The Woods

Chapter 25

(Day 7-Night 8, Victoria)
     Asher looked off into the distance, but I focused on my feet. Suddenly he stood. He then pulled me up. I stood confused, but didn't question him.
"We need to get back to my house and figure something out now!"
"Figure what out? Asher! Answer me!"
     He pulled me towards his house forcefully as I questioned and yelled at him. I still walked slightly behind him, but I continued to push for an answer the entire time. Why did he want to get home so badly? Are we in danger? What's going on? He let go of me to unlock the doors to his house before he entered beckoning me to hurry.
"How do we kill your brother?"
"He is still human."
"I know but if this town really is repeating it's own history then I'm afraid people are going to start dying. We need to kill your brother."
"I mean the only place I can think he would possibly go to is home. Do you know where he is?"
"I saw him while we were outside, he was carrying a gun. I think he was trying to kill us."
"Then we wait for him to come to us."
"We can't wait, or else everyone is going to start dying! Madeline this is serious, I barely survived those years ago. I don't want to die this time around."
"Okay! okay! Let me think."
     Asher disappeared from my view as he left to go grab something, as I began to think I could only remember the night my brother got shot. Asher returned carrying his crossbow that he had used that first night. He set it on the ground and pulled back the string before putting the bolt inside and lifted it.
"I'm sorry Victoria."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry for rushing you about killing your brother but we need to get this done now."
"Okay, for a second there I thought you were gonna shoot me."
     I laughed and he laughed with me for a moment and then walked out of the house with me.
"So where do we go? Where would he be?"
"Maybe we should try Parker's house, we were camping out there before everything happened."
"Sounds okay to me."
     We sprinted over to Parker's house to find the door wide open. Inside the house was a wreck, like someone came in and tore through the place looking for something. Or someone.
"Hello?"
"Are you trying to get us caught?"
Asher whispered harshly.
"No."
"We need to be quiet, I'll go look upstairs."
"Okay."
     He traveled to the stairs while I looked around on the first floor. I walked over to the broken window, memories returning to me. My dad attacking me, Janet. I shook away tears before turning to meet Asher.
"He isn't upstairs."
"He isn't down here either."
"Then where would he go?"
"I don't know, maybe he came here and realized no one was here, where else would he go?"
"Maybe to Madeline's old house."
"Why would he go there?"
"Where else would he go?"
"Fair enough."
     Asher headed for the door first, going outside. I walked slowly, looking over everything in the house. My curiosity got the better of me as I passed the stairs.
"Asher I need to use the bathroom really quickly!"
"Okay, hurry. I'll meet you there."
     I went up the stairs, two steps at a time, finally arriving at the top. I passed the bathroom and went into the bedroom. Opening the closet, clothes tumbled out. Who just shoved a bunch of clothes in here? I began to pull all of them out, something at the back catching my eye.
     Finally managing to pull the clothes out of my way I grabbed the suitcase and opened it. Inside the suitcase papers rested on top of each other. I reached in and grabbed the first one, not believing what I was reading. I grabbed the next and then the next one. My tear filled eyes scanned each page in disbelief.
"I-I have to be sure."
     I said to myself as I placed the papers back inside the suitcase and set it back in the closet, burying it under the clothes. Stepping away, I shut the door.
"Why do people hate seeing me? Am I ugly?"
     A voice cried from behind me. I turned around to find the mangled mess of a woman, her form was horribly disfigured, terrifyingly contorted. An impulse to grab my gun sent my hand to my back pocket and grasped the handle.
"What are you?"
"Everyone who sees me wants to die. They kill themselves after seeing me outside their houses, I just want to find Parker."
     My hand replaced the gun in its pocket. My breath faltered as it passed my lips. She left the room and disappeared in the hallway when I followed her. Confused, I continued down the hallway and down the stairs.
"But why? Why would anyone do that? I thought he wanted to kill Madeline."
     I rushed to the house. When I got there I opened the door and went inside heading straight for the kitchen and then the door to the basement. Opening the door let out a horrible smell.
     I quickly stepped down into the basement, finding a multitude of different weapons, some bloody and others clean. A door at the end of the room seemed to be where the smell was coming from. I opened it and gasped.
"You lied to me. I thought we were friends, maybe more. But it was all a lie. You don't care about anyone."
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(Day 7-Night 8, Madeline)
     I tried harder to no avail. I just lied there completely helpless. I ached everywhere and blood pooled around me as the cold set in, winter was fully here.
"I'm going to freeze to death if I don't bleed out first. I don't want to die here, not alone. I'm not ready. I am not ready to die, not yet."
     I pleaded with no one. My strength was fading fast as the sun was barreling towards the horizon, threatening me to freeze to death where I lay. My cheek muscles moved unexpectedly, and suddenly I was, smiling.
