by Daka Hermon
She tilts her head. “I don’t hear them now, but I don’t know. We should wait until I know for sure it’s safe.” Her lips tilt into a sad smile. “You’ll be doing a lot of hiding here.”
It’s one big horrific game of Hide and Seek. And after seeing my Not-Mom, I’m guessing Mary is not dealing with a normal snake.
“What does it look like? I’ve never heard of a rat snake.”
She swallows hard. “It’s not … it’s not the normal reptile. I’m afraid of rats and snakes. Here they’re combined.”
My mouth opens, then snaps closed. I don’t know what to say.
She tugs up a pant leg. Bite marks cover her chewed-up calf and ankle. “They like to nibble on me.”
I glance away and exhale a loud breath to hold back the queasiness bubbling inside me. I can’t even …
For a long moment, I’m unable to speak and she seems okay with the silence.
“How long have you been here?”
“Nine years. I was seven when I was brought here. I was taken right after my brother.”
Nine years. My head drops back against the file cabinet behind me. Hyde said he was in Nowhere for seven years and he’s been back home for two.
“You played Hide and Seek together?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she says bitterly. “There were a lot of kids playing and I don’t even remember what rules we broke. When we got here, my brother promised to take care of me, said he’d get us home.” She stares off in the distance. “He changed. He wasn’t around when I needed him, then he wasn’t around at all. One day he was back home and working for the Seeker.”
“How did that happen?”
She’s silent for a long time. “I don’t know. Maybe he volunteered because he couldn’t handle all the fears. Maybe the Seeker saw something in him, some weakness … I’ve thought about whether I would have made the same choice he did.”
“And?”
“No,” she says hesitantly. “I want to go home, but not like that.”
“Mary, we’re getting out of here. Me and my friends have a plan … well, sort of. We have backpacks.” I gesture to mine. “We’re hoping that the stuff inside can help us defeat the Seeker and escape this place.”
“There’s no escape.”
“I don’t believe that. There’s a way here, there has to be a way out,” I say.
Mary hugs her legs and focuses her dark gaze on me. Her expression is so fierce, it ages her. “Listen. You run. You hide. You stay safe when you can. That’s it. Doing anything different is dangerous and stupid.”
“I know you don’t believe me, but we are going home,” I say. “Tell me about this place.”
Her eyes briefly close. When they focus on me again, I draw back. All I see is darkness and pain.
“It’s like a shadow of our real world.”
I cross my legs and shift toward her. “I don’t understand.”
She scoots back. “You know those paintings made up of different pictures?”
“A collage.”
She nods. “That’s what Nowhere is. Your personal fears and nightmares are here and so are the places you’re familiar with.”
I look around. “So, it’s like a giant puzzle? Kids brings in pieces of themselves and it all fits together to create this world?”
“Yeah, that’s it. Hyde and his house are from my life. It’s one of my … pieces.”
And mine. I saw the cemetery because it was another personal place.
“It’s a part of the never-ending nightmare,” she says dryly. “Seeing home, but not being there.”
That’s why the old man at the cemetery looked weird and couldn’t see me.
“Can you see all of my places?” I ask.
She nods. “It’s a part of Nowhere now.”
“You said ‘we’? You’ve seen other kids?”
“You’ll run into some when they’re not hiding. We help each other if we can, but we never—”
“Touch,” I say.
She nods.
My brain is still short-circuiting. “So earlier, a car drove right through me, but I’m leaning against this file cabinet. Shouldn’t I fall through it?”
“No, it’s …” She bites the corner of her mouth. “We can’t interact with the real world.”
I frown. “Still confused.”
She picks up a stick and writes “Help” in the dirt. “You can see this but no one in the real world would. We’re physically unable to communicate with them.”
She touches the ground beneath us and the file cabinet behind me. “You’re new so you still think of this as solid, but once you’re here long enough you’ll understand.”
No way I’m waiting around for that.
