The Trail

Chapter 24 | Evil lies here

With Juniper's soft fur against the side of my leg I positioned myself next to Owen Kelly's side. Feeling suddenly cold again, I wrapped my arms around my chest, trying to close in what little heat was left. Only, it escaped through my lips in a vaporizing cloud of steam. Slowly, it soared towards the cold glass. My breath against the cold surface obstructed my line of sight as I leaned closer towards the window. I cleaned the vapor off with my left sleeve, and as I looked outside, I was met by a sight that I seldom would forget.

The morning had turned dark. Frost and ice lacquered the road and the shop windows had been caught in webs of spreading ice crystals. As the world held its breath, I looked up towards the skies. A sky illuminated by colour where a flickering light spectacle danced across the valves of heaven. Aurora australis. It had to be.

In awe, I stepped towards the door and grasped the handle. The shop's bell rang over my head, but was shortly drowned out by the chiming song of the solar winds colliding with the atmosphere of Earth. It was as if spirits danced through the air with long waves of silk, weaving the red fabric into the green glow of the aurorae. Then, it burnt red, setting the skies ablaze like a raging forest fire.

"Strange...", I mumbled where I stood frozen on the spot, still grasping the door handle.

In union, Juniper had turned her head towards the light show above us, but reluctantly began to shiver from the cold. Her nose was hard at work, picking up some scent that was brought by a cold wind. The hairs on her neck rose into a thick plume and she gave up a deep growl. Something, or someone, was nearby.

Slowly, I stepped back inside and closed the door. I looked at Owen, who looked back at me.

"I guess you were right before, we're not alone here", he said and looked down the street through the window.

"We still need to find something warmer to wear, the temperature's dropped several degrees", I said, even though I mostly felt like hitting the road. Something about this town felt wrong.

"Perhaps we can find something down by the gas station", Owen coughed and nodded down the street.

Reluctantly, I stepped outside again. Followed by dog and man I began to walk down the street in a brisk tempo. The dancing lights over our heads still burned bright, chiming and crackling away like a cascade of water turning to ice within a split second. Other than the song of the ethereal phenomenon, the small town was wrapped in silence. An eerie silence that made our steps echo between the walls of rotten houses.

I walked as quickly as my knee would allow me to. It had begun to hurt more with the sudden drop of temperature. Suddenly my boots felt heavier than ever as I had to drag my leg across the frozen pavement.

"I don't like this place one bit, Owen. It gives me the creeps", I told him in a low voice.

I realised that I, in that very moment, felt appreciation of having another person with me to talk to.

"It feels wrong to be here, maybe we should just keep going...", I said and turned my head to look at him.

He was pale, lips blue from the cold and his scar looked whiter than usual against the side of his head.

"It's probably just the weird weather, it'll be fine", he said in a reassuring voice.

It was difficult to believe him when he was gripping his chest from pain and it looked as if he might pass out any minute.

We wandered past an old bank. The windows had been smashed and the inside of the reception area trashed. Chairs had been thrown across the floor, either by man or wind, and the white walls were cluttered with graffiti. A torn, blue sheet hung from the ceiling behind the desk as if it had been used to seperate the area.