“They said he had drugs on him… that he might have been involved in dealing.” She shakes her head, her gaze darting around the room, avoiding mine.
“But he wasn’t like that, Raven,” she says, finally meeting my eyes. “He was innocent. He never did anything wrong. He was a good man.”
I press down the cyclone of feelings rising inside me—the part of me that wants to ask why a “good man” would try to spike my drink. Was Ty right? Was Mike planning to do something to me? Or was that just another one of his games? A reason to kill an innocent man out of white-hot jealousy.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter, dropping my gaze to the floor. “The police came today, and I told them he just… disappeared when I went to the jukebox, and then I left.”
She gives a small nod, not pressing me any further, but her eyes drift around the room until they finally landing on my suitcase.
“Are you leaving?” she asks, her gaze snapping back to me and my stomach drops.
“Uh… yeah, I am,” I reply, scrambling for an excuse until one pops into my head. “It’s this house. The damp’s been getting to my lungs. I’m going to check into a local motel I think.”
A flicker of hope lights in her eyes, her face softening. “Why don’t you stay with me? Please, Raven... I could really use the company now. I’m not far from here.”
My mind races, trying to think of a way out, but then something catches my eye. Midnight, usually terrified of the outside, is slowly edging toward the open front door. My breath hitches. She’s never shown any interest in the outdoors before.
“Midnight?” I call softly, distracted, as she pauses at the threshold.
Without warning, she bolts, darting over the threshold and out into the fog-laden street. A gasp escapes me, my heart lurching as I race forward, watching her small shape slipping further into the shadows toward the pitch-black cemetery across the road.
“Midnight!” I call out, my voice shaky, but she just keeps going, the faint ringing of her collar bell fading into the dark.
“Shit!” I hiss, glancing back at Jess and without thinking, I grab her hand, pulling her out the door as I slam it shut behind us.
“I’ll be back!” I shout, already dashing forward in my bare feet, the cold pavement stinging as I head toward the graveyard. The fog thickens, swallowing up Midnight and leaving me chasing shadows as I plunge deeper into the dark.
Nothing matters except getting her back.
I sprint between the tombstones, eyes darting through the gloom.
“Midnight!” I call again, but she’s already too far gone.
I push harder, following the small jingle of her bell like a beacon. Soon she’s leading me into the dense woods beyond the cemetery, disappearing further into the darkness.
“Midnight!” I yell again, feeling desperate.
As I enter without hesitation, the forest feels strange, eerily quiet except for the pounding of my own pulse in my ears. The atmosphere is heavy here, the odour of damp earth and decay clinging to everything. I push through the undergrowth and my doubts, my feet slipping on wet leaves and sodden mud, branches scratching at my bare arms and legs as I stumble forward.
Then, through the trees, I see it and stop dead in my tracks. A huge clearing and a silhouette of an abandoned, gothic-like mansion, rises out of the haze. Vines crawl up its stone walls, and the windows are dim, like empty eyes staring into nothingness, but Midnight’s outline captures my attention, darting in front of the entrance, vanishing into the shadow of the door.
A tremor snakes up my spine. Something about this place doesn’t feel right—like I’m about to walk into something that I might never come back from. But I have no choice. Midnight is my entire world. She’s all I have. I can’t leave without her.
The mist swirls around my feet, clinging to the ground like it doesn’t want me to move forward, but I need to. As I reach the bottom of the stone steps, I tiptoe upward toward the huge door, glancing behind me, almost expecting someone to be there, but there isn’t.
When I reach the top, I notice the front door is slightly ajar, its rusty hinges creaking in the wind. I freeze for a second, questioning my life choices. Then, I feel my feet shifting forward again until I’m pressing my trembling hand on the damp wood, pushing it open.
Inside, dust settles in thick layers on everything and in the back of my throat. The grand foyer is dim, the only light coming from the windows, casting everything in a pale, ghostly glow. I glance around; the space feels antique, as if it’s been forgotten for decades. The staircase ahead is dark, the banister cracked and twisted, but I barely notice—my attention is on where Midnight might be.
“Midnight?” I whisper shout as the door softly closes behind me. Every part of me screams to get the fuck out of here, but my stubbornness stops me. I must find her.
Midnight’s small, weak meow comes from somewhere above me, echoing down the hallway, and I follow the sound.
Each step on the staircase creaks, louder than it should, the old wood protesting under my weight. The walls are lined with faded wallpaper, peeling at the edges, revealing more of the dark wood beneath.
“Midnight?” I call again, my voice trembling. I hear another meow, closer this time, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The top of the stairs is even darker as I reach the landing; there’s hardly any light.
I hear the soft jingle of her bell, distant at first, then unmistakable as it grows louder. I whip around, and there she is—Midnight—dashing down the corridor toward me. I feel my shoulders sag, by body relaxing, but it’s short-lived. I take a few frantic steps forward, desperate to grab her, to get the fuck out of here, but then I stop dead in my tracks.