Have you ever been driving along a secluded area at dusk, watched the sun spill through the trees onto the forest floor, and thought “this would make for a good scary movie scene”? Well, I know that place. Most of the locals do. Especially now after what happened in June of 2018. It started when a group of girls decided to have a girl’s day in the mountains. Kate, Dani, Alice and Hope. The four have been friends since they ironically all met on a Caribbean cruise to escape from their hometowns. The girls have been inseparable since. And have made it a tradition that every year, on the second weekend in May, they gather at Hope’s house and set out towards the mountains, that Hope knows like the back of her hand-since she worked for the US Forest Service. Hope, unfortunately, was volunteered as the host, regardless of her 1,ooo square foot, 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom home. But she grinned and bared it -she was just happy that they were not going to be congregated in the house the whole trip, but rather out where she really thrived. Since Kate, Dani and Alice all lived roughly 4 hours away from Hope’s, the girls were not fortunate enough to embrace all Eastern Oregon’s glory. Though they often talked about all of them living in the same town one day. Though they had grown accustomed to a more densely populated area with more conveniences-this was proven once when Alice discovered that Hope’s hometown shops closed at 8:00pm, and Alice threw a fit. Eastern Oregon is flat yet topographically challenged. What appears to be smooth rolling foothills, is rocky grass land. The mountains seem to sprout from the prairies almost like they were forced from the ground suddenly. Many mountains or hills have gone through wildland fires. So, from July to September you might be lucky to catch a glimpse of the blue peaks, if the wind blows the smoke in a different direction. Hope was often called out from her department to help the firefighters with roadblocks on back roads. She’s not a stranger to the forest or to the stubborn locals; not that she blames them, public lands mean public lands. But it was for their own safety. And Lord knows Hope always needed a little extra income. The day came when Kate, Alice and Dani made the trip to Hope’s. It was a cool spring day in June. It had rained overnight, so the ground was wet, the fog had laid across the mountain tops and slid through the trees like a milky blanket of sorts. The sun peered through the trees on the road and all the birds with their songs came to greet a new day. “A beautiful day for a drive in the mountains.” Hope thought as she stepped out her front door to gaze out at the world with a hot cup of coffee in hand. The girls arrived, and Hope’s heart leapt. Though she hated the idea of her house being crowded she was just glad she wasn’t alone. “God, it’s been forever!” Dani shouted while she stretched and pulled her bags out of Kate’s truck bed. Alice chimes in with, “Holy shit, I have to pee! Those kids did a number on my bladder.” She was always making it a point to talk about her kids. Not that Hope minded -not wanting any kids herself, but Hope had a hard time relating to such statements. Kate was the last to exit her truck. Phone in front of her face. She was always texting. No one knew exactly who. Kate was private when it came to names, but she didn’t mind sharing her sex stories with the girls. “Hey beautiful lady!” Kate finally yelled out at Hope, who was standing in the front door’s threshold. Careful to not get her socks damp from the dew on the patio. Kate jokingly said, “boy am I glad to not be in the truck with those babies anymore. You’d think they’d never been in a truck before, bitching about “going to fast” or “it’s bad for the environment”. “Well, it couldn’t be because you suck at driving.” Alice interrupted as she pushed by Dani, exiting the bathroom to hug Hope with a sarcastic smile. “I haven’t wrecked us once…yet.” Kate winked at Hope and gave her the biggest hug. Hope welcomed her friends into her humble home with mugs of coffee and a little gift of wildflower seed packets. It’s her love language to give gifts to those she cares about. Once they got settled in, they all decided to go out to the dive bar and come back to the house and catch up on the gossip. They decided to not be out long, as they had planned on getting up with the sun to set out to the woods. “Kate who could you possibly be texting right now; all you need is us. Put it away!” Alice stated. “It’s just this guy I’ve been working with -he’s so fucking hot…not to mention great in bed!” Kate said boldly. Kate was never one for monogamy. She enjoyed men and everyone knew it. Though she presented herself as masculine and a little crass, it never amazed her friends how quickly she could get a guy to go to bed with her. Maybe it was that she was comfortable in her skin and didn’t give a damn- or perhaps it was just how things worked out for her. Dani nestled next to Alice on the couch, while Kate and Hope sat on the bear skin rug; one that Hope’s father shot and gifted the hide to her during Christmas last year. Now that he had passed away, Hope thought it more sentimental than stylish and refused to part with it; no matter how much her mother nagged at her, “you have such a cute place, I don’t understand why you don’t put that thing somewhere else, it throws off the whole aesthetic.” She would say. “Awfully brave of you to keep that rug in front of your fireplace, Hope. Have you scared yourself yet by smelling burning hair?” Alice asked. It was almost a shock to Hope that Alice even brought it up, since it had to deal with her father. Alice also lost her dad. But everyone doesn’t dare bring it up. He had a 2-year long battle with colon cancer, and she was never close to him. Not until she was forced to be his in-home nurse practically. It was then that she found out who her father was and what kind of man he really