Travis Thrasher

“This is Teenage madness. Trapped in a room knowing there's more outside. Trapped listening to a teacher talk about Hemingway as if each sentence and word had mythical importance. Trapped knowing she is in the room with me.”

“Things like this don't happen back in Libertyville, Illinois. You don't get lost in the woods behind your house.You don't get trapped inside a fortress-like wall ten feet tall.”

“I've got a lot of homework to do, and none of it has anything to do with school.”

“I'm sixteen with what I hope will be a long life ahead, but I'm willing to give it up, to give anything to let her live, to let her make it through the night.”

“This is teenage madness.”

“I can't help but think of the dance that I'm not going to.It's not that I want to go to a dance. I'd go milk cows with Jocelyn if I could. Or do whatever kids around here do for fun.”

“Was she always that friendly?" I joke."She saw Robert. At least I got that out of her.""Maybe she buried him in the backyard.""Stop.""Did you smell it in there?""Yes.""That wasn't a normal smell. That wasn't the sort of something's-gone-bad-in-the-garbage smell. That was the sort of Dahmer-next-door smell.""Stop it.""I'm serious," I say."It's probably just some dead animal.""Oh, well, in that case, it's fine.”

“There's no light bulb lit. I half wonder if there's any power to light one. "Aunt Alice?"A round goblin comes out of the darkness of the hallway.”

“We eventually come to a one-story house that looks as though it's on its way to becoming one with the forest surrounding it. "Seriously?"Mom looks at me with a glance that says so much.Be quiet, for one thing.Get out, for another.Mind your manners is surely in there.And last but not least, This is freaking crazy.”

“She ever marry?""No."The no sounds like "not in a million years." Like Aunt Alice couldn't marry, like she has one arm and horns sticking out of her head and she talks in tongues. Or maybe has several tongues to talk with.”

“What?" I ask. I don't get anything about this day. Everything is just off."Are you sure?""Am I sure where I live? Yeah. Steeple Drive.""Your cabin is on this road?""Is it just me, or is everything I'm saying slightly freaking you out?”