The Mines (4)

The moon is shrouded by the clouds. An eerie silence is creeping in the desolated forest sans the cries of cicadas which echo every now and then. The chilly mist is slowly thickening, swirling above a waterbody which flows down toward the river ahead. A long bridge connects the two lands, quiet and isolated from the rest of the city.

A pair of lights break through the darkness as it approaches the bridge. Inside it are a man, a woman, and a boy of sixteen. The boy looks fearful and restless.

“Mom, where are we going?” the boy asks. He’s wearing a school uniform and there’s a tag on his chest, ‘Ryder’. He had gone to stay over at a friend’s place when his parents arrived to take him. It didn’t take him long to figure out why they were so anxious.

“Is it the Hawkins?” He whispers. “Did they find out?”

His father, Carl Hoover, looks at him from the rearview mirror. “I’m afraid so, son,” he mutters. “Vincent Hawkins found out that I’m snooping in his office. We’ll have to leave town. I