Shadows of Absence

“Look, I'm sorry that Jordan is missing. Truly I am, but I'm not going into that fucking forest ever again!” I started off calm but by the time I reached the end of the sentence I was screaming. The world swung around me in a dizzying spin and I clutched at the door frame to stay upright.

Grant looked at me incredulously. “Let me get this straight, really break it down. You're not going to help me find my niece because of some fucking ghost story?”

I couldn't meet his eyes. “You couldn't possibly understand.”

“You're right. I don't understand. Cheryl said that you'd gone crazy after James disappeared. I didn't believe her. Not then. But you really frightened her the night you came over talking about killer trees or some shit. You know she thought you were going to hurt her?”

“Why would--?”

“Because you changed! You and James both! You guys disconnected from all of us, got more secretive, became stranger. And afterwards you just disappeared. It wasn't just him. You both disappeared. He just stayed gone.”