A Nameless Dark

Chapter 2

Samuel and I approached the bridge in silence, cloaked in the deep shadow of the late night countryside. We followed a well-worn bike trail that ran alongside the trailer park and reached the Snake River after half a mile of winding gravel. The rusted length of the Snake River Bridge was a dull smudge in the darkness, parting the line of trees that stood along the river banks. The only light came from a bonfire on the far side of the river where a rutted dirt clearing served as a weekend rallying point for local teens to drink beer and fool around. Voices drifted across the water from a small group of kids around the fire.

The air had grown colder and a slow rain began to fall, dampening our clothing. I drew the hood up on my sweatshirt but kept my hands free of my pockets, ready to act quickly if the need arose. As I moved through the darkness, I curled my fingers into fists, clenching them to still their shaking. I told myself it was the cold that sank into my skin and pulled tremors from my limbs, but I knew it was more than that. Life had been in a constant state of upheaval since our father died six months earlier. In his absence, the remnants of my family had carved out our own warped sense of normal, struggling from one day to the next with a rugged stubbornness. Now, I could sense another jarring change in the air, and the uncertainty nagged at the back of my mind and sent chills down my spine. For comfort, I turned to the power inside me, calling it to life like a torch in the dark.

The steady glow of Light became a furnace in my core, fueling my movements and warming me from the inside. Somewhere to my left, Samuel moved in the dark. I could sense his firm presence and the steady pulse of his power, mirroring my own. As we drew closer to the bridge, an unnatural focus came over me. There was a growing clarity of sight and sound as my senses adapted themselves to the hunt. In moments I could see almost as clearly in the dark as I could in the daylight. I heard every nighttime sound as if it had been amplified in my direction. This was a new experience for me. My whole life I had worked hard to conceal and contain my abilities. Now, as I used them to hunt an enemy, something primal had awakened inside me. Like a mouse suddenly discovering itself to be a cat. Once prey, now fearsome predator.

Samuel and I met at the mouth of the bridge. We stood in the rain and stared down its short length into the darkness beyond. A strange tension hung in the air, pricking my skin and setting my nerves on edge. I took a steadying breath, ignoring the sensation, and focused on the task at hand.

Turning to Samuel, I caught his eye with a questioning look. Were we actually going to do this? Samuel nodded once, his jaw clenching in dogged determination. I knew my brother could be a stubborn ass, and I was used to cleaning up his messes when the harsh realities of the world collided with whatever alternate scenario had taken root inside his thick skull, but this felt different. This time the stakes were much higher. I knew that Samuel was only doing what he thought was right, but I couldn't help feeling like I was grasping at sea swells trying to prevent them from dashing themselves into pieces against the shore. I closed my eyes, briefly steeling myself to see this through, then nodded to Samuel in return.

My brother and I stepped onto the bridge without a sound and crossed to the far side. Beyond the narrow tree line, dead unplanted farmland stretched into the darkness. An earthy dampness clung to the air, mingling with the pungent sent of wood decay. The muddy clearing we'd seen from the far side of the river rested against the river bank beside the bridge. Used as a place to park farm equipment during planting and harvest, it was empty now except for the improvised fire pit at its center. Three boys huddled around the dying fire, sitting low inside their jackets and watching the fire sizzle and fade as the rain gradually extinguished its already weak flame. They were all grubby trailer park kids in worn cloths and long greasy hair.

One of them was Trent.

Samuel and I stepped out of the darkness and into the fragile firelight like ghosts materializing out of the gloom. All three boys started at our sudden appearance. Recognition played across Trent's face as he realized who we were, followed by fear. He knew why we were there.