Chapter 89 *

Chapter 89 Chapter 89
Angelina’s POV
I stopped and turned around.
Silas jogged up, looking way too energetic for someone who'd been hiking uphill for over an hour. "We should probably wait for everyone to catch up. Some people are pretty far behind."
I looked back down the trail. He was right. I could barely see the last few people in the group.
"Fine."
There was a flat area just ahead, surrounded by pine trees. The ground was covered in a thick carpet of pine needles. Perfect place to rest.
"Let's stop there," Silas said, pointing.
We walked into the clearing. It was bigger than I'd thought. Maybe thirty feet across. Bushes and ferns grew around the edges, creating a natural border.
I dropped my backpack and sat down on a fallen log. Mia sat next to me, pulling out her water bottle.
"Oh thank god," she said. "My legs are killing me."
Slowly, the rest of the group filtered into the clearing. Everyone looked tired. Zoey looked ready to collapse.
She stumbled over to Kai and grabbed his arm. "I need to rest. For like an hour."
"We can't rest for an hour. We need to make it to the summit before dark."
"Then you should've told me this would be so hard!"
"I did tell you. You said you'd be fine."
"Well, I lied!"
Tyler and another guy sat down near me. Tyler pulled out a bag of trail mix and started eating.
"Hey Aria," Tyler said. "You're not even tired? What's your secret?"
The other guy nodded. "Seriously. You were just walking like it was nothing."
"I just walk a lot," I said.
"Like, how much?"
"A lot."
Tyler laughed. "That's it? That's your secret? Just walking?"
"Yeah."
"Do you work out or something?" the other guy asked. "Like, do you run track or play sports?"
"No."
They both stared at me like I was lying.
"Come on," Tyler said. "You have to do something. Nobody's that fit from just walking."
I shrugged. "Believe what you want."
"She's just built different," Mia said. "Accept it."
He looked like he wanted to keep talking, but I didn't give him anything to work with.
After a few seconds of awkward silence. "Cool. Well, uh, let us know if you need anything." Tyler said.
Mia leaned closer. "You know like half the guys here are trying to impress you, right?"
"I know."
"And you just completely shut them down. It's kind of hilarious." Mia was trying not to laugh next to me.
More people arrived in the clearing. Everyone dropped their backpacks and collapsed onto logs or directly onto the ground.
"I'm dying," someone groaned.
"How much farther?"
Silas checked his phone. "We've done about two miles. So another two to go."
"TWO MORE MILES?!"
"Yeah, but the second half isn't as steep. It'll be easier."
"You said that about the first half!"
"I said it would get easier after the first half. Which means it will be easier going forward. That's literally what I said."
"You lied!"
Silas threw his hands up. "I didn't lie! This is a normal hiking trail! You guys are just out of shape!"
That started a whole argument. People defending themselves, Silas insisting he wasn't being mean, everyone talking over each other.
I tuned them out and looked around the clearing.
The bushes on the far side were thick. Maybe four feet tall, with thorny branches. Some kind of wild berry bush, probably. Beyond them, I could see more trees stretching up the mountain.
Everything was quiet except for our group's noise.
Too quiet.
No birds. No small animals rustling in the underbrush. Nothing.
That was unusual.
I kept my expression neutral but paid closer attention to our surroundings.
Silas was walking around, making sure everyone was okay. "Watch out for the thorny bushes! They'll scratch you up!"
Someone laughed. "Thanks for the warning, mom."
"I'm serious! That shit hurts!"
I noticed Kai looking at me. He had something in his hand. He started walking toward me.
Zoey was sitting on a rock behind him, examining her expensive boots.
Kai stopped a few feet away. "Hey."
"Hi."
He held out a protein bar. "Want one? You've been walking pretty fast. Figured you might need some energy."
I looked at the bar, then at him. "I'm not hungry."
"Oh. Right. Yeah, of course." He put the bar back in his backpack. "That was stupid."
"It's fine."
He stood there awkwardly. "You're really good at hiking. Like, really good. Do you do this a lot?"
"Sometimes."
"Cool. That's cool."
Mia was watching this whole interaction with barely concealed amusement.
Kai opened his mouth to say something else when I heard it.
A rustling sound. Coming from the bushes on the east side of the clearing.
Not wind. Wind moved through trees differently. This was something pushing through the undergrowth.
I raised my hand. "Everyone stop. Don't move."
The entire group went silent instantly.
Thirteen pairs of eyes turned to look at me.
"What's wrong?" Silas asked quietly.
"Something's in the bushes."
Zoey's face went pale. She ran over and grabbed Kai's arm tightly. "Oh my god. Oh my god, it's the mountain lion. It's the mountain lion, isn't it?"
"We don't know that," Kai said. But his voice was tight.
The bushes rustled again. Louder this time.
Everyone was frozen. Nobody moved. Nobody even breathed.
Mia grabbed my arm. "Aria, what do we do?"
"Stay still."
I started walking toward the bushes.
"Aria, what the hell are you doing?" Tyler hissed.
I ignored him. Kept walking.
The rustling got louder. Whatever was in there was moving. Getting closer to the edge of the bushes.
Behind me, I heard Zoey whimpering. "Babe, I'm scared. I'm really scared."
Then Kai's footsteps. Fast. Running.
He pushed past Zoey and ran toward me. "Aria, get back! I'll handle this!"
He had his hunting knife out. The one he'd shown off earlier in the parking lot.
I stopped walking. Turned to look at him.
Kai positioned himself between me and the bushes. Like he was protecting me.
"Stay behind me," he said. His voice was trying to sound brave but I could hear the tremor in it.
Behind him, Zoey was standing up from her rock. Her face was a mixture of shock and rage.
"Are you serious right now?" Her voice was loud. Shrill. "Are you SERIOUS?"
Kai didn't turn around. He was staring at the bushes, knife held out in front of him.
"Zoey, not now—"
"You just pushed me away! You pushed me away to protect HER!"
"Zoey, there's something dangerous in those bushes—"
"I'M YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"
The bushes shook violently.
Everyone else had backed up to the far side of the clearing. Mia was clutching Silas's arm. Tyler and the other guys looked ready to run.
"Zoey, please," Kai said through gritted teeth. "We can talk about this later—"
"No! We're talking about this NOW! You literally pushed me aside like I was nothing!"
The rustling stopped.
Complete silence.
Everyone held their breath.