Dark Horizons

by Dan Smith

  ‘It’s where we keep the bodies,’ said Matt.

  ‘Right. Seriously, what’s in there?’

  Jason tapped his nose with a grubby finger. ‘All in good time, dude. All in good time. You been to the stone yet?’

  ‘The stone?’

  ‘The execution stone.’ Matt swayed his body and waved his hands to suggest he was telling me something spooky. ‘The blood stone. The place of blood and lost souls. The place where all crimes are purged.’

  ‘What the fuck are you talking about?’

  ‘Wait and see,’ Jason smiled. ‘Wait and see.’

  ‘Oh, come on, guys, you’re winding me up, right?’

  ‘Nu-uh.’ Matt shook his head. ‘There really is an execution stone. I tell you, man, it’s crazy, but you’ll love it. Kurt’ll take you there when you’re ready.’

  ‘Ready for what? Why does everybody keep saying I’m not ready? Ready for what, exactly?’

  ‘All in good time, dude. Everything comes to he who waits.’

  I tried to press them further but they refused to elaborate, so we ended up kicking the ball around until it was too dark to see, then Matt and Jason went to smoke a joint. I went with them, all three of us lying on our backs at the edge of the clearing, looking up at the canopy because that’s how they liked to do it. The early stars were visible in the greying sky.

  ‘So you going to tell me about this rock?’ I asked.

  Matt laughed. ‘Got you worrying about that, eh? Just chill out, it’s all cool.’

  I took the joint he offered me and dragged on it. ‘So what about this guy Sully, then?’

  Matt and Jason remained quiet. I sensed them exchange glances.

  ‘You knew him, right? Domino said he left, and that there was all kinds of trouble.’

  ‘Why you asking about him?’ Matt said.

  ‘Just making conversation, I guess. I was curious. Domino said he just disappeared.’

  ‘Upped and left in the night,’ Jason offered.

  ‘In the night?’

  ‘Fuck, I don’t know, could’ve been anytime,’ said Jason. ‘One day he was here, the next he was gone.’

  ‘Probably chilling out on some beach somewhere,’ Matt said.

  ‘What was he like?’ I asked.

  ‘What difference does it make? Anyway, we didn’t know him so well. He was Michael’s friend.’

  ‘Michael’s?’ I said. ‘Seemed to me like he hardly knew him.’

  Jason sat up. ‘You talked to Michael about Sully? Shit, Kurt and Michael don’t like to talk about it. I’d keep it to yourself if I were you.’

  Now Matt got to his feet and reached down to pull Jason up beside him. ‘Let’s go see what the others are doing,’ he said. ‘We’ll see you later, Alex.’

  I watched them go, wondering at their sudden departure, certain I’d said the wrong thing. I sat up and tried to remember Michael’s words from earlier that day when I’d asked about Sully. He hadn’t mentioned that they were friends – but he hadn’t said they weren’t friends, either. Maybe Michael was pissed off that Sully had left without him; that’s why he didn’t want to talk about it. I looked across at him sitting by the fire with Helena. She was slightly turned away from him, her body language telling me she didn’t want to be with him, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Perhaps he was blind to it because his feelings for her were so strong, and it occurred to me that the same might be true for me and Domino. In her more vulnerable moments, I felt that Domino needed me, but maybe she just needed someone. And in her stronger moments, I doubted that she really needed anyone at all.

  Now that I was thinking about Domino again I brooded for a while, wondering where she was and what she might be doing with Kurt. With nothing much to do besides sit there and reflect on our relationship, it began to smart again that she hadn’t told me she was going. The only reason I could think of was that she’d wanted to be alone. With Kurt.

  I closed my eyes and hung my head, wondering if I had been as blind as Michael. So much had happened since I’d arrived in this country and I’d barely had time alone to think. This was the only moment I’d been able to snatch and, for the first time, I thought this might not be the right thing for me. I had always intended to travel alone; perhaps I shouldn’t have come here at all. I’d put too much trust in Domino. Relied on her too much.

  ‘Hey,’ a voice broke into my despondency. ‘You want to come join us?’

