As they reached the casket, leaves of the lone tree brushed their heads. Welcome or warning, Elizabeth couldn't be sure. She turned on her flashlight and swept it around. Nathan had to be near.
"He's not here. I was wrong. Let's go, Liz," Nora said, tugging Elizabeth's hand.
"Not yet."
Elizabeth lifted her head and slowly spun in place, looking for any clue that Nathan was around. Only darkness, except --
A glimmer by the tree line. Some skeleton-like shape, indiscernible from a distance.
She crept towards it, staying low, squinting in confusion. Nora followed, hands grabbing at her sitter's elbow.
A few steps later, Elizabeth saw it.
Her bike. Propped against a tree.
So Nathan was there.
"Nathan!" she called. "Nathan, where are you? I swear I won't tell your parents, Nathan; just come out, please. Please, Nathan. Come -- come out."
No answer, not even from a bird.
Frustrated, she swept her hair back with her hands and wiped sweat from her forehead. Her salvation was so close, like a word on the tip of her tongue.
She wandered back to the coffin, pondering her options. How did you tell a parent...
Impossible.
They searched a few more minutes and found nothing. They had just made another pass by the coffin when Nora spoke.
"Liz."
Elizabeth was looking up at the tree.
"Liz."
Louder. Trembling.
"What?" Elizabeth said. She turned around. "What is it?"
Nora held something.
"Liz, come here. I found -- I found something."
Elizabeth drew near.
Tears trailed Nora's cheeks. She held up the object, dangling it from her hand.
"Liz. Look, Liz."
It was a blue cap.
Elizabeth took it from Nora and examined it, making sure it was Nathan's.
"Where'd you find it, Nora?"
"Right here," she said, reaching a hand up to wipe away tears. "By the coffin."
Elizabeth stared.
Nora's eyes darted.
"How close to the coffin, Nora?"
She pointed to the coffin's base, then took a step back.
Elizabeth didn't know what to think. Her skin crawled as she considered the possibilities. Nathan would never leave his cap behind.
She reached out and grabbed Nora's arm, pulling her close.
The girl sniffled. "Liz..."
"Don't worry, Nora. Everything's going to be okay. We'll find him."
"What -- where do you think he is?"
"I don't know, Nora."
Elizabeth brought a hand to her mouth.
Nora's fingers tightened around Elizabeth's leg.
"What -- what do you think --"
"Nothing. Can't be..."
There couldn't be. It was impossible. Jason had been joking. That's all there was to it. He was always playing pranks. Maybell was always falling for them.
It made perfect sense.
But...
She looked at Nathan's cap again, turning it in her hands.
"Let's go, Liz," Nora burst. "Please. Let's go. We can ask for help. They -- they can look for him in the morning. I don't... I wanna go home, Liz."
Elizabeth took a breath.
"It's okay, Nora," she said. "We'll leave in a minute. But I have to check something first. Okay? Can you hold on for one more minute?"
"No..."
"Just one minute, Nora. Then we're going home."
She pulled her arm from Nora's grasp.
She approached the coffin.
"Liz," pleaded Nora, tears streaming from her eyes. She stood rooted to the spot. "Please -- my dad will be home soon. He'll help us. He'll -- he'll --"
Without turning, Elizabeth whispered, "We can't tell anyone, Nora."
She knelt next to the coffin. Leaf-shaped shadows dappled the surface. She traced a finger along the casket's upper-right corner, skimming the wood but never committing, as though afraid she'd receive a shock. Maybell had been right when she said it was plain. There were no symbols on the box that might hint at its purpose. Just dark, unsanded wood.
Nightfall had dragged heat down, but it was still present, lingering. Strands of hair fell into Elizabeth's face as she leaned over the coffin. The wood smelled ancient.
When she was ready, she rolled her eyes up to the moon.
Please let Maybell be wrong.
She dropped her ear to the coffin's lid.
Her gaze wandered as she strained to pick up a sound. She wasn't sure what she expected to hear -- an indicator, maybe, that something or someone was in the box, trying to get out. The screams of a man starved for air, the soft scrape of his fingernails against the interior.
But there was nothing.
Nothing.
Only the chirp of crickets and the beating of her heart.
She stayed a few more seconds with her cheek pressed against the wood.
Finally, she almost laughed.
Stupid. So stupid. Of course there was nothing in it. Had the night driven her insane?
She lifted her head and breathed.
No.
She couldn't turn to fantasy. She had to deal with the here-and-now, fairytales unwound. Nathan was gone. He was gone, and neither vampire nor zombie was responsible. The explanation remaining was one she'd tried to ignore, shoved back in her mind. She'd told herself the chances were too slim; even the supernatural had seemed more likely.
