Rockabye

Chapter Nine

The car slowly rolls to a complete stop in the dead of the woods. Giant thick trees of green all around swallow them whole into another existence. If anything happens tonight, nobody would ever hear their cries for help, except maybe the wolf hollowing off in the distance.

"I don't like this August," Neal grumbles his protest from the backseat while Emma leans forward to inspect her surroundings.

"This is super shady," Emma comments as her eyes take in every inch outside of the car that's keeping her safe, for now.

"Well obviously it's shady." August rolls his eyes and pulls his key from the ignition. "What the hell did you expect? These people to have Regina held up in the middle of Time Square?"

August pops open his door and kicks it even wider. Emma glances back at her boyfriend who is already shaking his head. The blonde sighs before she turns around and swings open her door. She ignores her instincts screaming at her to stop this madness before she really regrets her life.

Emma climbs out of the vehicle and takes a deep breath of pine trees and cool evening air. She's in search of something that will be a damn clue as to where Regina is being held up, but she sees nothing but trees and dirt for miles.

"August, enough with the games. Where is she?" Emma pleads as Neal stumbles out of the backseat and slams the door.

"Right down that path, across the bridge," her old friend confirms with a weak smile. A smile so fake, it might as well be painted on in Emma's eyes.

An icy chill runs down Emma's spine, forcing goosebumps to scatter across her flesh. She hugs herself closer and gazes up into the midnight sky. She takes in the twinkling stars sparkling a path to safely guide her through the night. She inhales sharply and blows out all her worry about what's to come.

The blonde shuffles her feet against the dirt worn path toward the so called bridge August briefly spoke of. Emma knows the men are following behind as she listens to the steady rhythm of their boots behind her.

"So how far is this...what are we even looking for? An abandon building? A house? A tent?" The blonde scoffs as her tired eyes dart back and forth to observe the forest surrounding her.

"A cabin," her friend confirms calmly.

"A cabin," Emma repeats, never once taking her eyes off the trees ready to swallow her whole.

At any minute a wild animal could pop out and feast on her limbs. She shudders and pushes that thought away before she freaks herself out and runs away like a terrified little girl.

Emma listens intently to the atmosphere around her. Both men are eerily quiet, pushing her buttons even further, as if she wasn't pissed off enough at them for their stunt in New York. Twigs snap beneath their boots, but again nothing else is singing into the night.

"There," August points just ahead, sending a new wave of chills to wrack through Emma's limbs.

A small cabin comes into view. The brown logs lining perfectly to sculpt the cabin, are thicker than her and Neal's bodies combined. From the front, Emma notes two small window panes, one on each side of the front door. There's a wrap around porch, but not one damn piece of furniture to make this home appear inviting.

Emma swallows thickly as a large lump forms at the back of her throat, ultimately cutting off her oxygen supply. She takes a deep breath and pushes forward.

Regina's safety is most important.

"Let's scope out the area first," Neal recommends, instantly earning a head nod from Emma.