Before Dawn

Whoosh. Click.

Maria would have stayed in bed this morning if she knew what was good for her. She wouldn’t have woken up before he did. She wouldn’t need a flashlight to navigate the early morning. She wouldn’t be suspicious of his promises, even if she were right.

Whoosh. Click.

There is a loose board somewhere in the back of this barn. The wood must be very old to bend like paper in the wind though it snaps back just as quickly. I think it’s behind my head, but I can’t be sure. It’s always dark in here; I can’t see even with my eyes flung open. I didn’t have time to check when I was first brought out here, but now the sound doesn’t bother me. Settlers built this barn a long time ago; he told me that, they used to hang tobacco from the rafters. I know this can’t be what they had in mind for it...

Whoosh. Click.

He was easy to believe when there were two of us. I never felt any reason to doubt him. I wonder where he told Maria I had gone. Loneliness is powerful... That must have cracked her faith; once you question a fragment of the truth the entire picture is corrupted. She wasn’t afraid of him, I hadn’t been either, but she knew well enough to hide what she was doing.

Whoosh. Click.

The past seems silly to me when I think back: we ran away; we trusted a stranger; we lived in a broken down house without a signal and called ourselves saved. We must have been fools. I wonder why we were so eager to flee. It’s getting harder to remember; things as recent as last week are hazy, like another life. I’m forgetting how to feel. I used to wish I could tell Maria the truth, but today I only wait to see if she will uncover it.

Whoosh. Click.

Maria is leaving the house because he told her not to. She’ll be searching in places she is forbidden to search because you don’t find the truth behind unlocked doors or sitting on parlor shelves; you only find more questions. The barn is the biggest thing on this property besides the house. People are drawn to the most obvious locations; I’m sure she’ll be here first. I wonder why she hasn’t already looked for me. She must not want to believe what she’s begun to think. Maybe she won’t be as shocked as I was.

Whoosh. Click.

This morning is another cold morning, but I don’t feel it. Will Maria be cold for much longer? Will she ever feel warmth again? She is underestimating him. I did.

Whoosh. Click.

Creak. Step.

Light dances around the interior of the barn: a shaky beam that tries its best to avoid actually hitting anything that could shatter what trust she retains. Maybe she’ll leave without finding me. Maybe she’ll be back in bed before he’s out of his and she can live just a bit longer. Maybe...

Whoosh. Click.

The sound startles her. She moves towards where I lay. The sound must be behind my head the way she moves: I was right. The light illuminates behind the stairs. She’s searching for the noise: she finds something more.

“No.”

Whoosh. Click.

“Oh God...”

She sees me now. She must be scared. Does she feel the cold...? She shouldn’t make too much noise. You know now Maria. You should go. You should run again.

Whoosh. Cli-

A hand catches the wood, from the outside, before it snaps back. Maria’s head snaps up. She plunges us into darkness together.

“Maria...?”