Flames At Midnight

05 | quentin miller

The following night, we found ourselves driving out to multiple parks around town.

After my talk with Grace the night before, I found it hard to fall asleep. We agreed it was probably best to tell the other two about what I was seeing in the hopes that they would be able to help. Grace fell asleep eventually, but I was turning for what felt like hours. Then it was morning before I knew it.

I had texted the number Kya scribbled onto the back of the postcard to arrange a meeting and a plan.

Sadly, my truck was still in the shop, so a little before ten that night, Dillon swung by to give us a ride. He pulled up in front of my house in an old looking Toyota Corolla. The faded green paint was chipping off the hood.

"You drove this thing all the way from Florida?" Grace asked, eyeing the car warily as she climbed in. "It looks older than you are."

Dillon grinned at her from the rearview. "She may not look it, but this old girl is reliable. She hasn't let me down yet."

"God, you sound like Quentin."

"Ignore her." I scooted into the back seat, next to Grace. "She can't drive, and so she masks her jealousy with scorn."

"Oh, please." Grace unraveled the rolled up piece of paper in her hands. It was the map we'd printed out earlier. Potential locations were starred with a red Sharpie, and a line was drawn, connecting them all. "I have the directions for our first stop."

Despite her initial protests about the whole situation, she was the one organizing the entire search. She had said, "If we're going to do this, we might as well do it right. We'll make a list of parks that fit the description and figure out a route. If we don't find the right one tonight, we'll have to expand our search to outside Thornhill."

The ride was silent except for when Grace gave directions. I was jiggling my legs the entire time. I wasn't the only one feeling nervous, I noticed. Grace was fidgeting with the map, rolling it up and then unrolling it a second later.

Finally, we pulled into the parking lot of our first stop.

"Does this look familiar?" Kya asked me.

I drew my sleeve across the frosted glass of the window and peered out. It was too dark to tell. "I can't really see. We'll have to walk around."

I shivered the moment I stepped out of the car. The air was bitterly cold tonight, but the sky was clear. The pale light from the full moon illuminated the park before us.

"We'll follow your lead, Quentin. Which way?"

"Let's try this way."

I felt pumped. I was ready for an adventure and for the uncertainty of where the night would take us. As much as I loved playing video games, it couldn't compare to what I was feeling. You just don't experience a racing pulse or the heat of adrenaline the same way with a controller in hand.

An eerie looking swing set creaked in the wind. We followed a winding path that led to a small cluster of trees. The branches were bare and shuddering. Wet dirt squished under our shoes as we walked.

It didn't take long for me to realize the first stop was a bust.

"Sorry, this isn't it." I sighed. "There aren't enough trees. The place I remember is denser."

Grace uncapped her Sharpie and crossed this park off the map. After looking at it for a few more seconds, she marked off another one. "That eliminates the fourth place too. It's even smaller than this one."