Bradley didn't know what to do. Max had run after PJ, his flashlight dancing around in the clearing in front of them. His skin felt cold.
He held on to Cora tight, afraid that she too would disappear. He felt her tense up under him, wrapping her arms around him.
"We should go help." He heard Roxanne say.
"We need to stay right here. There's no point in all of us getting lost. " Jasmine said from behind her.
"But we can't stand here and do nothing!" Roxanne said, her voice shaking. "What if she's hurt?"
"We need to stay together. They'll come back when they find her. She probably just tripped somewhere." Jasmine said.
Bradley couldn't help but feel that there was more to the story. He looked out into the clearing, where the guys were still calling out for Mocha, PJ's sob's bouncing off the trees around them.
"They won't find her here,"
Bradley thought he was going to pass out. He felt the hairs on his skin stand up, the cold breeze hitting him slightly below his ear lobes. He froze, not daring to look behind him, nor make any noise.
"She ran off towards the asylum, weird girl. She sensed me, but she sensed them too."
Evil Brad's voice was as clear as day, his words making Bradley's heart race. Cora looked up at him, alarmed.
"Bradley, what's wrong?" she asked, "You're sweating!"
"We have- we have- we have--" Bradley was trying so hard to make the words come out. But he couldn't. He was afraid. He thought Evil Brad was just a fragment of his imagination. Something he had made up to deal with his depression. What the heck was going on?
"Roxanne!"
Stacey ran up and hugged her friend. Behind her came Bobby and Mona, both winded and out of breath.
"What are you doing here? I thought you guys went back to the car?" Roxanne asked, hugging her.
"We heard you guys yell so we ran back. PJ is crying and Max said Mocha was missing!" Stacey said quickly.
"Yeah man, how did it happen? We only left y'all like ten minutes ago!" Bobby said
"I don't know," Roxanne said. "She was running in front of us. PJ was holding her hand. We were all paired up-"
"Paired up?" Mona interrupted
"Shut up, idiot. This is more important than your measly concerns." Jasmine snapped.
"Too scared to tell them Bradley?" Evil Brad whispered. "You know there are worst things out there than ghosts. Just a warning."
Bradley closed his eyes. He had to regain control. He had to. If Evil Brad was right, then Mocha was in some sort of danger.
He saw Max and the guys returning, defeated. PJ was crying, Max's arm around him.
"We'll need to call the police." Max said, "We don't know where she could be. You guys didn't see her when you were on your way back right?"
"No," Bobby said.
"I know where she is." Bradley said, taking a deep breath.
"Where?" PJ asked, running up to him. "Please! Where?"
"Don't ask me how I know. But please, believe me. She's already on her way to the asylum. Something is leading her there." Bradley said.
"How can you possibly know that?" Max asked.
"I said don't ask me. I just do. Trust me on that. I wouldn't suggest this if I wasn't confident." Bradley said. Evil Brad began to laugh behind him. He hoped that Evil Brad was telling the truth and that he wasn't leading them on to a worst situation.
"It's the only lead we have," PJ cried.
"We're closer to the asylum from here anyways," Tony said. "It's up to PJ. What do you want us to do?"
"We have to go to- to the asylum. Right Bradley?" PJ asked through his sobs.
"Yes, yes I think that's our only option..." Bradley said, his heart heavy.