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“What if they don’t find it?” I whisper in the dark, Hypnos teetering on the edge of sleep.

He groans, rolling over in his makeshift bed. “Find what?”

“The church? What if they never find it and think I’m full of shit?”

“They’re going to find it, bro. Just trust the process.”

“Yeah.” I whisper.

His light snores fill the silence in the room as I stare up at my bedroom ceiling. It’s well past midnight now and once again I find sleep less than I find the trust Hypnos is talking about.

A flash of light illuminates the room for a brief moment, and I turn to find a notification on my phone.

Ash:

Let’s talk. Crest Creek Forest Preserve?

Be right there!

My heart skips a beat, the moment her name flashes across my screen. My thumbs take the lead and respond before I have the chance to even think about it. Pushing quietly out of bed, I shove my phone into the pocket of my joggers and slip into one of my dad’s old sweatshirts he lent me.

Holding my breath, I tiptoe down the stairs and to the front door, peaking behind the curtains.

Just as I suspect, news vans still litter the entire street, some folks are even sitting in lawn chairs, waiting for any sign of movement.

There is no way I can leave out the front door, but I am not passing up the chance to speak to Ash.

I need her like I need oxygen to breathe – cliche, but so fucking true.

Instead, I shuffle through the kitchen, careful not to let my sneakers scuff against the tile and unlock the sliding glass doors that lead to our backyard.

I slip into the frigid night, closing the door behind me and jog to our fence, hopping over it with ease.

It’s a straight shot from here if I follow behind the next block of houses.

The forest looms ahead creating a canopy of broken dreams and vile things.

Dark memories smack into me like a steady stream of punches, one right after the other, and a strange feeling niggles at the back of my brain.

I pull my phone out of my pocket to text Ash that I’ve made it because by the looks of it, she hasn’t.

While I’m at it, I have a gut instinct to share my location with Hypnos.

I look up over the field before the forest and find it bare, not a shadow in sight. Forcing myself to creep forward, I plant my feet at the mouth of the woods.

“Ash?” I call out.

There’s no way she’s in there. Not after everything, she isn’t that cruel.

No answer.

I take a single step onto the dirt pathway, the darkness luring me forward. Barren branches entwine together above me like gnarled fingers creating a trap, but all I can see is us.

Carefree, happy, playful.

The late afternoon sun filtering through the trees heavy with vibrant green leaves as our hands are clasped tightly together.

Her giggles behind me, her heavy breathing from trying to keep up as we jump over protruding roots and fallen branches.

Girlish squeals whenever a bug gets too close, buzzing around her ear.

All I see is Ash, but she isn’t even here.

Another step forward.

“Ash?” I call again.

The only answer comes in the form of night critters skittering across the forest floor.

My heart thrums painfully inside my chest, forcing too much blood to pump through me too quickly. My vision blurs and my body starts to sway as panic latches onto me, digging its nails deep into my bones.

“Fuck!” I lurch forward, nearly jumping out of my own skin, my flesh stinging and itchy as a hand lands on my shoulder. “Ash, you scared me.”

Before I can even turn around, a deep, burly voice scathes my ear drums.

“Let’s take a walk.”