"Was that the rest of the backup supplies?" Ashlyn questions Aiden, who just closed the trunk of the jeep. "Yep!" Aiden confirms. "Good then we're ready to go," Ashlyn says before turning to you, "Ready?". "Yeah," You nod. Everyone gets in the Jeep except Aiden. He has to press the button to close the gate. You have to drive to the gate and honk to signal him to get in.
"Everyone has their lights ready?" Ashlyn asks, looking back from the passenger seat. "Y-yeah" Taylor answers. You look out the window, "You know what to do right? Close the gate after we're out and then run to—". "The other door. Wait for you to honk and then bolt for the jeep" Aiden finishes. "I got it, don't worry" He smiles waving his knife around. "You're sitting in the back with Logan. Now, be careful..." You sigh. "Yep!" Aiden presses the button. As the gate opens, you slam on the gas pedal. You swerve around the corner as the others shine their light out of the windows. You make it to the back door and honk the horn. You see the door open, revealing Aiden, who bolts for the trunk of the jeep.
When the trunk door closes, you slam on the gas pedal again, heading for the road. "Are they following?!" You shout. "Y-yeah! But they aren't keeping up!" Logan answers. That wasn't as bad as you thought it would be. You keep your eyes on the road, keeping an eye out for anything up ahead. "Okay Logan, we're driving about two hours out, right? To the next town?" Ashlyn questions. "Yes, my grandparents and I go there often to the antique shops, so I'm familiar with the location and how to get there" Logan answers. "I'm not sure if it'll be far enough but I think it's a good place to start" Logan informs.
It becomes silent after a while, so you check the rearview mirror. Your eyes scan over each of your friends. Each of them looking out a window of the jeep. "Ashlyn, it's been thirty minutes of silence. Can we please play some music or something?" You hear Aiden in the back. "No," Ashlyn answers, "We need to stay focused". "Once you pass the school, you'll take a right" Logan informs you. "Okay," You nod. An uneasy feeling pools in your stomach. The phantom started to thin out five minutes ago and now you can't spot a single one.
A few minutes go by and you spot the school. 'Okay, I just take a right at the end of this road...' You take the turn. You notice there are cars on the road but it'll be easy to move around them. You notice a steep cliff on the right of the jeep, so you need to be careful of that. 'Whoever said driving was fun is a liar' You huff. "Shit!-" You swerve, barely missing a tree root. You hear your friends being tossed around. "What was that for?" Tyler questions. "There was a giant tree root in the road..?" You answer, eyeing the driver's side mirror. "That's strange... This road is usually well-maintained-" Logan is cut off by you swerving again. "Are you sure this is the right road?" Ashlyn asks. "I'm positive but there were never roots in the way" Logan informs before peaking out the window.
"Ah! Yeah, there's the gas station we usually... Pass?" Your eyes spot the gas station Logan's mentioning. It's outgrown, covered in vines. "That's... Not a good sign" Tyler mutters. "This is getting uncomfortable" You admit, "Maybe we should find a different road-". "[Y/N], speed up," Ashlyn says. "Why?" You glance at her and notice her eyes are wide. "Just do it!" Ashlyn shouts. You speed up, accidentally hitting a root. "Why are we speeding up?" Tyler questions. "Ashlyn..." Aiden trails off, "What's up?". "Something... There was something in the trees" She informs. You notice the road ends and you're now driving in the grass. "What happened to the road?" Taylor questions, looking back. "[Y/N], we should turn back! Something obviously isn't right," Tyler says. "We can't" Ashlyn's breathing becomes heavy. "Why not?!" Tyler's anger rises.
"Because... It's right behind us" Ashlyn informs. You feel the ground start to shake so you glance in the rearview mirror. Your eyes widen, "What the hell is that?!". Everyone turns around to look at the creature as you keep your eyes on the road. "There's no way any of our lights are strong enough to do any real damage to that thing" Tyler mutters. He's right, you doubt even the Jeep headlights would be more than an annoyance to something that large. "S-should I try shooting it?!" Logan grips his gun. "Not yet! We could end up attracting more!" You shout. Your eyes widen at the sudden change of biome. "[Y/N], we need to turn around! We're going to end up lost and run into one of these things!" Tyler eyes you in the rearview mirror. He can tell you're worried, it's written all over your face. "I know, I know!" You glance in the rearview mirror, eyes falling onto Tyler first before going to the creature following you. Your eyes go to the giant pillar ahead and you grit your teeth. "It's getting closer!".
"Screw it!" You swerve the car, "Hold on!". The creature behind you slams one of its legs into the jeep's side. You swerve around the last bit of the pillar, your hands gripping tightly on the wheel causing your knuckles to turn white. You immediately head for the road. "Is everyone okay?!" You question. "The door is banged up pretty bad but none of us are hurt!" Tyler answers.
