Darkness Falls

by A E Faulkner

  My heart thunders in my chest as I steal a glance at Riley. Mouths hanging open, we gawk at each of the four people sitting before us.

  Jeff and Aidan burst into laughter.

  Jasmine grins with amusement.

  “I’m just kidding, ladies,” Wes says, breaking into a wide smile. “Just thought we could use a little icebreaker.”

  Riley and I glare at him.

  “Sorry,” he raises his hands in surrender. “Why doesn’t someone else talk now?”

  With that, I let myself relax a little. Conversation flows more easily, and we learn that Jasmine just completed her first year at Temple University. She plans to major in environmental law, using her education to defend and protect the environment. I can respect that.

  Wes and Jeff are both part of Temple’s ROTC program and they met in a military science course. While Wes plans to eventually join the Air Force, Jeff’s aiming for the National Guard. Their military courses will prepare them to become officers in their respective branches.

  Aidan proves to be the least predictable. He’s majoring in geology and, based on how animated he becomes when he talks about land formations, he has a weird fascination with caves. I’m not really sure what the point of a degree in geology is, but I don’t ask.

  After the others share brief snippets of who they are, Riley tells everyone that she’s seventeen but she’s less than three months away from eighteen. Because of school registration date requirements, she’ll be a senior in high school this fall. She’s always been one of the oldest kids in her class, falling on the mature-end of the spectrum. She plans to go to college after graduation and become a child psychologist.

  I nod in support. She has a very nurturing personality, and I think she’d make an amazing therapist.

  We clearly share the same genes, as evidenced by our matching brown hair and eyes and average builds. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

  When it’s my turn to speak, I admit that while I am sixteen, and clearly the youngest one here, I turn seventeen next month. I force myself to swallow the emotional abyss swelling in my throat at the thought of spending a birthday without my parents.

  Riley gently takes my hand in hers and gives me a slight nod of acknowledgment.

  I continue, telling the group that I’ll be a junior in the fall. Before anyone can ask, because they always seem to question why Riley and I are so close in age, I admit that I was a surprise to my parents. They always knew they wanted at least two kids, they just never counted on number two coming so soon after number one. So, for about five weeks out of the year, Riley and I are both the same age. My parents used to joke that we were twins for those few weeks.

  A dark cloud of melancholy grasps me. No one asks about our parents, so Aidan and Jeff must have told them. Doubts and despair flit through my mind. Is finishing high school out of my grasp at this point? Will Riley and I have the luxury of choosing career paths? My little introduction was so automatic that I didn’t consider how ridiculous it sounds when you add a healthy dose of reality to the equation.

  I vaguely catch the conversation floating around the fire when Jasmine asks, “So, what are your plans now?”

  Riley and I glance at each other before I answer. “We kind of borrowed a dirt bike, so we’re gonna head home. To Pennsylvania.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Jasmine says. “When are you leaving?”

  Okay, I guess the chitchat is over, and she just wants to know when she can be rid of us.

  Riley answers for us this time. “Tomorrow. We’re leaving in the morning.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Aidan starts. “Are you sure you want to make that trip alone? I mean, just the two of you?”

  Jeff backs him up. “You know, we’re heading south to drop Jasmine off, but then we’re going home to Pennsylvania. We could all stay together and watch each other’s backs.” The flames illuminate the scathing look Jasmine shoots Jeff. He’s completely oblivious.

  While it’s really nice of them to offer, there’s no way we’re taking all that time to trek south and then backtrack north. And especially not with Jasmine. She’s about as welcoming as a scorpion. While I wouldn’t mind traveling with the others, she is seriously not someone I would ever choose to spend time with.

  Riley replies, “Thanks, guys, but—”

  Aidan cuts her off, “Just sleep on it, okay? Think about it. We should all get some sleep anyway.”

  Chapter 22

  Wes offers to show us to a cabin. From the looks of it, they’re all void of human occupants but very likely occupied by rodent and insect communities.

  Aidan and Jeff call “Goodnight” to us as we follow Wes to the cabin just twenty paces from the fire.

