Midnight curse

Chapter Nine

Winter's footfalls crunched the branches as she walked deep into the woods, her gaze glued to her phone as she tried to keep an eye on Riley's location.
The college girl checked it constantly, hoping that she was going in the right direction and that Riley's location wouldn't suddenly shift.

The woods were getting more dark and ominous, with the trees seemingly growing more dense and thick the farther Winter ventured into the woods.
The deeper she went into the woods, the more anxiety flowed through her body. She was scared but, her curiosity was stronger.

Winter stood still, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark as she switched back and forth between looking down at her phone for Riley's location and looking around her surroundings.
With no other light source available, she was relying solely on her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

After a few minutes, Winter's eyes had just started to make out the shapes and shadows of her surroundings, and she was trying to stay as alert as possible to avoid tripping over anything as she kept going deeper into the woods.

Darkness seeped through the woods and there was a thick and choking presence in the air, leaving the girl with an eerie feeling of unease. Her eyes darted frantically around her, trying to discern her surroundings in the inky blackness of the forest.

The heavy college student was too absorbed in her own anxiety to notice a spiderweb stretched across her path, and when she walked through it, she could feel an awful stickiness on her skin and her eyes widened in horror.

Winter let out a sudden shriek, trying to wipe the web off her face as quickly as she could but she was unable to.

The thick sticky strands seemed to cling to Winter's skin and hair, and she began to panic, flaying around and running desperately, trying to get away from the webs and everything they contained.

But as luck had it, Winter tripped over her own feet, falling backward on the edge of a hill she was on.

She let out cries of pain as her body rolled down a hill she hadn't even noticed she was close to.

As she rolled down, her body hit several branches and rocks.
The redhead landed on her back and on the hard ground with a sharp jolt; a mixture of pain and fear washed over her.

For a few seconds, Winter didn't move, simply staring up at the night sky, eyes wide in shock and horror as she tried to register what had happened and where she was.

She felt a mix of fear and panic that made it hard to catch her breath, her body trembling in its own response. For a few seconds, she was sure she would just die here, in the middle of the woods and alone.

Moaning out of pain, Winter held onto her side as she turned her body around. She wouldn't be surprised if she had broken bones with that fall.

Sitting on her knees, the college girl tried to get the remaining spider webs off her face.

Though, the redhead halted in her tracks, hearing familiar voices nearby. Her gaze fell on the bushes nearby.

Spurring into action, Winter scrambled as quickly as her thick body could carry her towards the bushes, peering out from the shadow of the leaves.

Winter's eyes widened at the scene she witnessed in front of her.

Jared Gilbert, the father of Riley, was standing next to a wolf that was hanging in the air next to the tree because of a tripwire.

Jared Gilbert was as Winter knew an ordinary man who had his own company. He would be out the door at seven AM and return around ten PM.

He stood at six feet tall. He had brown hair he kept tamed, unlike his son.
Bright blue eyes that are almost hypnotic in their beauty.
The man carried himself with authority and confidence in the simple dark-washed jeans and dark green flannel he wore. Underneath, he wore black short boots. He didn't scream "money" as when he did on the regular. It was just like... He was a completely different person.