Midnight Sunrise

Based on true events...

Lonely the wind sings

Lonely the bird wings

Through fold of hill

Then all is still

In Windy Gully

Deep in the mountainside

Ninety-six miners died

Loud were the cries

Smoke filled the skies

Of Windy Gully

Closed now, the old pit

Sealed up, the mouth of it

Paid for the coal

Exacted the toll

In Windy Gully

Only the rains weep

Only the hills keep

Watch where men die

Know where they lie

In Windy Gully, in Windy Gully

 Windy Gully - Wendy Richardson 1972

1. Awakening

Its dark in here. The walls are painted with shadows, shapeless as they swirl like black flames. There's a doorway in the distance, barely illuminated by dim, blue light. The doorway slowly approaches, inching closer and closer with every blink I take. A feeling of overwhelming dread washes over me as the blood in my veins freezes. I am no longer in control of my body, I lay motionless as the shadows clamber from the walls and slowly begin taking form in the doorway, not man, not woman, but fear embodied in an amorphous, jagged spectre. Its moving, hovering slowly toward me, crawling across air like a predator stalking its prey. Its form began to take further shape. I clench my jaw, trying with every ounce of my soul to scream, but my entire body remains frozen. A tear rolls down my cheek as its now discernible eyes, black like the plague, perforate through my soul. My chest sinks, its force squashing miserably. A thunderous whisper echo's into my ears "Chase, Chase, Chase"... "Chase! Chase, you awake?!" My eyes jolt open, light fills my bedroom as I thrust upward and gasp the air. 

Its cloudy, I rub my eyes as my vision starts to focus, I scan the room and whip the blanket off the bed. My sheets are completely soaked with sweat, the dreams are getting worse and worse, becoming immensely more vivid. There's a rumbling coming from outside, sounds like a beat up old lawn mower on its last legs... The unmistakable sound of Logan's car pulling up of course. He beeped his horn and shouted obnoxiously. "Chase! Come on, we're going today!" It must have been his voice I heard in the dream. Although he could be thoroughly irritating it was a welcome relief to hear his voice. "This bloody guy" I thought as I leapt out of bed and hurriedly pulled a shirt over my head. "Man, these dreams are going to be the end of me" I made sure I had everything before I started out the door "Phone, wallet, keys. Yep, good to go" In my haste I slipped on my blanket and fell flat on my face, straight onto my TV remote. I must have flicked the on switch, just the hissing of static is on the screen, I hated the sound of the static. "It's just noise" I thought as I fumbled around to find the remote. I clicked the button to turn off the TV and quickly shot out of the front door. I could see Logan, standing with one hand on his car and a big cheesy grin. "I brought the beast" He was referring to his old, beat up Mitsubishi Sigma which had definitely seen better days, the engine muttered and ticked like a time bomb but he adored the thing. "This thing going to survive the trip or what?" I asked "Chase Hanak. Old siggy here could make a round trip to the moon if I asked her to" He said flippantly. I could feel his excitement, he'd been rambling for weeks about a trip up to Mt Kembla to explore the old coal mine, talk to a few of the locals and try to find the cemetery. Stories of ghost sightings and other paranormal phenomena had been doing the rounds at school - "Mickey Brennan's ghost wonders the old pit and if you drive too near, at the stroke of midnight, he'll appear in your car, grab onto the steering wheel and cause it to crash!" Logan loved to regale everyone at school with ghostly tails and anything creepy... when he wasn't getting into trouble for skipping class almost every day. He would scour the internet in the library to find anything about hauntings and ghost sightings, and that was just Logan - a larrikin who loved a laugh, a cigarette, a coffee and a tall tale. "I'm driving" I said, swiftly sliding into the front seat, still not convinced that this old rust bucket was going to make it up the winding old roads of Mt Kembla. Logan let out a reluctant sigh and agreed as he dragged his feet around to the passenger side "alright, but be gentle, you have to treat her with care" he said as the motor ticked over, still resembling the sound of my Dad's lawn mower as we slowly crept out of the driveway onto the road.

We drove for hours, slowly putting the road behind us. We passed a withered old road sign which read "Mt Kembla. Population 1061." We had finally hit the outskirts of the town, we drove in past the old pub where there were a few rough looking men dressed in brown coats, staring suspiciously at us, their piercing stare following us like shadows. One of the onlookers was a younger, quite attractive woman, she looked completely out of place with her long, dark hair and bright, wide eyes, she shot a smirk as we passed "they seem nice" Logan barbed. We drove on through the town, past a dilapidated looking church and a few old, cladded houses. The road became narrower as we began our ascent up the mountain. The roads were winding and seemed like they went on for an eternity. We slowed as we noticed a break in bush to the side of the road - it was a dirt trail leading in adjacent to the road, we looked at each other, Logan being practically beside himself with elation "That has to be something! let's drive in and if we can't find anything we can just turn around and come out". This was apparently one of the roads into the mine "looks like an old fire trail" I said as we drove in slowly. It was an overcast day with a light drizzle covering the track, the surrounding bushland was dense and thick with no visible trail anywhere other than the dirt road itself. As we entered the trail the air seemed to grow thick, an icy chill made the hairs on the back of my neck stand as it raced through the rest of my body. After about a kilometre the trail ended as it came to a dead end. I decided to turn around rather than reversing all the way out, it took a few attempts to turn around as the road was very narrow, only leaving a couple of feet either side of the car. As I was finally able to turn the car around we noticed a young man, who couldn't have been any older than 16 standing directly in front of the car. He was wearing shaggy old, torn overalls, his posture was slumped, almost to the point where he was bending, his eyes were as dark as a starless night sky, he looked exhausted as though he'd been walking for days. Logan and I shot an uneasy glance at one another. "You're blocking the way" Logan yelped in a cracked voice. He looked lost, almost unaware of his surroundings as he surveyed the area. I tried to wind my window down to talk to him but the handle wouldn't seem to budge so I clenched the door handle to open it when I felt Logan's hand on my shoulder. "What are you doing, you're not getting out?!" Logan blurted. "Yeah, he's just a kid. He might know where the old mine is" I said, feeling a trickle of sweat run down my forehead, strange considering how cold it had gotten. I pushed the door open and stepped out. Strangely, everything seemed to be relatively quiet, but for a few fluttering birds in the tree tops. For a dense bushland area I expected to hear insects, animals or some kind of noise. But nothing, complete eerie silence. "Uhh hi, what's your name?" He looked back blankly, bemused and looking confused, merely staring, gazing on almost through me. "We're up here looking for an old cemetery, can you help us find it?" Again, he looked on dumbfounded, his lips firmly sealed and his dark eyes fixated on me. "OK then" I heard Logan spout. I shrugged my shoulders and decided to head back to the car. As I turned around there was a soft, barely audible, almost whispering voice in my ear, as though whoever it came from were standing right beside me "Albert" I turned on my heel in the direction it came from, the boy was now only a couple of feet from me, his face had changed to a raised, almost cheeky smile. "There's nothing like that around here, cob". His tone was somewhat unsettling, it echoed through me as the wind picked up and birds in the tree tops flew away causing leaves to fall and the branches to swing violently. I felt the same cold shiver crawling up the back of my spine. I looked at Logan and his skin had turned pale, his usual jovial demeanour had long completely vanished. He'd seen enough and motioned that he wanted to leave, waving his arms to get back in the car. "Alright... Albert, thanks for your help. I think we'll find our own way from here" I said. Albert watched my every step to the car as I backed away cautiously. I opened the door and thrusted my seat belt on, turned the ignition on and looked up. Albert was gone, there was no sign of him, he'd completely vanished. "Where did he go?! Where did he go?! He was right there!" Logan shouted. I looked around and couldn't see any sign of him "He's gone, did he run into the bushes?" I quivered "No man! He fucking vanished!" We were both beside ourselves, looking in every direction for any sign of Albert. I put the car into gear and pushed the accelerator down as hard as I could, the tail end of the car whipped out as we raced along the track. We were almost to the end of the trail when the shape of a body standing at the end became visible. "It's him!" Cried Logan. I hit the brakes as hard as I could causing the car to slide almost off the dirt road but stopping inches away from Albert. I held my hand to my neck and groaned as I looked up. Albert's eyes were closed, his body shuddered and convulsed, his neck circled unnaturally and then stopped abruptly. His eyes shot open and glared into mine. I closed my eyes, too terrified to look. I opened my eyes slowly after a moment, I was no longer in the seat of my car. Had I fallen out? I looked around wearily, my eyes heavy like concrete blocks. I glanced down at my hands, they were covered in soot and dust, I could hear the voices of shouting men and crying children. The walls were dark, being held together with rotting, old wood, I could make out the shadows of people, swinging what looked like shovels or small axes at the dirty walls. The ground trembled and shook, I could barely keep my balance as the smell of gas filled the room. The air wavy and blurring like the searing heat coming off a stove top. The trembling intensified as the sound of running footsteps and indistinct shouting passed me by, the sound of an explosion threw me back onto my haunches. An enormous raging flame rushed in my direction and engulfed the entire area, the flames washing over my body like a fire-breathing tsunami utterly pulverising everything in its path. I shrieked as I careened chaotically, my eyes glued shut, my body battered and burned. I looked up to see if anyone were around to help, barley being able to breathe ,I closed my eyes. My eyes suddenly burst open, rising up from a scorched body, watching the shrieking sound waves reverberate across the air coming as I was thrust back to my body, back in the car, my hands clenching down the side of my seat, my wide-eyes glaring at Albert in complete terror, howling as irate flames devoured his entire body. He reached out with one hand toward me as it burned, the skin on his body singed, hissing like an angry snake as he burned away to nothing but ash and the sound of his cries faded into the cold mountain air.