  Wes sweeps open the unlocked door, freeing an invisible cloud of musty air.

  I swear something small and dark skitters across the floor as we enter. Its footfalls are soft, but a slight scratching sound reaches my ears as the intruder escapes.

  Wes stops in the doorway, flips on a dim light, and turns to us. “Ladies, your chateau for the night.” He runs his hand across his close-cropped brown hair. He looks pleased with himself, but I’m not sure why. This shack makes Aunt Grace’s trailer look like a penthouse suite. I can’t believe I ever criticized that place. The walls here are real wood, though—none of that fake paneling stuff like at the trailer. Except real wood rots and these walls have more cracks and crevices than the Grand Canyon. From a few feet away, they look slightly stronger than popsicle sticks.

  I cross the dusty floor, ignoring the metal-framed bed, and study the wall. Squinting in the faint light, I see at least a dozen small holes punched in a six-inch square area. Are those termite holes? I turn to see Riley patting down the mattress on the bed closest to the door. Maybe she’s testing it for mice or spiders.

  She jumps back with a yelp when a volcano of brown bugs erupts from its center. She stumbles to the door backwards as the oval-shaped beasts spill across the bed. “I think those are bedbugs,” she cries, pointing toward the offenders.

  There’s no way we’re spending the night in this shack. The bugs were here first, and in my opinion, they’ve got dibs. “We can’t stay here,” I say, striding toward the door.

  Wes’ smile falls as he looks between us and the amber stream of insects. “Do you want to check out another cabin?” Riley and I both shake our heads vigorously.

  “I gotcha,” he says, smiling. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He pulls the door closed, which is a pretty meager barrier between us and the cabin’s vile inhabitants. As we wind our way back to the fire, I notice that Jasmine is gone. Yes! Maybe she went to sleep.

  Wes interrupts Aidan and Jeff’s conversation. “Hey guys, the ladies here would prefer not to stay in a cabin this evening.”

  Three sets of eyes land on us, seeking an explanation.

  I glance at Riley as she pushes a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear and answers. “It’s just that we’ve never really gone camping before, like rustic camping, and so we’re not exactly used to it.”

  Leave it to Riley to soften the blow. It’s good she spoke for us. I don’t think I could have been that nice.

  “They don’t call this place Rustic Shores for nothing,” Jeff quips.

  “Honestly,” Aidan says. “The cabins are all pretty much the same. It took us some getting used to but it’s all we have. We don’t even have a car to sleep in.”

  Okay, I officially want to go back to Aunt Grace’s trailer. I didn’t have to share my bed there with any six or eight-legged creepy-crawlies—at least none that I was aware of.

  “How about we just curl up by the fire?” Riley says. My face snaps toward her as questions pour from my mouth. “You want to sleep on the ground? Outside? All night?” I have to clarify because her words make no sense.

  “What other option do we have?” she asks calmly. “We can’t just roll back into the trailer park with stolen bikes.”

  I know
she’s right, but sleep on the ground? “And Quinn,” she adds. “We’ve got the fire. Maybe it will keep the bugs and animals away.”

  “Look,” Aidan interrupts. “In our scavenging,” he says, gesturing toward Jeff, “we found some blankets. They’re all yours.” He turns and strides toward the cabin next to the one they attempted to give us.

  “Well, looks like this situation is under control,” Wes says. “I’m gonna hit the hay. See you all in the morning.” He turns and walks to the cabin Aidan entered.

  Riley and I call, “Goodnight.”

  Jeff saunters over and leans in toward us conspiratorially. “So, ladies, just one more thing you need to know for tonight…” He pauses for effect, glancing back and forth between us. “The ladies washroom is just around the corner.” He jabs a thumb toward a wooded area behind him. “Jasmine tells us it’s just a few steps down from the Hilton.”

  “Great. I can’t wait to check it out!” I say.

  Aidan returns with two blankets and thrusts them toward us. He looks back and forth between us. “Do me a favor and wrap up tight. And sleep close to the fire. It’s been getting really cold out here at night. Like, really cold.”