  I opened my eyes and looked at a pair of feet clad in leather sandals. The toes were large and squared, the nails uneven. Freia.

  ‘Come on, Alex,’ she said. ‘No reason for you to sit here when you’ve got friends around you.’

  I willed a smile to my lips and raised my head. ‘Just taking a moment.’

  ‘No need for that. Best thing to do when you don’t know people is throw yourself in there and get to know them better.’

  ‘I hardly even know people’s names,’ I said. ‘I mean, I know some, but …’

  ‘The names will come. You know, it took me weeks to remember everyone’s names. I’m crap at names.’

  ‘How many people are there?’ I asked. ‘Is this everyone?’

  Freia turned and scanned the clearing. ‘Well, Kurt and Domino are missing, but you know that, right? Apart from them, everyone’s here. There’s no other names to know.’

  ‘Sixteen people,’ I said. ‘Including me, that is.’

  Freia shrugged and her breasts shook. ‘As many as that, eh? I think there were maybe eight when I came.’

  ‘Yeah? How long you been here?’

  ‘Long time. I love it here. Came just before Matt and Jason. Met Kurt on Samosir one time, we got talking; one thing led to another.’

  ‘You and he … ?’

  ‘No,’ she laughed. ‘Domino’s more my type.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘But I’m not her type, Alex. I don’t think she goes that way. And, of course, now she has you.’

  ‘You think so?’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure about it. I see how she looks at you.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, really. You shouldn’t be so insecure. But no more hunting for compliments.’

  ‘Fishing.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘No more fishing for compliments.’

  ‘Whatever. You gonna come get something to eat – join the rest of us – or sit and feel sorry for yourself ’cause Domino’s not here?’

  ‘Do you know where she went?’ I asked.

  Freia shook her head. ‘Who knows where they go? I wouldn’t worry about it, though, she’ll come back. She always comes back.’

  ‘And you really have no idea when?’

  ‘Sometimes they’re gone a day, sometimes longer. I don’t know what they do, but it takes time. Come on,’ she said. ‘Come sit with us.’ But I told her I wanted to be on my own a while, so she left, saying, ‘Suit yourself.’

  ‘Hey,’ I called her back. ‘Domino mentioned some guy called Sully. Did you know him?’

  ‘Michael’s Sully? Sure, I knew him. Why you asking about him?’

  ‘Curious, I suppose. Domino said he’s the only person who left and didn’t come back. I wondered what made him leave.’

  ‘No idea.’ She held up her hands. ‘Anyway, it’s probably better not to talk about it. Michael gets … Well, keep it to yourself, Alex.’

  I watched her go, helping herself to food, sitting beside Helena and Michael, leaning across to speak into his ear. Michael looked over at me as he listened.

  I slid down the tree again, and the way Michael looked at me made me feel cold. I had said the wrong thing, I could see that, and I had said it to the wrong person. I had thought I was comfortable here, that it was a good place to be, but without Domino it felt wrong, as if I wasn’t supposed to be here. As if I was only a part of this group because of her, and now she had left me. Without any word, she had gone and I was alone, and the longer I dwelled on it, the more angry I felt until eventually I made u
p my mind what I was going to do.

  I headed back to the longhouse and went inside, taking up a torch from beside the entrance. I picked my way to the far end where my bed was and took the key from round my neck. I opened the cupboard and removed my money-belt.

  I was putting it round my waist when I heard someone come in and a beam of torchlight shone towards me.

  ‘Alex?’ It was Helena’s voice. ‘You coming to eat?’

  I didn’t reply. I felt as if I’d been caught committing a crime.

  Helena came closer, her footsteps light, the torch pointed low. ‘What you doing?’

  In the thin light I could just make out her fine features, the focus of her eyes. She was looking at the money-belt, seeing me halfway towards fastening it round my waist.

  ‘You’re leaving?’

  Again, I didn’t answer. I felt foolish. Petulant. Like a spoilt child who hadn’t got his way. Domino had gone, left without a word, so I was planning my retaliation.

  ‘I’m not a prisoner,’ I said eventually.

  ‘Of course not.’

  ‘So it should be all right if I go, then.’

  ‘Now? At night? You’ll get lost in the forest.’

