The Skylar Experiment : Beginnings

Chapter Thirty-One - Ethan

I SCRAMBLED UPHILL, trying not to cave under the morbid urge to know who the dead girl was. I kept spinning and brandishing my only weapon, trying to catch glowering eyes lying in wait just before I'd be split open from the waist down.

My heels had been strapped to my clutch, allowing me to run barefoot.

The halo of the bonfire inched into view, and the group at the flat rock saw me surfacing from the brambles full throttle.

"What the hell was that?" A girl sputtered, standing up to meet me.

"We need to leave right now," I said shakily, watching them notice my knife. "There's a dangerous animal, and there's a body."

Absolute silence welcomed my announcement. I felt like they were waiting for me to deliver a tap dance or start wheezing. At least half of the group wasn't budging. As you would expect, they were high or drunk, like most people in the area. A dude sitting against the rock rolled his eyes.

"Shit, you guys need to get a better number."

"What?" I said.

"No, this didn't sound like all the other ones," the girl argued as she was gathering her jacket and bag. "Came from... I don't know where from."

"Some prank out in the woods, as always, Judy. Calm down."

"Calm down?" I said, planting my stare into each of them.

"Yeah, we know Santiago is behind this sick idea," the guy continued, and more chimed in for support.

I was going to lose it. They were here and about to tear into a crowd of intoxicated kids. Luc and Devin could not work it through until this place was cleared, let alone expose themselves.

"Shut up!" I yelled, cutting through the confused chatter. "This is not some freaking prank. I saw the body! There's a dead kid in the woods and if you don't—"

Another shriek pierced through.

Judy read my face and stepped off the roots. Horror washed over me as I recognized that sound that belonged to no man or animal. Everyone looked in the direction it came from.

"We need to run," I whispered. There was no questioning what was going to happen. I leaned in and grabbed the closest wrist. "Get up. All of you, get up. Now!"

Gradually, part of the group started wondering, doubting, and searching for their stuff on the ground. One of them was scratching his head.

"It sounded like a cougar."

"Sounds more like a bear. It'll scare off."

A second shriek echoed, much closer and louder. It startled them, even the ones who refused to buy it.

I paced back and forth, then spun around. I hooked Judy by the shoulders and locked eyes with her. "Please, there's a wild animal on the loose and people need to leave. I called animal control, they're on the way. Tell them."

"Did you see it?"

I shook my head. "I ran when I saw the blood and it was dark... But it's big and somewhere close."

Wide-eyed, she squeezed my hand and rushed off. Just as I followed her disappearance through the treeline, a human scream resonated high and low like it surrounded us, slamming me in the ribcage. I immediately worried about Emma.

The entire meadow awakened. Shouts and distressed calls were amplifying all around.

They abandoned the rock and were on their feet. Guy who thought this was a prank strained his arms.