  “Yeah,” Jeff adds. “Sure as hell doesn’t feel like summer at the beach around here at night.”

  I give them both a salute, and after a final round of goodnights, the guys disappear to the same cabin as Wes. I wonder if Jasmine is inside that one too. I guess I wouldn’t want to sleep alone in one of these rodent shacks if I were her.

  After a quick trip to the bathroom, which is too kind a term for the windowless cinder block hovel, Riley and I wrap ourselves in the blankets Aidan gave us. Riley hands me a sweatshirt from her backpack to use as a pillow. My tired body seems to protest every position I try.

  Eventually, I surrender to the inevitable, and as I gaze at the fire’s dying glow, my eyelids start to droop. The sharp crack of a branch snapping sends my eyes wide open and my heart racing. Swiveling my neck back and forth, I search out the source of the noise.

  When my eyes land on Riley, she is unsurprisingly still and probably nearly unconscious. Why did she get all the good sleep genes? The blanket of darkness beyond the small radius of light surrounding the fire reveals nothing. Although my ears remain on high alert, there is no chance I’m leaving our nesting nook to investigate the noise. I settle back into my blanket.

  Chapter 23

  Anytime you try to make yourself fall asleep it just does the opposite. I try to clear my mind of everything that happened today and focus on breathing in and out. The crackling fire emits a soothing blanket of warmth along with the lulling sound of flames devouring wood. Attempting to find a comfortable position, I will my body to descend into a dreamless oblivion.

  Just as I’m about to flip to my left side, soft rhythmic thudding announces approaching footsteps. This time I don’t dare turn my head toward the sound. Whispering voices float through the air toward me. Is someone talking to me? My senses on high alert, I tune out the rest of the world and listen intently.

  “So,” a hushed male voice says. “Quinn’s kinda cute, huh?” Oh my gosh. No one is talking to me. They’re talking about me. Who is it, though? I haven’t spent enough time with any of these people to differentiate their voices. Well, except for Jasmine. Like nails on a chalkboard, her voice grates on my last nerve. Maybe just because she doesn’t seem to have anything nice to say. To me, at least.

  “I don’t know. I mean, I’m just trying to get back to my family. I really hope she gets back home, too, but I’ve got bigger things on my mind.”

  “Yeah, totally. Me too. I definitely didn’t notice that the scenery improved around here tonight.” I hear them both exhale a quiet chuckle and the footsteps start to trail off. I bet they’re going to the washrooms. I stay perfectly still. No need for them to know I overheard their conversation.

  As I focus on inhaling and exhaling deep calming breaths, my body relaxes into the soft blue blanket separating me from the ground. Soon enough, exhaustion overtakes my body and propels my mind to a quiet oblivion.

  The sun’s golden rays peek through the surrounding trees, announcing a new day. I try to stretch the kinks out of my neck and back, but they aren’t going anywhere. It doesn’t matter. Today we go home. It will never be what it once was, but at least Riley and I have a plan and we’ll be together.

  When I roll over to check if Riley’s still sleeping, only her crumbled red blanket greets me. She must be at the bathroom.

  After a few minutes, impatience overtakes reason. I de-blanket and rise to my feet. Might as well head to the washroom. I can catch up with her there and freshen up a bit. I take a moment to stretch my cramped legs and then break into a slow jog down the same path we followed last night.

  Inhaling the fresh morning air, I truly observe my surroundings. Although the buildings are eyesores, the landscape is stunning. Lush green grass and plants smother the dirt path. An army of trees stands at attention, some boasting white flowers, others displaying lush leaves. The campground is breathtaking.

  I finally have a clue as to why the group chose to hole up here. It’s a completely different place in the daylight. With a renewed spring in my step, I cross the threshold of the washroom. It’s quiet, so I bend down to search for feet in one of the stalls. No one. “Riley?” I call out anyway. Nothing. Maybe I just missed her.

  Splashing water on my face and running fingers through my tangled hair, I ready myself for the day. Retracing my steps, I dash back to our blankets. Still no Riley. The others are starting to emerge from their cabin. Wes and Jeff throw me nods as they stumble down the path to the washroom.

