8 LOST IN DARKNESS

Thea woke up, bumped into a piece of mind-boggling news. She and Jassy were found lying on the floor, both unconscious. She wrinkled her brow, trying to commemorate the scene of what happened before and why they turned unconscious. But not a single speck came across her mind.

"Thanks to God, you're okay. I wonder what happened after I left you. You're both unconscious, but Jassy's pulse is so low, barely breathing, that we have to send her to the hospital." York narrated as he's preparing a soup for her.

She didn't feel anything that would suggest being ill. She feels perfectly fine, but she feels odd for not remembering anything.

"If you're not feeling well, we don't need to go camping." York is worried.

Even at the back of her mind, she doesn't want to go camping, yet she can't use her being falsely ill as an excuse; she despises lies. "I'm perfectly okay, and If you really want, we can go anytime."

*****

York is driving Nerie's yellow Jeep Wrangler; it is an off-road truck, their ride to the camping site. Thea tucks herself at the open-air back part of the truck, with Nerie's friends, who are jabbering about any topic that came to their mind. Nerie, of course, is in the front set with York, and four of her friends are on the back with Thea. Two of them are girls and two boys, and they are pairing. She didn't know their names, and she didn't bother to know. She's only here to support York, and for whatever reason why she needs to? she hardly knows it yet. But she hopefully believes that the recent intimacy and closeness they have with each other is for real.

On the other hand, York is worried about Thea at the back. If it only depends on his will, he would be delighted to have Thea in the front seat or maybe have somebody drive the car, and he can stay with Thea at the back, get cozy with each other with the rushing open and fresh air. But Nerie insisted York to drive her car, as she can't afford the long off-road trail drive, and she said none of their boy's companion either could drive expertly on rough roads and wading on mud holes. York is driving while his eyes are busy glimpsing back and forth on the road and peeking on the rear mirror, where he can spot Thea silently curled herself at the back, not being comfortable nor joining the group's conversation.

To reach the camping site is another four-mile more trek from where they parked the car. They reached the camping site almost daybreak. The boys immediately assembled the tents without losing any more time while most of the girls prepared charcoals for the grilling.

Thea, not having any idea on what she should do, she's just standing on the corner observing everybody and waiting for their call, in case they need her assistance. And they did, " Hey can you help us grab some water for washing? "Asked the girl; like Nerie, her hair is straight and rebounded, but her hair color is ash grey and a bit longer than Nerie's.

"Sure!" even she hesitates because she doesn't have any idea where to get the water from. Thea complies, thinking. 'for sure, it's not far from here.'

She's about to go to York to tell him what she needs to do or gather information from him on where to go. But Nerie blocked her way towards York. "Aren't you supposed to get for water? It's that way." pointing the direction opposite of York. And since York looks busy, she moves her way out without bothering him.

For almost half an hour's walk, she finally found a spring, with a little falls from its source under the huge Balete Tree. The spring's inner part is shady since her spreading leaves and falling roots cover it. She takes off her shoes and dips the water container not far from the bank, soaking her feet at the same time.

Walking back to the camp, she halts when she realized that she couldn't remember which way she should go. Most of the bushes, the leaves, the foliage looks exactly alike to each other. She looks around from the ground up, mindful of the sky's changing color partly visible since covered with tall trees. It is turning into greyish-orange. Her heart starts to beat faster, ignited with her jitters. She doubts that she can make it in time back. Then she continued her walk for almost an hour, as the place is getting shadier.

Her lips start shaking, and liquid forming from her eyes starts clouding her view making it more blurry. Despite what's preceded, she never stops, and to all intent and purposes, she's now running, trying to fight the heebie-jeebies. She stops running, almost out of breath; it doesn't help anyway. The worst, she seems totally got farther away from the campsite, and she starts being hopeless.

The tears from her eyes now dropping fast together with the few drizzle that starting to annoy her more. Digging in the darkness, she's trying to find a tree with thick leaves to shelter her from the hastened sprinkles. She curls, suppressing herself from fidgeting. Hungry, scared, and hopeless in the midst of almost black pitch wildwood. Also, because of her partly drenched clothing, the flurry of air lowered her temperature to almost freezing. She closes her eyes in despair to unconsciousness.

*****

The campsite darkened faster as the skies are overclouded, particularly that it's about to rain. York and the boys had finished installing their tents; there are just five tents since two pairs are couples and are using the same tent together. As soon as York finish lighting the bonfire, he strides towards the supposed to be Thea's tent to invite her for dinner, as the gang is ready to munch up the freshly grilled pork belly strips and bream fish paired with hanging rice and a dipping sauce, mixture of, calamondin lime extract, onion, tomato, and fish sauce.

Thinking that Thea is just inside the tent, probably asleep or sorting out things or maybe dressing up. York calls for her from outside.

"Thea, the food is ready; come, let's go together." York's voice sounds calm behind the excitement.

"You go first; I'll follow later." A subdued female voice hardly heard replied.

"Are you fine?" York displaying a confused reaction.

"Yes, jus-just go." The voice replied, sounds fuzzier and huffy.

With worries, he stalls and he still moves away, giving Thea space, for now, 'perhaps she's just busy', he thought.

Inside the tent, Nerie breathes out in relief as soon she heard York's footsteps moving away, then continue rummaging Thea's belongings. She gets her phone and goes over it." Ugh, nothing exciting, nothing, even in her inbox, except for a text from an unknown number. She doesn't even have an FB account. Ugh, What a boring girl and York like her?" Checking back inside Thea's bag, suddenly, an eerie, radiating light illuminates Nerie's face, making her mouth ajar and eyes wide-open.

*****

York hadn't eaten much when he still noticed Thea not being around. "Excuse me." As he strides back to Thea's tent, leaving the other's speechless.

Halfway there, he found the tent half-open in double-time, he runs to search the inside, and it is empty, with all of her things scattered. His voice is unrestrained as he calls out for her. "Thea... Thea... Thea, where are you?!"

The group came after him as soon as they heard the blasting panicky voice of York.

"What happened?" Asked one of the boys.

"I couldn't find Thea." York continues to roam around the tent, searching.

Nerie and the grey-haired girl, obviously hiding something, keep on giving a glimpse of each other.

"I think I saw her getting inside the woods with a water container a few moments after we arrived." Says the girl with curly hair.

York's brow furrowed, getting more confused. "Impossible, she just..." He stopped after realizing something. "Shit. she's not her." Not losing a minute, he grabs his flashlight and goes deep inside the woods.

"Thea! Thea!" He's almost tired yelling for her and roaming continuously, searching for Thea. When he suddenly detects something moving, it is quick and repellent that he can barely cast an eye. He sprints a little bit faster to catch sight of it. Maybe it's her. He pondered.

As fast as he can move, he follows it until he can see that it's a girl, presented by its silhouette with long hair floating in the air as she runs. Yet suddenly, it disappeared.

He stopped about to give up, but the air is cold and misty, and at the back of his subconscious, he can see Thea scared, tired, hungry, and probably running for her life. He stopped thinking when his presentiment giving him goosebumps.

He had no choice, and he can't just be a simple human in this situation. He decided to use his power just at this moment. He really needs to find and perhaps a need to save Thea.

With full concentration, a bluish-green light, flame-like, covered all over his body, slowly and enchantingly. From the ground up to his head. As the flame faded. Exposed is a totally different semblance from the York known.