Draugr Read Free

“Morning!” I said, waving, but he continued to glare. We hurried past. Were all the locals like this?
    â€œI shoulda mooned him,” Michael said when the cabin was out of sight. “That woulda given him something to stare at.”
    Angie laughed. “Or scared him back into his home, at least.”
    â€œHey!” Michael gave her a friendly shove. “It’s an honor to see my bare—”
    â€œI don’t want to hear this!” I interrupted. “There are some things I just don’t want to picture.”
    Both Angie and Michael started chuckling. “Okay, okay,” Michael said finally, “no more butt jokes for the rest of our holiday.”
    I sighed. We continued on, going past more cabins, some of them huge, with three levels and three-car garages. But the farther we went, the smaller and older the buildings seemed to get, until we passed two or three in a row with broken windows and lopsided doors and no sign of anyone living inside.
    A few steps farther and we found a group of cabins whose roofs had collapsed. There was a swampy smell surrounding them and it was darker here, as if the light couldn’t quite reach this place. I was starting to feel a little edgy. It looked like this part of the lake had been abandoned.
    We kept walking. Soon we found ourselves away from the lake in a little clearing with a small stream. There were no footprints, paths, or signs of buildings. It was warm and muggy, even though the trees were now casting thick shadows across us. I heard frogs croaking up a storm, but they clammed up as we approached.
    We wandered farther into the clearing. Feeling like a rest, Angie and I sat on a log and stretched our legs.
    â€œI’m going to catch a Kermit.” Michael rubbed his hands together. “Maybe we can have frog legs soup for lunch.”
    â€œOh, gross,” I said.
    â€œI hear it tastes like chicken,” Michael said over his shoulder and went wandering off.
    â€œHis brain gets smaller every day,” Angie pointed out.
    I laughed. “Yeah, sometimes it’s hard to believe we’re related.”
    Angie smiled.
    I couldn’t. Because I suddenly had this strong feeling that something was wrong here. That we were in danger.
    A moment later Angie gave me a funny look. “You sick?” she asked. “How come your face is so pale?”
    â€œI . . . I don’t know,” I said, looking around the clearing. Everything looked normal. “No reason, I guess.”
    A second later, Michael called out, “Hey, get off your butts and get over here. I found something cool.”
    â€œI’m kinda frightened to see what he thinks is cool,” Angie whispered. She got up and started on the way to where Michael was standing. It took me a moment to stand; the effort left me exhausted. I had to struggle to catch up with Angie.
    â€œIt’s a path,” Michael announced when we got there.
    â€œI can see that, Sherlock,” Angie answered. She was bent over, tightening the laces on her boots. “The question is . . . where does it go to?”
    â€œI don’t know if we should . . .” I started. “. . . uh, guys.”
    They were already heading down the path. I followed. At first the trail was straight and easy, but within a few hundred yards it twisted around the hills and led deeper into the trees. I was pretty sure I could find my way back, but I wished I had a long spool of string to trail behind us like they did in all the fairy stories.
    â€œI’m glad I brought my hiking boots,” Angie said.
    â€œMe too,” I answered. My feet felt safe in the big, thick Hi-Techs. Like I could climb anything.
    The trees became wider and taller so that they blocked out most of the light.
    â€œWe probably won’t find any new friends here.” Angie was looking around. I wondered if she was feeling the same uneasiness as me.
    â€œHELLO, NEW