Party in The Woods

Chapter 3

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Nothing broke the silence apart from Megan's constant, rapid breathing and the club music. Elias was still holding her. We were all speechless. I was still looking at the arm, mortified, still playing the scene in my head, thinking of the bad smell that I had mistaken to be only Megan's vomit. And the sudden turn of events felt grim, unreal almost. I reread the small writing on the blood stained note. Leave and die. I felt sick. 'Who did this?' I whispered. My own voice felt strange. It felt disruptive.
'I have no idea.' said Elias. He looked as if he was about to say something else, but then he stayed quiet, staring, concentrated.
'We have to call the cops.' I said, turning away from the bloody arm. 'We have to—'
'What? No! We can't do that!' Elias looked at me as if I was crazy.
'Why not?'
'Because we are a bunch of drunk, high teenagers partying in a house in the woods! I'm sure the cops wouldn't be too keen on that!' he spat. 'We've found this house a few weeks ago and ruined it well, and for all we know the f—ing owner went on a f—ing trip!' Elias looked really troubled, almost terrified.
'It's a f—ing arm!' I shouted back, too disguised to look behind. My eyes started tearing up with the realisation of our situation, and my heart started beating even faster. 'Who cares about all that stuff, it's an arm! Don't you see?'
'No! We can't! We can't call the cops! Imagine all the talk at school! And what about the drugs? The cookies, the weed? The illegal weed? The whole football team would get arrested, we brought all that over!' He looked very alarmed. Megan started crying again, more silently this time, with her head buried in her knees. I felt like I was the only person who saw things clearly, and Elias' selfishness frustrated me. The music was driving me mad.
'Look,' said Elias more quietly. 'For all we know this is just a joke. Some messed up, sick joke. I'll find whoever did this. I will. For now, please, just go back in there. And don't call the police. Please.'
'You want us to go back in there and act like nothing happened?' I said. After that he started imploring me again, all red in the face and tearing up, and although it seemed pathetic, the smallest hint of pity came across me when I figured the desperation of Elias, the popular school jock, begging me. I didn't want to look at his face any longer, I felt really sick. So I waved him off, said 'fine' and 'whatever' and told him to be quick. And I helped Megan out into the main room again.

People were dancing and partying carelessly, unaware of what had just happened. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, to make everyone know and feel the way that I did, to feel less isolated. 'There's an arm in the bathtub!' But I couldn't. What a mess. All I had was the little hope and comfort that Elias would find the person who caused it all. And then it would be sorted, and then I would leave.
     I felt so angry at myself. Of course the one time I went to a proper party something so disguising would happen. It was like the universe forbid me to have a good time on my last day in town, like Abbey couldn't possibly go to a party like a normal girl because she didn't deserve it. And beyond that, I admit, I was terrified to leave, because although it crossed my mind that someone had done it only to play a joke on us, the scribbled 'leave and die' was engraved in my mind.
     I walked Megan over to the hallway, on the couch that Willow and her friends were sitting on earlier, since they weren't there anymore. Megan still hadn't said anything, and I understood that the stuff she'd seen must have seemed twice as unreal, being drunk and all that. Her makeup was slightly smeared in places and her mascara was streaking under her red, swollen eyes from all the crying.
     'Are you alright?' I said as we sat down. She was looking at the floor.
     'Yeah.' Was all she said.
'It's fine, don't worry Megan. Elias will find whoever did that, and then we'll leave.' I said, trying to convince myself of it too. 'I feel too sick to be here. What is wrong with these people?' Megan nodded. Her entire 'wild, party-animal' nature seemed to have faded very quickly.
I got my phone out of my handbag and checked the time. I noticed my battery was still running low. It was around 8:30, still quite early into the party. I imagined it would at least be going on until the morning, being the 'best party ever'. It also reminded me about my mom, and how I still hadn't called her since back in the car, when she didn't pick up. I called again, and to my surprise she answered.
     The music was still too loud, so I got up and walked further into the hallway where I could hear her better. She told me about how she'd seen my call and couldn't find me upstairs in my room. I said that I was hanging out with Megan, (making sure to leave out the recent events) and said that I would be heading home soon. I could tell she wasn't very happy, but in an end she said 'alright' and told me she would wait for me at home.
I didn't feel like myself, telling my own mother that I was at a party.
'Was it your mom?' asked Megan when I returned and sat on the couch.
'Yes,' I said, 'she was checking up on me.'
'You didn't tell her about the...'
'No, no. I barely even mentioned this was a party.'
'Oh. Good.'