I Can't Go Back Now (Supernatural- Alexis Hammel)

The Fire

My legs felt numb, my face immune to the pain of the icy rain pelting onto it. My brown hair was matted to my face, caked with rain and mud. I had tripped about a mile back, falling into a puddle of mud. It had been washed off by the rain from my bare arms and shoulders that were exposed by my tank top. It was now completely soaked. My teeth were chattering, and my sandals had broken a few miles back, leaving my feet calloused and bleeding.

You might be wondering how I had gotten myself into this situation. Let's make a quick recap.

^Two Weeks Earlier^

"Come on, Layla, let up," I laughed as we drove to our rented cabin. Me, my older sister, and our boyfriends decided to rent one in the middle of the woods.

"You know I don't like the woods, Lexi. They creep me out."

"You'll have me, Jacob and Jackson."

"So? There are bears and... squirrels."

"Okay, first of all, there aren't bears in the woods here. Second, why are you afraid of squirrels?"

"Traumatic things can happen, Lexi."

"Mhm, turn up the music."

"Yeah," she twisted the knob. Classic rock filled my ears. She opened the windows, and I was glad I pulled my brown hair into a ponytail. Our boyfriends drove in a car just behind us, following us to the cabin. We were still about an hour away from our cabin. We'd spend our two weeks for spring break out there.

"Hey, turn it down," I said, answering the call from my boyfriend. "What's up?" I was still humming the words to the song playing.

"Hey, how far away are we?" He asked.

"We're about an hour away. Why?"

"Can we stop for a bathroom break?"

"Yeah, as soon as we can find a gas station. I haven't seen one in a few hours."

He sighed. "Okay."

I hung up with him. Layla turned to me. "What did Jackson need?"

"Wondering if we could stop at a bathroom."

"Has he not been paying attention?" She laughed, turning up the music once again.

I shrugged, looking out the window at the trees passing by. As I was looking, I focused on a specific tree. Everything seemed to slow as my attention was drawn not necessarily to it, but the three, long, claw marks resting on the tree. There weren't any bears here. Right? Jackson had told me there weren't. I'll have to ask him again.

When we finally got to the cabin, I got out of the car, readjusting my jeans and stretching from the four-hour car ride.

"Hey, come help me with the bags," Layla said, and I grabbed the bags from the backseat as she went to open the front door of the cabin. She disappeared inside, probably to look at the kitchen. I closed the car door, two backpacks on my shoulders, and a duffel bag in my hand.

I started toward the house but stopped when I heard some rustling in the woods. I turned toward the bushes and peered at them, dropping the heavy duffel bag on the gravel driveway. The bushes continued to rustle, then abruptly stopped as I drew nearer.

"Hey," Jackson called out as he picked up the duffel bag I had dropped.

I turned around, looking at him before looking back at the bushes. "Hey."

I walked back to him as he took a backpack off of my shoulder and replaced it with his arm, steering me into the cabin. "What were you looking at?"

"I dunno, thought I heard something," I said, taking off my shoes at the entryway, kicking the door closed afterward.