The Night Children

Chapter 29

Edited. 

I didn't recognise the dim back roads of Brookefield, nor did I like the uneasy feeling that settled around me like a cloud. In my haste to leave the house without waking Mum, I forgot to shrug on a jumper. Side eyeing the tiny note that lay perched against the spare seat next to me, I worried at my lip.

Tonight would decide everything.

I wished more than anything Aleena was here, chattering about meaningless gossip in the seat next to me. At least she could then distract me from the danger I was throwing myself into.

In the car ride, I had tied down the disappearances to several people. I knew Pincel had a huge part to play, and hopefully uncovering his weaponry and what it was used for tonight would solidify my predictions. Miss Anderson was another story. Her obsessions with folklore could wait until later. The only danger she posed was over me, and I would prefer to keep it that way. At least then she wouldn't hurt other innocent people.

And then there was Aaron. I hadn't seen him since the night he shot Isaac. I hadn't seen both of them.

I tasted blood in my mouth. Nobody could be trusted. From now, I had to be cautious even of the boy with the green and gold eyes.

The dirt road suddenly sheared off, the sandy path cutting into bushland. Slowing the car to a halt, I stared out the windscreen to pin point the steady fall of snowflakes. Hidden in the car, I was sheltered from the wind. I knew it would be a deadly night. Winter was only a few days away.

I hoisted my phone from my pocket, squinting against its harsh light in the darkness of the car. The map still assured me Point Road was in this general direction.

Feeling myself frown, I opened the car door to round the bonnet, searching for some sign of a road I could potentially take. Drawing my arms closer to my chest, I shivered. After inspecting the snow draped bushes around the end of the dirt road, I began to feel the hope drain out of me. Maybe Pincels address had been incorrect, or out dated.

Keep looking, I growled to myself. Children are dying.

If it hadn't been for the light cast from the car headlights, I wouldn't have been able to see it. A sly bit of reflector tape, wound around a singular blade of grass at the base of a tree.

Holding my breath, I leaned closer to examine it, stepping further into the undergrowth to investigate. As I bent down, I saw another flash of light and looked up to see another slice of reflection tape several metres up.

A path. A path that could only be accessed at night, relying on the the familiarity of light. This wasn't a path that was meant to be found by anyone. It was a path found by those who were willing to look for it.

Swallowing hard, I ventured back to the car to retrieve my backpack and halt the engine. I didn't dare lock it. If I had to leave in a hurry, I couldn't waste time finding my keys. Nobody would venture down this road anyway. It was a dead end.

The backpack was at least three kilos. I had packed the essentials, learning from my mistakes from the last time I encountered the wolves. I had lost Aleena's dagger that night, and now replaced it with a skinning knife my father had left behind. First aid, scissors, a flash light and spare batteries as well as water also remained wedged in the bag. I wouldn't risk anything.

As soon as the engine cut, I was drowned in silence and shadows. I felt the snowflakes trickle up my arms, a constant reminder of the prosperity of winter. I wondered, as I began to walk, if the children had been calm when their lives had been cut short. Did they scream into the numbing silence or was their death quick? A hasty cut to the throat, a bullet to the head. At least then they could've felt nothing.