🐺Wolf Creek:Volume One🐺

Chapter Twenty-Five: Into The Woods

I tried to assess my advantages as Cecil sauntered towards me. He was much bigger, and the rock was enormous. That would make his reactions with it slower. My hands were trembling as I took a couple steps forward to give myself room to move. Woosh! In an instant Cecil was lunging forward as he swung the rock in front of him. I couldn't help but scream as I ducked, but managed to shove his swinging arm further away. Then I used my other fist to punch him right in the jaw.

          Cecil collapsed into the dirt as I clutched my fist and yelped in pain. He rolled over, sat up, and grinned at me. I quickly circled around the car to keep us separated. Theo looked awful. He was still suspended upside down from his seat belt. Blood dripped from his nose and down onto the roof of his car. His mouth hung open to let air in instead. I need to help him! WHAM! I ducked again as Cecil appeared from around the car, leaving a sizable dent where my head had been hovering. He kept coming at me, swinging over and over again as I ran around the car. I can't help Theo  if I'm dead.

          I needed to run if I was going to survive and get Theo the help he needed, but I needed something to defend myself. There was no way that I could outrun Cecil. I looked around panicky as I scrambled away. I froze for a moment. My phone lay cracked among the rocks, but was still lit up. The call was still going. They had heard everything. So why weren't they here yet? Sirens couldn't even be heard wailing in the distance. My fists balled up again.

          "The sheriff is working with you, isn't he? That's why he hates me so much." I snapped. Cecil smirked. I glanced at the phone again. He narrowed his eyes and looked as well. My stomach dropped as his gaze landed on the phone. He strode over, have me a look filled with hate and rage, and stomped down on the phone. I cringed.

           "It's all out there. The sheriff can only do so much compared to the rest of the police force. They'll have it recorded, and you'll be arrested. You might as well run." I urged. Cecil laughed and dropped the rock. I watched him carefully as I backed up. He walked achingly slowly towards me, like a snake getting ready to strike.

          "Mr. Acuna has people everywhere. And I've been working longer than most of them. He will reward me with my freedom so long as the job is done. No, I might as well not run. I might as well ring your little neck with my bare hands and wait for him to-" Cecil began to explain as calmly as if he were telling me the plot of his favorite book.

          "Kelsey!" A voice rang out in the distance. It was at the top of the ledge. James Acuna ran to the edge of the drop and looked down at the both of us. Relief flooded through my chest. I wanted to run up to him then and there, but I would never make it. Cecil set his sights on me, knowing he didn't have much time left. So I spun and sprinted into the darkness of the forest. I could hear Cecil chasing after me as James hurried down the slope, shouting our names.

          I ducked and dodged the low hanging branches of trees and jumped over brambles and underbrush. All manner of pointy things stabbed into my bare feet. I whipped my head around to catch a glimpse of Cecil just as he ripped a thick branch from a tree and slammed it into the ground to break it to a point. My heart thumped in my chest as I started to run harder. I could never outrun him! Still, I had to try.

          Sirens could finally be heard echoing through the trees. I looked back again, but didn't see Cecil. Crunch! My foot caught in a clump of brambles, and I went crashing into the brush. I cried out as I jerked my foot out from the weeds, feeling the thorns scrape over my skin. I tried to sit up. Wham! Cecil lunged from nowhere and slammed me back down to the ground by my throat. I tried to kick at him, but my legs were caught up in the cloth of my dress. I was beginning to get frantic.

          Cecil raised the stake in his other hand as I tried to shove his arm off. He only squeezed tighter. I screamed as he began to bring the stake down. Wham! James tackled Cecil to the side, and together they rolled in the dirt landing punches to each other. The stake went flying, and I scurried over to grab it and throw it as far as I could. It disappeared into the brush. Cecil grabbed a clump of brown and grey from the earth. Another rock!

I leapt forward and snatched his arm before hitting it on the ground. Whap! He jerked his arm out of my grasp and the rock collided with my chin. I fell backwards as the boys continued to roll in a stalemate of who would be pinned. Flashlights began to stream through the trees as policemen and policewomen carefully approached. Thump! I jerked my head towards the boys.

James had lost his balance. Cecil grabbed his hair and slammed the back of his head into the ground. I gasped as he raised the new rock in both and hands to strike a fatal blow. I charged forward and tackled him to the side as James had done for me. My weight wasn't enough to keep him down though, and in an instant I was pinned. Cecil grinned down at me. Bruises were already beginning to form on his eye and the corner of his mouth.

"Sir! Drop the weapon!" One of the policemen boomed through the woods. Their gun was raised. The trees were too thick to get in a good shot, and Cecil knew it. He knew he had won. With a grunt he raised the rock as high as he could, and brought it down as hard as he could. I saw spots of purple, green, and blue. Then the world went black.