  I stopped fastening the belt and let it hang in my hand.

  ‘You want to leave, Alex, do it tomorrow. In daylight. I won’t tell anyone. Maybe I’ll even come with you.’

  ‘I was planning on coming back,’ I said. ‘I just need a few things, some time to think. This place—’

  ‘Maybe you shouldn’t come back.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m not so sure Kurt would let you anyway. He likes people to be here a while first.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Get to know them better? Let them prove their loyalty, maybe. Who knows?’

  ‘Loyalty?’

  As we spoke, I heard noises at the entrance to the longhouse and I knew immediately that it would be Michael. Whenever I was alone with Helena, he appeared like a ghost.

  Sure enough, within a few seconds I heard his voice calling, ‘Helena? You in here?’

  ‘Yeah,’ she replied. ‘I’m here.’

  ‘Who you talking to?’

  There was a pause and I spoke out. ‘Me,’ I said. ‘Alex.’

  ‘What you two up to?’

  I heard him come right into the longhouse, take up a torch that he shone down the length of the building.

  ‘Helena came in to make sure I’m all right. I wasn’t feeling well.’

  ‘Hm,’ he said. ‘So you coming to eat, then, or what?’

  ‘We’re coming,’ Helena said, her hand reaching out to touch mine for the briefest moment, sharing the lie. And with that touch came a realisation. I felt something for Helena not because I had stopped her from drowning, or because of some misconstrued responsibility for her. It was not because by saving her I had somehow made a difference. I felt something for her because she was a good person. And, like me, she was probably in the wrong place.

  ‘Not me,’ I said. ‘Think I’m gonna get my head down. Get some sleep.’ I smiled at Helena. ‘I’ll see you guys in the morning.’

  When they were gone, I stayed where I was, with the belt hanging from my right hand. It was all that made me who I was. Without it I was nobody. Without it I had no connection to anything outside this small community. I looked down at it, a dull shape in the dark, my mind torn between putting it on and leaving this place – leaving Domino and Helena, disappearing into the forest – or returning it to its place of safekeeping and giving this place one more chance. But now my anger was calmed, I knew I would stay. I couldn’t go into the forest alone at night. Helena was right, I’d probably get lost. And I didn’t want to lose Domino just yet. Maybe we had other places to go.

  Eventually, I sighed and stuffed the money-belt back into the cupboard and put the key round my neck. I changed my shorts for a more comfortable sarong, then lay down on my mat and pulled the sheet over me. I stared at the darkness above me, listening to the sound of the others outside, wondering if I had made the right decision.

  I dozed for a while with those thoughts in my head, and after some time, I heard someone come into the longhouse, fumbling footsteps coming my way. Then someone whispered my name in the darkness, ‘Alex,’ and I knew it was Domino.

  I heard the sounds of her undressing, saw a dark silhouette standing over me, then she was lying beside me, running her hands over me, pulling off my T-shirt, putting her fingers on my skin. ‘I’m sorry I was so long,’ she said. ‘I didn’t want to go.’

  ‘You should’ve told me.’

  ‘I didn’t want to leave you.’

  ‘So why did you?’

  ‘Shh,’ she whispered.

  ‘Where did you go?’

  ‘Errands,’ she said. ‘Supplies. Does it matter? I’m here now. I couldn’t wait to see you again.’ She pulled me on top of her and wrapped her limbs around me.

  ‘Where’s everyone else?’ I asked.

  ‘Still outside,’ she said.

  ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘Of course.’ She pulled me into her and held me there. ‘We’re alone.’

  Later, in the darkness of the longhouse, Domino breathing deeply beside me, I listened to the night, hearing no familiar sounds.

  Close by, Helena would be sleeping alone. I remembered how she had looked that day in the forest, her sinews working as she swung the axe, and I recalled how we had touched that night. The briefest touch. I shook the thought away and eased myself from Domino’s arms. I wanted to feel fresh air, see the stars.

  I crept the length of the longhouse, glancing down at Helena as I passed her, and climbed down into the clearing.

  The fire was dying in its grave. The sky above me was clear. All was quiet and still.

