‘It’s so cold,’ David heard Kathryn complain, her boots squelching in the mud as she walked along behind him.

Acknowledging her with a noncommittal grunt, he kept walking. He would have been inclined to voice his agreement if it hadn’t been, what he guess, the twentieth time she had mentioned the weather in the last half hour alone.

In truth spending the day hiking on Dartmoor at the end of October might not have been the best suggestion he had ever made. It hadn’t seemed like a bad idea when they had set out earlier that morning, the sun beating down on their backs as it tried to bolster the low, autumn temperatures. In the end though they had spent most of the day walking across the windy moors sidestepping muddy puddles and heaps of cow crap.

‘We should probably be getting back soon anyway,’ Kathryn’s older brother, Edward, said to the group in general as he glanced at the Rolex watch on his wrist, beside David.

Their group consisted of Edward, his best friend whom he had known since before he could remember, who walked beside him. Behind them followed Kathryn, his younger sister, and Amy, Edward’s girlfriend of four and a bit years. Sidestepping a puddle, David agreed with a nod. Slowly, throughout the day, the dark clouds had rolled in over the moors.

It seemed Edward’s suggestion hadn’t come a moment too soon as David felt a couple of spots of rain on his face. Pulling the hood up on his thick black coat he heard a rustling as the girls behind him did the same. However, beside him, Edward didn’t bother. David couldn’t actually remember a time he had seen Edward wear a hood. It seemed he always preferred to let his messy black hair get wet for some reason.

With a squelch David looked down, finding one of his boots almost an inch deep in a puddle. Sighing, he lifted his foot out of the water, the mud sucking at the bottom of his boot as he stepped back on to dryer ground. As Edward paused to see why he had stopped one of the girls bumped in to the back of him.

Turning, he found Kathryn stepping back as the wind whipped around the flimsy hood on the thin, baby blue raincoat she was wearing. It was no wonder she was so cold, he thought as she muttered an apology, pulling the hood back over her head.

Beside her stood Amy, several strands of bleach blonde hair sticking out from under the hood of the thick coat she was wearing, trying not to laugh.

‘You alright?’ he asked Kathryn as he looked at her.

‘Fine,’ she said as she struggled to get the hood to stay up. After a few more frustrated tugs she gave up, her long, curly black hair spilling out around her shoulders. Brushing her hair aside she looked up at him, her piercing blue eyes meeting his own hazel ones with a smile.

‘The car isn’t too far,’ Edward said as an ominous rumble of thunder echoed across the moors. The echo had barely faded away when it was replaced by the sound of raindrops bouncing off their coats as it began to pour.

‘Let’s go,’ David shouted as the rain bounced up off the ground, puddles beginning to appear rapidly at their feet. Suddenly it seemed a lot darker than it had been five minutes ago.

Pulling his hood further over his head, David set off in the direction of the car, Edward walking quickly beside him with his head ducked against the rain. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the girls half walking half running to keep up with them. He could see Kathryn saying something but the sound of the rain on his hood drowned out her voice.

As the unrelenting rain hammered down on the moors the path that they had picked across it earlier that day had become submerged in some places. It was now impossible to avoid the puddles, the four of them splashing through the water now just desperate to get back to the car.

Beside him Edward shouted something and, although he couldn’t pick out the words, he looked up. Following the direction that Edward was pointing, he spotted the car. Cutting the corner of the path off, David led them over the uneven terrain in an attempt to save them some time. Perhaps it hadn’t been such a good idea, he thought as he stepped in a deep puddle, the ice cold water rising up and over the top of his boot.

With boots full of water the four of them managed to bundle their way across the uneven ground. Sighing with relief, David felt the firm surface of the small car park, which had been carved out of the moor and covered with stone chippings, beneath his boots. Earlier it had been packed. Now it was only Edward’s old blue Honda, sitting alone in the darkness.

Pulling the keys from a pocket somewhere underneath his coat he unlocked the car, the flashing indicators lighting up the car park briefly. Grabbing at the door handle, David pulled the door open, Amy and Kathryn bundling past him and into the back of the car. Pushing the seat back into its normal position David jumped in after them, slamming the door shut as there was another flash of lightning. Only a couple of seconds later there was a rumble of thunder. The storm was getting closer.

Pushing his hood back, David felt several drops of rain roll down the back of his neck, the icy trail making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. ‘I didn’t think we were getting a storm today,’ he said as he turned to Amy. She had been the one who had suggested the trip because it looked like the last decent day for a while.

‘I didn’t see anything about a storm last night,’ she replied as she unzipped her own coat and pulled it off awkwardly.

‘Nothing like a nice surprise,’ Edward laughed as he shook his head, his soaked hair spraying water all over them.

‘Edward!’ Kathryn screamed as she tried to pull her coat up to shield herself from the spray. With a glance in his rear-view mirror he laughed harder. Leaning forward Kathryn’s hand appeared between the gap in the seats, smacking Edward as hard as she could at the awkward angle.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

‘How about we get out of here before we all get hypothermia?’ David suggested, intervening before a sibling fight broke out in the car.

He knew that they were only play fighting but that didn’t stop the cold water from running down his neck. Edward and Kathryn had always been close and their play fights had been a longstanding part of their lives growing up, often to the amusement of David and any of Edward’s friends that were with them.

For some reason Kathryn had preferred to hang about with them rather than her own friends that were her age. To her the two year gap between them hadn’t meant anything. However, since Edward and Amy had been together her appearances had been less frequent.

Kathryn had been the one who had called him about the trip, demanding that he come as well because Edward was making her go. After complaining bitterly about feeling like a third wheel for ten minutes straight David had agreed to go as well just to shut her up. After all the time Kathryn had spent with them growing up she had become like a sister to him.

