Chapter Eighteen

Death?

Scarlett's POV

The owls are up now.

There's it again. That feeling of a second person. It's like someone's breathing next to me and I can't see it.

I close my eyes. No. There's no one. It's just me and my paranoid self. I take one step at a time. And gradually that feeling fades away. I push a bunch of bushes away and move across them to see a whole new place. The forest is a dark, dark place. The land, I walk on is uneven. Some paths are not even solid.

"Michelle!" I shout again.

Damn. Why do I keep calling for her? Every time I do, a gut wrenching feeling consumes me. As if she's calling for me too and I can't reach her. I bite my lip and shake my head. She's safe. Safe. Safe. I chant in my head and keep moving. The leaves are even darker than the night. The cold air makes its way past me and I grit my teeth together stopping them from shivering. My hands caress my arms, as they engulf me for warmth.

Another footstep and like a reflex, I flinch.

The trees are so tall, as if they are towering over me for a purpose. My feet hardly make any noise. Talk about my heart beat. Lub dub. Lub dub. I look around, the woods look the same. It's like, I haven't moved, since I got out. Am I even getting closer?

"Guys!" I scream and only my voice reverts back. Have they all abandoned me? Because, I feel like the only being in this forest.

In anguish, I stomp through the path. "Michelle left me. Didn't she know, how bad I'm with directions?" I mumble to myself. "There's no sign of the girls." I curse. "I can't even see the smoke." I inwardly groan. Oh God. What will I do? What if. What if I'm lost?

NO. I can't. Impulsively, I start tapping my back pockets. My phone, I'll call someone. Dread fills me, as I remember this holiday doesn't constitute of phones. The realization was way scarier than the world around me. I look up to see the sky laughing at me. Those foot steps are back again. But, this time it's like, it's dragging something with it.

I start walking quickly.

I gulp and look around once more. Why are these trees screaming, no progress? What time is it? I squint my eyes to see my wrist watch. This might be the darkest a night could be. An hour. I start walking again, but. My feet beg for rest. My legs crave warmth. But, my heart it doesn't want to stop. I look around maybe a twentieth time. I've been walking without a pause. I applaud my stamina that doesn't give up, even in this cold. My brain which keeps directing me and my subconscious is surprisingly silent. I place my hand on the tree beside me, which looks just like the one, I crossed fifteen minutes ago. I gasp for air and slide my back down to the ground. No amount of fear can get me walking anymore.

I rest my head to the rough edges and stare directly at the night. There's no return. I'll be lost and I'll never be found. Will I die like this? Is this my salvation?

The stars are so bright. Wish upon a star.

I fold my hands together over my chest, as I pray for help. My heart heavy, eyelids close and face drenched in tears. Bile shuts throat; no sound escapes me. Except,

"Please..." I plead over my sniffs.

The footsteps are back again. The stance is so repetitive, as if it's the same person. I shift here and there. My hands rubbing against the rough surface of the forest land. I've got pebbles in my nails, but I don't care. Trying my best to get away from that sound. I place my hands over my ears.

"Stop, stop, stop..." I murmur. When it doesn't go away. "Stop!" I scream.

It's like, my death is pouncing over me again and again and I'm begging for it to stop.

Why isn't God listening to me?

Am I that much of a bad person?

That's when, suddenly my line of sight catches those feet. This is nothing supernatural! My subconscious shouts it way back and I inhale sharply, as if I'm alive again.

I get up in a flash and bolt. My feet know no limit. The cold air slaps my face and the sharp impact hardly fazes me. My stomach gets blocked by many piercing logs, but I push past them too. My hands have bruises. My lungs demand release. But, I can't stop. I keep running, because I feel him chasing me. I gulp and the soreness of my throat tells me. Damn, I'm thirsty too. I turn around to look for his advances; and just as expected, he's hot on my trail. Is he? Him? The haunted hunter? I shake my head furiously and turn to focus on the direction that will hopefully, take me some place safe. Then, I hear it. My eyes go wide and the world goes into a deafening silence for minutes. The gun shot was loud. Was that a shot gun? Oh, who bloody cares! My subconscious screams. He has a freaking gun!

I'm going to die. I'm going to die. He's going to kill me.

Oh, it's him alright. I curse my thoughts to shut up. My chest heaving, I keep up the speed. Fear has made me forget all about the frost. He shoots again and I dodge another bullet. My shirt gets torn in this upheaval and I wince from the new scratch, it has given me. My hand twitches as it touches the area on my chest, near my collarbone. I hiss from the contact. Oh Lord, I'm bleeding! My hair starts falling out of the tight knot and I roughly push them away from my line of sight. I turn to look, if I have miraculously outrun him. Him, the haunted hunter. As rare are miracles, he's still there and he's getting closer. I gulp in terror. I can't even see my killer's face. The night might as well be black.

I'm running out of breath, as the blood rushes to my face. My abdomen has started to hurt and my chest is paining from the continuous running against the wind. I turn to look once more. Just one last time, to see how close I am to my defeat. One look at my killer's face and I might give in to my fate. But, I see nothing but his shadow chasing me. I close my eyes, as a tear cascades from my eyes and I turn.

BUMP!

My head crashes into a tree. The hit makes my vision blur and I know, I can no longer stand straight. My hands move outrageously to find any form of support. But, only air comes in my grasp and I fall back. Strangely, my head doesn't meet a hard surface. I fall onto something soft. But before, I can look at what it really is. An unbearably excruciating pain captures my forehead. All I see is black.

I take huge gasps of air, lasting as long as I can. Then, the darkness engulfs me in its embrace and I wonder.

Is this death?