[Fiction] Dear Posse No. 6: Whispers in the Twilight

I’m working on a serial fiction project. Each segment will be published here and on Patreon. It is available in full to Patreon supporters:

Dear Posse,

Last night, the world was quieter. Or maybe my ears are just giving up. But in the soft silence between the cicada’s cries, I heard the echoes of children’s laughter from down the block. It’s haunting because I don’t think any children were out. It’s too dark, too not-dark, too eerie.

In my blurred vision, shapes moved with a grace I haven’t seen in real people for a while. They flitted around the glow of the wisteria, their shadows elongated and twisted by the twilight. Maybe Ludwig has friends, or maybe the kids have started turning into something else. Something more fitting for this new world.

I tried talking to them, but they only danced further into the shadows, their laughter a melody that turned into a chilling wind. Brad growled, his hackles raised.

“Who are you?” I called out.

No answer, just the swish of the leaves and the whisper of the wind telling tales I can’t quite understand.

Tonight, I might just follow them.