was. Kind, gentle, funny, generous and hardworking. This was not the man her stepmother painted the picture of. Alice now has cast out her stepmother and holds a lot of resentment. Hope’s father died from natural causes -old age. She never had to face the ugly of cancer like Alice. Alice is married with kids, a 3-year-old and a 7-year-old. Her and her husband, Stan, have been married 11 years. They got married during their senior year of high school and created their own bank franchise right after college. Alice boasts a small, curvy frame with a short blonde bob. A haircut that Kate called a, “MILF cut”. Because of her past with her family, Alice grew up the sarcastic and joking type. A coping mechanism she picked up. But even with her success and her background, she never became harsh or cruel to others. The girls really admired that about her-maybe even envied her at times. “Oh, a couple times. But now I just always assume it’s this damn rug and not the hair on my head.” Hope replied to Alice with an awkward chuckle. Dani swiftly changed the subject, “Well I can officially say, I hate kids at my library. The little shits keep putting their boogers on the pages.” Everyone laughed. The night carried on with the ladies talking about everything under the sun. Wine and whiskey being spilt. The stars outside were getting a little bit brighter as the night grew darker. It was a miracle that no one broke a glass or threw up all over the bathroom. “So, I was thinking….” Hope lingered with her sentence as she took another shot of whiskey, “…what if I take you guys to a new spot I found this year. It’s tucked away in the trees and there’s a creek nearby that we can put our feet in once we finish hiking there.” It was easy to see Hope’s eagerness. Hope being the more reserved of the group always had to force herself to speak up-which she’d been really practicing that year. Out of the group of girls, Hope was the more average looking one. The boys often referred to her as “Lost Hope” in college. She was always picked last for things, never the one to stand out, had average grades throughout all her schooling and her love life was less than exciting. She never really felt wanted or important. Hope told her mom that she is going to be “taking a break” from looking for love, and rather she’ll be working on herself. Hope hated that phrase, as it sounded cliché and underwhelming. She would say to herself to “shut the hell up. I deserve friendship at least”. Dani told Hope once that she’s an important part of their group and she’s glad she is still here. Hope has hung on to that every day since. Spilling her wine out of her lips while drinking and quickly cleaning her chin, Alice asked, “so where is this secret garden you speak of?” Before Hope could reply to Alice, Kate interrupted with, “ah hell let’s just go! It will be an adventure, we don’t always have to know everything.” Hope smiled and agreed with an intense head nod. “This is gonna hurt like a bitch in the morning…I already hate myself… and you Kate for making me drink this much.” Alice joked as they all made their way into the cozy kitchen to place their glasses in the sink and said their goodnights. Dani shared a bed with Hope while Kate and Alice shared the guest room. Hope found comfort in another warm body next to hers even if it wasn’t her prince charming, like her mom hoped for. Hope gave a soft chuckle as Dani talked in her sleep and would sometimes even sing. “Well at least I’m in good company.” Hope thought and faded into sleep. “Fuck, what time is it?!” Kate yelled as she jolted out of bed. “Calm down it’s only 5:30, we still have plenty of time to get going and for the love of God, lower your voice.” Alice said with her hand on the side of her head. “Do you have any Advil, or a gun so you can just shoot me.” Alice added. It finally hit Kate -the dreaded hangover. “You know you’re old when you wish for death after a night of drinking instead of another round.” They had all agreed that they would stop at the minimart and grab their last-minute snacks and drinks, before they made their way up the mountain. It wasn’t anything special, but it was a good place to get all their favorite things for a hike. Dani couldn’t help but notice a man staring at her from around the corner from the security mirror. She thought maybe he was an owner, and he was keeping an eye on her. Ironic because out of all the girls, Dani was the one who followed the rule book of society. The man continued to stare as she walked out of sight of the mirror and told Hope under breath about the man. Hope said “oh that’s Mark, his son owns this place. He’s a little odd, like I think he’s got a little bit of dementia, but he’s harmless.” Dani shrugged it off but kept her guard up. Dani worked at her local library and sometimes subbed at the high school for Mrs. Frill’s art classes-she was quiet and reserved and every bit as feminine looking. Her pale skin and rail shaped body offered nothing to the male imagination. Which she liked. She only needed her husband, Lenny’s attention. Lenny told Dani when they first met how much he loved her dark brown hair, even after she was having some reservations about cutting it pixie short. Dani loved her job; almost as much as she enjoyed studying different religions and world history. Her brother would insist that she put down the books and start going out to bars more to meet people. He was the jock type and always sought to climb the corporate ladder -meanwhile Dani would be off sharing articles on her Facebook page “How to save a rare kind of kelp only found in the waters of Australia and how it can affect the oceans health.” or “What the Civil War can teach us in today’s society.” Dani was educated and soft. Hope walked to the checkout counter with her goodies and the girls behind her. The black and white 12-inch tiles showed scuffs and grime, which Alice so blatantly pointed out within earshot of Kevin, the store