The Pact

They were all crying. They were just boys. Now, they were boys without Laney, her absence goading them, like a masked knifeman.

Luke sobbed. "What if she's not dead?"

Mark had broken his trance and was pacing, face wet. Matt was crying softly, perched on a rock, trying to take it in. He felt like he'd been pulled apart like a Lego man and put back together differently. They both ignored Luke. She was dead.

Luke got up. "I'm going home." He went to walk off and stopped when Mark grabbed his arm.

"You can't tell anyone," Mark whispered.

Matt turned at Mark's words, looking at him, curiously.

Luke blinked at Mark. Mark looked frightened.

"Why? It was an accident. We didn't mean to do it! She just fell!"

Luke started crying again.

"We can't tell, Luke. We shouldn't have been here. We'll get into trouble," Mark insisted. "My dad will go mad." Mark was wild-eyed, real fear on his face. His knuckles were white around Luke's wrist. Mark's sleeve had risen up and Luke could see dark patches on his skin. Luke didn't like Mark's dad. There was an edge to him that made Luke wary. He seemed like a happy bloke, joking like Mark, but Luke's young self had sensed the hesitant circling of the wary at Mark's house and the unnatural air of forced behaviour because Luke was there.

Mark saw Luke's eyes on his arm and loosened his hold a little, enough for Luke to pull away. Mark pulled his sleeve down. A complex wave of emotions crossed Mark's face: shame, fear, anger, despair.

It was then that Matt stood up. He came over to them and said, "We won't tell anyone, Mark. Will we, Luke?" Matt was the one the other two looked up to, Matt having authority over them even at that age.

"We're friends, remember? Laney wouldn't want us to get into trouble, would she?" Matt gulped as he said her name.

Luke loved his friends, loved Laney. He'd do it for Laney. And for Mark.

Luke nodded. They all did.

Heads down, they walked silently home, leaving something of themselves behind.

But more crucially, they left Laney's camera.

***

366 words

I may or may not continue with this. I've sort of left it open because of the camera because it was the photo being sent to Luke that started me down this road of linking and expanding these different tales. I'm wondering whether to see who picks the camera up and what they do with it and why, and maybe return to Bethan in her search for answers as the mother in Little Red Leaf.

Anyway, I'll mull that over in the interim.

Here are the links to all the previous tales:

Thanks for stopping by! If you do read this, please leave a comment as I love to interact with my readers.

266/366 - 100 to go!!