Evan Farrington's Confession | ✔️

twenty-five

Evan's hands had gone completely numb about three bushes ago. The temperature had dropped by at least ten degrees as the night thickened and the mist had descended once again. Evan almost wondered if she had imagined the clear air to begin with. Her cardigan was nearly socked through from water droplets that had been clinging to the branches of trees.

"You're sure that you didn't leave any other evidence?" William called. Evan straightened up and pushed her hair out of her face with a muddied hand. She gave the area a quick scan for William.

"No," Evan called in the general direction his voice had come from. "But I don't remember anything else."

(the weapon, idiot)

"Any luck?" he yelled.

"We should've brought a torch," she replied. "I can't see a bloody thing."

Evan stood up and found William past a few trees.

"This is pointless, William. It's your fault for throwing my bloody phone out your car window."

William stood up and zipped up his coat. "Well I didn't know that we'd need a torch in an hour or so, did I?"

Evan leaned back against a tree-trunk, past caring about getting her hair and clothes dirty. She wasn't sure if she had ever been so cold in her entire life.

"Look, I found one before, I can do it again."

"I found it," Evan corrected him, blowing on her hands and rubbing them together. "I just didn't kick it far enough away."

William hit his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Why don't we just go back there? Maybe they're both there?"

"That's miles away. Plus, I threw them in opposite directions."

William groaned and stood up. Evan pulled her wet cardigan more tightly around her body, shivering hopelessly. The clouds overhead had darkened and thickened, promising a storm.

"Can we just go home?" she asked. "I want to have a shower before I go to jail."

William inhaled sharply through his nose. "No. We have to keep looking." He marched onwards, deeper into the trees. "Look around here." Evan obliged, sticking her unfeeling hands into yet another patch of bushes. "Where were you when you threw them?"

Evan paused to think, closing her eyes. She had to pinpoint what she was trying to remember. Think too much and she would be back.

(back with the scissors)

(the cough the splutter the choke)

(he fell)

(covered in blood it sprayed like a-)

Nope. Where was she when she threw the shoes away.

"Evan are you okay?" William asked. Evan opened her eyes. The world seemed a little darker than when she had shut them. She quickly untwisted her features.

"I was just by the road I think, near my house."

"Okay, so we should be close." William threw aside a spray of wet leaves, almost hitting Evan. She pushed apart a couple of fallen branches. Nothing. At least nothing that she could see; it was so dark she wasn't sure if she'd actually be able to see her shoes if they were right at her feet. Her knees were aching.

"I'll go and look past those trees," Evan said. She pushed herself to her feet and hobbled a little way away from William. There was a nice little clearing. Not as big as the one where the bonfire had been but nice all the same. Thunder rumbled high above and the air was stained with ice. The natural chill of the coming storm almost masked the arrival of the Emperors.