The Woods

Chapter 16

(Night 6-Day 6, Madeline)
     The cold metal against my skin felt welcoming. Until I remembered what had happened to me and the nurse. Footsteps stomped against a wood floor somewhere upstairs and voices could be heard, but not understood. It instilled a sense of dread in me. What if they are discussing ways to kill us? What if they already killed the nurse? What if they are coming to kill me next?
"Madeline?"
     I tried to open my eyes, but it was still dark. I couldn't use my hands or feet. The struggling only leading to more pain. No! I can't. I need to get out of these ropes! I tried pulling apart but that also led to no result except pain. The terrible scent of decay filled my nose as I took deep breaths, trying to gain strength to try something else.
"Madeline stop making sound."
     It was the nurse talking. Was she apart of this? Did she lead me here on purpose? Was she trying to get me killed? Or is she here captive too? Can she see? Move? I knew my questions wouldn't be answered without me speaking and asking.
"Can you move or see?"
"I can't move, but I can see."
"What is there? Where are we?"
"There's a table in the middle of what seems like a basement."
"Anything else?"
"We are in cages and everything, everything is covered in blood."
     The fear was evident in her voice as she explained the room we were being kept in. Something clicked inside of me as I began to wiggle my hands back and forth, hoping to loosen the ropes at all and at the same time talking to her.
"Okay, are we in the same cage or different cages?"
"Separate cages."
"How far apart?"
"They're touching."
     Her voice trailed off and I scooted over to where her voice was coming from. Whoever tied these ropes did a relatively good job. The ropes only slightly loosened and I knew I had to have someone else untie it. Turning my back to the cage bars between us I instructed her to do the same, which she did.
     I took advantage of the loosened ropes and fumbled with her binds. It took minutes of concentration and frustration, but the ropes finally fell from her wrists. I listened as she rubbed her wrists before I felt her hands on my own ropes.
     Her hands worked quickly to untie mine and as soon as I was free I pulled off my blindfold, able to witness the bloody room myself. The floor was completely covered and the walls were splattered with blood, tools of many kinds hung on the walls, bloodstained and rusting.
"We need to get out of here now!"
"I know."
     We used our now free hands to untie our other restraints. The cages were locked from the outside by a simple locking mechanism. Easy enough. I thought as I slid my hands through the largely spaced bars and pushed down the buttons above and below the lock itself, pulling it back to release the cage door.
     I swung my legs out first and fell to the ground, landing on all fours before turning back to the nurse. The creaky basement door swung open loudly, crashing against the cement wall. My movements quickened, fumbling with her lock. Heavy footfalls rang throughout the torture room as I pulled her lock free and she quickly hopped out, landing on both feet.
     She pulled me to the table, which we both crawled underneath to hide from the person. The person growled as they turned to face the empty cages and I could imagine an angry face glaring at the cages, plotting revenge against us.
     I expected them to rush out of the room, the sounds of metal and wood crashing and creaking as they sprinted around trying to find us, but they stood still in front of the table.
     I knew it was going to happen, they were going to look under the table. They would find us and kill us, no chance. Unless… I backed away from the table, the nurse looking at me like I was crazy, but I knew I could do something. I crouched opposite of the table to the person.
     I watched as their knees began to bend and I watched as a terrified expression appeared on the nurse's face. I climbed onto the table and grabbed the rusted sickle on the table as the nurse screamed as the person grabbed her.
"Come out of there!"
     I brought the sickle into his back, lodging it deep before jumping off the table, landing behind him. The nurse scrambled out from under the table as the person collapsed. She ran over to me and together we ran for the basement door. The man's voice was deep calling after us.
     We locked the door behind us and looked around. We were in a kitchen and more footsteps headed our way. I opened the cabinets, all of them full. A door against the wall caught my eye and I opened it. A tight fight, but still hidable in. I pushed the nurse inside before crouching behind the island.
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(Night 6, Diane)
     The taste of blood awoke me. Sounds of flames and the smell of smoke instantly filled me with fear as I became conscious. I looked at my body, my leg was pinned inside the car window. Shards of glass punctured my skin and drew blood, which rolled off the side of my leg, pooling on the ground.
     The pain was almost unbearable as I reached down to pry my leg out of the wreckage. The flames crawled ever closer as my hands became bloody trying to pull my leg away. The fire threatened to burn my leg, the heat growing intensely.
