Chapter 53: The Shadows

Evangeline P.O.V.

"We have to go. I'll take this side of everyone, Lily you can take the other, and Finley, handle Dr. Richards."

"Richards? That man hates my guts; there is no way he is listening to me. I'll take your side; you go deal with him. I'm not good with men crying, you I could handle. Him, I cannot." Finley raised his hands up in defense and started slowly backing away.

Handle me? Something fluttered in my stomach. Even though I've only known Finley for a short amount of time, and our interactions have been an absolute rollercoaster, I still hoped that if we, no, when we get out of here, there could be something.

I watched him walk away. I could still feel Lily at my side.

"Okay, lover girl, now is not the time." She nudged me toward Dr. Richards, who was silently crying by himself. Yeesh.

I still felt odd knowing Lily and Finley had history. Was it something they would catch up on? Would there be anything? I shook my head as I got closer to Dr. Richards.

"Hey." Great start Evangeline.

He looked up at me. Eyes swollen and red, face redder than a tomato. The hem of his shirt was soaked in tears.

"Evangeline. I'm not sure I can go on. I saw her, I really saw her. It's been years. Years. I've never taken another woman since her, I never could. She was it for me, she was my everything. I loved her, I still love her. I can't do this, I really can't. Leave me here. At some point, I knew I'd join her, and now I'm hoping it's sooner rather than later. God, what did that woman do to me? I thought we were friends. All of us. And she's the reason she's dead. She's dead. Oh God."

A sob broke from him as he uttered the last words. Everything rambled from him all at once. Now I was starting to see why Finley said he couldn't handle this. I didn't exactly know how I was going to.

"Sir, if I may, have you ever thought that she would want you to continue? She wouldn't want you to give up. She clearly didn't. I never met her, but she seemed determined to get her job done, even going beyond what any reasonable person would have accepted. She would want you to keep fighting, fight for her legacy, and carry it on. You already have the teaching part down, now fight for the rest. Fight for us just as she had. We'll fight for you."

That was probably hands down the best speech I've ever given in my entire life. I meant every word. I lost my parents just as he lost Jennifer, and part of me has never come to terms with what happened, but deep down, I knew they would never want me to stop fighting for what I wanted. What I needed. I would keep fighting because they fought for me, in every situation.

Richards stared deep into my eyes, a few seconds of silence passing between us. He wiped his eyes and his nose on his shirt, and gave a small nod. Tears were still coming out of his eyes, but I was hoping we had at least jumped over the hurdle of him coming with us.

A single clap came from behind us, followed by more clapping. I turned around to see the rest of our group, some teary-eyed and some with smiles that seemed genuine considering the situation we were all in.

"We'll fight for you, no, with you, Dr. Richards. And at this current moment, the fight needs to happen now because what the actual fuck is that thing behind that tree!"

I noticed something tall and looming behind a tree not too far from where we were all gathered. But it wasn't the only one, there were more. So many more. Shadows, all lurking behind trees, just watching us.

"Can we take back what we said? I don't want to fight those things!" A random student blurted out. I rolled my eyes. We didn't have time for more inspiring speeches. If there was one thing this forest taught me the first time, it's that you had limited time and everything was out to get you.

The shadows started to dart behind trees, coming closer tree by tree. My heart was hammering in my chest. I might've gotten Dr. Richards but I sure as hell had no idea what to do next. As I ran through ideas in my head, I felt someone grab my hand, lacing their fingers through mine. Lily.

"Together, remember? Now let's run." She motioned for everyone to follow her. No matter what we decided, we had to go deeper into the woods to find Susan.

Shadows dipped and darted in front of us, the cool breeze hitting me in the face as they went by. How could we kill something that was essentially nothing? They could turn into things but what were we supposed to do with them until then?

"How are we going to lose them? You don't think Susan and her sister can track us through them do you? Or some sort of witchcraft bullshit? We didn't have to deal with this the first time Lily!" I yelled at her as she dragged me through the woods.

A scream tore from a girl behind us as she tripped over a tree root. Everyone stopped, almost toppling over each other. Someone lifted the girl to her feet, but she collapsed against him. Shit, I could see her ankle and it definitely didn't look like one.

The shadows stopped when we stopped, still inching closer and closer the longer we were idling in one place. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Someone do something, anything, why am I rooted in place! Move Evangeline. Think for god's sake!

