Page 41 of When Darkness Calls

The hoard of bodies closes in the spaces she pushes through, and in seconds I’ve lost her completely. I tried to follow her, I really did, but her slim frame and all those years of dance and gymnastics has given her an impeccable talent to weave through crowded spaces in a way I’m so jealous of.

Every “excuse me”, “sorry”, and “lemme squeeze by you” falls flat. Every house lining both sides of the street has people pouring out of every open entrance, each of them blasting a different song so loud I’m shocked the speakers haven’t blown up, and everyone is shouting over each other.

I’ve only made it past the second house and I’m so ready to go home.

I stick to the outside hoping it’ll give me the best view, and I’ll catch a glimpse of her. I texted her twenty times, asking where she went. I called—twice—no luck, not that I expected it to work. Even if she had her ringer on, I doubt she’d hear it.

I’m afraid to walk around looking for her because there’s a chance she’ll be bouncing around too and we could completely miss each other.

So, I wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Pacing.

Shifting from place to place in what seems to be the heart of the block party with the biggest population of people mingling between the houses in my immediate vicinity.

I text her again.

And call.

And call.

And call.

My initial apprehension is gone and replacing it is a bone deep, chilling kind of fear that sets my hair on end. The worst possible, imaginable, thoughts fill my mind.

So, I call again. And someone answers.

“Hello??? LIZ?” I shout into the phone, the person’s reply is muffled, faint over the music playing around me, and I imagine around them as well, if they’re inside one of these houses.

I push past the perimeter of the party, a couple feet away from the human wall that has formed blocking it off. “Lizzie?? Can you hear me?”

“Dani,” the guy says, the voice oh so familiar.

“Cade? What the fuck? What’s going on? Where are you? Why are you here? How long have you—”

“Danielle! Breathe. Liz is fine, I’ve got her. She’s fucking wasted, but I’ve got her. I’ll explain everything when we get home, but first I’m getting her out of here. My truck’s just on the other side of this street, okay? Can you meet me there in five minutes?” His tone is demanding, stern, and I hate it. There are very few times I’ve heard him sound like this and it’s never good.

I nod rapidly, turning to push my way back through, but it seems like the crowd just gets bigger and bigger. Growing in size, packed tight just in the few moments since he picked up the phone.

“I’m coming, but I don’t think I can get through the crowd that soon. But I promise I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I say, scanning around me, praying a path opens up.

“Be careful, Dee.” And the line clicks.

If there was ever a worst time for the weird, icy feeling to take hold, it’s now. Somehow, my mind has chosen to give the watchful eyes a means of physical form in the shape of all the people at this party. The cold grips me tight. Every press forward, the crowd pushes back, and the temperature drops.

Push and pull.

Push and pull.

Ice in my veins.

Unrelenting.

Just when I never thought I’d reach the other side, I fall out onto the sidewalk. The warm, night air heats my frozen insides as I gulp down lungfuls of oxygen to calm my racing heartbeat.