"This must be what death feels like. I am nothing now, I have no voice, no name, no family. Silent screams are the music of the devil."

2. Claire

The sound of wildlife had returned to the windy air, the trees still raging back and forth, towering over the car leaving me with a feeling that I shouldn't be there. I took a moment to gather myself. "Did that really just happen?" I looked to an empty passenger seat, Logan was gone. I squinted and tried to focus, rubbing my thumbs over my sweaty palms and placing my hands on the steering wheel. I couldn't see Logan anywhere, he seemed to have vanished along with Albert. I turned the key in the ignition praying for the engine to start, it ticked over and came to life. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The cracking sound of tires rolling over the dirt road was the best thing I'd heard all day. I edged back out onto the road to find a thick fog covering the air, I felt a desperate need to find Logan. My stomach sunk and the overwhelming feeling of dread began to flood through me "What if the flames took him? What if he's dead?" A hundred different horrifying scenarios played out in my head as I began my descent back down the winding old roads of Mt Kembla. I could barely see a meter in front of the car thanks to the fog, I was driving so slowly that it would have almost been faster to get out and walk, but the safety of the car was far too appealing to entertain the idea of walking through this eerie, wretched fog. An hour must have passed by without any sign of another car or even a person, let alone Logan. I wondered if I'd taken a wrong turn when in the fog appeared a person walking in the same direction as I was driving, feet dragging through the dirt on the side of the road, as I edged closer I could start to make out the clothes this person was wearing, and the features of their face. It was Logan! I sped the car up and drove past, then pulled over in front of him. I shot of the car like a racing bullet, tripped over and fell right at his feet, looking up at Logan expecting to feel a sense of relief but when our eyes finally met I could tell there was something off about him. I stood up and placed my hand on his shoulder "Man, I'm so glad to see you. Did you walk all the way down here by yourself?" I asked with hesitance. Logan's eyes were like glass, he exhaled deeply and tried to push by me to keep walking. I tightened my grip on his shoulder "Logan, it's me, Chase! Where are you going?!" He stopped and turned back to me "Ch-ch-chase?" He said in a soft voice. I embraced him in my arms and ushered him into the car. His skin was cold and damp like a wet paper towel "I need something to eat and drink" He murmured. "Don't worry man, I'll stop at the next place and get you something" I said. The fog had begun to clear the further down the road we got, and we were almost at the edge of the town when the car started to splutter and cough like a sickly old man. The petrol light was on "I filled the car up before I came to your house, Chase" Logan said in disbelief. I tapped the light thinking maybe it was a faulty gauge but the sounds coming from the car quickly quashed any hope of it being a malfunctioning petrol light. "God dammit!" I cursed as the car came to a complete stop. We looked at each other in despair. "Looks like we're walking bud" I said to Logan. He paused for a moment, looked at me and whispered "I saw the most terrifying things up there Chase. Albert, he...". I stopped him before he could go any further. "I saw Albert too. He took me somewhere." We both sat in silence for a moment. I opened the door of the car and stepped out, we couldn't have been too far from the town as I could see a few houses in the distance through the fog. "Come on bud" I said "Lets get to the town before it gets too dark and we get lost". Logan agreed and we began to walk towards the houses. I checked my phone to see if I had any signal, maybe I could make a call to my dad for him to come and pick us up. "Typical" I said as I glanced at my phone. "No signal?" Logan asked. "Nothing, and I only have 3% battery". I said, looking at Logan it was fairly obvious that his phone had ran flat. "Maybe we can find a petrol station or there was that tavern in the middle of the town. We could ask to use their phone?" I said optimistically. "Oh you mean the tavern with all of those friendly people and their welcoming looking faces?" Logan barbed. I looked at him with raised smirk "And that decent looking chick!" Logan smiled back and picked up the pace. As we were reaching the first buildings on the outskirts of the town, the light of the day began to fade and the street lights began to flicker on. Lights quickly illuminated the rooms of the houses, and the outlines of people's shadows were standing in the windows, they were watching as we passed them by. Each house we would reach there would be someone standing in the window. Watching us. Staring. It gave me the same unsettling feeling as I had when Albert first stood at the hood of the car. I kept getting flashbacks of his face. His dark, menacing eyes as they fixated themselves on me like a predator stalking it's prey. His twisted smile as he spoke his first words to me. "This place isn't exactly very welcoming, is it? Can we maybe...walk a little faster?" Logan said. I nodded and picked up the pace.

