Homelands Pt. 10 Ch. 01

"You sure? He has your permission?" Curt asked.

If asked which she wanted more, to kiss Zach or punch Curt in the mouth, Yvette would have had a hard time deciding. She settled for wishing cancer upon him with her eyes.

"Sophomore'll do it for me," Zach said. "Maybe in a couple years I'll get up to the top."

"Oh, we're being literal are we?" his friend asked. "Fine. I'm only pouring up to junior. But if you don't keep pace with me-"

"You'll question my testicular fortitude, I'll shrug it off, and life will go on?"

Curt frowned. "Well, yeah, pretty much. Sounds less fun when you put it like that."

Yvette resisted the urge to pat Zach's thigh. But it wasn't easy.

Kristen returned with a red Solo cup. After handing it to Yvette, she stroked Curt's back the way a girl who'd hung out with him more than once or twice might have. "So. We playing this silly Gross the Girls out game or what?"

"It's called Choose How You Die," Zach corrected.

"Of course it is," Kristen replied.

A chill went down Yvette's spine that had nothing to do with the ice cubes her friend had put in her drink. They were deep in the woods rather than high in the mountains, surrounded by dead leaves instead of cold snow, but she suddenly had the sense that they starring in a remake of Cabin in the Woods.

Geez, how had that not occurred to her before? She must've seen that movie four or five times in the past year. It was one of her all time favorites.

They had their Virgin. Not really, but as Sigourney Weaver had said in the movie, they work with what they've got. All the ritual really called for was a shy girl who wouldn't show her boobs to the audience the first time she found herself alone in a room with a guy.

And they had their Whore. Kristen might take exception to that characterization, but then again, she might not. Especially after a few shots of her Polish vodka.

Curt couldn't have been more of a Jock. Was that just because he'd been breathing chemicals? Used hair dye that had been tampered with? Smoked some weed that had been laced with other mind-altering agents? Or was he naturally like that?

Zach could just as easily be the Scholar as the Fool. Could one person fill both roles?

Without realizing it, she started laughing awkwardly to herself.

"What?" Zach asked.

"You have to forgive her. She's a little slow," Kristen said. "Probably just now picking up on our discussion of what the game's called."

Even Curt looked at her incredulously.

"Have any of you seen Cabin in the Woods?"

Zach started laughing right away. "You're totally right," he said.

Curt snorted. "Okay, maybe this'll be fun after all." He tossed back his three fingers' worth of vodka and shook his head about violently, following that up with a fist on his chest.

Yvette couldn't stop herself from saying, "Yes, yes, we all get it. You're a manly man."

Zach laughed as he picked up his own, slightly less full shot glass. "That mean if I act like this doesn't burn, you're not gonna make fun of me?"

"Don't let that stop you," Kristen said, running a slim finger around the rim of hers. "She'll find a reason either way." Then turning to Yvette, she said, "I want to know what you were laughing about, though. Tell me you weren't trying to say that this feels like the start of some creepy movie? Because I already don't want to play."

"Too bad," Zach said after knocking back his drink.

He did indeed hide his reaction, but Yvette chose to spare him the ridicule he probably deserved. Mostly because he was handsome, had a great body, and seemed like he might be closer to housebroken than his friend. She wished those things weren't having much of an effect on her, but they were. Letting him get away with pretending the vodka hadn't burned his throat was the least of what she'd put up with as a result. No sense denying it.

"Three votes to one," Zach continued. "You lose." And with that, he got up off the coffee table and busied himself setting up the DVD.

"Eaves," Kristen said. She hardly ever called Yvette by that stupid nickname. Was she really freaked out? By a silly game?

Yvette shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. Were they alone, and if she knew her roommate better, she might have given the girl a quick hug and assured her everything would be okay. Instead, she told her, "So long as a third guy doesn't walk-"

A knock came at the door.

No one moved. Save for a few startled jumps that no one wished to acknowledge.

"Well? You gonna get that?" Zach asked Curt after an awkward moment of silence.

Curt gave his friend the middle finger before heading for the door.

Yvette tried not to snicker too loudly when his haste got the better of him and he nearly lost his balance. That sort of thing happened to her all the time, but she was no athlete.

He paused at the door, cleared his throat, and opened it smoothly. All grace. Because nothing had happened to undercut the image he was now trying to project. No, sir.

