No Choice But Murder

3

I froze. They wouldn't leave me here, would they? After everything that had happened to me last year? Farah said she'd always be there for me when I needed her but right now I was sure those were all lies.

'You coming, Carter?'

I looked up at Carter. He was the only person with me. I l begged him with my eyes to stay and go through the forest with me, to show them, to show her. I knew they wouldn't take me back in the car, they'd leave me to make my own way home by foot. They were like that. They were evil.

Carter looked at me and then at Farah and James'. He looked back and forth and then he tapped my shoulder. 'Sorry, Keira. I told you I couldn't come to this road.' He didn't look sorry at all as he rushed off to join the others. I stood there, so sure I was going to break down and fall to the ground. If they left me, I'd have no chance of getting home and they knew it. They wanted me to admit I was jealous and apologise. No chance.

I watched them hurry off, their arms around each other. I saw Carter tip back his head and laugh, and James' turn back at me apologetically. These weren't my friends. They didn't care for me. They knew about everything that had happened to me last year, but they didn't care, they'd leave me here stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no phone, no money, no car, just so they could get a confession.

I turned the opposite direction and started to walk, feebly. I could hear giggling. I guess Farah had made Carter laugh. Probably a joke about me and how I'd become since last year. Well ha-ha. I'm laughing loads now too.

I carried on walking, a little slower now. I turned back every few minutes just to see if they'd follow me, but they were nearing the opposite end of this long road now. I sniffed and turned away, heading near the edge of the forest. I heard a cackle of laughter and then a smother, as if someone had clamped a hand over their mouth to abruptly stop their laughter. I whizzed around to see the silhouettes of Farah, Carter and James' at the end of the road. The laughing was way too loud for it to be them. There was another crackly cackle. I stopped and listened out again, my backside jutted out, my ear pointed in the direction I heard the laughter from. It was a bush in front of the last house on the street. The one right beside the forest.