A Quick Run

It's 2:30 AM. The sky is at its darkest, you can almost get lost inside it's cold empty stare. Ring Ring Ring , Ring Ring Ring, Ring Ring Ring goes the neglected alarm of DeAndre Knight. Ring Rin ... , it's time for DeAndre to go on his Early Morning Run. The bright flash of light hits his puffy face as he prepares for yet another day. A missed call from " Lorenzo", a text message from " Lauren ❤️", then a few notifications from Twitter & Facebook welcomes DeAndre. He scrolls through his Social Media for a couple of minutes as he lets his body slowly wake up.

The loud noise of a passing train, makes him look at the time. 2:55 AM. He quickly brushes his teeth, puts on his gym clothes & heads out the door. Every morning is the same for Deandre. Get up, Go for a run, Go home, take a shower & eat breakfast then go to work. It seemed like an ordinary day. It seemed like a normal routine run. It seemed like life was moving at the same pace as it always does. Everything seemed normal.

It was a bit colder than usual. The crisp wind cuts at Deandre's face as he nears the Hiking Trail entrance. He glances at his Apple Watch. 3:24 AM. He jogs past a Missing Persons Poster without even stealing a glance. Had he took his time to read the poster, he might've went home or perhaps changed his routine. But routine is everything right ? He hurriedly approaches the hiking trail, it's dimly illuminated by the natural light of the moon. Deandre pulls out a small hat with a flashlight for a better view of the trail. In the back of his mind he knows this isn't the best idea but it's his routine so he thinks nothing of it.

The only sound for miles are the gravel & rocks crunching beneath his feet. 3:31 AM, his Apple Watch reads. He stops for a quick breather then proceeds to set his alarm for 3:34 AM. He can't stop thinking about how quiet it is this morning. The silence was a bit unnerving. Suddenly Deandre hears nearby rustling. He quickly turns around. The rustling stops abruptly. Breathing heavily, He looks down the long dark trail. Beep Beep. The loud sound of his alarm makes him slightly jump. He nervously chuckles at his reaction & continues his jog.

The moon light peaks through the clouds, & brightens up the trail. In the distance you can see the large wooden cross, which marks the half way point. As he approaches the cross he's feeling accomplished, he wipes off the sweat from his forehead & takes a seat on the nearby bench. The trail is thick with silence, the hills are still, & the wildlife is hushed. The wind lightly whispers as if it's conversing with itself.

He opens the text from Lauren. " Babe don't forget to check in with me after your jog. You know how worried I get. Love you. " His watch reads 3:40AM. He smirks a bit & continues on the hiking trail. But as he jogs off in the distance. The wooden cross peers down at him. The stare is so intense that Deandre can't help but to quickly look back. He suddenly doesn't feel alone anymore.

The trail isn't too steep yet so this is a good time to catch up. He sees the lights of the city as he nears the top of the mountain. It's beautiful. He feels on top of the world. As he admires the view he quickly loses his balance & tumbles slightly down the trail. Dust & gravel surround him as he lays on the cold pathway in pain. The bulb on his hat flickers as he picks himself off the ground. Standing up , he realizes that he rolled his ankle during the fall. One last flicker & the dark trail ahead greets him, his headlamp went out.

The gravel slowly shift in front of him as if someone were approaching. He immediately pulls his phone out & turns on the flashlight.

There's nothing there ! Just the dust settling from his fall. Deandre decides that it's just best to end his jog & go home. He limps back to the halfway point but now instead of feeling accomplished, like he felt previously, he felt defeated. He exhales & angrily glances at his Apple Watch, he just knows that he wasted so much time. It must be past 4 AM by now.

The time 3:40 AM glared at him. He thought maybe his watch must've broke during the fall but there are no scratches on it & the screen looked how it always did. Brand new. Confused, He checks his cellphone. 3:40 AM. He quickly checks his service. Full bars. He turns his phone on & off. Deandre just knew that doing this will reset the clock & the correct time will appear. 30 seconds go by & his face sort of loses it color as he looks at the time .....

3:40 AM

Deandre searches for explanations in his head. He stumbles disoriented on the bench under the wooden cross. He counts to 60 as he stares at his watch. He counts to 60 again & again & again. The clock mocks him as it says 3:40 AM.  Somethings not right. He mumbles in fear. Home - he needs to go home & everything will be okay. Everything will be exactly how it's always been. Everything will be fine.

At this point his ankle is on fire & throbbing. He doesn't think he could go on. He desperately limps down the hill, hoping he could make it to the bottom in one piece. The trail seems to go on for hours. Deandre knows for a fact he should've been to the beginning of the trail by now. He looks behind him & he still sees the large cross in the distance. But It's not possible, how is he still at the halfway point ?

As he drags himself along the rocky path he unknowingly drags along a piece of paper. He picks the paper off the floor & shines his iPhone flashlight for a better view. Missing Person: Deandre Knight Age: 28 Height: 6'1 Race: African American. As he reads further, his eyes grow wide with fear. According to this paper he's been missing for 3 years. Frightened & defeated, Deandre yells at the top of his lungs. His dry throat aches as he pleads & screams for help. The dead silence of the trail is disheartening, no help is coming.

Another avid runner is preparing for their morning run. Jabari McDaniel, African American 6'3, 27 years old. Jabari does his routine stretches before making his way to the trail. The trail ahead is pitch black except for a small object in the distance, it looks like a light of some sort. He approaches the mysterious light only to find a scuffed up Apple Watch laying on the ground. The watch reads 3:40 AM.

As he stares at the watch, the crisp cold air sends chills down his spine, he feels like he's being watched. Jabari quickly turns around to see nothing expect the leaves blowing in the wind & the eerily dark path ahead. He shakes off the strange feeling & sets his timer for 30 mins. "Just a Quick Run" he exclaims as he jogs up the hiking trail.