Movement

Movement
Evangeline P.O.V.

I kept brushing the pile of leaves around with my feet. Lily had been rounding everyone up so we could establish where we were at physically, and probably mentally. I could still feel a pair of eyes on me, no doubt Finley trying to get a reaction out of me.

The sound of crunching leaves and the soft forest floor rustling beneath someone's feet was drawing closer to me. I hoped it was Finley, but the feet that came into view were too long.

"Evangeline? Are you alright?" Richard's voice surrounded me.

"I'm fine. How are you?" I met his eyes, still glossy even though it had probably been hours since the incident.

"You don't look fine. We weren't really signing up for all of this, so it's okay to not be fine. Plus, I heard you saw your parents. I don't know what happened to you, or all of the details from that day, but I know that you're a strong girl." He plopped down on the log beside me, it groaned beneath his weight.

"I guess so. I don't know what to do next. They have more tricks up their sleeves than we do, we can't kill Susan or Lainey. Her sister is already dead, but they are living people. I can't live with myself if someone else dies at my hand." I went back to the forest floor.

"Then we remove her sister from the situation. Susan undoubtedly gets her complex from having her sister who can do those things and conjure things that are not real. We take her out, forest opens up, and we can turn over Susan and Lainey."

I looked up at Richard's again, a small twinkle of hope glimmering in his eye. I gave him a weak smile, still doubtful we could pull this off, but there's nothing worse than giving up and dying in this damned forest.

"Okay."

"Okay? This is better than okay Evangeline. Let's rally up the troops and go get those monsters!" He bumped my shoulder before hopping up and heading over to the rest of the group.

I stood up from my log and small pile of leaves, brushing the dirt from my pants. As I looked at the group, I could see the tired and long faces. The dread of what comes next. Richard's hopeful smile weaving through the crowd, touching every shoulder trying to turn the tide.

I landed on the same pair of eyes that had been staring at me since we stopped. He started to walk towards me, but I turned away and headed straight for Lily. Later. Always later.

"Are you ready? I found more footprints while you and Richard's had your pow-wow. I think we can follow them and find them." She pointed to a random direction.

"Let's do it then. Alright everyone! We're moving along, stick together, scream if you see anything." Everyone gave a short nod.

We started on the path of the footprints. Each one was more eerie than the next as we neared closer to what could be death for some of us. The soft crunch of leaves under everyone's feet was the only thing filling the air. No one spoke, no breath was too loud, just the soft movement of the Earth beneath us.

Eventually the footprints began to become sparse, like leaves had blown onto them, or the wind carried the soil and messed them up. Once again we were at a dead-end.

"I refuse to believe they are far from this point. These woods stretch forever, there is no way they are far. Lets just keep going in this direction." I could see the steam coming out of Lily's ears. I felt bad that she was more invested in this than I was.

We kept walking. And walking. It was starting to feel like we had been walking for days instead of mere hours. Then movement. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement.

My head snapped sideways. Something was lurking beyond the trees, and either it was hiding from us, or stalking us. Either way, it was there, real, and the first real thing we had encountered in a damn hot minute.

I shot my arm out in front of Lily.

"What the-"

"Shh!"

I pointed to where I had seen the movement.

"Something or someone is there. I saw it. I saw it moving. Hiding. Following. Whatever! It's there!" I whisper-shouted at her.

Everyone else stopped behind us, some bumping into others, every person shushing the next until there was absolutely no sound. And no more movement.

"I swear to you, it was there. I fucking saw it, I am not going crazy." Right? I wasn't. Never.

Lily looked at me like I was insane. Like I had grown a second head or had three eyeballs. No way. No fucking way. I know it's out there. It's watching. And I feel it in my gut it is exactly who we're searching for.

"I'll show you."

I took my bow and quickly drew the string back with an arrow. It whipped through the air and straight into the tree that I saw the thing hide behind. As soon as it burrowed into the trunk, a scream tore from behind it.

"I fucking told you."

And no better of a time for fucking Lainey to step out from behind the tree, hands held up in the air, but I immediately draw another arrow and point it directly at her.

"No. No you said we weren't killing them Evangeline. Put that bow down right now." Richard's stormed up behind me.

"She deserves to die after all of this. My parents never deserved to die. We don't deserve to die. Yet we're being forced into this damn cage, surrounded by things that want to kill us and it's partially her fucking fault!" My breaths were ragged. I was tired. So tired. Tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of being put into some test.

"Evangeline. Please. Listen to me. Put the bow down. We need her to tell us where they are. She knows, we need to keep her alive. You can have your way later, but for now the most important part is getting to Susan and her sister." His hands were on my bow and shoulder.

Reluctantly I lowered my bow. My breaths were still coming out fast, my heart running its own race in my chest. Lily put her hand on my shoulder and whispered things to me I wasn't hearing. I could only see Lainey.

Richard's walked towards Lainey who looked like a deer caught in headlights. They exchanged a few words and then they both turned and made their way back to our group.

"Evangeline. I'm sorry, I really am. Susan and her sister dropped me here and disappeared. I only know the direction they went in, not where they were going." She was begging for her life practically.

But I wasn't going to believe a single word coming out of her mouth. Not now, not ever.