Before Sundown

Low fever

For a moment, we all silently stood there, frozen with fear.

"I don't think we should go further...", Andie said, with a low tone. "We're going to get lost. We don't know the forest like Robin does."

"Yeah, about that", Anne started, with an attempt to lighten the mood; unsuccessful, obviously. I straightened my back and breathed heavily.

"Maybe we should just wait until the sunrise and then make our way back to the truck", I suggested hesitantly.

"But there's so much time until then", Macie replied despairingly. "So much time for something bad to happen to us!"

"Yeah", I began my counter argument, "but it's better we stayed together in the meadow, instead of mindlessly roaming the woods."

"She's got a point", Elaine agreed, as she subtly shrugged her shoulders. Macie sighed audibly, covering her eyes with her palm, keeping in there for a moment. The situation we were currently in was really the worst case of it all. What seemed like a distant howl made the atmosphere even more overwhelming than it already was.

"Are there wolves in this forest, by any chance?", I quietly asked, wide-eyed. 

"It shouldn't be", Elaine replied, with a pondering look on her face.

"Maybe it's just a dog", Anne reassured. I looked at her with a grimace, and she pressed her lips together, looking back at me.

"Let's head back, then", Macie said, ultimately. "Maybe Robin will come back by the morning..."

"Yeah, maybe we're dreaming already!", Anne said, with a mischievous smile on her face. I sure hope I am. 

***

I watched the morning sun blasting its way through the trees surrounding our meadow; I couldn't sleep all night. And I presume this went for everyone else, as I don't recall hearing anyone's heavy breathing last night. We all laid still and alert, impatiently waiting for the sun to rise. I sat up in my sleeping back and looked around, just to make sure no one else disappeared overnight. I saw Macie and Andie already packing their things up, and Elaine and Anne, laying down still, but with their eyes wide open and facing the sky. Robin hadn't, in fact, returned. A shiver ran down my spine at the thought. Could it have been the wolf we heard tonight?

"Morning", I mumbled softly, but loud enough for the girls to hear me.

"Morning", Andie answered me, as Macie greeted me with a worried smile. Elaine and Anne stood up from their sleeping bags as well, tiredly looking around. We didn't feel like talking for a while; therefore, for the next couple minutes, we just packed our things in silence. It's bitter how what was about to be the most fun weekend in a while, was cut short by something as tragic as this.

"Is everyone ready?" Andie asked, as we all shook our heads approvingly. We collected Robin's things too, as we cautiously made our way back to the truck. We decided it's no use to explore the forest on our own in attempts to find Robin. We planned to make it back home safely, and ultimately announce the police about his unforeseen disappearance. The ride home was dead silent as well; but I honestly don't blame anyone for it. There was nothing I could say either, especially because I barely got to know them and Robin. 

After a while, just as we discussed, Andie pulled up to Sigswood's police station. We made our way in together, ready to report Robin's vanishing. I had the worst feeling inside my stomach, that seemed to consume me to the core; and I doubt that the cause was the fact that I skipped breakfast today. A police officer came before us, so we started confessing everything we knew, saw or heard that night. We made our best to not miss any detail, as small as it was, because anything was going to help the police find Robin faster. Soon enough, Robin's case was declared open, and a police patrol had already started getting ready to search the Briteledge Forest.