a hushed kind of silence clung to the woods, one that always seemed to arrive with this late hour, occasionally disturbed only by the subtle buzzing of mosquitoes whirring through the dark and the ceaseless chirps of never-seen crickets sounding from somewhere far within the thicket that one had no choice but to become used to when living in this place. it was a lonesome atmosphere that lingered within the forest, especially at night, but, at the same time, strangely, peaceful, as was the slight chill to the air that had arrived with nighttime and the temperature, finally, decreasing to something more bearable, that was generally more prominent here, betwixt looming trees and rich heaps of green leaves making up their crowns that always made the air feel and smell clearer, a welcome reprieve from the sweltering summer heat that had carried all throughout the day and would, no doubt arrive again come the reappearance of the sun come morning, first light but few, short hours away now. still, will took his time, treading through the dark woodland slower than necessary, not ready for this day to come to an end yet, not yet ready to sink into his bed where thin sheets would cling uncomfortably to sweaty skin until, with a frustrated sigh, they were abandoned altogether at the foot of the bed, and allowed for the chill of night to graze his skin instead, not ready to face the possibility of it ruining everything, the forever present likelihood that everything he felt right now would wash away on an instant when he shut his eyes to a different darkness, one to which there was nothing peaceful, and the wrong images appeared before his eyes. it no longer happened as frequently as it had still months prior, but it happened, and the prospect of a good day becoming a horrible night, a nightmare he was bound to live through over and over again with the way it haunted him, left a tang of something bitter in his mouth, made him hesitant about reaching the cabin already appearing before him now, easily discerned by the faint cerulean glow of bug zappers lining the porch. for now, however, the giddy sense of happiness the day, time spent with mike, had brought forth remained, was a feeling of lightness will held onto, one he'd never thought could be his to experience, cursing, for the umpteenth time, in his head that the familiar two-way radio device didn't reach all the way out here, for there was something he still had to say. tomorrow.
uneven ground of damp moss and sticky leaves became solid again as he stepped upon the porch, wooden stairs creaking slightly beneath his weight despite his efforts to be quiet, steps slowing to a halt just before he could reach the door. his left arm came up, gaze lowering to the watch around his wrist as he pressed the small button at its side to illuminate the display, the appearing flash of green a stark contrast against black digits. ๐ธ:๐ท๐บ. he had time. and everyone was already asleep by the looks of it. moving to the side, will braced his weight against the railing, rough, old wood scraping the bared skin of his forearms as the settled against the flat top of the banister and fumbled the pack of cigarettes and lighter from his pocket. he'd just lit one in a brief illumination of yellow joining the murky glow of the bug zapper overhead and a plume of smoke drifting away with the breeze, when footsteps sounding within the cabin broke the comfortable hush of night. he didn't need to see him to know who was approaching, could discern so much from the footsteps against creaking floorboards, the slight, but audible, heaviness to them that didn't match the nearly soundless way in which his mother moved sometimes. hopper. he waited, remaining facing the shadowy tree line ahead of where he stood leaned against the porch railing until he heard the scrape of the door opening to his right, โ i'll be in in a minute. โ