A dark reunion

Despite it being the early afternoon the skies above were blackened by a thick blanket of grey clouds, the lights from the gas station on the other side of the road and the modest diner on the opposite side being the only thing keeping that track of land from being completely drowned in the sudden darkness. Yet for all of that, there was not single soul in that road which passed it by, and when a crack of lighting illuminated the dark sky above, the rain started. 

The soft pitter-patter of raindrops falling against the window was the only sound that filled the nearly empty, only rarely being accompanied with the clattering of plates in the kitchen as they were placed in racks, or the stifled coughs from the owner sat near the entrance with a half withered cigarette hanging from his dry lips, small wisps of smoke blown after every drag of the fumes. There had been a radio at one point, but the only thing to cone out of it was loud static regardless of the station, and even then there were times when they’d hear a singular clear word before being lost in a sea of white noise. 

It was as if everything but that diner remained, as if there was nothing down the road should anyone walk down it. It certainly made for a surreal experience to everyone inside the diner, one that filled them with a crushing sense of utter isolation.

John watched the rain fall outside, observing with great interest how it continued creating puddles as time went on, his hands shaking ever so slightly whenever he caught a whiff of nicotine from the owner’s cigarette. He’d tried to move on from that addiction, but there were times when he ached to reach into his front pocket and pull out a pack he no longer carried with him. 

“Do you know why we are here?” John asked his friend, pulling his long curly hair back into a ponytail as a means to stop his hands from shaking even further.  

“That depends,” a slim and lanky figure in the booth replied, a sound of delight escaped his lips as he took a sip from his cup. “is that a philosophical question, or a ‘why the hell David asked us out here’ kind of question?” he asked back, a cocky smile settling on his lips, one which grew larger upon being flipped off by his friend. 

Huffing in amusement, he merely shrugged at the whole exchange. “Look, I don’t know, but whenever David asks us to meet up then its gotta be important. It always is.”

John shook his head slightly, a few strands of hair falling over his eyes with the movement. “You say that like I don’t know that but Ash, don’t you think he has been acting a lot like… back then?” 

A tense silence quickly settled between the two of them, memories of that fated night were they tasted the bitterness of defeat and failure overtaking their every thoughts. And how could they forget? All of them stood at the precipice of madness, come face to face with the terrible shadow that had haunted their friend for so long and utterly understood just how insignificant they were compared to those who came before them.

Even after it had been years since that had happened, the weight of it all still lingered in their lives and psyches. David would often deny being bound by the shock of what they’ve done, hide it from everyone in their group no matter what, yet all of them would often hear from Terrance the next day of the many panic attacks that overwhelm him every night. 

Slowly, John turned back to look outside the window, watching with a forlorn expression on his face as puddles grew with the seemingly never-ending rain, leaving Ashley to stare down at his cup of coffee, the soft brown liquid already cold with the seeping cool air from the outside. 

He’d wanted to tell John that maybe this time would be different, that they didn’t have anything to be afraid of, but he couldn’t convince himself, how would he convince the others. In the end, Ash and John went back to waiting in silence for David and Clive to arrive.

And just as if summoned, the bells above the diner's front door chimed across the establishment, drawing all eyes to the new arrivals. While the owner and workers headed back inside the kitchen, both Ash and John felt a wave of anxiety crash over as they took notice of the short haired dark brunette who fidgeted with a peculiar leather-bound journal and the taller man beside him who carried himself with a more composed air to him. When the two parties made eye contact with each other a sad smile settled in everyone’s lips. 

The taller man made his way to the counter, nodding along with whatever it was that David told him before the brunette slowly walked to the booth shared by the two. 

“Sorry we are late, we had to convince Clive's boyfriend that we needed to meet up.” David turned around, spotting the tall figure of his friend, signing a quick sorry at his direction before sitting down besides John. “I am also sorry if I pulled you from anything you might have been doing also.”

Neither one of two fail to notice the tone in their friend's voice, the doubt and anxiety that laced his every words whenever he was around them. It always came through when the matter of being brought together was not a well deserved break from school or life, but because of the constant struggle to delay the spreading darkness. They all knew David blamed himself for everything that has happened, blamed himself for shackling the only people that have stayed long enough to that lurking horror that reigns over him, and no matter how much they tried to convince him against it nothing would chance. 

“Nah, you’re good, I was just sleeping in really and Ashy was just playing games.” John was the first to speak up, already trying his best to ease his friend’s turmoil. The two of them had known each other the longest, and it often helped in keeping David grounded in reality. “Just worry about making it up to Clive later, we’ll help…”

A small, yet genuine small came out, and John would have been happy to call that a victory. “Well, as long as you are offering, then it’s a deal!” there was an almost childish excitement to his reply, has sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as soft laughs trickled out. “I feel like an ass, but they really didn’t leave me any choice.” 

“Is it about the husk?” this time, it was Ash who took the lead in trying to figure out the mess they had in their hands despite that not being his forte. And while he would like to call himself the only normal one in their group, he was as deep in the mess as everyone else. 

David merely nodded back, hands already opening his journal and angling it for everyone to see. 

When the book was opened, everyone at the table saw David’s drawing of the faceless beast that had attacked him almost a week ago, watching the incredible detail given to the twisted humanoid creature. It sickened them to even imagine that thing walking around, bones jutting out with every moment that threatened to tear through its mummified skin.

“We haven’t found it yet, but it sure as hell came at a very convenient time.” The three turned to look at Clive, his hands carrying several pastries with practiced ease, while also barely managing to keep a good hold on the newspaper under this armpit. Upon settling each of the cakes down, he quickly flipped the paper he was holding on an article in specific, placing it right over the journal.

As the three skimmed through the article, reading each line over and over again in hopes that what they were seeing was just a mistake in their part, John and Ash's breaths hitched as they understood the urgency behind their meeting. 

“Fuck…” 

That was the only thing that came out of John’s mouth, still reeling from the revelation of the situation happening just a few hours from where they were. Now it was all starting to make sense why they’d been called put so far from the college town of Churchwood. 

“I’m not sure if these two things are connected, but it’s best not to leave it up to chance. Not with them.” David’s voice now took a complete turn, coming of as confident and seasoned in his fight with the darkness. They knew exactly this new fire was light inside of him, why he wanted to go as soon as possible to the neighboring town, the missing kids remained him too much of them and everyone else that had been there since the start. 

As the darkness seemed to grow ever more powerful around them and the towns, something similar to standing at the edge of a terrible taking place, something none of them had ever faced before. For the first time, a shiver of uncertainty and fear crawled down their spines. There was something bigger taking place, it was only matter of discovering just if there was really anything they could do to stop it.

An insidious and treacherous voice inside their heads insisted otherwise.