There's No Escape

Chapter 7

Kyle POV

"How was it?" My mom asked.

"Good." I replied, looking out the window.

It was nearly nine o'clock, and it was very dark out. The headlights of our car were the only light, because the moon was hiding behind the dark clouds.

I then looked over to my mother. "I know I should be very careful, but I promised Emma I would go out with her tomorrow night."

"Like a date?" She asked, keeping her gaze on the road ahead.

"No." I said quickly. "She wants us to look for Hazel. The girl we had to leave behind."

"Oh." She chewed in her bottom lip. "I don't know Kyle."

"I already promised her mom. I can't cancel on her, she's counting on me."

Mom had now pulled into our driveway. "Fine." She took the keys out of the ignition. "How long will you be out?"

"Probably all night." I responded.

She nodded her head and then got out of the car, I followed suit.

"You better get some sleep then, since you won't be getting much tomorrow." She said after closing and locking the front door.

"Ok. Goodnight Mom."

"Night." She replied, as I walked up the stairs into my room.

After walking through and closing the door, I undressed out of my clothes and slipped under the covers of my bed. I fell asleep not too long after.

* * *

I took my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans and looked at the time. 9:47pm. I put it back and picked up my pace, I had to be there in thirteen minutes.

That day, I had packed up a bag with a map and compass and other things, like snacks and a flashlight. Mom had been pretty hesitant to let me go, that's why I might be slightly late. She had asked me over and over if I had my phone and if there was something else I needed. I then told her over and over that I had everything, but that didn't stop her from asking her questions.

I wrapped my jacket tighter around myself as I walked faster against the cold breeze. I only had on a thin grey t-shirt and my black jacket. I continued my speed walking towards her house, occasionally checking the time.

"You're late." Emma said from her front porch.

Her hair was brushed and pulled tightly into another ponytail, and she had that same old backpack that I saw yesterday over her right shoulder. She had on jeans and a plain black hoodie, and the bags under her eyes weren't as prominent as yesterday.

I checked the time quickly. "I'm only eight minutes late."

"Hazel could have been easily killed in that time." She stated, while walking right by me, and towards the park. "C'mon, we got to go."

I jogged to catch up to her. "It looked like you got a better sleep."

"Yeah." She said, not slowing down at all.

"What about Billy?" I asked.

She looked over at me and then the woods at the other side of the park. "He really wanted to come, but I told him to stay behind and make sure nothing happens to mom and dad."

"Oh."

We made it to the edge of the woods, but before we went any further Emma stopped and dropped her bag. She unzipped it and grabbed a flashlight. I did the same thing before we started our journey through the woods.

Twenty minutes went by in silence and searching for any sign that Hazel would have gone this way, but we found nothing.

"Should we start heading a little bit north?" I asked, looking at the map I got from my backpack.

"Shh."

I then looked up from the paper. "What?"

"I said shh. Do you hear that?"

I listened intently for whatever caught Emma's ear. "I don't hear an-" And then I stopped, cause I did hear something.

It sounded like rustling coming from just beyond where we came from. I turned towards the source, and waited. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Emma brought out a pepper spray bottle.

I could hear my ears start to ring and my breaths quickened, and then the figure stopped into the light of our flashlights.