Freefall (Jaspar)

Chapter Sixteen

"Bloody hell, it's cold," Caspar complained yet again, earning a short huff from Liam.

"I told you to bring an extra jacket," he answered, looking back as Caspar wrapped his arms around himself. They had been walking for about ten minutes now, with absolutely no clue where they were going, and no innate sense of direction in the patch of forest. Even the leaves were too thick overhead, obscuring all view of the stars and moon. Although Caspar would never admit it out loud, he knew that he was probably shivering not from the dropping temperature, but from his nerves. The constant complaints were really more of an act.

When he'd first asked Liam to accompany him tonight, they'd both expected a short walk through a thin set of trees with sufficient light to find Joe. But now, they were stuck in a dense, untouched forest with only a barely visible compass to point their way. The flashlights they'd brought had flickered and burst as soon as they passed through the first line of trees, and their phones had followed suit soon after.

"I'm telling you, we should be close by now," Liam announced, squinting at the small device tucked in his hand. "It wasn't that far to the centre from where we parked."

"Yeah, bu-"

Caspar stopped, freezing mid step. "Did you hear that?" he muttered, glancing around. The temperature had fallen several degrees, and Caspar shivered. Maybe he'd just been mistaken, or-

It sounded again. A low moan, seeming to originate from all around, just as the leaves on the trees began to ripple in the rising breeze.

"What the fuck," Liam murmured, backing up a few steps to stand by Caspar. It was too dark to see beyond the closest trees, and the entire scenario freaked Caspar out. They were being watched, he was sure of it, but by what, he could not tell.

It started as a hum, a faint buzz, in his head, but steadily grew into a thrumming mess. By that time, heknew exactly what was watching them, the way it grasped his mind in an overpowered battle for control. Judging by Liam's stiff posture, he was receiving the exact same treatment. Caspar wanted to calm him, wanted to help him survive the ordeal, but he only found himself become angrier and more aggressive by the second instead. He wanted to scream in frustration, not death, so he did.

"I'm here to help you, asshole!" he called, straightening out and glaring into the darkness ahead. Almost immediately, the humming dulled to a soft murmur, and Caspar sighed. Liam took a shaky breath beside him, collapsing onto Caspar's shoulder as he struggled to regain balance.

"Fine," a female voice commanded, ringing out from the trees in an almost sing-song manner. "One chance, that's all you get."

Thump.

A figure leaped down from the thick oak just before Caspar, surprising him enough to force him into taking an involuntary step back. The shadow straightened out, and Caspar recognised the familiar face in a heartbeat.

"Ellie?" he asked quietly, trying to focus on the girl's face in the non-existent light.

"Ella," she corrected, taking a step forward. "Seems we meet again. Still enjoying that little keepsake I gave you?"

Caspar shuddered inwardly, turning his head away. Ella had acted as the perfect fangirl, and he'd fell for it. Everything that day had been a mess: the argument with Cam, the empty streets, the fake Starbucks, the note.

"I guess my little warning must've worked, eh?" Ella continued, smiling sweetly. She was warm enough now, but Caspar knew how quickly her emotions flicked from one to the other. Briefly, he wondered whether that was a demon thing, or if the spirit took on qualities of the body they occupied.