The night is thick with the fragrance of the forest and heavy with heat. The sound of a boat engine in the distance skips across the calm lake to reach me as I make my way back along the path to West’s grave. I decided to cover it back up. I don’t want animals or rain to get in there and disturb it. I’ll tell Ezra about it and let him be the one to decide what he wants to do next. I have no idea how West’s body came to be buried on Avril Island. All this discovery has done is create yet another mystery.

Using my phone as a flashlight, I carefully make my way through the dark. I’m light-headed from the Scotch and an empty stomach, and there’s an unsettling tremor all through my body from adrenaline and the effort of digging up a grave. My island that is supposed to be my refuge has turned into a waking nightmare.

I keep getting flashes of May, her scent, her voice, the feeling that she’s in the room with me. It’s comforting, so I tell my skeptical side to shut up. I don’t want to be alone in all of this, so what harm can come from imagining my sister is right here with me, even if she’s dead?

As I turn onto the path that leads to the tree, the light of my phone grows dimmer. It’s at only six percent battery. I silently curse myself for not taking the time to charge it.

Stepping into the small clearing, I’m thinking I’ll end up filling everything back in by dark, only to find that the hole has vanished. There’s still enough light from my phone to see that I’m not imagining it. Only flat earth sits in front of the tree. I move right up to it for a closer look. All the earth has been returned to the grave and carefully packed down. I spin around, looking for whoever completed the task, but there’s no sign of anyone. Even the shovel is gone.

It’s as though the grave uncovering never even happened. For a split second I wonder if it actually did, but then the pulsing of the blisters on my hands reminds me that I did not imagine it. I’m not crazy. Someone covered that grave up, which means I’m not alone on this island and they could be anywhere. Maybe even in the woods, watching me right now.

Rushing back out to the main path, I scroll through my phone until I find the number for the local police station. Before I can even hit call, my phone dies. This is when real fear sets in. Someone else is on this island with me, and my only tether to the outside world has been cut.