a pair of bushes.

The rider grabbed the light from the ground without dismounting, and held it up for inspection. The beam traveled along its body, revealing that neither the rider or the horse had any skin.

"Oh, fuck," she swore under her breath. The rider turned its head toward their hiding spot, revealing a single eye that burned with a flame of its own. This was something she recognized immediately from her own monster lore, and when that blazing gaze met hers, she felt her legs go weak. It was a nuckelavee, a demon with no skin. The rider and the horse were the same creature, and had only one passion; killing stray humans.

"RUN!" Mike yelled, and they both bolted at the same time the nuckelavee charged. The rocks weren't much farther, and she spotted a small opening near the base.

"There!" she cried out, and they both changed course. While the nuckelavee might be able to follow them up the rocks, it definitely couldn't squeeze below them. When they reached the rocks, Beth had crouched over to crawl into the hole when something grabbed the back of Mike's jacket and pulled.

The nuckelavee yanked her off her feet, and she fell backwards into the weeds, letting out a grunt upon landing. Mike landed on the other side of the nuckelavee, making it apparent that it had caught them both with its over-sized arms.

She tried to stand, but the wind had been knocked out of her. Gasping for air, she watched as the creature turned its gaze toward her, its distorted grin just barely visible in the dying light of day. It reached its impossibly long arms for her, and she closed her eyes.

Mike screamed.