Hand in hand, through the maze.
Running. Belโs phone swinging at her side, lighting the way in nightmareย ๏ฌashes.
Metal shadows loomed, catching their clothes, snatching their hair.
A rusted saw blade in their path, trying to separate them, but Bel would not let go of her momโs hand.
A clatter of sliding metal, somewhere behind, the distant silver of theย ๏ฌashlight in Je๏ฌโs hands, sharper, stronger than theirs, a spotlight stalking through the dark shapes.
โI got one, Charlie!โย they heard him call. Charlieโs voice, fainter.ย โHurry!โ
โKeep going,โย her mom said, moving faster, holding Belโs hand tighter, skin to skin, bone to bone.
Around a burned-out car on its back. A sharp intake of breath beside her. Rachel disappeared.
Hand snatched out of Belโs. Bel swung theย ๏ฌashlight over.
Rachel was on her hands and knees, shoe caught on a metal bar.ย โYou OK?โย Bel helped her mom stand, retook her hand.
โIโm OK,โย Rachel said, a change in her gait now, a limp on one side, leaning into Belโs hand. It didnโt slow her down.ย โJust got to get to the car.โ
The way cleared ahead of them, no more shadows, no more metal, just grass, downhill, pushing them faster. Rachel hissed each time her right foot pounded the ground.
They reached the fence.
Bel grabbed the loose panel of chain-link, held it up for Rachel to clamber through. She followed, looking back at Price & Sons Logging Yard. A fence around nothing, just more darkness, except a faint white light, glowing inside the red truck in the middle.
โCome on, I parked in front of the gates.โ
Running again. Not together anymore, out of time, Rachelโs steps growing uneven.
She pulled her car keys out, pressed the button.
A blip as the car unlocked, aย ๏ฌash of white and red, guiding them forward, a map in the darkness. Relief sparked in Belโs run-down heart.
They drew close and Belโsย ๏ฌashlight found it too: Rachelโs silver car, waiting, nose parked right against the front gates.
But it wasnโt alone.
Another car faced them. Je๏ฌโs. Heโd parked right behind Rachel, sideways, blocking her in.
Rachel breathed out.ย โNo, Je๏ฌ!โ
She darted forward, studying the gap between the cars. It was only a few inches, just the span of her hand.
โFucker!โย Rachel kicked out at Je๏ฌโs front wheel. It cost her, hissing and reaching for her right ankle.
โMom?โ
โGet in, Bel.โย She opened her car door, dome lightย ๏ฌicking on, a faint yellow through the windows.ย โMaybe I can turn it. Have to try.โ
Bel climbed into the passenger seat, shut herself in.
Rachel started the engine, a metal growl in this cold metal place full of dead machines. The headlightsย ๏ฌicked on, through the bars of the gates, glaring against the old sign, into the darkness beyond.
Rachelโs elbow bumped hers as she put it in reverse.
Taillights stained the night red. Rachel pulled the steering wheel to the right, as far as it would go, tires complaining, grating against the dirt road. She pressed her bad foot to the gas with a wince.
The car juddered back, only half a second before it bumped against the side of Je๏ฌโs car.
Rachel sni๏ฌed. Put the car in drive. Turned the wheel all the way to the left.
The car shuddered forward, crashing into the gates with a dull thud. They bent inward, as much as that heavy chain around the middle would let them.
Bel looked out the window. It wasnโt much at all; the angle of the car had hardly changed. They were stuck here, trapped.
โMom.โ
Rachel gasped, leaning forward to peer through the windshield. Bel looked too.
Two tinyย ๏ฌgures crossed one of their headlight beams, into the other, moving fast, out the metal maze, onto the grass. Someone was ahead, a ball of light in one hand, something dark in the other. Heading straight toward them.
โHeโs free.โย Rachelโs hands dropped from the steering wheel.ย โWe donโt have time.โย Terror reshaped her face.ย โRun, Bel!โ
Bel didnโt hesitate this time, heart ahead of her,ย ๏ฌght-or-๏ฌight fast against her ribs.