"Fight me! I dare you!"
     I yelled at the sun as my weakened and aching arms pushed me from my grave. I stumbled but managed to stay standing. I won't get anywhere far. I just need some kind of shelter. I reasoned as my weathered figure moved onwards.
"You won't make it."
"You're going to die."
"Hypothermia will set in soon."
"No food, shelter or water. How pathetic."
"Can't keep moving."
"Can't stay where you are."
"No one is here to help you."
"You are going to die alone."
     All the voices casually spoke to me. At first I looked around trying to make out other people but soon realized I was still alone. Something about the voices upset me. Pushed my buttons. Maybe it's what they are saying? No. That casual tone. The world around me was blurry and I could only see straight ahead.
"Don't speak so casually to me. Don't make it sound like you know everything!"
     I yelled at the wind, which yelled back. It pushed me backwards, sent me falling. Except the fall was longer than usual. My body hit the snow and leaf covered ground.
"I can't give up."
     I told to myself as I laid there unmoving. A single tear manifested under my eye and rolled over the side of my face. Leaving a wet path going from my eye to my ear. I could feel the small little flakes of winter blow into my hair, into my wound. The tips of my fingers were turning red with my nose.
     I couldn't move anything but my eyelids, I could barely breathe. My body didn't want to cooperate. The single tear was followed by another and that one followed by a third. The fourth tear to roll down my face was cold.
"What did I do? Was it because I was naive? Foolish? Dumb? Please. Tell me what I did wrong."
     I closed my eyes in defeat. It was over, I would die here. Maybe in a few hundred years someone will come by and dig up my skeleton, put on a hopeless investigation. Or maybe they'll give me a proper burial. Cremate my bones? Hopefully they'll do the right thing. Maybe in the future no one will kill each other? No betrayal. No naivety. No murder, cannibalism, or other sinful deeds. Maybe they'll be able to recreate my body? Bring me back. Would I be me? The questions bothered me to the point of insanity and tears.
     My lips closed and a soft, broken hum escaped my throat and filled my ears, pushing the thoughts away.
Sleep weighed down my eyelids, making it impossible to open them again without extreme effort. Do I even want to see the world before I go? The darknesses that outweighed any good put into the world. It was always about how many people died, not how many lived. It was always about murder, not charity or other good deeds. Just darkness and destruction. Do people even care? Maybe they are just so used to seeing darkness they don't see any of the good. Even when I need hope my eyes are clouded by the darkness of the world. I brought my hands together and turned on my side, brought my legs up.
     My mind was slipping into darkness. An endless black void that I could never escape from. The silence and darkness felt okay. I felt pure comfort.
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(Night 8, Diane)
"Asher Ri-"
     He cut off as I felt something penetrate my left shoulder. I turned slowly to see him standing there. Parker stared at me in concern and shock as I stumbled backwards. The window behind me broke and I fell from the building in slow motion. Asher's face looking down at me alongside Parker.
     My mind worked slowly to put together everything I knew. He led Madeline out to the woods on her birthday. Stabbed her and then proceeded to hunt her down, killing anyone in his way. Including the old lady and Parker. My hatred resurfaced, but it wouldn't stop me from falling.
     Would I die?
     I thought as I knew the ground was drawing near. Suddenly arms wrapped around me and I was rolling. Someone was rolling, they would roll over me and then I over them.
     Finally we both were lying side by side in shock and amazement as well as relief. I turned my head to the side as Victoria did and we looked at each other in confusion, but we were alive.
"Thanks."
"Yeah, anytime."
     She said facing the sky as she sighed. I did the same before remembering Asher was still in the house. I sat up quickly and then looked around before standing, grabbing Victoria's hand and helping her up.
"We have to go get him."
"But why would he do this?"
"I don't know."
"Parker wrote a letter to-"
"Your parents." I finished.
"Yeah, how did you-"
"I can uh… talk to ghosts that haven't moved on."
"Wait, he's dead!?"
"Yeah, Asher killed him."
"Why would Asher try to kill her? Parker had more of a reason!"
"I don't know."
     I said defeated before grabbing her hand and pulling her around to the front of the building hoping to catch Asher before he could leave. It was then that I remembered the crossbow bolt in my arm as the pain returned.
"How do I get this out?"
"Well maybe pull it the rest of the way through?"
"Okay."
     I positioned myself so that the tail of the bolt was in the doorway and I was leaning against the wall. I then began to pull, my cries filling the sky as Victoria tore her shirt so that her stomach was revealed to the cold wind. I pushed through the pain on pure adrenaline and threw it to the ground before Victoria began to bandage it the best as possible.
"Wow. I'm not sure I'd have been able to do that." She said.
"I got a machete to the shoulder earlier. Hurt like hell but your mom fell into a cave and died."
"So it is only my brother then?"
"Yeah, I guess."