"We're almost there- Shit I think I just stepped on a bug." Wyatt says, leading Layla, Theodore, Jade and I through the mountains of Roane County. After we all paid for our clothing items, Wyatt got the bright idea of leading us somewhere we didn't even know, well apart from him. For all we know, he could be leading us to see a cult of magic unicorns, knowing him, anything is possible.
"Hey Wyatt, where the hell are you leading us?" I ask while moving a few tree leaves out of my face, and boy there were many. We'd been walking for about 10 minutes now, which wasn't too bad, but it was kinda creepy.
"Yeah Wyatt, I wanna be able to get home tonight without being traumatized." Theodore adds, making everyone laugh, except for me. He probably thinks he's was so fucking funny.
I look down at the ground, and see my laces untied. I wonder who the fuck did that. I bend down to tie my laces, while everyone else except Layla walks past me. "C'mon Stella, I don't want you getting eaten by a bear." She hums, looking down at me.
"Oh how thoughtful of you Layla dearest." I reply back, smiling at her. I was done tying both feet, when I gently dust of the dirt off my jeans. I immediately shoot up when I hear something in the bush. I look around, noticing Layla also looking around.
"Did you hear that?" She asks, looking at me worriedly. "Yeah Layla, I'm sure it was just a bunny rabbit." I smile encouragingly, not believing a word that just came out of my mouth. But let's be honest, it couldn't be anything dangerous, could it?
We look toward the others, seeing they were a few meters in front of us, being not too far. We slowly walk side by side in comforting silence, the only thing you could really hear were the crunches of the autumn leaves underneath our feet.
As we get closer to the others, I hear something in the distance, I look in the direction of the sound, Layla doing the same. I wince my eyes as I step forward, noticing a tall black figure. Holy shit is that a bear?
I take a few more steps forward, Layla following behind me. I wince my eyes even harder, I really need to get them checked because I cannot see shit. Once I finally see the visible figure, I feel my breath get unsteady, my eyes widen as I try to utter out words.
There was a tall pale man in a fully black suit, heading toward somewhere, in the same direction as our group. Where the fuck was Wyatt us leading to? I lock eyes with the pale man, and look toward the badge he had on...
It was the same number combination as the one burnt into Carmen's skin, 555-01. No one knew what the combination meant, no one really cared though, and the cops didn't look into it.
Once my brain fully comprehends that specific number combination, my mouth is left dry, and I get flash backs, flash backs on the horrible last few days my lovely sister Carmen had to live through, and I wasn't there. I wasn't there, I wasn't fucking there while she was dying, dying to put a roof over my head, so I could get away from my fucking demonic mother.
My head starts spinning, my breathing now at an increasingly high pace. I make eye contact with the mysterious man, before he runs off, leaving me calling out for Layla.
I look around see no one, I was all alone. All alone just like Carmen was before she died.
I deserved this, I deserved to be haunted by everything because I wasn't there for Carmen when she needed me the most.
Tears fill my eyes as my vision starts to fog, and I'm back in the same dark room my mom used to lock me in when she was unhappy with me.
I cry out for Carmen, Layla, Theodore, anyone. My words get caught up in my throat, while all I can see is never-ending darkness, darkness that is slowly going to consume me, just as it did to Carmen.
I scream out, leaving no more breath in my lungs and I fall hard onto the ground. All I could see was darkness.
Darkness I'd tried escaping since Carmen's death. Something I'd been running away from, hiding from.
There was no place to hide this time.
-
"Estrella wake up, please please wake up!" I hear a faint, panicked voice ask in a worried tone. I struggle to open my eyes, trying to adjust my eyes to the light. I squirm as I realize I was in someone's arms.
My vision finally comes to me after what felt like a billion fucking years, and I see I'm held tightly in Wyatt's arms, his eyes widen and he smiles widely at me when he realizes I'm awake.
"HOLY SHIT GUYS SHE'S AWAKE!" He shouts at the others who were standing close to him. Where the fuck where we?
Everyone races to me, Theodore arriving last with the normal emotionless look on his face. "Sweet baby Jesus, you scared me Stella!" Jade yells, as I remove myself from Wyatt's clasp, standing up, trying to be as balanced as possible.
Both Jade and Layla hug me tightly, almost squeezing me to death. "You bitch, don't ever do that again!" Layla exclaims while holding my cheeks with her warm hands. "Yeah Stella, you scared me shitless!" Wyatt adds, while hugging me as well.
"What happened?" I ask, covering my eyes as the Sun shone brightly, almost time for it to set. "You blacked out after seeing something in the forest." Theodore says monotonously, as if this is shit that happens on the daily for him.
I frown, remembering the nightmare I'd encountered in broad daylight. "But it's okay now, you're safe with us." Jade hums, lighting up the mood. "Thank you Jade. Thank you little shits, I probably would've died without you guys." I chuckle.
"Yeah what did you see even?" Wyatt asks, his face in clear confusion. I look at Layla, who knew what I was about to say, she probably saw the same thing as I did, well hopefully. "We uh, we both saw this guy." Layla utters, keeping her head down toward the ground.
"A guy?" Theodore asks sarcastically, not believing his own cousin. He's such an annoying fucktard. "Yeah, there was this guy in a suit, and-and he had the same little number combo on a badge..." I stutter, trying not to choke on my own words.
"The same one that was found on Carmen." Jade finishes my sentence, reading my exact thoughts. I nod at her as everyone looks at me with a confused expression on their face.
"Who's Carmen?" Theodore asks, now intrigued. I glance at Jade, she gives me an encouraging smile and nods at me, signaling for me to tell them.
"My sister." I answer back in a soft tone. "Okay and what does your sister have to do with this?" He asks, trying to make sense of this all.
"My sister is uhm, dead."
AUTHORS NOTE:
the big secret about Carmen just got revealed yallll !!
more details about her death will be in the next chapter, i love to keep yall waiting tbh.
this chapter was kinda roller-coaster and all over the same, and super short, but i just had to explain the shit about Carmen because boy is she a HUGE part of the story.
so yeah, tell me what yall think.
anyways lemme go shit, bye yall !
15/07/2022
Wordcount : 1265 words
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until the dawn
Romanceit's been a month since estrella's sister passed on. she's still mourning, however it seems like everyone as has moved on. - she's sitting in detention with a group of people she would've never thought she'd...