She sprinted around the back of Je๏ฌโs car, catching up to her mom.ย โDonโt look back, just run!โ
Bel couldnโt help it; she looked back.
Both car doors left open, letting the night in, engine running, headlights glaring.
But it was another light she looked for. Moving fast, now reaching the gap in the fence. The ball of light became a long silver beam, hacking away the darkness. The sound of feet behind it.
And a voice.
โCharlie, what are you going to do!?โ
The beam of light twisted, following them down the road.
โHurry.โย Rachel pushed herself harder, gritting her teeth, breathing through it.
Bel hooked their arms together, taking some of the weight o๏ฌย her ankle.ย โI know the way.โย Belโs voice shook with the patter of her feet.ย โThe reservoir, across the railway bridge to the main road. We can get help
there.โ
โCharlie!โย Je๏ฌย shouted weakly, some way behind them.ย โWhat are you doing!?โ
Did Je๏ฌย realize already, that heโd made the wrong choice? That he shouldnโt have set him free.
Bel wanted to glance back, to see how close they were. But she didnโt need to, she only needed to look at Rachel; silver lighting up herย ๏ฌyaway hairs. The beam wasnโt just following them anymore, it had found them. Charlie and hisย ๏ฌashlight chasing them down.
โMom. Heโs catching up.โ
Rachel looked at her, one side of her face lit up, one eye, losing the rest to the night. Half here, half disappeared.
โO๏ฌย the road. Weโll lose him in the trees.โ
Rachel dragged Bel into the tree line, then Bel dragged her, the ground growing rough and uneven.
Bel lit the way, much darker now, the trees looming over them, blocking out the sky, roots catching hold of their legs. They moved as fast as they could, darting through and around.
The world tilted, reaching uphill, taking the trees with it.
The breath was tight in Belโs chest, hauling Rachel up alongside her.ย โCharlie!โย They heard a strangled cry behind them.ย โWait!โ
He was somewhere in the trees too, hunting them down. Bel couldnโt see the silver beam; the trees were blocking it, hiding them.
โThis way,โย Rachel whispered, pointing to where the trees thinned out, a path snaking up.ย โThe hikersโย trail.โ
They climbed together, picking up their pace. Bel could even see the moon through the canopy of shadows, over the mountain. Leading the way, and that way was up.
Belโs hand grew sticky against Rachelโs, but she wouldnโt let go.ย โHowโs your ankle?โ
Rachel squeezed herย ๏ฌngers.ย โJust have to keep going.โ
Without warning, the trees broke away all at once, in a clean line, letting the sky have them. The huge track where the forest had been cleared for the power lines, running in and out of town.
They moved out into the open, exposed by the moon.
โFaster,โย Rachel said, but she was the one who couldnโt move any faster. Bel eyed the tree cover ahead, racing to it, crossing the shadows of the power lines, too clean and straight to belong in this wild place of trees and
moonlight.
They were so close. Bel looked back to check how far theyโd come.
A silver light emerged from the trees, the dark shape of Charlie behind it, charging into the open ground. The beam shifted, veered over, pointing directly at them, straight through Belโs heart.
โFuck, he sees us. Go!โ
She pulled Rachel into the trees, back on the trail. Up and up, just keep moving.
Bel had made her choice, she chose her mom, and she chose her again, every single second,ย ๏ฌngers around hers, dragging her up as fast as she could, away from the man who was going to kill her.
A howl behind, but it wasnโt at the moon.ย โCharlie, wait! What are you going to do?!โ
Bel knew. And Rachel knew. Je๏ฌย must know too.
She tried not to look at her mom, to read the pain in the set of her jaw, the fear in the blacks of her eyes.
โWhere are we going?โ
โUp,โย Rachel said, eyes ahead, not sharing the fear, not letting Bel take any of it.ย โMascot Mine. We can hide, lose them. Not far now. We can make it.โ
Up and up, steeper and steeper, Belโs knees screaming, muscles burning.ย โWe have to leave the trail,โย Rachel panted.ย โThis way.โ
The way the trees grew thick and untamed, leaning up the mountain as they fought their way through.
