On The Verge

Chapter 25- Handfuls of Dirt

———————Chloe———————

⠀⠀Every few seconds, Liza would plunge her shovel into a pile of lightly packed dirt and carelessly drop it into the hole where Mackenzie's motionless body lay.

⠀⠀"We need a plan before anyone does anything stupid." Nia whispered fiercely.

⠀⠀"I have one." Maddie smirked with a frown as she took off in a sprint towards the clearing.

⠀⠀"Maddie!" I shrieked, reaching out and latching my fingers around her sleeve in a desperate attempt to stop her.

⠀⠀Maddie ripped herself from my grasp and raced in brave defiance towards the hole.

⠀⠀Maddie's footsteps on the ground was the only sound that could be heard as we watched in horror as Liza's shadowed head snapped upwards, hearing Maddie's approach. Her hood fell on either side of her face, leaving her face itself a black pit of darkness. Liza threw the shovel onto the ground beside the hole moments before she spun on her heels and ran the few steps it took her to reach the tree line. Once she reached the tree line she disappeared into the shadowy pillars that were the divers types of trees that the park consisted of.

⠀⠀My mind was absent of thoughts of consequences as I bolted into the trees after Liza, Kendall on my heels. My intentions were simple; I wasn't going to let her get away.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
——————Maddie——————

⠀⠀I hardly noticed Chloe and Kendall dart into the woods after Liza. My thoughts were trained on saving Mackenzie. The grave that Liza had dug was four feet deep and situated in the centre of the clearing. It was just large enough to fit a small girl Mackenzie's size.

⠀⠀Planting my feet in preparation, I leapt into hole, the impact jarring my bones as I landed heavily on the ground inside the grave.

⠀⠀There was a small mound of dirt that held the vague outline of a person in the bottom of the hole, assumably Mackenzie. A layer of dirt six inches deep concealed every part of her being.

⠀⠀I was unaware of the steady stream of tears that flowed down my cheeks. I was scared for Mackenzie's safety. Was it too late? Was she already dead?

⠀⠀I was sobbing uncontrollably now, panic consuming me as I dug my hands into the dirt on top of her. Handful by handful I began unburying my little sister. The moment my hands uncovered a small section of her skin, I burrowed through the remaining dirt and grasped her by the shoulders. Pulling her out of the dirt, clumps of the dark excrement fell from her hair.

⠀⠀Her eyes were peacefully closed, smudges of dirt streaked her face like roads on an old map. I held my hand to her mouth, awaiting a swirl of warm air that never came. She wasn't breathing.

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