before he kills us.”
When Tyler took another step back, Jeff noticed he had his shoulders hunched up as if he was preparing to attack.
“That’s why I came out looking for you,” Tyler said. He still sounded like he wasn’t getting enough air into his lungs. “You gotta talk to him.”
“Are you out of your mind? I’m not gonna talk to him. I’m gonna kill him as soon as I get the chance.”
“No, no,” Tyler said with a firm shake of the head. “It’s not like that. You don’t understand. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can talk to him … reason with him.”
Jeff glanced up and down the trail again and then looked into the dark woods. Although Ben wasn’t nearby, Jeff could still sense his presence.
He’s out there … right now … watching us … listening to everything we say …
Is he already aiming his gun at me? … Is he going to shoot me in cold blood?
The night crackled with tension as Jeff and Tyler faced each other less than six feet apart. Jeff didn’t doubt he could beat Tyler hand-to-hand, but he didn’t want to fight him. All he wanted was to get off this goddamned island with Evan. If he had to hurt or kill Tyler to do that, then he would without a second thought.
“No,” Jeff said, his voice a deep, animal growl. “It’s you who doesn’t understand.”
“Just talk to Evan. You’ll see. He can be reasonable. He’s just … he was confused. He didn’t mean to kill Mike. The gun went off accidentally.”
“Jesus, Tyler! You don’t even know. That’s not Evan. Evan Pike has been a prisoner out here. That guy you think is Evan is really Ben Foster.”
“Ben Foster?”
“Yeah. Jimmy Foster’s younger brother. And he plans to kill us because he blames us for what happened to Jimmy.”
A look of genuine shock spread across Tyler’s face. Then he frowned and shook his head as though struggling to deny the truth of what Jeff said.
“He had Evan tied up in the fucking storage closet in the infirmary. He was going to kill him after he killed the rest of us … even you, Tyler.”
“No. No. That’s not true. That’s not what he told me.” Tyler’s face contorted with the effort of trying to accept what Jeff was telling him. “He wants to explain how it was all a misunderstanding … a terrible misunderstanding.”
“I saw him kill Mike,” Jeff said. “He pointed the gun at Mike’s head, counted to three, and shot him point blank. And he shot at me. You must have heard the shots. And he’s gonna do the same thing to you if you don’t help me get off this island and notify the police.”
“You know where Evan is?” Tyler asked, his voice lifting with hope. He took a step closer to Jeff, but Jeff backed away, maintaining the same distance between them.
“I did.” Jeff was surprised how easily the lie came to him. “But when I went back to the infirmary, he wasn’t there. I don’t know where he is now and, frankly, I don’t give a shit. All I want to do is get out of here. Are you with me?”
Tyler’s expression glazed over as he lowered his eyes and shook his head as if what Jeff had told him was too much to handle. His body started to tremble, and he looked like he was about to drop.
“I’m telling you, man,” Jeff said, resisting the impulse to step forward and help support him. “That’s not Evan. He’s got you fooled. He fooled all of us. He’s using you to trick me into giving myself up.”
“No … no,” Tyler said, raising his head and glaring at Jeff. His mouth was a firm, bloodless line. “He promised me he’d let me go.”
“He what—?”
Tyler took another step closer. This time, Jeff didn’t back away. As they glared at each other, neither one of them said a word. Jeff stretched out his senses out to the night, listening … and smelling … and looking …
And the night spoke to him, talking to him in ways he had never experienced until tonight.
He knew that the immediate area was safe, at least for the time being. Ben wasn’t nearby, but he wasn’t far off.
And he’s coming for me.
The thought send a tingling chill up Jeff’s spine. He experienced a heady rush that made him feel giddy.
He thinks I’m a fool … He thinks he can trap me …
Jeff snorted and almost laughed out