Rachel dropped Belโs hand to climb a steep pass on all fours, checking back for her,ย ๏ฌashlight catching the sheen of sweat across her face, a bloody scratch on her cheek.
Bel retook her arm, choosing and choosing again.
There was nothing left, only adrenaline, only fear, working together to keep Belโs legs moving, every breath snagging, ripping at her lungs.
โThis way.โย Rachel veered o๏ฌ.ย โThe mineโs here somewhere. It must beโฆโ
The trees trickled out, making way for the moon, rocky beneath their feet. Bel held up theย ๏ฌashlight. They were on a ledge, the ground disappearing over there, a sheer drop into darkness.
โNo, no, no.โย Rachel limped, moving closer to the edge, looking down.ย โWe came too high.โย Her foot nudged a stone and it rolled over the edge, clattering down the rockface. Bel never heard it hit the bottom.ย โThe mine is down there.โ
Bel joined her, looking down into all that nothing, her light barely scratching the surface, stomach peeling away, toward her spine. She looked ahead instead and saw stars on the ground, reds and whites and yellows, pinpricks of headlights, windows that glowed small as specks. It was Gorham, not quite sleeping, and Bel knew where they were now, wearing night as its disguise. Point Lookout, where you could see the whole town and the mountains beyond in the day. Which meant the entrance to the mine was all the way down there, hundreds of feet below, over the ledge.
โItโs OK.โย Bel took her momโs hand, pulled her back from the edge.ย โWeโll follow the trail down to the other side of Hogan Road.โ
โNo,โย Rachel said quietly. She dropped Belโs hand, grabbed the other one instead, took the phone out of it, swiped theย ๏ฌashlight o๏ฌ.
โWhat are you doing?โย Bel blinked, eyes adjusting to the moonlight.
โItโs the light heโs following.โย Rachel passed the phone back, pressing Belโs hand closed around it, like Bel had done with the key.ย โBel,โย she said, a change in her voice, a break in the middle, like she had just decided something too.
Rachel put her hands on her shoulders.
โNo.โย Bel knew before she said it, shaking her head.ย โIโm slowing you down, Bel.โ
โNo, Mom.โ
โYou run that way.โย She pointed.ย โWithout the light. Be careful. Find the trail again. Keep going. Iโll draw him here with my light.โย She said it fast and she said it hard.
โNo, Mom, Iโm not leaving you.โ
โItโs me he wants.โย She shook Belโs shoulders, trying to get her to listen.
Bel wouldnโt.ย โNo.โ
โHe wonโt stop. You keep running, my sweet girl.โย Her voice cracked, bringing Belโs face closer to hers, hands cupped behind her ears.ย โDonโt look back.โ
โNo.โย The tears came all at once, blurring Rachelโs face, losing it to the darkness.
โPlease, Bel. I have to know youโre safe. Heโs coming.โย Rachel pressed her forehead against Belโs, eye to eye, heart to heart.ย โTell the police. Donโt let him get away with it this time, donโt let him get away with killing me twice.โ
โMom,โย Bel cried, throat seizing around the word. Not a hard word anymore, the easiest one in the world.ย โMom.โ
โGo, Bel.โย Rachel blinked, tears of her own.ย โI love you. So, so much.
Take care of your sister for me. I know you always have.โ โMom.โ
โGo.โ
Rachel pushed her away.ย โGo.โ
Bel went.
Rachel said not to look back but she did, from the tree line. Saw her mom standing out there on the ledge, waving theย ๏ฌashlight above her head, another star where it shouldnโt be.
Bel kept going, silent sobs that split her in half, gut ripping open. The knot rolled right out and she lost it forever, in the wild. Running away from Rachel, like the day she reappeared. Scared then and scared now.
โCharlie! Stop!โ
Uncle Je๏ฌโs voice, somewhere in the dark.
Bel stopped; breath trapped like a windstorm behind her face.
