D U S K ✔

Chapter Eighteen

[UNEDITED]

  Without a second glance, we both took off down the pathway, endeavouring into the forest weaving through trees. Adam's grip on my hand was tight, and I worried about my sweaty palms.

  "Where are we?" I asked, gazing at the shrubs moulding into a cave around us, engulfing us in a sunset-darkness.

I didn't recognise it at all.

  His dark eyes stared ahead as an unreadable emotion was plastered to his face, "This is my escape route, it's a bit of a walk but we'll come to a road soon." He clarified.

  I rubbed my nose with my free hand, pushing down the onslaught of worry bubbling up in my gut, "My dad's gonna kill me when he finds out." I stated, biting my lip.

  "He's not gonna find out."

  I peered at my shoes as I took giant leaps, hoping to keep up with Adam's unruly pace. "He'll probably kill me and then die himself," I paused for a moment, "he is old, Adam, he's not a lively as he used to be."

  I heard Adam release a small chuckle.

  "Before all that nasty business," I began, "I'm gonna be lectured on how God is always watching, and I'm gonna feel so bad, and he's gonna be sat there for hours, and he won't physically kill me, obviously. But he'll emotionally drain me to the point of death, so God can't condemn him for murder, you know? And throughout his long and painful moaning I'll be sat there, wishing how I would just suddenly die right then and there because it's gonna be that bad altogether." I ranted, unknowingly clenching his hand.

  "Sounds like death is the only viable option."

  "Yeah."

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a smirk spread on his face as he dropped my hand, I pulled it away from him, hesitantly, feeling the spikes of coldness prick on my palm.

He bent down over a few shrubs, "It's here, give me a minute."

My eyebrows knotted together as he began tearing through the foliage, as though he was digging for buried treasure.

Then it clicked, and I bent down too, pushing through the leaves as well. My hand then collided with something sticky, and oddly warm, I shivered, pulling it back.

And screamed.

I backed away from the shrub, shaking my hand furiously, and squeezed my eyes shut. Blood pounded through my ears, yet I could still hear Adam's chortles.

I felt the slug detach itself from me flying off elsewhere, and for a moment my jolts stopped as I assessed my hand. Searching for any trace of the slug.

"Oh--haha, I c-can't-- that was..."

I glared at Adam, who was laid on his back, gazing up at the sky. A Cheshire Cat grin crinkled his eyes, and he had wrapped his arms around his tensed stomach as the sound of his undying laughter, bounced around us maniacally.

"Shut up." I muttered, uselessly. Wiping the remnants of slim on my jeans, cringing all the while.

He sighed after a moment, as if catching and gripping onto his laughter, not letting the feeling slip away. Nonetheless, he slowly sat up. Turning his head and gazing at my red face, sending him into a smaller laughing fit all over again.