Fallen

Chapter 11

Jace's P.o.V

"Where is it you were attacked?" I yelled behind me where Alex was.

"Just up ahead by the entrance near my house," He replied quieter than what I had used. "if you start to feel cold turn on your flashlight, and if you can, run."

"What did the thing look like again?" I asked looking into the shadows of the woods, their once calming nature a newly made nightmare.

"That's one of the things I can't tell you," he sighed. "I can't see it."

"So what are we doing in here? We could get killed, your already hurt from that thing, and that isn't a small wound. How many times did it attack you?" I prodded.

He froze to his spot, a chill filling the area, "Once, only once. I advise that you turn your light on now Jace."

"Where is it coming from? What direction?" I asked.

"North, no more towards East," he whispered.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Positive," he said nodding and flailing around for the button on his flashlight.

Once I got my light on Alex's followed shortly behind, the chill moving farther away. I saw a flash of red run across my vision and blinked when the chill followed it. I moved my light over to where I saw it and sure enough it appeared again this time closer to Alex.

"Do you see that over there towards your left," I asked Alex, who's front was facing the cold chill.

"No, what is it? Can you see it?" He asked worried.

As he finished what he was saying I caught a glance of this gray like color and once again the red, moving again closer to the unknowing Alex. "I think so," I breathed, "it's fast. Does red mean anything?"

"The red feather." Alex said, letting it hang in the air. I didn't like how comfortable the thing was getting close to Alex, it was close enough that he could touch it. I shined my light on it, covering Alex in the safety, leaving me in the dark.

"Shine your light over here," I said, "now."

He did what I said without question and once I was covered with the light I screamed at the face that was staring into mine, "What's wrong?" Alex asked running over to me, leaving us both in the dark again.

"Run!" I shouted, waiting for Alex to take off in the direction of his house before I followed, shining my light at his feet and protecting him.

"What happened?" He yelled behind him.

"I'll explain later, just hurry so we're out of here." I said sprinting to catch up when I saw the red run through the trees ahead. "It's trying to cut us off!" I yelled.

"We're so screwed," he whispered, I didn't even realize we both had stopped running and we're now standing back to back. Alex has his light flashing all over the place, covering the both of us in random splotches of light. "Where is it?" He asked, looking around hoping to find it.

"I can't see it right now, it went into the trees ahead." I sighed.

"So what we wait until both our flashlights die and get killed?" He asked slightly angry.

"It's about two hours until sundown by now, I say we just run and risk getting scratching instead of being trapped out here with no light," I said out loud.

"Do you think it can leave?" Alex asked, not making full sense.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Earlier today it tried following me out of the woods, do you think at night when the sun isn't out it can?" He explained his question better.

"Let's hope for our sake the answer to your question is no," I replied while starting to jog up ahead. "now let's get out of here,"

"Yeah let's go," he agreed, the chill still slightly visible in the back ground. But I think we chose to ignore it as we picked up our paste to get out of the woods. I was certainly done with them for awhile and hopefully with whatever was in here.

The chill disappeared fully at one point but we kept running, in fact I think Alex sped up. "How much longer until we get to your house? I know we're close, I saw the tree house behind us."

"Just keep running I see the exit up ahead," he said panting. We have been running for awhile and maybe at least a mile and a half, out of the two miles it takes to get from my house to his through the woods.

"That's not the only thing there," I said, realizing that the thing was blocking the exit.

"We'll just shine it with the flashlights, I'm seriously tired of this thing already," he replied slowing down to a jog and shining his flashlight at the thing, causing it to move.

"If it's weakness is light, use it, at night we can lock the doors and windows and hopefully it won't leave the woods, let alone be able to leave them," he said walking straight out the exit but keeping his light near it for me.

"Dude, you flashlight is dying," I said, worry seeping through my voice.

"Toss me yours," he shouted.

"Okay get ready to catch," I said, hoping he'd be able to.

"I am," he said as I threw it towards him, and watched as it hit his arm and fell out of reach. "Shoot," he cried out, trying to grab it but was unable to without moving the flashlight.

"What happened," I asked, unable to see the other flashlight.

"It fell, I can't reach it with my hand without moving the light, and I swear it's going to die any second now, get in a spot where the trees let light in, you'll be safe there until I can get this," he answered.

"Done, but why don't I just make a run for it?" I asked as the flashlight burnt out.

"That's why," he said reaching to grab the other light, "we've got another problem, when it fell it hit the ground and a battery got lost, I can't find it anywhere."

"Just keep looking for it, it's gotta be around somewhere," I shouted, no longer taking my eyes off the thing, but never looking at its horrible face.

"I can't, I'm just going to get Lia," he said before running towards his house, leaving me alone with the thing.

"Please don't let there be any clouds right now," I thought out loud as I looked at my little safe area, separating me from it, I could have ran for it but the fear of the flashlight dying while I was, was stronger than my will to run. I was still pretty far into the woods, enough where it could get to the exit faster than I could, I wasn't just being a sissy.

Alex came back with a battery and Lia came storming out with a girl I didn't know, both holding flashlights and shining them towards the exit, I started to walk towards them when I tripped over an uprooted tree root and landed enough out of the darkness where the thing was able to bite me. I kicked at it trying to get it off but it didn't let go until I hit its head.

Standing up slowly back in the light I walked out and collapsed, with darkness quickly taking over.