owner. Kevin was rugged looking and had spent time in the states prison for Aggravated Assault on his mom and a few other people but was later put on probation. His barbed wire tattoo across his forehead made him a social pariah of town. But Mark, his dad, would just say “Just looks like he’s one step closer to looking like Jesus Christ, our Savior.” “You girls sure look awfully cheerful for being up this early, where you headed?” Kevin asked as he looked Hope and the rest of the girls up and down in a judging matter. “Oh, this great spot up by….” Hope spoke up loudly stopping Alice from going any further into her explanation, “nowhere special just in the woods-you know a girl’s day.” It is an unspoken rule around rural areas, to not share your spots with anyone. To deter people from finding them and ruining the novelty of having a secret hide out. Kevin huffed and chuckled, “well good luck with that, dad said it was gonna rain again this evening. Oh, and uhm..” Kevin leaned across the counter, almost whispering with cigarettes still lingering on his breath and said, “You-know-who was released last month.” ‘Who? Did your lover-cousin finally get paroled?’ Kate distastefully piped up. Hope, mortified, glared and kicked her foot. While Kate loved the area, she mocked the red neck stereotype that was often associated with these areas. Kevin was obviously very displeased with what he just heard and told the girls to have a good day and be safe. As they were leaving the mini mart, Dani and Alice noticed Mark, in the back aisle that faced the door, waving menacingly at them as they exited the door. “Who was released last month, Hope?” Dani asked. “Oh, don’t worry about it. Just some creep kid named Isaac.” Hope reassured. “No, bullshit Hope, what happened? If there’s a creep out, then we need to know about it so we can all be safe.” Kate expressed a surprising fearful tone as she spoke. “Fuck, Kate, can’t you just let it go?” Hope bit back at Kate. An awkward silence hushed the group as they drove out of the parking lot. It struck all the girls oddly that Hope reacted in such a way towards Kate’s safety concern. Maybe it was just a topic she didn’t want to discuss because she’d heard enough about it. They were in her neck of the woods after all. And it wasn’t uncommon to hear all the tidbits and scandals about your fellow neighbor, just by going to pump some gas. Sure, some of the rumors were questionable and entertaining, but Hope always sought out the truth of both sides before passing judgement. The four finally entered the deeper parts of the forest later that morning. With Hope’s driving it didn’t take nearly as long as the rest of the girls thought it would take. The dirt roads’ small rocks created a hollow echo through Hope’s tires and the girls all took in the fresh mountain air. “I think I should move here.” Said Kate as in a matter of fact. “Yea, and do what? Sleep through the town in less than day all while personally insulting their way of life…you wouldn’t last a week girl.” Alice blustered through a laugh. They all laughed. Kate shook her head and said, “well be sure to tell your stepmoms’ new boy-toy where he can find me then.” “Oh, trust me that would be a treat, watching that winch getting fucked over because he’s sleeping with one of my best friends. Let’s make it happen!” Hope was relatively quiet the whole trip up the mountain, and they all took note of that. It was as if she was in deep thought contemplating something. You could tell by how her eyes glassed over, very seldomly blinking. Finally, they came to a stop and Hope parked at a dead end decommissioned, Forest Service Road. The trail was only just visible because Hope had gone through with her machete and cleared what she could. The grass and wildflowers were just starting to pop through all the rest of the vegetation, and the trees sang with birds, squirrels, and insects. The nearby stream sparkled with the sunbeams. “It would be a pity if it did actually rain on this beautiful day.” Dani mentioned. Throwing on each of their packs and making sure each of them had all their belongings, Hope, Kate, Alice and Dani started their journey through the woods and up the mountain. Though it probably felt like meaningless banter between friends, it meant the world to Hope. Talking with people who actually understood her and trust her. Still her thoughts began to stray again with her eyes glazing over the higher they went. Hope remembered her dad would tell her, you might begin to feel like something is wrong or someone or something is watching you, when a mountain lion is close -too close. She clutched her pistol at the thought. “Hey, remember what I said about cougars’ guys, keep your wits about ya. Not trying to scare you bitches but I can’t have one of you getting mauled dying before we get there-after I went through all this work.” She pronounced. It was obvious that the girls heard her, but it appeared the only one who actually heard her was Dani. Hope decided she said what she needed to say and continued to chime in with the banter. “So, this Isaac guy, how do you know him, Hope?” Kate asked. Kate was never one to just let things go. She repeatedly got written up at work for pressing on things that ought to be left alone. She often told herself to shut up and was amazed that she hadn’t been punched in the mouth for not doing so. The last couple of months had been toilsome for Kate. Not that anyone would know -she never let anyone know she had a weak link hidden within her. What she hadn’t told the group over drinks was that her boss had made a very unwelcoming pass at her and threatened to fire her if she did not, in his words, “obey the company’s policy”. Kate complied. She went home in tears that evening, thinking of all the times she cracked jokes about “sleeping her way to the top’’. Weeks later, while welding her hand-me-down car her grandparents gave her, she found one of the local drug addicts