Rita! Rita! Where is John? screamed Chloe into her phone.

"It's okay Chloe, he asked me to call you and check on you. He left his phone at home this morning and isn't able to call you today." Rita answered feeling guilty that she wasn't completely being honest.

"Thank you so much for calling me Rita, I have had a horrible day and what I am pretty sure was a full blown episode today. But I met this wonderful man, Jeremy, who has helped calmed me down." Chloe replied sounded calmer than she had all day.

Oh Chloe thought Rita how will she ever handle it if Jon doesn't pull through this. Who will take care of her, if Jon isn't here for her she will certainly go over the deep end. What I am going to tell her so she doesn't worry when Jon doesn't call tomorrow either? I cannot tell her today she decided.

"Chloe, I have get back to my patients at work so I will try to reach tomorrow, but please do not worry if we cannot call it has been extremely hectic here."

It was a beautiful day.

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.