You swerve again at the sight of another root but you still manage to hit it. You yank the wheel to the left and hear a thud followed by a click. In the mirror on the driver's side, you see Tyler's door open. Your eyes widen as you see Tyler fall out of the jeep. "TYLER!!" You and Taylor shout. "GO BACK, [Y/N], GO BACK!!" Taylor cries. "I can't..!" You choke on your words. Tears brim your eyes but you quickly blink them away. "GO BACK, PLEASE!" Taylor sobs. "We will but we have to survive first!" Ashlyn replies for you, noticing your tears.
Suddenly, the jeep is jerked from the back causing you to swerve. The jeep spins off-road and you hold the emergency brake while stepping on the brake pedal. The jerk hits a tree causing everyone to jerk forward. Yours and Ashlyn's airbags deploy, 'easing' your crash. Ashlyn cuts her airbag before cutting yours. The impact of the jerk made your nose bleed. You hear trees crash behind you and you immediately try to start the engine back up. "[Y/N]... It's not going to turn back on" Logan mutters. Your jaw clenches and you slam your fist on the wheel before resting your head down. Ashlyn notices your lips quivering. "Can everyone move?" Ashlyn questions, glancing back at everyone. They nod and everyone gets out of the jeep.
You let everyone walk ahead of you. Your grip is tight on your flashlight as you swallow. Your breathing becomes slightly uneven. You feel a hand wrap around your free hand, which is clenched into a tight fist. You find out the hand around yours is Logan's. He pries open your hand and intertwines your fingers, giving your hand a few gentle squeezes. Tears brim your eyes again but you blink them away as you glance at everyone else. 'I need to stay strong for them... but God, it feels like my body is about to fall'.
You and your group search for Tyler for hours near where he could've ended up. With each passing minute, the pit in your stomach grows. 'It's all my fault. I should have been more careful... I said I would protect him... and— and now he's gone... All because of me' Your sniffle attracts Logan's attention. You feel his thumb rub against the back of your hand as he continues to hold it. You hold his hand as if you're going to lose him too.
Eventually, your group ran out of time and needed to find a place to hide and all you could do when you woke up was hope that everything would be okay. Hope that he will be okay. Taylor drops to the ground in front of you, sobbing. Ben kneels beside her, comforting her. Listening to her sobs only make you feel worse. The guilt, anxiety, and sadness are starting to overflow.
Everyone's eyes shoot open and turn to Tyler. His body shaking aggressively. "TYLER!!" You and Taylor go to opposite sides of the boy. "Wake up! Wake up!" Taylor sobs. You let a few tears fall this time. "What do we do?! Tyler!" Taylor cries. "MOM!!" Taylor's yell is heart-wrenching.
"Taylor!" Mrs. Hernández runs into the bus. "Tyler, sweetheart!" Mariana and Mike kneel beside the boy as you back away. Mike lifts Tyler in the air. "Hey! What are you doing with my son?!" Mariana shouts. "We need to get him to the hospital!" Mike shouts, bringing Tyler to the front of the bus. You catch sight of Tyler's eyes, they are extremely dilated. You did this to him. You were the cause of this. Oh, how you wish you could trade places with him. "Mom!" You watch as Taylor grabs her mother's jacket. "I'm here sweetheart, let's go" Mariana holds Taylor's hand. 'Dad. Where's my dad?' You exit the bus after everyone. "[Y/N]! What happened?!" Your dad spots you first and makes his way to you. "We need to go, now!" You pause, "I'll explain later but... please!". Your dad nods and the two of you run to his car and follow Mike to the hospital.
Logan's grandparents and Aiden's parents are sitting together. Emma, Mike, Mariana, and Taylor are sitting together. Aiden, Logan, Ashlyn, and Ben are sitting together. You're sitting alone on the opposite side. Your elbows rest on your legs as they prop up your head. Your fingers are tangled in your hair. Your eyes are closed shut. Your dad was sitting with you but he realized the state you were in and decided to get you some water.
You're startled by a voice that comes from above you. "[Y/N]..." Logan kneels in front of you. "You did what you could... Don't beat yourself up about it" Logan says, softly. You fall into his body, your arms wrapping around him as you sob into his chest. You feel his arms wrap around you and a free hand rubs your back. "It's all my fault..." You mutter. Logan holds you tighter when he starts feeling your body tremble. You're breaking down in his arms and it hurts him to see you like this. "It's not your fault, [Y/N]..." He places a small kiss on your head but you only sob harder, making sure to muffle them in the process.
"I'll take her from here... Thank you, Logan," You hear your dad's voice. Your dad helps you up and offers you the water bottle but you shake your head, declining it. "Let's go for a walk" Your dad leads you out of the hospital.
