Beyond Her Final Breath (Book 1- Shadowland Duology) | Wattys2015

.Chapter Five.

Gray clouds rolled in from behind the mountains. They hung low, heavy with an impending August rain. Spasms of wind gusts blew the girl's hair around her body, making her seem even more surreal to Nathan.

Goosebumps rose on his arms, but whether or not it was from the cold or from the sight before him, he did not know.

Nathan's body leaned against the rough bark of an old oak tree. It's coloring leaves rustled in the wind, and a few of them floated down to the forest floor on the wind.

Nathan let out a tired sigh and ran a hand through his unkempt dark blond hair. "What do you want, Evelyn?"

"I- I don't know where to start."

"How about the part where you're supposed to be dead?" He clenched his jaw and then sighed. "Look, Im sorry. It's just... this is all too much for me."

Evelyn was quiet. Her eyes refused to meet his. Instead they focused on the dead leaves that littered the ground. "I can't remember who you are," she finally whispered.

"What?" Nathan asked incredulously.

She raised her head. Her sad brown eyes met his. "I can't remember anything."

Nathan's world faltered. His mind buzzed with unanswered questions. A soft buzz spread throughout him, spreading outward from his chest. He felt shaky and wrong, like pieces of a puzzle wouldn't connect right.

He slid down the tree trunk, suddenly too tired to stand. The bark snagged and caught on his nice suit jacket.

"I'm sorry. I don't know who you are. I just know that I know you somehow," she continued.

Never in a million years did he think that she could possibly forget about him. It was all too much. How much could one person take?

"I can't- I can't do this. It's too much." Nathan put his head in his arms. "I'm sorry."

"No. Please. I need your help. I can't pass on without you." Tears fell off her face and dispersed into mist.

"I can't help you. Don't you see that? I can't handle it! I don't even know how to help you!"

His angry words seemed to echo throughout the forest, bouncing off the trees. Rustling leaves and swaying branches filled the silent gap.

The sky above grew darker.

"I know this might be a lot for you, but I need your help. Please. I'm begging you." Tears continued to fall down her face.

"I-" His words were cut off by a clap of thunder. It echoed off of the mountains. His eyebrows scrunched together. "That's strange. We never get thunderstorms in August."

A violent gust blew through the trees. Suddenly, the almost bare tree branches turned into skeleton arms with outreached fingers.

Lightning cracked and streaked to the earth, lighting up the dark gray sky.

"Something's really not right." Nathan got up off the ground, terror now flooding in his veins.

"Do you feel it?" Evelyn whispered.

Nathan did feel it, the overwhelming sense of wrongness. It was like that little tickle in the back of your mind when you're all alone in the middle of the night. It reminded Nathan of late night shadows dancing across walls, and the feeling of someone watching you.

"We should get out of here."

Another clap of thunder.

Something was in the forest with them. He could tell.