The Woods

Chapter 26

(???, Madeline)
     I opened my eyes to my mother calling to me. I raised my head to watch the snow fall off my head. I stood in severe pain as I listened for my mom. She called out again and I tried to find the way her voice was coming from.
"Mom!"
"Madeline!"
     In the distance I watched my mother run over to me. Sirens were somewhere off in the distance. Then the shouting of some people and my mother's cries of relief and joy.
"We found her! Get us an ambulance out here!"
     Someone shouted as my mother wrapped me in a hug. A police officer threw a blanket over both of us so we would stay warm.
"Oh my God! Are you okay? You're alive! I knew you would be! I love you so much!"
"Mom."
     She put my head into her shoulder as we both cried, waiting for an ambulance to arrive. My legs started to give and my mom caught me. She then lifted me off the ground and carried my over to the police car so I could sit.
     The ambulance arrived and everything seemed so surreal. Like none of it was happening. I didn't even know what day it was. Surely I wasn't passed out for that long? I wondered to myself as the paramedics helped me into the back of the ambulance, addressing my wounds.
"What happened to Victoria and Diane?"
"Who?"
"They were supposed to come save me. Now they'll go into the woods to find me and will get lost themselves! I've got to go warn them!"
"No ma'am you need to lay down, we'll get you feeling well soon, I'll have your mom notify these people of your safety."
"It might be too late!"
"And what about Parker! He is the one trying to kill me!"
"Parker?"
"Yeah!"
"Parker is dead, we found his body a few days ago."
"How was he killed?"
"Stab wounds matching the same one you have."
"But how? Who killed him?"
"We aren't sure."
"If it was Victoria or Diane they would have told someone, right?"
"I still don't know who you are talking about."
     For the rest of the ride I stayed silent. We finally entered the hospital. I felt relived and yet no closure for my situation. Whoever was really attacking me is still out there! And where is Vict- my thought was stopped in horror as Victoria's body was rushed past me, she was severely injured, then I noticed that she wasn't breathing.
"No!"
     I screamed as she past me. Something was injected into my arm and I started to feel sleepy. When I awoke I was sitting up in a hospital bed and my mom sat in a chair across the room. When she noticed I was awake she approached me, but something in her voice made her seem like she was hiding something.
"Hi honey, you're awake."
"What happened to Victoria? Where is Diane?" My question made her eyes tear up.
"Diane is your sister, you know that right?"
"Yes, now where is she?"
"Her and Victoria, they…"
"They what?" I pressed knowing what she would say.
"They are dead. They didn't make it."
     She burst into tears as she took a seat next to me, taking my hand in hers as she cried. I stared straight ahead at the white wall across the room in shock and horror. Not a single tear fell from my face.
"It's my fault."
"No it's not, you didn't know."
"I should've come home when I got that gut feeling, but I didn't. If I had just listened to my gut I would have been fine, Diane would have been fine. Victoria wouldn't have to have put her life on the line to save me."
     My mom was lost for words for a moment before sliding her chair away from the bed. The room became much darker and flashes of lightning worked like a camera, bathing the room in bright light for a short period of time.
     Her form shifted and contorted to finally form some kind of jumbled ugly mess of limbs. Her arms tore into her abdomen and ripped outwards, leaving only her spine to hold up her upper body. Her arms then shifted backwards, to her back and then the folded up over her shoulder like wings.
"Mom?"
     Her neck lengthened significantly along with her hair. She leaned over my bed and looked right into my face. She had four eyes instead of two and her nose was gone. She opened her mouth, the sides beginning to tear. Cheeks ripped and her mouth fell open, her jaws separated, but filled with long sharp teeth.
"What are you?"
     I pulled myself backwards before rolling out of the bed, landing on the ground hard. My legs ached from the fall and I crawled away from the lumbering beast.
"Stop! Go away!"
     The beast got close to my face and a long slithering tongue lashed out, wrapping around my throat and squeezing tightly, slowly lifting me off the ground. I grabbed the tongue with both hands as my feet were lifted off the ground. My legs thrashed wildly, adrenaline setting in as I felt the life leaving me.
"You are a worthless mistake!"
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(Night 8, Victoria)
"So what do we do? My brother or Madeline?"
"Don't forget about Asher."
"Damn! Which is top priority?"
"Asher could still be here."
"Okay, let's do this. Here."
     I said handing her a knife. We stepped inside alert, listening for any movement or breath. I motioned for Diane to go upstairs to check, I followed close behind worried I would have to use the gun in my pocket. I pulled it out as Diane sighed upon reaching the second floor.
"He's gone."
     I sighed with relief and put the gun away before joining Diane, looking around the room thinking. Madeline. We have to get to her. My gut told me. I tapped Diane's shoulder and she faced me.