‘Good point,’ Kathryn agreed. ‘I’m freezing as well.’

‘We know!’ Edward and Amy replied together. It seemed like they had both been keeping count of the number of times she had mentioned it as well.

Starting the engine, Edward turned on the headlights. For some reason they seemed a lot dimmer than they usually did.

‘Is it me or are they normally brighter than this,’ Edward asked with a glance at David. He had spotted the difference as well.

Before David could voice his agreement they flickered several times before they went out altogether. With a shudder the engine cut out as well. As the two of them exchanged a worried glance Edward tried to restart the engine. After half a dozen clicks it died completely.

Slumping back in his seat heavily, Edward sighed. The last time David had seen him he had complained about having issues with the car a lot lately. Clearly it had decided that today was the day it had had enough.

‘Piece of crap,’ Edward muttered under his breath as he hit the steering wheel in frustration. ‘Can one of you pass me my bag out the back?’

Amy was the first to react, Edward’s battered old rucksack that he had been using since he was fifteen appearing between the two seats. With a muttered acknowledgement he pulled the bag through, opening it quickly as he rummaged through it.

‘I’m going to see if I can find out what’s wrong,’ he said as he pulled a torch out of the bag before turning to David. ‘Give me a hand?’

‘Sure,’ David nodded as he pulled his hood over his head again.

Together they opened their doors, climbing out in to the rain again. In the light of the torch they could see the rain falling like stair rods. Pulling his coat tighter around him, David met Edward at the front of the car.

‘Hold this,’ Edward called over the lashing rain as he held out the torch. Taking it from him, David watched as he crouched down, releasing the catch that opened the bonnet of the car. With a click it jumped open, Edward lifting it up quickly.

When he had propped the bonnet open he took the torch from David, shining it deep into the engine. Edward had always been the one who had been into cars when they were growing up. David just stood to the side watching on as Edward began examining the parts.

‘Try and start it,’ Edward said as he moved his hand away. ‘The keys are in the car.’

With a nod, David moved around behind him to the driver’s door. Climbing in, he found the keys still in the ignition. ‘What’s wrong?’ Amy asked from the seat behind him.

‘No idea,’ he replied as he tried to start the engine. For a moment it spluttered loudly before falling silent again. Before David could try again Edward appeared beside him, leaning on the top of the open door.

‘What do you think?’ David asked, looking up hopefully at Edward.

‘I’m not sure,’ he replied. ‘I don’t want to fiddle about too much in case I make it worse. It’s probably better if we get a rescue out here to take a look at it.’

‘Sounds like the best option,’ David agreed as he slipped out of the driver’s seat. Following Edward round the front of the car he watched as he slammed the bonnet back down, cursing the car again under his breath.

With the torch in one hand he delved into his pocket with the other, withdrawing his phone. ‘You don’t have any signal out here do you?’

Pulling out his own phone, David glanced at it before shaking his head.

‘I can just about get one bar but it’s patchy,’ Edward said as he took a couple of steps one way then the other as he tried to pin it down.

‘Want me to see if Amy or Kathryn have any signal?’ David asked as he put his phone back in his pocket.

‘There’s no point, Amy’s phone is at home and Kathryn is on the same network as you,’ Edward replied, looking at the dark moor around him. ‘I’ll try and find somewhere with better signal.’

‘You want me to come with you?’

‘I’ll be fine,’ Edward said, brushing off David’s offer. ‘Stay with the car. I’ll be back in a few minutes.’

‘Alright.’

‘There’s another torch in my bag if you need it!’ Edward called over his shoulder as he set off, picking out a path that led back on to the moors.

As David watched, Edward’s figure was swallowed by the darkness. It was only when he caught sight of the beam of light from the torch swaying in the distance that he could pick him out. He had said he would be back in a few minutes, there was no point standing out in the rain any longer than he had to.

Turning away he headed for the passenger side door, pushing back his hood as he opened the door. He had barely put one foot in to the car when Kathryn’s face appeared in the gap between the two seats.

‘Where’s Edward?’

‘He went to see if he could get better signal, it was too patchy here,’ David replied, pulling the door shut against the rain as he sat down. Leaning across the driver’s seat he pulled the other door shut in an attempt to drown out the sound of the rain. Thankfully the thunder and lightning seemed to have stopped for now.

‘You didn’t go with him?’ Kathryn asked quietly.

‘He said he would only be a couple of minutes,’ David replied as he picked up Edward’s bag, rummaging through it for the torch he had been told was in there.

‘What if he breaks an ankle out there in the dark or something?’ Kathryn demanded, slapping away the torch when David turned it on right in front of her.

‘He’ll be fine, he has the other torch,’ David said rolling his eyes. ‘I know which direction he went anyway. If he isn’t back in ten minutes then I’ll go and find him.’

‘What if you break an ankle trying to find him though?’ Kathryn asked.

‘Kathryn! Shut up,’ he sighed as he turned away, rolling the torch in his hands.

She seemed to heed his warning as her head disappeared from between the seats. Behind him he vaguely heard her mutter something about having a bad feeling. He had to admit that he wasn’t feeling great about their situation but he didn’t agree with her. Instead he ignored it, turning his attention to the darkness outside the window.

For several minutes they sat in silence. Kathryn not daring to ask him any more questions about his plan. In the end though it became too much and he saw her lean forwards again. Just as he turned to look at her he thought he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

Holding his hand up to silence her before she could say anything he opened the door. Flicking on the torch he stepped out of the car, shining the light in the direction of where he thought he had seen movement.

‘Edward?’ he shouted as he tried to see through the combination of darkness and pouring rain.

Before he could call out again he heard a scream somewhere in the distance. It sounded like it had come from the same direction that Edward had set off in.