She pushes her hand through a metal door. “See?”
“You can help us.”
She shakes her head. “There’s no way out unless you work for the Seeker like my brother.”
My lips curl in disgust. “No way! Our friend—”
A whistling sound cuts through the air. I peek around the refrigerator to see Hyde strolling back up his driveway with Butch trotting beside him. My blood boils. He helped bring us to Nowhere and he needs to pay for his dirty deeds. He can’t get away with this.
“Where are you going?” Mary asks.
I didn’t even realize I was moving. “I’m going to find my friends and get us home.” My hands tremble and I clench them into tight fists. “Are you coming?”
Mary stares at me, not blinking, for so long I get nervous. It’s weird. I wait, fighting not to squirm under her intense gaze.
She climbs to her feet and brushes dirt off her hands. “My brother lied and told our father I ran away. I’ve watched my dad cry night after night.”
“Hyde only cares about himself. He’s proven that.”
“I want some payback. If there’s a chance you can help me with that, then I’m in.”
I feel her on the revenge. “So where do we start looking?”
“First, we need Duke,” she says.
“Duke?”
She weaves around the broken appliances until we reach the driveway. “He’s been waiting for someone like you for a long time.”
“What do you mean he’s been looking for someone like me?” I wanted to bypass the cemetery, but Mary said this was the quickest way to where we’d find Duke. As we walk back, I notice how the locations transition into new ones. Some I recognize, others I don’t.
My eyes skip around searching for any sign of Not-Mom. I’m still shaky from her last appearance.
The sky grumbles, the thunder loud and scary. Dark clouds, almost black, creep across the sky, muting the faint light from above. Mary’s head pops up, and she skids to a stop. Her body trembles.
My stomach flutters. “Mary?”
Her gaze snaps to me. “What?” she barks.
I jerk back. She stares at me, but I’m not sure if she sees me. “Are you okay? What is it?”
She’s quiet for a while, her eyes slowly regaining focus. “It’s—” She shakes her head as if to clear it. “I thought—you just always have to expect terrible things here.”
Like Not-Mom. She’s around. Lurking. I tug on the straps of my backpack, making sure it’s secure if I need to run.
Mary starts walking again. She stomps through the tall grass of the field we’re crossing.
“Duke. How long have you known him?”
“A couple of years now. I hide. He hides.” She shrugged. “We talk. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him. Kids here don’t really hang out together. You find your own way to deal and try not to draw attention.”
“From the Seeker?”
She laughs, but it’s not a funny sound. It’s sad. “From anything.”
I want to ask about the “anything,” but I’m afraid to.
“I think Duke knows more about this place and the Seeker than anyone else here,” she says.
We stop at the edge of some woods. It’s crowded with tall trees with twist
ed trunks. Large clustered growths, like infected pimples, cling to the bark, and ropes of thick roots play Twister across the thirsty ground. A howling wind rustles the dead leaves. They shower down around us. I don’t have a good feeling about this.
“Duke is in there?” I ask.
The temperature drops. Goose bumps sprout along my arms.
“Justin?” Not-Mom whispers.
I spin around, expecting to see that thing again. Nothing’s there, but I sense this creepy presence hovering. The muscles around my chest tighten with dread.
“Not real,” I whisper to myself. “Not real. Get out of my head.”
“What is it?” Mary glances over her shoulder. She takes a step away from me as if whatever is wrong with me is contagious.
I can’t share my nightmare with her. It’s too personal. I slide my trembling hand into my pocket and grab the puzzle piece. I hear myself panting but can’t seem to regulate my breathing. Inhale. Exhale.
Mary watches me. I draw back from her cool, blank stare. She resembles her brother—detached, emotionless—and that worries me. “Let’s go.”
She enters the woods and I cautiously follow. There’s a narrow dirt path, maybe a running trail that winds through the cluster of deformed trees. Their tall warped trunks and branches cast a sinister spell. With each step, I question my decision to follow Mary. The deeper we trek into the woods, the more uneasy I become. Where is she taking me? Can I really trust her?
