Jeremy Pillar was deep in thought about the list of things he had to do when he got home. Suddenly out of his rearview mirror he saw a car accelerating at an alarming rate. What the hell? He thought as the vehicle began flashing its lights and honking erratically. He could make out a youthful looking woman in the driver’s seat with a frantic look on her face. He pulled his pick up truck over to the side of the road and out of curiosity swung open his door as the woman emerged from her vehicle and raced towards him. Her eyes were wide open in fear and her body shook in tremors.
“What’s wrong, Miss?’ He asked, deeply perplexed, “Has there been an accident, are you injured?”
“The bodies! Did you see those dead bodies?!” She managed to ask, the expression on her face drained of color.
“What bodies?”

The rain lashed the windows of the car as it made its way down the hill. The Fortress , as the locals liked to call the hill , was the line of divide between the town and the Nocturn valley.
"I'm bored ", came a voice from the back seat. Earl , a lanky nineteen year old , was again expriencing one of his moments of restlestness. He had been the most enthusiastic when the group decided to explore the Nocturn valley and its many myths.
However , It seemed , the lack of any action had taken its toll on Earl.
" It's only 10 more miles to go , bud " , replied Jon.
Jon , the 20 yr old de facto leader of the group , held the steering wheel more firmly. He could barely see out of the wind screen. The mist was closing in on them from all sides.
" I hope the cottage survives this night " , said Gary , as another bolt of lightning streaked through the sky. Gary looked out of the window trying to make some sense of his surroundings .
Gary , was the youngest member of the group at 18 yrs of age. He had an easy going outlook towards life. Always ready for a challenge , he liked taking things as they came.
The car screeched to a halt causing Earl to fall out of his seat.
" Jon , what happened ? " said Gary
Jon pointed out of the window unable to speak.

Liam pulled out a glock 9mm and pointed it at my chest.

"For the last time," he said slowly.

Fingers sweating, I hastily unwrapped the paper. Midway I dropped it to the tunnel floor and had to scramble in the dust. Finally I held it in the dim light steadily enough to read aloud:

"To all those seeking enlightenment, here is a path forward. Simply speak: Uru, I pledge my soul to you." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Liam mouthing the words along with me. He put the gun away.

"How did you know the words?" I demanded, but my words drifted lazily in the air, taking on a strange dimension.

"Don't you remember?" his reply came shining to me like a sad and distant star. "We've done this so many times before, but it's always me who carries the burden of memory."

I think I started to speak, but the tunnel twisted insanely, spiraling into black as I felt the rushing of a strong wind in my head.

"Charlie," I gasped as I woke.

Last night we'd spent a few hours in the bunker. Earlier in the day, my mother had called me.

She said, "I have some news."

I said, "Who died now"? We'd been having a slew of deaths in the family. I never expected her to say it was Charlie.

When she said, "Charlie." I dropped the phone. I was in Iraq. Single. No children. My dog, Charlie was dead.

He was a rescue. I remember being disappointed when I went to meet him. He was larger than I expected and he didn't seem to like me very much. Within a few days we were on the same team. If you have never lived in NYC you don't know how lonely a city full of people can be. You can never understand how much a dog can be your best friend.

I ordered take-out for two.

What was I going to come home to if it wasn't my best friend? We were going to buy a VW bug and drive around the country. Now what?