Chapter 6

Six

Slate

Fuck, I shouldn’t have left Sky like that.

My head spins, my vision blurs, and I know it’s the result of all the shit I did tonight. I’d passed out under a fucking tree, and boy, had I needed it, but it wasn’t enough.

Sky was a mess. She’s never like that with anyone, always keeping her shit in check. The most you get out of her is sass, but tears… in all our years as friends, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her cry. Between that and the voice I heard, I’d been on edge, and something told me I needed to get out of there. I’d expected Sky to come with me, but when she didn’t, I couldn’t force myself to stop and go back for her.

I still can’t; even as I run through the woods in nothing but my boxers, I can’t make myself turn around.

Something’s not right.

Slowing to a stop, I take a second to look around, but it doesn’t do me a damn bit of good. After all the times we’ve been in these woods, you would think they would be familiar, but it’s too dark to make out a damn thing. It’s just trees and shadows as far as the eye can see, which isn’t far at all.

Fuck!

I need to go back to Sky. We can find Caelan and get the fuck out of here because, despite everything going on, I know one thing for sure.

We need to leave.

A scream has me damn near jumping out of my skin as it cuts through my thoughts. It takes me a second to realize it’s familiar.

Val?

Shit.

I turn in place, trying to pinpoint the direction the sound is coming from, but I can’t. I’m not sure if I’m too fucked up or if the darkness is disorientating me, but fuck, I feel like I hardly know up from down right now.

She screams and screams for so long that I worry she might pass out, and I still have no idea which way to go.

Fuck it, any direction is better than just standing here doing nothing.

I stop and pick a direction at random. After spinning around a few times, I’m not sure if it’s the same way I was just going or not. But I tell myself it doesn’t matter, the woods aren’t that damn big, and I’m bound to find one of them, eventually.

No sooner do I decide which direction to take, Val’s scream cuts off, and the woods fall silent again. I keep moving, jogging in the same direction regardless of the silence. Staying still won’t do me any good.

I’m not sure how long I jog, but it feels like an eternity. I’m not exactly out of shape, but I am exhausted and either hungover or still fucked up. Probably a bit of both, if I’m being honest, but whatever the reason, running is not my friend right now.

Bracing myself on one of the dozens of trees, I stop, gasping for air as I take a second to recover.

Okay, definitely more than a second.

At least the night is cool, and the air soothes my burning lungs. What I wouldn’t give to have a damn bottle of water right now, but all of our stuff is back in our tents.

With a groan, I push off the tree and look up at the sky. The stars are crazy bright out here. Had I paid better attention in Boy Scouts as a kid, I’d probably be able to find my way back to camp using them. Where’s Holt when you need him? His ass could do it. He’s all about this kind of shit.

“Damn it!” I throw my head back and scream.

We’ve had the same tradition of coming out here and partying for years, so why is this happening now?

A branch snaps nearby, catching my attention. I hesitate a moment, unsure whether to call out or stay quiet.

Fuck it. “Hello?” I call, listening for some kind of answer, but hear nothing.

Maybe it was an animal.

Another branch snaps, and it’s not only closer but also sounds way too big to be an animal, at least not one I want to find.

“Hello?” I call again, hoping to scare it off if it is an animal.

Whatever it is, it’s getting closer. I listen harder, trying to figure out where it is.

Behind me. Whipping around and come face to face with…

“Price?” I squint harder, trying to make out their face. They don’t answer, but I’m almost positive it’s him. “Hey, man, you good?” I ask when he steps toward me and stumbles, and I rush toward him.

I’m not sure why he isn’t answering, but Price is my best friend; I’d know him anywhere.

Gripping his arm, I help him steady himself with a chuckle. This isn’t the first time we’ve been in this kind of situation; the big fucker likes to think he’s indestructible, but honestly, given his size, he’s kind of a lightweight.

“Woah, man, let's get you sitting. You don’t look like you should be up walking around,” I tell him, slinging his arm over my shoulder and guiding him toward a fallen tree.

It takes a few minutes, but we hobble our asses to the log and drop on it. Some of my earlier worries seep away, seeing a familiar face and having someone here with me.

Now, we just need to find the rest of them.

“Hey, have you seen any of the others?” I ask and hear him sigh.

My eyes have adjusted enough that I can make out some of him this close, and I watch him drop his head into his hands.

“Fuck,” I hear his mumbled curse, but he doesn’t say anything else, and that good feeling I had at seeing him slips a bit.

I try to give him a second, but the longer he stays quiet, the more on edge I feel.

“Price?”

His head snaps up at the sound of his name, and I swear his eyes shine for a second. I keep my gaze on his face, searching for whatever the fuck that was, but nothing happens. His face remains in the shadows.

“Something’s wrong,” he says finally, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

“Yeah, I know.” I try to reassure him. “That’s why I’m asking if you know where the others are. We need to get the fuck out of here.”

He’s shaking his head before I finish my sentence, and he’s lost me again. I thought we were on the same page here.

