Only Shadows

Chapter 12

Brie

Dara wandered around the clearing, looking up at the tree cover.

"Too dense?" Leo asked. He leaned against a tree and shoved his hands into the center pocket of his Baltimore Ravens sweatshirt.

"As long as I don't fly too high, I should still be able to see it," Dara said.

Ren kind of skipped in place. "Be quick. I'm dyin' to get going."

Dara pulled a drone and controller out of a square bag. She fiddled with it for a minute before setting the drone down on the damp forest floor. After days of torrential downpours, they'd been lucky to get a break on this dreary Saturday. The clouds hid the sun and the wind cut sharp through their clothes. With the temperature hovering in the mid-50s, everyone had bundled up, though Dara wore a rust-orange dress under a thick sweater with boots more suitable for a coffee shop than the woods.

"We're going to have to walk around as we film because the streaming range isn't as far as I'd like," Dara said.

"No prob," Brie chirped. "We have all day." It was only noon, after all.

Dara craned her neck. "I seriously hope this doesn't take all day."

Brie played with the zipper of her berry Arc'teryx jacket. "I just meant we're here to help?"

Dara sighed and turned back to the drone. Satisfied, she stood up and brushed her hands on her dress. She took her phone from the bag and zipped it back up.

"'I'm on it," said Ren, grabbing the bag and throwing the strap over her shoulder. "Focus on the drone."

"So we're just followin' the path, right?" Dara said.

"That's the plan," said Leo.

"You don't want to leave the trees at all? Not even near the building?" Dara asked.

"No," Brie said. "We're gonna explore more of the woods today. Plus, the building was lit up last time." She shot a glance at Ren. "Probably still is."

"Even durnin' the day?" Dara asked.

"Then someone else has eyes on it," Leo said. It hung in the air for a moment.

"Fine." Dara passed the phone to Leo. "Can y'all watch the footage?" She slipped the controller's neck strap over her head and lifted the drone off. "Ren, walk with me while I'm watchin' the drone. Don't let me run into anything."

"No promises," Ren said, stepping beside her sister.

Brie stifled a laugh as they set off down the path. The heavy leaves dripped and the pine needles spritzed water when they brushed them aside. In spite of today's mission, hiking through the woods was exactly what she needed after all those nighttime horrors. Besides, scouting the area before attempting to lure that thing out made sense. She just couldn't believe everyone else went along with her idea. Maybe they didn't have a death wish.

"I'd kill to get into that abandoned hospital today," Leo said.

"Same," said Ren. "But it's broad daylight."

"Really, Leo?" Brie said.

He ducked his neck. "Poor choice of words, but still."

A bird's eye view of the forest appeared on the phone's screen. "I don't know why y'all are hell-bent on gettin' yourselves killed,'' Dara said. "Besides Ren, obviously."

"Unfair. You can't feel alive if you never look over the edge."

"I don't need to court death to feel alive." Dara tripped over a rock in the path while she looked up at the drone. Ren grabbed her as Dara tumbled sideways into a tree.