The sound of feet, crashing through the trees close by. That silver beam, pointing toward the end.
And Bel was going the wrong way. The way that hurt far too much, sheโd never live through it, leaving Rachel behind.
Rachel had never left her behind.
Her mom had made her decision, but Bel had made hers too. She chose her mom.
And she chose her again, even if Rachel didnโt want her to. She went back.
A scream building in her throat, following that beam of light, chasing it down.
โThere you are!โย Charlieโs voiceย ๏ฌlled the night, ragged and wild.ย โCharlie, donโt!โย Je๏ฌย shouted.ย โYou donโt want to do this!โ
Bel sprinted, breaking through the trees onto the moonlit edge.
Theย ๏ฌashlight was on the ground, that harsh silver beam pointing at Bel, two dark shapes entangled behind it.
โMom!โย Bel screamed.
Charlie had one arm around Rachelโs neck, forcing her to the ground. She fought back, ankle buckling, scrabbling at his face.
Bel jumped forward, but an arm caught her, dragging her away.
โItโs not safe, Bel.โย Je๏ฌย held on to her, pinning her arms down.ย โHeโs not safe.โ
โLet me go!โย she screeched, struggling against him.ย โNot safe.โย He held tighter.
Charlie roared, tackling Rachel, feet grating against the stone, two darkย ๏ฌgures, dancing toward the edge.
โLet go!โย Bel struggled. Je๏ฌย was too strong.
Charlie too, bearing down on Rachel. Her legs gave out and she dropped with a dull thud, a few feet from the edge.
Charlie pressed one shoe against Rachelโs throat, pushed his weight down into it. His ankle was bleeding, the cu๏ฌย gone, cut free. She scrabbled and kicked, but he could not be moved.
โMom!โย Bel scratched at Je๏ฌโs arms.
Rachel spoke, voice breathy, crushed beneath his foot.ย โProtect my daughter, Je๏ฌ. You owe me.โ
Charlie didnโt look over, only had eyes for her. His arm grew longer than it should, overstretching, inhuman, something dark gripped in his hand. Bel couldnโt see what it was, not until he raised it up against the stars.
An axe.
A click in Rachelโs throat as she looked at it, hanging over her head.
โIf you want me to beg, youโre out of luck, Charlie,โย she croaked.ย โIโve already been dead once.โ
He shrieked, a sound that wasnโt human either, an explosion of rage, no shape to it. A monster standing at the edge of the world, bringing it down around him.
It moved Bel beyond fear, to whatever came next.
โShould have done it myself!โย Charlie gasped, like the scream had crushed him too, left only half of him behind.ย โNow look what youโve done!โ
He raised the axe.
โNo!โย Bel screamed,ย ๏ฌghting against Je๏ฌ.
Rachel turned her head, found Bel.ย Donโt look,ย she mouthed, eyes glittering before she pressed them together, waiting for the end.
โMom!โย A scream.
But it wasnโt Bel.
A blur of coppery-brown hair, shooting out of the trees. Long legs, bounding past.
Je๏ฌโs arms loosened.
โCarter?โย he said, confused, letting Bel go.ย โCarter!โย he screamed, running after her.
But she was ahead, and she was too fast.ย โCarter!โ
That wrenched Charlie out. He glanced over, just as Carter bounded into him, a double-handed push, shoving him away from Rachel.
He stumbled, tripping over Rachelโs arm. Dropped the axe and tripped on that too, staggering back.
Je๏ฌย reached them, skidding, wrenching Carter away from the edge, throwing her behind him.
Charlie was still moving, too much momentum, stones skidding under his feet.
His eyes widened.
He reached out for Je๏ฌ, grabbed aย ๏ฌstful of his brotherโs shirt.
One of his heels dropped over the edge, the rest of the foot slipping with
it.
Charlie tilted.
Falling back, into all that nothing. The other foot went.
Bel blinked but she didnโt miss it. Charlie disappeared over the edge.
He didnโt let go, dragging Je๏ฌย with him. One of them screamed, all the way down.