“No, not like that. I mean, yes, we do need to leave, but something’s wrong with me, Slate,” he says, his voice wavering, and if I didn’t know better, it sounds like he’s on the verge of tears or maybe a fucking panic attack?

“What do you mean?” I ask, unable to help myself, though I’m not sure I want the answer. This night is fucked up enough as it is. I’d really rather we don’t add more to it.

“I don’t know what happened. Me and Val had fun, we fucked, and we were headed back down to the tents, but she heard something, so we stopped…” he trails off, turning away from me to look off into the inky blackness of the forest that surrounds us.

I want to press him to keep going, but I don’t because I am afraid of what he might say.

“I…I couldn’t help it,” Price whispers, sounding broken. The hairs on my arm stand up, and I know whatever he’s going to say isn’t good.

“It was like I wasn’t in control. I…I couldn’t stop. I wanted to, but,” his breath catches, and his words cut off as if he can’t finish.

“Hey,” I say, reaching out to rest my hand on his shoulder to offer him comfort. I don’t know what he did, and I can’t lie, it doesn’t sound good, but this is Price. He’s a hothead and a jock, yeah, but he’s not a monster. Whatever it is, we can figure it out after we get the others and get the fuck out of here.

His body goes rigid under my hand before he turns to me, and this time, there’s no denying his eyes are fucking glowing. Snatching my hand away, I scramble back, falling off the damn log and onto the ground, but I hardly register it.

Price's eyes are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They glow bright yellow, and somehow, I know this isn’t Price, not anymore.

“Price,” I say, hoping to snap him out of whatever the fuck this is. His eyes are cold and calculating as he continues to look down at me and I get the feeling this might have something to do with why I heard Val screaming earlier.

“Price is pre-occupied at the moment,” Price says, but it’s not his voice. It’s deep and husky and kind of creepy.

He pushes to stand, towering over me, and I can just make out the smirk that pulls at his lips before he lunges.

I roll out of the way at the last second and scramble to my feet, taking off into the trees without looking back. Whatever is going on with him, I’m not delusional in thinking evading him once is going to get him to stop. On the off chance that it did, I still don’t want to be near him right now.

Fuck that, and fuck him.

Branches smack my arms and legs, and the ground is full of rocks and other shit, but I ignore it all. I can hear Price behind me, and it doesn’t matter what's happening with him. He’s more athletic than I am. He’s going to catch me.

I take a quick left, going for a little while before going right. I need to lose him, and for a second, I think I might have.

Until a heavy weight comes out of nowhere and slams into me, taking me to the ground. We roll a few times before we come to a stop with him on top of me. He doesn’t waste a second, his hands going around my neck, squeezing until I can’t pull in any oxygen.

I need to do something, and fast, or I’m going to black out or worse.

Desperately, I buck up, but he doesn’t budge. I give up on that and feel around the ground for something, anything, I might use.

Spots dot my vision just as my fingers close around a sizeable stick, and I don’t hesitate to swing it up and smack him as hard as I can, wherever I can.

Price is one of my best friends, but this isn’t Price, and I can’t let myself worry about hurting him, not if I want to survive.

I’d been hoping to knock him away or knock him out, but his hands only slightly give. It’s not ideal, but it’s enough for me to get some air into my lungs, and right now, I’ll take it. I choke down air and pull back, slamming him with the branch again, and this time he moves.

He falls to the side but catches himself before he goes down all the way. I use his shift in body weight against him. Throwing myself at him, I try to roll on top of him, being mindful not to drop the stick.

If I can just knock him out, I can get far enough away to…

I’m not sure exactly, but I’ll figure that out later.

I hadn't realized we were on top of a hill until too late, though. What I’d hoped to be a simple roll to put me on top of him ends with us rolling over and over until we hit the bottom.

It’s too dark to see the world as I spin out of control, but I know we rolled pretty far based on the dizzy swirl in my stomach. I can feel cuts and what will be bruising, but nothing feels broken. Even as my head spins, I push to my feet, stumbling but upright.

I’ll be damned if I let him pin me like that again.

I’m on high alert, and at a disadvantage, without the ability to see as clearly as I’m sure he can with those glowing eyes. Spinning in a circle, I wait, not knowing where he ended up or what direction he might attack from.

I wait and wait, but nothing happens. Seconds tick by, turning to minutes, and still nothing. My panic shoots through the roof, but even standing still, I don’t hear a damn thing.

Slowly, my eyes adjust ever so slightly, and as my nausea subsides, I take a second to search the area around me. It’s mostly branches and downed trees. It isn’t big—just a ditch, really—but looking up, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it back the way I came down.

It’s a fucking miracle I didn’t end up with more than a few scratches, honestly.

Finally, I give myself a second to breathe, only to realize I’d lost my weapon somewhere along the way. Hopefully, I won’t need it.

I hear a groan and whip around, looking at the mass of downed trees at my back, squinting into the darkness.

Holy shit…

Price?