Whispers in the Dark

Forever Fields

I was running again. This time, everything was black—an endless void stretching in all directions. My feet pounded against an unseen ground, yet I felt weightless, like I was falling and running at the same time. The air was thick, pressing against my skin, suffocating, clinging like unseen hands.

Whispers slithered through the darkness, surrounding me, shifting, multiplying. Soft at first—hushed voices brushing against my ears, unintelligible but urgent. My breath came in ragged gasps as I reached out, fingers grasping at nothing, desperate to touch something, anything. But the void offered no relief.

The whispers grew louder. They overlapped, tangled together, forming a chorus of distorted voices. My pulse thundered in my chest. The words—were they words?—became clearer, yet still just beyond my understanding. A presence lurked in the blackness, watching, waiting.

I ran faster, but the darkness clung to me like tar. The whispers turned shrill, rising into frantic, frenzied wails. My ears rang. The air vibrated with the weight of their agony. I clamped my hands over my ears, but it was useless. The whispers morphed into something worse—something unbearable.

Screams.

Not just one, but thousands. Blood-curdling, agonized, endless. They tore through the void, rattling my skull, drilling into my mind. My legs faltered, but I couldn’t stop. I didn’t dare.

I wasn’t running from something.

Something was coming for me.

My eyes shot open suddenly, my heart hammering wildly in my chest, sweat dripping down my face. My breathing was labored and a dull ache formed in my head. I unplugged my phone from the charger and looked down at the time. 5:35 a.m. At this rate I’ll never get any actual rest.

I got up out of bed and walked over to the window, looking down at the ground below, the light still dimly lit yellow, still nighttime. Still alone. I hugged myself trying to force reality back into me, out of the nightmares I’ve been having. Is Lorien right? Am I getting myself into something I shouldn’t?

I shook my head. I had already made my choice and I needed to stick with it…right? What other purpose do I have if I don’t try?

I walked away defeatedly, picking up my phone and looking at my conversation with Lorien. I don’t know why I thought we could be something more than we are. My heart sinking and tears forming in the corner of my eyes. It feels worse that while I’m falling for him. He acts into me one minute and completely closed off the next. Like I mean nothing. Like I am nothing.

I clicked to type a message to him. If we are really going to leave it this way, maybe living with Emery isn’t the right move. I began to type “Why did you just leave?”. I erased it immediately. No. If he truly doesn’t care then why would it matter what I say to him? I don’t think I can do this.

I need to escape this, all of this. I did what I do best in these situations.I tossed my phone on the bed, regretting everything and nothing. I felt rejected and weak, like my presence was an inconvenience for everyone around me.

I opened the door and walked out. The cold gripping onto me, as if choking the warmth from my core. I didn’t know where I was headed but I couldn’t stay there. I couldn’t do all of these things…be the person that I wanted—hoped to be for everyone. In a perfect world, maybe I would have been that girl to overcome all odds and defy darkness but who was I kidding? I thrived in it, maybe I was darkness.

I shook the thoughts from my head trying to clear them. My nightmare radiating within me, as if my mind was trying to re-create those voices in the awoken world around me. I began running. I needed to get out of this awful place. This town, these people. No one really cared about me. He didn’t care about me, not in the way I wanted and it made everything feel so much worse.

I stopped in front of the tavern. It’s lights turned off. Somewhere usually so lively seemed so empty and vacant now. Like all the life was drained from it.

I walked over to the bus stop where I had first arrived to in town and looked over the bus schedule. I had roughly $2 left to my name. Enough for one trip somewhere. I looked at the posted bus schedule and noticed the next one was arriving soon. I sat down and waited.

Storm clouds promising rain formed above. The heaviness in the air damp around me. Clinging to me like the inner demons I couldn’t shake from myself. I left my phone behind, I didn’t want to take something along with me that Lorien could contact me with.

I felt bad about Emery. She filled a place in my soul a mother should have filled. I know she’ll understand and Remy too. I hadn’t even messaged her explaining my absence from work but although we were friends in high school, I was 20 now. Time has filled the gaps where our friendship didn’t. There was a time I cared more but not since I left the city. I feel like both of us knew deep down that although she offered me a job, somehow, I wouldn’t end up staying there for long.

The lights of the bus blinded me temporarily, pulling me from my turmoil. I looked back at the town of Hollow Oak, and stepped onto the bus.

The doors closed behind me. The driver, a middle-aged woman with short grey hair and kind eyes looked me over.

“You headed to the city dear?”

I grimaced, the thought of going back to the city ate me alive but from here where else could I go? I pondered for a moment. My mind flashed to a memory. One I hadn’t thought of until now. My adoptive parents had a cottage near a lake up north. They weren’t the kind of people to sell it as they never tied up any loose ends before moving overseas.

I closed my eyes trying to remember the name of the lake. But only flashes of faint imagery came to mind.

“Do you know of any lakes nearby?”

The bus driver thought for a moment then replied. “Well you’ve got Lake Ahyoka further to the east and Lake Passo down south.”

I squinted my eyes again searching for something…anything. An image of a field of yellow flowers flashed through my mind.

“Any places with flowers? Particularly yellow ones?”

“Oh yes! Lake Chintowah! It’s not too far away and it’s not as popular, as the others, but it’s known for having beautiful yellow sunflowers during the summer months.”

I sighed in relief. “Yes please take me there if you can.”

“Well, I can’t take you all the way up there, but the bus stop is only a mile or two from it.”

“That’s alright, I don’t mind the walk.”

The woman nodded in understanding and I walked down the rows of seats towards the middle.I put my bag of clothes next to me, hoping no one would want to sit there, but with how small the town was and how early it was, I highly doubted anyone would choose to.

