Nessie

Screech!

The car comes to a jerking halt, a boot mashing on the brakes. She almost slams head first into the steering wheel and grips it with her clammy hands to steady herself. Her heavy breathing mixes with the sound of the engine. A fumbling with the stick shift puts the vehicle in park, in front of the house she's not particularly ready to enter.

Colors of orange and yellow begin to fade as the sun sets, the light dipping below the horizon. A slight glare on the rear view mirror that she tracks with her eyes and gazes at the road she had been speeding down just a few minutes ago.

Caroline is usually a fine driver at best, but she had driven down Hawthorne Avenue like a bat out of hell. Many disgruntled honks and some shouting occurred of course which she hardly registered coming here.

Now, she was here. Yet she couldn't find it in herself to physically step out.

"It's just not possible..." the woman uttered. Blonde locks swaying with the slow shaking of her head. She lets her body almost sink in on itself, bracing against the wheel. "Why...how..."

She stays that way for a good couple of minutes.

Then the car door slams shut and her steps are hasty towards the front door. Keys jingle against one another in a frantic motion, dropping once or twice, before the right one gets into the lock.

Jackie's place should've been a relief but the familiar surroundings make the thumping more painful in Caroline's chest. She leans against the door once she closes it behind her and tries to catch her breath. Eyes wandering over everything while also nothing in particular.

The rickety blinds, still letting some light in.

A television playing some random gameshow.

Some smell of cheap air freshener clashing with a hint of stubborn bleach.

Soda cans on the coffee table, next to the couch that's been her bed for some time now.

The black-haired woman who exits the hallway, staring at her with a raised brow.

"Babes," Jackie starts, stifling a yawn. "What's up with you? Look like you're bout' to pass out or something."

Caroline almost let out a laugh. "I'm about to do more than pass out, honestly." she huffs, finally moving towards the couch and plops down unceremoniously.

Jackie takes some steps closer. "You hungry? Got takeout in the fridge—"

"No, no that's—just sit down, please. We need to talk."

The couch's springs creak now with two sitting on it, one unable to stay still, the other sluggishly stays put. Loud and dramatic sounds coming from the audience on television are quickly muted as a contestant spins the wheel, giddy.

"Talk bout' what?" Jackie asks when Caroline stays silent for a few seconds.

"It's about..." What does she say? What can she say? That in the spur of the moment she went to see their friend? That she left more upset than relieved? That somehow they both screwed up?

A hand is placed on her shoulder, one that she almost shrugs off. Now's not the time for comfort. The couch squeals again. The wheel spins as the constant bounces on her toes.

"Carol. What's wrong? What happened?"

And spins.

"It's Nessie, Jackie."

Spins.

"What?"

Slows...

"She's gone."

It bears no prize. The constant slumps over in disappointment.

---

The car drive is considerably slower this time around. Caroline takes her time, stops at red lights instead of speeding through. She puts on her blinkers to turn instead of swerving like a madman.

It's all tedious and exactly what the two women need.

She spares a glance towards Jackie. The woman is currently stone still as she gazes out of the window. Signs of nightlife roll past as the drive continues, from the bright lampposts to some stores still open. A couple restaurants the three of them used to frequent or bars they would race into for happy hour.

Vanessa, Nessie as most knew her by, always would laugh that loud cackle of hers. One that drew attention from other customers trying to eat or dancers mingling at the nightclub. She hardly cared about it though, for her focus was on hanging out with her friends. Her ride or dies, she called them.

Always ready for a joyride that often led them to the nearest mall. She would strut down the way, peeking at whatever fashion was displayed behind the windows. Which would be carried out in bags the next minute with a swipe of her card.

Nails long and bejeweled, shiny lip-gloss that she repeatedly smacked, the arm of some guy she would always be hanging off of.

"Ness, you bitch!" Caroline had snickered, eyeing the dude from across the dancefloor. Who was fetching Nessie, his proudly claimed girlfriend, something to drink at the bar. "How'd you get Jackson? Heard the guy's real picky with his girls."

Nessie laughed and the sound was almost grating. Perhaps even louder than the thumping music they were dancing to. "You mean how he got me? You know I don't chase after guys, they all come to me." she smirked with a dramatic toss of her hair.

