Death In The Woods ✔|Complete|

Chapter 1

*Edited

"Sarah, you're going to be late for school. Get your ass out of your bed! It's seven A.M. already," her mum said as she made her way into Sarah's room.

Sarah stirred, disturbed by the sound of her not so favourite morning alarm- her mum, going off. She stretched her arms limply across her covers and tried to tune her off in hopes of catching just a little more sleep. Sadly, it wasn't to be. Her mum drew the blinds of her window, letting sunlight shine into the room.

The prospect of enjoying her slumber for even five more seconds flew out of the already-open window. Sarah flung her covers back and sprang up. Stepping into the bathroom, she tried to get ready as fast as possible.

Sarah McKenzie attended Winston High, but that wouldn't matter in three months' time when she would finally be able to graduate. She couldn't wait to turn eighteen; her escape from Winston High, and the demonic alarm clocks, would be the best time of her life. She would be free to follow her own schedule, which was all she had wanted ever since she had discovered the wonders of early mornings.

Sarah quickly rushed out of the bathroom, skipping the part of blow-drying her hair and settling for packing the black curls that cascaded down to the middle of her back in a messy bun. She threw on a black jean and maroon pullover and picked out her black sneakers from her wardrobe.

She sped up when she heard a continuous car horn outside. Since Sarah didn't have a license, she always hitched a ride with her best friend, Clara, to get to school on time. The only time she didn't ride to school with Clara was if Sarah's mum decided to drop her off at school before going to work. But, that's once every week.

Clara rolled down her car window and yelled into the house, "Come on, Sarah! Hurry up."

"I'm coming, give me a minute," Sarah shouted back out the window. She hurried downstairs and took a sandwich from the kitchen counter. She rushed towards the front door with her bag, trying to leave before Clara blew the whole neighbourhood out with the sound of her horn.

Her mum saw Sarah out the door, calling, "Pay attention in classes! Don't eat so fast that you choke on your food!" Sarah flashed her mum a smile from the passenger window of Clara's car, responding with a brief "Yes, Mum" before putting on her seatbelt.

Clara accelerated toward school immediately. God forbid they were late with Principal Donovan on the watch.

They arrived a few minutes after eight. Clara parked her car, and they made their way towards the school entrance, surprised to find a crowd of students gathered in front of the notice board.

"What is going on?" Clara mused. She looked over at Sarah and tracked her gaze to two government vehicles in the parking lot. There were cops in the school?

"I have no idea. Let's ask Brittany," Sarah suggested, snapping out of her trance.

Clara looked around and waved when she spotted Brittany, trying to get her attention. "Hey, Brittany!" Brittany made her way toward the duo, pushing past a few people in the crowd. Her orange-blond hair and designer clothes made her stand out from the crowd. If someone yearned for the recent news in Winston high, then Brittany was the right person to meet. Everyone knew that she was the school gossiper and no one would like for her to know about their secrets, except that person was perfectly okay with being in the spotlight

"Hi, Clara, Sarah!" she said as she reached them.

Clara gave Brittany a confused smile, asking, "Have any idea what's going on?"

Brittany perked up at the mention of gossip, born to spill rumours, but the look on her face quickly turned into a sad, almost scared one. "So, I guess you guys haven't heard what's going on. Lisa McAllister, the girl who has been missing for almost two weeks, was found dead in the woods this morning," she whispered to both of them.

"Lisa McAllister?" Clara voiced Sarah's thoughts in shock.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Yes, the one and only Lisa, unless you know someone else with the same name?"

"What the hell happened to her? She seemed nice," Sarah chimed. She and Clara were not close friends of Lisa, but from the few classes she has taken with the deceased, she could say that Lisa was a nice person.

"I don't know why, but she was stabbed fourteen times in the chest." Brittany scrunched her nose. "Her body was already decomposing by the time they found her. The person who did it must have been a complete psycho," she mumbled the last part almost to herself.

Though Brittany usually behaved like a spoiled rich bitch, one could see that the news of Lisa's death had actually affected her even if she was trying to cover it up with sarcasm.

Sarah grimaced. "Damn, that's disgusting. Why would anyone do that?"

There was a noise from the school megaphones, cutting their conversation short. "That's enough distraction for the day. I want everyone in their classrooms within the next five minutes," Principal Donovan announced.

~ ~ ~

The man looked scornfully at the two vehicles parked in front of the school. "Took the cops long enough," he muttered to himself, shuffling in his hiding place. The woods were his territory. If not for the hunter, they never would have found the body.

Lisa McAllister. Everyone thought she was a decent person, but she was tainted. She was deserving of what happened to her. He only took it upon himself to send her on her way to Hell.