I yanked the bow off my back, nocking an arrow then pulling back as much as the string would let me. I fired straight up into the air and into the trees above us. A small hole filtered a ray of sunlight into the forest.

Screeches came from the shadows as they moved away from the sunlight. Bingo. Susan's sister wouldn't step foot outside of the forest when it was daylight. Even if that shadow I saw the night I came into the forest wasn't her, it meant it was one of these fuckers.

"Shoot into the trees! Now!" Every student started catapulting arrows into the trees, each one creating more and more tiny holes for the sun to rain down on the forest floor.

Slowly the shadows started to retreat, smoke even coming off a few of them as if they were getting burned. One problem down, too many more to go. I turned back to the girl on the ground, her ankle now wrapped in a shirt and tied off with a small piece of rope.

"She can't walk Evangeline. We can't leave her here either." Finley was next to her, consoling her as she cried. Why was I getting slightly jealous?

"Can anyone carry her? They're most likely on the move and will hopefully have no idea we found a way around their little party trick. If we can move at a fast enough pace, we should be fine." I was secretly hoping Finley wouldn't volunteer.

I knew between him and Richards, they would be the best options. Finley had carried me as if I weighed nothing before.

"I can do it. I can stay in the middle of everyone to try and keep pace. Let's hope we find them soon so we can get her real help." I rolled my eyes as Finley scooped her up. I had partially ignored Finley for how he treated me at the campfire. But then watching him get flung around made me realize I cared a lot more than I thought.

"Let's go then." I turned around quickly, falling in step with Lily.

She gave me a knowing look as I shook my head. It was too simple, and hardly anything had happened between us. He didn't belong to me in any sense. And this was the worst time to be thinking about any of this. Especially since our literal lives were being put on the line.

We kept walking, slowing down every now and then for Finley. Every time he asked for us to slow our pace my jealously and anger fueled more. My reasoning? I didn't have one.

"You like him a lot, don't you?" Lily's voice broke through the silence we were sharing. The only thing I could focus on was the crunch of the Earth beneath us as we walked, I didn't really want to spark a conversation with anyone about him, especially her.

"No." I kept my eyes on the ground. The last thing I wanted was my own ankle to twist on a root.

"Liar."

We fell back into silence. After at least two hours of walking, slowing our pace a billion times, we stumbled upon a clearing. Three massive logs sat in a triangle.

"Let's take a break. We aren't going to be fighting anyone with no energy." Lily stepped forward and sat on one of the logs. I followed suit and sat next to her.

"Do you think they were here?" I asked.

"100%. Look at the footprint beside your foot. That didn't come from you, you're wearing a shoe. They were here, we just need to find out what way they went. If Lainey went with them, she's probably slowing them down. She might not be for our team, but she sure as hell isn't for theres." Lily laughed at the last part.

I stared at the footprint next to my shoe. I shuddered thinking that Susan's half-dead sister was probably sitting next to where I was or right beside me.

"Do you think we will find them before they leave the forest?" I asked again.

"I want to tell you 100%. But I'm not so sure Evangeline. They slowed us down twice already, even if they took a break, we also need one. Everyone is exhausted, sore from walking, and I can't imagine how tired Finley must be."

I hummed at the last part. That was his own damn fault. Richard's has been running endurance drills with students for his whole life, he could've done it.

"Don't be mad at him Evangeline. He's doing what he can to help. Getting kidnapped in a forest and then thrown around like you weigh nothing doesn't really scream manly to anyone. He's doing the best he can by picking up the slack he feels he left behind." She gave me a look.

"Yeah, well, I would've never waltzed into the forest if he would've spoken to me and instead referred to me as the Temptress so maybe he can trip on a damn root carrying her and spend his own time alone in the forest!" I gave her the same look back.

She sucked her teeth at me and shook her head. "This isn't you Evangeline. This isn't the girl I met in the woods. Give him a break. We have three people to catch, you can sulk about this situation later. And you would've never met me if you didn't waltz into the forest so I'll thank him for that."

I didn't respond. I picked up a stick and stared at the ground, pushing the leaves side to side. I knew she was right. Where was Juniper to agree with everything when you needed her?

"We should get moving again. We can't stay in one place for long." Lily stood up and walked over to the other students.

I looked around and locked eyes with Finley. He gave me a small smile and I dropped my eyes back to my pile of leaves.

Later, just as Lily said.