that had been hanging out around the neighborhood, dead just outside laying on her front lawn. The cops took her in for questioning-she was released of course, but that didn’t mean Kate had an easy time sleeping for the next couple of weeks. “Isaac is a nobody. Just some dude who was put away for stealing and, rumor has it, fucking his sisters’ friend… unsolicited, if you catch my drift. I don’t know, I can’t keep track of the rumors. That’s all this town is anymore, rumors and stories.” Hope nonchalantly said, as she pushed her forearm through a branch she missed while chopping her way at the trail. “Oh, yeah, just your average Wednesday.” Alice joked as she shook her head with wide eyes glaring at the back of Hope’s head. Alice and Kate Shared the same look. “Comforting. Good thing they let that nutjob out into the society again I’m sure he’s ‘rehabilitated’.” Said Kate. Dani pressing on with the hike, she pretended not to hear the girls talking about such heinous things and wished she was home at that very moment, with Lenny. But she kept her composure and admired her surroundings. She fondly looked out through the trees as the slightest breeze moved through the tall, green grass. Almost dancing with the wind. She thought of nice things. Pleasant things. Tuning out the reality of the information being shared. The creek grew louder as the trail got steeper and the girls’ breaths got heavier. The creek seemed to disappear as years of it eroded away through the earth. Creating a bottomless appearance from the trail they were on. The higher they went, the more dead trees were featured in the landscape and the green grass that Dani admired had turned to lava rock. “Is this foreshadowing something?” She thought. Hope piped up with from the start of the line, “Don’t worry, it looks nothing like this at our spot!” Just heavy breaths met with Hope’s ears. Twigs snapped under boots and the sun was shining directly in their eyes for one brief moment. The water from the creek had turned into a deep echo and bellowing into a roar. Hope, jogging to their imaginary finish line, got ahead of the group cresting over the slope to the top yelled, “Ta-Da! Ladies I give you, the Hope Falls.” Kate, Dani and Alice reveled in its height. It was sparkling the way the stray water gleamed with the sunshine. It’s body not that far from being considered, “monstrous”. It was apparent that man had not made it a point to ruin it’s beauty with trash and graffiti. “Hope Falls? Way to stay humble babe.” Alice forced throw heavy breathing and a slight laugh. “You can actually go behind it!” Hope explained excitedly. She had to demonstrate. Walking behind the falls hooping and hollering. “You out-did yourself this year, Hope.” Alice yelled as she cupped her hands to take a drink of this mountain fountain. Giddy and sore they shed their packs and boots. Placing their feet into the freezing water for a good refreshing soak. “Shit that is cold!” Dani exclaimed. “How long did this take you to do this?” Kate asked as they all went and sat on a long log chopped away at to make into a make-shift bench. The bench faced the falls perfectly. You could watch the water fall over the top of the mountain as it sparkled and rushed into a steady stream below, where it cascaded over the moss-covered rocks. It was crystal clear. “Not long.” Hope replied quickly. “Well, it’s a perfect spot.” Alice said as she patted the wood. It wasn’t long before Kate brought up Isaac again. “So…Hope, can you tell us more about Isaac?” Hope throwing pebbles into the stream casually, “for fuck sakes Kate, can you just let us have a good time without bringing up things that are none of our business!” It was obvious that Hope was upset and annoyed by the question. She began to pace in a nervous state. “Obviously she doesn’t want to talk about him Kate. So, let’s just let it be, ok?” Dani placed her hand on the back of Kate’s shoulder. Kate pushed Dani’s hand off her, stood up and shouted, “what the hell is wrong with all of you? Aren’t you a little concerned that this man is out and just sneaking around free, back in his hometown. Or is it just me that has a brain today? Hope, why can’t you just tell me more about this guy, so I know what to expect when he jumps out from the bushes and stabs me!” In a fit of rage Hope swings around, walks up to Kate with her fists clinched and punches her across the face. “That should’ve been done a long time ago.” Hope backs up shaking out her fists from the pain. Alice and Dani remained seated on the bench in shock and silent. Dani clutched Alice’s thigh so she wouldn’t interfere. Squeezing tighter as the argument grew heated. “Jesus Christ Hope! What the fuck? Are you insane?!” Kate yelled, gripping her face and spitting out blood onto the rocks. Hope gave a smirk and mockingly said “oh did the big bad Kate not like the consequences of not shutting her big mouth?” Hope’s demeanor seemed to change just as fast as flicking on a light switch. Her face bright red and her eyes wide. Her shoulders appeared to loosen and hands shaking. Hope was never violent. “You guys have no idea what it’s like here. Always the same. Always small-town thinking…..” Hope trailed off mumbling under her breath. Alice stood up checking on Kate, shining her face into the sun to get a better glance at the damage to her bottom lip. It had already swollen and along with her nose possibly being broken. “She got you good, Kate. You should go sit down and wash up in the creek there.” Kate just stood there, still in shock. Tears running down her face, she couldn’t believe what just happened. Alice slowly approached Hope, tapping her on the back asking, “Hope, are you ok love. That was pretty shitty to do, even if she did deserve it, but what a punch”. She joked. Hope swung around. Her fingers in her mouth like she was trying to keep in the whispers. “I don’t know what happened, I was just so… I….I…I…. don’t know!” Hope’s voice began to