After Dark (Completed)

Season 1: Chapter 17

I shivered so bad that Lucas had to pull me closer, he glanced down at me in his arms and raised an eyebrow, quietly asking if I was alright to which I nodded.

I looked back to the spot where I had seen the weird creature, the thing I saw couldn't be human. 

There was nothing there but it felt like I was being watched,like we were being watched. 

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lucas's question pulled me from my thoughts. I was probably behaving weirdly and I could see he starting to worry. 

"Yeah, it's just-- I'm cold. Yeah cold." I lied. It wasn't actually a lie since I suddenly felt chilled to the bones.

"Oh, hold on for a moment then, we should set up the camps soon its dark after all and this place keeps getting creepier but no worries okay? I've been in forests even late at night and there are no such things as witches or wizards or vamps." He chuckled.

He said that to calm me down but down but all I could feel was more fear at the mention of vampire but laughed with him Anyways, i didn't want start acting like a sissy, that was Sadie's and Adrianna's job.

"Here would be good," Lucas said,making Me stand on my feet and putting an arm around me to support me.

"Guys, this place looks good enough right? We should rest here for the night." Lucas faced the group who all nodded, exhaustion showing on their faces.

Lucas spilt the men into two groups, he ordered a group to make the tents while the others gathered sticks that were to be used for fire. 

He made the girls sit, because they were weaker vessels and shouldn't do menial jobs like gathering stones, he said that.

The inner feminist in me rose at the display of chauvinism but I pushed it down. He sure meant no harm.

I had almost forgotten about the mysterious red eyed man and was making conversations with Irena and Sia who Irena had later apologize too when I caught something or someone move past the fire the guys made so fast I could barely see it.

I could feel the chills again. I looked around and it felt like nobody noticed it but me. I moved closer to Irena unconsciously and she noticed it, discreetly throwing me a concerned look so that sia wouldn't see.

Sia soon excused herself to go to her other friends and that gave Irena the opportunity to question me.

"What's wrong Mia? You look pale."

"D-did you notice s-somethibg strange?" I murmured, reluctant to scare the poor girl but was desperate to let someone know.

"You mean the strange red eyed man and how something blurry moved past the fire just now?" Irena asked and my jaw almost hit the floor.

"You noticed?."

"I'm not blind, Mia."

"But others didn't see it, even sia didn't."

"That's because they're all obsessed with watching Lucas, you know all girls except you and I have been watching Lucas's every move since we set out on this journey."

"Really? I didn't notice." I muttered, feeling sad at the thought of someone else getting the attention  i was getting from Lucas.

"No worries, he has his eyes on you and you alone." Irena winked , getting a glare from me. She giggled.

"Back to the matter at hand do you think we should tell Lucas about the stuffs we've been seeing, maybe he'd have something to do about it." Irena suggested. 

 I could see the fear in the young girl's eyes and felt bad for things she had to witness at her young age.

"I don't think it's a good idea." 

"Why not?" Confusion laced her voice.

"Look here irena, Lucas hasn't seen anything suspicous so he might not believe whatever we tell him and we can't take the chances of him doubting our sanity."

Irena sighed, she was starting to wonder if she'd make it out of there alive. She nodded. "OKay."

I was glad she at least believed my pathetic excuse, I knew quite well that there was a chance that Lucas might believe me but I didn't want anyone else under constant fear. It was enough that I had dragged irena into it.

I sighed and leaned against the tree I was sitting in front of, there was a low stub with I sat on with irena as she laid her head on my shoulder and drifted off into a dreamy sleep. I could tell by the way she kept murmuring about some weird fellow with red eyes.

I realised then that the best thing I could do is protect irena from those evil things around us. I wasn't sure what they were yet something was familiar about them. It was like i knew they existed before now and that made me wary. 

The murmuring ceased abruptly and irena grimaced. I pulled her closer and tucked her head beneath my chin,  Rocking her gently.

"It's going to be all right." I whispered to myself and a sleeping irena.

Something pulled my eyes towards the forest beyond the clearing and I could feel something beckoning me. It was dangerous and I could hear some strange languages in my head. I shook my head and looked the opposite way.

A shadow moved past, just at the edge of the clearing. One thing was sure. 

Whatever was out there wasn't human and it had us trapped. I looked down to irena who now had her head on my lap, looking peaceful in her sleep.

"I hope." 

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