Hide and Seek

Part Four

The soft crackling of the rotting leaves beneath our feet echoed through the trees, sending any and all watching birds flurrying away as anxiety settled within the pits of my stomach.

"Which way do we go?" the question rolled off of my tongue as I caught sight of Shayna's face, the turmoil rolling through her mind sending shadows across her eyes. The lack of sunlight only served to accentuate this, the thick canopy layer above us preventing any beams to penetrate the undergrowth with which we moved through.

"I don't know" she replied, her voice barely a whisper as she looked around with a paranoid urgency. "We're going to get lost" she continued, jumping slightly as the soft cawing of a bird echoed off of the smooth surfaces of the trees.

I shrugged. "Better to do something than nothing at all" I said as I took in our surroundings. I had no idea where we were and I doubted she did either.

"I guess that's true..." she replied.

I tuned her out; instead focusing on where I was treading, being careful not to trip on any of the branches which lay strewn across the rotting ground.  "I hope we find something soon" I muttered, letting out a harsh curse as my foot caught on a rock that jutted out precariously in the middle of the pathway.

I landed with a thud on the ground, the rotten leaves doing nothing to cushion my fall as my body began to ache from the impact. "Honestly, what the hel!l" I grumbled as I pushed myself back to my feet, my hands skimming across my clothing in an attempt to rid them from the dust which they were now coated in.

"Even I saw that rock..." Shayna trailed off, her torment forgotten for the moment as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

My lips turned down into a pout as I set her an innocent look. "I'm not the only one that should be watching where I'm walking" I let slip, watching with anticipation as she stepped into a tree. "Even I saw that tree..." I continued with a smirk as she shot me a dirty look.

A small laugh bubbled in the back of my throat, spilling over my lips like an uncontrollable fountain as Shayna frowned at me, her own laughter threatening to break through her weakened poker face. "You should have warned me" she smiled, her eyes shining with amusement as she shook her head.

"Yeah, well" I shrugged; "you should've warned me".

A dark snicker echoed through the trees, sending chills down my spine as I stared at Shayna, her mouth not moving as her eyes widened in terror. "What do we have here" the voice's low timbre moved through the air around us, prodding us with it's skeletal fingers as we stood, unmoving.

We watched as the shadows around us twisted  and parted ominously as a figure cloaked in darkness stepped forwards, moving with a supernatural ease. "Two little girls" he sneered, his pearly teeth glinting dangerously as his gaze travelled over us with a cold appreciation. "You'll have to do" the words slipped from his cracked lips as they turned up into a malicious grin.

My heart stopped as recognition flooded through my body. "Daddy?" I whispered, shock vibrating through my soul as he stalked towards me, his intent clear in his eyes.

"Yes daughter" he said without emotion, "It's me, Daddy".