After Dawn

Chapter 2: 21 Hours Until Dawn

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Ashley
11:00 AM
Location: California, home.
21 Hours Until Dawn
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"Who do you think it's from?" I ask as I stare down at the text on my husband's phone.

To say I am shocked is an understatement. When I woke up to Chris' troubled tone calling for me, I instantly knew something was wrong. I guess it was due to my paranoia. But I never expected this to be what was waiting for me when I got out of bed and entered his office.

What is even more insane, is that Chris wasn't the only one to get that message. After seeing the text, I got a strange urge to check my phone too. And sure enough, I had gotten the exact same text as well.

Chris sits in front of me in his desk chair with his face in his hands. I know that this is hard on him, especially since it's the anniversary of what happened. I know exactly what he is thinking, but is it possible? There's no way Josh could message us from the mountains after all this time... Right?

Shaking myself out of my inner confliction, I place my hands on my husband's shoulders to relieve some tension. The action does little to relax him, but just enough for him to let out a silent sigh.

"I... I don't know..." Chris mutters, which I know is a lie.

He is only trying to keep me from freaking out just as much as he is on the inside. But I don't want that. I just wish he would communicate more with me. I'm his wife, after all.

Chris has always had difficulty sharing his feelings, but after the incident, he has become a complete shut-in within his own mind. It worries me greatly, maybe more than it should. I just thought that he would come back to me sooner.

Silence falls upon us once again, leaving us in a space open for our thoughts to be spoken. However, neither of us knows what to say. The birds chirp happily outside, a large contrast to the voices in our heads. It reminds me of that morning after, when the birds sang their morning song as the lodge burnt to the ground, along with the memories that now remain ashes staining our minds.

Though in this moment of silence, an idea slowly comes to life within my head. I am reluctant to act on it, but I know it could bring peace to us to know the truth. This suggestion could either bring us peace or an argument that I dread having.

"What if we—" A lump of hesitation clogs my throat, stopping the words from leaving my lips. Though Chris is already intrigued, looking up at me with a puzzled expression on etched on his features. He nods for me to continue, so I release a breath to calm my anxiety's hold on me and continue on. "What if we went to the mountain to see who sent that message?"

Chris' eyes widen and his mouth falls agape. He stares at me with astonishment evident in his eyes before blurting out an almost squeaky "What?!"

"We can go down there with cops. If it's... Who we think it is, we can get him help. But if it's someone playing a prank on us, we can have the cops press charges." I elaborate the best I can, trying to keep my anxious nature at bay so I can convince my husband that this idea is the only solution. "Please, Chris. Whoever is behind that text, we can put this behind us once they are delt with."

Chris sits quietly for a moment, his eyes burning into mine as he rolls his lower lip back between his teeth. I can see the wheels turning in his mind. The way his eyes squint behind his glasses—as they always do when he's thinking hard—tells me so.

Only a couple of minutes later, he let's out a sigh. It sounds more like he releases it out of reluctance, though I can't help but feel that a tiny bit of relief helped to push the air out from his lungs. He rubs his hands over his face, the crackling sound of his fresh stubble brushing against his dry skin filling the void of silence once more.

"Okay..." He utters in a hushed tone, like he can barely find the energy to speak.

With those words of confirmation spoken, I instantly get on packing. It doesn't take me long to pile a couple days worth of clothes into the suitcases, however my mind is definitely not on what I'm doing. I can barely even think to fold the clothes before throwing them into the suitcases. But in this moment, it barely matters.

Who could be on that mountain? Why are they reaching out now? Is it Josh? Is he hurt? Does he plan to hurt us? Oh, my freaking God! My mind can't take the suspense of it all! One thing I do know for sure is that we will not go alone. That would be the dumbest decision yet, right next to going in the first place.

Now that I have gathered all the things we need most, I zip up the suitcases and then get dressed in the warmest clothes I own. I hope the next flight to Canada leaves soon, because I don't think I can handle waiting to long to sort this all out.

My husband and I approach our front door, hand-in-hand, barely ready to face whatever is out there waiting for us on the mountain. I know in my heart that once that door was open, things will never be the same. And I know Chris feels the same way.

Though the anxiety I feel within has my heart racing and bile creeping up in my throat, I feel a little safer knowing that my prince is by my side. But as we step out to face this nightmare, all rational thinking is replaced by thoughts of fear and doubt. I hope we will make it out of this alive...

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