We Start Fires

[6]

whispers are almost nothing and the Light In The Attic is on and the Front Door is unlocked but not open yet and the Window is clean and the Furnace is heating up and the Hearth has them gathering for warmth and the Wiring has been running smoothly for a while now yes. whispers are almost nothing and its floorboards are expanding and there is a crack in the upstairs window. whispers are almost nothing so the Boundary does not hear them and the ones that walk the Boundary do not hear them and the Light In The Attic and the Front Door and the Window and the Furnace and the Hearth do not hear them. the Wiring hears them but the Wiring is supposed to. yes.

***

It's starting to get dark early now, Carter thinks, and she squints into the dull gloaming through the passenger seat window. It's well on its way to dead-of-night territory and it's barely even a quarter to seven. She's never been down this township road. It's one of the ones that always looks nice when she's passing it. There are roads like that all over Avalon County, roads that branch off roads that branch off other roads, all with mental notes attached to take a drive down them someday. The trees bordering the shoulders have started to creep closer and stagger themselves, the mark of man-made wind shelters merging with original brush. The truck smells like onion rings. True to tradition, they all went for dinner at the Mercury before setting off on their adventure. Maggie has never once finished her onion rings. Yet without fail, she packs them in a little to-go box and brings them home with her. Dev's made the joke a million times about putting them in the fridge to cool them off before she throws them away.

"Turn right up here," calls Dev from the back seat. Jonny manoeuvres the truck onto a little side road tucked into the wall of brush. She'd never have seen it if Dev hadn't pointed it out.

"How'd you find it?" she asks. Dev's been calling out directions when needed, but hasn't really explained what they're going to find when they get there. Wherever there is. Dev appears not to have heard her, though, as he remains quiet, eyes searching through the trees at their side.

"Dev."

"Hm?"

"Carter asked you a question, dear." Maggie pats his hand. Dev blinks.

"Sorry, what?"

"How did you find the spot? It's a little out of the way," she adds, which actually isn't a problem, but she doesn't want to seem doubtful of her friend. This is Dev's first suggested spot, and to be honest, it's looking a little too close to a wooded area for her liking. She likes the thrill and all, but she's not an idiot.

Dev smiles, gaze still fixed out the window. "Came across it the other night. No one's lived there for years. It's sort of perfect, actually."

Sometimes Dev answers questions that weren't asked, and sometimes he doesn't answer questions that were. Mostly when he's distracted. Carter tilts her head back onto the headrest.

"We're not coming here to set fire to a forest, right?"

"Oh," Dev laughs, "God, no. No. We're fine."

"So what are we looking for here?"

"I don't know."

Carter's heart does something funny. The atmosphere in the truck's cab expands and oozes down everyone's throats. She watches Jonny's fingers tighten on the steering wheel, and then the trucks is pulling over, slowly rolling to a stop.

"Pardon," says Maggie, and it's a question, but it doesn't sound like one. Dev turns his head towards her, pulling his gaze away from the window for the first time in a while. Something's still got Carter's larynx in its fist and she doesn't know why. The hair on her arms is standing up again.