shake, and her eyes filled with tears. “Oh my god Kate I’m so sorry!” She pushed passed Alice to embrace Kate; but Kate shunned back into the bench like Hope was some kind of beast at the zoo that had attacked the glass. “Get the fuck away from me Hope. I don’t want to talk to you right now.” Dani sat there next to Kate like a child in a closet hugging her teddy bear. “Guys, let’s take a second and chill, ok? Let’s just try and enjoy today, we drove all this way and Hope worked hard to get this looking nice.” Dani said timidly, trying to keep the peace. A sudden stillness fell over the group of girls as they collected themselves. The wind picked up, and the clouds began to eclipse the beautiful sunshine. Just like the tension amongst them, the air grew tight, and the smell of rain pushed its way through the trees tops. It had been silent for an hour before Alice broke it up yelling to Hope, “Should we start heading down? Didn’t that Kevin dude say it was supposed to rain-I don’t wanna get caught in the storm all the way up here”. Shortly after she apologized to Kate, Hope excused herself and sat behind the falls and lodged herself there until she came out to look at the sky, only to validate Alice’s question with a nod, but then her eyes wandered. Kate’s mouth finally stopped bleeding, but her thoughts still ran wild. Did she really deserve that punch? Did Hope finally snap after years of being the underdog? Would she be able to cover up the bruises? Who was Isaac to Hope? These thoughts and others ran rapid across Kate’s mind, and she hardly spoke as they all gathered their things together. Then suddenly, the tension that seemed to lift briefly, thickened again with more intensity. The rolling distant thunder echoed across the sky and Alice, Hope, Kate and Dani all looked up to see what once shimmering droplets were being reduced to dull wetness sprinkling itself over the rocks. The wind began to whip through the trees with a little more force. Dani spoke, “you guys ever get the feeling….” “Shhh!” Hope interrupted as she snuck around to grab Dani’s mouth to silence her. She pointed with her eyes and forehead to the top of the falls and once at behind the falls. Dani’s eyes followed Hopes’. There stood a silhouette of a slender man holding something in his hand atop of Hope Falls. He was tall and waved down to the girls like he knew them but hadn’t seen them in a long time. He shuffled his feet disturbing the rocks and shoving them over the edge. He was trying to climb down. The girls rushed into a huddle in fear. Dropping all their belongings to instead grab ahold of each other like when a kid pulls the blanket over its head to keep out the monsters. “It’s him! I know it’s him! Oh, Jesus, I fucking knew it! It’s Isaac!” Dani crippled under her words with fright. “LOOK!” Dani redirected everyone’s attention to behind the falls. Two more men lingered, with a glow of a lighter behind the water. They stayed there just watching the huddled girls. No one knew where they came from, but it was obvious they had been followed this whole time, the men going unnoticed. Small rain drops fells on the cheeks of the women, unnoticed. A beautiful day turned dark and dangerous in a matter of minutes it seemed. The men didn’t speak or move. They just stood at their positions watching like vultures from behind the waterfall. Their identities, unknown. Devilish laughter broke out, but not from the men. It sent chills down spines with each cackle. It was Hope. She pulled herself away from Alice, Dani and Kate with her back to them. Her laugh, corrupted but similar to crying and a dog yipping out of pain. It was unlike anything anyone ever heard. Hope’s head bowed with her chin tucked inward to her chest. Arms spread out like a bird about to take flight. Her hands shaking as they slowly began to loosen and stretch over her head and fall close to her body. Following her curves on either side, she sucked in the air and turned herself to the side facing behind Hope Falls. “Hmmmm….” Hope let out in an almost lustrous voice. “You have no idea how good this feels ladies-finally being able to share my secret.” “Wha…What are you talking about Hope? What the hell is this?” Alice asked. Hope looked up at the man on top, “Casie, come down deary”. Casie made his way slowly down the side of the falls, drenching himself. Once he finally made his landing, the girls could finally see how familiar he looked. His medium length hair, a reddish-blonde color, his eyes as blue as the ocean. Standing roughly 6 feet tall with an average build. But no, they were sure they’d never met him, except for Kate. Kate stood as still and stiff as a brick wall. “Well, I guess this is the part where I’m supposed to fill you in huh?” Hope made her way to the bench and crossed her legs with gun in hand like it was a pet. “Oh, but Kate, looks like you know parts already, don’t you sweetie”. “Kate, what’s she talking about”? Dani asked as she grabbed Kate’s forearm bending closer to see Kate’s face. Kate, not once moving. Casie laid next to Hope, placing his head in Hope’s lap looking up at the rain falling gracefully on his freckled face. He opened his mouth to drink it in, sticking out his tongue. “It’s been so long” Casie expressed. “Well, girls let me introduce you to Casie, or you may know him as Isaac. My brother. The inmates named him Isaac because he acted like a deranged church kid with all his random bursts of blasphemy. Tacky if you must know my thoughts.” The sudden realization rushed across the girls’ faces. “And the two goons under the falls are I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, Kevin and Mark. My Uncles. All estranged so the blood isn’t that thick.” Hope giggles as she brushes Casie’s hair back in a motherly way, throwing Kate a mischievous glare. Kevin and Mark remain quiet and take a few steps out exposing themselves to the girls dressed in only their briefs, T-shirts and boots. Smoking a cigarette and dead in the eyes. “Hope….” “No Hope….No….Not Hope. All hope is lost.” Hope stammered trailing off into more murmurs looking over the landscape. Kate, still stiff as a board, her eyes fixed on Casie. “Alice and Dani would you like to hear a little bedtime story? You look like you do. Buckle up. Go ahead and sit down for this.” Hope motioned with her hand in a waving motion for them to be seated right there on the rocks. So, they sat. “They called me crazy or Doped up Hope, up there in the State hospital. 