Superstition par Veronica Blake

Chapter One

There was a good chance they would die tonight. Tomorrow or next week, maybe months, even years from now, some hiker or explorer would discover what was left of their bodily remains scattered among the massive boulders and prickly cactus. At the very least, they might just disappear without a trace, never to be seen or heard from again, just like all those hundreds who had come up here on this creepy mountain before them.

So what the hell were they doing up here?

Immediately after asking herself that question Dawn was reminded of one of her older brother’s favorite mottos, ‘If you’re not livin’ on the edge, you’re takin’ up space’. Before today that silly phrase had been her excuse for doing daring things like racing dirt bikes and snowmobiles, or hiking to the top of over half of the fifty-eight majestic fourteeners—mountain peaks greater than fourteen hundred feet high—in her home state of Colorado. And most recently, leaving behind everyone and everything she had ever known to start a whole new life here in Arizona.

But now, as she glanced up at the disappearing trail where towering spheres and the jagged peaks of the Superstition Mountains were becoming long ghostly shadows of sinister shapes in the fading daylight, she had no doubt this time she truly was living on the edge…the edge of total insanity.

“Hey, what’s up with all those stories about the evil guardians lurking around here in the Superstitions?” Dawn asked. Thank goodness her voice sounded calm and didn’t reveal the cowardly thoughts making her feel like she wanted to turn tail and run down off this mountain as fast as her quivering legs could carry her. Still, the carefree chuckle she attempted sounded bogus even to her own ears. “You know, the ones supposed to protect the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine from treasure hunters, like us?”

“Excuse me, but we’re called gold seekers in these parts. Why? Are you scared?” Chloe giggled as she pulled her maroon and gold Arizona State baseball cap lower on her forehead. She strapped her headlamp above the brim of her hat and switched on the light. A thin beam lit the area where the light shone.

“Hardly,” Dawn huffed. “But it’s getting dark and I’m stumbling all over the place on this rocky trail. I guess I’m not as sure-footed as I thought I was.”

Chloe glanced back over her shoulder. “Just stay close to me. I know this trail with my eyes closed. I’ll protect you from those creepy demons up here on the mountain, too,” she joked in a menacing tone of voice.

“Um? Sorry.” Dawn chuckled. “A loaded gun might protect me. One of those buff guys at the gym you made me join, they might protect me. But you…” She shrugged as she gestured at Chloe’s slender body. “Sorry, but I just don’t feel all that safe with you as my protector.” She pulled her own headlamp out of a side pocket in her back pack and strapped it around the crown of the tattered white straw cowboy hat she wore on her head. A long stray tendril of pale blonde hair slipped out of the thick braid hanging down her back and got tangled up in the strap of the headlamp. She tugged the flaxen strand free of the entanglement and shoved it behind her ear.

“Okay, Miss Smart Ass. It’s only about another five minutes to the campsite. I think I’m tough enough to protect you for that long.”

Dawn shook her head and snickered in spite of her feelings of rampant fear while continuing to follow her new friend farther into the rugged mountain terrain leading to the spooky interior of the Superstition Mountains. She was reminded of how just a short time ago she had been super excited to make this trip.

For a history buff and avid camper like she considered herself to be this was a unique adventure. But it seemed as if all civilization shunned this harsh mountain range and several times this evening she felt as if they were traveling back in time or had been transported to some alien planet. She was finding it pretty hard to be brave right now.

A couple of hours earlier, they left Chloe’s SUV at the edge of the wilderness area where the road had become no more than a foot trail. Now, they were miles away from the trailhead, and as the fading sun dropped behind the distant horizon, Dawn was feeling a bit out of her element. The mysterious Superstitions here in Arizona were definitely nothing like the lush forested mountains in her home state of Colorado.

“By any chance, did you remember to bring some matches or a lighter? I used up all my matches the last time I was camping up here, and I can’t believe I forgot to pack a new box before this trip. I can never remember to throw a lighter in my camping gear, either,” Chloe said sounding thoroughly annoyed at herself.

“I have a lighter and matches. Oh, and I brought a newspaper to use for a starter,” Dawn quipped.

“Of course, you did,” Chloe replied with a chortle. “I should have known you’d be as organized when you go camping as you are in every other aspect of your life. At school, you put me to shame with the way you have all your lessons planned days ahead and tests graded the day after you give them.” She rolled her blue eyes and added, “I’m doing good to figure out what I’m going to do in class five minutes before the bell rings every morning.”

“You must be doing something right. Your students sure seem to love you.”

