Riddle Me This?

Chapter 3

Come on, Matt. Where are you? I wanted to get there before Brandon did. Click-click. Each flash lit up the backyard like strikes of lightning. Click-click.

Matt's back door cracked open, and he hurried out, down the porch steps, and across the yard.

"Sorry," he said. "I know you said 8:15 but...I got sidetracked."

"What time is it now?"

He looked down at his watch. "8:20."

I shrugged and pushed away from the trampoline. "Okay, so not too much off. It's fine. Let's go." The flashlight beam met the dark edge of the woods. This is gonna be great.

"Do you remember which way to go?" Matt asked.

Good point. "Kind of. Do you?"

"I know the general direction we went."

"Oh. The general direction. Great."

"How is that worse than 'kind of'?"

Point. "Hush."

"I should've marked the trail the other day."

"Probably."

We left the soft glow of the back porch lights and edged into the dark. Crickets chirped and lightning bugs flashed out of the gloom. Our feet crunched over brush and pine straw and leaves, and the night made our steps echo like they never would have under the sun.

Were we alone? Someone might be actually living under these trees, taking refuge for a night in seclusion. If there was anyone, they'd hear us loud and clear.

No one would notice them if they wanted to hide, that's for sure.

The minutes passed, our feet mashing down on the pine straw and dead leaves. I let Matt guide me forward. I could still see the glow from our homes, so we weren't too far from them. Just feels like it. When I turned back around, the beam of my flashlight caught a dull flash from a dirty window. Yes....

"Good job. You led us right. And in the dark and everything."

Matt answered me, just a murmur. "One of my many gifts."

I raised the beam. "Okay, so we should see the side of the house soon." Or another window. Or a face staring out of a window. More glass, or what was left of it. A ghostly square in the darkness, the corner of siding. . . .

"And you thought I'd get us lost," Matt said with a smirk.

I stuck my tongue out, walking past him and standing in front of the porch. "Never said that exactly."

"You didn't have to."

"Well, you didn't mark a trail."

He was silent for a moment. "Point taken."

A pair of headlights turned onto the dirt road and came our way, closer every second.

Brandon's little silver car pulled up under the trees and stopped, kicking up dust around it as he hit the brakes. I kept my flashlight trained on the porch as the car door opened and shut.

Matt walked away from me, getting close to the house, staring at the old structure. "I might be having second thoughts."

"This isn't any creepier than anywhere else we've gone." I turned. "You wimping out on me?"

"I wasn't really thinking about it being creepy." He twirled the light around. "This porch is torn up, and the inside's gotta be no better."

"Then I'll watch where I step."