Ruby Red

6

"Hey," Riley mumbled, pulling her own lighter out. She leaned forward and tapped at Theo's bicep, "I yoinked it from someone at the party."

The heater had finally began to warm the group from the cold night air. It wasn't as cold during the day, but in the middle of the night it was.

"Remi, why haven't we started to drive away?" Valerie stared at her friend through the rear view mirror, "Like we should fucking go!" She emphasized ready to smack him on the back of his head.

Remi looked back at Valerie, giving her a dirty look, "I'm in shock, Valerie!" He shouted at her before looking forward again, Theo cracked his window to let the smoke out. Riley put her seatbelt on and sunk in the backseat. Remi took a deep breath before putting the car in reverse and doing a two point turn to turn the car around.

Putting it in drive, Remi began to drive down the pathway that Milo had driven them down earlier. His stomach dropped, he hoped Milo and Skylar were alright.

It was a long road winding to drive back down to the street level, and few hour long drive to get back home. Remi sighed, he could do it. They were in the home stretch and would never have to come back to this place.

A loud screech surround the ears of the teens as Remi put his foot down to the floor, speeding down the hill. The high beams made it easy to not crash on the simple road, Remi was still very nervous since he had little experience driving.

Theo threw his cigarette out of the crack and rolled up the window. He leaned up, checking the rear view mirror, "Oh fuck," Theo ducked back into his seat with a gulp.

The two girls looked at Theo as Remi glanced at him questioningly, "What?"

Riley's head spun at sensing something, "Oh fuck is right," She mumbled at seeing exactly what Theo had saw.

Valerie had turned to look, "Drive faster!"

Remi looked back through the rear view mirror upon seeing the two girls turn around, "Oh no, oh no," He cried as his eyes frantically switched between the road and the creature behind them.

All six legs on the ground as it zoomed towards them, and it was catching up to their car.

"Remi!" Riley shouted, not turning around.

Remi was breathing frantically, "My foots on the ground!"

Upon seeing how distressed Remi was, Theo grabbed at the steering wheel with his good arm, "Keep your foot down," Theo instructed, trying to keep them alive. Remi pressed his foot down harder, preparing for it to go through the floor. Theo had helped Remi steer the barreling car forward and around the twisting roads.

"We're going to die," Riley cried as the creature began to put pace them, getting closer and closer. Valerie ducked down into her seat, pulling her legs into her chest as she tried to not hyperventilate, "It's literally catching up!"

"Not helping!" Theo shouted as the came up to a big turn, "Let off the gas," Theo told Remi, and Remi completely took his foot off but the car continued forward at insane speeds, "Off the gas!" Theo told him urgently knowing they wouldn't be able to make this turn at the speed they were going. Remi's foot grazed the pedal, noticing it stuck flat.

"It's stuck-," Remi let off a scream as Theo spun the wheel out in attempt to make the turn, having no other choice than a head to head collision with a tree. The girls in the back screamed as the car crashed sideways into the trees, sliding halfway off of the hill.

The gas was still going but the wheel ripped into the mud at the speed it was going. Before anyone could even stop screaming, Valerie looked towards the road that they had came from. Her screams didn't subside as the creature collided with her side of the car, sending the car and the four inside flying.

Valerie's head hit off of the door that indented from the creatures impact, rending the girl unconscious. Her body slightly floating in the zero gravity car.

Riley, being the only one bucked in, was able to stay seated as her body was thrashed, trying to grab at Valerie. Theo and Remi were thrown towards the top of the car, their arms hitting off of the hard cloth of the car roof.

The car bent as a tree stopped the aerodynamic car, the air bags went off. Bangs echoed in the forest as the car rolled down the tree, crushing everything on its path to the ground.

The screams stopped, as the forest fell deathly silent. A loud screech broke the silence like glass shattering.

—

"Did you hear that?" Skylar asked Milo, as  Milo paced through the cave. Despite being immobile she was looking off in the direction that she heard the screeching and the banging, "That has to be our friends."

Milo rolled his eyes, "And the Monsters over there," He told her as the he continued to walk, "Best bet is to get back to my car and leave."

Skylar rolled her eyes, "The problem is, is we have no idea where we are."

Milo stopped pacing and looked back to Skylar, "And you thinking going in the direction of noise will help? Did you not see how fast that thing was?!"

Skylar pressed her lips together, "I did, but my sister could be over there, our friends."

"And they are probably dead just like everyone else!" He shouted, his voice echoing around the cave. Upon seeing Skylar flinch and look down, he lowered his voice, "We should just leave and call for help."

Skylar sniffled as a few tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of her sister and friends being dead, "I shouldn't have came out here," She grumbled to Milo, as a few tears fell down her cheeks.

"Yeah, well me to!" He gestured his hands and put them up on his head, pacing more, "Do you even remember where we came from?"

Skylar sniffled a cry, "No," She let out a sob, "I have no idea where we are."

Milo looked down at Skylars leg, seeing the blood beginning to seep through the sleeve of his jacket, "Make sure you keep your eyes open, okay?" He gently stood over Skylar, hands on his hips, "If you start feeling something, tell me and I'll try to help," Milo bent over and sat next to his girlfriend, "We need to think of a plan, Sky."

She intertwined their hands and rested her heavy head on his shoulder, "I know."