Page 79 of Delirium

“I’m shocked,” drawled James. “Camp, hungry? Never heard of such a thing in my life.”

“You’re just jealous you don’t have the same metabolism you had in university.” I laughed. “We’re old now, James.”

“I don’t think any of you have any issues with your metabolism.” Scarlett rolled her eyes. “Now that’s settled, can we eat?”

We dug in, laughing and telling stories like we were back on the boat, not in this situation. The rain continued to hold off, the light slowly dimming in the sky around us until our faces were lit only by the flickering orange flames.

I pointed my fork at James, my bowl long since empty. “Let me tell you a story about James, here. It involves a bar at two in the morning, a bartender, way too much whiskey, and a bottle of honey.”

“Oh, God,” James groaned. “Please, no. Let’s not tell this story again. I thought I’d blocked it out from my memory.”

Scarlett laughed at James’ feet, pushing him lightly on the thigh. “No! I want to hear this!”

He shook his head, hair swinging. “Absolutely not. I do not need to revisit that time in my life ever again. All I will tell you is that it took me a long time to be able to look at honey the same way.”

“You? You weren’t even the one with a honey-covered belly button!” I laughed. It felt like a different person, a different lifetime. Was I ever someone who could laugh at silly things like a drunken night at the bar? The thought quieted me. “All things considered, it was a good night.”

“A lot of those nights were good,” James agreed, meeting my eyes across the fire, the tiniest glimmer of the kid he used to be in the shadows of his gaze.

We all fell silent, each of us lost in our own thoughts. The only sounds separating our memories were the crackling of the dying embers, reminding us exactly where we were.

“Do you ever wish you were back there?” Scarlett asked, voice soft. “To make different choices, or even just to relive that time?”

I thought about it for a moment and shook my head. “How would any of us have met if I’d stayed there? I wouldn’t change anything about this trip, even if it really has gone wrong at every turn.”

“Well, unfortunately I don’t have any funny stories from my time in school, but I do have a bit of a horror story.” Scarlett laughed quietly, and my stomach turned.

She hates you, you know. She’s going to tell you exactly how much, and it’s going to break you into pieces.The campfire flickered, and I could’ve sworn there was someone watching me from the edges of our small clearing, eyes glowing back at me from the light of our flames.

Except no one was there. I had to keep it together. For all our sakes.

“Does the horror story involve me walking in on you and James fucking like animals on the boat deck?” Camp asked.

“Don’t start with me, Campbell. I know you liked watching.” Scarlett gave him a wicked grin before settling back against James’ legs. “But, no. I’ve been reading the journal I found in the city. And I’ve learned a bit more about its history. According to the legends, this particular city was quite advanced for its time. Which is exactly what James told me. But because it was so advanced, so successful, it drew a lot of negative attention and scrutiny. So the inhabitants cursed the perimeters of it, to keep people out. The markings we saw all around the edges were warnings.”

I found myself leaning forward. “What was the curse exactly?”

I’d heard a lot about the city, but stories varied depending on who you spoke to—if they were willing to talk about it at all.

Scarlett continued. “People wanted to come and take things back to their own people. Tools, knowledge, wealth, that sort of thing. They wanted to steal it, basically. So the city cursed its perimeter such that if someone stepped inside, they could never leave.Forever trapped, is what it said.” She shrugged. “I guess the fear of getting trapped away from your entire life elsewhere would be enough to scare a lot of invaders off.”

“But, we left,” James pointed out. “Clancy left. The workers left.”

“I guess we aren’t cursed, then.” I grinned, and James glared at me. “In all seriousness, these stories are hearsay at best. They’ve been passed down for generations, centuries, sometimes. There’s going to be gaps in the stories, or parts where the translations don’t add up. That’s to be expected. Of course, all of this is assuming you evenbelievein curses.”

Silence around the fire, and three pairs of eyes stared at me, mixed emotions in each of them. Curses were silly things.

And yet, you feel cursed, don’t you, Nash? If you don’t, you should. This is all your fault after all.

The fire no longer looked welcoming and warm. The dark was no longer a blanket wrapped around me, but a hood covering my senses. Everything was cold, haunting, and I wanted nothing more than to run away from it all.

“Well, I think that’s enough for one night. We should all get some sleep so we can get an early start tomorrow.” I tried my best to ignore the throbbing behind my eyes, and the chills racing up my back. I was tired. That was all.

“Bed sounds like a great idea.” Scarlett stood, pulling James to his feet by his hand, and beckoning to Camp as well. “You coming, Nash?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m just going to make sure everything is secure and the fire is out and then I’ll be in.” The three of them disappeared into the tent, leaving me alone in the night, with only my thoughts for company.

And me. Don’t forget about me.

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