Night

Old trees guarded the darkness in moderate silence. Occasionally, they'd sway and the crackling of leaves would be heard. Gina walked fast, relieved that Liana had finally stopped complaining. Her heart beat faster with each stride, her mind reeling as she couldn't stop worrying about what could possibly go wrong in their quest to bury her box of keys in the small forest. She knew a spot which would be perfect for her most precious possessions but she was worried that one day someone would find them and hand them over to the police. But, what else could she do? She didn't have a lot of options.

Her family members were beginning to get suspicious about everything she did. Because of her constant outings and unexplained walks, they'd began to think she was up to something. Her mother, for instance thought she was selling drugs. She couldn't let them find out about her key collection because she'd collected keys from almost everyone in the small town. People who didn't share her passion wouldn't understand the lengths she sometimes had to go in order to acquire keys. Being a key collector had to be the hardest thing ever.

"Hey, look!" Liana stopped walking and turned off her flashlight. "That's Dylan's cabin."

Dylan Ineroy was one of the most desired young men in town. He was not rich but was hardworking and very handsome. He had a perfect body with well defined muscles that weren't huge. His rugged looks made every girl want to be with him although he did not seem to be into romance. Also, he was rarely seen which made him mysterious and that was a major point in his favour. Every girl wanted to be the one who finally changed his heart.

The first thing Gina saw when she turned were a bunch of keys hanging from the keyhole. Bliss washed over her and she smiled. This was going to be easy and memorable. Like most teenage girls in the town, she had a crush on Dylan. Having keys that belonged to him would make her the happiest girl in the world. There was no way she was going to leave them behind.

"Let's finish what we came to do first," Liana said, turning her flashlight on. "We'll get those later."

Gina looked at her. "Why not now? Dylan is probably asleep. Those keys are practically begging me to take them."

"I wonder how he sleeps," Liana said, wistfully.

Gina shook her head and turned off her flashlight. She proffered the box to Liana. "Take this and wait here for me."

"Whatever," Liana took the box in her hands.

Gina placed her shovel down and made her way to the leaf-carpeted path leading to Dylan's home. She watched the house for any signs of movement even though it was dark inside. The coast was clear. She crept towards the door, looking out for possible traps. While Dylan usually minded his business, there were some negative rumors about him. As soon as she was close enough, Gina slowly pulled out the bundle of keys. Immediately, a light in the house turned on. She jumped before clasping the keys in her hands. She leaned against the wall near the door. She started to sweat and could swear she heard movement in the house. Gina looked over to where she'd left Liana. She couldn't see her. Liana was probably crouching under the thick bush in fear.

Gina straightened herself against the wall and waited, heart beating fast. After what seemed like five minutes, the light went off again. She tiptoed away from the light and crept over to the forest. Walking towards Liana, she heard a sound of a door being slammed. For a moment, she wondered if Dylan had been watching her.

"Liana?" Gina whispered when she didn't see her. A screech echoed in the night air, making her shiver. "We have to go now."

There was no reply. Gina looked around and saw the shovel and an empty box. She stared at it, motionless. That box had contained her ten most valuable keys. Getting them had been so hard and for that reason, they meant everything to her. How could she live without them? Where had Liana taken them?

"Liana," She whisper yelled, frustrated. She slid onto the crinkly forest floor and held the box, tears welling in her eyes. It was empty, just like her soul.

She put Dylan's keys in the box and stood up, turning her flashlight on. She picked the shovel and decided to go to their original destination. Liana had probably gone there. The forest was silent, save from a few chirping insects here and there.

In a very short time, Gina was at the spot where she'd planned to bury her beloved keys. There was fresh soil indicating that someone had beat her to it. Putting her small box down, she started digging up the soil. She'd almost given back when her shovel hit something. Slowly, she used her hands to remove the soil. At the bottom was a bundle of keys, the ones that belonged to the police station. She smiled as she touched and kissed them. Not everything was lost, after all.

"Lia?" She called, looking around. "What stupid game are you playing now? I really to stay but we have to get back home before anyone realizes we're gone."

There was no response, only stony silence. Something was wrong, Gina could feel it. She waited for a few minutes before going home.

When she reached their shared room, Liana was nowhere to be seen. If anything happened to Liana, Gina was to blame. She tried not to think about it as she undressed and put on her pyjamas. Picking up her phone, she climbed on her bed. She dialled Liana's number but it was no longer available.

Even though Gina was extremely worried about her friend, she decided to wait until morning. Maybe Liana would sneak back in during the night. It wasn't unusual for Liana to wander about during the night.

Thirty minutes later, she received a message from a new number.

‘I know,’ it said.

Her heart flipped. It was going to be a long night.