It is a strange moment of the day, when the last of daylight fades in the horizon and, for a second, the world becomes dark only to brighten up when the stars appear shyly on the sky. It is a miraculous time of the day when the world seemingly blinks into outer space, when the beauty of the light gives way to the sacredness of the night, a wonderful time of the day that didn't come to happen on that particular day, for the sky had been taken hostage by the thunderous clouds that rained cold drops of water onto the face of the young hunters trying to get back home.
Their gas lanterns shifted and dimmed with the wind as they traversed the unruly forest of Hunter's lane. Their clothes, soaked wet, stuck to their skin making each uncomfortable step heavier than the previous one.
Encumbered by their backpacks and gear, scared of the unseen terrors of the night and troubled with the betrayal of one of their friends, the hunters were lost in body and spirit alike.
