Page 62 of Middle of the Night

“You sure?”

“I’m sure,” Ethan says, even though he’s not. But it’s either this or lose face in front of the only two people he wants to impress.

Ashley jabs him with her elbow, seemingly pleased, which Ethan thinks means he made the right choice. That assumption only grows when Ashley continues to stay by his side as they follow the others deeper into the forest.

Ethan knows they’ve reached the institute grounds when he spots a stone wall up ahead. Even though it’s far in the distance, seen only in half glimpses through the trees, Ethan’s stomach clenches at the sight. It’s tall, at least eight feet high, and topped with curls of razor wire. As they approach, he can see evenly spaced signs warning them to keep out. Pointless, really. The wall’s presence is warning enough.

Beyond it, the forest seems to continue undisturbed, as if the wall itself is just a mistake and there’s nothing on the other side. But there is. Ethan hears it. A rush of water that grows louder with each subsequent step.

Billy, Ragesh, and Russ reach the wall first. Russ peers up at it and asks, “Is this it?”

“Yep,” Billy says.

Ragesh gives the base of the wall a light kick. “How do we get past it? You didn’t bring us all this way just to see a stupid wall, right?”

“There’s more,” Billy says, standing a few paces down the wall from everyone else. “This way. Follow me.”

The others do as instructed, and start crunching their way over dead leaves that have been blown into piles against the wall. Only Ethan pauses to wonder why Billy knows just where to go. Again, he considers suggesting they turn around. Now that they’re at the wall, there’s nowhere else to go. He runs a hand along the stone, noting how thick the wall seems, how impenetrable, as if whatever sits on the other side is best left alone. Ethan is happy to do just that. Yet everyone else keeps walking, following Billy’s lead and sticking close to the wall.

“Keep up back there,” Ragesh calls, prompting Ethan to hurry to catch up.

He finds the others clustered around a break in the wall, the stones that used to be stacked there now strewn across the ground. Ethan can’t tell if the breach was caused by natural forces or if someone knocked it down. All he notices is that there’s a two-foot gap big enough to sneak through.

Which, to his astonishment, Billy does.

“That’s not a good idea, Billy,” Ashley says, making Ethan relieved he’s not the only one nervous about what’s happening. “Maybe you should come back.”

“Or maybe we should join him,” Ragesh says, pushing past her and joining Billy on the other side of the wall.

Russ follows suit, slipping through the gap and standing next to Billy on the other side. Billy turns around to give Ethan an expectant look.

“Aren’t you coming?”

Ethan remains where he is, uncertain. Again, he wonders what Billy will think of him if he refuses. He’s noticed the way Russ has been by Billy’s side the entire time, and he worries it will continue after they leave this place. Until today, Billy tolerated Russ—barely. The only reason Russ came along is because Ethan allowed it. Yet the two of them now look like the best of friends as they stand shoulder to shoulder on the other side of the wall.

“Sure,” Ethan says.

Next to him, Ashley gives a disapproving frown. “I guess that means I’m coming, too. We might as well all trespass together.”

They step through the gap and join the others. Billy walks ahead of them, leading the pack. He seems intent on reaching a particular destination, and Ethan thinks he knows what it is by the steady rise of the land beneath their feet and the sound of rushing water that’s grown unnervingly loud now that they’re on this side of the wall.

The falls.

Ethan’s heard of them, of course. The boys at school whisper stories about a mysterious waterfall that everyone seems to know about but very few people have actually seen. The falls are said to be haunted, in addition to being cursed. Two claims that made him doubt the place even existed.

But it does.

And to judge by the thinning of the forest in the distance, it’s just ahead. Through the trees, Ethan sees blue sky and nothing else, making him aware of their elevation. So much higher than the ground in front of them. He’d assumed they were moving toward the base of the falls. Now he knows better. Now he knows they’re approaching the top.

Soon they’re there, emerging from the woods onto a rocky outcropping. On the left, water rushes past them before cascading intothe lake below. Standing so close to it fills Ethan with fearful fascination.

The waterfall itself is only about ten feet wide. But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in force. The water doesn’t slip over the falls. Itroars. A sound Ethan can feel in his sternum just as surely as he feels the spray of water on his skin.

Ethan nudges forward until he’s between Russ and Billy at the front of the outcropping. A move he instantly regrets. Now that he’s a mere foot from the edge, the drop seems even bigger and more menacing.

Instead of a slide into the lake at an angle, the falls plummet straight down for at least thirty feet. Maybe more. When he dares to look down, Ethan sees that the water below is a churning white and that a fine mist hovers over the surface. The lake could be a foot deep there; it could be fifty. There’s no way to tell.

The height, steepness, and power of the falls unsettle Ethan. It feels dangerous here, especially with nothing to keep them from slipping off and falling into the abyss.

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