"I could be asking you the same question." The stranger replies, curtly.
We stare at her and she stares back at us, unchallenged. She couldn't be taller than Demi; and Demi is pretty short. This woman, who seems to be in her mid twenties, stood before us in simple attire; all black and form fitting. A key chain sat on her hip along with what might be a pocket knife. Despite her minute height, I still feel intimidated by her. She cocks her head to the side and squints her eyes at us, scrutinizing. "You have no business being in here."
"My missing sister is my business" Dem shoots back, stepping forward. He looms over the stranger. His height juxtaposes hers. He leans down, asking: "Any idea where she might be?"
She stares back, not intimidated, and takes a step forward. She lifts her chin and places both hands on her waist. I keep an eye on what I suppose is the knife around her waist. The earth shifts under her boots and her fists clench as she sizes Dem up. "So it was you guys. You woke that thing up."
"We didn't mean to do anything." I interject, coming up behind Dem. I place my hand on his forearm so he could stand down. We do not know who this woman is or what she is capable of. At first he tenses at my touch, but then he gives in, relaxing his demeanor.
"But right now we really need help finding-" I'm cut off by the sound of shifting metal behind us. I become very aware of how vulnerable we are right now; out in the open. Before I can continue, the mysterious stranger makes a motion for us to follow her, putting a finger on her lips and darting into the darkness. After brief hesitation, we comply and trail behind her. Despite her petite stature, she appears to be the most confident and knowing out of all of us.
We zigzag across the attractions and tents. She navigates so swiftly that I am convinced this is far from her first time here. She knows exactly where to step and her turns seem almost routine. A short period later we approach a small office-like area in the back of the park. It is not on theme at all. It is the most normal looking part of this place. She pulls a key out of the key-chain that is attached to her belt and unlocks the door whilst looking behind her. She quickly gestures for us to enter.
"In here" she says, ushering us in "For some reason Red Eyes can't get me here . . ."
She slowly closes the door behind us and walks to the far corner of the room. There, she bends down and opens a drawer. She rummages in it for a few moments and then produces a small first aid kit. She brings it over and presents it to us. I take the offering from her, gratefully. We all take turns grabbing some supplies from it, as we all have some type of cut or bruise.
"Are you going to tell us who you are, and why you know this place so well?" Dem asks, wincing as he cleans the cuts on his knuckles with alcohol.
"No, you guys need to tell me who the hell you are first" she replies, folding her arms, stubbornly. She leans against the wall, "Because everything has been quiet for years, and now, all this shit is happening again."
"Okay" I sigh, as I place a bandage on my wrist "A few days ago, a group of us came here. We didn't know what it was. Or what we were getting ourselves into. The first night was scary enough, but when we came back-"
"You came BACK?" she asks, incredulously, rolling her eyes. "Tell me you didn't take the picture. . ."
We all look away and avoid her gaze.
"You've got to be kidding me!" She throws her head back in disbelief whilst rubbing her face "Kids really are morons."
"We get it, okay?" Dem speaks up, standing. The coffee table shifts slightly with the sudden force. Mad and I both move to calm him. "We fucked up, but my sister is missing and you're not doing anything to better the situation. And we still have no idea who you are!"
She smiles bleakly and sighs. She leans closer to us and speaks bitter-sweetly:
"I'm your best chance at finding your sister and getting out of this thing alive. That's who I am."
Super short chapter after literally years, I know. But the next chapter will be up very soon, if anyone is still interested in this story <3