My Side of the Story

New Perspective

Maggie's POV

     "I'm going to go look for them," I said to Valerie. I walked toward the door. After I pulled everything aside I pulled it open. A piece of paper fell to the ground.
     I bent to pick it. After I finished reading it I closed the door. "Valerie, you need to read this."
     Valerie came walking over just as soon as I finished putting everything back behind the door. "What is it?" she asked. I passed her the note Claudia left. "Oh my..." Valerie said quietly. "She could get really hurt. We need to make a plan."
     "We need to go!" I practically screamed.
     "We can't just run out there like idiots. There's only about three hours left until sunset so we'll make a plan tonight and head out first thing tomorrow morning."
     "What's going on?" Mark walked up behind Valerie and asked.
     "Claudia left and Mike hasn't come back." I said.
     "What do you mean left?" Mark asked. I passed him the note. "Oh," was all he said.
"We need to make a plan! If she dies...we've all already lost enough," I said. "Whose all going?"
"You, me, Mark, and Angel will go. Will and John will stay here. We'll split into two groups, Maggie and I, and Mark and Angel. We'll all meet back here two hours before sunset. We'll group together and go save Claudia if either group finds anything. Everyone eat and then get a good night's sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Valerie said.
Everyone ate except me. The idea of the chance of my sister dying made me sick. I didn't get much sleep either. I would fall asleep for five minutes then wake up in a cold sweat. Every time I fell asleep I would have a dream that Claudia was kidnapped by six cannibals.
     One time I woke up I saw the sun starting to peak through the curtains on the window in my room so I decided to get up. I put on a pair of black skinny jeans, a loose black tank top, a black hoodie, and my black combat boots. I pulled my light brown hair into a messy bun.
     I walked downstairs and I grabbed a backpack. I threw in some bags of chips, granola bars, and water. By now the sun was coming up over the mountains in the distance.
     I walked back upstairs to Valerie's door and I knocked softly. The door opened a few seconds later. Valerie was dressed and ready to go. "Go make sure Mark and Angel are up," Valerie said.
     I knocked on Mark's door and I got a response a minute later. I knocked on Angel's door and no response. I knocked again, "Angel, get up!" I half yelled through the door. Still no response. I banged on the door loudly this time. "Angel, GET UP!" I yelled. A minute later Angel opened the door.
     "Give me five minutes to get ready," she said. Angel shut the door.
     I walked downstairs with Valerie behind me. A minute later Mark came down. Four minutes after that Angel came down. "I woke John and Will up," she said.
     Five minutes later John and Will came down. "You guys heading out?" Will asked.
     "Yep." I said.
     Will gave Mark a hug and whispered something in his ear. It sounded like "Be safe out there" but I wasn't sure.
     We walked out the door. "Remember, meet back two hours before sundown." Valerie said.
     Valerie and I turned right and Mark and Angel turned left.

     We walked for three hours not noticing anything. Then almost four hours in I thought I heard something. "Shh," I said to Valerie.
     "Help, Maggie, Anyone please help," I thought I heard faintly.
     "Did you here that?" I whispered to Valerie while looking around.
     "Yeah, it sounded like- look, up in that window." Valerie said.
     I turned in the direction Valerie was facing. I thought I saw I silhouette in a second floor window of a navy blue house. It immediately turned away.
     "Let's get back to the house," Valerie said. "We'll join with the others then go together."
     We walked back to the house, making sure to remember our way to the house with the silhouette. We walked inside to see Mark, John, and Will there. "Where's Angel?" I asked a look of concern on my face.
     "In the kitchen. She tripped and fell. Her knee is pretty busted up and she insisted she could take care of it herself," Mark said.
     I walked in the kitchen. Angel was bandaging up her right knee. "Hey," I said to get her attention. She glanced up.
     "John said he'll go with you guys if you found anything. I wanted to go but they insisted I stay here. Did you find anything?" Angel asked. She stood up.
     "Yeah, there's a house the we heard what sounded like Claudia yelling from the inside and both Valerie and I saw a silhouette in the second floor window." I said.
      "Will should go too," was all Angel said.
     We both walked out of the kitchen. "I told them what happened," Valerie said.
     "All of you go," Angel said. "I can handle myself here and don't forget your weapons."
     "Are you sure?" Will asked.
     "Yes, I'm sure. Now get going." Angel said in an annoyed tone.

     The five of us walked for a half hour before we saw the house come into view. "Is everyone ready?" I asked. I got four nods with unsure expressions on their faces.

Claudia's POV

     "Help, Maggie, Anyone please help!" I yelled.
      "Your puny little friends are looking for you," Brandon said, turning away from the window.
     "They'll save me and you'll be dead because they are nice people unlike you!" I yelled.
     "But whose group did you stupidly join?" Jack said.
     "I made a mistake. I regret ever joining you and I wish you all a painful death!"
     "Your death will be painful," Jack said.
     I tried to jump at Jack but the chains on my wrists held me back.
     "Would you like an early death?" Jack said. I glared at him.
     Ten minutes later I heard the sound of a door breaking coming from somewhere below me.