ALTHOUGH SPENCER hadn't arrived yet,girls were already gathered in the woods where they were meant to meet up with Garrett.Girls took Garrett's offer for helping and confided him in the Ian situation.He decided to show up in his car but wearing his civilian clothes.However, girls felt more anxious than they had expected when Spencer didn't to showed up.
They knew something was wrong when Aria's phone displayed Spencer's name, the screen lighting up in the dim room like a beacon of hope in the quiet tension. Aria's heart skipped a beat as she fumbled to answer, the anticipation thick in the air around her. "Spencer, where are you?" she enquired, her voice a mix of relief and anxiety.
"I'm at the hospital," Spencer replied, her tone tight and urgent. "Melissa and I got into a car accident. It's not serious, but I can't leave her here alone."
A collective gasp filled the room, and the color drained from Aria's face. "Oh god, stay with Melissa," she said, her hand trembling as she held the phone to her ear. "We're safe here. Garrett's with us."
As she ended the call, the distant sound of an engine grew louder, and a car's headlights pierced through the curtains. The girls exchanged glances, their nerves palpable. The car pulled into the driveway, and they could see it was Garrett's, his silhouette clear in the driver's seat. The engine cut off, and the house was once again enveloped in silence.
Emily took a deep breath and offered a weak smile. "Thanks for coming," she said, her voice shakier than she had intended. Garrett stepped out of the car, his eyes scanning the area before he approached the girls.
"Trust me, I'm glad you called," Garrett said, his voice a balm to their frazzled nerves. He looked different in his civilian clothes, somehow more approachable and less like the authority figure they had come to know him as.
Brooklyn spoke up, her eyes darting to the door and then back to her friends. "I left a note for my mom, just in case." The words hung in the air, a stark reminder of the gravity of the situation. They all knew the risks involved in confronting Ian, and the possibility of their disappearance was a stark reality that none of them wanted to face.
Garrett nodded solemnly, his hand resting reassuringly on the gun holstered at his side. "Alright, let's do this." He took the lead, his boots crunching the gravel as they made their way to the dense, shadowy forest that separated their houses from the abandoned amusement park where Ian was rumored to be hiding.
The moon cast eerie shadows between the trees, and the rustle of leaves was the only sound accompanying their footsteps. Hanna clutched Aria's arm, her eyes wide with fear. "He has gun " she whispered.
