Alone

Chapter 49

greyson's pov

Caleb walked away to answer the call and quite possibly to escape the awkward silence. Jacob looked uncomfortable and seemed overwhelmed with the entire situation as if he didn't think it was possible. 

I was shocked when they didn't punch me in the face, like I expected them to. I'd rather have them punch me than their silence, I deserved it. I knew both of them were impulsive and very protective when it came to Eli and rightly so.

I was the bad guy here, there was no arguing with that.

They at least heard my side of the story considering the absolute shit I've put her through. I hope this didn't sidetrack us from the more important predicament we were in.

The sound of Caleb's footsteps pulled me out of my inner turmoil. He had a determined look which meant good news.

"Christian narrowed it down to two places in the area. He was spotted in both places recently, so there's a good chance that she's at either one." My heart leaped with joy. "He's going to one location, and he sent me the other location."

That being said, I swiftly got up and grabbed my jacket, making my way towards the door only to be stopped when Caleb cleared his throat. I turned around to see Jacob standing behind his twin, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head while Caleb had a hard look on his face.

"Um... are you feeling fine enough to come with us?" Jacob asked.

"If you're asking me to sit this out, I'm definitely fucking not." I said firmly.

"This isn't over." Caleb stated.

"I know. Now let's fucking go."

The drive to Hillwood was nerve-racking, and because it was quite a distance away, it didn't help the growing agitation. There was not a sound except that of the car and the wind blowing past us. Once we were out of the city, it was a smooth ride on a straight street.

The place lived up to it's name. As we neared the town, the roads narrowed and the trees looming over us gave off an eerie feeling. After another fifteen minutes or so of driving, the car came to slow halt unable to go further.

Checking his phone, he clearly looked confused, "We need to go farther ahead, seems like just another ten minute walk into the woods." He said, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice as he stared straight ahead into the daunting woods.

This wasn't good, I had a bad feeling.

Stepping out of the car, we proceeded to walk into the woods. It was soundless and still except for the sound of our footsteps. We walked for a good half an hour before we realized that we were indubitably lost. Retracing our steps we found ourselves at the beginning of the woods.

We halted to figure out a plan as well as take a break. Jacob leaned against a tree and grumbled about the countless insects while Caleb was studying his phone intently, attempting to find out where we went wrong.

"I'm going to look around; I'll be back in a few." I informed and left without waiting for a reply. 

We had come here to find Eli and instead we needed rescuing ourselves. I could sense the both of them losing hope though neither of them said it aloud. I refused to give up until I was sure she wasn't here even if it meant searching the entire woods. That bastard was seen here which meant she could be here too.

I stumbled across a trail that was hidden by thick foliage, it was too difficult to get across. I wandered around aimlessly before deciding it would be better to head back. Pushing a branch that obstructed my way, I found the two of them sitting down and talking quietly.

"I thought we lost you too." Caleb said with his back turned towards me.

Before I could reply, a shrill scream pierced the silent woods. The two of them were on their feet as fast as lightning. The scream came from behind me, in the direction that I just come from. I turned on my heel and ran towards the direction of the scream, the two of them following me.

I arrived at the same trail that I had stumbled upon, this time I did not care about the dense thicket and pushed through it. Ignoring the stings from the scratches of the thorny bushes, I saw a clearing with a wooden barn in the distance.

Once I was entirely through, I took off in the direction of the barn. I didn't care to see if the twin's were following me or not, my focus was on reaching the barn. The adrenaline coursing through me contributed in reaching the barn in record time.

Pushing open the rickety door, I was momentarily paralyzed at the sight before me. Eli lay there on the floor, her hands tied to a log covered that was covered in blood. There was so much blood.

I dropped to my knees in front of her and checked for a pulse; my heart leaped when I felt a faint beat. Her eyes fluttered open with great difficulty when she felt me beside her.

"G..rey-y?" She questioned in disbelief as if she couldn't believe I was here, as if she didn't expect anyone to rescue her.

I lifted her up and held her to my chest, "I'm here, Eli. You're safe." I said reassuring her even though my voice betrayed me.

"Please d-don't leave me... I don't want to be a-alone anymore." My heart shattered hearing her broken voice. 

She felt so frail in my arms. She balled her bloody hand into a fist, holding my shirt as an anchor to know that she wasn't dreaming.

Footsteps came to a stop behind me, I turned to see the twin's looking at us with wide eyes, trying to catch their breaths. I nodded my head towards a figure that lay in the corner of the barn. Caleb ran over to the figure while Jacob tried to cut off the ropes with a blunt knife he had found on the floor.

"Grey, please, don't leave me." Eli whimpered softly, twisting in my arms.

"I'm here now, don't worry. I got you; you're safe with me." I said softly, pushing her hair that was matted to her face out of the way. I looked up to see Jacob still struggling with the ropes.

I placed Eli's hand on my heart with my hand over hers, "Just keep those beautiful green eyes of yours on me. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. I thought I lost you, don't ever scare me like that again." I said in a gentle tone, but that didn't stop the tears building in my eyes.

She cracked a small smile and looked at me through half-lidded eyes, "You won't get rid of me that easily." Her body shook as she coughed up blood. "Grey, I can't k-keep them open a-anymore."

"No, baby. You can, I know you can. You need to keep them open for me; I can't live without seeing them." Caleb had joined Jacob and was helping him cut the rope. I hadn't realized tears were streaming down my face until I felt the salty taste of my tears on my lips.

"Come on, dammit." I said desperately.

I tugged her close to me, placing our foreheads together, "Eli, I can't live without you. I love you so much." I said in frail voice. She lifted her arm up slowly and wiped the tears under my eyes, smearing blood on my face, but that was the least of my concerns.

"I love y-you too, Greyson." She said with a little smile on her face as she closed her eyes and her hand fell limp.