The two-lane back roads were anxiety-inducing; anything could happen in the secluded trees. The ominous silence was almost deafening, the only sound being the tires crunching over gravel and the faint hum of the engine.
I felt like we were driving through a tunnel of shadows, the trees looming on either side, dark and watchful.
“Do you think we’re safe now?” I asked, unable to keep the tremor out of my voice.
“Yeah, we’re fine,” he stated, but the way he didn’t meet my gaze told me he wasn’t convinced.
I checked the GPS on my phone, my heart sinking as I realized we were behind schedule due to the stormy disaster. We should have been arriving in Pathosbury today, but now we were going to have to make another stop for the night since it was around 11 in the morning when we left the mystery town.
“What’s wrong?” Caiden asked, glancing at me, his eyes flickering with concern.
“The GPS says we’re behind. As much as I want to stay on course, I am getting hungry. We might need to stop for food soon.”
“Yeah, I could use a break,” he replied.
We pulled into a small diner that looked like it had seen better days. The neon sign buzzed, flickering erratically.
“Let’s sit at the counter,” I suggested, feeling the need to ground myself in something familiar.
As we slid onto the worn stools, I noticed the waitress eyeing us with a mix of curiosity and concern. She was older, her hair pulled back in a braid, and her apron was splattered with grease.“What can I get you?” she asked, her voice warm but tinged with a hint of weariness.
“Coffee and a couple of burgers, please,” Caiden ordered, his voice steady, though I could see the tension still lurking in his eyes.
“Coming right up,” she replied, moving away with a practiced ease.
“So,” I said, trying to fill the silence, “what do you think we’ll find when we get to Pathosbury?”
“Honestly?” Caiden said, leaning forward against the counter. “I have no idea. I just know it’s going to be hard.”
“Yeah, hard doesn’t even begin to cover it,” I replied, the weight of it pressing down on me. I could feel the memories bubbling to the surface, the pain of my childhood, the neglect, the anger. “I can’t believe I’m actually going back.”
"It will be weird, that's for sure," he said, his eyes glazing over as if lost in memories.
“What if I can’t face her? What if I can’t bury her?” My throat tightened with panic.
“You can,” he said firmly, his gaze piercing into me. “You’re not alone in this. I’ll be right there with you.”
I wanted to believe him, to trust that I could lean on him, but the fear was suffocating, pulling me into its mouth.
“Just breathe,” he said, as if sensing my turmoil. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”
“Just don’t be offended if I start feeling moody. Burying my dead mother and being back in the town where you and I hated each other, it might be too much.” It was strange, Caiden and I returning to our hometown as friends, not enemies.
“I understand, Amelia. No worries.”
He reassured me, but I could see the conflict on his face. I knew it would be hard for him too, being in an environmentwhere he suffered horrible memories, conditioned to hate me and act as a monster.
The waitress returned with our food, and I forced myself to eat, even though the bite of the burger felt like lead in my stomach. Caiden was quiet, lost in thought.
As we finished our meal, I glanced out the window, the sky darkening again as storm clouds gathered in the distance. “We should probably get going,” I said, trying to shake off the unease that clung to me like a shadow.
“Yeah,” Caiden agreed, his voice low and focused.
Once the food was paid for, we got back on the road.
Caiden drove with one hand on the wheel, his eyes focused straight ahead in a way I recognized as both careful and completely disconnected. He didn’t speak, not unless necessary.
We existed in different corners of the car, marooned islands separated by a sea of unspoken words.