"Sorry to bother you," a voice from the other side of the doorway began.

Yvette got up and took a few steps towards the kitchen, eager to get a look at the newcomer. Who she absolutely did not expect to be carrying a bloody axe or anything. Because that would be ridiculous. She certainly didn't feel a sense of relief when she saw a poor guy having a hard time fighting back the cold, hands on his arms and warm breath misting in front of his face as he huffed and puffed. The killer who showed up in the middle of the night to hack the teens all to pieces never shivered.

Plus, killers didn't show up in the middle of the night and hack groups of teens all to pieces. Not in real life. She was just letting Kristen get to her.

Or maybe Bad Yvette.

Who sort of hoped the guy on the porch wasn't as harmless as he looked.

"This is so embarrassing," the man said. "I was on my way up to check to see if the power's working in my cabin when my snowmobile crapped out on me." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Had to leave it in the snow, about a mile back."

"Shit man," Curt said. "That sucks."

That sucks? Talk about eloquence. And empathy. "You wanna come in?" Yvette called.

She almost thought Curt would toss a glare her way. Which wouldn't have been entirely out of line, she supposed. It wasn't her cabin to be inviting people into, after all. But thankfully, he didn't. Just laughed awkwardly at himself, scratched the back of his head, and told the poor guy freezing to death before their very eyes, "Yeah. What she said."

"Thanks," the newcomer said. He stomped the snow off his boots and clothes as best he could before stepping inside, which struck Yvette as pretty thoughtful considering how frostbitten he must have been. "Just need to warm up a bit before I make the trek up to my place. It's a good ways up the mountain from yours."

"Huh," Curt said. "Thought this was the last one."

"Nope."

"Do we have coffee?" Yvette asked Curt. "Hot chocolate?"

"Water would be fine," the man said. "And a seat by the fire."

To his credit, Curt didn't even need help fetching a glass of water. It was almost like he had some idea of what hospitality looked like. Not much, perhaps, but a little.

Yvette introduced herself and the others as she offered to take the man's coat.

"Lance," he replied as he slipped free of it.

That was when Yvette started to notice how attractive he was. And wondering if he might be interested in warming up another way. Bad Yvette's disappointment that he was more wounded rabbit than rabid wolf faded instantly. He had broad shoulders and a strong back, yet a surprisingly narrow waist. That gave his torso a dramatic V-shape. Though Yvette didn't like her guys to be too big, she needed more than a little meat on the bones, and Lance definitely had that covered. More so than Zach, if she had to guess. The stubble on his face was really sexy, though it had a little ways to go before it would become a full-fledged beard. And the tuft of hair poking up out of his collar bespoke a veritable pelt waiting for some lucky lady to run her fingers through. On top of all that, he had black hair and blue eyes. Her favorite combination. Because of course he did. She'd apparently done something recently to please the powers that be, and was being rewarded handsomely.

Very, very handsomely.

To judge by the lines in his face and the slight hints of silver at the corners of his chin and around his temples, Lance was a good deal older than them. In his mid-thirties at least. Perhaps even his early forties. Which, if anything, was too young, at least so far as Bad Yvette was concerned. When she was in control of herself, Yvette never went for men all that much older than her. But, of late, she often didn't call her own shots.

He was a little taller than Zach. Inching towards too tall. But that as close to a flaw as she could identify. And it was something she could definitely work with.

She found it hard to breathe as she accepted his parka and found a place for it on the coat rack by the fire.

"Don't stop on my account," Lance said after he'd pulled a chair up to the fireplace. He sat with his back more or less to the group, open palms facing the flames, but the cold blue eyes cast over his shoulder had settled on the board game they'd been about to play. "I'll be out of your hair shortly. Promise."

"We haven't even started yet," Zach said. "You want in?"

Kristen frowned at him. "Maybe we should just put the game away?"

No one paid her any mind. Least of Yvette, who was pleased to see that Zach didn't need any prompting to show their guest a little kindness.

The tingling between her legs grew more intense, and not because of Bad Yvette. If she ended up in bed with both men at once, she might have to blame the darker side of her. But if something happened with Zach, and only Zach, she might not even feel guilty about it.

"Would I have to abandon the warmth of this nice fire?" Lance asked, rubbing his hands together as tongues of flame danced seductively before him like women at a strip club.

