On The Verge

Chapter 24- The Clearing

(A/N: pay attention to the description of the park. It'll help you understand the layout of the park!)
———————Chloe———————

⠀⠀"Maddie, what does it say?" I asked urgently after she spontaneously broke down in front of us. She wordlessly handed me the picture, my eyes scanning its contents as my eyes widened in fear.

⠀⠀Liza had Kenzie.

⠀⠀"There's another one." Nia muttered, her hand pulling a second piece of paper out the small metallic box that was the Ziegler's mailbox. The paper had been protruding out of the box, the lid holding the paper securely in place.

⠀⠀"1749 80th ave," Nia said slowly, "that's where Kenzie is!"

⠀⠀"That's the park." Kendall realized intently.

⠀⠀A split second later we were on our feet, footsteps shattering the silence of the evening. Never mind our plan, we would have to improvise. The park, which was only a block from the Ziegler's house, was large rectangular strip the size of several football fields. A tall, full hedge surrounded its perimeter, preventing anyone from looking over it, and flowers and shrubs littered the inside in creative patterns. The park was dense with thick trees who's leaves brushed the sky due to the trees' incredible height. Small paths criss-crossed through the trees, leading to various entrances. The centre of the park was absent of trees. It was a clearing, a small space where only grass was present on the damp ground. The park was on the very edge of town, the far side of the park ended in a steep cliff, leading down into a ravine. The cliff was steep and rocky, jagged rocks jutted out from its nearly vertical side.

⠀⠀We entered the park, panting and gasping for breath after our race-like sprint to the park.

⠀⠀"There's only one spot big enough to dig a grave." Nia thought out loud.

⠀⠀"The clearing." I finished her thought while trying to catch my breath. My breathing was rapid and my palms were covered in a thin layer of sweat, a clear indication of the intensity of the situation.

⠀⠀We knew the park like the back of our hands thanks to a childhood of an assortment of games we would play; racing down the paths and hiding among the dense trees. This allowed us to know exactly which paths would take us to the clearing in the middle of the park in the least amount of time.

⠀⠀We bolted down the path, my muscles, already tired from the run here, screaming in protest. Maddie, who was running ahead of me, stopped dead in her tracks a few yards away from the clearing. I dug my heels into the ground, narrowly missing crashing into her.

⠀⠀Maddie held her finger to her lips, the universal sign for silence. We all held our breath, straining to hear even the slightest of sounds. She then inched forward towards the clearing, stopping at the tree line and peering into the open space, her eyes became wide.

⠀⠀"She's there." She whispered hoarsely.

⠀⠀I peered into the clearing myself, ensuring that Liza wouldn't be able to see me. Shovel in hand, a hooded figure stood at the very edge of a rectangular hole. Blond hair flew out of the hood, intertwining with the darkness of the night. Shadows concealed the person's face. The concealment was irrelevant; we knew it was Liza.