Warning Signs

My phone buzzed around midnight, waking me up. I hadn't meant to fall asleep waiting for my mom to go to bed, but I hadn't been able to keep my eyes open. At least it had only been half an hour at most.

Rubbing my eyes, I pulled the comforter over my head to hide the light. I squinted as the backlit screen assaulted my eyes, and it took a few seconds for them to adjust.

[Where r u? Did u chicken out?]

It was from Michelle. I lowered the blanket and checked the sliver under my door.

Everything was dark, but I had no idea how long ago Mom went to bed. I chewed on my lip and covered myself again to reply.

[One sec need a couple more minutes]

I set my phone on my chest and waited for it to buzz—ten seconds. I let it sit for a few more while I listened for anything suspect going on downstairs or in the hall.

Atlas shuffled around in his kennel, but there was no other signs of life outside my room.

Convinced I was safe, I picked up my phone and checked the text.

[Well hurry! I'm parked at the end of ur block]

[Alright brt]

To be safe, I waited another five minutes before crawling out of bed.

I had picked out my clothes before hand, aiming for anything warm and dark. In the end I'd settled on my heavy, dark green winter jacket and a dark pair of jeans.

The jeans alone weren't warm, so I put on a pair of long underwear beneath them used for our camping trips. Tip-toeing to the door in my hiking boots, I listened for sound.

Nothing. So far so good.

However, when I cracked my door open, the hinges whined in protest and I winced, ceasing all movement. 

After a brief pause to make sure no was coming to investigate, I closed it behind me and strafed to the bathroom.

The light from the streetlamp outside shone through the small window and I moved with confidence throughout the bathroom in the semi-darkness.

I shut myself inside and shuffled to the window, making sure to keep my footfalls light in my otherwise heavy shoes.

Inside my jacket pocket, my phone buzzed and I swore under my breath.

[???]

My friend was devoid of any trace of patience. Sneaking out of the house was a skill in and of itself, taking time and perseverance . . . it was an art that shouldn't be rushed. I shook my head and jabbed at the keys on my phone. 

[Hold on sneaking out now]

Rolling my eyes, I shoved the cell in my pocket with the intent to ignore it. I had a plan to execute and couldn't let anything distract me.

Leaving out of my bedroom window would have been a straight two-story drop, but not from the bathroom. A section of the roof jutted out in front of it at an angle, giving me a shorter distance to the ground. 

The doors were a no-go, as well: our dog would never let me leave that way without making a fuss.

It took a few moments for me to unscrew the screen, and I popped it out after some struggle. I wasn't able to catch it before it fell out and I clenched my eyes shut when it thumped against the roof.

Everything was still for a moment, and then I scrambled to escape.

/Please let no one have heard that./

I climbed out of the small window, using the toilet to boost me up. After shimmying my shoulders through, I ended up worming head-first onto the roof.

My jacket snagged on a splinter during the task, but I was able to free it with a bit of dexterity and flexibility.

If anyone was watching, I no doubt looked ridiculous.

There was no way I could screw the screen back into its slot from where I stood. Instead, I set it against the glass once I'd closed the glass.

Satisfied it looked convincing enough, I crouched low and moved to the edge of the roof.                

My heart thudded against my ribs as if to free itself. Every sound I made seemed amplified as I lowered myself off the roof, dangling by my hands.

There was a gap of a few feet below me, but I was confident I could stick the landing. I counted to three, then dropped and hit the ground with minor discomfort and a slight ache in my ankles. Ignoring the pain, I jogged around the house and exited my backyard through the gate.

Inside, Atlas was making chuffing noises, threatening to give me away. Once away from the back door, though, he ceased.

Hugging the wall of my house, I kept my body low and invisible. I jogged across the neighbor's yards until I felt I was far enough away to walk on the sidewalk.

Once my house was out of sight, I was elated. I'd done it. I jogged the distance to Michelle's car and slid into the back seat, expecting an occupied front seat. However, we were alone.

"Where's Jake?" I asked as she pulled away from the corner.