"You could sit on his lap," Curt said to Yvette. "You know, to keep him warm."

"Jerk," she snapped. Mostly because she ought to. And because he was. But she'd heard worse ideas in her life. To put it mildly. "Why don't you let him sit in your lap? Or better yet, you and your butt-buddy here can free up a space on the couch."

"Hey!" Zach said, with a "What did I ever do to you?" look on his face.

She offered him a half shrug. If he was as promising as she wanted to think, he'd understand that it wasn't about him. He'd just gotten caught in the crossfire. Made a convenient stone to throw at his jackass of a friend.

He rolled his eyes, snorted, and turned his attention back to the DVD.

Lance laughed. "Think I'll just watch." He looked at the screen. "Choose How You Die? Can't say I've ever heard of that game."

"Neither have we," Zach said. "We're all newbs."

"Newbs?" Lance asked.

"You have to forgive him. Sometimes he lapses into his native geekspeak, forgetting the rest of us are normal," Curt said. "Sure you don't want anything harder?" he then asked, pointing at the water Lance had mostly gulped down. "Can't promise I'm getting up again once we start." That earned him a glare from Yvette, but he didn't seem to notice. "We've got cheap beer and fancy vodka."

Lance laughed. "Maybe later."

So while their sort-of-neighbor watched, they started to play the game. Yvette soon decided it was a good thing that Zach had chosen to ignore all the optional rules. The basic version might be ridiculously straightforward, but she was having a hard time dividing her attention between it and the sexy beast by the fire. Only vaguely aware that some bad acting, worse dialogue, and cheap special effects were flashing across the screen, offering up some ripe opportunities for mockery, she lost herself in a rather explicit fantasy. One involving both Lance and Zach.

She imagined that the older man was the type to take charge, the younger one sweeter and more attentive. She'd let the one warm her up, his tongue coaxing her into letting go of all her inhibitions and insecurities. Then, once the flames were roaring inside her, the other would use her body for his pleasure, and she'd let herself get taken along for the ride no matter where it went. If she was lucky, it head straight into downtown Kink City.

What were the odds that a bit of rope was lying around the cabin somewhere? There had to at least be a roll of duct tape somewhere, didn't there?

"Yvette?" Fingers snapped in front of her face. "Yvette!"

"What?" she asked.

"It's your turn."

"Oh, right," she said, blushing. "Umm, sorry. Kinda zoned out."

"We noticed," Kristen said.

Zach gave her a patient smile as he handed the dice to her.

"How much you put in her drink?" Curt asked Kristen, who shrugged in reply.

Lance regarded her quietly out of the corner of his eyes. No expression showed on his handsome face, but she thought she felt something stir inside him. Something hot and wild and more than a little hungry. Except that was ridiculous. She couldn't feel a guy's arousal from across the room. Let alone tell what sort of action she was in for once she got him out of his clothes. Or, if she could, it wasn't because she was picking up on some unseen vibe or anything like that. Just body language. Same as any girl could, if she was astute. If it sometimes felt like something more was going on, like she could tell things about a guy that she had no way of knowing, well, that was just an overactive imagination at work.

Probably.

Yvette shook the black cubes in her hand, keenly aware that the motion she used would serve just as well for certain other tasks. If the guy sitting right beside her took any notice, he hid it well. Which was probably for the best. But the part of her that imagined she'd sensed hunger inside Lance a moment ago now thought it detected a calmer, more restrained, reaction in Zach. If the older man was ready to set her body on fire, the younger one would be more than happy to soothe her burns. One was preparing to pounce on her, the other would need to be lured out of his cave. But in the end, they'd both be hers. If she so desired.

A chill ran down her spine as she tossed the dice.

"Pfft," she said when they stopped spinning. "Three."

"Huh. Usually doesn't take you long to go all the way," Kristen said with a smug look on her face. "Looking to go slow for a change?"

"Bitch," Yvette said. "You're one to talk."

"How long'd you say your uncle has had this place?" Lance asked Curt, showing less interest in the exchange and its less than subtle implications than Yvette would have liked.

"Um...not sure," Curt said. "Why?"

"No reason. Just didn't realize anyone had finally bought the place."