Darkness had quickly befallen the town. Luckily for us, we had reached the main strip and the local tavern came into sight. An old, creaky looking building with wooden doors. Bar stools and a few weathered looking tables were out the front, where those shady looking characters had been earlier as we drove past. It looked completely desolate on the outside. There was an old lamp hanging from the frame of the door, it swung side to side, and looked like it had only just been lit. "Well there must be people inside" I said as I placed my hand on the door. Logan stood frozen on the footpath, clearly not wanting to go in. "Are we really going in there Chase? I'd rather go back up to the bushes and talk to Albert again than go in there!" Logan cried. "Come on Logan. You said you wanted something to eat and drink." Just as I finished the door started to creek open. Out stumbled an old man, he looked wearily at us and pushed by. He reeked of alcohol and cigarettes, his face looked weathered and tired, his clothes were stained with what looked like grease and oil. He snarled as he pushed by "bloody kids". The sounds of chatter and music emanated from inside the tavern as the door swung shut. "Another friendly local" Joked Logan. I smirked and pressed my hand against the door, Logan closely followed as we crept through the doorway. There looked to be a dozen or so people inside, all looking at us as though we'd made a ruckus walking in. Their attention was short lived though, they turned around as quickly as they had on our arrival. I glanced around at the place, trying not to make eye contact with any of the patrons. It looked a lot nicer inside than it did outside, there were pictures of the local football team and their trophies hung on the walls along with flags and banners. Logan had sat himself in one of the stalls close to the exit, I walked over and sat down with him. "See Logan, this place is actually quite...nice" I said. We sat for about 5 minutes looking around, I was trying to find a bar, a vending machine or a staff member. My eyes circled a couple of times, I looked back at Logan and standing behind him was a woman. Tall, with long, dark hair and wide bright eyes. It was the same young woman we passed earlier hours before when we were first driving through the town. Her features were more visible now, her pale skin and slender physique caught my attention immediately. She wore a cream coloured top with the top button undone, a pair of dark, wide bottomed pants and a white pair of sneakers. She looked to be in about her twenties, and utterly stunning. She smiled and sat herself down next to Logan. Logan was taken aback and startled by her. "Oh, hello" I said in a broken voice. She looked at us briefly, her lips pressed together as her sparkling eyes fixated on us. Then in a quiet, gentle voice she said "I'm Claire". Again I thought to myself how out of place she looked in this setting. "I'm Chase, and that fine specimen sitting beside you is Logan Fischer" I said. She raised her hand to cover her mouth as she lightly giggled. "Well, Chase and Logan. Its a pleasure to meet you". I had to compose myself for a second, I looked around to notice that all of the patrons were once again staring at us. "Is everyone around here always so welcoming?" Wisecracked Logan. One of the staff members emerged from a door behind the bar. He walked directly over to us, like a bull charging at a red flag. "Is everything ok over here guys?" He asked. "We're fine, but can we buy a few drinks for our table?" I asked. "A bit thirsty are we?" He said before walking back to the bar. "Well then" I said. I looked back at Claire and wondered if she would know anything about this place, but before I could say anything she rose from her seat and looked directly into my eyes and said "You saw him. Didn't you?" I felt a lump in my throat, I swallowed and tried to find the words. Was she talking about Albert? How could she know? "Did he say anything to you?" she pressed. "Seen who?" Logan interrupted. I could feel Claire's eyes on me as I fumbled and stuttered "I don't know what I seen, it all happened so fast". The bartender had returned with 2 glasses of water and a menu "We have a special on for Schnitzel. Best you'll ever have" He said. "Could we have another glass for the table?'' I asked, quite annoyed at the service so far. The bartender ignored my request and walked back behind the bar and through the door. "It's Ok, I'm not thirsty anyway" Said Claire, elegantly wiping back her long hair from in front of her eyes. I felt myself staring at her, I looked at Logan and noticed him doing the same thing. "So, Chase might not have known what he'd seen but I sure as hell know what it was" Claire hadn't acknowledged Logan's statement, instead continuing looking right back at me. "He was a ghost!" Shouted Logan, attempting to get Claire's attention. "Logan, keep your voice down man!" I said, looking around the pub at all of the staring eyes. "Can we take this conversation elsewhere?" Claire asked. "Sure, I guess. But Logan's old rust bucket is a way back up the road and its out of petrol". Claire rose from her seat and started to walk towards the exit. Logan quickly followed behind her and motioned for me to go too. Before I could get up to leave, a hand slapped on the table where Claire had been sitting. "I've seen your type before" I looked on in shock as an old, drunk man confronted me, his hands trembling and his lips shook "When will you little fuckin' bastards learn to stay away!?" He reeked of bourbon and cigarettes. It seemed to be the common type of man in this town. His frame thin and feeble, a full, untamed beard covered his face as his cloudy old eyes squinted, he was struggling to focus as he balanced with his hand on the table, it was the only thing keeping him from tumbling to the floor. "Look man, I don't want to cause any trouble. I'm leaving right now". I stood up and manoeuvred away from the table and the old man's eyes followed me. "I can smell the dead on you, boy" He said. "What did you say?..." I couldn't finish what I was saying before Logan grabbed onto my arm and dragged me towards the exit. "Come on Chase. These people are insane" The old man grinned menacingly and snickered as we pushed the creaky old door open and got outside. The air outside felt thick, I could feel the damp air around my ears and the lantern above the old pub door jangled as it slammed shut. It had been raining whilst we were inside and the gravel slushed as I planted my foot down from the wooden slats of the pub porch. Claire stood with her arms crossed, trying to keep herself warm from the frigid air. She looked up the road towards the mountain, tapping her foot in the gravel "I have somewhere we can go, away from the rain and cold" She said, her eyes firmly fixated on the mountain. "How far away is it?" asked Logan, in a timid tone. Claire didn't answer, continuing her in gaze. She seemed almost catatonic, like she hadn't heard Logan's question. I reached toward her shoulder "Claire, are you ok?" She flinched before I could touch her, awakening abruptly. "Yes, now lets go before it starts raining again." She marched up the road, motioning her arm to follow. "Wait! Slow down! Where are we going?" I called out, Logan and I rushing along to behind her. "It's my Pa's Cabin, its not far" She said sassily. I couldn't help but smirk at her response, Logan not so impressed though. "Well there's no need to be rude" He said quietly, hoping she wouldn't hear. "This one's got layers to her, eh Logan?" I said, shoving his arm. Logan rolled his eyes "Look at us, following some chick we just met, in a spooky town, up a spooky road, to a place we're not even sure exists. What if she wants to take us to her cabin to kill us, Chase!" He said, making stabbing gestures with his hands. Logan would always jump to the worst case scenario conclusions. I shook my head "Logan. There's two of us and only one of her; there's no way on earth she could overpower both of us, man". Claire had turned back, looking at us impatiently waiting for us to follow. "Well, are you pair coming or not?". I tugged at Logan's shirt and started walking towards Claire. "It's not far from here. Perhaps a ten minute walk" Claire said. We walked along a paved footpath around the back of the town, avoiding most of the houses, passing several old shops with boarded up windows and heavily graffitied walls. One of the shops looked to still be in use, a take-away corner store. There were a few old news paper clippings in the windows "Mount Kembla captures Super Grade crown" read one of the clippings. "Chase. Look at that photo, it's dated 17/09/1939" Said Logan. It was a black and white photo of the premiership winning Mount Kembla rugby league team. There were a few other clippings alongside it, mostly about town markets and other rugby league achievements. One stood out more than the others and it looked to be even older than the photo of the rugby league team. "DREADFUL EXPLOSION AT MOUNT KEMLA" Read the headline. My eyes widened, this must have been about the mining disaster, the one Logan had been talking about. My heart sunk down to the bottom of my stomach, an all too familiar shiver coursed up the back of my spine and crawled all the way up to my shoulders, attaching like a cold, stinging blanket. As I read further on down the page, I heard the crunching sound of footsteps through the fallen leaves on the pavement behind me. The sound of deep breathing echoed through my ears. I glanced at the empty window next to the article, the reflection of a man came into my vision as my glance turned to a stare. He was shaking profusely, he had his mouth open wide, wider than humanly possible, his eyes missing from their sockets, his skin blackened and flaking. He looked like he'd been burned alive. And he was getting closer, his footsteps getting louder as they crunched the gravel and leaves on the ground. I spun around as fast as I could and moved backward. "Chase, what are you doing?" It was Claire. She had a suspicious look on her face. Logan stood far up the path looking down at us. "You shouldn't fall behind, Chase. You wont be able to find your way without me". Shaken, I took a moment to gather myself, trying to come to terms with what I'd just seen. "Sorry, I was just reading some of these old newspaper clippings" I said. Claire raised her brow and turned to walk back up the path muttering "It's only a 5 minute walk from here". "Claire, wait". I reached out to her, almost touching her shoulder. She spun around and winced away. "Don't!" She cried. I flinched my hand back quickly. "I'm sorry". She stared daggers through me, her face scrunched and lip curled. Then in an instant, her face returned to normal and she smiled "It's ok, you just startled me. Now come, it's getting colder out here." She said. I looked up at Logan watching on from the path a few meters back. Looking confused, he shrugged and waited as Claire and I caught up. "What was that about?" Logan asked. I didn't give an answer at first, because I wasn't sure either. "I guess she's a bit jittery. Wouldn't you be if you lived in a town like this?" I said. We followed Claire, not speaking at all, up a steep path and through a densely wooded area, it looked predominantly undisturbed with only the overgrown path to lead us. The sound of the wildlife in the area felt eerie, some of the sounds I hadn't heard before. I asked Claire "What kinds of animals live out here?". "It's just up here guys, I can see the rooftop from here". She said excitedly. As the path came to an end, there stood a very rustic, old cabin, illuminated by two lanterns at each side of the door. Claire stepped onto the porch and placed her hand on the doorknob, the floorboards creaking with each step she took. "Welcome to my humble abode" Claire said. Logan followed her closely as she stepped inside. I stood for a moment, scanning the surrounding area meticulously. The cabin was completely surrounded by bush land, there didn't appear to be another way in or out, other than the path we came in by. It was dark, and a light drizzle filled the air. I inhaled a deep breath "Just what in the actual fuck are you doing out here Chase?!" I said to myself. "Chase! You have got to see this!" Logan called out from inside. I wasn't too excited about the prospect of having to stay here but I was left with no other option. I stepped onto the porch and began crossing into the doorway, closing the door behind me.

