Looking For Lani

The Woods

"We should head back." Jack said staring at Lani, who had just taken her eyes off the shady corner.

"Yeah, we should." She sighed and looked down at Wesley. "Did you have a nice walk? Did you!?" She said in a playful way, squatting down to pet the dogs head. He barked loudly and Lani stood. She could feel Jack staring at her, "You know, it's not polite to stare." She said, turning her head to him. His smile faded and his face turned red.

"Sorry." He rubbed the back off his head, accidentally dropping the leash. Right then, something sparked off in Wesley's little dog mind. He went jolting towards the corner. "WESLEY!" Jack shouted, reaching out for him, but following when he missed the leash. "Shit." He banged his fist on the ground and stood. Lani and him ran off to chase the dog down.

Wesley was barking blankly at a shirt on a tree. Lani looked at the shirt suspiciously, while Jack grabbed Wesley's leash tightly. "Stupid dog." He said, feeling embarrassed about losing control of his own dog in front of Lani. Luckily for him, Lani wasn't really paying much attention to the dog and him, but more to the shirt on the branch.

"Is this blood?" She picked at the shirt, lifting it up. The sleeve clearly showing a dried red color on it. Jack stood and looked at it, not as concerned as Lani he answered,

"I don't know, looks like a normal shirt to me. Come on, Lani, let's get out of here." He said pulling on Wesley's leash, but he wouldn't move either. Lani stepped over the small bush that separated the alleyway from the woods. "No, Lani!" Jack commanded, but Wesley also wanted to go exploring, pulling Jack into the woods. Lani looking down, following a trail of crunched and broken up leaves, clearly a place where someone walked over. "Look! Another spot of blood." This time wet and a lot of it. "Maybe someone was shot." Lani continuing to follow the trail as if she were a detective on the search for clues. Wesley her trusty hound dog and Jack, he didn't like this at all.

By now, they were already halfway into the woods and couldn't even see the buildings anymore. It was getting darker and darker the deeper in they went. "SHH!" Lani said, hearing some leaves crunch. Again, "Don't move." They stood still listening closely. This time the leaves sounded closer and much more consistent and repeatedly, as if someone was running.

" Hide!" Jack hissed, running behind a tree. Wesley started barking and running towards the noise. Jack gave up and just let go of the leash. Of course, instead of hiding Lani grabbed a sharp long stick and followed Weasley.

"Who's here?" She called, her voice echoing around the woods. Lani saw Wesley barking again at a tree. Lani got her stick ready, the sharp point stick straight out. She grabbed a side of the tree with one hand and spun around to the other side.

Everything went black, noises echoed in Lani's head. Barking from Wesley, Jack calling her name, until everything just stopped. No noise, no sound. She was out cold.