  I walked to the middle of the clearing and turned my face to the sky. Everything about the day was forgotten; blown away by Domino’s breath. Her touch had cured my jealous thoughts and I remembered, now, why I wanted to stay here.

  ‘Nice night,’ a voice startled me.

  ‘Make you jump?’ Kurt was behind me. ‘I heard you come out. Thought I’d come with you.’ He raised his arm, brandishing a large plastic yellow torch. ‘Something I’d like to show you,’ he said, approaching me and hanging one arm over my shoulder. Without giving me the chance to refuse, he began walking, his arm still around me, only slipping away when he was sure I was coming with him.

  We moved around the edge of the clearing towards the lean-to kitchen, stopping a few feet before we reached it. He glanced at me, a mischievous expression in his eyes, then he inclined his head at the trees edging the clearing. I looked at them, but saw nothing of any significance.

  ‘Like it’s not even there,’ he said.

  I shook my head, not understanding.

  ‘You see nothing,’ he said. ‘You’ve been here a few days now but have no idea it’s here.’

  ‘You’re going to have to put me out of my misery.’

  ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.’ His face became grim. The change in his eyes took me by surprise, a dark moment passing like a flash storm. There for just a second before the twinkle returned. ‘Hold this.’ He passed me the torch and pulled up his sarong, tucking it up as I’d seen the workers do in the paddy fields. When he was done, he took the torch from me, saying, ‘You might want to do the same.’

  He gave me a moment before speaking again. ‘This way,’ he said as he clicked on the torch and stepped between two of the gnarled trunks, pushing the fir branches to one side. ‘Not our last secret, but one of them.’

  He waited for me to put out a hand before he released the needled branches, and pressed on ahead, tramping through the ground cover, filtering among the pillars of pine. I focused on the back of his white T-shirt, careful not to lose him and, after a few minutes, we came to a narrow, overgrown path that snaked among the dense trees.

  Kurt pointed the torch beam at the hidden track ahead. ‘We don’t come down this way much,
’ he said.

  ‘You’re not going to make me jump off something again, are you?’

  ‘No.’

  We followed the path a few hundred yards, moving further away from the clearing behind us, the only two people in the entire forest.

  ‘Just down here,’ he said, and then we were in another clearing. This one was smaller from what I could tell, but it was difficult to see much because the torch beam was narrow and did little more than light a small patch on the ground.

  ‘Wait a moment,’ Kurt said, and he slipped into the darkness.

  I watched the beam of the torch moving to and fro on the forest floor before it came to a stop. The beam lowered, becoming more concentrated and then the circle of light was half-deadened when Kurt placed it on the ground, diffusing it in a wide arc.

  In the faint light I could see him squatting on his haunches and I heard scraping. A small glimmer of a match, then another, larger flame. The flame grew, and the clearing began to flicker in the glow of fire taking hold on the end of a wooden torch that was wound with black rope.

  ‘There.’ Kurt stood, holding the burning torch away from him. ‘That puts some light on everything.’

  I stayed where I was, scanning the small clearing. There were pine needles littering the ground here. Nobody had come to sweep them, to leave the smooth circle of hardened dirt that was a constant of the main clearing. The trees around the edge were denser than in the other clearing, too, as if they were closing in, hiding it from the outside world like a guilty secret. The forest was wrapping itself around this place, sending out roots to burrow beneath it before pushing upwards and breaking the floor. Lifting in humps like aquatic monsters showing their backs above water.

  The flames from the torch jumped in the breeze that filtered through the trees like the devil’s breath, casting shadows behind the protruding roots, giving them movement, as if they were living creatures, writhing across the clearing to escape our intrusion.

  Without speaking, Kurt made his way around the area, lighting other torches, these ones almost as tall as me, thrust into the dirt like fence posts. When they were alight, they created further shadows, the whole place alive with movement. I could hear the flames twisting and flickering.

  In the centre of the clearing, a boulder was half-buried in the dirt. Large, rounded, smooth. Like a giant blind eyeball, sunk into the forest floor, it stared up at the clear sky, seeing nothing. Its surface was blotched and mottled. White in places, dark in others, where moss and fungus had left their mark.