Chloe grunted. “Yeah, my kids love me because I let them write about anything they want. You wouldn’t believe some of the essays I get from those twelve-year-olds about farting and belching and puke and poop—”

“Ugh,” Dawn interrupted, “I don’t think I want to know. Now, I know why I chose to be a History teacher. We don’t have to write creative essays because we can’t change the past.”

A sound, similar to a small rock rolling down from somewhere overhead, made Dawn’s feet freeze to the spot. As she peered at the dimly lit ridge overhead where she thought she heard the noise, she was gripped by a paralyzing feeling of being watched by someone—or something—from the tower-shaped rocks jutting up from the sides of the trail.

A fleeting image of a castle from an old horror movie Dawn watched years ago passed through her mind—Dracula’s castle—sitting high on a remote mountaintop where no one could disturb the undead Count who slept in his coffin during the day and rose up after the sun went down to suck blood from the necks of helpless victims who wandered out in the dark. Just like she and Chloe were doing.

Dracula? Seriously? Where did that ridiculous thought come from? She hadn’t watched a vampire movie since high school.

A chill whipped through her body despite the hot temperature of the Arizona night. Cowboy up, Cupcake, she told herself in a firm inner voice, recalling another phrase her big brother, Jeremy, always used when she was acting like a big baby about something, like she was doing right now.

Growing up in the Rocky Mountains of Northwestern Colorado had given both her and her brother a hearty dose of outdoor life. There were not too many things about being in the wilderness that scared Dawn, until tonight, anyway.

In the single ray of her headlamp, she could see Chloe marching farther and farther ahead—her long brown ponytail swinging sideways across her back in a carefree motion from the hole created by the back of her baseball cap’s fastener. It was apparent she wasn’t experiencing any of the terrifying feelings bothering Dawn. But then, Chloe was a native of this area and generations of her family had wandered around in these eerie mountains looking for the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine. Obviously, they weren’t concerned by any of the scary legends about the demons or spirits who were rumored to protect the secrets of the gold mine—the ones that would kill anyone who got too close.

Besides, what were the odds of them finding anything even remotely close to a real gold mine? Still, as she raced up the trail to catch up, she was surprised Chloe couldn’t hear the thunderous pounding of her heart in her chest, because Dawn was certain it was as loud as a sledge hammer crashing against steel in the quiet of the night.

“Almost there,” Chloe called out as they neared the closest summit. She stopped and turned around just as Dawn came sliding to a halt inches behind her. The bright light from her headlamp momentarily blinded her when it shone straight into her eyes.

“Oops. Sorry about that. I didn’t realize you were so close.” Chloe giggled as she pushed the light up to the top of her cap.

Dawn instinctively threw her hands over her eyes and told herself she seriously needed to get a grip on her emotions before Chloe realized how big of a coward she could be. But as she blinked and lowered her hands, a shape at the top of the ridge caught her attention.

“Did you see that?” she gasped.

Chloe glanced up toward the area where Dawn’s gaze was focused. “I was looking at you. What was it?” She turned back toward Dawn and gave her shoulders a nonchalant shrug.

Dawn’s voice wouldn’t work for a moment when she opened her mouth to speak. A grave feeling of dread engulfed all her senses. She wrapped her arms around her midsection and held herself tightly as another shiver rattled through her body.

“I-I don’t know. It was something tall, a person, maybe?” She refused to look up again, fearing she would see Count Dracula with his black satin cape billowing out behind him gliding down from the jagged towers of his evil abode overhead.

Chloe glanced up at the ledge again. She reached up and grabbed her headlamp, directing its narrow ray along the entire ridge and illuminating the pointy rocks with flashes of light. “I don’t see anything. You aren’t freaking out on me, are you?”

Dawn took a deep breath and attempted to act normal. “I was a little spooked for a second, but I’m okay now.” Her trembling voice betrayed her. Perfect. Chloe really must think she was just a big wimp.

An understanding grin curved Chloe’s lips. “I know it can be scary in these mountains at night, but do you honestly think I would have brought you up here if I really believed we would be in any real danger? Seriously, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“I believe you.” She attempted to laugh, but it was more of a weak whimper. So much for bragging about what an experienced camper she had always been back in Colorado.

“The campsite is just ahead. My family calls it our base camp and nothing scary ever happened there for as long as we’ve all been coming up here,” Chloe added with a chuckle.

Dawn exhaled sharply. Yep, no doubt about it. Chloe thought she was a total wuss. She clutched her hand against her crashing heart. Maybe she could still prevent it from jumping out of her chest now they had finally reached the campsite. The limited light from their headlamps did not afford her with a good look at the area where they planned to sleep for the next two nights. But the way she was feeling right now she would be lucky to make it through this first night without crying for her mommy to come and get her.

