the drinks, a superhuman feat considering the amount of booze they’d put away only a few hours ago. As the steam from the kettle rose, fogging the windows, Marla tried to picture the face she’d seen—or thought she’d seen—on the other side of the glass. Hollow eyes, that’s all she could remember. But even that small fragment was enough to give her the chills. She shuddered, and pulled a small shard of glass from her hair.
“I only came in here for some water. Must’ve dropped the glass. Sorry.”
“No harm done. Here you go.”
Jessie placed a welcome mug of coffee in front of her. Marla wrapped her hands around it, the warmth comforting her.
“You must think I’m such a lightweight…”
Jessie laughed as she swept up the pieces of broken glass in a plastic dustpan.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. Nearest hospital is quite a boat ride from here. On second thought, you could’ve hurt yourself at least a little bit —we might’ve gotten ourselves some quality shore leave.”
Marla’s eyes drifted to the window again. She took a sip of the hot, sweet coffee.
“Could’ve sworn I saw a face at the window. A man, watching me. Scared me half to death, let me tell you.”
“Who was it? What did he look like?”
“I don’t know. All I remember is his eyes—he had weird eyes.”
Jessie peered out through the window, leaning as close as she could to the glass.
“Well, there’s no one there now. I’ve scared myself a couple of times with my own reflection. Happens from time to time, being so isolated up here. And you did drink quite a bit.”
“I suppose so,” sighed Marla, feeling a little foolish. “I’m too used to being surrounded by noisy neighbors, TV sets, stereos. And bawling children.”
“It’s only been a couple of days, you’ll get used to the quiet,” replied Jessie, upbeat. “And if not, we’ll throw a party.”
“No mojitos this time?”
“No mojitos. I promise. Come on, you should get some shut-eye. You can have my bed, I’ll take the couch.”
Marla tried her best to protest but Jessie was having none of it. Leaning on Jessie for support, she sloped into the bedroom and under the covers.
As her head sank slowly into the soft pillow, Marla closed her eyes. The image of the face at the window and those desolate, empty eyes returned to her, keeping her from sleep. Finally her body surrendered to fatigue and she drifted off, her breathing troubled in the still, silent night.
In the other room Jessie sat awake on the couch, watching the window and waiting for the sun to rise.
Security Operative Anders felt the chill from the night crosswind in his knuckles as he walked, clutching the flashlight in his right hand. The thing was switched off as per the chief’s instructions, but the weight of it in his hand was reassuring somehow. His radio was silenced too, again Fowler’s call, for fear of alerting his quarry to the presence of him and his men. Anders pictured them fanning out as they’d been instructed, slowly crossing the dark side’s craggy terrain. His hearing seemed enhanced in the gloom and he turned at the sound of breath whistling through teeth, his fingers clenching tighter around the flashlight. He froze, eyes searching out movement but none was there. Not breath, just the wind. He breathed now, a slow and heavy exhalation of compacted tension, and made his way down a crude stairwell of sharp rocks. The biting crosswind diminished as he descended into the natural shelter of a steep-walled cove, the whistling of the wind giving way to stone cold silence. He listened to the echoes of his own gravelly footfalls, almost deafeningly loud in the still calm, and hurried on down to the cove in order to be rid of them.
Tidal erosion had turned area at the back of the cove into a steep bank the waves couldn’t quite reach. As he worked his way down the last of the rocks and onto the cove’s sloping surface, Anders stopped dead in his tracks. Not a
“I only came in here for some water. Must’ve dropped the glass. Sorry.”
“No harm done. Here you go.”
Jessie placed a welcome mug of coffee in front of her. Marla wrapped her hands around it, the warmth comforting her.
“You must think I’m such a lightweight…”
Jessie laughed as she swept up the pieces of broken glass in a plastic dustpan.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. Nearest hospital is quite a boat ride from here. On second thought, you could’ve hurt yourself at least a little bit —we might’ve gotten ourselves some quality shore leave.”
Marla’s eyes drifted to the window again. She took a sip of the hot, sweet coffee.
“Could’ve sworn I saw a face at the window. A man, watching me. Scared me half to death, let me tell you.”
“Who was it? What did he look like?”
“I don’t know. All I remember is his eyes—he had weird eyes.”
Jessie peered out through the window, leaning as close as she could to the glass.
“Well, there’s no one there now. I’ve scared myself a couple of times with my own reflection. Happens from time to time, being so isolated up here. And you did drink quite a bit.”
“I suppose so,” sighed Marla, feeling a little foolish. “I’m too used to being surrounded by noisy neighbors, TV sets, stereos. And bawling children.”
“It’s only been a couple of days, you’ll get used to the quiet,” replied Jessie, upbeat. “And if not, we’ll throw a party.”
“No mojitos this time?”
“No mojitos. I promise. Come on, you should get some shut-eye. You can have my bed, I’ll take the couch.”
Marla tried her best to protest but Jessie was having none of it. Leaning on Jessie for support, she sloped into the bedroom and under the covers.
As her head sank slowly into the soft pillow, Marla closed her eyes. The image of the face at the window and those desolate, empty eyes returned to her, keeping her from sleep. Finally her body surrendered to fatigue and she drifted off, her breathing troubled in the still, silent night.
In the other room Jessie sat awake on the couch, watching the window and waiting for the sun to rise.
Security Operative Anders felt the chill from the night crosswind in his knuckles as he walked, clutching the flashlight in his right hand. The thing was switched off as per the chief’s instructions, but the weight of it in his hand was reassuring somehow. His radio was silenced too, again Fowler’s call, for fear of alerting his quarry to the presence of him and his men. Anders pictured them fanning out as they’d been instructed, slowly crossing the dark side’s craggy terrain. His hearing seemed enhanced in the gloom and he turned at the sound of breath whistling through teeth, his fingers clenching tighter around the flashlight. He froze, eyes searching out movement but none was there. Not breath, just the wind. He breathed now, a slow and heavy exhalation of compacted tension, and made his way down a crude stairwell of sharp rocks. The biting crosswind diminished as he descended into the natural shelter of a steep-walled cove, the whistling of the wind giving way to stone cold silence. He listened to the echoes of his own gravelly footfalls, almost deafeningly loud in the still calm, and hurried on down to the cove in order to be rid of them.
Tidal erosion had turned area at the back of the cove into a steep bank the waves couldn’t quite reach. As he worked his way down the last of the rocks and onto the cove’s sloping surface, Anders stopped dead in his tracks. Not a
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