Man has been studying why we are afraid of the dark for ages. It would seem that is not the dark that we are truly afraid but what is in it or should I say what we think lies inside the darkness, around the corner or just on the other side of the door. Things that go bump in the night, sounds that have no explanation. Movements in the corner of your eye. The shadow that dashes past. Is it only the wind? one might want to ask.

Sam lives in Sunset. The sun shines bright most days. He has a normal life.. for the most part. His days are filled with missing dogs and cats. For some reason Sunset’s pets disappeared long ago. Some even say a craft from outer space took them all. Maybe by some miracle they will return. He is a PI, but in the peaceful town of Sunset not much out of the ordinary happens.

Sam has a routine. By the clock, everyday. He grabs the evening paper on his way in from work.

He looks over the news. There are sections that cover all the neighboring cities. Riverview, Barnacle Bay. Nothing much to report there. However Twinbrook caught his eye. “Disappearance of Townsfolk” he read over the article with much curiosity. He read on. “Several of the townsfolk have gone missing over night it seems, there have been reports of strange unexplainable noises and screams in the night. It seems to be more prevalent during the foggy mist that roll in at night. No evidence what so ever has been found. Nothing..it’s as if they fell off the face of the earth.”

Sam continued to read. They were seeking aid for someone to come help them find answers and to find the missing townsfolk.
This… to Sam was right up his alley. His heart beat sped up as did his pulse. The excitement was coming to the surface.

“Honey, dinner is ready.” His wife’s voice broke though his thoughts.

Rainy, his wife, so caring she is, so loving. He loved her more than anything, more than life itself.
At the dinner table they would normally chat about their day. What he worked on today, the clients he helped and they would talk about what she did today.
But tonight Sam was distracted. He found it hard to listen.

Rainy cleaned up the dishes just as Sam’s phone rang. The ring almost made him jump. He was on edge with the prospect of a case that, to him sounds like the greatest mission he had ever had the opportunity to work on. He was hoping it was his department calling.

“Who was that?” Rainy ask, her voice like melted butter. Sam found himself stuttering over his words. Making a jumbled mess out of them.
“It’s…well, its…wo..wo..ummm..that..was..a..umm you know that was Tim.”

“Sam, what’s wrong with you? Is there something wrong?” Rainy knows her husband very well and she knew that by the way he was talking a job had come up.”
“Baby, hey sweetie I have to run to the office for a few minutes. I won’t be long I promise.”

Tim wasn’t going to be here Sam knew that. He had left the file and all the information on the desk for Sam. Which wasn’t much. No one really knew much about what was happening in Twinbrook but Sam was going to find out. He leaves tomorrow morning.

He plugged in a few details on his comp, sent a few emails to his colleagues letting them know he would be out of town. Sent a small note to Tim to look after Rainy while he was gone. He wasn’t sure just how long he would be away. He didn’t really want to be apart from his wife, that’s the part of his job he hated the most. The separation.

The file was on the desk just as Tim said it would be, along with an address to a small place in Twinbrook and the name and cell number of his contact who went by the name of Carl, no last name just Carl.

The file he no longer needed. Sam printed all the information he needed on a sheet of paper and placed it in his wallet.

Now it was time to go home and face his wife.

Rainy knew that he was going on a trip. She knew it during dinner. She didn’t mind too much. It was a part of his job. She accepted that the day they said their wedding vows.

Arriving home, Sam smelt the warm fragrance of flowers in the air…mmmmmmm he knew what that meant.

His excitement flared a trembling inside him. He didn’t even bother taking off his hat.

Her skin soft as the silk of butterfly wings. Oh he loved her, every bit of her. What was he to do without her. His breath caught in his throat the moment her lips met his.

The passion they shared will have to last them for who knows how long. Sam could only hope that he could find the answers quickly.

In the early hours Sam quietly dressed, kissed his wife goodbye without waking her, grabbed his duffel bag and slipped out the front door.

Alone on the road, in the cool morning air. Sam drove as the unknown opened to greet him….

To be continued…