Alex can be, or perhaps far more apt, has always been, a bit of a rascal; some remnants of a past hard to put behind. Throughout his teenage years he couldn’t find enough trouble to get himself into. Between petty theft here and there, treading around private property, running amok, and overall being a nuisance, it was a source of adventure and adrenaline in his life. While his parents labeled him as a promise child early on, after high school, it seemed that he was taking every opportunity to tarnish that idea. Was it sprung on by a coming of age? Was it rebelling against a family that was too strict? His parents would sooner blame it on bad influence of his best friend, Tyler McKinzie. Alex did everything with Tyler. It was far more common to see them together than apart, and it wasn’t uncommon for Alex to sneak out of his house late at night so the two of them could cause trouble somewhere. They were inseparable. This was normal for them, and that normal lasted until Alex finished high school. Alex had it in his head that he wanted to leave this town. That there was a bigger life waiting for him—some bigger purpose outside of Paradise Falls. He wanted to get away from his family forever and start new. Alex had it in his head that both he and Tyler would grab what they could and leave. Travel light. Would they hitchhike, run, steal a car? It didn’t matter. As long as they made it out and they had each other, they would be fine.

Alex didn’t get along with his parents, but they were a financial support that he couldn’t afford to cut off. Tyler knew this too well. So, acting as Alex’s good conscious—and by far the more responsible of the two—Tyler urged him to pursue a college education using his parents support while he still had it. It took two years of nagging from both Tyler and also Alex’s parents for him to finally bite and attend college classes at 20. During this time, Alex dedicated his focus into his education and began to adopt a calmer lifestyle. While although it made his parents proud, it wasn’t their approval he was looking for: he did it to make Tyler happy. Even though the two of them still hung out near every day, Alex’s days of small crime seemed to be behind him. Tyler, however, still acted the same. Life was more nominal than what Alex yearned for, but it was going well. It was the same routine every week for about six months into his first year, but after it hit that halfway point, that normality changed. Tyler disappeared without a word to anyone.

It was unlike anything he would do. Alex tried to keep a cool head about it, after all, he never did anything too dangerous. Anything the two of them did would only land them a bit of jail time if that. He never shared the dreams of running away, and he sure as hell wouldn’t have done anything without telling Alex first. It was too sudden. It was too quiet. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t Tyler.

The first few months were filled with denial, confusion, and uncertainty for Alex. And for those first few months, it crushed him. Reality had come crashing down on how dependent he was on Tyler. The longer he was missing, the harder it hit Alex. The heavier the weight of his own emotions, the more it stunted him. A haze he couldn’t see through. A thickness of air that he could hardly find the strength to stand in. The confusion and sorrow ate at and took everything from him, but there was something else that fueled him. The jovial and subtle celebration from his parents that Tyler was no longer influencing their son. Anger. Anger lit the spark in extinguished embers. It was the fuel he needed to turn confusion into resolve, and uncertainty to action. (While, perhaps, denial never truly left.) Alex was certain Tyler’s disappearance wasn’t of his own doing. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind. Whether it be a kidnapping, the supernatural, or even God above, he was going to find the cause. No matter the cost.