Unhappily ever after

Chapter 21 - Ghost town

One night can change everything. In one night your lover can leave you, your friend can betray you, and you can lose yourself completely without even knowing it.

It's time I faced the truth about what really happened that dreadful night. As I walk round the back of Spencer's barn and open the back door, I remember the weather that night and how cold and frightening it was.

The wind was setting in through the night. Dark clouds had been swarming all day and flashes of lightning came every now and then. It was a warning sign, to warn me for what was about to happen.

I sat down on the sofa where I slept that night in the barn and I rest my head back.

I should've seen that warning sign and ran the other way but I didn't. And now Ali's dead. Because I ran towards the danger instead of away from it. I close my eyes as I relive my biggest regret.

"Ali! What is going on? Why are you dragging me out here?" I ask her, my eyes going blurry.

I feel my legs start to lose balance. I hold on to her tightly.

"Can we please just go back to the barn, I want another drink?" I beg her, not realising that I'm slurring my words as I struggle to speak.

"No! You've had enough to drink already. We have to get away." Ali tells me, pulling me further into the woods.

"Why Ali?!"

She suddenly stops and turns to face me, her hand still holding a tight grip on my arm.

"I'll explain it to you once we're out of here." She says, sounding sure of herself and her eyes darting quickly to the barn.

"What do you mean, where are we going?" I shake my head at her.

She sighs.

"The Lost Woods."

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We arrive in the motel room and I collapse on the bed, my head is throbbing and my legs feel like jelly from the long walk through the woods.

I look up from the bed to see Ali pacing up and down the room. She looks scared. Terrified even. I wonder why...

"Ali is everything okay?" I ask her, rubbing my eyes and trying to clear my vision.

"No everything's not okay!" She snaps at me.

My eyes widen with surprise at her sudden change of tone.

"I'm sorry, okay! It's just..."

She takes a moment to decide whether or not to tell her best friend what's going on.

"We're not safe here, okay? Neither of us are safe. I just had to get us out of there."

She starts to pace more frantically now, her head shaking and her arms bouncing as she walks.

I sit up on the edge of the bed focusing on my best friend.

"Ali why aren't we safe? What's going on?"

"Someone's out to get us. I've been getting threats."

"What? Why haven't you said anything?"

"This person wants us both dead, okay? And they have something on us."

"What do they have Ali?"

"A video. A really bad video." Her voice shakes with fear.