Hide and Seek

Part Three

A dark anger began to course through my body, growing stronger the longer I stared at Robbi lying cold and broken on the floor. I was going to find out who did this even if it was the last thing that I ever did. He didn't deserve this. No-one did.

"Stop crying Shayna, we can do that when we find the animal that did this" I snapped as I clenched my fists at my sides.

"How will we do that?!" she cried out as horror and disbelief flashed through her eyes. "Robbi's dead. We're alone. What the hell are we supposed to do?" she continued, her sobs growing louder with each word that she said.

"We'll figure out a way" I let out a sigh as I walked out of the room, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

Moments later I found myself back in the bedroom, my fingers once again gingerly placed between the glinting shards. Something felt off about the room but I couldn't quite pick out what it was.

 Maybe we should try the forest I thought to myself as my eyes drifted across the balding trees. Between the shadows something shifted, moving momentarily as if my gaze had disturbed it.

Footsteps echoed behind me, resonating off of the peeling walls and sending a chill down my spine. "Maybe we should try the forest" Shayna murmured, echoing my thoughts as she stepped into the room.

I nodded stiffly in agreement, my eyes darting away from the tree-line as I let out a heavy breath. "Probably a good idea" I said out loud as chaos traipsed through my mind. Probably not.

"What do you think we'll find out there?" I questioned warily, unwilling to actually step into the forest. The trees within it resonated a sense of foreboding, seemingly warning me of what could happen if I followed through with our intent.

Shayna's eyes fluttered closed briefly as she let out a forlorn sigh. "I don't know" she said, her fingers reaching out to gently massage her temples; "We can only hope that we'll find something".

We shared a look of dread as we made our way to the back of the house, picking across the creaking surface with a slow reluctance. Our silence hung heavily around us, pregnant with fearful anticipation as Shayna reached out to open the back door.

I sucked in a deep breath. "Here goes nothing" I breathed out as she pushed the door open, it's hinges calling out with a sad groan.

The air outside was almost unbearably warm, flowing around my body like a sickly caress. My heart thrummed violently within my chest as our feet moved silently over the swaying grass, bringing us closer to the darkness which emanated from the trees of the forest.

"Why are we doing this?" the words slipped from Shayna's lips as a hushed whisper, her fear radiating off of her in waves.

"For Robbi..." I trailed off as we reached the treeline, the shadows cast by the thick canopy enveloping us inside it's darkness. She nodded in reply, seemingly accepting my answer as we stepped past the first trees against our better judgement.