4 weeks, that’s how long I was there, right after Alice’s dad’s funeral. Remember that, Alice? No, I bet not. Not once did you respond to any of my texts or calls- I NEEDED YOU AND YOU WEREN’T LISTENING!” Hope blasts. “The doctors said I have a hard time detaching myself from people and certain events. And the people told me I was paranoid with an overactive imagination. Some diagnoses huh?” “Hope… I was grieving and was trying to keep my shit together. I had no idea you had been in the hospital.” Alice reassured. “You know what happens to the brain after it receives a flood of trauma inducing information? It basically overworks itself, trying to protect you from all the things that want to hurt you. You know how many fucking medications I was on?!” Hope pushes her gun against her head never adverting her eyes from the girls. “Kaaaate…..” Hope sings with her head tilted to the side. “I don’t know how you’ve been able to sit all this time after years of your pants being on fire…. you liar”. Hope says through a smirk. Kate blinks after what feels like forever and opens her mouth only for her words to fall empty. She falls to her knees and cradles the back of her head with her hands. “Casie? What the hell is this?” Kate finally mutters. Dani peaks around Alice to look at Kevin and Mark, gripping and pulling down at her shirt, as they gaze at Dani like a piece of meat dangling there in front of two starving wolves. They lick their lips. Mark reaches down his briefs. Dani can’t move but her eyes shut as she prays that somehow Lenny will come find and save her. “Jesus, Mark can you just not fondle yourself for once second.” Hope pitched. Mark remained in his current state. Hope joyfully proceeded, “Men, they never listen. Well, let’s dive in shall we.” “Right before dad died, we found out that mom had an affair and was pregnant. They of course fought like animals but ultimately decided to keep the baby and that they would raise it together abiding that mom and he sought counseling. After Casie was born, and I went onto my sophomore year of high school, that’s when mom and dad learned that he was a little different. Fits of rage, always sneaking around and causing trouble, sneaking into the girls bathroom-you know being a bad boy. The thing about Casie is that because he acted out, he always got the attention. I think it was because mom and dad thought I was such an easy kid, who was I to care about a little less affection and attention. I was the older sister after all. I was never one to beg for attention, you know that, Kevin.” Hope nods to Kevin. Kevin nods back. “Anyways, fast forward, dad dies, and Casie has enlisted with the army. But he only did 2 years until he was dishonorably discharged. He thought stealing and causing fights was a good idea, what a goof huh? Casie was 22 when got around to the area and decided he’d go get his rocks off in a nearby town…. But you know that don’t you, Kate. You see Casie and Kate formed a relationship and thought it was all sunshine and roses there for a while. Meanwhile, Casie was stealing from our mom and using the money to buy drugs and other stupid shit”. “Hope… I…Casie….” Kate stammered. “Another word Kate and this gun goes in your mouth! I’m telling a story. Now then, ah yes, ok, yea so Casie was being a jackass and stayed on that path until he was 24 when he found that drugs and stealing weren’t enough. He was still feeling hollow. Oh yea, and Kate knew Casie was stealing from his mom but still stuck around. Classy Kate. You know how to pick ‘em. And no girls, Kate didn’t know I was his sister. She’s innocent on that one. You had a good thing going though didn’t you, right until Casie wanted more from you. Didn’t you love?” Hope looked back down at Casie lifting his head from her lap. Casie smirks and blows a kiss to Kate. “Hey babe”. Kate cringes and squeezes her eyes shut. The thunder has now escalated and is directly above the clump of people, rain still trickling down. “What do you mean by more Hope?” Alice inquired as her voice shook, gripping Dani’s arms tighter. “Excellent question Alice. Don’t you think given Kate’s history with men that she’d be a little more open? You know what I mean?” Hope winked. Alice regretted even opening her mouth and kept it shut from that point on. She coiled back into Dani’s arms and left Kate to the side. Standing from the bench like a giant shadow, Casie approached Kate while on her knees, using his pointer and middle finger to lift her chin aggressively forcing her to look at him. “Kate never was “in the mood” so I decided to take it upon myself to take what I was owed. Isn’t that right babe?” Casie spoke in his rumbling voice to the girls. He let out a chuckle. “I guess I deserved to go to jail. But what I didn’t deserve was to then have this hypocrite write to me every week telling me what a mistake she made and how she wished it could’ve been different. Playing with my emotions girl. Now that’s crazy. Who in their right mind would get assaulted and then reach out to the guy who did the assaulting begging for more?” Casie’s gaze still focused on Kate with this hand now on the side of Kate’s face stroking her bruise with his thumb. “Come sit brother. Let me finish this.” Alice and Dani watched Kate and Casie like two captives watching the first victim. “So, when Casie got into prison, after Kate told them everything, he changed his name to Isaac and wrote to the family and spoke