Replay {Skephalo}

33 | You

After running for approximately another half an hour, I hear something from slightly further up ahead. It sounds like running water.

After a few more steps, a cliff comes into view. There's a river flowing beneath, the water levels overflowing due to the rain. I sigh in relief, knowing there is in fact water out here after all and Zak may have not died from lack of it.

Cautiously, I approach the edge of the cliff. The edge doesn't seem stable, you could easily fall off it.

{hahaha we wouldn't know anyone who's done that... okay sorry I'll leave}

I examine the stream more closely. The river seems to be flowing strongly East, but a large portion of it comes from the West side.

Wait...

I pull out my phone, shielding it with my hand as best I can from the weather.

'Wrest'

My eyes widen. It makes sense. Zak and his silly autocorrect. He didn't mean to type Wrest at all, it was a mistake. His phone must've died before he could change the message.

West. He meant to type west.

I pull up the compass app on my phone, allowing it to adjust before I carefully move away from the cliff edge and sprint West. I follow the river, hoping to find Zak somewhere near by. After another half hour, my hope becomes dim. It's almost midnight now, the forest shrouded in a blanket of pitch black.

The weather is clouding my vision too much to observe from above, so I cautiously climb down the worn steps buried in the side of the cliff. I almost fall several times, my heart somersaulting with each trip. The steps are sloppy from the rain, but also muddy from the cliff decay. This mix isn't at all helpful usually, let alone when you're trying to scale a cliff.

Quickly.

At midnight.

In pitch black.

Zak why did you think this would be a good idea...

I mentally curse myself for being stupid enough to cause this. Shutting him out won't  help a thing, and I was stupid to think it would.

Stupid stupid stupid.

At last I make it to the bottom, scanning the edges of the river. Sensibly you'd stay near the water right? It's running, so it may be drinkable. I'm not willing to find out.

I squint in the darkness, making out silhouettes of trees and vegetation in the surrounding area. My glasses cloud with rain for the umpteenth time, and I take them off to clean them.

When I place them back on, something catches my eye. A larger object in the river, floating towards me. I shine my light over it, the light reflecting on a hoodie looking much like my own. The cuffs are slightly bloodstained.

Wait... it is my hoodie...

The flashlight reflects in something near the hoodie. My eyes focus on the boy wearing the hoodie, the light reflecting in his glazed-over eyes.

Zak.

I almost scream, both in happiness and in fear. My bag drops from my hands in shock, and I throw down the rest of my things, rushing back to the river. The current is thankfully not too strong, and I'm able to step in a little to reach Zak. My hand grabs a fist full of clothing, pulling his lifeless body closer as I reach out another hand to grab the bag somehow still over his shoulder.

I secure my hold, grunting with the effort it takes to drag both Zak and his bag out of the river. Setting his bag aside next to my own, I use both hands to drag Zak further upland. His clothes are heavy from being waterlogged, meaning it's extremely hard to pick him up. I've never been more thankful for him being so small.