Treat You Better

18.

I sat on my laptop, editing some photos I had taken of the cabin while sipping a warm cup of coffee. Luckily it stopped raining so I am able to sit on the dark, the air is heavy and humid from all the rain last night but it's bearable in my thin jumper and ripped jeans. It's five in the afternoon and still light outside so I figured I would make the most of it, Tyler's parents went out earlier and brought back some groceries- they are going to make us fajitas for dinner which I am looking forward to.

Today has been good.

"You okay sweetie?" Tyler's mom, Helen asked me, sitting down on the couch.

"I'm fine, yourself?" I replied. We made small conversation for a few minutes before returning inside the cabin.

"We need some more firewood." Tyler's dad- Louis- stated.

"I can get some." I offered putting my laptop down on the side.

"Are you sure?" Helen asked.

"Yeah, I know what I'm looking for, it shouldn't take too long." I said, I have gone out on walks looking for firewood before it shouldn't be that much of a bother.

"Okay," Louis smiled, "Luke, why don't you go too?" He said and Lucas just smiled and nodded, not really making eye contact with me. We haven't interacted since what happened in the closet but I am one hundred percent okay with that.

I slipped on my shoes and put my phone in my pocket, attaching my headphones and putting on some nice chill music. We both grabbed some plastic bags and set out to find some wood. We ventured into the woodland area, about a fifteen-minute walk from the cabin.

"How much do you think we'll need?" I asked, picking up some large twigs that could be used as kindling.

"The more we get, the better." He replied, I nodded and gave him a hint of a smile. Finding good enough wood to burn is harder than I remember; we don't want to cut down any trees so it is a dice roll trying to find firewood that is good enough. I didn't realise how long we had been out her until the sky went black.

"I think we should start taking this back." Lucas said turning to me.

"You take these, this is nowhere near enough, I'll keep looking, I'll won't be too long." I smiled. Lucas left me, walking back towards the cabin carrying wood in one of the plastic sacks and some in his hands. I kept scouring the floor looking for anything else we could use, I did manage to find a few usable blocks but not a lot.

Suddenly, little spots of rain began to fall, I looked up to the night sky and saw nothing- no stars like we could see last night just black. The rain began to fall faster, starting to mix in with the sound of thunder. I started walking back towards the cabin but I could barely see. I pulled out my phone to call Tyler but I couldn't; no signal.

Panic set it, everything looked the same and I didn't know which was I was going, I used my phone as a torch to try and navigate but the rain made everything so much more difficult.

"You're going to be okay." I said to myself, now running with the plastic sack of wood, my heart beating faster and faster which every step.

"Shit." I cursed spinning around trying to look for anything, I was shivering and I couldn't feel my fingers. Then I spotted it.

A cave.

Lucas' POV

"Why isn't she back yet?" Tyler asked me for the hundredth time, pacing around the living room.

"I don't know!" I snapped. Riley told me she wouldn't be long but then that fucking storm hit and now she's not back. I knew I should've stayed with her, why didn't I just stay with her?