What the moon takes

wl came

p. Almos

dow into Ben's garden. The last light of evening had disappeared,

g was ou

the same strange feeling I'd experienced at my apartment-

en

y moving towa

y ba

ou hea

es

he curtains and

en looke

of the trees swayed gently in the wind. Beyond the

s phone fro

ing the o

t's just

usually grow

uld you

me a bri

've heard

ything, I al

mo

the back door and

y he

n't go o

ywhere without ch

glass, then switched

enly flooded wi

th

beds, and the narrow space beside

, he returned

nothing

t made th

n't k

rms tightly a

ould close t

d

Ben kept checking his phone, waiting for someone to answer his call.

owl stayed

ounded f

part I coul

ll from one of the officers

to the hallwa

kitchen, staring

e unknown number wa

ut, he'll be the fi

d it

eted the c

ve kept the messages as evidence. But seeing the words made

he phon

eyes. It spread slowly across my fo

fingers again

eemed unus

self a glass of water. As I lifted it, I caught

top

ought someone was

ll f

il

chi

un a

chen wa

ing becam

or

came from

dropped t

m h

the kitchen, st

's wr

thi

ok frig

just

ved c

id that a

se it'

hed for

ist, and I pulled away be

noti

ays no

it h

ha

ur

nced

lipped back, revealing the b

lit

me

s fi

or

, pl

pau

lowered

I won't

feeling a sudde

protecting me, and I was

sor

n't

w what's hap

d before I could

pression

ll figure

don't like

directly i

deal with

to beli

eve that whatever was happening coul

was becoming h

was wron

to suspect that it

vening, Ben

a proper meal involved putting chicken in a p

itchen island,

urning it

m n

here's

's fl

a fire

d over hi

like to t

oying the en

ead and turned

g feel less frightening. We ate together, and Ben mana

ashed the dishes w

id, "you could h

lau

e been a lot

ch

sional fo

n up the stairs wi

s inj

r ankle stepping

a seriou

d, and h

with an expression

?" I

I just mis

sed

laugh

faded s

't been

t m

plate in th

s been d

kno

ve been

w that

ds and leaned ag

ink work explai

oked

ening without talking ab

tudi

he no

eve

er and kisse

et's watch

struggling to k

the sheets and leaving a clean towel on the bed. He'

ht of everyth

ed being a

what I am

smi

st. Tomorrow, we'll di

a pillow

ght it

tood in the doorw

n because I didn't understand them myself. I wondered w

he bel

he be

tives did when they disco

e until there was n

en

tur

es

that something is wrong, even

le disa

etim

do y

for the

ou can't

ught a

keep l

ded s

dnig

ight,

osed the bedroom doo

it out

edge of the bed an

w mes

ssed

th

e glass of water and

listened to t

began to pu

started

l t

t the moonlight. The ground beneath my feet

s ru

't kno

at something w

d me, heavy and uneven. Every ti

struck t

napped ben

until I reach

d in the m

ck was

?" I c

dn't

pped

ou hel

slowly

ace clearly, but I r

dn't be he

ach tig

are

ne step t

n't rem

g seemed to

mber

towards

heard a

I'd heard outsi

n back

s co

at

ed at m

u a

with

onds, I didn't

eart was racing, and my ni

ed for

8 a

ried to steady

been

a d

oticed t

ea

av

ing me

oked

t were

back th

mud on the

began t

I whis

f bed and switc

d again. The bandage was torn, and beneat

d to the

ight switch, I noticed

, dark

ought it was a

I ben

fragment

ial, torn a

it up c

damp soil and

oo

mach t

ards the bat

ion stared

s were

ent, they seemed to shine

lin

ght va

m somewhere outs

r ope

foots

e

around the piece of fabric a

ircase, already dress

or

the clock

1 a

u doing awak

d at my b

ud on the flo

ression

I was about

allo

ldn't

t me towards

ere mud on

ed my

ng ca

k a ste

ere have

whe

at my fe

ced the bloo

e became

band

tively co

noth

dn't

t, we simply sta

is pho

the screen

rve

is face as

ession g

he

pa

he

her

h anything.

e call and

ppened?"

een anothe

ened around the

her b

no

rn entrance of B

the roo

ed for h

Lock the doors.

odd

s the staircase

more

oked

ar anything

oat ti

ind of

ed me ca

how

dn't a

a moment,

way, listening to the sou

se became quiet d

lack fabric wa

ned i

bel had been sew

wo letters p

.

red a

the name Ben had

el R

und dead i

ic in my hand might

it had ende