Matt

I stayed up a little longer, staring at the fire until it burned down to glowing coals.

The night sound settled into a low hum, distant insects, the occasional rustle of something small moving through the brush.

Just as I was about to douse the coals, I heard it again.

''Hey, Matt.''

Same voice.

Same casual tone.

Close enough that I should have been able to see the person speaking.

This time, it came from the wash behind me.

I didn't turn around.

Every instinct in me screamed that if I turned, I wouldn't like what I saw.

Instead, I walked to the cooler, grabbed the water jug, and poured it slowly over the fire.

The coals hissed, steam rising in a brief ghost before vanishing into the cold air.

The darkness closed in tighter, now that there was no light to push it back.

Matt, it was closer, just behind my right shoulder.

I climbed the ladder to the tent faster than I ever had before in my life, my palms slipping on the metal rungs.

I zipped the flap behind me, heart pounding, and lay there in the dark, listening to my own breathing.

Nobody else said my name the rest of the night.

In the morning, I convinced myself it had been a dream.

It's amazing what daylight can do.

The same wash that had felt like the throat of some giant animal at night looked harmless in the pale sunrise.