River of Blood

Chapter Seven

                   It's been about a week. Everyone is ecstatic that the weekend is practically upon them, but the group of girls has been spiraling since that day by the lake. Judi barely talks, Sarafine has thrown herself into her trombone playing, Aquila is drowning in coffee, Lynn never goes to classes, Annalise is taking out her frustration on her roommate, and Zelda...Zelda is fully immersed in her school work.

            The pen practically snaps in Judi's hands as she looks back up at the board. The teacher's voice doesn't reach her ears as the wolf's body comes back to the forefront of her mind.

            It hadn't been a werewolf (thank god) but it had been a wolf. Seeing it's dead body had made something inside of Judi snap. All she could think about was the blood dripping down its pelt from wounds she's not certain about how it could have gotten.

            Sighing, Judi puts down the pen. There's no point taking notes if she can't even concentrate. About five minutes later, the teacher releases them early.

            For that, Judi is grateful.

            Texting the group chat, she makes her way towards the bench. Aquila says she can't make it, Zelda says she's busy studying (go figure), Sarafine needs to learn a new song, Lynn didn't see the message, and Annalise is still in class.

            Judi sits down on the bench by herself, watching as the clouds open up and spew water from within. One hits her cheek, and she sighs. The group was falling apart. Heck, it was falling apart before it even started. All because one bloody girl went missing. Still has yet to be found.

            If only they knew what had happened to Evangeline. Then maybe they could actually be friends again.

            Gritting her teeth, Judi looks around to make sure no one is nearby. Crossing around the path to the lake, she finds her way to the wolf. The sight of it still has the impact, but she tries to ignore it to tell its scent from that of Evangeline's.

            Three scents. One belongs to the wolf, another the president's daughter, and the last...Evangeline. Judi has no idea of which one to follow.

            The rain will eventually wash the path away, so she has to choose one of the options now. Otherwise, she'll lose the opportunity altogether.

            Her legs move on their own accord, breaking the tree line as she follows the scent. Birds squawk overhead, but she ignores them as she moves. Her pace ends up in a run as she continues to move.

            All the sudden, the trail dies. Judi skids to a stop, her eyes wandering all over. When her eyes land on a tree, she nearly screams.

            The bark is tainted red, blood streaming down its surface. It doesn't look fresh, merely that it is washing away with the stream of rain. She hadn't expected to see so much blood when she went in search of Evangeline. The fact that she stumbled over this tree and then lost the trail...

            Judi sighs, following Evangeline's scent back to the lake. So much for that.

            Disappointment lingers in her gut, and she pauses when she sees Lynn by the edge of the lake. The girl is staring at her, a frown on her features. Judi wanders over to the girl, wondering why she's out in the pouring rain.

            Lynn blinks a couple times as Judi moves closer. "Why were you in the woods?" The girl asks, her green eyes moving back towards the lake.

            "It's been five days, Lynn."

            "Do you think she's dead?"

            "I don't know what to think." Judi sighs, her eyes looking towards the waters. "Why are you out in the rain?"