She makes a turn, taking us off the trail. We have to climb over tree stumps and thick brush. Branches scratch at my face and arms. Vines tangle around my ankles. Dead sticks snap and crunch as I stomp forward.
I’m about to turn around when we step out of the woods and into a small clearing near a pond. I spot a primitive shelter. It’s built out of sticks. Mary stops at the edge of the open area.
I shift from foot to foot. “Mary?”
“Shhhhh,” she says.
I wait. Then wait a little longer.
“It’s safe,” she says. “You can come out.”
I step around her to see who she’s talking to. There’s no one there, only trees. Yep, this is bad. Time to roll out. I start planning my escape, when a boy emerges from the trees. My jaw drops. He was completely hidden.
Duke. I don’t know what I was expecting. My eyes slowly scan him from head to toe—his white, thin face is spotted with dirt. His tangled black hair is shaved on one side, revealing a thick, long scar that runs from the corner of his right eyebrow to the back of his right ear. He wears dark, baggy pants that are wider at the top and narrow as they reach his ankles. Suspenders dangle from his waist, forming big loops that rest against his thighs. He’s wearing brown ankle boots with laces. It’s clear from his clothing he’s been here a long time.
He prowls closer, his movements jerky. His head is tilted at an angle like he’s listening for something far away. His green eyes are locked on me, but it feels like he’s aware of everything that is going on around him.
“What’s this?” He clears his throat as if it’s been a while since he’s spoken. He nods in my direction.
“I brought someone to see you,” says Mary.
“I’m Justin.”
“Just-in,” he says, like he’s testing out my name. “Haven’t met another Justin. There’s a Brian. Carter. Matt. Jared … lots of others. No Justin.”
Duke can’t be much older than me. He’s about my height and much slimmer. His collar bones can be clearly seen through his long-sleeve shirt.
“He has a backpack,” Mary says, like that explains everything. “He says he’s here to help everyone escape and to destroy the Seeker.”
Duke’s steps falter. “What?” He blinks hard, then rubs his arm across his eyes.
“We’re real,” Mary says, holding up her hands as if she’s surrendering. “This isn’t … We’re not …”
When she falls silent, I peek over at her. She chews on her bottom lip. It suddenly hits me as I face Duke. He’s worried we’re a fear. Not real. Maybe something here to trick him.
Duke mumbles to himself, then focuses his attention back on me. “Give me your backpack.”
“Why?” My grip tightens on the straps.
“I want to see what’s inside.” He waves his hand at me, motioning for me to hand it over. “Give it.”
I glance at Mary. She nods as if to say, It’s okay.
After a moment of hesitation, I slide my backpack off my aching shoulders and extend it out to him.
“No, no, no. On the ground,” he says, with an eye roll.
Oh yeah. That whole not-touching thing. I set the backpack down.
He picks it up with mud-caked fingers. My hands twitch. I want to snatch it back from him.
“After a kid from our neighborhood was taken, me and my friends realized we could sneak in stuff that could help us defeat the Seeker.”
Duke unzips the top pocket. “Flashlight, rope, matches, pocket-knife … no, no, no.”
Heat spreads through my body. “Lyric packed other tools—”
Duke laughs, it’s loud and wild. “These are camping supplies. Junk. You really think this stuff can destroy the Seeker? Have you seen the monster? Seen what it can do? You have no idea—”
“Then tell me!” I say, throwing up my hands. “Mary thinks you can help. That you’ve been looking for a way to escape. Maybe the stuff we brought is stupid, but I don’t care. I’m gonna do anything, use anything to find my friends and get us all home! If you don’t want to help, fine. I’ll figure it out myself.” My heart is pounding as I glare at Duke.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Sweat trickles down the side of my face.
He watches me, his head tilted to the side. I stuff my hand in my pocket to grab the puzzle piece. His eyes follow the movement.
