From Me to Us

Chapter Twenty Nine

OLIVIA

"You have 10 seconds to run..."

Run. He wants us to run? Before I can even question it, there's a series of bangs that come from somewhere in the distance then the crowd surrounding us starts chanting their countdown.

Fuck my life. I can't run in these Black Widow boots and from the look on Ronnies face, she's thinking the same thing for herself.

"Better hurry girls, the rest have already fled." A drunk guy from the crowd hollers at us. I turn to find the backs of the other freshman heading into the tree line. No Zoey in sight. She just left us!

When I stare back at the stage, Daniels eyes pierce into mine. Daring me to oppose and not run.

"Fuck, come on." I grip Ronnie and we break for it to the tree line. I have to hold my chest because the costume is doing nothing for support and my back is starting to hurt. My feet are going to be so blistered tomorrow.

The upperclassmen all break out into laughs and taunts. This is so not fun. What are they going to do? Chase us down one by one? What happens when they catch us? Will Daniel catch me?

"Let's get em, boys!" I hear in the background.

I sprint into the dark forest, almost tripping on sticks and rocks. The only thing I can hear is our laboured breathing and the crunch under our feet and I vaguely see the green necklaces lighting up parts of the forest where the other freshman have run off to.

God. They've even marked us so they can find us easier.

"I thought this would be fun. This isn't fun, Liv." Ronnie yells from behind me. No I guess it's not fun to be roped into coming to a shady party that we had no idea about then having 40 drunk footballers send you off into the woods to be tracked down like cattle. I don't even want to know what they'll do when they find us. I'm going to kill Elena for letting us do this but I guess she wouldn't have had a choice in the matter anyway. The invitation did say that this halloween party was compulsory and I shudder to think what they would've done if we hadn't attended.

"Just keep going. We can find somewhere to hide. Elena said it'll be fun, just relax and see what happens okay?" I chuck over my shoulder to Ronnie, trying to soothe her anxiety.

A scream in the distance followed by laughter ensues. I duck behind a tree trunk and check to see if they've caught someone. They have.

A lanky looking footballer is being carried by too guys with Mike Myers and Freddy Kruger masks on. They all laugh though, including the guy that was caught. They drag him back onto the field and out of sight. As terrifying as this is, I guess it might be in good nature.

"We should keep going," Ronnie whispers behind me. We should.

We tip toe in the dark forest, barely seeing two steps in front of us when I see a pack of three guys with ski masks and orange necklaces on ahead.

I halt and Ronnie bumps into me.

"We should go around." I move my feet as quietly as possible but its still noticeable if I get to close that we are hiding from them.

"Let me chuck a rock or something over there," she whispers, bending to pick up two giant rocks. With strength I didn't know she held, she pegs them one after the other through the trees perpendicular to the men.