I had stopped trying to find my way home.
Not because I had given up.
Because I was beginning to suspect there was no way home to find.
Every road eventually became a trail.
Every trail became trees.
And every time I thought I recognized something, it changed when I looked at it twice.
The town had disappeared.
Not physically.
I knew Bailey Falls was still there.
I could feel it.
Somewhere beyond the trees.
Somewhere beyond the endless stretch of darkness that seemed determined to keep me walking in circles.
But I hadn't seen a single person since Caleb died.
Not a car.
Not a bird.
Not even an insect.
Just silence.
And occasionally…
A sound I couldn't explain.
A branch snapping behind me.
A footstep that stopped when I stopped.
My own breathing becoming unfamiliar in my ears.
I walked until I couldn't feel my feet anymore.
Then I saw the house.
I stopped.
It wasn't supposed to be there.
I knew that.
There were no houses this deep into the woods.