"I sat beside you for hours, I would have stayed for eternity. Why didn't you take me with you? On your chest I lay, the sound of your heart slowing, thudding into my ears, coursing waterfalls from my eyes until it stopped. I've haven't cried since."

3. Chase

"I can see you standing there. Watching as I sleep. I can hear you breathing, struggling for air, crackling oxygen through the bloody mucus attached to your lungs like embers burning out in a fire. You deserve it. The pain you feel now is the pain I felt for years, growing up under the iron fist you broke me with. When the day finally comes, you'll see me. Standing over your weak, defenseless corpse-like body. The power you thought you had over me will be gone, evaporated like your last breath in the thick air you've created. Divided amity, once together, now forever apart. You'll never hurt anyone ever again."

He's a happy boy, so much potential, so much love in his heart. He wants to be loved, like he loves. Through all the bad in the world, he only saw good. He never wanted to see her leave. "Make Tails talk, Nona'' He would always ask, hopefully as he held his favourite stuffed teddy up . He loves football, basketball, his friends, Mum and Dad. "Oh, you're such a boy" Nona would say. "Vegemite on toast again? You know that stuff is just duck poop" Nona was silly. He idolised her. When she left, he changed. Although his light still burned bright, it flickered ever so slightly. He saw the world differently. Tails never spoke again, Vegemite didn't taste the same. In the dark of midnight, he was her sunrise. He misses her, until they meet again.

The sun beams through the blinds and warms up my room. The bedroom light stayed on again last night, the cold metal of the bat I sleep with rests against my face. I can hear footsteps thudding through the hallway, I watch their shadow pass underneath my door, too fast to be him. The smell of smoke riddles this house like plague. I open up the window to let in some fresh air and take a long, deep breath. The sound of the TV in the lounge room echoes throughout. "How long have you been up?" I hear Dad ask him. "Early" he responds. His thick, eastern European accent always gave me the chills, even before he lived with us. He's been here almost a year. The year from hell. I glance at the digital clock in the wall Dad gave me for my birthday last month; 08:37. There's no way I'm making it to school on time, I probably won't go today. I used to set my alarm for 6 am every morning, even on weekends. I used to be excited for a new day, a new opportunity. Now I don't care, staying in bed pretending to be sick is what I usually do, so I can be closer to Dad. But that means closer to him too. "Chase! You awake yet?" Dad calls out. I don't respond. Dad says he's noticed a shift in my behaviour, how I lock myself in my room most of the time, skip school and don't hang out with my friends as much. He blames it on teenage hormones. "These are the best years of your life, Chase" He always says. He doesn't know. "I feel sick" I quietly shout, hoping Dad doesn't come. The whistling of the jug pollutes my words "It's alright mate, stay home today" Dad yells. I roll over onto my side. It's so cold in this tiny room, the sun outside barely filters any heat in, I want to go out but it's safe in here with my metal bat. The photos of friends and my sporting awards hung on the wall are all blank now, the display on my TV is static and it only makes one sound. "I don't love you anymore, Chase". The only warmth left is underneath my blanket, so that's where I stay.

It's late. The clock on the wall ticks over, well past midnight. Not quite sunrise. I count each tick, like counting sheep, just trying to get to sleep. Soon the ticks are joined by slow moving footsteps, a deep crackling inhale and a whistling exhale. They move closer with each tick. The grip on my metal bat tightens, fingers locked firmly around the handle like I'm clinging to life. The handle on the door twists, the air quivers around the crack beneath the door. "I can see you. Remember when we played?" The door thrusts open and clatters against the wall, paint stripping and falling across the carpet. My head is buried under the blanket, my eyes glued shut. "Chase, open your eyes. Open your eyes. Open your fucking eyes, faggot!"

"There is no more light left. In it's absence, there is only the dark."

4. Wanderer

The cold handle of the cabin door rasps as it twists around my hand, the air inside is much warmer than it is outside. The floorboards creak as I slowly make my way though the doorway. The place is old, very old. On the wall in front of the doorway is a very tattered looking poster, with the writing barely discernible, but as I approach closer I can make it out. "Follow your dreams". "Pretty sure that's why I'm here" I mutter to myself. I can see Claire and Logan are chattering indistinctly on the other side of the room. "Wow, that long?!" I hear Logan ask Claire. "Yes, Logan. That long" Claire replies candidly. Making my way over I notice a black and white portrait of a very determined looking man wearing a large top hat, with a moustache from cheek to cheek hanging next to the fogged window. His eyes look familiar, dark and very wide-eyed. "Who's this in the portrait, Claire?" Claire darted across the room and stood right beside it. "You ask a lot of questions, young man" We glare at each other for a moment. "It's my grandfather, he was a very well respected man in this community over 100 years ago." Claire says with pride. Without saying anything else I nod and press my hand to the window to wipe the fog away. It's pitch black outside, the wind howling and moaning like pack wolves in the night. Lightning and thunder crack in the sky and briefly illuminate swaying trees and torrential rain. "Looks like we'll be here for a bit" Logan says as he rubs his hands down the sides of his body. The cabin shakes as the rain and wind intensify. Claire motions to sit on the couches in front of the fireplace, its the only source of light in the whole cabin. Logan leapt over the top of the couch and plants himself in the middle without hesitation. I moved around slowly and sat down next to him, whilst Claire sat on a dining chair across from us. "Now, where did you say you seen him?" Claire asks. "Him?" Logan and I both ask. "You mean Albert?" Claire nods. I wasn't sure I wanted to talk about what I saw, but resisting Claire is proving to be almost impossible. "He barely spoke, and he didn't look at all impressed to see us" I said. "That's not what I asked you!" She snapped. Logan looked on startled. "It was up that road, we were about to go home, Claire. He didn't let us leave!" Claire placed her head in her hands and lean't forward. "He's what I call a wanderer" she said. Puzzled I asked her "A wanderer? Like he's lost or something?" She rose her head back up and sat back in her chair. "Yes, he's not exactly of this world...anymore." Logan scoffed and threw hands in the air. "I knew it! He was a fucking ghost!" I nudged Logan and looked back to Claire as another crack of thunder rumbled outside. "Not exactly. Yes, he did once inhabit this earth as the young boy you both saw, but when someone detaches from their physical form in a manner of violence or tragedy, they lose any humanity they once had. They wander the earth, sometimes reliving their moments of death and as time passes they become something else, something much more...inhuman." Logan and I sat in silence for a moment, trying to take in everything Claire had said. How could she know all of this? Does she somehow have a connection to these..Wanderers? "Are there others? Other Wanderers?" I asked. Her eyes scanned the cabin, looking at front door, the walls, the window, at a closed door just behind where Logan and I were sitting. "Of course there are others." She said, nodding. "But not all have the ability to manifest themselves for extended periods of time, not all are so twisted. Your friend Albert is special, I've been searching for more like him, trying to understand how they came to be." Another flash of lightning illuminated outside, followed by the loudest crack of thunder yet. I briefly caught a glimpse of something outside. It appeared to be someone standing in the rain, staring into the window, watching us. "There's someone outside!" I yelled as I rose to my feet. Claire and I quickly ran to the window. "Where? I can't see anything!" Claire shouted. BANG! Another crack of thunder rattled the cabin. The portrait of Claire's grandfather shook, and fell to the floor, cracking the frame. Claire and I both looked down at the broken frame briefly. We looked back at the window as lighting once again lit up the night, revealing a face on the other side of the window, 2 inches from the glass. The glass being the only thing separating us from the face. The face stared into our eyes. Without expression, this man continued to stare hauntingly at us, unwavering like an animal stalking it's prey. He seemed to be examining us, intensely studying with a precise, laser stare. No sooner than the flash of lightning stopped, and darkness filled the window did the face vanish along with it. Claire pressed her hand to the window "Don't leave." She whispered, pressing her hand to the glass. I looked tentatively at Claire. "Did you know who that was?" I asked. She shook her head, as though clearing her mind. "What is happening in here!?" Logan's cowering voice shouted, his head buried underneath a cushion on the lounge. Claire steadied herself and sat back in her chair, crossing her arms and leaning back. "Sit back down Chase, we need to all just calm down. He's gone now." Logan shot his head out from under the cushion like a bolt of lightning. "Oh! He's gone is he? Who is he Claire?! Or should I say WHAT is he?!" Logan said with a determined look. Claire's eyes locked on to Logan. "I've already told you what they are. Wanderers. Before tonight, had you ever seen or heard something you couldn't explain? There is more to this world than meets our human eyes. The light of the sun, the emptiness of deep nothingness touches more than just our and skin bones." I could sense Logan's mind ticking over like a clock. He rubbed his fingers through his hair, looking ever the more tense by the second, pacing throughout the cabin, stopping to leer out the window at intervals "I can't take this anymore! We have to leave Chase, We never should have come here!" A tear rolled slowly down his cheek as he dumped himself back onto the lounge. Claire made her way over to Logan slowly and sat down next to him, turning her enchanting dark eyes toward him, smiling softly she said "Don't worry, wanderers like him will bring no harm to us. They're curious, they're as fascinated with us just as we are with them." Logan had seemed to calm, his breathing has steadied and he looked more at ease. "Claire" He said. "Who are you?" Claire paused, smiling back after glancing in my direction "A curious person, just like yourself and Chase, Logan. The only difference is that I've found a lot more answers than you. "More answer than us? What kind of answers?" I asked, looking at her suspiciously. Claire nodded and walked over to the window, looking out blankly. She placed her palm onto the glass again, took a deep breath and slowly turned back to us. "This place hasn't always been this way. People have changed, they don't trust anyone anymore." She steadily picked up the broken frame which had fallen earlier. "You didn't recognise the man in the window did you?" Claire said, rubbing her fingers over the frame. "He comes here sometimes, usually when the weather turns. He checks on me." She continued. Claire gave the uneasy impression that it wouldn't be the last time we would be seeing the man in the window. Claire's head bowed into her chest, she was sad. The man in the window must have been her Grandfather. Or his wandering spirit at least. She slowly paced toward the door to the room of the cabin, placed her hand on the handle, before she pushed the door open she looked back to Logan and I; "Goodnight. I'll see you boys in the morning, please don't come in here without knocking first." Before either of us could respond, she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

