Available Darkness Season 1

would be so lucky if shot several times, and shuddered to wonder what would happen if he was shot in the head.
    An old woman, being pulled by a dog that was slightly too large for her delicate looking arms, fixed her stare on the hood of John’s car as he drifted into a slow approach. Her hand sank into the pocket of her long brown coat just as he passed, and John kept his eyes on her in the rearview as she retrieved a cell phone and brought it to her ear.
    Shit.
    John softly tapped the brakes, then slowly reversed the car until he was even with her. He hoped his stopping wouldn’t cause her to dial even quicker. He had to make contact quickly. He rolled down the window and gave a slight nod of his head, doing his best to look as though the chill outside meant nothing to his naked torso.
    “Hello, ma’am,” he said, “Any chance you seen a German Shepherd run by these parts? You’d know her by a spot of white she wears on her backside.” John released a slight chuckle, doing his best to be congenial. “Course, old Lucy likely wouldn’t have been going slow enough for you to have seen the spot.”
    The lines on the woman’s face relaxed. She almost smiled. Still holding the cell phone, she said, “No I haven’t. Did you lose your dog?”
    “Yeah,” the lie fell effortlessly from his mouth, “A-gain. My daughter was walking her and BAM! Lucy just took off after a rabbit in the woods like she always does. We’ve been looking for round about half an hour now already.”
    “No, I’m sorry,” the woman shook her head, eyes involuntarily drifting to the depths of the surrounding woods.
    “Have you seen a dark haired girl and a bald guy? The bald dude’s my dad. He and my daughter got foot patrol. I was lucky enough to get the wheels.” John shot the woman a friendly smile and tapped on the side of the driver’s door.
    “No, I haven’t seen anybody,” she said, “but I haven’t been out too long. I hope you didn’t lose them, too.”
    John laughed, “Nah, if I know them, they’re probably already back home watching the game and feeding Lucy my share of the pizza. A-gain! ”
    They exchanged a laugh and then a wave before John put the car into drive and watched in his rearview as the woman returned her phone to her pocket. He drove on, waiting for something. Any sign from Abigail.
    After five minutes, the anything emerged to light his vision and he was tuned in to Abigail again. His pulse accelerated.
    The road in front of him was suddenly replaced by an inky darkness, almost blue beneath the bleaching moon. Abigail stared at the bright white satellite, then at her surroundings.
    She was in the woods…
    Somewhere nearby?
    John shuddered as she looked around, afraid that he (and she) would see the bald man lurking in the nearby shadows, but there was nothing but an endless oath of forest.
    Abigail was looking at her arms. Her wrists were red from being bound, but she wasn’t bleeding. He could clearly see she was lying on the ground.
    Get up, he thought.

    * * * *

CHAPTER 3 — John and Abigail

    Abigail

    Abigail’s head was woozy as she opened her eyes and saw the moon piercing branches above.
    Where am I?
    The last thing she remembered was being dragged into a van. Before that… the officer’s being shot in the head. She looked down to see if his blood was still on her.
    It was.
    She wondered how she’d gotten here and if her angel had somehow rescued her again. She started to look around. No sign of him. A cold chill ran through her body and she pulled her legs to her chest.
    And then she heard his voice.
    “Get up.”
    She spun around frantically in search of her angel.

    **

    John

    John watched through Abigail’s eyes as she looked around frantically.
    What was she looking for? What was scaring her?
    Then he heard her voice.
    “John?”

    **

    Abigail

    Abigail suddenly realized it was John’s voice, but he wasn’t near her. He was talking to her in her mind.
    “Woah,” she said as a small laugh escaped into the darkness.
    “Can you hear me?” she whispered.
    “Yes.”
    “Where are you?” she asked.
    “I think I’m close… Can you see this?”
    She looked around, but could see nothing.
    “No, all I see are trees.”
    “No, in your mind. Do you see anything?”
    She didn’t understand what he was trying to say. “No,” she answered.
    “Never mind… Look around look for a landmark, anything… I think I’m nearby. If you see it, I will see it too.”
    And then