Chapter 132
Elara's POV
"Where's Zack?"
Sass's voice cut through the forest sounds. He spun in a circle, head whipping left and right.
I stopped walking. My hand instinctively moved toward my pocket where the radio sat heavy and silent.
Everyone else halted too. Greg turned around, scanning the group. Luke frowned. Tina clutched Linda's arm.
"Zack?" Sass called louder. "This isn't funny, man!"
No answer. Just wind through the trees and the distant call of a bird.
Greg moved closer to Sass. "He was right behind me. Like, five minutes ago. Maybe less."
"Then where the hell is he?" Sass's voice pitched higher.
Kress pushed through to the front of the group. His hand went to the knife at his belt. "Everyone stay together. Close formation. Now."
The command in his voice made people move. We clustered tighter.
Luke spoke up, calm but tense. "We should backtrack. Retrace our steps. He couldn't have gone far."
I stayed quiet. Watched everyone's faces. Sass looked genuinely worried now, not just annoyed. Greg kept glancing at the trees like something might jump out. The girls were pale.
"Maybe he just went to pee?" Tina's voice shook. "You know, off the trail?"
"Without telling anyone?" Linda gripped Tina's arm tighter. "In a forest where someone was literally being hunted?"
Tina's face went whiter. "Oh god. You don't think—"
"Don't." Sass cut her off. "My brother wouldn't just wander off. He knows better. Something's wrong."
Greg tried to sound reassuring but his voice cracked. "Let's not—let's not panic. Maybe he just..."
He trailed off. Couldn't finish the sentence.
Because there was no good explanation.
Kress was about to speak when his eyes swept the group again. He did a double take. "Wait. Where's Cole?"
My stomach dropped.
Everyone looked around. Cole wasn't there either.
"Two people?" Tina's voice went shrill. "Two people are missing now?"
"This place is cursed," Linda whispered. "We need to leave. Right now."
"I'm not leaving without my brother!" Sass stepped toward Kress. "We have to find him!"
"We will." Kress held up both hands. "But we do this smart. We split into two search groups. Stay within sight of each other. Ten minutes, then we meet back here. Understood?"
"I'll stay here." I spoke up before anyone could argue. "I'm... I'm not great with stamina. I'll be the anchor point."
Kress looked at me, hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. Don't move from this spot."
The group split. Kress took Greg and Luke one direction. Sass led Tina and Linda another way. Their voices faded into the trees.
I waited thirty seconds. Then pulled out the radio.
"Cole." I kept my voice low. "You there?"
Static crackled. Then his voice came through, clear and steady. "Copy. I'm good. What's happening?"
"Zack's missing. The twin. Everyone's freaking out."
A pause. "Any signs of struggle?"
"No. He just... vanished."
"Hm." Cole's tone shifted, thoughtful. "The tracks here are cold. Whoever went this way doubled back hours ago. It's a decoy."
My chest tightened. "You think they doubled back?"
"I think they never went this way at all. The southeast route was a decoy. She's on your path. Has to be."
Lynette. My sister. Running for her life in my old body while I searched for her in hers.
"How long until you get back?" I asked.
"Fifteen minutes. Maybe less if I push it."
"Be careful—"
A scream ripped through the forest.
Female. High-pitched. Terrified.
"There's a werewolf! Oh my god, there's a WEREWOLF!"
Tina.
I shoved the radio into my pocket and started running.
My feet pounded against the forest floor. Branches whipped past my face. I dodged roots, jumped over a fallen log, didn't slow down.
Behind me, I heard Kress and the others crashing through the undergrowth. Everyone was converging on Tina's scream.
My mind raced. Wild Hunt? Here? Now?
I burst into a small clearing.
Tina and Linda were clutched together against a tree trunk, shaking. Tina's face was streaked with tears.
Sass stood a few feet away next to Zack, both of them doubled over laughing.
"You—you led us right to him!" Tina's voice was half-sob, half-shriek. She pointed at Sass with a trembling hand. "You knew! You brought us here on purpose!"
"Oh man!" Sass could barely breathe between laughs. "You should've seen your faces!"
"Linda almost fainted!" Zack wiped his eyes, holding up the wolf mask in his other hand. The thing was incredibly detailed—matted fur, bared fangs, realistic enough to fool anyone in the shadows. "And Tina's scream—I think I'm actually deaf now!"
Kress exploded into the clearing behind me, knife half-drawn. He took in the scene. His face went dark red.
"What the FUCK do you think you're doing?"
Zack's laughter died. "Dude, relax. It was just a joke—"
"A joke?" Luke appeared, breathing hard. "You disappeared. Made everyone think something happened. In a forest where we're tracking someone who was actually being hunted. That's your idea of funny?"
Tina shoved away from Linda. Her face was blotchy, eyes red. "You're assholes! Both of you!"
"It was just a prank!" Sass held up his hands, still grinning. "Come on, you gotta admit it was pretty good—"
"It wasn't good!" Linda's voice cracked. "I thought you were dead! I thought something killed you!"
Greg pushed through the trees, saw the mask, and his shoulders sagged. "Jesus Christ."
I stood at the edge of the clearing. Watched the whole scene play out.
Kress was lecturing them now. His voice tight with barely controlled anger. "This isn't a game. This isn't your fucking YouTube channel. People could have gotten hurt searching for you. Do you understand that?"
"We were just having fun," Zack muttered. But he looked less cocky now.
"Fun?" Luke's voice was ice. "Someone else is out here running for their life. And you're playing pranks. Real mature."
Sass and Zack exchanged glances. The reality seemed to be sinking in.
Tina was still crying. Linda had her arm around her, shooting death glares at the twins.
I let out a breath. Felt the adrenaline start to fade from my system.
Not Wild Hunt. Not an ambush. Not my sister.
Just stupid college kids who thought this was all a game.
I looked at their faces. Tina, genuinely traumatized. Linda, furious. Greg, exhausted. Luke, disgusted. Kress, barely holding it together.
And Sass and Zack, still not quite understanding what they'd done wrong.
These people had no idea what real danger looked like. They'd grown up safe. Protected. In a world where the worst thing that happened was getting grounded or losing Wi-Fi.
They didn't know what it meant to run for your life. To fight or die. To make split-second decisions that determined whether you lived to see tomorrow.
They thought this was an adventure. A story to tell.
They had no clue.
I bent down and picked up the radio I'd dropped. Checked it quickly. Still working.
Cole's voice crackled through. "Elara? What happened? Talk to me."
I turned away from the group, kept my voice low. "False alarm. Prank. The twins thought it would be funny to scare everyone."
A pause. Then Cole's dry response: "Idiots."
"Yeah."
"Want me to keep coming back?"
I glanced at the group. Kress was still reaming out Sass and Zack. Tina had sat down on a log, head in her hands. Linda was pacing. Greg and Luke stood off to the side, talking quietly.
"No," I said into the radio. "Keep searching. We'll catch up."
"Copy that. Stay alert."
The radio went silent.
I slipped it back into my pocket. Turned back to watch the aftermath of the world's worst prank.
Kress finally stepped back from the twins. "If either of you pulls anything like this again, I'm leaving you in the forest. Clear?"
They nodded. Subdued now.