"𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞."
Lou Johnston and Eddy "Boone" Higgins, two former best friends whose paths diverged after high school. Now, years later, they find themselves inexplicably draw...
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I stood on the porch of the Owens farmhouse, watching as a sleek SUV pulled up the driveway. The Oklahoma sun beat down relentlessly, and I found myself squinting as two figures emerged from the vehicle.
Kate Cooper, looking every bit as put-together as I remembered from the brief encounters we'd had before, strode towards me with purpose. Beside her was a man I assumed must be Javi, his eyes darting around as if taking in every detail of the surroundings.
"Lou," Kate greeted me, her voice warm but tinged with concern. "It's good to see you again, though I wish it were under better circumstances."
I nodded, shaking her hand. "Likewise. Thanks for coming on such short notice."
Javi stepped forward, offering his hand as well. "Javi Mendez. You're Jase's twin, yeah?"
I nodded, shaking his hand. He gave me a somber look, like he could tell with how sweaty my palms must have been, that I was horrified. Once the formalities were out of the way, Kate's expression turned serious.
"Alright, Lou. Give it to us straight. What exactly are we dealing with here?"
I took a deep breath, glancing around to make sure we were alone. "It's... complicated. Boone told me what happened during the chase, but..." I trailed off, unsure how to put my gut feeling into words.
"But you think there's more to it," Javi finished for me, his voice low.
I nodded, grateful for his understanding. "Exactly. It's like... they're all here, but they're not really here, you know? Like part of them is still out there in that storm."
Kate and Javi exchanged a look that spoke volumes. It was clear they'd seen this before. At least, I wanted to think so.
"Lou," Kate said gently, "in our line of work, we've seen how these extreme experiences can affect people. Sometimes, it's not just about what happened, but about what they think happened."
I furrowed my brow, not quite understanding. "What do you mean?"
Javi stepped in. "You know, the human mind can play tricks on you in high-stress situations. Especially when you're dealing with something as powerful as a massive storm system."
"So you're saying they might be... what? Imagining things?" I asked, feeling a mix of hope and skepticism. "Maybe it's symptoms of something like PTSD?"
Kate shook her head. "I'm not sure. I think it's more like their perception of events might be... distorted. Amplified by fear and adrenaline."
