Chapter One
TWO YEARS AGO
A meat cleaver goes through Sam’s chest, killing him instantly.
“Damn it,” he says as the bloody words GAME OVER splatter across the screen on his iPad. He unhooks his headphones and glances warily through the window in the door that leads outside to the deck and out to the forest. He stares at the darkness of the woods, and a wild thought of someone watching him invades his mind. He shivers.
He’s sitting on a king-sized bed in a white tank top and boxers, with his legs stretched out in front of him. It’s humid, and despite the best efforts of a fan in the corner of the room on the highest speed possible, he can’t get comfortable.
He doesn’t know why he can’t relax. The only bad things that have happened on this weekend so far have been the man who stared at him and his boyfriend at the Pancake Barn before they got here, and Max’s run-in with poison oak as they were walking back from the lake from their hike. Those can easily be explained: homophobia for the first, and Max’s thickheadedness for the second. Everything else has been idyllic: the drive, passing by towering redwoods and Douglas firs, followed by a swim in Lake Priest, which Amy made sure everyone knew was actually a reservoir. Sam knows he has nothing to worry about, but he can’t get rid of this grim feeling, no matter how much he tries to distract himself. Maybe playing horror games like Hunting Ground doesn’t help, but he loves them too much not to. He does this a lot, watching scary movies or playing creepy games until he freaks himself out to the point where he can’t sleep, picturing all the bad things that could happen to him. An ax murderer could burst through that door, or maybe this house is haunted by a demon that collects the souls of sixteen-year-old boys. Who knows?
Shaking off the thought, Sam opens his most recent Word document, where he has been editing his latest draft of Tectonic, a queer superhero novel he has been working on for the past year. He flips out the keyboard and starts to type. He’s rewriting a big action scene, where Tectonic fights his archnemesis, the Grim Sailor, for the first time. Sam has a whole series mapped out in his head and has moments for books in the future that he already can’t wait to write. And sure, maybe it’s a little weird that he wants to follow in the same career path as his mom, but her being an author isn’t why he wants to be one, he knows that. Ever since he was a kid, he has loved writing more than basically anything. And besides, his mom writes thrillers, and he wants to write about gay superheroes. They’re different enough that he doubts anyone would be able to cry nepotism.
Outside, a floorboard creaks.
Sam’s eyes flash to the door, where a figure stands. Cold washes over him. Then the figure steps into the light of his room and Sam scowls.
“Dude!” he says. “The hell is wrong with you?”
He locks his iPad, then crosses the room to the door, the soles of his bare feet padding against the thin rug atop the hard timber floor.
The boy standing outside, Eli, shoves his hands into his pockets and smiles. Even though it’s hot as hell out, he always wears tight jeans.
“Where should I start?” says Eli.
They both pause.
Eli steps closer. He’s incredibly slim and has cute, elfin features, including uneven ears that jut out and are pierced with black studs. His skin is only a shade or two darker than his skull-white tank, clashing with his cheaply dyed black hair, which he wears long enough to cover his eyes. Most people who meet Eli see this whole look, with the piercings and ripped clothes, and think he’s going to be trouble, but Sam knows he’s a sweetheart. He just thinks people who dress to blend in are boring. Plus, Sam thinks tank tops and ripped jeans are hot.
“Where are Max and Amy?” asks Sam.
“They called it a night. And then there were two.”
Sam feels a smile tug at his lips. Energy builds between the boys, something chaotic and sparkling. Sam likes Eli so much: He likes how bitingly funny he can be, and how charming. Sam’s heart starts pounding, his breaths get quicker. He’s relieved that even after dating for this long, he still feels like this. On paper they aren’t a couple that makes sense—semipopular nerd and emo guitarist isn’t a combo either have heard of, but when the chemistry feels like this, like they’re the only two people in the world right now, none of that matters.
“I have a surprise for you,” says Eli. “Give me ten minutes, then come outside, okay?”
“What kind of surprise?”
“You’ll find out in ten minutes.”
Sam glowers. Eli kisses Sam on the cheek, then pulls a face.
“What?” asks Sam.
“Nothing.”
Eli wrinkles his nose.
“I’ll take a shower,” says Sam.
“Good call. Ten minutes, okay?”
“Fine.”
Eli turns and goes back across the deck. Sam grabs his phone from where it was charging on the bedside table and sets a countdown timer for ten minutes. Holding his phone, he goes through the quiet cabin, crossing a hallway that looks out at a combined kitchen and dining room. This lake house is usually rented out by Eli’s parents on Getaway, and they charge $290 a night for people to stay here. Trying to get a reservation earlier than two months in advance is completely impossible. It’s easy to see why: The cabin is gorgeous and modern, with off-white walls and plenty of tall windows that look out into the magnificent forest that surrounds Lake Priest. He goes into the bathroom, locks the door, and puts his phone on the sink.
Nine minutes and ten seconds to go.
He undresses and steps into the shower. He smells under his arm and scowls. It’s not body odor, thankfully—but he definitely still smells like lake water. He pumps out some shower gel and rubs it into his armpits. He tilts his head back and lets the water run over his short black hair.
Once he’s washed and conditioned his hair, he steps out and checks his phone.
Copyright © 2023 by Cale Dietrich