"He and his friends went earlier for reconnaissance or something dumb. He's been live texting me since, like, eleven," she scoffed.

As if on cue, her phone lit up where it sat in her cup holder. She ignored it. "Am I picking up Jess or is she gonna stay home?"

I crawled into the front seat, then buckled up. "Last I heard she was still coming."

"Text her and let her know we're on our way, then."

Nodding, I pulled my phone free from my coat pocket and relayed the message. It took a few moments for Jess to reply, but she was still on board.

"She says you can pull up right to her house. Her parents aren't home."

Michelle huffed. "Lucky. I had to pretend to go to bed super early and then wait for them to go. Still didn't take as long as yours did!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I sighed. "I had to climb out a window."

"Your room?"

"No, the bathroom. On the second floor." I puffed out my chest and smirked.

Even in the dark I could tell she was rolling her eyes. When she spoke, though, she couldn't hide her awe. "Managed not to kill yourself at least."

"It was either that or risk Atlas waking up the whole house."

We pulled up in front of Jess' house and I texted to let her know. Minutes later, Jess sat in the back seat. We spent a moment greeting each other before Michelle drove us toward the park.

Halfway to our stop, Michelle was stricken with a bout of energy. She wiggled in her seat and squealed, "This is so exciting! I can't believe we're actually doing this." 

"Me either," Jess muttered behind me. I wasn't sure if I was meant to hear, so I ignored it.

Michelle motioned to the case sitting on the seat next to Jess. "I brought my mom's camera so we can record video with good quality and take so many pictures! We can put them up later on the internet and be /so famous/!"

Jess added, "If we don't get caught."

I turned in my seat to encourage Jess with a smile, but her attention was out the window. I  sat back and glowered at the glove compartment.

Fine, I'd change the subject, instead. "What has Jake been saying in his texts?"

"He told me where to ditch the car and which path to take to find him."

"How far?"

"Here, actually!"

Michelle pulled off into an empty lot and parked the car in a dark corner. Her Neon wouldn't exactly blend in with its silver paint job, but it was all we had. "We'll hoof it from here and meet up with them in the woods."              

All three of us climbed from the vehicle, unconcerned about being spotted—Estes Park was a day time destination. At night, especially in late fall and winter, it was too cold to do anything outside of town—and scurried toward the tree line where we would be under cover.

"Lead the way" I told Michelle.

She huffed. "He didn't exactly send me step by step pictures and a walkthrough, you know." Her sarcasm could cut if she tried hard enough, and I rolled my eyes at her.

However, she checked her phone and we were off in the general direction of the park.

"You sure we can just . . . walk in?" Jess whispered after several minutes of silent walking. We in the woods, but still no where near the park.

She checked her phone once more then nodded. "He's going to meet us a little ways ahead and lead us around a few patrolling cops. I guess Victor was almost caught."

"See? Oh my god, this is so stupid," Jess whimpered, clutching the hem of my jacket.

I let her cling even though it made walking a little more difficult.

"Nah, that's part of the fun. Let's keep going." She didn't wait for any more complaints. We followed after her, jogging deep into the trees.

During the day, the Rocky Mountain National Park was beautiful. This time of the year, when the leaves were changing color, it was at its best. Autumn was our busiest tourist season, bringing people from all over to see the leaves change.

At night, though, they were all the same color. A macabre filter of gray against black.

Walking through the darkened trees was reaching uncanny proportions. Every rustle of the leaves set my nerves on edge and lit the fuse to my fight or flight response.

It was terrifying. It was creepy.

It was THRILLING.

The closest I had ever gotten to thrills of this caliber was during Halloween. Even if I couldn't convince my friends to come with me, Mom and Kristie would accompany me to a haunted house.

It was the same adrenaline spike that drew me to roller coasters.

Maybe the situation wasn't quite the same, but I had no other comparisons. There were real threats here; losing our way, officers or soldiers catching us, and maybe even danger.

If I sat and thought about what we were doing, my logical side said it was a bad idea. The thrill-seeking side didn't care. The heightened senses and tingling in my body was too tempting.

