Proxy's girl

Chapter one

     "Oh come on" Mara growls as she turns the keys once again. The car makes a sputtering sound, then just clicks before it cuts when she lets go of the key.
    She pulled her phone out and sighed "Have any signal?" She asked, defeat in her voice.
    I looked down at my phone then sighed "Nothing" i told her then glanced up at the poorly lighted road. Our headlights were dim so you could see maybe two feet ahead of the car. The eeriness of the dark woods sent a chill up my spine "Should we just camp here for the night?" I asked her "Maybe someone will come down the road in the morning."
     She sighed and leaned back in the driver's seat, closing her eyes for a moment then turned to me "Well we have what? Maybe a thirty minute walk until we're out of this area?"
    "But then it's just a few houses, and it's eleven at night" i pointed out "Do you really think we would get a warm welcome even if we happen to find a house?"
      She sighed "Well we can't just stay here Quinn" she said, her tone gathering an edge to it "I can go for help alone if you want to stay in the car alone" she undid her seatbelt and opened the car door.
     I felt panic as I realized she was serious about leaving me behind so i climbed out after her and made my way closer to her "Are you sure this is smart?" I asked her.
    She rolled her brown eyes at me "This is why you never get invited to anything anymore" she said, her tone having a harshness to it.
    I couldn't argue with her, she was right. Even though the two of us had been friends since childhood she was always the well loved one. In highschool she had been voted prom queen and now in college she had tons of friends. I couldn't be mad at her though, she always invited me to anything she was invited to but I realized from pretty early on that even though she invited me didn't mean everyone else wanted me there too.
    We walked at a fast pace, Mara using her phone as a flashlight as we walked, she looked over at me "You have your knife?" She asked.
   I nodded and pulled it into my hand, not flipping it open but having it handy as we walked; just in case we did run into anyone who also shouldn't be here.
   As we continued i started to hear an odd sound that was barely audible so I grabbed Mara's wrist; stopping her walking so that i could hear better.
   "What?" She whispered as she stopped.
    "Did you hear that?" I asked, my voice barely audible as I felt my hair on my arms stand on end, the feeling of being watched now in effect.
    Mara opened her mouth to respond but froze when we heard the sound again but this time louder. Something was in the woods...
   Mara grabbed my wrist and we took off, we kept an even stride as we followed the poorly paved road. Both of us began panting.
    Was it following us? Was it a bear? Or had we just grown too paranoid in the woods?
    Mara turned and pulled me into the woods. I looked up in confusion but then spotted an outline of what seemed to be a man standing in the middle of the road less than ten feet ahead of where we had been.
    She dropped her hold on my wrist as we ran, weaving through the woods trying to avoid all of the branches and tree roots that seemed invisible at night.
    Branches catching on my sweatshirt as I ran, I kept trying to listen to Mara's footsteps but it was hard to hear over my heavy panting.
    As i reached a clearing in the roods i slowed down, spotting a small hole under a downed tree i crammed myself into. My stomach in the muddy clay and my back pressed against the rotted trunk of the tree.
    I tried to even my panting so that I could listen for Mara, where had she gone? I swear she had been beside me the entire time but for some reason I couldn't hear or see her. Had she found a hiding spot inside the woods?
    Then i heard a sound that made my blood run cold; in the mist of the chips of the crickets and the blowing of the wind through the leaves erupted a woman screaming; The sound of pure instinctual screaming.
   I gripped the knife in my hand tighter, through my fear I had forgotten that I had it in my hand. I needed to go help Mara....
   I climbed from my spot slowly and watched the woods. The shadows from the trees made it too hard to see anything so i began back in slowly, trying to avoid stepping on anything that would give off my location, flipping open the blade of the knife in case I had to use it quickly.
    As i walked through the woods i could hear something moving through the woods but it seemed to be going away from me, so i followed the movement. If it was Mara I didn't want to give off her location but if it was the man who had been on the road....
    I was about to take another step when something on the ground caught my attention. The pale light shining from a pile of leaves. I got closer and crouched above it. It was Mara's phone, it had fallen light down. So she was alone without a way to see...
   I was about to continue until i heard a weird soft moan maybe a few feet away from me, no matter how much i wanted my eyes to adjust i couldn't see what it was so i picked up her phone and aimed it toward the noise, my knife secured in my hand; ready to swing if it was a trap. But when the light illuminated the scene in front of me I couldn't help but let out a gasp and step back, the phone slipping out of my hand and back into the leaves.
    Mara was lying about two feet from me, she was covered in blood, there was a giant gash in her head as if someone had used a cleaver or some other large weapon. I had seen gore growing up on sights that kids would hid from their parents but seeing it first hand made my stomach churn.
   I grabbed my mouth with my free hand and tried to hold in but vomit spewed from my mouth and onto the forrest floor close to Mara.
    Then i heard footsteps again, but they were behind me and charging closer.
   I turned and swung my knife, the blade sinking into a man's arm. He let out a scream as his bat fell from his hands, i could see it had spikes sticking out of it when it illuminated in the phone's light.
    He grabbed my wrist with his free hand and shoved me down, my head hitting the ground hard as i began to roll from the uneven ground. I could also feel a warm liquid substance on my face and clothes and the smell of iron made my stomach churn again.
    "I didn't know she would stab me" a man said and i looked up to see the man with the knife in his arm walking closer, his shadow barely visible as he got closer and away from the phone's light.
   "What an idiot" another man's voice rang out, footsteps approached from the opposite direction.
