The Rain (Book 2 - The Constant Fight)

Chapter 27 - Seul et disparu

She let out a shaky breath and looked up to the darkening sky. The moon was bright through the straggly branches of trees. The woods were silent. She felt as if she were the only living thing in them.

He was gone. Ross was dead. Courtney was dead. Drew was gone and she was all alone. A sob tore through her mouth, ripping the dry flesh of her throat. She pressed a hand to her chest and slipped off the log that she was sitting on. She leant against it, closing her eyes and embracing the darkness.

"I'm sorry," She sobbed to everyone she'd ever hurt.

She was apologising to Drew. For everything that she'd put him through. For making his life so much harder than it had to be. For messing with his mind and pushing him away.

She apologised to Clifton and Jeanette. For not saving him when she had the chance. For not giving Clifton the chance to live a long life with Jeanette.

She apologised to Ross. For letting him sacrifice himself for her when he couldn't actually stand her. She apologised for not making his life easier after Courtney died. She apologised for letting Courtney die.

But most of all, her repeated sobs and apologies were for Courtney. She apologised for everything she'd ever said and did. She apologised for not telling her how thankful she was to have Courtney in her life. She apologised for always putting her in the line of fire because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She apologised for letting her sister die and not giving her own life up instead.

She opened her eyes once she'd quietened her cries. They were now short gasps and pants as she caught her breath. The forest was dark now, the moon only offered a small amount of light. She wiped her cheeks dry and sniffled until she could breathe clearly. Her eyes travelled around the woods. The crickets chirped and a sense of peace fell over the forest around her. The wind was a slight breeze that tickled her boiling skin.

Her eyes caught sight of a moving light. It was a long white beam that danced through the darkness. She tilted her head to the side, trying to think of all the things that it could be. For a second, her mind even told her that it was Courtney. She shook her head, the images of Courtney dissolving in her mind and instead were replaced with Ross.

"Ross?" She whispered to the trees. She pushed herself forward so she was on all fours, ready to crawl to the source of light. She shoved herself up to her feet quietly, reaching down and fumbling for her bag, still keeping her eyes on the dancing beam of light. Her eyes darted towards another light that appeared behind the first one, then another and another until the entire forest was full of bouncing beams.

"You really think someone is out here?" A voice echoed through the woods. Jane dropped to the ground, her hands landing on the softness of leaves. They crackled under her weight and she was thankful that no branches broke. The voice belonged to a man. It didn't send a chill down her spine or cause dread to sink in.

"I don't know, but I doubt that the kid would've been all alone." Another answered. They were close. Close enough for Jane to hear their voices over the twigs snapping under their feet.

She panicked and scrambled as silently as possible over the log that she was once sitting on. She hauled herself over it and landed on the other side. She lay face down, her cheek pressed into the dirt and leaves tickling her skin.

"No one's out here." An agitated female's voice piped in. She was farther away, Jane couldn't clearly hear what she'd said but her voice travelled through the dead forest.

"Yeah, well, she said we're running out." Jane recognised his voice, he was the one who spoke second. The one who - you could tell by his voice - believed there was someone out in the trees.