Existence

Chapter 4

Sarah landed on the uneven ground on her elbows, leaves falling onto her hair. She groaned, silently cursing Casey for pushing her like that.

A pair of hands grasped her shoulders, bringing her to her feet. Sarah glanced up to meet a pair of gray eyes partially covered under a mop of black hair. Those features belonged to a boy who looked like he could've been a senior at her school. His outfit however, was quite similar to what the three boys had been wearing last night: a black sleeveless shirt like Azazel's, dark green pants and combat boots under a brown cloak that almost touched the ground.

"Sarah Walkman?" he said, tilting his head to the side.

"Um, hi," she said, briefly wondering how he knew her name.

Remembering Casey, Sarah turned to the opening she had fallen through. It was still open, situated in the middle of a much bigger and darker tree trunk than the one Casey had used. In fact, she and the new guy were surrounded by tall trees that partially blocked out the sun. Where were they?

Casey came through the opening, landing on his back. There was a new cut on his cheek. Sarah noticed that he now held a dagger in his hand. Had he... taken care of the bear?

That question was answered when its head popped through the opening, roaring in outrage. The bear bounded out, landing on top of Casey. Two others followed in its wake, circling him.

"Casey!" Sarah shouted, grabbing the first bear's attention. She inhaled sharply, meeting its wild eyes for a brief moment before the gray-eyed boy stepped in front of her, holding up a bow she hadn't noticed before. A quiver of arrows was strapped to his back.

He swiftly nocked an arrow and shot the growling beast in the snout. It had already been severely injured by Casey; the arrow was its tipping point. Sarah watched as it collapsed on its side with a wail. One of its companions snarled in outrage.

"Run!" Casey yelled, grunting as he slashed at the bear's body. "Byron, take Sarah and go! I can handle this."

The two bears circling him roared, as if to say 'You sure about that, chump?'

The boy, Byron, hesitated for a second. Sarah yelled, "Help him!" She wasn't going anywhere without Casey.

"Alex's orders, Byron!" Casey said. Byron exhaled heavily before dragging a reluctant Sarah through the trees.

He ran only a short distance before they came upon an odd vehicle. It looked like a scooter; if scooters had wide circular platforms big enough for two people to stand on, bike handlebars that held the brake system, and hovered two feet off the ground. Sarah didn't waste any time admiring it for she was too busy yelling at Byron.

"What are you doing? We have to go back, you coward! Casey needs our help—" she was lifted up onto the scooter so easily she had to stop talking for a moment in surprise. Byron leaped up after her, grabbing hold of the rod sticking up from the floor on the right side.

"Hold on," he said, thrusting the rod forward. The scooter followed the motion, zooming past the trees at the same speed of a motorcycle. The sudden start made Sarah lose her balance and she instinctively grabbed onto Byron's shoulders. She remained silent for a second more before trying unsuccessfully to shake him.

"Turn around. We have to help Casey!"

"Casey will be fine, Sarah," Byron said, glancing briefly over his shoulder at her. From somewhere else in the forest, the sound of howling wolves echoed in their ears, making Sarah's blood run cold. Byron turned his head to the left, alert. "We however, might not be if we stay here. Hang on!"