It was clear that there was no leaving this cabin tonight, the weather outside hadn't let up and showed no signs of doing so, so we decided it was best to ride the night out and leave in the morning. I had decided to sleep on the chair whilst Logan spread himself out across the lounge "You just make yourself nice and comfortable there Logan" I said begrudgingly. Logan grunted, covering his head with his forearm. I couldn't see how I would be able to sleep in this environment, it was hard enough getting to sleep, even in my own bed, let alone a creepy old cabin in the middle of a forest. My mind raced, trying to unpack the events of the whole day. Wanderers, Albert, the man in the window, everything else my eyes had witnessed. This whole experience was enough to unsettle anyone. My mind could be a dangerous place to be left alone in. My eyes started becoming heavy, I suddenly felt at ease, I began to drift into a place I always feared.

It wasn't the easiest place to fall asleep in, without a blanket, no pillow, the sound of loud cracking thunder and whooshing wind drumming into my ears. My eyelids fluttered like the wings of a humming bird as I slept a light dreamless sleep. The floorboards croaked inside Claire's room, like someone walking around in there, the sound of faint scratching coming from the walls caused one of my eyelids to open sharply. The fire had gone out, I rubbed my skin with the palms of my hands in an attempt to warm myself. It was so dark that I couldn't see an inch in front of me, I squinted and tried to make out anything I could in the cabin. Flashes of lighting outside gave me brief glimpses of objects inside. Logan was still fast asleep on the lounge, the chair Claire sat on still next to the table, the broken frame which had fallen sat atop the table. Everything seemed to be left just the way it were before we went to sleep. The scratching sound returned, again sounding like it was coming from Claire's room. I rose to my feet and moved slowly in the direction of the sound, trying no to bump into anything with my hands raised out in front like a zombie. I approached the wall next to the door and pressed my ear to it, listening for the sound. It intensified, drilling into my ear like a jackhammer. I moved my head away from the wall giving a strange look. Was Claire playing games? Trying to get my attention from the other side? I stood up and felt around the door, searching for the handle. I finally located it, grasping at it with both hands. It was colder than ice. As I whipped my hands off the handle and back to my chest I could hear an inhuman voice in my ear, crackling and breaking like embers flying off a fire. "She told you not to go in there" I spun around and pressed my back to the wall, trying to focus my eyes on the location of the voice. Lightning still briefly lighting up the cabin, the wind carried more indistinct voices into my ears, the words not making sense. I placed my hands over my ears and dropped to my knees, staring back at the seat I slept in before, I could see myself still asleep on the chair, directly behind me on the wall was an unformed swirling mass of deep black, blacker than the dark of night. Its force reefed at my body like the event horizon, my legs dragging across the floor towards it, past the table, past a peacefully sleeping Logan and stopping as it reached the feet of my other body. The rest of my body began to stretch out like spaghetti and in an instant, I was spinning, being yanked faster than light into myself, the voices shouting and yelling angrily "Never say a word! Keep your fucking little mouth shut!" I opened my eyes a gasped loudly. Logan with his hand on my shoulder. "Man, that had to have been one intense nightmare." I took a few deep breaths and cleared my throat "Yeah".

"Let the battle begin. Behind the eyes, under the skin, where the disguise lies beside a smile forced from within."

