Blackfoot Falls

Prologue

Tuesday, July 11th
4:51PM
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     Being locked away in this merciless town is anything but a hyperbole. The landmark, labeled Blackfoot Falls, is only a mere speck in the famous mountain chain known as the Cascades. In the middle of Oregon, and surrounded by nothing but forest, the nearest town had to be over forty miles away.
     Despite it's location, the town was the hidden gem of Oregon, for it produced 75% of the state's coal, and 40% of the country's coal. Back in the day, people from all over the west wanted to move here to work the mines, indulge in it's riches, and exploit it's secrets. 
     Unlike every fairy tale, this one didn't end so well. The Dolan family, who owned the land as well as the company that maintained the coal, went bankrupt in the early 1900s. This caused a mass dismissal of employees, so half the population moved out, separating themselves from this town.
     Almost being beneficial, the Dolan family's financial issues played itself out. The town was concealed, preserved, and private as it was before. The family had regained its strength within the limited numbers. The town of Blackfoot Falls thrived once more, as it will for centuries to come.
    History and all things boring aside, modern day was upon the family. Several decades later, Lisa and Sean Dolan's oldest would be heading off to college this summer. Out of three, their only girl would be flying out of the nest, off to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, home of the Tar Heel Rams; she had received a full ride athletic scholarship.
      Cameron Dolan. Her name is Cameron Dolan, one of the most well known names in town. Aside from being captain of the girl's varsity lacrosse team, she also coached, and volunteered at various organizations across town. She maintained a 4.2 GPA and attended multiple clubs at school. Cameron, also, is beautiful -- completely drop dead gorgeous. She's the star of Blackfoot Falls, especially since she is a Dolan. Every boy wanted to date her, and every girl wanted to be her. 

      With perfection comes excellence. Her two siblings happen to be twins; Ethan and Grayson Dolan. Two grades behind her, they, too, contributed to the domination of the town. They were star athletes, competing in football,  wrestling, lacrosse, and sometimes hockey. Just as Cameron, the twins were admired by every citizen in Blackfoot Falls.
      It was almost time for dinner, but that wouldn't matter, because their parents Lisa and Sean were out for three days at a conference. At the Dolan Manor, there was a slight breeze that blew by occasionally, but the sun still was out to warm the earth. Summers in Oregon were special in Blackfoot Falls, almost as if it were it's own paradise.
      "Are we still going?" Asked Grayson, who jumped onto the couch with the two. In the living room, the three sat together on their rather large sectional, in front of a massive flat screen, previewing the woman's lacrosse game at North Carolina. 
      "We?" Ethan repeated before exchanging glances with Cameron. He had just walked in, a water bottle in hand as he took a large swig of it. 
      "He want's to come with us." Cameron says calmly. She continues further, before Ethan could protest. "And yes, of course he can. He's our brother." 
      "Fine." Ethan said, a hint of worry in his voice. Grayson looked up, quirking an eyebrow. Definitely, the two were acting weird, and he didn't like it one bit; that didn't mean that he would question it. Instead, he grabbed a pair of keys, and threw them to Ethan, who caught them successfully. 
     "Let's go before it gets dark." Grayson suggests as he reaches for his converse. He takes a seat on the bench by the sliding glass door, getting his shoes on. 
     "I told you we should've left earlier." Ethan groans, glancing out of the window. The sun had just began to set, for shades of orange and gold had flooded the sky. "Let's just walk."
      Out in the back yard, past the gate, lies a private trail that lead to Silver Lake. The trio decided on just taking that path, for time had slipped away from them. Ethan and Cameron slowly get their shoes on, following Grayson out back. 
      "We should have brought a flashlight." Cameron sighs in realization. 
      "Got one." Grayson replies, holding up the small blue flashlight. Cameron smiles, nudging him, as the three continue on. 
      The goal for this hike was to obtain a reminiscent within the three of them. Peace, solitude, and their last moment to bond before Cameron leaves. As the three slip deeper into the trail, they crack inside jokes, reenact scenes from their childhood, and they even stop at the small tree house they played in together as kids. 
      "That's solid!" Cameron laughs. "Almost like when Grayson got stitches on his head from the --"
     "The burrito on the trampoline!" The two twins say in sync before falling into a fit of laughter. Soon enough, the flashlight begins to tweak, before going dead, leaving them in the moonlight. 
     "Shit." Ethan mutters.
     "It's okay, we should start going back anyways." Cameron sighs.
     "No, we still need to get to the lake and sit on the beach, and watch the stars. Just like we used to." Ethan demands. 
     "I'll run back to the house and grab a new one." Grayson offers.

     "You can just get our phones, we can use those as flashlights." Cameron suggests. 
     "Got it." Grayson says. "Stay here." 
     With that, Grayson begins to jog back up the trail, to their house. In about ten minutes of running, Grayson arrives in their backyard. He opens the gate and trails in. Walking up to the sliding glass door, he pulls the handle -- but it's locked. He furrows his brows in confusion, for the two had only left out this door, and it was only lockable from the inside. 
     Brushing it aside, he just walks around the corner to the garage's back door, unlocking it with his keys. He steps inside, across the garage, and to the next door, which lead him to the kitchen. On the counter, he grabs their phones. He glances up to walk back to the sliding glass door -- to find it wide open. 

     Anxiety fills his chest as a loud boom is heard in the distance, followed by a scream -- Cameron's scream to be exact. Grayson's eyes go wide as he begins to run  back through the gates and up the tail, down along side the lake to where they last were.
     His siblings nowhere to be found, Grayson grabs his hair in stress. He huffs, running further down the trail in hopes of recovering them. His feet burn as they hit the gravel through his converse. Sweat is glistening on his skin, and his heart is pounding. 
      "Cameron! Ethan!" Grayson shouts as he nears the end of the trail, where it opened up to the beach. 
     There, near the shore, was Ethan's body. Grayson ran up to him, kneeling beside his brother. A pool of blood was beneath his body, and his face was busted. Scratches and fresh cuts and bruises scattered his body. Ethan's eyes were barely open, but he was still clinging onto his life. 
     "Hey, buddy, what happened? Are you okay? Oh God, please, stay with me, what the hell happened?!" Grayson shouted, wrapping his arms around his brother. He slightly rocked back and forth. The sight of his brutally beaten brother caused his eyes to brim with tears. 
      "Po -- lice." Ethan mutters with the last bit of energy he has left. 
      Grayson furiously nodded, grabbing his phone out of his pocket and dialling 9 - 1 - 1. The line rings, and as it does, he glances around in search for Cameron. He sees nothing, besides the one shoe over by the trail. 

      "Hello, Blackfoot Falls Police." The dispatcher greets.
      "Hi, Hi -- this is Grayson Dolan, I'm at Silver Lake with my brother, he's severely hurt, I need immediate assistance." Grayson practically shouts through the line. 
      "Of course Grayson, we are sending help your way, hang tight." The dispatcher replies. 
      "Wait." Grayson says. He sighs, looking up and around one last time. 
      "Anything else we should know?" The dispatcher asks one last time. 
      "It's my sister." Grayson replies. "She's missing."
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YALL BETTER WASH YO HANDS, SHITS ABOUT TO GET GREASY - kk<3