"You're such a whore, Nessie." Jackie added, rolling her eyes. "That's like, the third guy this week!"

"And it won't be the last!" Nessie exclaimed. "Though I'll be sure to save some leftovers for you!" she winked and they all collapsed into a fit of giggles.

There was no changing Nessie. Much to their dismay.

All the memories slowly pass through and settle as a thick swallow for Caroline. A tight frown sticks onto her lips. She glances away from her passenger to focus on the road ahead, stopping at yet another light. Red glowing onto her face, onto the car’s dashboard.

"You okay?”

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine..."

"You're shaking."

"Well, with the bullshit you just told me," Jackie hisses, pulling her jacket over herself with a sharp tug. "I've got every right to be shaking."

"Don't do this, Jackie." Caroline sighs, flexing her hands on the wheel. "Just don't, okay? Because if you lose it, I'm gonna lose it too."

"Go. The light's green." Jackie utters, a loud honk sounding behind them. The rest of the car ride is silent.

---

Wheels slowly come to a stop over the gravel road and the engine cuts off. The asphalt streets of the city and its overall noisiness long drifted away the further they got.

Now, it's just them and the long country road ahead. Clean air mixes with the scent of dry grass. Crickets are probably the loudest thing here at this time of night. Caroline steps out first and she could feel the gravel underneath the thick sole of her combat boots.

Jackie takes her time, a long sigh leaving her lips. The two make eye contact over the hood of the vehicle. Wind rustles the wild grass, the near silence of it all thickens between them.

"And you're sure about this?" Jackie asks, closing her door, a white light suddenly upon her face as the flashlight clicks on.

"You think I'd drive us all the way here if I wasn't?" Caroline grunts, looking beyond the fields. Her eyes snapping towards an opening in the wire fence, where a dirt path leads deeper into the wilder lands.

"No." the woman replies plainly, walking around the car. Her light pointed exactly where Caroline focuses on. They both know the way. "But we said we weren't gonna return here. Not anymore."

"I know." The two depart from their transportation in heavy steps, boots slowly maneuvering from crackling gravel to the dust of dirt. "But we gotta look around. And I don't plan on doing it alone."

A few moments pass and the silhouette of their car gets smaller, just a mere shadow across the thick weeds that scrape against their legs. A rustle of something scatters by, but they hardly pay any attention to it.

Out here at such a time would spook any average person, some wouldn't even dare venture away from the dimly lit and bumpy roads. Nature has this place all to itself, thick and untamed, and hasn't been claimed by anyone for a long time. Left to grow unchecked.

Which was why it was a good spot for them.

"Why'd you even come back here anyway?" Jackie asks, the flashlight angled at the distant way ahead. "Don't tell me you're regretting this now."

Caroline stops her hasty reply of deflection and focuses on her feet as they trek. "Perhaps I just wanted to revisit our handiwork."

That gets a snort out of the other. "The one I had to do most of the digging for while you just stood there paranoid?"

"Well one of us had to keep watch." she insists. "Though...all of that seems pointless now." she adds listlessly and it removes all amusement from the conversation, if there was any at all.

"Are you sure that she's gone?" Jackie tilts her head as the familiar clearing in the bushes makes itself more apparent. They are getting closer now.

"If you don't believe me, you'll see it with your two eyes."

"It just seems crazy, that's all I'm saying. C'mon, how could she just disappear?" Jackie's voice quiets down, a slight hush in her tone. "Are you sure you looked in the right spot? What if some animal messed around or something?"

"I'm sure." she mutters back, soon taking the lead and snatching the flashlight. She quickens the pace, leaving Jackie to follow more closely. "It's all dug up and I think we messed up. Messed up real bad."

"Wait—you can't mean-"

"That's exactly what I'm meaning, there's just no other way."

The two footsteps come to a halt and Caroline pans the light slowly pans over the clearing.

“Look.”

The grave that was dug here, covered with rocks and whatever else they piled on top in a hurry was clearly disturbed. A pit, that once held a battered and bruised body, is hollow. Dirt is scattered around the hole, messy as if someone crawled their way out. Along with a few traces of stones and leaves that trail away from the site.

Jackie takes a step back, her eyes open in horror. "W-What the fuck? How..." she trails off. The girl is lost for words and how couldn't she be?

Nessie is indeed gone.