"We aren't going to let him get Madeline."
"I was just thinking the same thing."
     I commented as we quit the house. We stepped out into the sleepy town. Asher said something about people starting to die. I wondered trying to think of any reason as to why.
"Woods?" I asked.
"Yeah." Diane responded first, "Wait. You go ahead, I need to go get the police."
"I won't let anything happen to her when I get to her."
"I'll see you again soon Victoria."
"Hurry Diane."
     I concluded before we both split up, me into the woods and Diane to the police station. I entered the woods in the dark, moving slowly so I didn't fall or trip. Why Asher? Why would you do this? I questioned him in my head.
     The dark impeded my progress into the cold woods. The sun began to rise and I noticed the extreme darkness turn into a dull grey.
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(Night 8, Diane)
     I ran down the street, the lights providing an area of safety. No cars moved up or down the road. A loud gunshot roared from a house as I passed it. I fell to my side shocked.
     It took me a moment to recover and as I did a scream tore through the air and then a collision of meat against pavement. It started, they are killing themselves. I figured before continuing my run for the station. I made it to the front doors and barged inside exhausted.
"Yes ma'am?"
"I need an ambulance and police car."
"What's wrong?"
"The girl that's gone missing, I know who and what happened."
"How do you know?"
"Asher Rivera! He lured Madeline out into the woods and then tried to kill her. He killed a nurse at the hospital who was trying to protect Madeline."
"Ma'am can you take a seat?"
"I know where she is! Just let me show you!"
     The woman at the front desk kept ushering for me to take a seat in the midst of my anxious state, but I couldn't. Finally a police officer stepped into the front room with us.
     He had slicked back, black hair and green eyes. His skin was light and only slightly aged. He seemed to be at least thirty-five maybe going towards forty.
"I'll follow through with this one." He said gently.
"Thank you." I exclaimed impatiently.
     He reached over the desk and the woman handed him a map, which when opened revealed that it was a map of the town and a generic depiction of the woods. I followed the main oath to the woods and traced along the crumples and ridges until I found the pond that had clouded up. I then moved further away until I found the location of the concrete building.
"There is a building here with gory evidence of previous murders." I then pointed to where Victoria's family lived.
"Cannibals live there, it might be worth looking at that place too, but Madeline should be somewhere near here."
     I pointed and then made a circle around the area to indicate she could be anywhere within the area. The officer took out a marker and marked the map, making sure to get every piece of evidence.
"I'm officer Buck."
"I'm Diane, Madeline's sister."
"How long has she been missing now?"
"About seven days total, almost eight."
"That's a long time."
"That's why we need to hurry!"
"You got it."
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(Night 8-Day 8, Madeline)
     I awoke with a cold chill, freezing my bones and waking me up. The lack of the sun made warming up impossible. I'm still out here? Should've known better, when am I ever that lucky? I told myself darkly.
     It was extremely cloudy, blocking most of the sunlight from touching the ground. I barely managed to drag myself to sit against the hill. I'm not going to make it. I thought as I looked over my wounds.
"I can barely move, barely speak."
     Suddenly my feelings got the best of me. My mind thought terribly, everything I tried to push down came springing back up. All my doubts flowed from my eyes and my hope swam in the blood leaving my abdominal wound.
"I'll never get to see anyone again, I won't make it. I'll die here alone and scared like a child afraid of the dark. Nothing I, Diane, Victoria, Janet, or anyone else did mattered. In the end I'm still dying. No one can save me now. Mom! I'm sorry I was so damn naive! I could've done better. I messed up so badly!"
     Tears ran uncontrollably down my face as I yelled about my failures and idiocy. Blinking a few times I shoved my finger into my wound and pulled out my blood soaked finger. I then pulled out the matchbox, writing 'I tried.' on one side and then turned it over and wrote 'I'm sorry I failed. I love you.' on that side.
"My time is over."
     I carefully set the matchbox in my sweater pocket, hoping someone would find it, my mom. I leaned back against the hill and closed my eyes. I'm not ready. I thought as the cold set in. As much as I didn't want to die or wasn't ready I realized death doesn't care.
"It doesn't matter if you are one or a thousand, ready or not, want to or don't, death will take you. Consume everything."
     I trailed off as my head fell limp. Suddenly I was above my own body staring at it. Madeline was sitting against the hill, her head limp, lying on her shoulder. Blood very slowly crept from her wound. The cold wind rustled her hair, pulling on it for her to get up and keep trying.
     Two hands grabbed my back and started pulling me away from Madeline, I fought against them as I stared helplessly at her body, already missing her beautiful smile. The hands were stronger than I was and I was being yanked away.