"No, no, stop," Kristen said, turning to him and covering her ears. "This place has got some horrible, bloody history, hasn't it? Well, I don't want to hear about it."

Yvette's hand came to rest atop the deck of cards. "Wait, does it?" For a moment, her desperate need to feel a few too many hands grabbing at her was forgotten. Bad Yvette was still whooping and cheering, but for a different reason now. "Some guy brutally murder his wife and kids here or something?"

"You would find that exciting," Kristen said.

Zach cocked an eyebrow at her. Did he find her morbid curiosity off-putting? If so, she couldn't really blame him. But she couldn't help thinking she'd inadvertently piqued his interest. And that did more than pique hers.

Lance shrugged. "Not likely."

Curt chuckled as he poured himself another oversized shot of vodka. "Not likely, huh?" He turned to Kristen. "Don't worry. We're about to hear a campfire tale. Nothing more."

Though he was undoubtedly right, Yvette felt a grin spread across her face. The air seemed to hum with danger, and that was just fine by her. One way or another, she was going to get herself into trouble tonight. Probably just the fun kind, but who could tell?

"Probably so," the older man said with a good-natured laugh. Nimble fingers unbuttoned a plaid button-down as he talked, which didn't distract Yvette in the least. The tank top he wore beneath fit so snugly it might as well have been plastered on. And the body to which it clung so tightly was every bit as impressive as she'd guessed. And then some. "For as long as I can remember, everyone's said that this place was cursed. But the fact that no one can agree on what terrible thing happened here makes it a bit harder to take any of them seriously." He pulled his chair closer to the coffee table. "My favorite version, for what it's worth, is the one about the moose-zombies."

"Aren't enough stories about undead animals, if you ask me," Yvette said before she finally turned her card over. Revealing, quite naturally, the rotting corpse of a moose.

It lumbered through bloody snow, half-frozen entrails dangling beneath it and glowing red eyes staring out at them from the cheap plastic. Because of course it did. How could any other fate have awaited her at that point?

"That is too fucking creepy," Kristen said.

"Play the scene," Yvette told Zach, who wielded the remote, the words sounding distant to her own ears. She had no idea what was happening, but she liked it. Even though she knew her roommate's reaction was the more appropriate one.

The brief clip of shambling animal corpses laying siege to a cabin eerily similar to theirs, if a bit older and more rundown, drew more than a few laughs. The hapless souls gathered inside, five reasonably attractive twenty-somethings of course, screamed in horror as they were trampled, clubbed with antlers, and eaten alive. The coincidence should have made a bigger impression on them, perhaps, but the scene was so poorly produced that no one could take it seriously. No one but Kristen, that was.

"Not quite how I pictured it, but yeah, that's the basic idea," Lance said, smiling. "Where'd you guys find this game?"

"In the closet," Curt said with a shrug.

"Guys, something's not right," Kristen said, folding in on herself as best she could. "Now that I think about it, the previous scene right was set in the very room I put my stuff in." She shuddered. "Everything looked different, but the view out the window was exactly the same. I'm sure of it." When no one reacted, she looked at them aghast. "How can I be the only one who's not okay with this?"

"Doesn't mean any of this actually happened," Yvette said. "A couple of film majors from U-Dub could do better if we gave 'em a couple hundred bucks."

"Seriously," Zach said. "I've seen a lot of bad horror, but never anything as laughable as this. Not even from the straight-to-DVD stuff you can't find anywhere but on Netflix."

"You two are a couple of dorks," Curt said, looking from Yvette to Zach. Had he caught the way her eyes lit up as his friend's comment? Her reaction would have been hard to miss, but the big jock seemed exactly the sort to overlook such things. "Never would've thought you'd meet a girl as weird and pathetic as you."

Kristen smacked his arm reproachfully. Then she gave the TV screen an uneasy look and poured herself another stiff drink. She didn't look any happier about the images it had just shown, but she was apparently prepared to keep the thought to herself.

Zach picked up the dice and gave them a good, double-fisted shake before tossing them across the table. "Game isn't gonna last that much longer, anyway," he told Kristen as he counted out ten spaces. "Not at this rate."

"Might have to try some of the optional rules next," Yvette suggested.

"Oh, no," Kristen said. "Once is enough."

Curt put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tight. "When the mutant killer woodchucks come for us, I'll protect you. Promise."