Chapter 35: We Have to Go

"Evangeline! Are you out there?"

Someone was screaming my name. I turned around to find the tree line that was once miles away was now only a few hundred feet away from us.

The woman who was just slumped in Lily's arms was now turning into dust, blowing with the wind. But what we thought was the end, was only the beginning.

The dust swirled into a small tornado, and a shadow arose from the center. The light that was coming from the woman as she cracked and turned to ash was now a beacon coming from the sky and touching down in the middle of the small tornado.

"Holy shit, Lily, we have to go. Get up, get up get up get up!" My voice shrieked the more I begged Lily to move. She was watching the tornado, but still shriveled into a ball on the ground.

"Evangeline I can't do that again. I don't have it in me. Please just leave me here." She held her head in her hands as tears fell from her eyes and soaked the leaves on the ground.

"Then don't! The edge of the forest is right there! We have to run, now Lily!" I run over to her and grab her arm, trying to yank her off of the forest floor.

She groans and slowly stands, her knees shaking as she straightens her legs. I put her arm over my shoulder and started walking quickly with her.

"Don't give up now Lily. We are so close." I look over at her face. Her eyes have sunken in, as if she hasn't slept in days, and her face as pale as a ghost, her red hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.

I was dragging Lily now, her feet barely making full steps on the ground. The small tornado was starting to slow as the wind died down, and the tree line was slowly closing. What the hell was happening??

"Please Lily, you can give up once we are out of these woods. That thing is coming back and that tree line is disappearing, we have to go or else we will have to do it all over again!"

My pace was starting to slow. Lily was about my size, but I wasn't in great shape, even with all of the archery training.

I could feel the weight of Lily over my shoulder start to ease as she stood up straight and limped alongside me. Still not great, but at least I wasn't dragging her and we could move slightly faster.

I shrugged her arm off my shoulder and grabbed her hand, quickening my pace into a slight jog. The tree line was becoming closer but also getting smaller the more the woman emerged from the tornado of her previous ashes.

As the light from outside the forest got brighter, I could see figures lining the edge, and I could hear them calling my name, just like earlier.

I glanced back, the dust from the tornado finally settled, and the woman emerged in the same tattered clothing she had been wearing before. The holes that had been left from my arrows were now sealed, and the knife Lily left in her chest was gone, leaving no scar indicating it had been there.

I turned around. The exit was less than 50 feet away, but the gap was no more than 5 feet wide and still rapidly closing.

40 feet.

30 feet.

20 feet.

I could feel it. The lighter air, the warmth of the sun, the presence of other people.

A scream came from the woman behind us, and this felt like deja vu. Not again.

10 feet. A scream came again and Lily dropped to her knees, covering her eyes and moaning.

I reached for my last arrow. Even if I didn't kill her, I could still stop her screaming and get Lily out of here. I lifted my bow, and hopefully for the last time, I drew the arrow back, focusing on the woman.

Deep breath in, out, and with a thwip the arrow was gone in an instant and drove itself right into her shoulder. Her screaming caught in her throat, disgusting, black liquid oozed from her wound.

Lily stopped moaning and slumped down.

I turned around, the gap even closer to closing completely.

"Stand up Lily, only a few more feet!" I urged her, while grabbing under her arms and lifting her up.

She stood on her feet but didn't budge. "Everything hurts Evangeline." Her bright green eyes now dulled in a dark brown. That woman changed something in her, and not in a good way.

"I know, and I'm sorry for how bad this is going to hurt." Her eyes widen slowly. If she wasn't going to move, I was going to do it for her.

I let go of her and ran behind her. I shoved her. Hard. She went barreling through the gap. As soon as she went through it, she disappeared and I could only see her shadowy figure fall onto the ground on the other side.

I started to run into the gap right behind her when something grabbed me.

The woman's bony fingers were wrapped around my wrist. Her face, inches from mine, was sending shivers down my spine.

I yanked my hand away from her, and turned around to shove myself through the portal, only to trip and fall mere inches away from the edge. Fuck. This cannot be how I go out.

Her bony fingers latched around my ankle, dragging me backwards as I tried crawling forward. I spun around to my back and gave her backside a hard kick and she released my ankle.

I scrambled to crawl towards the safety of the other side. My hands made it through, grasping onto the soft grass.

Two rough hands grabbed my wrists and yanked me forward as I felt the woman clawing at my legs.

The sunlight burned my eyes as I fell onto my back and stared into the sky. Tears started to run down my face as I touched my surroundings, making sure I didn't just die and that this was real.

"Evangeline! What the hell happened to you??" A familiar voice and face appeared above me.

I looked around. Everyone who came on the trip was still here. But I couldn't see Lily.

"Where is Lily?"

"The red head? She's over there with Dr. Richards. Evangeline, what happened out there?"

I gave Finley a blank stare. How the hell do you even explain what happened to us?