of revenge and your typical villainous hoopla. I then decided to set a plan in motion. I, being a fellow mentally ill woman could surely think of a plan. And what’s scarier than a family of mentally ill fuckers?” Hope lets out a snarky huff and rises from the bench. Casie hands her a rolled-up newspaper; it’s damp but you can see that it’s a few years old. The newspaper has the article about Casie’s arrest. Hope unrolls it inches away from Kate’s face. Now face to face with Kate, Hope points to the title that reads, “An End to Sex and Stealing”. “Quite the title, if you ask me, they do say “sex sells’’ and boy did it”. But I suppose it did the trick, making my mom hate her only son and blame her only daughter for his incarceration. Eh, that’s to be expected. Nothing ever went her way, except when she decided to sleep with James, she really got what she wanted then”. Hope went on. Hope rose up looking at Alice and Dani, ripping the paper into three long strands, making her way in their direction. “But you two aren’t completely in the dark on this are you?’’ Hope said through a grin. “You two knew all about Kate’s little deal and brushed it off like it was nothing. Well, it wasn’t nothing, it was family!” “Hope…Hope, this has gone on long enough let’s just forget about all this; it’s in the past.” Alice pleaded. Hope jolted in front of Alices face, stared and then smiled. “I bet you would enjoy that, Alice. I bet you would enjoy just waltzing down the mountain and heading to your picture-perfect life. It must be nice not having to worry about what other people are whispering about you or not having to keep your head down when your grocery shopping. I bet your husband enjoys your company, and your kids. I just love that for you.” Hope rolling her eyes. “My mom can’t even look at me in the eye without a glimmer or shame to follow up. Casie can’t gain a clean slate because this whore ratted him out. Kevin won’t be able to be anything more than a ‘redneck’ who owns a Podunk mini-mart looking after his half-demented dad. Mom will always be known as the harlot whose husband died of a broken heart. This town hates us, but we are stuck here because no one gave us a chance at redemption. Scraping by like scavengers. Doctors took advantage of us; the church shuns us…even my friends can’t even bother to come more than once a year.” Hope’s eyes begin to fill up with tears and spits in Alice’s face. “Fuck you. Fuck you all.” “You think you can just bring us up here and gaslight us into feeling sorry for you?” Kate stands with courage. “You think you’re the only one with a history and is facing public shame or insecurities? Did you ever stop and think about how you are the problem Hope?” Hope backs away from Alice and Dani to glare at Kate with the audacity. Casie, Kevin and Mark take a few steps towards Kate. “Stop Kate. She has a gun.” Dani warns her in a whisper. Then, all in one motion, Hope lunges at Kate, taking her to the ground dropping her gun close by. Kate reaches for Hope’s neck with both hands and begins to apply pressure. Hope lifts Kate’s head off the ground to smash it against the ground serval times, Kate’s pressure loosens from Hope’s neck as her eyes begin to flutter and flick. Blood spills from the back of her head and Hope drives the three pieces of paper into Kate’s mouth, forcing her to choke and keep her mouth shut in between strands. Kate’s cheeks bulge with parchment and Hope started in on her face once more with her fists. Violently and swiftly. Kevin pulls Hope away and off from on top of Kate’s lifeless body. Hope kicks her foot looking proud at her mess, as the blood from the back of Kate’s head has reached Alice and Dani. Dani and Alice, now sobbing and wailing. They couldn’t move. It was too horrific. “What did you do?!” Casie exclaimed in horror. Casie hated Kate for what she did, but he still felt something for her. “I did that for you Isaac!” Hope yells at her brother. “Now she can’t spread her filth or lies anymore.” The sky is growing darker now as the group’s population has lessened. No one was coming to save them. No one was going to fly to the rescue. No one even knew where they were. All by Hope’s design. Casie walks to the body, notices the gun lying next to it and picks it up. “I’ve never held one of these before, feels right.” Casie tosses it around like a ball back and forth between hands then points it at Alice and Dani as he walks in their direction. “You guys wanna? It’s a powerful feeling. Feels like you’re the judge and executioner.” Casie asks Kevin and Mark. “No man, we’re good.” Kevin stated. He grips Alice’s head back by her hair and gives it a big sniff. “But what I don’t know is this feeling. Intoxicating. Your weak and small body shivering against me. Like I could snap you in two.” Hope washes her hands in the falls, paying no attention to the rest of the group. Focusing on getting the blood out from under her nails and soaking her hand in the ice-cold water to reduce the swelling from the punches. She had never felt such strength. She never knew she had it. She now felt like she could take on the world. She brushes her face with her hand and notices blood transferred – she must’ve got hurt while her and Kate fought, she thought. Gleefully, Hope tilts her head back and sucks the blood off her fingers and lets out a moan. “You’re a bunch of sick fucks!” Dani yells. “What are you going to do now? Leave us for dead?” Mark holds back her arms behind her forcefully yanking her back in himself with his hips prodding her waistline. “Don’t worry Kitten, I’ll make sure to take good care of you.” Mark whispers into Dani’s ear kissing it afterwards. Dani continues to sob. “Casie what are you….?” A loud blast can be heard as Mark falls to the ground unable to finish his question. Dani feels a warm liquid run down the side of her face and neck as her arms break free from his grasp. Casie has shot Mark. Hope stands at attention with a shock