We All Have Our Sad Stories

Chapter 10

"Liam! Liam, where are you?" Ness called, her voice wavering. Everyone was keeping their eyes peeled, but Ness used all her energy to find him. She wouldn't rest until he was by her side.

Branches scratched the group's exposed skin, leaving bright red marks that stung. But nobody cared. They were too engrossed in their own thoughts and worries.

Lilly, not so much. The only people she cared for were right in front of her. Ness and Harry. She didn't have to worry about Ness at all. She knew Ness could handle herself. Harry, on the other hand, she was protective of. He was her friend and she didn't want to lose him. She couldn't stand to lose another person. It would break her.

"Liam!" Ness whispered harshly. She refused to give up despite the boys' exhausted pleas for a rest.

All of a sudden, an acorn pelted Lilly on the head.

"Ow! What the hell?" she cried out, looking up. Her eyes widened. "Liam! Ness, look, it's Liam. In that tree."

Ness turned around and grinned. "Liam? Oh, my God, you're okay! Thank God."

Ness stood at the base of the tree, reaching her hand out to him, but he backed away. She put her arm down and stared at the bark in front of her. The way the lines all curved and swirled together amazed her because they all joined together to create the magnificent tree in front of her. It was a nice little distraction from the way he had flinched.

She took a deep breath, calming her nerves as she tried again. She smiled softly up at him. "Hey, Liam. Do you want to come on down? I'll help you."

He shook his head, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion. While he had been wandering through the woods in search of Ness, his tampered mind had created hallucinations that haunted him. People with deformed, bloody faces ran up to him, trying to touch him or hurt him. He ran from them in fear, his brain not comprehending anything about them except that they were dangerous. Then, he had seen Danielle appear in front of him, petting his hair and telling him that he'd be okay. Yet, he couldn't feel her touch. Her fingers fell right through him, and he watched as they did.

Ness soon appeared, telling him that she would come find him, but she was sitting right there. Right next to him. His weakened mind couldn't take the confusion, and soon his mind collapsed again, taking all that he had built up and crushing it until it wasn't at all salvageable. When the clouds in his foggy mind faded a bit he picked up acorns and started throwing them at the ghost people that he knew weren't there. He'd watch as the nut fell through them and hit the ground, their bodies evaporating into the thick, humid air. It had surprised him when one he threw at someone did bounce right off like it was should have, their body staying as it was supposed to be.

Ness stood at the base of the tree, still waiting expectantly. He would come around. She knew he would. But soon her patience wore thin, and she started to climb the tree.

Liam, startled by her movements, started to climb, too, to get away from her. He went towards the thinner branches, sending Ness into a frenzy.

"Wait!" Ness called, watching as Liam looked back down at her with fearful eyes. "I'll go down if you agree not to go up. I don't want you to fall."

This only confused him more. The others hadn't stopped coming after him until he threw something at them, which was why he had his pockets overflowing with acorns and any other little pebbles he found. He threw one at her now, surprised when it smacked her in the face and bounced right off of her, landing on the grass near her foot. She gasped when it made contact with her face, moving to rub the red mark that had started to appear. He felt like he should apologize, but didn't in fear that she was one of the monsters he'd been hiding from.