She squinted and peered in the direction where their lights were pointed. The area appeared to be an overhanging rock ledge at the base of one of the rugged mountain towers; a thought that did not ease her apprehension. It seemed like an ideal place to be trapped by the looming figure she sensed was still up there on that ridge.

Chloe rushed forward without hesitation. She ducked down as she shined her light under the rock ledge. “Looks good under here. No snakes or other unwelcome guests.”

“Oh, I feel so much better now,” Dawn tried to mimic her friend’s enthusiasm and was grateful her voice didn’t betray her again.

“And you were worried I couldn’t get us here without getting possessed by the scary ghosts of the Superstition Mountains,” Chloe said in a teasing tone.

“Ha ha. Okay, I’m better now, really,” Dawn said, doing her best simulation of a brave person. Ghosts or Dracula? Geez. Stop it already. When she ducked under the ledge and shined her headlamp around, she was surprised to see the little alcove was rather cozy.

A full breath was finally able to fill her lungs. She tossed her heavy green backpack down on the ground and exhaled the breath she just sucked in with one big gust. Thankfully, Chloe didn’t seem to notice just how scared she really had been for the past few minutes.

“I hear ya. I’m beat, too,” Chloe said as she dropped her own pack to the ground. “Let’s get our sleeping bags ready and have a quick bite to eat before we call it a night.”

“Sounds perfect.” Dawn wasted no time spreading her sleeping pad and bag out on the hard ground, and even less time collapsing down on it. Her beat-up old white straw cowboy hat was placed carefully to the side of her backpack where it wouldn’t be crushed. She began to unwind her hair from the tight braid that held her long tresses in place while they were hiking.

“Forget food, just let me sleep, please,” Dawn said with a chuckle. Her fingers raked through her pale blonde hair as she pushed the long mass back over her shoulders and let it hang loose and wavy down past the middle of her back.

She had been tired before they even started out on this trip a few hours ago. Her teaching schedule at school had been hectic all week, and they left for this weekend camping trip as soon as the last class of the day ended. All that exhausting terror her wild imagination conjured up out there on the rocky trail stole what tiny bit of energy she had left.

The only thing she wanted right now was to sleep and forget about how big of a chicken she had been a short time ago. She was genuinely disgusted at herself, not to mention so embarrassed. If Chloe never asked her to go anywhere with her again, she would totally understand.

Back in Colorado, she couldn’t ever recall a time in the wilderness when she had come close to being as frightened as she had been just short time ago, barring the night when she and the guy she was dating at that time had a mountain lion attempt to tear down their tent, while they were inside, to get at the food they carelessly left strewn around. As unnerving as that experience had been a few years ago, it was now a great story to tell around the campfire about how her boyfriend’s .22 rifle saved them when he shot over the big cat’s head and scared the hungry predator away.

But what she experienced tonight was in a whole different realm of terror. The sense there was a tangible danger lurking nearby was like nothing she ever felt before and hoped to never feel again.

“We should at least eat a granola bar or something.” Chloe dug through her backpack and produced a box of crunchy peanut butter granola bars and pulled a couple out. As she held one bar out to Dawn, she asked, “Are you finally calming down now?”

Dawn accepted the bar eagerly since the presence of food made her ravenous all of a sudden. She handed Chloe one of the water bottles she pulled from her own pack. “Yes, I think so. But I have to admit, there was a moment back there…” She shrugged as she realized there was no way to describe the sense of complete and utter panic she felt a short time ago. She hoped she could block out the image of a man—or something that resembled a man—standing up above them on the rocks or else she was going to be having some serious nightmares.

“I knew you shouldn’t have read all that ancient history crap before we came up here.”

“I’m a history teacher, that’s what I do,” Dawn said, laughing. “Besides, I found all the stuff about Jacob Waltz, supposedly discovering the gold mine back in the 1860s and keeping its location hidden until he died in 1891, really fascinating.” She realized her hands were shaking a bit as she tried to open the wrapper on her granola bar.

“It was just all the other crazy stuff about how many people have died, or just simply disappeared, looking for the gold mine. Oh, and the ghosts or whatever, that guard the gold mine; those were the disturbing thoughts freaking me out back there.”

Her gaze moved of its own accord toward the opening of the overhanging. It was so black outside of the small areas illuminated by their headlamps, which were now lying on the ground beside their sleeping bags, it seemed surreal. She knew once they turned the lights off, they would not even be able to see their own hands if they held them an inch from their faces. If there was anything supernatural, or otherwise, prowling around out there, they would never know until it was too late. It was going to be a seriously long night if she didn’t stop this crap right now.