Page 3 of Dead By Dusk

The look of an arrogant man.I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes at his automatic assumption that I could pose no threat to him.

Reaching out his hand, he looks at me expectantly.

“The name is William. I prefer Will,” is all he says as he waits for me to shake his hand. I almost don’t. I can’t say if it’s because of pride or something else, but some part of me doesn’t want to be pleasant with him. Maybe spite? I do know, though, that I can’t afford to make any enemies in such an uncertain time, so I meet him halfway.

“Silene,” I say when our hands meet. I nod my head to the left, “This is Nathaniel. He has a nickname too, but unless you’re friends, you can’t use it.” I crack a small, amused smile.

“And you two are friends, I take it? Just checking, you know…since he threw the lamp at your head about two minutes ago,” he says. I whip my head back and pin Nathaniel with a glare,pain jolting through my neck at the action. Nathaniel opens and closes his mouth several times, gesturing between Will and I.

“I know we just met, but damn,” I start, forcing my features into a picture of mock concern. “I thought we were past the wary stage. You think you know a guy,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest. His eyes widen more than I thought humanly possible, and my lips twitch slightly—just once—and I hope it didn’t give myself away.

“I thought it was a trap, but as I was throwing, I realized the lamp would probably hit you so I angled it to the side,” he trails off in defeat before adding, “I didn’t realize G.I. Joe was on the other side of the door.” Before he can continue defending himself, there’s a small cough from behind us.

William stills while Nathaniel whips his body around and takes a small step forward before stopping himself.

Odd.

Slowly, I turn my body, taking cautious steps toward the tall and petite, formerly asleep, woman, who is now aggressively rubbing her eyes with one hand and using the other to balance herself as she tries to stand. Before she can rise, I’m in front of her, kneeling and placing my hand on one of her shoulders to help.

She startles at the contact, rearing her body back and dropping her hand from her face. When she opens her gold-speckled brown eyes, she stares at my hand on her shoulder before looking around. Her gaze darts between the frozen men across the room, the broken lamp at Will’s feet, then finally settles back on me. She furrows her brows. Questions upon questions are written all over her face. Even if she could better mask her emotions, we all had them. I wouldn’t expect her to be any different.

“Do you know your name?” I ask gently. Quietly. Almost as if she were a lost child searching for her family. She opens hermouth as if to answer but instead coughs into her elbow several more times, much louder than when she’d first woken up, and I back up a little to give her some space.

“My name is Carmen, where…where are we? Who are you? Why are we here? H-how did we get here? H—” she fires off, but I just slowly shake my head. I relax my face, hoping to convey that none of us have the answers either. She seems to understand because her eyes well with tears. Large tears, drenched with fear, stream down her face, and when she begins taking large gasping breaths like she’s struggling for air, I release a deep sigh and grab her hand hoping she’ll focus on me again.

“Alright, Carmen, take a deep breath for me and hold it for a few seconds, okay? Breathe in…and out. Okay, one more time, hold it… slowly exhale. Good. My name is Silene, behind me are William and Nathaniel, okay? None of us remember much except our names. We haven’t seen or heard anyone else yet, and I think it’s about time we all start investigating, yeah? You can stick with me if you’d like. Does that sound good?”

She only nods her head, so I rise and help her stand on shaky legs and turn to the boys.

“Are you guys ready to try and find some answers? She and I take the upstairs, you two can take downstairs? Any objections?” I ask while walking backwards toward the staircase, guiding the timid woman along with me. I keep one eyebrow raised in question at the two vastly different men. Both stand still in front of the bedroom door, as if frozen in time. It isn’t until I clear my throat expectantly that they both jump, nod their heads yes, and take off in different directions.

With that, I glance at Carmen again making sure she’s still focused before we head up the dark hardwood stairs. My knuckles are white as I grip the black iron rails leading to the second landing of this beautiful house.

One so beautiful, yet so full of mystery to all of us, I can’t help but wonder: What will we find?

3

Field and Forest and Fog: Silene

The first step onto the second landing gives way with a long, high-pitched creak that makes me wince. I pause to look around before walking any further, ensuring that nothing else was stirring up here besides us. Once I’m sure we’re alone, I take another step forward, nodding Carmen on.

It’s quiet.

Steady.

But I know it won’t stay that way. In the back of my mind, I know someone is here. Lurking, silent in their wait.But for what?I’ve asked myself so many questions since I’ve woken and have yet to find any answers.

I have nothing but a dagger and an impossible pain in my neck.

After a few steps down the hallway, I stop to scan my surroundings. The second floor is furnished similarly to the downstairs area where I spent the last twenty minutes. Darkhardwood floors, olive green painted walls. A small bookshelf holds a stack of books most would consider classics, volumes of poetry…beautiful works of literature. I can’t help but step closer and gently trace the spines.

“Much Ado About Nothing,” “Macbeth,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Most Dangerous Game. They’re all gloriously dark books. My brow creases slightly. I can’t help but wonder why they all seem to be in perfect condition? Why would someone keep a collection so hauntingly beautiful and dark if not to devour and decipher them?

I don’t linger too long on this and tear my gaze away from the books. With a deep exhale, I turn only to be met with hazel eyes entirely too close to my face. Instinctively, I shoot my palm into the person’s throat before I blink and realize who it is.

His eyes go wide as he chokes, and I can’t help but mimic his facial expression in surprise.

“Dear Lord, Bobby boy, you can’t just sneak up on a woman like that! You’re going to get yourself killed! What the hell are you even doing!? You’re supposed to be downstairs with Nathaniel!”

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