Silence

Horror Day Anthology, 2006

We sit together on the log, he and I, both naked in the cold night air, and look out across the lake, still, dark, deep. There is no moon, just starlight. We're miles from anywhere. His arm is around my shoulders. One hand rests on my breast, the other high on my bare thigh. I ignore them. Listen, I tell him, as we sit. Listen to the silence. He doesn't understand. All he hears are birds in the distance, the sound of us breathing, his own quick heartbeat. He has an erection. I ignore that too. Listen, I say again. Then I scream.