Page 52 of Night So Silent
There’s a chaotic blend of prints in the yard that I recognize immediately; bird and rabbit prints scuttle along the familiar pattern of deer hooves that meander across the powdery snow. But as I approach the shed, there’s still no movement. I expect Sergei would have appeared as soon as I saw the light turn off.I’m almost to the awning where a snowmobile sits wrapped in a black cover when I glance over my shoulder at the garage.
And I immediately freeze.
The door is open, the garage is empty, and Sergei’s truck is nowhere to be found.
The air is still, but suddenly the night feels much colder and much quieter. There’s a rush of adrenaline in my ear like a faucet on full blast and my heart starts pounding as I try to make sense of the scene before me. A chill skitters up the back of my neck, putting me on high alert.
The light turned on. And then it turned off. And, still, Sergei’s truck is not here.
Slowly, I move to take a step, but then the shed door slams shut. Whipping around, I let out a shriek as I run straight into a dark figure blocking my path. It grabs me by my arms and throws me against the side of the shed with a bang. As soon as I catch a glimpse of another set of eyes, I scream in terror and my arms fly up, shoving the terrifying figure before me. It’s tall, it’s dark, and it moves with surprising agility.
Pinned against the siding, I can barely keep it at an arm’s length, which becomes even more futile when it slowly leans down, its face coming closer and closer, its stale breath assaulting my nostrils. I keep my eyes averted, utterly terrified, until I can’t stand it anymore. My face isn’t being torn apart, so I finally open my eyes to see what might be the last image of my life.
And I don’t believe it.
It doesn’t make sense. I have to be hallucinating. I’m so caught off-guard that I just stare back at the dark, angry eyes in shock.
“Caleb?”
I recognize his face, albeit rougher and not clean-shaven like the last time I saw him. He’s not dressed business casual,but rather in dark pants—mottled, black camo pants—and dark jacket. Gripping my biceps like a vice, he smells like dirt and sweat and he’s glaring back at me with the most hateful look I’ve ever seen.
“Hi, Barrett.” His voice is devoid of inflection, just as cold as the mountain air.
My muscles tremble as the adrenaline courses through my veins. “W-what are you doing?” My throat is parched. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here to seeyou.”Caleb grabs my throat and slams my head against the shed, knocking the breath out of me. “Teach you that it’s not polite toignorepeople who invested so much time into you.”
My mind races with a thousand different details and a thousand different scenarios.The lies…the breakup…the texts…someone in my house…more texts…all the texts…
My vision blurs, tears flooding my eyes. He’s not on drugs, he’s not intoxicated, he’s just filled with pure, unadulterated hate.And I was right.I was right because I know the signs. I’ve seen them before. He was able to hide it, but then I saw what was behind the mask, and now he’s finally escalated to whatever the hell this is.
“You need to leave,” I creak out. “Think about what you’re doing. Just leave.”
I try to diffuse the situation, but I’m certain it’s already gone too far off the rails to be salvaged. Right now, I just need to survive, which is becoming more uncertain by the second.
Sergei…where is Sergei?
“What I’m doing is what should happen toalldisrespectful females who forget their place. You’re no different than every other manipulative, lying, low-qualityslutwho’s not worth the dirt on the bottom of my tires!”
“Caleb,” I try my best to level my voice, “I’m not alone here. This isn’t my—”
“Where is he?” Caleb cuts me off, literally and figuratively as he squeezes my throat, sending a wave of panic through my body. “Where’s the guy you’re cheating with that fucked you like a stray dog? Do you even know? Because I do. I know where he goes and how long it takes him to come back. In case youforgot,I know these mountains, too. Or were you not paying attention?” He leans closer, until I can feel the heat radiating from his face. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
A fresh new wave of fear shoots through my chest and down to my toes.Someone in my house…the prints…the sounds on the porch…the dark figure in the trees…
“Let go…” I’m not back home. “He’ll be back…” I’m not in my office trying to talk someone off a ledge. “Just leave…” I’m standing in the dark, in the snow, and an inch away from dying of asphyxiation.
Before I can utter another word, he slams my shoulders back against the wall again.
“Shut your fucking mouth before I snap your goddamn neck!”
Suddenly, Caleb lurches forward with a grunt and releases his grip, eliciting a startled gasp from me. With a garbled yell, he claws at my arms and shoulders, sinking down like he can’t stand up. I let out a terrified yelp and shove him away, tearing across the snow toward the house. I scramble up the steps and burst through the door, slamming and locking it behind me. As close to hyperventilating as I am, I manage to smack the light switch next to the door and turn off the living room lights so I can see outside.
It’s not lost on me that a savory aroma has permeated the house, upsetting me even more that my dinner efforts have been overshadowed with whatever hellscape this has turned into.Trying to focus, I peer outside in an attempt to figure out what just happened.
And then I see it; Caleb lying on the ground next to the shed. He’s still moving, albeit haphazardly, his limbs flailing like they’re deflating. Except for his left leg. He’s howling in pain, his left leg rigid as he tries to move, only to collapse again. But the more I focus, the more it looks like there’s something stuck to it.
Is that…an arrow?
