Survival

Chapter 28

Brooding was one word. Disappointment was another. As I paced the empty living room, I become more nervous by the second. Where were they? They had been gone for three hours now. Surely, they should be back. NO. They ought to be back. I sat and got up. I tried to eat, but I had no appetite. I had no idea where the others' were. probably waiting in some corner. We had decided to go back inside when sun came out in full force. I had decided to try reading when I heard noises coming closer from far away.

"They're back!" I shouted and ran out. I heard Mrs. Sana rushing behind me, telling me to go back inside, but it was too late. We stood by the porch anxiously waiting. First, it was Mr. Cameron who emerged through the thick forest, looking sad. His eyebrows furiously knitted together, his arm a bit wounded. The others emerged slowly. Alessio was the last to emerge. He looked ostentatiously handsome even in the situation we were in. By now, Mr. Cameron had begun explaining what happened. Apparently, they didn't see anything. After following the trail armed and ready for any threat, they came to a point where the trail stopped. Vanished was the word he used. I reluctantly stayed behind, as they followed him inside. Alessio scowled and shook his head. We stayed silent for a long time before I gathered the nerve to speak. "What are we going to do now?" I asked, unable to hide the nervoursness in my voice. He ruffled his perfect hair, before speaking. "Honestly, bella, I don't know."

Lunch was sad. The usually talkative atmosphere was dull. I kept downing cups of water and orange juice until I couldn't anymore. I decided to lie for a bit. Now, the bedroom and swing were the only places I found solitude. Maybe it was because of the calmness there.

Things have taken a turn for the worst. Here I was, living in a house, in the middle of nowhere, with a strange basement, a weird book, an ominous cabin not far away, and oh, a crazy psychopathic killer on the loose trying to murder everyone. I had no idea what to do. It seemed like a dream.

I decided to talk to Alessio again. He had tried to explain what he thinks, but I refused to listen. I didn't want to think my friends had anything to do with all this. I mean, why would a perfectly sane person turn to a brutal psychopath overnight? I trusted my friends. And even my other classmates. It didn't make sense.

It was around midnight, when I snuck out of my room. I had told Alessio I would meet him outside the house, by the pool. That was the nearest and also farthest area from the house that I could think of. Nearest because I wanted to be close in case anything happened. I mean, they would hear my scream, right? And also farthest because I didn't want anyone to hear us. I closed the door slowly, careful not to let a sound out. I knew Mr Cameron was very vigilant.

Creeping slowly, I hid behind a tree. Not long after, Alessio came.

"I miss you," Alessio took my hand in his, and pulled me closer to him.

"I miss you, too." I felt normal for a while. I tuned out all the bad and scary feelings I had...for a while. I had to ask him what he meant by what he said earlier. Something didn't seem right. "What did you mean by your earlier words? Someone here is planning something?"

He cocked his head to the side, looking dead serious. "Jameela, I know this is hard for you to believe, but you have to. Be careful. Please. Look, two nights ago, I could not sleep so I went to the kitchen for a drink. I saw two figures emerging from the woods. At first I thought it was all in my head because I had been lying down for a while. But it wasn't. It was real. Whoever was there, was one of us. It was very dark so I only saw their shadows. I hid behind the dining, as I heard the door open and close."

"Oh my God. Alessio. If what you are telling me is true, we have a murderer among us." I hoarsely whispered.

"I know. And I desperately wanted to see who it was. But think of it. If I had jumped at them, they would obviously bring an excuse. Lie that they wanted fresh air or something. Mr Cameron or the rest would believe them. We all are tired of this God damn place. They would just be reprimanded and that's it. That was why I hid but couldn't even see who it was."

"Were they boys? Or girls? Or both?" That was the first thing that clicked on my mind.

"I think they were maybe both a boy and girl? ... well, to be honest, I can't really say. It was too dark to make out their figures. But honey, you got to be careful. Extra careful. Please. I will try to find a solution but for now, please be very careful. I would not forgive myself if something ever happened to you."

He was pleading to me. I could see the scared look in his eyes. "Ok. I will." I surrendered. There was no point in arguing. Our safety came first.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

We stayed there for a long time. I didn't want to leave, despite the cold weather. He kissed my forehead and pulled me closer to him. I snuggled farther into his leather jacket. It smelt of mint, spice and after shaving cream. We both had a lot on our minds. I wanted to keep my promise, but I had made up my mind to rescue our friends. I just had to be careful while at it, I reassured myself.

                            ~~~~~

Is Jams plan going to be successful? Any thoughts on Alessio's shocking discovery?