"Talk to me, kiddo..." Your dad's tone is soft. You glance up at him before running a hand through your hair. You think of the ways you could explain but you'll sound crazy. "You'll think we're crazy— Or on drugs, but we aren't and—" You stop as your dad places a hand on your shoulder. "[Y/N], look at me" Your dad cups your face with both hands to make you look at him, "I don't care what it is, I will always believe you. I will always be there for you. Do you understand me?".
If you didn't completely break down before, you are now. Your cries are loud as your body trembles in your father's arms. His arms hold you close. The last time he held you like this was when your mom passed away last year.
After you calm down, you and your father sit on a bench so you can explain everything. "It's been happening every night?" Corey questions, trying to comprehend. "Yes,". "Well, that explains what you call 'phantoms' around the house," Your dad says. "What?!" You sit up. "Yeah, I've only seen them in reflections or outside the windows" Your dad explains. You feel your phone buzz to see a text from Ashlyn.
ᴀsʜʟʏɴ
Our parents have been seeing phantoms as well. I'm leaving to go into town with my dad for supplies when we return... I'll keep you updated.
You don't reply but you know that she knows you read it due to your read receipts being on. "It's Mike. He and Ashlyn are going into town" Your dad reads the message that appeared on his phone a minute ago. "I know, Ash texted me the same," You say. You notice the street light you are sitting under begins to flicker. The last time that happened was when your group's anger got out of control. 'Probably Taylor...' You frown.
You and your father freeze at the sight of the phantoms that appear in front of you. "Not good... Dad, back away slowly" You start to back up, making sure none are behind you. You pause when they disappear. "What was that?" Your dad questions. "Remember how I said our negative emotions affect this world?" Your dad nods, "Well, that's what that was". You pull out your phone to text Logan.
ʏᴏᴜ
Logan is everything okay?!
He takes a minute to respond and when he does your heart skips a beat.
ʟᴏɢᴀɴ
It's Tyler.
You turn to the door of the hospital and run. Your father calls out for you as he runs after you but you don't slow down. So many turns, nurses shouting for you to stop running but you don't listen. You run back to where you last saw everyone. "Watch out!" A nurse pushing a cart shouts. Your eyes widen as your foot hits one of the wheels of the cart. Your body is sent forward. You grunt as you collide with the ground, your body rolling into the chairs by the wall. "[Y/N]!" Your dad calls out but you don't answer him.
You stand up with a grown, panting for air. You glance at everyone who's looking at you with worry. "Tyler. Where's Ty—" Your eyes widen as they fall in the boy. "Tyler..." Your eyes tear up as you look at the boy sitting on the ground next to Taylor. You start with a slow walk until it turns to full speed. Your body collides with his, your arms immediately wrap around him as you break into a sob. "You're okay..." You mutter. You feel his arms tightly wrap around you, "I'm okay". You release him and cup his face in your hands. He has tears in his eyes as they roam your face. You wipe them away instead of kissing him on the spot. Oh, how you would love to kiss him right now but you can't. Tyler's hands cup your face and they wipe your tears away. "I'm so sorry... It's all my fault" Your lips quiver as your eyebrows furrow. "It's not your fault, [Y/N]. Stop acting all mopey—" You cut him off with a gentle grab of his arm. "You're bleeding..!" You panic, slightly. "I'll be fine... Stop worrying" Tyler removes his hurt arm from your grasp to hold your hand.
You and Taylor help Tyler stand up. You carefully hand him over to Mariana and wait until you're allowed to go in the room. When you're allowed to enter the room, you and your group sit around his bed. You sit beside Aiden on the end of the bed while Ben, Taylor, and Logan sit in chairs on the left side of the bed. Tyler notices your saddened look so he nudges you with his foot, causing you to meet his brown orbs. He gives you a soft smile which causes one to form on your lips. Ashlyn ended up coming back from the small trip into town with her dad about a few minutes later. You and your group stay there for a few hours until it's decided you all stay together at Aidens. Of course, Taylor, Tyler, and Mariana would stay in the hospital. You're the last one out of your friend group to leave the room beside Taylor.
You stand beside him, your hand runs through his hair before you lean down and kiss him on the cheek. "Goodbye Tyler, I'll see you soon" You give him a small smile, your cheeks have the tiniest shade of pink. "Yeah, see you soon [Y/N]" Tyler watches with wide eyes, cheeks pink, as you walk over to Taylor and their mother. You hug Taylor before you face Mariana. "I'm sorry... I never meant for him to get hurt" You say. Mariana offers you a smile, "It's okay, dear". Mariana hugs you and you hesitantly hug her back. "Take care of my children for me when I can't" She whispers in your ear. "Of course" You reply. You say your final goodbyes and head for the door.