5. Return

The shine of the sun beamed through the only window in the cabin, sending much needed light to every corner while the sound of water dripping off the roof and crashing to the ground seemed louder than the cracks of the thunder from the previous night. "Morning in the valley of wanderers" Remarked Logan. The day brought a feeling of solace as I rubbed my eyes and moved toward the window to look outside. Claire hadn't emerged from her room yet "I've been awake for a couple of hours and I haven't heard so much as a peep since she went in there" Said Logan, impatiently rocking on one of the chairs. There was a lot more to see outside during the day - trees as tall as buildings that touched the sky, grassy mounds and muddy pits at their feet, some of the trees had collapsed to the ground during the storm last night. It seemed eerie that someone would build something like this in the middle of nowhere, so far away from the town. I couldn't see the path we came in on, only thick scrub as far as the eye could see, I wondered if it had been washed away by the rain. "Man, I'm hungry! Do you think Claire has any food around here?" Asked Logan. "I'm sure she does, if she lives here then there would have to be something" I said. Logan began rummaging through the only cupboard near Claire's room, pulling out pots and pans, cooking utensils, tea towels until he'd emptied everything out. "Seriously?! Nothing!" He said like a spoiled toddler. "Not even something?" I jibed, shooting a cheeky grin at him. "Oh, we have a comedian in the cabin. He'll be here all bloody morning." We both chuckled. Logan looked over at Claire's door, he walked slowly over to it "I'm going to wake her up." He said. "No! Don't wake her up Logan you idiot, she said not to bother her!" I reminded him. "Ah, no. She definitely said not to just walk in without knocking first; Chase." As much as I didn't like the idea, he was right and I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, there was no way we would spend another night here. Logan pressed his ear to the door, listening for any movement from the other side. He gently knocked 3 times on the door... After a brief moment there was knock back. 3 louder, more aggressive knocks. Logan stood back and looked at me with a raised brow. Then, the front door handle rasped and the door swung open. It was Claire, holding bottles of water and what looked like a loaf of bread. My eyes shot back to Logan, his skin had turned pale and his eyes wider than the valley of wanderers. He jumped back from Claire's door and quickly ran over to me "How did you do that Claire!? He shouted. "There's a storage shed just behind the cabin, I figured you guys would want breakfast." She said. "Wasn't that you knocking on the door?" I asked Claire. Confused, she shook her head and closed the door behind her. "Now why would I knock on my own door?" She said defiantly. "After everything you both saw last night, you're going to let a little knocking scare you?" Scoffed Claire."Yeah I suppose you're right" I said. She came in and placed the bread and bottles on the table. Logan didn't hesitate and promptly broke off a piece of bread and shoved it into his mouth, chewing loudly and gulping down the water. "Chase and I are going back to the town to find my car, she must be lonely out there in the cold." He said, before swigging down more water and wiping his mouth. I wasn't feeling hungry after watching Logan devour the bread like a rabid animal, instead I politely took a bottle of water and sipped at it. "What are you guys going to do after you find the car?" Asked Claire, staring intently at us. She didn't want us to leave, not yet. "Well, We'll need to find a petrol station because it's run out." I said, remembering I'd seen one on the way in. Claire sighed and pointed out towards the trees outside. "The path is just over there, the wind blew down one of the trees last night and its covered it up. Walk for a couple of kilometres and you'll hit the road, follow it to the town and head back up the mountain and your car should still be there." Logan nodded and headed out the door. I looked at Claire, standing next to table, her long dark hair covering one of her eyes. "I'm sorry, but last night was a lot for us to take in. Maybe we''ll come back and visit you after we've made sense of this all." I said in a soft tone. "It's OK Chase, I know you'll be back, probably sooner than you might think." She smiled and sat down on the lounge. I stood for a moment, taking in her beauty for a final time before heading towards the door. "See you around Claire." I said, closing the door behind me.

The trail had become muddy and covered with fallen branches and leaves, it was hard to find our way through at first and it seemed to take hours before we finally reached the road. "At least the rain is holding off." I said, wiping the dust off my face Logan had kicked up as he marched forward, he wanted to get back to the car and get out of this town as quickly as possible. "Do you think we'll ever see Claire again?" Logan asked. I placed my hand on his shoulder "I think that means we'd have to come back." I said firmly. He paused and looked contentiously at me, raising his lip. "After everything I've seen here over the past day and night, I doubt I'll ever leave my house again, let alone come back here!" I chuckled and pointed up the road towards where the car could be. I wasn't sure if we would be able to find it without walking through the town again, I wasn't overly keen on seeing any of the other people we ran into last night. "Claire said if we follow this road back up the mountain it should lead us back to the car...didn't she?" Asked Logan. I knew we had to go through the town, remembering what Claire had said, but hopefully we could sneak through without anyone noticing. We stuck to the road until we passed a road sign with a picture of a petrol bowser on it. I hadn't seen that last night on our way up to the cabin but it was a good indication that we were on the right track. It must have been fairly early in the morning as fog seemed to roll in and cover the road, the temperature began to drop and that familiar chill swept across my body. I looked over to Logan, his arms crossed and his lip quivering, he was feeling the shivering cold too. We needed to find the car, and quickly. My teeth began chattering as we continued on into the town, it was getting colder by the minute. "You know, my Mum told me the reason it gets colder as the sun rises is because its light excites the cold air in the first metre above the ground and mixes upward until the sun's radiation becomes stronger and warms up." Logan said. I blankly stared at him. "Well there it is, Einstein. The smartest thing that's ever left your lips and I'm the only one around to hear it...and I'll deny you ever said it." I said. We both burst out into laughter, it was good to see him smiling again. After all we had endured, I didn't think he'd be the same lovable joker I enjoyed being around. Just as we were about to continue on, the sound of footsteps crunching and slushing the muddy ground could be heard coming toward us. I looked around and pressed my hand on Logan's chest "Can you hear that?" I said, circling my eyes in every direction, I couldn't determine where the footsteps were coming from as they stopped and started in intervals, approaching closer, becoming louder until they stopped altogether. I looked down and impressions of boots had us completely surrounded. It was as though whoever made the boot prints was circling us. We both ran as fast as we could, time seemed to slow as I passed the shops, the pub where we first met Claire, past the houses and the old church. I stopped to catch my breath, Logan was a better runner than I was and I could barely still see him as he kept running up the road. My heart beating out of my chest, I knelt down and took in as many deep breaths as I could. I began jogging when in the distance, the sweet, beautiful sound of the old rust bucket, siggy was roaring loudly, approaching closer until it became visible. Logan had somehow gotten it started. He screeched to a stop a metre from where I was standing, he reached over and opened the door. "Get your arse in!" He shouted. Without any hesitation I leapt into the seat and fastened my seat belt. "How did you get this thing started?!" I asked, still gasping for air. "I just turned the key and it started man, I thought it was out of petrol!" Logan cried. He revved the engine, it hissed and spluttered like it always had. "Let's get out of here." We both said in unison. The tyres spun on the gravel road, kicking up dust and dirt as we sped away like deer sprinting for their lives. We flew along the road, passing our muddy footprints left on the road, I noticed a third set of prints just behind ours, someone or something appeared to have been following us. My stomach sank as the car jolted over the bumps in the road, I looked in the rear vision mirrors to see if anyone were behind us, possibly following or even watching. "Slow down Logan! There's nobody following!" I shouted, my eyes still fixated on the mirrors. Logan's hands gripped the steering wheel like a vice, a droplet of sweat trickled down his forehead as he exhaled deeply. He slowed slightly as we passed the tavern, it was still early and the ruckus we created didn't seem to wake any of the townspeople, or so it seemed. The streets were bare, the lights in the houses were turned off. We were in the clear.

