The Ritual

putting in a call
to the authorities. He doubted his boss would do anything other than hire someone else to take his job after a week of him not checking in. His parents might be concerned after a couple of months
of silence. And his handful of friends in London might wonder why he had gone to ground for a while, but he couldn’t imagine them making a prompt and determined effort to track him down
either. He often went months these days without seeing any of them. They were all busy with their own lives and lived in different parts of the city. And he was just not that close to anyone any
more, if he was really honest with himself. His best bet was his flatmate; they had little in common, and she’d only lived in the flat for six months, but she was looking after his dog while
he was away in Sweden. Surely, she’d be the first to try and work out where he was; maybe a week after he failed to show. But who would she call? Who did she know of to call? She’d
leave messages on his mobile and then maybe check in with the record shop, if she could even remember the name of it. And that would only probably be because she was sick of walking the dog twice a
day.
    These thoughts saddened him, then made him angry at himself. If you had no partner or career then who gave a shit about you at his age? That had been the whole point: to disengage from any
responsibility so he could do his own thing. Well he was doing that now for sure. Luke laughed out loud.
    ‘What?’ Dom asked. ‘What?’ his voice eager with curiosity to hear what Luke had just worked out.
    Luke tossed his cigarette into the bushes. ‘I just ran through a list. It could actually be months before my own family and friends report me missing. I guess my best hope is my flatmate,
who I’m not close to. Or . . . hang on . . . maybe the airline. But then . . . damn, people miss flights all the time; they don’t call search and rescue. And we’ve already paid
for the seats, so they have our money, so why would they give a damn?’ He imagined his name being called out over a public address system at Stockholm airport, by a female Swedish airline
official. It would probably be the last time his name was spoken outside of this forest for a while.
    ‘I’m thinking maybe four, five days for me,’ Dom said. He must have been referring to his family which ratcheted up Luke’s fear. But four days would be too late for them
all. ‘What about you Phillers?’ Dom asked.
    Phil didn’t even turn round from where he was facing the trees, shining his torch about as if keeping watch. ‘What?’
    ‘How long?’
    ‘Mmm?’
    ‘How long before someone gets worried because you are a no-show back home?’
    ‘Michelle wouldn’t give a—’ He stopped himself. ‘Maybe work. I have a meeting next Monday at the bank. Maybe . . .’ He seemed to be struggling with his
thoughts, whatever they were.
    Dom sighed with exasperation, then suddenly raised both hands. ‘Hostel. The hostel we should be in tonight. Hutch booked it. Told them where we were coming from too.’
    ‘True,’ Luke said, his voice flat. ‘They might call his mobile when we don’t pitch up. If there is even a signal up there. But people must blow off those places all the
time. Change of plan. Better offer. Whatever.’
    ‘The forest wardens?’
    ‘Hutch never called the Porjus branch. Said it was just for winter hikes.’
    ‘Shit!’ Dom kicked his good leg at the ground. Phil continued to search about the treeline with his torch.
    Luke lit his fourth roll-up cigarette since he’d woken. Squinted through the smoke. ‘Hutch’s missus. Angie will be expecting him to call as soon as he’s near a signal.
That’s our best bet.’
    Dom frowned. ‘Makes sense. We’ll have to tell her. Jesus.’
    ‘Come on. Forget about that. We’ve got to move. Now. Just keep going like our lives depend on it. Because they do.’

THIRTY-TWO
    And then they found Hutch hanging from the trees in the same way they found the animal two days before.
    Luke turned, shouted, ‘Don’t look! Don’t look!’ as if he were protecting children in his care, which made Phil and Dom look up like children.
    Dom fell against the nearest available tree trunk. ‘God! God!’ he shouted into the wet air.
    Without a sound Phil walked away through the trees, back the way they had just travelled. After twenty feet he stopped and started to shake. Then bent at the waist and vomited. Luke saw
something white and