Whispered Darkness by Jessica Sorensen Page 0,3
my legs. They pull me under to my hidden grave—
I gasp, my eyelids opening.
It was just a dream, I tell myself, trying to calm down. Just a dream …
Cold air chills my bare skin, and my stomach drops as I glance around at the lake, the shadowy forest, and starry night sky. Panic flares through me as reality sets in.
Oh my God, it wasn’t a dream!
I frantically shake my head. No, it was. That much I know, because I definitely just woke up. What I don’t know is how I got here, unless …
Did I sleepwalk?
My heart thrashes in my chest. I think I did. I’m not sure how, though, when I’ve never done it before. So, why did I start now? Is this an ability that Beth was talking about? If so, how in the hell is sleepwalking an ability?
My thoughts drift back to what I dreamt about, to that shadow chasing me, those limbs of the dead dragging me under water, and those haunting whispers begging me to help them.
I stare out at the lake, at the rippling water. Not a single limb is present, only the glow of the moonlight reflecting off the water’s surface, yet I swear I can feel them in there, those girls. Beth—
Snap.
A branch breaks from behind me, causing fear to pulsate through my veins.
A snapping branch. Just like in the nightmare I just had!
“I need to get the hell out of here,” I mumble to myself, reaching for my phone in my pocket. But then I become painfully aware that I don’t have any pockets. Because I’m wearing pajama shorts and a tank top, and my feet are bare.
The fact that I’m wearing the exact same outfit that I was in the nightmare sends a chill up my spine, but I’m even more worried over the fact that I’m miles away from my house and it’s in the middle of the goddamn night! I have no shoes on and …
“How in the hell did I even walk here without anyone noticing me?” I mutter as I wrap my arms around myself.
Did I take a path through the forest? Or did I walk on the side of the road? Either way doesn’t sound appealing. And I had to have walked for at least a couple of hours.
While I haven’t been able to feel much since the accident, I definitely feel a very intense sense of fear in that moment. It’s like waking up in the hospital all over again with no memory of how I got there.
I release a shaky breath as I glimpse around, trying to figure out what to do next. I need to go home, but should I go through the forest or take the road? The forest … well, considering I just had a nightmare about a shadow figure chasing me through the trees, I really don’t want to step foot in there right now. However, walking on the side of the road seems sketchy as hell, especially with so many murders plaguing the town. What if someone dangerous spots me?
What if Foster spots me?
I smash my lips together as my eyes burn with approaching tears. I hate that I’m about to fucking cry. That I’m falling apart right now.
“Beth?” I whisper, hoping she’ll appear and … I don’t know, keep me company or something.
But she doesn’t, and I’m left trying to figure out which of the two ways home is the least dangerous.
I’ve just about decided to take my chances with the forest when I feel something …
A whisper …
A pull …
A warmth …
Kingsley.
His name starts pulsating through my veins, over and over again, until all I feel is him.
He’s somewhere close.
I start to walk aimlessly along the shore, letting that pull guide me away from the lake and toward a path that leads around the forest. Once I reach it, I keep walking, hoping this is the right choice. That the connection I feel to Kingsley will actually lead me to him. After all, Beth told me that I needed to go to him. Maybe that’s why this is happening. Perhaps this is Beth’s way of forcing me to him.
Can she do that? I’m not sure. And I guess it doesn’t really matter right now.
What matters is getting out of this forest and finding Kingsley.
I keep walking and, at first, all I see is darkness and trees. But the farther I hike up the path, the more sounds start to brush across my ears.
A fire crackling.
Music.
Voices.
A party