Logan's grip on the steering wheel loosened and his body language had relaxed, we'd escaped by the skin on our teeth. Visibility was poor as we exited the town, fog still covered the road but the overwhelming feeling of dread slowly began to lift. Logan had slowed the car right down and after a few minutes he pulled off to the side of the road and stopped. "I think you should drive now Chase. I'm exhausted from all of that running." He said before exiting the car and walking around to the passenger side. I unbuckled my seat belt and shimmied across to the driver seat. The radio clicked on to the sound of static, I turned it off before Logan could get into the car. Once Logan had settled himself into the seat, I pulled the car out onto the road and began driving. We didn't speak a word to each other for what seemed to be an eternity. Thick fog still covered the air as we drove on, I glanced at Logan, he was battling to stay awake, I nudged his shoulder causing his eyes to jolt wide open. "We've been driving for a while now, I would have thought we would have reached the highway by now." I said, wondering why it was taking so long. I was driving fairly slow, but it felt like hours had passed. "Can you see that? Someone is standing on the side of the road." Logan said in a raspy tone. I squinted my eyes, trying to focus on the figure. It was a person waving us down. The fog began to lift as we approached closer, that dreaded feeling returned to my stomach as I realised the figure was Claire,her long dark hair and tall, slender physique was unmistakable. She was standing below a sign that read "Mt Kembla. Population 1063." I screeched the car to a halt. "Impossible! No, no no!" I shouted. Logan's face turned pale, he placed his hands over his face and let out an almighty scream. Trying to make sense of how we had somehow ended up back in the very place we were trying to escape from, I darted my eyes around in circles, scanning the surrounding trees and scrub. Had we taken a wrong turn? Had we turned around somehow? I briefly glanced at the rear vision mirror, double taking as in the back seat of the car sat someone with their head pointed at the ground. I stared in shock as the person lifted their head slowly. We locked eyes, staring back at me was the same dark, haunting eyes I'd encountered on the trail when we arrived there yesterday. He raised the same menacing smile which plagued my thoughts since I'd first seen it. "Albert!" Claire shouted from outside. I quickly turned my head to look at Claire, she was standing at my window, glaring through in horror. I whipped my neck around to the back seat, expecting to see Albert still sitting. He was gone. Logan cried as he clattered out of the car, falling onto to the road. Claire banged her fists on the hood of the car in frustration. I opened the door and rushed around to help Logan who was inconsolable. I clutched the collar of his shirt and reefed him to his feet. "Pull it together Logan!" I shouted, shaking him like a rattle. Claire had also made her way around to us. "You guys can't leave. Albert has attached himself to you." She said quietly. "Attached himself to us? What does that even mean?!" I said, releasing my grip on Logan's collar. "I've seen this before. Once you're attached to a spirit like this, they won't leave until they get what they want." She said. My mind raced, thinking this had to be a mistake. "What does he want? We don't have anything to give!" I shouted. Logan fumbled over and stood between Claire and I, raising his head and looking Claire dead in her eyes. "He wants what everyone wants. Life." Logan spouted, mucus dribbling out of his nose, spraying as he spoke. "How...how do you know that Logan?" I stuttered. Logan wiped his nose and stood firmly, still staring into Claire's eyes. "What else could a wandering spirit possibly want from us?!" He said in a stern voice. The breeze has picked up again, whooshing up dust and dirt around the three of us. I shivered and looked back to the car, noticing one of the back doors open, swinging back and forth in the wind. There was something caught in the hinge, it looked like a rag or an item of clothing torn off as though it'd been left there by someone hurriedly getting out of the car. I brushed by Logan and made my way around the side to the door. "What's that? Did you open the back door Claire?" I said. Claire and Logan both made their way over, looking dubiously on as the rag fluttered in the breeze. I ripped it off the hinge and held it up in the air, staring suspiciously at it's grey, tattered shape. It didn't belong to any of us, could Albert have left it behind for us to find? Or had we just picked it up along the way? Claire snatched it from my hand and put it into her pocket. "We can't stay here, we should get back to the cabin where it's warm. The weather will turn again and we'll be stuck here." She said. "Oh no! There's no way we're going back there!" Logan shouted. "Well where else do we go genius? Want to take our chances in the fog, maybe hitch a ride with Albert back to town?" I said sarcastically, motioning to his once again broken down rust bucket. Logan kicked one of the tires and slumped down on the side of the road, holding his hands over his face. I looked back at Claire, her composure in the situation was a little unsettling, I approached closer to her, she flinched and took a step back. "How did you know we would be here Claire? And does that torn old rag belong to who I think it belongs to?" I said. She sighed deeply and took the removed it from her pocket, clutching at it as her arms shivered. "I knew Albert had attached to you the moment I found you. This is where I always end up when I try to leave. And yes, I do believe Albert left this here for us to find." She said quietly. Logan jumped to his feet in frustration and shot off down the road. "Come on then. She's got no idea how to get out of here either." He shouted, his voice echoing in the trees.

Claire and I quickly followed after Logan, not wanting to get separated as the fog would have us lost in a second. "I guess it's back to the cabin then?" I asked Claire as we made our way along the side of the road before catching up to Logan. "Actually I have a better idea. We should go to the cemetery first." Claire said. Logan stopped abruptly, planting his feet firmly. "The what?!" He said erratically, his chest pulsating up and down as though he were out of breathe. "Some of the miners who perished in the disaster are buried up there. I've never found an actual item of clothing belonging to one of them before, if we return it to his burial site it might just be a step in the right direction." Claire said. The idea of actually going to the grave of a spirit who was apparently attached to us seemed counter intuitive, it could anger him, but it could also provide a couple of answers. I nodded to Logan. "You wanted to find the place didn't you? That's one of the reasons you wanted to come up here in the first place wasn't it?" I said. Logan threw his arms down by the side of his body and tilted his head. "That was before an actual ghost attacked us Chase! We're bound to see him there, maybe even a few of his mates too!" He said. Claire seemed annoyed by Logan, she turned to him and gave him a look of disgust. "His...mates? Like they all just hang out, having a grand old time in a graveyard? They all died horrible, painful deaths; mate. Show some respect." Claire snapped. I hadn't seen Claire so animated before, this was something she seemed extremely passionate about. "Sorry Claire, I'm just scared is all." Logan said in an apologetic tone. I reached to Logan, placing my hand on his shoulder. "I know man, I'm scared too. I said calmly. Claire rolled her eyes and whipped around, continuing walking along the road, muttering something indistinctly under her breath. Logan and I followed closely behind Claire as the town's building's began to become visible in the distance. It was a surprisingly welcoming sight, being that we had been walking along cold, damp, foggy road for such a long time. The town seemed still baron as the rain lightly fell from the sky. The houses still devoid of lighting and movement. "It really is a ghost town." Logan said quietly enough for Claire not to hear, not wanting to further annoy her. The lantern hanging above the door to the tavern swung back and forth, clanging against the posts holding it up in an eerily familiar way. The wind howled violently, pressing against us, pushing hard enough to interrupt the path we were walking. I placed my hand in front of my face to shield the stinging cold, trying to further make out our surroundings. In the distance, though the fog I could make out something standing in the middle of the road. A large dog had seemingly wandered into the town. It stood facing in our direction, leering at us. Claire stopped, staring at the animal too, holding both of her arms out. She shouted something unintelligible, the viciously swirling wind making it impossible to hear. Unwavering, the dog continued it's stare at us, it's eyes still stalking our steps. It's ears stood high pointing to the cloudy, grey sky, as though listening to our every move. It lowered it's head as Claire took careful, steady steps in it's direction, she appeared as though she knew what she were doing. Logan and I tried shouting to Claire to stop but our cries drifted away in the icy wind, only the shadows could hear our clamouring voices. A figure appeared from the side of the road only a few feet from the dog, capturing it's attention, the figure appeared to almost glide across the road, standing along side the dog, reaching a hand down and touching its head. Claire stopped in her tracks as the pair of mysterious figures looked hauntingly in our direction before slowly moving off the road and back into the abyss of the forest. Claire took a few backward steps before turning and making her way back to Logan and I, it was the first time I'd seen her appear frightened. The wind had become monsoon like, whirring electrical wires sparking and clattering against the telegraph poles, the buildings roared as the wind whipped around the streets and rooftops. We needed to find a safe place to wait out the coming storm. "The cabin is too far to walk in this weather." Claire shouted, her eyes scanning the surrounding few buildings, they all appeared to be boarded shut as though the residents were bunkering down for a cyclone. The only building appearing not to be boarded shut was the abandoned old church. Claire pointed toward it "There. We'll wait in there until things calm down." She said. I could tell Logan had his objections to the idea, but unfortunately we had no other options, it was the church or wait outside. Without any discussion we all ran toward the church's doors, Logan being the first to reach it. He ran at full speed and bulldozed his way straight through the rotting wooden door, landing inside. I reached not long after Logan and passed through without hesitation to see him sprawled out on the floor. "You okay man?" I said. "This place is a fucking nightmare!" He said as he slowly made his way back to his feet, brushing off the splintered wood that had lodged in his clothes. Claire calmly strolled through as though there wasn't a monsoon like storm raging outside. "I guess we'll ride this one out in here" She said, scanning her eyes around the inside of the church. We made our way to the front, away from the door Logan had destroyed to find some warmth. Huddled around the alter we didn't speak for the remainder of the night, too exhausted to gather the strength to. Logan fell into a deep sleep, his heavy breathing overshadowed by the strong howling winds and thundering rain pounding the rooftop. Claire and I stared into each others eyes, almost communicating telepathically. I could feel her thoughts, hear her eyelids opening and closing as her blinks mirrored each crack of thunder. I could feel my eyes becoming heavy, holding them open became impossible, and I slipped away into unconsciousness, the last image being Claire staring hauntingly into my soul.

"My dreams are a pathway to the afterlife. I can exist with those no longer physically attached to this dimension. It's terrifyingly wonderful."

