The forest was much less festive than the mall, having apparently not gotten the memo that it was the time of year to be merry and bright. There was snow, still, but only a light coating, spread over dead leaves, wet and sticky and unpleasant. Bare branches reached into the night sky like skeleton hands, grasping and clawing upwards at the cold, round moon, barely restrained monsters writhing in the wind.
Jolene wasn’t a fan of the forest, in the best of times – now, as she found herself being dragged from the back seat of the car and into it, she couldn’t have said if they were in the heart of it, or just beyond the road. It had felt like an eternity since they’d left the main road, the car bouncing with every little bump, but that didn’t mean much of anything.
She managed to get on her feet when she was taken from the car, although she found herself stumbling and slipping as her captor led her around to the front of the car, finally falling onto her squishy bottom as the figure turned her loose, pushing her forward. Jolene didn’t try to stand, simply scuttled back a foot or two more, staring forward.
The headlights of the car were still on, shining brightly in her eyes, but she could make out the outline of the other person, standing there. It was another young woman, slim but somewhat on the tall side, hair wild and unkempt, one hand wrapped tight around a baseball bat, the end of which had apparently been carved down to a point.
If Jolene could have seen the other girl’s face, perhaps she would have recognized her. It’s hard to tell – it had been a long few years since she had seen her, years that hadn’t been particularly kind to either of them. The other girl – Patti, her relatives had called her, back when she had them, and Pax to her friends, when she’d had those, and carved into the handle of the bat – remembered her, however.
“There’s always two,” said Patti. It had been said to her once, long ago, and she’d never forgotten it. She spoke the words aloud again now to steel her resolve, though it didn’t take much. “Evil births evil.”
Jolene was pretty certain she wasn’t evil, but she knew that wasn’t the sort of thing you could judge in yourself. Of the other thing, however, she was certain, even if she was less sure if it had been directed at her, or just a statement. “There’s only one of me,” she said quietly.
That was not the correct answer. A wordless scream of rage erupted from Patti’s throat, and Jolene found herself doubled over, mouth open as she gasped for air. She’d never broken a rib before, or any other part of her body, but she was pretty sure she now knew just what that felt like as Patti pulled her baseball bat back again.
“Where?” Patti demanded. The word was strong, definite – there was only one thing she was looking for, that was clear. Unfortunately, Jolene had no idea what that was.
“Don’t hit me again,” Jolene begged, breaking down instantly, her only defense. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I swear!”
Patti knew to watch for this, not to believe it, but still, she couldn’t help it. She knelt down, keeping a firm grip on her weapon, keeping it between her and Jolene. Jolene swallowed, staring up at her, finally managing to see her face.
She remembered, after all. “Thousand Oaks,” she whispered. Jolene nodded slowly, solemnly.
The two girls looked into each others’ eyes. And they remembered.