     Finally with one giant desperate tug my leg came free, the glass sliding the length of my leg, tearing the skin open and revealing the tissue underneath. I forced my teeth together and hissed loudly at the severe pain from the incident.
"Got… to… keep… going!"
     I said to myself determined to save Madeline from Parker. Have to keep moving! I pulled off my jacket and then took off my tee shirt underneath before putting my jacket back on. Metal from the car crash stuck out into a sharp point. On which I cut the tee shirt on, then wrapped it around my leg to try and keep everything together.
     I knew standing wasn't going to work so I continued to crawl away, trying to get into the brush as I heard sirens. No hospital! Not now! The ground became uneven and soon I was rolling down a hill, leaves flying into the air and sticks breaking.
     Snow was falling gently and was cold to the touch. Urges to open my mouth and catch snowflakes on my tongue was tempting, but my sister was possibly on the verge of death. The cold was bearable enough for me to press on, so I stood gently, holding my leg in pain and for support.
     The light from the fire burnt my eyes as I stared at it, yet it was surprisingly calm. The creak of a tree left me remembering the house. Madeline's old house, the creaking right before the house broke and collapsed.
     My memories served me well as I managed to fall to the side, avoiding a falling tree as it snapped and landed on the side of the hill, hitting the burning cars. Best if I get out of here.*l I thought as I moved towards Rose and Katem. The darkness made the trip difficult, trees blending in with the ground, tripping me and hurting my legs.
     I tripped and fell for the fifth time getting a face full of muddy leaves. I pushed myself from the ground, light shining down onto a road in front of me. Am I there? My question was answered quickly as I peered up to the street signs. Reading Rose and Katem. I made it!
     The excitement quickly subsided as I remembered why I was here. I pulled myself onto the road and scanned my surroundings. To my left was Rose Road, abandoned and worn down for years.
"Some people still don't know."
     I spoke aloud as I stared at each house. The road stretched so long until it met with Polar Road. On the opposite side of the street, my side was a giant stretch of tall bushes. Katem Road was normally very busy, but at the moment not one car traveled down it. It left me in complete loneliness.
     A cold breeze blew out from Rose Road, the trees groaning loudly as their bare branches reached out to grab unsuspecting travelers. There were many stories about what took place. A haunting, a serial killer, a mass suicide. None of them were completely wrong.
     Never did anyone who wasn't there put those together to get a true story, the real story. The last big event in Everport's history. The news were all over the story, but no one ever solved the mystery, no one with any power. I was surprised that reporters weren't on top of Madeline's disappearance.
Behind the bushes! I remembered and swiftly walked down Rose Road, looking for any signs of an opening in which I could crawl through to get to the other side. How long had Madeline been friends with Asher? Who is Asher? I knew my answers would remain unanswered for now, but I finally found the opening I was looking for.
     I climbed through the opening and came out on the other side finding a crossbow and bolts. I picked one up and examined it before replacing it, and picking up the crossbow itself. Just as I brought it close to my face I heard the sound of someone climbing through the bushes.
     My instincts kicked in and I moved inside of the bushes, concealing myself as much as possible as a man approached the crossbow, claiming it. Is this Asher or someone else? I wanted to know, but at the same time I was scared.
     If I scare him he might shoot me, but if I stay hidden I'll never know the answer. He left swiftly, leaving no trace that he had been there. Then I realized the Rose Road would be easy to hide things on. No one comes here anymore, except for squatters and young people. Lovers or childish dares, criminals and affairs. Everport wasn't as quiet as it seemed, but anyone who lived here for more than two months would know that.
"Where would they have gone from here? Did Parker go out into the woods with Madeline and try to kill her there or was it here?"
     I looked around, not finding any blood, but a second opening in the hedge, I crawled through and a very rough path presented itself. They must've followed this. I began to follow the path, hoping I would come across Madeline sooner than later.
     I wasn't about to let Parker kill Madeline. I barely knew her, but it didn't change the fact that she was my sister and I was going to save her. The trail seemed to continue on for a long time. The sun was just creeping over the horizon as I came to a clearing.
     The clearing was very large and beautiful, but the morning sun revealed its dark secrets. I approached the middle of the field, leaning down to investigate. There was a slight trace of redness. I peered off to my left, nothing and then to my right. A trail? It has to be blood. I thought as I thought back to my vision. She was stabbed here and ran.
     I followed the blood until it stopped, but I was still determined to find Madeline so I tried to think back to the vision and remembered a cliff. I looked around helplessly, all the trees beginning to seem the same.
"She isn't their first."