Kidnappings only happened on television. Never to real people.
Never to kids for whom she was responsible.
She glanced at Nora. The girl looked pitiful, hugging herself despite the heat, eyes wet and lost.
Elizabeth bowed her head. She braced her hands on the coffin, arms stiff, and replayed the events in her mind.
It seemed unfair. She hadn't been a terrible babysitter. She'd been nice. Despite all of Nathan's whining, she'd been patient. And how does he repay her? Her stomach lurched as she imagined what was happening to him. Who had taken him? Was he -- was he still --
She lifted her head. It was over. But there was still no time to waste.
"Come on, Nora. We're calling the police."
A noise.
Leaves rustling, the crunch of twigs underfoot. From the forest behind the swingset.
Her head snapped around. She could feel adrenaline fly through her body, her muscles tense up. Her eyes felt like saucers as they strained against the darkness.
Someone -- something -- was out there.
"Did you hear that, Nora?" she called, taking a few steps back, keeping her flashlight locked on the treeline.
"What?"
"Did you hear that?"
"No... what? What is it? What'd you hear, Liz?"
"I don't know," Elizabeth murmured. She had backed up to Nora, and now she grabbed the girl's shoulders, pulling her close. They stood for a moment as Elizabeth strained her ears.
Crickets hummed.
She gambled.
"Nathan?" she called. "Nathan -- is that you?"
A dark blur emerged from the trees.
Her heart leapt. She stumbled backwards, pulling Nora with her.
She took deep breaths.
"Nathan!" she shouted.
A pause.
"Who's there?" someone replied.
A young voice. Male.
"It's Nathan," Nora said.
Elizabeth wasn't convinced -- until the voice called again.
"Whoever's there better come out!"
No mistaking that bravado.
"It's Nathan!" cried Nora.
They ran to him. He squinted and threw his hands up as Elizabeth's flashlight illuminated his face. His cheeks were flecked with bits of dirt. Leaves stuck out of his hair. He looked like an animal.
Elizabeth felt a surge of relief, quickly checked by anger. Blood rushed to her head as she clenched her jaw and raised a finger.
Before a word could leave her mouth, he spoke.
"Thank god it's you guys," he said, shooting a glance behind his back. His brow was creased with worry. "Let's go. How'd you get here? Bike?"
"Excuse me?"
"Come on, let's go. Let's jet."
Nathan took off towards the bike he stole from Elizabeth, but she shot out her hand and grabbed his shoulder, twirling him back around.
"No," Elizabeth said. Her eyes dripped venom. "You do not get off that easy. Tell me -- do you know just how bad you've screwed up this time, Nathan?"
"I --"
"Do you understand?" Her voice rose in a steady crescendo. "Do you even comprehend what could've happened to you? Do you know -- do you know how much trouble I would've been in? If I had lost you? If you were kidnapped? Killed? You idiot! Your sister and I -- we've been searching for an hour, wondering where we'd find you, wondering if we'd find you dead, wondering if we'd find you at all! And all you can say is 'let's jet'? When are you going to grow up, Nathan? When are you going to take some respons --"
"Later, Liz, really -- let's go. We'll talk about it when we get --"
"You were hiding, weren't you? You were hiding this whole time! We thought -- we thought you'd been -- you could've been kidnapped, you moron! You could've gotten lost in the woods and died! All for what, some -- some stupid dare?"
"I wasn't hiding!"
"Oh? You weren't? What else would you be doing, exactly?" She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him back into a tree. "Huh?"
Nathan licked his lips. "Liz, I was -- I had gone into the trees earlier, before you came. I mean, I was hiding, but -- I swear I wasn't hiding from you. I prom --"
"Then who?"
"From -- whatever was in the coffin -- no, Liz, honestly, I swear to god, something was chasing me!"
Still taking deep breaths, Elizabeth studied Nathan's face by the glow of the flashlight. She reached down and slapped her leg, coming up with a splotch of blood on her palm.
"You've gotta be joking."
"I'm n --"
"You really have got to be joking. Do you think I'm an idiot, Nathan?"
He glanced nervously to his side.
"We called to you. I had a flashlight." Elizabeth waved it for emphasis. "You heard us. You saw us. But you didn't want to be found, Nathan, and you know what, I don't blame you, because your dad is gonna beat your butt so hard you won't be able to sit for the rest of the summer."
