Surviving the S.T.R.I.P. (ON HOLD)

Chapter Fifteen

Brynn

The door slammed shut and I found myself alone in the tree house. My friends’ voices grew softer as they descended the tree one by one to begin the search for Micah.

Surely he couldn’t have gotten too far, right? But what should I care? He hated me; he even tried to kill me! Yet a pang of guilt sat at the bottom of my heart. I knew it was my fault he left, and now everyone suffered because of it. They all went out to find him and I was the only one who stayed back. Maybe I should have gone. Maybe he’d know I really did kind of care, even if he could be a jerk. Even if I sometimes wished him dead.

I brushed away any remaining thought of care I saw in my head. With a huff, I made my way over to my bed. Hopefully no one would find the tree house tonight while everyone was still out. We all know what happened last time.

I sat in a corner of the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket. Even however late it was into summer, I felt cold. The blanket didn’t help much.

Something thudded onto the porch.

My head snapped up and looked to the door. Not again. Oh, please, not again!  I dove off the bed towards the weapon pile flinging the blanket off. Every time they leave me alone here, someone—. My thought was cut short as the door swung open. I grabbed onto the first weapon I could get my hands onto—a long stick.

“Don’t hurt me! I’m armed!” I shouted, squeezing my eyes shut.

“With a stick,” Drew remarked dryly. I opened my eyes, feeling the stick being pulled from my grasp. I stared at him for a second as he tossed the stick back to the pile. “What made you think a stick was a good weapon choice?”

“I don’t know. It was the first thing I could get my hands on!” I defended. “Besides, what are you doing back so soon? Find him already?”

Drew shook his head. “Come on, Brynn. We all know what happens when you’re alone.”

I bit back a smile. They didn’t all hate me at least.

We spent the next few hours making small talk and doing various chores around the house. Eventually it got too dark to see anymore since the sun had set and we had no other form of artificial light, so we decided to turn in for the night. I slid into bed and tried to get comfortable, but didn’t succeed. I felt the bed shake as Drew climbed up to the top bunk, not caring to use the ladder anymore, which greatly annoyed me. Drew and I exchanged a quick “good night,” then tried to fall asleep.

Worries about Micah and the rest of the group haunted me, not letting me get any sleep. From the way the bed shook every few seconds, I knew that Drew couldn’t sleep either. I wondered if he was worried too, then eventually gathered up the courage to ask him.

“The others still aren’t back, huh,” I spoke up, breaking the silence in the room awkwardly. 

“You think I haven’t noticed?”  Drew moaned after a few seconds. 

I sighed. “Well I don’t know. They’ve been out for a while—longer than I’d expect. What if they got lost? What if someone attacked them? What if they did find Micah and he—”

“Stop, Brynn. You’re only making it worse if you think like that,” Drew replied, though his voice seemed a bit less steady than before. So maybe he was worried. “Besides, I doubt Micah would hurt them. He may be crazy, but he’s not that crazy.”

Drew’s words hung in the air. I tried to take heart, but something seemed wrong.

I waited another minute before asking, “Do you think Micah’ll ever come back?”