The three of us waited behind a bush for Jake to meet us I knew the ticket booths were around there somewhere but we were too far off the trail to see then.

It seemed like we were waiting forever in that same spot, shivering and scared, staring at the flashing lights of patrol cars between the branches.

Thankfully, the red and blue stood out like spotlights in the dark. They would be easy to avoid if we needed to move on.

"This is a terrible idea, guys," Jess whispered in our ears. It was the third time in the span of three minutes. "We're gonna get caught."

"Not if you keep QUIET, dammit Jess just SHHHH!" Michelle hissed.

I sighed and shook my head. Everyone was on edge and the two of them were fighting way more than often, leaving me to mend the rift. It was that way quite a bit, even during normal situations, making me wonder why the two of them got along at all.

Maybe I was reading too much into a stressful situation.

"Guys," I murmured, "Keep your voices low. Jake will be here soon."

Michelle nodded and shifted anxiously where she crouched. "Yes, okay, that's what I've been trying to say."

Another five minutes passed before we spotted Jake's familiar form. He doubled back, giving us a wide berth, then scuttled up behind us.

He took Michelle's hand when she offered it and grinned at us. "Sup guys."

"Babe what took you? We've been waiting ages."

He dipped his head. "Sorry, we had to go way deep to keep off the radar. There are only a couple cops out there, but we wanted to make sure we were outside their patrol radius."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" I asked.

"Alright," Jake murmured, pulling Michelle back with him. Jess and I followed. "We'll fly dark for now, and we have to go real wide, okay? Follow me, though. It's just a bit of extra walking."

We agreed and Jake led us onward, avoiding any clearings and sticking to the shadows.

The flashing police lights disappeared behind us, and there was a moment where I was certain the cops could hear my pulse.

None of us dared speak the entire time, the only sound the muffled crunch of leaves under our boots.

The hike lasted fifteen agonizing moments until we crested the hill. Whispers echoed toward us and we approached with caution.

"Is that them?" I asked under my breath.

"Yeah," Jake responded. "Let's go."

He led us down the other side of the hill and pulled a flashlight. At our approach, several other lights flicked in our direction and the tension was palpable.

"Just us," Jake called. Everyone sighed a collective breath of relief.

"Scared us half to death, man," Tyler jittered, clapping Jake on the back. "Glad you finally made, though. We were about to leave without you."

I looked around at the others and motioned toward them. "Who are all these people?"

Several other students were gathered around, shivering and talking. Half of them I didn't know, and the other half I recognized in face only. People from my classes, but not friends or acquaintances.

I thought they were speaking a bit too loud, but maybe that just meant we were far enough away.      

Jake glanced back at the others and shrugged. "We ended up telling a few more friends what we were doing. They brought some of their own friends. Safety in numbers, right?"

"I don't think that applies when you're trying to be sneaky," Jess pointed out.

Michelle draped her arms around Jake and shrugged. "It'll be fine! We already dodged the cops. Have you guys haven't seen any soldiers yet?"

"Not hide nor hair," someone assured us.

A boy I recognized from my math class indicated toward the trees. I think he was the Victor Michelle had mentioned earlier. "I think we should start that way. There was some police tape wrapped around the trees."

"It was torn though," Rick, from Jake's group, said.

"Torn?" I repeated.

Jake waved his flashlight and called to the others. "Alright, this should be everyone, right? Let's get going before people start realizing we're gone."

"Shouldn't someone stay behind if someone else shows up?"

"Yeah, okay," Jake said. "Who wants to volunteer to stay behind by themselves and wait for stragglers to show up?"

When no one spoke up, he chuckled. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

"You snooze you lose," Michelle agreed.

With that, we moved as one into the woods. Like Victor said, we walked past the police tape tied around a few tree trunks.

Michelle took a picture of the dangling yellow strips as they twitched in the breeze. I stopped to pick up one of the ends, examining the tattered material.

"Don't fall behind!" Michelle hissed at me from ahead.

I dropped the tape and jogged to catch up. "Coming, sorry."