Page 3 of Unbound By Shadows
Although they were deep in the woods, the cemetery was flat and cleared of vegetation. Selene’s breath caught when she saw movement in her peripheral vision, but it was the ripple of a small flag planted by a headstone. The eerie strains of a rusted wind chime, another gravesite decoration, sounded as Cass opened her door. Selene climbed out of the car and put on her backpack.
“Do you want to look around the cemetery for a minute?” Cass asked. She shone her flashlight over the headstones, which were a mix of markers, old and new.
“Let’s do it later. I’m starting to get creeped out,” Selene replied. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but the droning buzz seemed more pronounced.
“We’ll be fine,” Cass said. “Look, the sky’s starting to lighten up.”
Cass's flashlight bounced as she walked toward the wooden sign that read “Gentlemen’s Swimming Hole—0.4 miles.” Selene activated the flashlight app on her phone and focused on Cass’s black-and-white striped leggings as she moved into the woods.
The trail started as an easy downhill slope with a few turns. It was a well-maintained path, but Selene grew frustrated as they progressed. She kept getting her hair tangled in branches and her arms scratched by tree limbs. Pausing to untangle yet another spiky branch from her hair, she marveled at how Cass glided ahead of her with ease, unencumbered. Although it was a silly idea, Selene felt like the forest was reaching out to pull her in.
It wasn’t until they reached the trail’s hairpin turn around a small creek that Selene’s vague unease shifted to genuine anxiety. One moment she felt fine, but then she was hit with a sudden headache. It was sharp and intense like someone had inflicted a blow right in the middle of her forehead. The pain made her stumble for a moment and gasp.
Cass stopped to place her hand on Selene’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Selene pinched the bridge of her nose. “I just had this pain shoot through my head. Did something hit me?”
Cass shone her flashlight over Selene’s face. “I don’t see any marks. Do you want to sit down?”
“No, maybe it’s my allergies. Let’s keep going. I can hear water, so we must be close.”
The trees that lined the trail behind them gave way to large rocks and stone ledges. They came upon a downward staircase made ofstrategically placed rocks cut into a hill. Cass slowly descended before shining her flashlight back to illuminate Selene’s steps. As she reached the bottom, they paused to take in their surroundings.
Cass studied her map and said, “This must be what they call the Witch’s Cave. Not much of a cave, is it? More like a rock shelter. She shone her flashlight around the stone overhang. Craggy stone walls soared above them on three sides, and a small pool of water collected the moisture from the rocks at the bottom. “It has a funny smell. Like printer toner.”
“Ozone. It’s the smell before a storm.” Selene rubbed her hand over her forehead, wincing. “I feel weird. You should go on ahead. I need a second to sit down.” She eased herself onto one of the large, flat rocks strewn beneath the overhang.
“Maybe we should go back,” Cass said, but then looked toward the horizon anxiously. Sunrise was about to break any minute now.
“No, no, I’m fine. I just need a moment.” Selene took a drink from her water bottle then gestured at the sign pointing to the Gentlemen’s Swimming Hole. “I don’t want you to miss the sunrise, so go on without me. Hurry.”
Cass looked uncertain, then said, “I’ll just get a few shots and be right back. Holler if you need me.”
Selene nodded and watched her sister’s flashlight weave down the trail. The humming sound was piercing now, and goosebumps prickled across her arms. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to regain her usually calm composure.
She breathed deeply for several moments and resolved to Google “sound hallucinations” once they got back to the guest cottage. The rock she sat on had been damp with dew, and that moisture was seeping into her jeans. Slowly she stood up, reaching out to the jagged rock wall for support, noting the irony of how even when she traveled she managed to find a way to be stuck in one place—left behind while others got to experience glorious sights and adventures.
Her head continued to throb, but her attention shifted as loudpops like sparks of static crackled behind her. Tentatively, she turned to see where it was coming from.
Please don’t be a rattlesnake.Or Bigfoot, or a monster cat…
Her eye was drawn to a dark hollow within the jagged rock. It was a small, square-shaped opening, only about three feet tall. She took a step back and directed her phone’s flashlight into the darkness. When the beam of light hit the empty space, the air seemed to shimmer. The darkness pulsed within her phone’s pale light, like waves of heat rising from hot asphalt.
Suddenly she realized her headache was gone. She touched her forehead. The pain had disappeared completely. As she wondered what sort of games her body was playing, she was overcome with a new sensation. It started as a tingly warmth in her stomach. Then it burst within her, traveling down her limbs in waves that made her sway on her feet. But this time, it wasn’t anxiety. It was a feeling of welcome. Ofrightness.
The sensation seemed to tug her forward, propelling her toward the glittering mist.
She took one step closer, then another. She watched her legs move as if outside her own body. Her whole being strained toward the opening, as though a tremendous magnetic force was pulling her closer.
The electric smell of ozone hit her so hard her eyes watered. She shook her head to clear it, never dropping her gaze from the mist. The buzzing sound persisted, but now it sounded like hypnotic music.
She reached out her hand, desperate to make contact with the strange haze. But right before she was to learn of the rock’s shadowy secrets, her boot landed directly in the puddle of water pooling on the ground. Then, as if something powerful had grabbed her foot, her body was violently jerked downward.
Everything went black as the ozone smell enveloped her—sharp, metallic, and pungent. Her limbs scrambled wildly, and her stomachdropped. It felt like she was falling from a great height, yet she could only grab handfuls of empty space.
Her vision blurred, and she tried to scream. She struggled for air as immense pressure surrounded her. It was so strong she felt like her bones were breaking, dissolving. Her skin felt too tight, like her muscles might burst out of their confines. She tried to call out for her sister, but she couldn’t even open her mouth.
She continued to fall farther and farther down, plummeting and writhing until she was certain this must be what it felt like to die.