    I sat up slowly, raising my hands towards the man who i had stabbed "Please don't kill me" i said, my voice shaking along with my body.
    The man in front of me laughed "You stabbed me" the man said in a creepily calm tone "Now I'm gunna do more than just kill you, I'm gunna-"
"Oh shut up" the other man groaned, cutting the first off. From the sound of his voice and the faint outline of movement i could tell he was maybe two foot to the right of me.
"I'll get her for the dogs" the second man continued "You can clean up this mess" he said as if the scene before him made him sick.
I heard him step closer and i glanced back, was there a point to running? There were two of them to hunt me down...
I felt a hand on my wrist and I was pulled up to my feet.
"Can I keep this?" A third man asked and i saw Mara's phone get picked up, illuminating the scene around us.
The man holding my wrist had a yellow hoodie on and black jeans. His face was covered by a black cloth with an orange sad face on it.
The man who i had stabbed had on a black shirt and pants, a partial gas mask covered his mouth, he had on blue goggles and his brown wavy hair was down to his shoulders. He had the knife in his hand as his arm was gushing blood from the fresh wound.
The man holding the flashlight walked over to him as he cut the light from the phone. The light burn made it impossible to see as the man in the yellow hood pulled me through the woods.
We walked for a few minutes before i worked up the nerve to talk "Are you going to kill me?" I asked, my voice shaking and low.
The man slowed his pace and released my wrist "Not if you don't run" he said in a flat tone as we approached the clearing i had been at earlier.
Now that the moonlight was covered by the trees i looked more at the man. He was significantly taller than me, probably over 6 foot. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pulled one out then turned to me "want one?" He asked then pulled one and handed it to me without waiting for a response. He then pulled out a lighter and flicked it, the small flame dancing as he held it out towards me.
He sighed "You're not going to make me light it for you too are you?" He asked, his tone seeming annoyed.
I out the cigarette up to my lips and leaned down towards the flame, pulling a breath in and lighting the cigarette.
The guy released his hold making the flame disappear then pulled off his hood and the cloth. His face was surprisingly normal looking. His hair was shaggy and messy and a smirk was pulling on his lips and he put his cigarette in his mouth and leaned forward, pressing his against mine so he could light it off of mine then he straightened back up and took an inhale, his eyes staying on me "so why are you even out here?" He asked, making me jump.
I took a hit from the cigarette to avoid pissing him off "Our car died and we were...." I trailed off. I doubt he actually cared.
He chuckled "Its a shame ya know?" He said, his tone weirdly normal "You're awfully cute, makes me not want to kill you."
I felt my blood run cold at how causally he said it, as if it was a normal conversation.
"Then don't" i said, forcing myself to seem somewhat confident.
He took another hit and chuckled "Nothing I could do would compare to what those dogs would do, it would be merciful to put you down first."
I felt my stomach churn again. There was nothing i could do, I was highly outnumbered and they made it clear that killing wasn't an issue for them at all...
He sighed "Don't go quiet on me, this might be your last time to really speak your mind."
"Why are you going to kill me?" I managed to ask, my eyes on the ground.
"It's nothing personal" he answered as if it was so obvious "We have pets to feed is all, and young women such as yourself shouldn't be out here at this time anyways."
I felt my legs shaking harder again, and it was becoming increasingly hard to stay standing up.
He leaned down towards me, touching my face and making me look up at him, a weird smile plastered on his face as he spoke "I guess i could try to keep you safe, would you like that more?" He asked.
Was that a better option than death? To be some murderer's pet? But was that even an option or was he just fucking with me? They didn't seem to have an issue offing Mara....
He chuckled and stood hack up straight "I get why you wouldn't trust me, it's not an offer everyone gets."
"Then why me?" I asked, i felt my eyes sting from the smoke and the fact i was fighting back tears "Why did you kill Mara?" My tears fell, blurring my vision.
He watched me, quiet for a second then sighed "Toby killed her, not me" he said, his tone again flat "I would've done it if i found her first, I'm not trying to shift blame" he said in the same flat tone then his face softened somewhat "But i was watching you since you got to this clearing, somehow you outsmarted both Cody and Toby" he chuckled and flicked his cigarette butt away from him "Although I guess that doesn't take much" he leaned down and took the cigarette from my hand and took a long hit, killing the rest then flicking it away "You intrigue me, and the fact you're cute helps too I'm sure."
So it was how I thought, this sicko thought i could exchange him favors for him not killing me..
He glanced up then sighed "We need to still go back, but i think you should heavily consider my offer."
He then reached his hand towards me and froze "You'll follow willingly?" He asked, he was studding my face.
I nodded "You won't let them kill me if i listen to you right?" I asked, if this was my best option I didn't want to wait until he decided the offer expired.
He smiled "Of course, No one is dumb enough to take something that's mine."
The coldness in his tone made me shiver. Even if he was my best chance he still creeped me out.
We walked in silence until we got back to a wooded area. The man stopped and pulled off his hoodie and held it towards me "You'll need this" he said then chuckled "I'm Brian by the way, what do I call you?"
I took his hoodie and pulled it on, it smelled of cigarettes, the woods, and a faint smell of cologne of some type "Quinn" i answered. There wasn't anything he could do with just my first name right?
He reached his hand out "You need to stay close to me or they'll get you okay? And keep walking if i do."
I took his hand and nodded. When we walked into the woods i could somewhat see, these woods weren't as crowded as the other side had been.
I heard something in the trees move around us and as I was about to look up Brian cleared his throat "Don't" he said, not even breaking stride so i continued and tried to ignore the feeling of being watched.