The bus driver made a few more stops. Picking up a traveler here and there with not very many getting off as they were headed further towards the city.

“We’re almost to your stop, young lady.” The woman’s voice rang through the silence. I lost track how long I was staring out the window. It was now drizzling outside, water drops cascading down the glass. The soft glow of morning began creeping over the distant mountains. I pressed my forehead against the window. The cold soothing something inside me that nothing else could. I imagined a different outcome.What if he hadn’t stopped when I kissed him?

The thought sent a shiver through me. I could still feel it—our lips pressed together, the warmth of his breath mingling with mine. The way his touch, even for that fleeting moment, set my skin alight. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was a spark, an unspoken plea for something more.

For a second, I let myself sink into it—the way his body felt close to mine, the way the air between us crackled with something unspoken but undeniable. What would it have been like if he had pulled me closer instead of away? If he had wanted me the way I wanted him?

A sharp pang twisted in my chest. Stop.

I shook the feelings away, shoving them deep inside, locking them where they couldn’t hurt me.

I hadn’t even realized the bus had stopped until the crisp morning air rushed in as the doors opened abruptly.

“This is your stop, hun. The lake should be just a mile or so up that road there,” the driver said.

I grabbed my bag and stepped off the bus, peering down the road ahead. It was secluded, overgrown, and riddled with cracks where nature had begun to reclaim it. Tall pine trees lined both sides, their branches stretching overhead, casting shadows over the damp gravel. The edges of the road crumbled into patches of weeds and moss, making it clear that few people had traveled this way in years.

As I started walking, rain began to fall—light at first, then steadily picking up. I pulled my hood over my head, but I welcomed the feeling of raindrops on my skin. Rain had always made me feel alive, grounded. It washed away the weight of my thoughts, even if only for a moment.

But today, the ache in my chest lingered. Lorien’s rejection still burned. He had kissed me, made me believe, only to turn away as if it meant nothing. As if I meant nothing. I had spent my whole life feeling like I didn’t belong—tossed from one place to another, never truly wanted. And for a moment, I thought he was different. But in the end, I was just as alone as I had always been.

The road stretched on, winding deeper into the woods. The rain made the dirt patches slick, my boots sinking slightly with every step. I clenched my jaw and pressed forward. Eventually, through the trees, the outline of the cottage came into view.

It had once been my home—my adoptive parents' little retreat—but time had not been kind to it. The wooden walls were weathered and dull, the roof sagging slightly at the edges. The once-vibrant sunflowers that had lined the path were now lifeless, their petals long gone, leaving only brittle stalks behind. September had stolen their color, much like time had stolen the warmth from this place.

I climbed the creaking steps and reached for the doorknob. Things changed. People changed. But somehow, in the stillness of forgotten places, everything could still feel the same.

The moment I stepped inside, the air was thick—stale and damp. Dust coated every surface, and cobwebs clung to the corners. The small fireplace sat in the living room, cold and unused for years. Despite the decay, the lights still worked when I flicked the switch, casting a dim glow over the neglected space.

Sighing, I set my bag down and grabbed a broom from the closet. I swept away the dust, clearing years of abandonment with each stroke. From the storage chest, I pulled out bedding sealed in airtight bags. Even after a decade, it still carried a faint, familiar scent—like lavender and something that reminded me of a past I wasn’t sure I wanted to remember.

After making the bed, I found a fresh sponge under the sink and wiped down the counters, washing away the grime that had settled there. The cottage was still standing, still waiting for someone to return. I wondered if it had missed me.

With what little firewood remained, I started a small fire, listening as it crackled to life. The warmth helped, but I knew it wouldn’t last. I needed more wood for tomorrow.

Before heading out, I checked the pantry. To my surprise, some emergency rations had survived the years—sealed dehydrated meals that weren’t exactly appetizing, but they’d do. I checked the water lines, relieved to see they still ran clear, and tested the stove. When the burner lit up, I boiled water and mixed a packet of dehydrated beef stew. It wasn’t the best thing I’d ever eaten, but it wasn’t the worst either.

By the time I finished, the sun was sinking behind the trees. If I wanted firewood, I had to hurry.

Slipping on my jacket, I stepped back into the cold evening air. The cottage was close to Lake Chintowah, though not right beside it. Somehow, the proximity made everything feel colder, lonelier.

I pushed through the bushes, scouring the damp ground for twigs and fallen branches. My arms were nearly full when a sound cut through the night.

A howl.

Low. Distant. But unmistakable.

My breath hitched, heart hammering wildly in my chest. My grip on the wood tightened as another howl followed. This one closer.

Panic surged through me. I turned and ran, stumbling over roots and uneven ground. The bundle of wood in my arms tumbled to the ground, but I barely registered it. All I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears, my own breath coming in short, desperate gasps.

I reached the cottage, threw open the door, and slammed it shut behind me. My hands trembled as I locked it.

The wood I had managed to hold onto scattered across the floor, but I didn’t care. My knees buckled, and I sank to the ground, pressing my forehead against them.

The sobs came quietly, unbidden.

It wasn’t just the howl that had set me off. It was everything. Lorien. The rejection. The feeling of never being enough, never being wanted. The weight of it all crushed me in the silence of the tiny, forgotten cottage.

After a while, I wiped my face, forcing myself to stand. I climbed into bed, curling under the covers, gripping my pillow as if it could hold me together.

The howling had stopped. But it still echoed in my mind.

Each one felt like a scream inside my chest.

If love was truly the meaning of life, then why did it carve wounds deeper than any blade? Why did something meant to bring warmth leave behind scars that never fully healed? If love was the answer, then why did it so often feel like a question—one that lingered, unanswered, in the hollow spaces of my heart?