DARK AND TWISTED

CHAPTER 11

My breath elevated the longer I had my eyes on him; he, of course, didn't move. Nyx realized something was wrong so she shifted her gaze in that same direction. I rubbed my eyes, blinking a few times, then focused behind her; nothing. Nobody was there.

I had no intention of making her uncomfortable around me so I continued chatting like nothing happened. The second time I heard something moving in the bushes almost gave me a heart attack.

"What's that?" I gasped while clutching onto my shirt as if my life depended on it. My heart thudded against my ribcage, making my eyes watery.

Nyx pulled me to stand behind her while she scanned the surrounding, "Not many people are here today. We are the only people standing outside. Let's go." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside.

"Do you see anything?"

"No. It could be an animal. Don't worry, just stay close to me, okay?" she tightened her grip around my wrist but not too tight.

She bought the tickets for both of us and we got inside. I managed to forget about what happened just now by reading the history of Sy Cove. Pretty sure I spent almost an hour reading the history itself while standing. Whenever I observed pictures in a museum, it was like I'm inside it. I love that feeling.

Tessa called me from the other side, gesturing for me to join them. They all gathered at the same place so I was curious.

"Look at this. A forbidden cave. Sounds cool, huh?" Kate elbowed my arm while raising her brows.

I rubbed my arms, "I won't say it's cool. I mean, it's called a forbidden cave. It's self-explanatory, guys."

"I told you to not bring her. She's ruining things for us," Dan miffed with a scowl expression on his face.

Nyx came from behind while narrowing her eyes at him, "It's called forbidden for a reason. People have been keeping records about it. There are a bunch of-"

"When can we leave? I'm bored," Dan with his immature behavior caused Nyx to bite her lips and clench her jaws.

Renee and Tessa wanted to stay with me but Kate whispered something to them that made them follow them. I had no idea what was that but I shrugged it off.

I felt bad for Nyx because she had to deal with Dan and Kate. I couldn't imagine how much effort it took for her to not hit him. Judging by her shoulders and posture, she could be good at fighting.

"I'm sorry on his behalf. He's a bit...I can't find the right word." I scratched my head.

"I can," she clenched her fists. "He's rude and stupid. It isn't my first time dealing with someone like this. Also, don't apologize for someone else."

"Just now you were saying something about the cave."

"Oh yeah. There are a bunch of mysteries inside it. I heard from people around here that if someone goes inside it, they can't escape," she lowered her voice even though there were less than 10 people inside.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, "That's...that's frightening."

"Which is why us tour guides don't let tourists go there. We'll never know what will happen. But it could be a fake thing people tell to attract people."

That got me thinking about something. What if those missing people went to that cave and never came out? Before I said something, heavy footsteps echoed behind me, getting closer but when I turned back, there was nobody. I had a bad feeling about Sy Cove now; I didn't feel safe and my instinct told me to run away.