What We Found by Jeremy Jenkins

Jackson:
“Don’t touch the stairs in the woods. Don’t go near them. Don’t even think about them.”
That’s what my supervisor told me. I’m a Search and Rescue Officer in the remote wilderness of the Michigan Upper Peninsula. On the side, I dabble in woodworking and all manner of lumberjack-related activities. What I’m trying to say is, there’s not a lot that scares me.But those stairs do.Sometimes they’re wood. Sometimes metal. Sometimes, they’re even upside-down.We’re not supposed to talk about them, period. Especially to visitors.Imagine my horror when one of my buddies starts blabbing to a bunch of rich city kids at a bonfire.They’re not scared. No, they’re interested. The most curious one is some genius half my age with dashing, princely looks. Problem is, he’s got an egotistical, arrogant attitude to match. I’ve got half a mind to let him loose into the woods and let him disappear up one of those staircases… but something keeps stopping me. Must be my protective instinct…

Dave:
At twenty-one, I’m a wealthy software engineer at the most powerful tech company in the world. All my friends say money buys happiness, but I’ve become jaded. Bored with everything. Burnt out.My one hope is the secret project in Building Sixty-Four — a project that routinely sends the most brilliant minds in the world running for the hills. Right after I signed the agreement to start working on it, I sent myself on a week-long vacation to prepare myself and recharge.The goal was to go off the grid to the most remote, pristine wilderness I could find: The Upper Peninsula of Michigan.It was supposed to be a solo trip to reclaim my mind. To remember there’s a life outside my company, outside tech. No notifications, no phone calls, no distractions.Though, there is a distraction. A mystery.Well, two. The first are those stairs that keep showing up in the woods. The second is the only person I’ve found interesting in a long time: A tall, older, lumber-jacked Search and Rescue guy.I can’t resist bantering with him. The more insults I fling at him, the more he catapults back to me like a weird little tennis match. For the first time in a long time, I’m invigorated. I’m having fun.But I’m straight. I can’t be having… feelings for a guy, can I? Jackson’s the only person I’ve ever truly admired.I start learning the truth about myself at the same time I learn the truth about the stairs in the woods. And when I learn what my company’s working on in Building Sixty-Four, I start seeing how everything’s insidiously connected.Can Jackson and I escape the web before it’s too late?