The first night I encountered the dark walker, I was thrown off course and into a cave. Was Charlie pulling me toward him then too? Was I here in this cave before? I swallow hard as the thought that I was so close to him, twists my insides into a knot.
Seconds later we are entering the wide-open space within the cave. A small fire burns brightly at the center of the room and the smoke trails upward toward a break in the rocks. Around the room sit twenty-four weary souls. All look exhausted and worried. All of them are staring questionably at us.
“Everyone, this is Emma,” Charlie says motioning to me. “And this is Zoë. These are the two people I've been telling you about.”
They all just stare at us in disbelief. “Emma, although she hates to be called this, is the person in the legends you have all heard. She is the savior.”
All of their faces change to the same expression of disbelief.
“Who’s the other one?” an indistinguishable voice asks from a dark corner of the room.
“Zoë’s a witch. Her family is protecting Emma so that the curse can be broken. Emma is here looking for her sister, Natalie. She is a lost walker, just like all of us. However, Natalie is only seven years old.”
A look of pity and concern sweeps across the faces I can see. For the first time since we walked in, I take a moment to look around and see who they all are. They are men and women, boys and girls. Age hasn't discriminated against lost walkers. The youngest I see is a boy who looks to be about ten. The oldest is a woman in her eighties, if not older. They all have families who are praying and hoping for their return. They all have families who believe that I am the savior.
A small voice from the darkness speaks out. “I saw a girl.”
Everyone turns to look at her.
She continues. “When we were out looking for the stream to clean up in. There was a girl. She went through the gate.”
A young girl, maybe twelve years old, crawls closer to the fire so we can see her.
“When was this, Casey?” Charlie asks.
“The last time my group went to the stream,” she replies.
“Did you see her come out?”
She looks down and shakes her head no.
“Was anyone else with her?”
“She was alone. There were little white twinkling lights floating behind her.”
Zoë and I look at each other. The knot in my stomach tightens. If there are little white lights floating around her, we don't have much time.
“What's the gate?” I ask Charlie.
“It’s this archway in the middle of nowhere. There are a few stone steps inside of it. From the front it looks like you're just walking into a garden. If you step around the arch, there’s nothing. Like it’s not even there. It leads to some other realm of existence. We stay away from the gate. One of us went through it once and she never returned.”
My face lights up at his explanation. “Can you take us there?” I ask him.
“Emma, it’s not safe. You can’t go through it.”
“Yes, I can. I’ve been through it before.”
“You’ve been through it before? What’s in it?” the woman by the fire asks me.
“It’s a dark place that not many people can survive. There are all kinds of things living in there that you do not want to encounter. I think the arch itself is a gateway to the caligo.”
“The caligo?” she asks, confused.
“It’s basically is a black hole of darkness. It takes everything you are and turns it against you. Most people who go into the caligo don't survive it. It claims your soul.”
“So how did you survive it?” she asks with contempt.
“I have the protection of a family of meigas—witches. They’ve been connected to my family for hundreds of years. They are able to keep me safe in there.”
“What are you going to do once you’re in there?”
“We look for my sister, get her out of there, and get her home.”
“What about us?” another voice pipes up. “Can you get us home?”
“If I can get Natalie home, then I think I can help the rest of you too.”
The woman near the fire speaks again. “How are you going to get us home? We can’t change our walks. We’ve been trapped in here with no escape.”
“We don’t have time to get in to the specifics now. Natalie doesn’t have much time left if she’s in the