Bikes & Blood

𝐕𝐈.

Marko, Paul and Dwayne's howlers of delight echoed across the shoreline of Santa Carla. Despite the two having left before them, they'd slowed their pace and continued to weave from one side of the beach to the other. Paul's cheeky grin etched across his face as he pulled ahead of Dwayne and disappeared into the tree line. Amara's hair whipped around behind her, tangling itself as Marko followed Dwayne into the tree line ghosting the beach.

A soft, adrenaline-filled smile upturned the corners of Amara's mouth. The moonlight above and the headlights mounted on the front of the bikes-the only sense of guidance as they weaved their way through the trees. Amara's grip on Marko's waist tightened as he swerved to avoid a fallen tree branch, righting himself as smoothly as if he knew it'd been there all along. The air growing colder the deeper they drove into the forest, the smell of salt filling the air and their lungs.

The faintest brush of sea spray across Amara's skin paired with the sound of waves rumbling nearby filled the starless sky; the ash-grey clouds coating the sky in a never-ending blanket of darkness. Dwayne and Paul's lights flickered from sight as they maneuvered their way through the trees with ease; missing rocks, bushes and fallen trees with an air of practised calm. Paul glanced back over his shoulder at Amara before he disappeared over the crest of a small sloping hill, his eyes dancing with delight.

Panic seized Amara's heart as the boy she'd only known for a day vanished. Worry nipping at her gut as the smell of the ocean grew stronger. The crashing of waves louder and thundering as Marko chuckled to himself; the vibrations rippling from his chest and into her own. Amara watched from behind Marko's shoulder as Dwayne disappeared over the crest of the hill, his ebony-brown locks billowing in the wind. Marko sped up with a quick twist of his hand as he cleared the crested hill with a small, easy jump, Paul's amused grin etched into his face as he and Dwayne waited for the pair.

Amara's stomach rolled with unease, the crashing of waves thunderous to her ears as the earth several metres away from Dwayne and Paul disappeared with an abrupt drop. Marko stopped beside them and quickly killed the engine of his bike, his Cheshire-like grin plastered across his face as he watched Amara stare down at the impassable drop. Amara tore her eyes from the edge of the cliff face and frowned as a lone bike sat vacant of its rider. Paul all but pranced to where Amara sat behind Marko, helping her off of the back of Marko's bike and towards a set of old, beaten-down stairs that clung to the cliff face.

Amara clutched onto Paul's hand as he led her down the rickety stairs. The wooden staircase groaned and creaked beneath her feet, the faintest sway to the steps enticing her heart to pound within her chest. Paul's hand squeezed Amara's gently as he glanced down at her with a sense of surety in his eyes. Dwayne and Marko followed behind them, talking amongst themselves in voices too low for Amara to hear over the crashing of the waves.

Anxiety crept into her veins as Paul let go of her hand and disappeared into a gap in the rock face. Amara's senses kicked into overdrive; one half of her mind screaming at her to run while the other urged her to stay. A frown marred Amara's face as she hesitated, eyes narrowed at the gap in the rock face. Dwayne brushed past her shoulder with mirth in his umber-brown eyes, sparing Amara an encouraging look over his shoulder before he disappeared into the entrance of the rock face.

Marko's patchwork jacket brushed past Amara's shoulder as he walked past her and stopped beside the coarse, creamy rock face. He leant against the rocks, a gentle smile across his face as he waited. "You coming?" He asked, gesturing with his head towards the gap within the rocks.

Amara paused, eyeing the gap within the rocks with unease as she contemplated turning around and walking back through the forest to the boardwalk. Marko waited for her answer, patiently leaning against the rock face as though he had all the time in the world. Amara threw a glance back up the wooden stairs behind her, the crashing of the waves against the cliff face filled her ears as she breathed in a deep breath of air and turned back to face Marko.