Darkness - And Soon The

"The shortcut looked fine on the map," Cathy replied, though her voice lacked conviction. The road here was little more than a cracked ribbon of asphalt hemmed in by dense, silent woods.

"Excuse me?" Cathy called out. "Is the village of Oiron nearby?"

"It’s a puncture," Jane whispered, her eyes darting to the shadows. "Cathy, I don’t like this." "It’s okay. We’ll just walk." And Soon the Darkness

The light began to move toward them, bouncing with a slow, deliberate pace. And soon, the darkness was no longer their only problem.

But as they started walking, they heard it: the rhythmic clack-clack-clack of a bicycle chain behind them. Someone was following, coasting slowly to stay out of sight. When they stopped, the sound stopped. When they hurried, the clicking quickened. "The shortcut looked fine on the map," Cathy

They thanked him and pedaled on, but a mile into the woods, the canopy swallowed the remaining light. Then, Jane’s tire hissed and went flat.

The man pointed toward the dark heart of the forest. "The bridge is out on the main track. You go through the trees. Quickly. It gets dark fast." "Is the village of Oiron nearby

"Stay close," Cathy breathed, reaching for her heavy bike lock.