A murmur carried by the breeze proved less disconcerting than the eerie silence enveloping the dense woods. I had staked everything on the belief that he would show up - my informant, my sole source of hope. It was a wager placed on a figure devoid of name or visage. The rumor circulating in town was that if you sought a certain outcome or yearned to uncover the origins of "red snow," Eli was the man to find.
And now, here I stood amidst the midnight forest, engulfed in an unnerving stillness. The woods were so quiet that it seemed inconceivable for something not to be lurking beyond the next bush or tree. Yes, a park nestled within the woods might exude a less foreboding atmosphere, but appearances can be deceiving. I had been waiting for the infamous Eigil, only to be met with prolonged anticipation. The drawback of these shadowy pathways was that they never guaranteed success, yet I was driven by an insatiable need to unravel the forces that had altered my destiny.
Who was responsible for my brother's demise? He was the one who had brought me nights of engless anguish, turning my life into an ongoing ordeal. The same man who had saved me, yet simultaneously cursed me. If only I could ascertain the identity of the individual to whom I owed both my survival and my loathing.
How many times had I cried out for aid, only to keep fleeing in search of refuge? Hopefully, Eli would hold the secrets of this town within his grasp. It had taken me weeks to trace his whereabouts following Jacob's death. Even then, I wrestled with my better judgment. Eli was a fighter and a shadow, making appearances in town merely once or twice a month. Yet, when he did grace us with his presence, he seemed to possess an uncanny awareness of the town's inner workings. He lacked a cellphone and lacked a permanent address, leaving a message at the local bar as the sole means of reaching him.
The note I had left for him took weeks to reach his hands, and I endured an additional week of anticipation to meet him in this secluded forested park. Where was he? Had I mistaken the date? Was this the correct location? Should I retreat or remain? Zee awaited my return, my valiant roommate surely consumed by worry. She likely believed I was on my way about to be murdered by this mysterious figure known as Eli.
Finally, the hoot of an owl jolted me back to reality, and there he stood before me. Clutching a motorcycle helmet in one hand and an envelope in the other, Eli materialized from the shrouds of the frigid night, as if concealed by its very darkness. The cold night seemly hiding him away from any other prying eyes.