6. Logan

He always did talk too much. He's been getting in trouble since he was a kid. "Stay away from that Logan Fischer, he's a troubled boy." The teachers and other parents would always say. He's misunderstood, he just wants someone to pay attention to him, he doesn't care if it's attention for the wrong reasons. He finds it funny to make the girls run away screaming because he farted. He picks his nose, he scratches his balls, he laughs out loud, he says naughty words, he puts thumb tacks on the teachers chair, anything to get a rise. He's not all bad though. He helped his cousin bury his pet mouse when after it died because they forgot to feed it for a week, ceremony and all, he even cried, not because the mouse died though, because he saw his cousin crying. Pure at heart, warm as summer night, he's a great friend, if only he could make them.

This weekend I'm going fishing with my dad, I cant wait! Just me and Dad, waking up early to get a head start on the others. Dad always finds the best spots "It's a family secret, Logan. One day, you'll pass it on to your kids". Dad always says. Once, we caught a king fish almost the size of our boat! Dad said it was the biggest fish he'd ever caught! I was so proud to be there, just the two of us. I'm always so happy whenever Dad is around. He always has the coolest stories about where he goes and who he meets on his long work trips away. He's a truck driver, when it's school holidays he takes me with him and we always have bacon and egg rolls for breakfast, MacDonald's for lunch and delicious fried chicken for dinner. I help him with his straps to tie the load down and he always let's me get his customers to sign his delivery dockets. My Dad is my best friend, my protector, my hero. I love my Dad. "Thank you Logan, that was very nice. You can go back to your seat now." Mr Steele said in his deep, raspy voice. Show and tell. I always talk about my Dad, what we do when we get to spend time together. I can always hear the taunts from the other kids in the class when I finish. "Daddies boy! Why don't you marry your Dad loser?!" It's always the same. And they wonder why I shoved Theo Evans' head into the school letterbox, or why I put a fart bomb into Anthony Bradshaw's bag. I don't always let them get away with it. It boils and churns, like a smouldering volcano ready to blow it's top. Sometimes what they say doesn't even bother me. I don't care if I never make another friend in the whole world, as long as Dad is always there.

Six am Friday morning. Logan's second favourite day of the week. He gets to see Dad this afternoon, It's Dad/son night tonight. Saturday is his favourite day because he gets this whole weekend to spend with the most important person in his world. He packs his bags for school and the weekend; jumpers, trousers, undies and socks, fishing rod and tackle. Got it all. His Mum is downstairs on the phone with someone. "Probably one of her boyfriend's" His thinks to himself as his skips down the stairs. He's too excited to have breakfast, he knows Dad will take him somewhere for a snack after school. There's something not right about Mum this morning, she's normally got lunch packed, waiting by the front door. She's crying on the phone, whoever is on the other end is making her sad. "Logan, you're not going to school today!" She cries. Before he can ask why there are three loud knocks at the door. It's two policemen, they have worrisome looks on their faces. "What...What's going on mum?" Logan asks in a soft voice. Mum wipes the tears away from her eyes, kneels down and gently whispers "Honey, he's gone." Confused, Logan takes a step back. "What do you mean? Who's gone?" Deep down he already knows, he can feel an emptiness, a sorrow, a gut wrenching blackness. He drops his bags and runs back up the stairs, barrels into his room and slams the door behind him. Under his blankets, he screams into his pillow. It must be a terrible nightmare, it cant be real, it isn't fair. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" He can hear the muffled sounds of the policemen's and Mum's voices downstairs. "Accident. The brakes caught fire. Not his fault." Are the only words that make any sense. He falls into a deep, chaotic sleep. The taunts of the kids at school indistinctly jumbling around like a tornado destroying everything in it's path. Behind the storm lays a calmness, a wandering, floating echo. It's Dad. He's holding their fishing rods, wearing his sharks hat, He's smiling. "Logan, my boy. Chase your dreams, follow your heart. I'll always be with you."

"Life isn't being alive unless you live. It's not supposed to be easy. Take the roads less travelled by, run towards what others run away from. Resilience will shield your mistakes, learning from them is your weapon."

7. Windy Gully.

Drips of water crashing through cracks of the rotting wooden church roof onto the ground beside our sleeping bodies echo in my slumber, accompanied by a creaking, splitting murmur like knives across a chalkboard. One eye opens slightly, adjusting to the dark, my pupil dilates as the blur of awakening steadies. Claire is hunched next to Logan who is still sleeping soundly. Claire doesn't appear to be conscious, her head between her legs and folded arms. The creaking is coming from the front of the church. A cold, windy gust blows through the centre sending a shiver through my body, crawling up my spine and attaching like a virus. I rub my hands together and sit up, scanning my eyes around the church to investigate the sound. I finally muster the strength to stand and walk to front, where Logan had careened through the door, which still lay in pieces on the floor. The creaking becoming louder as I approach the doorway, stepping through the crumbled entrance I try not to make too much noise but a shard of broken glass crunches underneath my foot. The creaking stops as though I had alerted the source of the sound. Slowly I poke my head through the entrance. An old rocking chair sits motionless on the porch. Approaching slowly, I reach and nudge it softly, causing it to rock hauntingly back and fourth. It creaks and splits the wooden slats beneath it, it's the same sound I could hear from inside. "Someone must have been sitting in it just before I came out here" I say inaudibly under my breathe. Beside the chair on the ground is a torn handwritten note, looking as though it had been ripped off from the bottom of a larger piece of paper. I reach down and hold it in one hand, only being able to make out a few, messily written words as though. "In windy gully, in windy gully." While I try to make sense of the note there is a heavy, panting coming from the courtyard, almost animal like. My eyes shoot toward the direction of the sound...The dog from the road when we first came back into the town stands on all fours a few feet from where I stand, staring its eyes directly into mine. I reach my hands out defensively, attempting not to anger it. I edge backward toward the door with my hands still outstretched, but without any warning the animal lunges and its front legs push me to the ground, its paws sink into my chest as it bears its sharp, gnarling teeth. It's mouth opens wider, covering my entire head with saliva and pounding my ears with a roar like nothing I've heard before. I close my eyes for what I imagine will be the last time. "WAKE UP CHASE, WAKE UP!" It roars. I open my eyes to Logan and Claire shaking my collar and screaming in front of my face. "Chase! You were screaming, you were having a nightmare!" Logan shouts. Confused, I push Logan away and sit up, I'm back inside the church with Logan and Claire. "N...night terror" Are the only words I can dribble from my mouth. "I've never seen you have a nightmare like that before man." Chase says. I rub my hands across my eyes, sweat soaks my clothes, the stench of nightmare is still vividly fresh in my mind. Claire looks worryingly around the room, chasing the shadows on the ground made by the morning sunlight. "What's windy gully?" Chase asks. Before I can answer, Claire interjects "It's a resting place." She says. "What? Like a graveyard or something?" I ask. A look of sheer horror plasters across Chase's face. "For... the miners?" He asks, as though already knowing the answer. Claire nods slowly and points to the exit. "Don't you dare say it!" Chase shouts. "Haven't we been through enough?! We can't go back up there, I won't go!" Memories of Albert's sinister, grinning face flood back into my mind. The cold, damp room, the footsteps rushing past as the explosion knocked me off my feet. I wanted to know how Albert took me there, who he was, why he chose us. I had to know. Perhaps this could be our way out of this town, our way back home. "We're going." I said, leering at Chase. "I can't say it's a good idea guys, but I can't think of another way to get you home. If we find out what the wanderers want, maybe we can help them. Maybe they'll let us go." Claire said. The weather was clear outside, the sun beaming in through the cracks in the wall; A nice change to what we'd gotten so used to in this town. Claire moved fast, straight to the exit with Chase following closely, he seemed to trust her, her fearless demeanour was contagious. I took one last look in at the inside of the church, at the door Chase had so recklessly barged through and destroyed. I smirked, thinking how I would love to come back here once this is all over and see this place burn, along with the memories it'd left us with, the thought comforted me. I took a deep breath as I followed Claire and Chase out of the exit.

The soil was slushy and muddy from the rain the previous night. My foot squelched into the ground as I stepped off the porch, filling my shoe with cold, soggy mud and gravel.