"Listen to me, Liz. I was so far in the woods I didn't hear you. The lid -- the lid moved! I just ran; there was something chasing me. I -- I swear, I promise; you can't tell my parents. Please."
"Oh? And who's gonna stop me? Are you gonna stop me, Nathan?"
Nathan's nostrils flared, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "First the vase, now this? My dad won't like that."
Elizabeth threw back her head and laughed theatrically.
"Good one!" she said. "You really think I care about this stupid job anymore? Nathan, I wouldn't babysit you again if your dad offered me a million bucks."
"He'll never believe you. He won't."
"Oh, he doesn't have to believe me. He just has to believe Nora."
A moment passed without anyone saying a word, and Elizabeth could see defeat on Nathan's face.
"I wasn't hiding from you," he said. "I wasn't. There's something in the coffin."
"Sure."
"Is it a...?" Nora began.
"It's -- Nora, vampires don't exist, okay?" said Elizabeth. "There's nothing in the coffin. I checked, remember? Nathan's just trying to mess with us."
"Did you open it?" Nathan said.
"Just shut up."
"Then you don't know! You don't. Stop try --"
"How do you know?" Elizabeth shot back. "How do you know there's something in there? You're full of it, Nathan. Why can't you just admit you were afraid of being found? Why lie?"
"I'm not a liar," Nathan said. "The lid." His eyes narrowed as they darted towards the coffin. "It moved. That's how I know. And I heard it."
"Oh -- right. A big bad monster?"
"A heartbeat. I heard a heart beating."
Elizabeth forced a laugh.
"Why won't you believe me, Liz?"
"Because you've never told the truth in your life." She pulled him away from the tree and shoved him in the other direction. "Pedal home on your stolen bike. We'll be right behind you. I'm sure your dad can't wait to hear all about your vampire adventure."
"You believe me, Nora, don't you?" Nathan said as he stumbled backwards.
"I don't --" the girl began, but Elizabeth cut her off.
"Of course she doesn't believe you."
Nathan shook his head and spun around. Elizabeth kept the flashlight aimed at his back.
When she was sure he wasn't going to make a run for it, she turned to the swingset. The flashlight beam played across the wood chips, drifted over the tree trunk, and finally came to rest on the coffin.
Elizabeth stared, wondering.
Nora took her hand.
"You really didn't hear anything, Liz? Really?"
* * * *
Mr. Major fired Elizabeth before she had a chance to quit.
Her legs still ached the next day, but she felt a sense of calm. Seeing Nathan grounded for a month had made the tongue-lashing worth it. What did it mean, anyway? Her dreams of wealth had died the night before, and she felt relief at being rid of her job.
The only thing left to do was wait for Nadine to return.
Nathan stopped by Elizabeth's house that afternoon to get his cap.
"Here," Elizabeth said, handing it over. She gnawed on the inside of her lip.
Nathan's eyes looked just left of Elizabeth, avoidant. Sulk pulled at his face.
"Thanks," he said. He turned to go.
"Wait."
He looked back.
"How'd you lose it?"
Confusion slid over his face.
"Lose what?" he said.
"Your hat," said Elizabeth. "We found it on the ground, by the coffin. Why'd you leave it behind?"
Nathan turned to face Elizabeth and shrugged. "I told you."
"What?"
"I heard something in -- the coffin. And I ran. The tree knocked my cap off my head. Not rocket science, Liz."
"Oh. Right."
"Yeah."
"Well, hey, Nathan," Elizabeth said. "At least you didn't back down from a dare."
Nathan's face was blank. "It doesn't matter anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"It's gone," he said, pivoting his foot to leave. He looked up and met Elizabeth's gaze. "The coffin. It's gone. Nothing there but dead grass."
Elizabeth didn't know what to say.
Nathan put on his cap, tugged the brim, and stepped off the porch.
"See you around, Liz."
Nobody mentioned the coffin much in months to come. Elizabeth was again plunged into the pit of summer boredom, and she idled while waiting for more exciting times.
When school started she was overjoyed to see her best friend Nadine come home from Europe. Elizabeth recounted the entire dull summer to her, from Jack the Ripper vs. Godzilla to The Hideous Vulture-Men from Planet D. She was so glad to finally have someone to hang out with.
But that fall, as Elizabeth was grinding away at a homework assignment, her phone rang, and Nadine talked about a story she had heard from Maybell. Something about a coffin that had appeared that summer.
In the park, under the tree.
"What do you think, Liz?" said Nadine. "What do you think was in it?"
Elizabeth paused.
"Nothing," she replied. "There was nothing in it. It's just a stupid coffin."
