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Chapter 007: Monsters In The Woods...
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"BEN!"
Ben dropped to the floor, avoiding the claws aimed for his head. He scrambled away from the monster, still holding the flashlight and camcorder by some miracle, eyes large and wide and frightened. And at seeing her best friend, without a single scratch, relief filled Emmy—but it was dampened by the need to get out, to survive, to make sure they all got out of this alive.
Sasha...
Emmy shook her head and refocused on getting the door open. She couldn't think about Sasha. Not now. Not when she had to get Quinn, Ben and herself out of here with their lives intact.
"Ben!" Quinn shouted, and Ben was there, pressing his weight against the door as it groaned and screeched but it actually seemed to be budging.
A monstrous shriek sounded, grating against Emmy's eardrums and turning her blood to ice. Her heart thumped loudly against her chest, loud with fear, with desperation, and she ground her teeth as the monster lurched toward them, the whispers and howls in her ears growing louder, and the door had to open—
Finally, with a screech, it opened.
"OUT!" Emmy screamed as they all rushed out. Turning, Emmy saw the monster lunge forward, arm out, claws ready to tear them apart, the mouth in its featureless face open and exposing those sharp fangs as it gave out a bone-rattling shriek—
And Quinn slammed the door closed. It gave a loud BANG!, but the monster didn't break it down. The door had stopped it.
They had escaped.
Quinn doubled over, hands on her knees, panting heavily. "Oh God. Holy shit. We got out of there. Holy shit."
Emmy stared at the house, feeling herself be consumed by relief they'd gotten out—that she'd gotten Ben and Quinn out. They'd all survived the monster and whatever those other things were, even as her heart ached because of Sasha, because she was still in there and she wanted to go back in there, to save her, but... what if there was nothing left to save?
They'd survived.
And yet... why hadn't the prickling feeling faded? Why could she still hear the whispers?
"Uh, guys... are we sure we actually did get out of there?"
Emmy and Quinn turned to Ben as he pointed with the flashlight up at the sky—a sky that was blood-red, with no moon or stars. Something flew across it, giving out a shriek.
"What the fuck?" Quinn breathed as they looked back down to see what was supposed to be the backyard and the other houses on Ashwood Drive—except there were no houses, but woods, endless and long, stretching out for miles, the trees looking twisted and strange. And the darkness in the woods seemed... blacker. Sharper. Hungrier.
