Serenity Falls

Chapter 19

I promised you this would be longer... and it is! Here you go, the scene in the forest :) Hope you like it! Drop me a comment to let me know :D

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The wood surrounded the lake from all angles, meaning there were few exits back in the direction of town and it was extremely easy to get lost. There had never been many people choosing to enter anyway, but after Brooke’s father had bought the land, it was off-limits to the general public, meaning it was deserted at any given time of day.

The place as a whole was extremely dangerous anyway, many of the paths obstructed by fallen trees and overgrown plants that tripped anyone who tried to walk over them. There were so many trees that loomed above, it made the area even darker, and with huge thick trunks everywhere in sight, it arose the constant suspicion that someone may be hiding in there, waiting.

Ethan had enlisted the help of some of his friends, fellow jocks, which bumped up their search party to a grand total of seven people. They each held a flashlight in their hands, but they were of barely any help when their light was just consumed by the overpowering darkness that the wood emitted.

"So where the hell do we start looking?" Alyssa said, placing one hand on her hip and sighing. It appeared as if she wasn’t even bothered about her friend’s disappearance, but inside, she was trying desperately to convince herself that everything was okay… and failing. The prospect of being alone in an unknown, dark forest scared her as much as any other person, but she’d rather give away all her Gucci, Chanel and Versace handbags than admit that she, Alyssa Taylor, was afraid.

"She can’t have gone far," Ethan answered her. "I guess we just wander around a little and hope she turns up."

Suddenly, there was an ear-piercing scream and a flashlight dropped to the ground with a smash, causing the light to flicker a few times before going out completely. One less flashlight – which meant a whole lot more darkness.

Alyssa glanced in Kayla’s direction, shining the torch on her scared face, which was looking worriedly at a small clearing in the bushes.

"What gives?" she asked.

"Oh my God, there’s totally something in there!" Kayla screeched, grabbing onto Alyssa’s arm in fear. "I swear, I saw it! It could be a lion or something! What if it eats us all? Oh my god, I’m too pretty to die!"

Olivia glanced at Ethan, her eyebrows raised, but it was too dark for him to notice.

Alyssa sighed heavily, irritated by her friend. "Don’t be such a dumbass, Kayla. And now look what you’ve done – you’ve broken your flashlight. That’s just great isn’t it?"

"I swear, I saw something!" she persisted, biting her lip. Her eyes were fixed on the bush, not daring to risk looking away for even a second.

"Yeah, right," Alyssa said, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "Let’s just hurry up and find Courtney. I’m not exactly having the time of my life in here, believe it or not."

The group continued walking for a few minutes longer, before Olivia suddenly felt a hand on her arm, pulling her back. Her heart jumped at the initial feeling, but she spun round to see Alyssa, whose firm grip was dragging her sideways. She shoved her, sending her walking backwards slightly until she felt the trunk of a tree behind her.

"Wait, wh-?" she said, as Alyssa stepped closer.

"Be quiet," she snarled, looking down at Olivia’s confused and slightly scared face. It was a good feeling, being so powerful over someone like her.