Unfold

Chapter Eighteen (18)

Hey friends! Happy New Year! Before I go and celebrate, I thought it'd be appropriate to make Chapter 18 the last chapter I post in 2018!

Also, 800 reads? Y'all are too good to me. God bless each and every ONE OF YOU.

Praying each of you have a blessed 2019! Can't wait to finish this book! Over halfway done!
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Jean hadn't anticipated it getting so dark so quick. Shawn kept telling her they should head back, but they kept getting distracted and delving into different conversations. It if was up to her, she would have stayed the entire night.

The darker it got, the more Jean started to panic as she used her flashlight to guide her steps back through the woods. Shawn was right in front of her, leading the way, but she still found her heart beating faster. The memory she had blocked out was slowly creeping back in. How did she not think of this when they walked in? Why did she insist on watching the sunset?

You're fine, you're fine, you're fine. Shawn was here with her. He was good and he wasn't going to hurt her.

You thought Jake wouldn't hurt you either.

Jean could feel her heart tighten in her chest. Not now. Anytime but now. This was all so familiar. The leaves crunched beneath her. The smell of the trees. The June air. This was exactly how it felt that night. 

Shawn's here. Just follow his feet. She used her flashlight to illuminate his feet in front of her. Just one step at a time. 

If something happens you deserve it. You let this happen. 

She pushed the voices out of her head and concentrated on his feet. 

Left, right, left, right, left, right. As long as she focused on his feet, she was going to be okay. She could already feel her heart start to calm down. They'd be out of the woods soon. She was going to make it. Everything was fine. 

She couldn't tell if Shawn was talking to her or not. All she could hear was the pounding in her ears. She tried to focus on her breathing. She needed to keep it under control so he wouldn't think anything was wrong. 

"Are you sure were going in the right direction?" Jean managed to say, but even she could hear the desperation in her voice. She sounded distant to herself. 

"Yes, were almost there."

Jean closed her eyes for too long and felt a stick slice the side of her ankle. She winced and forced herself not to cry out; drawing attention to it would force them to stop moving and she needed to get out of here as soon as possible. She shined her light on her leg and saw the blood rising to the surface over a long laceration. Great.

She turned her flashlight back up to Shawn's feet,  but he was too far ahead. She felt her stomach drop.

"Shawn?" she said, but it wasn't loud enough. She couldn't figure out how to use her voice. She was alone. 

You're not there anymore. He isn't here. 

"Shawn?" She managed to yell, slightly louder. She couldn't see anything but the blackness in front of her. She could feel it coming. Her breath quickened. She closed her eyes and backed into a tree and tried to steady her breathing before Shawn heard her, but every second that she didn't move forward, he was getting farther and farther ahead. She was going to be stuck here, just like before. Nobody would look for her.

"Shawn," she whispered, but it was hopeless. He was gone. Her chest tightened and her heart beat uncontrollably in her chest. She couldn't breathe. It was happening.