Page 4 of Into the Dark, We Go

"Lucas?"

No answer.

I forged ahead, illuminating the way with my phone. My footsteps resonated like cold, wet slaps against the walls. The stale air grew thick and musky, carrying a hint of unturned soil and something else, something richer and unsettling. Decay.

Finally, I reached the locker room and pried the door open. Most of the lockers were ajar, and the phone light stumbled over them with my frantic breaths. The rustling was near. I could hear it much clearer now, lurking in the shadows with my unsteady heart.

I pressed on the overheads and looked up to see a plastic ribbon tied to the air vent. Its loose ends fluttered in the airflow, whispering and coaxing like silver tongues.

Under it, by an open locker, lay a gray sports bag, its contents spilt out. All the guys had the same generic gear, but I recognized the worn strap and the faded logo on these too well. They were Lucas’s. His water bottle and a towel were nearby, with a coupleof textbooks and his change of clothes and shoes. His phone was missing, though. I hoped that meant he had it with him.

"Lucas?" I called out, knowing there was no other exit. He wouldn’t have left without his things, half undressed in the dead of night.

The hope that it was all a stupid prank faded at that moment.

Lucas had vanished.

2

Chapter Two

September, 2020

It was barely 8 am,but when I opened the door, a small crowd had gathered outside the cafe, glancing at their watches and phone screens as though I’d done them a personal injustice.

I’d served a dozen customers before Anna, the second barista, arrived. She was breathless and unkempt as she adjusted her apron, diving in to work on the coffee machine. In my nearly full year working here, she’d never been on time. I didn’t comment on that. As long as she didn’t pry into my life, I was willing to overlook her tardiness.

Together, we barely managed the morning rush, but by lunchtime, the chaos had subsided enough for one of us to leave the counter. Anna cleaned and reset the tables while I wiped down the machines. We both looked up when the little bell above the door jingled. A young couple walked in: an emo-looking girl wearing a black fedora and a Ghostface T-shirt, and a guy with a buzzcut and a military bearing. The girl scanned the semi-empty café before spotting me, then nudged the guy and tilted her head toward me. He followed her gaze, his blue eyes meeting mine.

I froze. This was the typical reaction when people recognized me. Thanks to the careless media and my former best friend, Sarah, finding me wasn’t hard.

The guy approached the counter with a calm smile. "Nellie? Nellie Foster?"

"Who are you?" My ears began ringing as familiar pressure flooded my head.

Seeing my tension, he stepped back and raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "I’m Mitchell. This is my sister, June." He motioned to the girl in black. She didn’t look friendly.

I fidgeted, my eyes darting toward the door and then around to see if anyone else could hear us. Anna remained focused on the tables.

"What do you want?" I whispered.

"We’re looking for our sister," June said abruptly. "It might have something to do with your boyfriend’s disappearance."

Mitchell smiled apologetically and turned to her. "June, please, let me handle this."

My knees grew weak. I couldn’t do it. Not again. I clenched the counter so tight my knuckles turned white.

"Please leave." Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I was terrified to blink, fearing they’d spill down my cheeks and betray my despair. "I have nothing to do with anything."

"We know," Mitchell assured me with a soft smile. "We’re just trying to find out what happened to our sister."

"I don’t understand. What does she have to do with my boyfriend? Did your sister go missing here, in Minneapolis?"

June huffed, rolling her eyes and turning away. "No, she went missing back in Kansas City."

"That’s where we’re from," her brother advised. "We?—"

The door swung open with a chiming exclamation. The lunchtime crowd filed in behind the siblings, growing impatient after a minute. I barely noticed how they tapped their feetor shot annoyed glances my way, too fixated with June and Mitchell and their news of another missing person.