“Duke, you know more about this place than us. You talked about gathering a group to defeat the monster.” Mary nods toward me. “What if he and his friends can help? What if there is a way for us to finally go home?”
“Home,” Duke says. He frowns like it’s hard to imagine.
“You still want to escape, right?” I ask.
He scoffs. “Everyone wants to escape. That’s not the problem. The Seeker has gotten stronger. The fears, so many fears … They’re scarier and last longer.”
Mary runs her fingers over the scar on her arm. “I’ve noticed it, too.”
“There still has to be something we can do,” I say.
Duke sets the backpack down and sits on a tree stump. His right leg bounces repeatedly. “You must be new.”
“I got here today.”
He smiles sadly. “Yep. That explains it. Totally explains it.”
“What?” I ask.
“Why you make it sound so simple. You think you’ll just find your friends and leave. No, no, no. That’s not how this place works.” He mumbles something under his breath.
I’m growing more and more frustrated the longer I talk to him. I need to find Nia and Lyric. “Help me understand. You know a lot, right? You’ve been here—”
“Eighty years,” he says. “I’ve been here eighty years.”
“Wait, what?!” No way I heard him right.
“Eighty years.”
I gawk at him.
“I didn’t realize it was that long,” says Mary faintly.
Duke jumps to his feet and paces. His eyes dart around. “I’ve figured out a lot since I got here. You know the monster kidnaps kids who break the rules of Hide and Seek?”
“Uh, yeah.” I shakily sit on the ground. My legs will no longer hold me. Eighty years.
“You’re lucky. I had no idea what happened to me when I first arrived,” Duke says. “Or why I was here.”
I gasp. I never thought about the kids who have no idea their disappearances are tied to the game. All of a sudden … you’re gone. Confronted by your fears with no one to help or explain why. That’s horrible. Man, the stuff Duke has had to deal with … How did he survive? I’ve been here on
e day and can’t handle it, but he’s been here eighty years. What does that do to a kid?
“This place is much different than when I first arrived,” he says, picking at the dirt underneath his nails. “So different.”
“What do you mean?” I shift to find a more comfortable position on the ground.
“A long time ago, this world was an empty, dark space. I was … nowhere. Then one day the Seeker revealed itself.” He stares off in the distance, his eyes empty.
“Duke?” I say after a long moment of silence.
He jolts, blinking hard. “What?”
I glance at Mary, then back to him. “You said the Seeker revealed itself. What happened then?”
Duke frowns. “Fear and pain,” he says, like the answer is obvious.
A cold breeze whistles through the trees and a drop of rain hits my face, sliding down my cheek. “Should we be out in the open like this? Is the Seeker listening, watching?”
Duke gestures around the woods. “The monster is everywhere, everything.”
I shudder as I remember the drawing I saw on Zee’s and Hyde’s walls, and what grabbed Nia. “The thing with the red eyes.”
“So, you’ve seen it?” Duke says, an eyebrow raised.
I nod. “Where is it now?”
Duke stares up at the gray sky. “Not here. It’s hunting again.”
I swallow hard. “Another kid? How do you know?”
He taps his chest, then the side of his head. “I can feel the difference. When it’s gone my heart beats right, and the noise in my head isn’t so loud. But it can appear at any time. I have other hiding places, not just these woods, but it finds me. Always finds me. It lives off my fears, our fears.”
“It’s every scary thing you see.” Mary hugs herself tight.
My heart skips a beat. “I don’t understand.”
“The more kids, the more fear, the stronger it becomes. When we touch or tag each other the terror is doubled. The Seeker gets more power. It—” Duke spins around and stares toward the woods.
“What—?” I jump to my feet as he races past me. He grabs a large stick off the ground and hurriedly draws a large circle around himself.
Mary and I exchange a horrified look. “Duke—”
“Shhhhhh.” Breathing heavily, he raises the stick in the air as if he’s preparing to hit something.