in her eyes. Dani is unable to move; she only stands there shaking. “Oh my God, Dad!” Kevin shouts in horror as he releases Alice from his arms and runs to hold his father’s body. Alice runs to hold Dani once more and together they share cries and screams. It is at this moment that they both realize they may never make it home. They may never go home to greet their husbands again, won’t be able to be satisfied by that first coffee in the morning, never enjoy the simple pleasures of staying up late with their husbands and family talking the night away. Then it became very real that Kate was dead. She was never coming back. They will never see her, talk to her, or hear about her crazy one-night stands again. For that fact alone, they knew they would never see their families again. They were going to die on this mountain. Die and lay there like the trees did alone, fungus taking their bodies for nourishment, animals will walk over them as they become apart of the earth. Their bones may never be discovered and if they are, no one will know their story or what events transpired up there on the mountain. Hope approaches Casie from behind whispering something in his ear. Alice nor Dani could make it out over the falls and thunder. Casie smiles with a tear running down his face and says, “I know. I will”. He points the gun at Kevin and pulls the trigger. Kevin, who was once mourning the loss of his father, is now lying on top of his dad’s body - the two slumped together like clay. “Wait! Please! I care about you Hope! You’re one of my best friends.” Dani says as her arms and hands wave up blocking the gun in Casie’s hand. “Why didn’t you ever talk to us Hope why didn’t you ever confront us if you knew all this time?” Alice inquires boldly. “And say what? That I know that my best friends are ruining my family and that Kate was in on it and have you guys never speak to me again, like some stupid high school cliquey bullshit… no, this is the better way. You go out on MY terms. break up this friendship with YOU!” Hope and Casie shared this mental illness and their inability to let people go. Abandonment was their worst fear. Losing people, they cared about. It was ugly and seemed hereditary. Alice and Dani stood soaked and silent again. Hugging each other, clinching one another in their arms. Still unsure of how this would play out. “Alright let’s just get this over with.” Hope spouts impatiently. Casie hesitates. Knowing who he thought was the love of his life, is dead. He toils with the idea of murdering them; so much so Hope notices his hand shaking holding the gun. “Oh, for shit’s sake!” Hope shoves herself in front of Casie grabbing the gun and shooting both Alice and Dani in the head. “It’s done! That’s what happens when you hesitate, you baby. Your big sister must take care of it and be the bad guy…AGAIN!” Casie makes his way to the waterfall to take a drink from the stream and to wash his face. With his back turned and his face dripping with water, Hope placed the end of the gun on the back of Casie’s head. “This is what we agreed on brother. I love you and I’m sorry…. I’ll see you soon.” Hope proceeds to pull the trigger and watches her brother’s blood spill into the stream as his body falls face first into the water. Hope now alone, pacing, lightly punching the sides of her head, she abruptly stops and looks up at the sky. It had stopped raining - the storm had passed. “Dear God…. I hate you….can’t wait to see you dad.” She takes a deep breath while placing the gun to her temple and pulls the trigger. Her body collapses. Her eyes fall upon the sky clearing as the sun peers through the clouds. The intensity of the light was overwhelming. The birds began to sing again, rapidly and all at once. The sound of Hope Falls is even louder than before, roaring and sparkling again in the sunlight. The mist floats over her like pixie dust; they land all over her face blending and soaking in with the blood, like watercolor paints. They are cool and send a shiver over her. Her eyes glaze over with a blank darkness. Tiny slits of light began to pry at Hope’s eyes, fading in and out. Her eyelids fluttering but determined. “Oh my god! She’s awake! Nurse!” Hope’s mom screams for help as she runs out of the room. Hope looks around the room; she’s in a hospital. The walls are a pastel green and white. She was detained to the bed unable to move anything but her eyes and head. Her head is spinning. Her hands and feet are ice cold with a hint of blue about them. Her mom returns with a nurse and a man who looks oddly familiar. He’s tall, face full of hair, eyes bright blue, strawberry blonde hair, around his 50’s. “Hey there princess, we missed you! How are you feeling?” The mystery man asks. Hope in deep pain and confusion, can only get out the words “where are they?” in a crumbling, soft voice. “Where’s who, Hope?” The nurse asks. “Kate…Alice…. Dani….Ca…Casie….” The three have confused looks on their faces. Hope’s mom brushes Hope’s hands with watery eyes. “Hope-we don’t know who those people are. Do you remember what happened baby?” “No?” Hopes eyes widen and her breaths becomes frantic. “You’ve been in a coma for 8 and half month’s baby. They think when you were hiking, you had another one of your fits, causing a seizure and hit your head when you fell. Luckily these two men, Kevin and Mark…” Kevin and Mark appear from behind the man, …. “They found you and rushed to service to dial 911 where you were airlifted to the hospital.” The man spoke through broken words as he cleared his throat. “Dad!?” Hope said in an almost demanding tone, head pounding. Breaths breaking up through tears. Confusion, fear, sadness and defeat come over Hope. Realizing the severity of her circumstances. The sounds of the hospital room overwhelm Hope as she blinks a few more times to make sure she isn’t imagining everything. Her mom spoke softly with a pained look in her watery, green eyes, “you had a bad fall, Hope.”