I Tried

Chapter Seven

No Place Like Home

James

"Run, run, run!" Megan shouted as Heather screamed loudly.

I didn't exactly have time to process what was happening before I picked Heather up and made a mad dash through the forest. But even with my head start, Megan quickly bolted ahead of me.

I wasn't entirely sure what was happening but I didn't like the idea of being eaten by a tree. I knew it was strange, and impossible. But I guess that laws of physics didn't apply to that tree.

"What the-" Megan paused as she ran, as if she had stopped herself from saying something awful. "-frick was that!"

"A tree." I replied, trying my best to keep up with her. However my best wasn't very good.

"That thing was not a tree. It had... It had teeth, it had a mouth. Trees don't have those!"

"Maybe it's just a very hungry tree."

"I'm not sure which is gonna kill me first, that thing OR YOUR FREAKING ATTITUDE." Her voice was filled with enough bitterness to start a war.

"Stop yelling." Heather said in a small voice. So I obeyed. I didn't want to upset Heather. But to be fair, she was probably already a little upset by the fact we were running for our lives.

I wasn't really enjoying it either.

We dashed through the forest like we were late for a college class. Which I've had plenty experience with. I didn't want to look back but because I'm an idiot I did anyway. And sure enough, the tree was still after us, it's roots digging likes moles under the ground.

"James over here!" Megan shouted as she took a sharp right and began rushing towards a mountain of rocks.

I personally thought it was a horrible idea but I also didn't like running, so I was torn between the two. But even though it was still a horrible plan I chased after Megan anyway.

"Go faster!" Heather shouted. But I was already going as fast as I could so that was going to be tricky.

I say any of this though. 

Megan made it to the cliff before us and started climbing like a mountain goat up it. I wasn't even sure how she managed to hold on, but through some sort of magic she did.

Soon Heather and I made it there too. Megan grabbed Heather's hand to help her up. Leaving me in the dust. I was neve very good at climbing. Or anything to be honest. But right now I needed to be the best climber ever.

And the monster trying to eat me from below made great motivation for that.

The tree monster was getting closer and closer. By the time I was barely half way there it was right at the foot if the cliff. I heard Megan screaming something but I couldn't make out what she said. Because the monster below me screamed louder.

"Go, go, go!" I muttered frantically to myself as I silpped and tried my best to move faster. But it was too late to try. I looked down and the monster was already right behind me. It had wrapped it's roots around my foot and was pulling me down.

"James!" Heather shouted. He was already on top of the cliff with Megan, so at least we weren't all dead. It still sucked that I was gonna die though...

I tried to kick the roots off but it didn't work. It just kept pulling me closer and closer to the ground.

I looked up to see Megan bolting down the cliff side like a waterfall. But I didn't want her to save me. It was bad enough I was going to die, why did she have to be stupid and get herself killed too?

"No Megan! Just go." I said. Megan simply signed as  she continued to go down the cliff. But it didn't really matter now. The monster had already dragged me to the ground. I looked at Megan one last time before it I felt a sharp pain through my chest. And apparently one of the roots if the tree had gone through it.

My head started spinning and my vision became foggy. Everything started to go black.

This is it. I thought. I'm gonna die. I probably should have made my last words more memorable to be honest.