Chapter 4

After they talked, Dave and Adanna walked closely on the worn-out road leading towards Pine Falls. They had a light conversation about the previous semester- talking like they did when they first became friends. It was nice for Adanna to chat with her oldest friend without the burden of his feelings weighing on her mind.

Dave was talking about some new bull his dad had gotten back in the midwest when Adanna first felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She felt… uneasy. Like someone was watching them as they trudged along.

"Hey," Adanna said, not noticing she had just cut him off, "Do you… feel something?"

Dave rolled his eyes, "You're just letting Kate's weirdness get to you." He patted her on the back, "I'm sure it's fine."

Adanna didn't respond but kept an eye on the surrounding forest. Occasionally she would see a shadow pass between trees. It kind of looked like a girl?

"Dave I'm serious I see someone."

He stopped and they stood super still, listening for any kind of movement. All was quiet, not even the forest made any noise. Which was odd, because Adanna could have sworn she had heard some birds bef-

CAW CAW.

She screamed as a crow burst from the bushes next to them. Shoving Dave to the bush as a sacrifice she sprinted down the road. Dave called from behind telling her to stop, but all of her senses had left her. She rounded a corner and saw signs of civilization, a whole little town blossomed in front of her as she ran. Looking behind her she saw Dave was catching up. He yelled something to her, but she couldn't quite make it out…

"Matchup?"

"Washout?"

Oh shit.

"Watch out."

Adanna bodyslammed into what felt like a brick wall, and it was lights out.

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Back at the truck, Nessa, Kate, and Kasem all sat in the truck, watching as the thick pines around them started to swallow up the light as the sun started to set. By now, a light fog had even rolled in as the damp, warm foliage met the icy grip of the evening.

"This is absolutely horrifying," Kate said, worried.

Kasem sighed, "Dude, chill. It's just nature, city slicker."

Nessa tuned out the childish banter and gazed out the window. While it was indeed kind of creepy, the woods were beautiful this time of day. She felt like she was in a movie like Harry Potter, about to embark on a wondrous journey.

A shadow moved between the trees right next to her. Curiously, she turned to look over at the trees. What she saw made her heart stop and her scream catch in her throat.

A little girl, no more than 16, was standing peeking from behind the tree. Her short, brown hair was slicked to the sides of her face, dripping water from her delicate chin. The porcelain white of her skin glowed a little as she cocked her head to the side, seemingly curious to what Nessa was doing.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Kate's voice snapped her out and she glanced over her shoulder.

"Do you not see the-" Nessa stared at the now-empty forest. The girl had disappeared.

"The what?"

She shook her head, "Nothing, nevermind. Thought I saw a deer."

Did she though?

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Dave watched in slight horror as Adanna made full contact with the large 'Mechanics' sign in her path and crumpled to the ground like a doll. He ran up to her quickly and gently rolled her over.

"Oh my God, dumbass, I told you to watch out." He breathed a sigh of relief as Adanna groaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh man, what did I bodyslam?" Adanna propped herself up and looked at the sign. She chuckled, "Hey, found the mechanics!"

"Yeah, and a concussion." Dave helped her up.

"And a new sign if you did any damage!" A gruff voice said behind them. The man laughed as the two jumped in surprise.

Adanna whipped around, "I am so so sorry! I didn't do it on purpose, I promise!"

The man just wiped the grease from his hands onto his shirt, "It's whatever. Watching you fly into that thing like some sort of graceful gazelle was payment enough." He held out his hand, "Names Holden."

Adanna and Dave introduced themselves and explained their situation. The man grinned ear to ear, "Well, sounds to me like Pine Falls chose you to be here!"

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