Chapter Seventeen

It was eerily quiet inside the dining hall, the light began to dim as the storm approached, and the usual distant chattering of bird calls was silent. Time seemed to have stopped yet the clock was ticking. Sometime later Margaret’s porters would collect their luggage and take them to the large Guesthouse. With the upcoming storm, she had thought it would be wise to have the three of them stay in the Guesthouse. Those who booked over the weekend had already checked out, leaving just the three of them. Margaret had wanted them to join her for dinner before they left and thought it safer they stay at the Guesthouse rather than return to the cabins during the storm. She hoped it would cheer them up after the disappearance of their friend and vandalism to Joel’s car.

On the table, three mugs of coffee remained untouched.  Sarah, Hayley, and Joel sat in silence staring at nothing, thinking of nothing. Hayley’s phone lay on the table as if it were a sickly thi