The Longest Escape ((on hold))

Buried Alive

Two days have passed since we found Keith. He has definitely proven to be a handful, and honestly, I don't really like him. He almost never stops talking and he asks way too many questions. Sometimes it feels as if he's trying to learn as much as he can about us, and that leads me to wonder if we can really trust him or not. And also, he seems way too comfortable in this mess. But, I can't really say anything, I don't know anything about him. My mom used to always tell me that everything that has happened in a person's life, shapes the way that person behaves, and what that person believes. So I don't think it's my place to go around judging books by their covers. But something definitely feels off about him, and I know I'm not going to feel safe until I fi-

"Bri! You coming or what?" My thoughts are broken by the shout. I look up to see the rest of the group all standing about 15 yards away, staring at me.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" I yell back and quickly shut the journal I'd asked Max for the night we found Keith. Snapping down the small flap to keep the covers closed, I quickly shove it into my backpack, along with the black pen. Jumping to my feet, I swing the backpack onto my back and run to catch up with the others. Once I reach them, we all start walking, all hopeful that we will find at least one more person today.

"So, what were you writing?" I don't need to look over to tell who the question came from.

"Why would you like to know, Keith?" I ask in return. I look over to see the boy shrug.

"No reason. Just trying to get to know all of you guys."

"Why do you want to know so much about us? We all hardly know a thing about each other, so why does it seem like you are the only one that really wants to know everything?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. He glances over at me and opens his mouth as if going to reply, but then closes it again. "That's what I thought." I say half to myself.

"Hey," Cooper's voice sounds beside me, "it's been almost six days since we left. When do you think we should start heading back?" I glance over at him, relief flooding my body. Someone to distract me from my impulsive urges to strangle the new guy.

"Well, considering we don't really know how far we've come, or how much farther we will make it, I'd say we should start heading back within the next three or four days. And remember, we can always text someone in the other group if we get held up." I reply. Cooper gives me an understanding nod.

"That's right. I totally forgot about the phones. I hope the others are having better luck than we are at the moment." He adds with a sigh. I respond with a nod of my own before allowing a comfortable silence to fill the air around us.

Another hour or two pass, the group is getting hungry and tired, the sun's rays sending scorching heat our way. I notice that we all start to walk slower whenever we make it to a shady patch. "Hey guys, why don't we take a little break for a couple of minutes. Cool off in the shade for a bit." Nobody argues with the suggestion, and we all stop inside the next patch of shade. Sitting with my back up against a tree, I lean my head back and start inhaling deep breaths.

Suddenly, I hear a low rumbling. Looking around, the others don't seem to have heard anything. Shrugging it off, I lean my head back against the tree. Another rumbling sound, this time louder. And this time, it seems that the others hear it too. "What is that?" Thomas asks. Nobody answers as the rumbling sound slowly becomes even louder. And then, I start to hear something else becoming louder by the second. It sounds like... someone shouting? Looking around, I try looking for the possible source of the shouts, and soon spot a running figure coming straight for us. Squinting to get a better look, the figure comes closer and closer, until I can clearly see that it is a person shouting. But what? Why?