Your Last Chance

Chapter Two: The Journey

I cant think of a title help

We ran through the woods for what seemed like hours. In all fairness, there was a definite chance it had been hours. Finally, when we couldn't hear any sounds except our footsteps, we slowed down to a brisk walk. 

It took almost twenty more minutes of walking until I noticed that the sound our small group made was actually the only sound. None of the animals that were previously present in the forest were there. Or, at the very least, they weren't making any noise. I shudder at the soundless forest; soundless except for the sound of us tromping around in here. Us being Kara and I, that is. Landon and Clara moved silently, a benefit of being raised in the landscape, I suppose. Still, they seemed too good at it; even the soles of their feet seem to produce no noise, despite them walking at a quick pace. 

I cut myself off that train of thought. Thinking like a character in a horror movie wouldn't help the situation. A part of my brain screams at me that I was in a horror movie, but I ignore it. Still, it was hard to ignore when I was left with nothing but my thoughts, while trekking through what seemed to be endless miles of woods. 

Finally, we reach a fork in the road and stop. I try to figure out how long the latest leg of our path had taken, but I found that I had completely lost my sense of time.

"Does anyone know what time it is? " I whisper, quickly growing unnerved by my lack of the concept of time. When they heard my voice, the three of them jumped back like they'd been shot. I sigh; were they going to be this dramatic all the time? I stubbornly refuse to move until I get an answer, and Clara was first to relent. Wiping the scared look of her face, she quietly replies.

"Judging by how sun's position in the sky in relations to the horizons," Clara starts, "I'm going to guess it's around three o'clock." I don't know why she couldn't have just said three, but I decide to be thankful anyways. 

Kara and Landon both had stayed mute during our dialogue, but, once they realized a "zombie" wasn't about to jump out of the woods and attack them, they start to speak to.

"So, um, what the hell just happened?" Kara and Landon simultaneously ask. Landon gives Kara an unwarranted look of annoyance. Seriously, what was that kids problem? 

Clara, sensing the start of a fight, gave me a sharp look. I pretend, for Clara's sake, to not know what I did to warrant a disapproving look. But I did know: I had thought badly of Landon, and her protection of the kid didn't allow that. I scoff at Clara's silent reprimand before falling silent again. 

"It's this way," Clara finally says, breaking the tense silence. She points up towards what looks like an endless hill. Of course it was that way. 

"What's this way? You haven't even told us where we're going!" I say, speaking in a normal volume that, in these woods, seem  scream. Clara winces at my voice. I notice Landon sending her a questioning glance; Clara slightly nods and an unreadable expression passes through Landon's face. 

After their silent exchange, Clara simply replies, "Shelter."

I want to argue, want to confront her about the looks her and Landon keep sharing. This doesn't really seem like a time to be keeping secrets. Nevertheless, arguing now seems even more foolish than childish secrets. So, I swallow my pride, take a deep breath, and walk down the path Clara indicated. As the other's follow me, I could still feel the tension hanging in the air, so thick it was almost tangible. The tension,  I realized, was caused by Kara and Landon's unanswered question. But I think the lack of an answer was enough to draw your own conclusions: no one had any idea what was going on.