Head Over Heels

III. Dead or Alive?

Though he knew it was wrong, Matt ended up in the woods behind Steve's house. It seems like an odd location, but his curiosity got the better of him.

He wanted to know what happened to Barb.

    The fall leaves that were now dying due to winter approaching crunched crisply under his feet with every step that he took. Steve's house was barely in sight from where he stood, but he figured he'd just look around because he didn't know where Barb was last seen.

   The last time he saw Barb was when she was leaving to go to Steve's bathroom, but, based on one of Johnathon's now ripped up photographs, she was sitting by the pool the last time anyone saw her. Wherever she was, she couldn't be that far.

    Matt's breath hitched when he heard leaves crunch. But that was only because he hadn't taken another step. Something else did. He looked around carefully.

  Another crunch. And another. They were getting closer.

  When he looked in the direction that he thought he heard the noises coming from, he heard something run behind him. He turned probably too quickly, because he fell onto the ground when he did. A fallen tree branch that lay on the ground had managed to form a cut just above his eyebrow when he fell, and he winced at the sudden pain.

    Again, he heard leaves crunch, and he was terrified. He was surely going to die. He quickly stood up and grabbed the tree branch to somehow defend himself. Stupidly, though he couldn't think straight in the moment, he approached the noise. Blood dropped down his face and onto the ground, causing the noises to grow louder. Something, or someone, was out for blood.

   "Matthew?"

  Matt whipped around at the sudden noise, surprised when he found a very frightened Nancy Wherleer. He let out a sigh of relief and dropped his useless tree branch.

"Oh my god," he breathed out and wiped the sweat and blood off of his forehead.

"Why are you-? Is that blood?" She took a few steps forward.

"Oh, um," he brought his hand up to his cut, "yeah. Did- did you just, like, run or- or something?"

"Run?" She repeated. "No."

"I- I just heard something behind me move, and I-"

"Wait," she interrupted, "I thought that was you?"

  Matt shook his head slowly and Nancy squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her hand down her face.

"Hey, um," Matt started off as gently as possible, practically being able to see the stress written on Nancy's face, "why exactly did you come here?"

"I was looking for Barb," she sighed. "Why did you come here?" She questioned, the phrase coming out more bitter than she'd hoped.

  "Looking for Barb."

Nancy paused for a moment before speaking again, "Are there bears in this area?"

"Um," Matt was taken aback by the sudden question, "no..?"

  Again, something ran by, rustling all of the bushes behind Nancy. She turned around quickly, trying to catch it. Matt wasn't able to identify what it was. It ran at the speed of light.

Startled, and instinctively, Nancy grabbed the sleeve, being very mindful to only grab the sleeve, of Matt's jacket and quickly lead him over to the front of Steve's house.

"I- I have to go home," Nancy frowned and gave Matt a sympathetic look for leaving on such short notice. Matt wasn't able to respond before Nancy turned and began to walk at an almost jogging pace.