117. New Surroundings

The gray cotton-ball-filled sky seems to get darker earlier than normal. I haven’t done anything today except worry and pray and try calling or texting Kelsey. By the time I get on my bike and slip the backpack over my shoulder, I pretty much realize what’s about to happen.

I’m either going to save the girl and be a hero or I’m going to die alongside her.

Riding down these narrow, winding roads, I’d love to say that I’m filled with peace. But I’m not. Maybe I’m doing something wrong with this faith and these prayers. I don’t know. I just know that I’m half adrenaline and another half petrified terror.

The first sign of anything—life, impending death, doom and gloom—is the figure I see at the place where the Heartland Trail used to end. By the time I get here, the sun behind the clouds is almost gone. Yet I can see there’s a man standing by the area in the woods that’s been cleared for the road.

He’s holding a torch.

Thankfully he’s not wearing a robe.

I slow down as I approach. I’m far enough away in case I need to bolt.

Then I see his face.

It’s Jared. Or the person who called himself Jared.

He doesn’t react to seeing me. Instead, he just motions for me to keep going.

Like he’s a guard on duty. Or a gatekeeper, only allowing certain people access.

I don’t say anything. I simply keep going.

It only takes a few minutes to reach the church. It looks just like I remember it from when I came here with Poe. Two stories, a combination of wood and stone, a steeple at its top.

But all the old run-down buildings are gone. The weeds and overgrowth are all gone too. The road I’m on connects with the road I remember seeing heading the opposite direction. It’s paved in both sections, with only the church connecting it. Dozens of small trees and bushes have been planted alongside the road. But there’s no reminder of the burnt-down town.

I see a few cars in the parking lot. I’m not exactly sure how any of this should go. Do I wear the creepy robe into the church? Should I be wearing it now?

This is all completely crazy.

I’d laugh like this was a Saturday Night Live skit except there’s nothing funny about it. Especially the part about being in the middle of nowhere and not knowing where Kelsey is.

When I get off my bike, I feel I’m being watched. Not like that’s anything new, but I feel it especially now in the muted light. There’s no welcoming light on the outside of the church. No lights on inside either.

Other than the three cars parked outside, there’s no sign that anybody is around.

I slowly walk to the front of the church and then try the door handle. It’s unlocked.

For a second I hesitate.

Then I push forward the door. The inside is pitch black. I have a flashlight in my backpack that I’ll need to get out in just a second if—

Something clamps onto my face.

A hand presses against my mouth and nose, and I suddenly know what’s happening by that familiar awful smell even as I try to scream and jerk them off me.

It’s no use.

I breathe in and cough and then—