  Aidan slowly approaches me. “Morning. You two sleep okay?” He runs a hand through his tousled black hair, but it’s going to take a lot more than that to tame it.

  “Um, last night was fine,” I start, my heartbeat soaring like a cheetah hunting prey. “But I… I can’t find Riley. When I woke up she was just gone.”

  “She’s probably just in the bathroom,” he says calmly. “Did you check there? I mean, what kind of weirdo doesn’t need to use the bathroom as soon as they wake up?”

  “No, Aidan,” the words rush out as my panic rises. “I already checked there. She isn’t there. She’s gone.”

  He rests a hand on my arm and leans his face toward me, intently meeting my eyes. “It’s okay, Quinn, we’ll find her. She’s gotta be around here somewhere.”

  Jasmine gingerly steps out of the cabin. Yep, they all stayed in the same one last night. And my first impression was right…In the daylight, her caramel skin practically glows. “Morning,” she calls as she strides toward us. I know that greeting was for Aidan because her bright eyes skim past me.

  Awkwardness fills the air as Aidan turns to her. “Jasmine,” he says. “Have you seen Riley, Quinn’s sister?”

  Her eyes shift back and forth between us. “No, I haven’t seen her since last night. What’s going on?”

  Just as Aidan’s about to fill Jasmine in, Jeff and Wes return from the washroom. I stand next to him numbly while Aidan tells the group that I haven’t seen Riley since we went to sleep last night. When he finishes, silence surrounds us like a dense fog and the weight of eight eyes lands on me.

  “Let’s take a better look around,” Jeff says. “I’ll start checking cabins.” With that, he dashes away from us with Wes trailing after him.

  “Wait up, man. I’ll help,” Wes calls.

  Aidan cups his hands around his mouth and walks along the trail calling, “Riley.” I stand next to him mutely.

  “Hey,” Jasmine tugs on his sleeve. “I’ll check the area around both washrooms.”

  “Thanks,” Aidan says. When he turns to me, his blue eyes flash with worry. “Quinn, it’s okay. We’re gonna find her. Maybe she just went for a walk in the woods and lost her bearings.”

  I nod stupidly as my limbs grow heavy and numb.

  I start wringing my hands, just like Riley does when she’s worried. My
nervous energy erupts, and I stride to a block of cabins. I rush from cabin to cabin, my stringy hair fluttering behind me like a cape. The winds are picking up. It can’t be much past eight o’clock but the sun is already scorching. How was it so cold last night and less than twelve hours later it’s sweltering? I ignore the warm breeze as it licks my cheeks and forehead, leaving behind beads of sweat.

  Within a few minutes, the group gathers at the fire ring. I drag myself over to join them but tune out their voices. Their dejected looks confirm they have not found my sister. I stumble to a log and lower myself down to sit.

  Brushing away the silent tears blazing down my cheeks, I sweep my head back and forth. There’s no sign of Riley. Not that I can see much through the watery veil blurring my vision. The world around me tumbles out of focus as my breathing skyrockets.

  I mutely glance at the others. Their voices echo as if resonating from the bottom of a canyon, not just a few feet away from me. While a fog descends over my mind, I retreat further into myself.

  Chapter 24

  I am utterly alone. I don’t even know these people and they are all that I have at this moment. Crushing pains shoot through my chest as the weight of this knowledge sinks in.

  Aidan kneels on the ground in front of me. He places a hand over mine and our eyes meet. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he can utter a word, Jasmine’s voice rings out above the hushed conversation swirling around us.

  “We cannot go after her,” Jasmine insists, looking pointedly at the guys. “We have to worry about ourselves. Besides, we have no idea where she is…and if she went willingly—”

  The roller coaster I’m riding retreats from sullen emptiness and crests raging fury. “Are you kidding me!?” I practically shriek, standing and facing her. “You think she just went off and left with no note, no goodbyes, nothing?”

  Our relationship has gone from apprehensive to acidic in about five seconds. Red hot blood surges through my veins. Anger spills from my body in sharp breaths while my heart slams in my chest.