The night rippled. Ken glanced over his shoulder to verify that Maria had seen it, too—but she was gone. They were all gone. Maria, Levi, and Adam. The woods. The trail. All of it. He floated in a sea of black. There was only him, adrift in an ebony void, completely alone.
His greatest fear. Ever since Deena’s death, Ken was afraid of being alone.
The darkness pressed in on all sides, and Ken screamed.
Maria tried to pull him away, but before she could, two figures stepped out of the darkness.
“M-Mom? Dad?”
Her parents glided toward her. Their skin, hair, eyes, and clothes were black.
“No.” Maria closed her eyes. “You’re not real. Levi said you take the form of the things that haunt us. The things we fear.”
“I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!”
Maria opened her eyes again. Her parents reached for her, and her resolve shattered. Maria screamed.
“Adam,” Levi shouted, “to me!”
The darkness swirled around Ken and Maria, poised to strike.
Levi scooped up a handful of salt and ran toward them.
“
He tossed the salt at the entity. The crystals sparked, turning blue as they soared through the air. They pelted the darkness, and it withdrew, shuddering.
“Grab Ripple before he falls,” Levi told Adam as he reached for Maria.
Stumbling, they guided Maria and Ken back to the beginning of the trail, out of reach of the darkness. Levi peered into Maria’s eyes.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I think so.”
“Ripple, how about you?”
“I’ll live. The fuck just happened?”
“We’ve been trying to tell you,” Levi said, “but you would not listen. Now I’m afraid I’ll have to insist that you stay out of my way.”
“Fuck that,” Ken said. “I want to help. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Levi knelt, picked up the bag of salt, and handed it to Ken.
“Be careful that you don’t spill it.”
Ken frowned. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“If you’re being sincere and you really do want to help, then listen to me carefully. I saw an exit not far from the entrance. Am I correct in assuming that this trail loops around?”
“Yeah. So what?”
Levi placed one hand on Ken’s shoulder and his other hand on the ruptured bag. Then he repeated the same phrase he’d shouted before throwing the salt. For a second, Ken felt a slight charge go through him, like licking a battery. Then it faded. The air smelled of ozone.
“What did you just do?”
Levi shook his head. “I need you and Maria to take this salt to the exit. Pour a line of it all the way across the exit, connecting to the lime lines on either side. You don’t have to use a lot of it. In fact, try to conserve. But the line must completely touch both sides. Think of it as an invisible wall. Okay?”
Ken nodded. “Sure. What will that do?”
“Just what I said. It will create an invisible wall. Once you’ve done that, I want the two of you to stand on the far side of that line. Make absolutely sure you’re not standing on the trail or between the lines. Do you understand?”
“This is like before,” Maria said. “With the circle of protection?”
“Exactly. But this time, instead of keeping something out, we’re trying to keep something in.”
“A trap?”
Levi winked at her.
“Stay clear of the path,” he told them, “but be ready for me to call you. When I do, proceed into the woods— making absolutely sure you walk on the outside of the lines, avoiding the path—and sprinkle the salt onto the trail.”
Maria coughed. “But won’t the salt break the circle?”
