The Ghosts We Carry

A serial fiction story for your enjoyment

written by James Rada, Jr.

THE CLASS OF ‘16

3: The First To Fall

Brian Peyton’s eyes followed his former classmate, Thomas Hardcastle, as he hurried from the 10-year reunion of the Catoctin High School Class of 2016. Thomas’ complexion was pale, and Brian couldn’t help but wonder if he was feeling ill.

With a quick glance at their other classmate, Will VanSant, who was also rising from their shared table, Brian could see that Will didn’t look much better than Thomas. However, unlike Thomas, who seemed to be on the brink of panicking, Will’s expression held a mix of fear and concern.

“We need to go after him,” Will said urgently. “That song pushed him over the edge. Now, he’s been drinking. We can’t let him drive.”

Without hesitation, they rushed after Thomas, bursting out into the cool night air outside of the Thurmont Ambulance Company Events Complex. As they emerged into the parking lot filled with cars, Will and Brian frantically scanned the area for any sign of Thomas.

“He can’t have left already,” Brian exclaimed.

But then the sound of an engine starting caught their attention. Turning toward the exit for the parking lot, they saw a sleek Lexus pulling out from one of the spaces and heading toward the road. Without a word, Will and Brian sprinted after the car, shouting and waving their arms in an attempt to get Thomas’ attention.

But either he didn’t see them or didn’t care, as he continued driving without stopping or even slowing down.

As Brian doubled over to catch his breath, Brian asked, “What was all that about?”

“Guilt,” Will replied gravely.

“Over what?”

“You heard that song.” The DJ had played “The Hanging Tree” from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. She said someone had requested it in honor of Jack Davis, a beloved classmate who had passed away. But for Brian, Thomas, and Will, it was a reminder of the dark guilt they all shared. “It’s not a dance song. It was creepy, and the lyrics…”

“Jack didn’t hang himself.”

“No, but it was a suicide that we…” Will trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

They both understood the underlying message of the song—one that they had all been trying to bury and forget.

“So, what do we do now?” Will asked.

Brian shrugged helplessly. “Do you have Thomas’ phone number?”

“No, but I can stop by his parents’ house in the morning,” Will said, his voice tinged with concern. “He’s probably staying with them.”

“Call me when you hear something,” Brian told him.

Will watched as Brian stared out into the darkness, his posture tense and guarded. “Are you going back inside?”

Brian shook his head, his eyes still fixed on something unseen. “I only came because I wanted to know what was going on with the photo and message. We’re not going to get an answer. Someone is playing with us. Maybe they don’t know for sure what happened. Maybe they just want to torment us. It doesn’t matter. I’m done.”

The events of the night had been unsettling and unnerving.

“Are you going to be at the brunch tomorrow?” Will asked.

“Why? So some other stupid stunt can happen like what happened tonight?” His words were sharp and bitter.

“I thought you might want to see everyone.”

“Will, after what happened with Jack, all I wanted to do was leave here and never look back. I didn’t want to think about this place and how stupid we were. I did a pretty good job with that, too. This reunion only shows me it was the right thing to do.” His tone held a hint of regret.

“But we didn’t kill Jack.” Will reminded him gently.

“No, but we probably could have stopped it from happening, and that’s too close to doing it… at least for me.” Brian’s shoulders slumped as he spoke.

With a solemn nod, Will reached out and shook Brian’s hand before turning to leave. Will could understand Brian’s desire to distance himself from the past and move on.

Brian watched Will leave before getting into his own car and driving back to the hotel. It had been a mistake to come back to Thurmont, reunion or not. This town would never be the same for him.

***

The maid’s cart, laden with cleaning supplies and tools, halted in front of rooms 105 and 107 at the Sleep Inn & Suites in Emmitsburg. She paused to catch her breath before knocking on the door to room 105.

“Housekeeping.” Her voice echoed through the hallway, but there was no answer from inside the room. She tried again, louder this time. Still, silence greeted her.

With a sigh, she pulled out her master key and unlocked the door. Stepping inside, she surveyed the room quickly. The bed was neatly made, but towels were strewn about the bathroom as if someone had just finished using them. Puzzled, she moved closer to inspect the toiletries still arranged neatly on the counter.

As she turned to leave, something caught her eye. A figure lay sprawled across the bed in a sharp suit, one arm dangling off the side and a glass that had toppled over onto the bedspread beside him. The maid gasped in surprise.

“I’m sorry,” she stammered, thinking perhaps he had checked in late and was resting before checking out. “I didn’t know anyone was here.”

But there was no response. The man’s eyes were wide open and fixed on the ceiling above. Slowly, realization dawned on the maid as she took in his unmoving form.

Her scream echoed down the hallway as she backed away from the chilling sight before her. Fear gripped her as she realized he would never check out of this room, or any other, for that matter. He was dead.

***

The shrill sound of Brian’s blaring smartphone woke him after it seemed he had just fallen asleep. He groaned, tempted to shove the device between the mattress and box spring and return to his dreamless sleep. He had finally drifted off sometime after 2 a.m., his mind still racing from the high school reunion and all the emotions it had stirred up.

He saw it was Will calling. Brian had told him to call when he heard something about Thomas.

His voice heavy with sleep, Brian answered the call. “Hello?” he mumbled.

“Thomas is dead.”

At first, the words didn’t register in Brian’s half-awake state. “Will? What did you say about Thomas?”

“He’s dead. They found him in his hotel room. His parents told me this morning.”

The news hit Brian like a punch to the gut, jolting him fully awake. He sat up in bed, heart pounding.

“What happened?”

“His parents said the police are still investigating, but it looks like he took his own life. They don’t know whether it was an accident or on purpose.”

Took his own life? “How?”

“They found a bottle of antidepressants and alcohol in his room.”

Brian’s eyes flicked to the nearly empty bottle of bourbon on his bureau.

“Are you still there, Brian?” Will asked.

“I’m here, I just… I don’t know what to say. Maybe we could have…”

“No, don’t go there. We had no idea where he went. We couldn’t have stopped him.”

“But we could have called his parents last night. We could have talked to him.”

“Like we did after Jack?”

Brian shook his head. “We were young then. We’re adults now. We should have been able to handle this.”

“Really? You and Thomas left town and never looked back. That’s not dealing with things.”

“Plenty of kids left town.”

“But it wasn’t just about leaving town, was it? You said yourself that it had to do with Jack.”

“Do you think we should tell the police about the photo and note?” Brian asked.

“You think that had something to do with it?”

“Of course it did. That’s why he was so upset. And even if it didn’t, the police will want to know what happened last night.”

There was a heavy silence before Will spoke again. “Let someone else from the reunion talk to the police. I don’t want to get involved.”

“But it could help us understand what happened to Thomas.”

“It won’t bring him back. I promised his parents I would go see them. Do you want to come with me?”

Brian sighed. “No, I just want to go home. This weekend was a mistake. I should have never come back.”