Maya kicked her foot out, blocking the swing. Emily stumbled back and Maya jumped to her feet.
The thick, tall grass and heavy evening fog cast obscure and heavy shadows. Panicked breath burned her lungs with salty coastal fog.
Behind her, Emily's relentless footsteps pounded against the damp earth, a chilling echo of her bloodthirsty determination. Maya's eyes darted, desperately searching for an escape, the only illumination a sliver of moonlight breaking through the dense tall grass.
She ran toward the football field lights. The halogen glow loomed ahead. Hope flickered – and died just as quickly. Emily waited, silhouetted against the ghostly moonlight. The shovel in her hand gleamed, a wicked promise of a brutal ending.
Chasing Maya, Emily snarled. The shovel made a metallic sound as it sliced through the tall grass.
Maya tripped, scrambling to regain her footing as the shovel arced through the air, coming dangerously close. A desperate plea rose to her lips, only to be choked off by a surge of terror.
Suddenly, a furious roar pierced the night. A shadowy figure exploded from the darkness, slamming into Emily with a force that sent the shovel flying. The two figures became a tangled mess, rolling in the dirt, their desperate grunts and gasps echoing through the clearing.
Maya gaped in disbelief. It was Ethan, the revelation of Emily's guilt etched into his tense features. He wrestled with Emily, his movements fueled by a desperate need to protect Maya.
A final crack echoed through the clearing, followed by an unnatural silence. Emily went limp, her body sprawled lifelessly on the forest floor. A chilling stillness descended, the moonlight painting a haunting tableau of death.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Maya swayed, a wave of nausea threatening to overwhelm her. "Ethan . . . Is she? . . ." Her voice trembled
Ethan rose slowly, his face stricken. "She wasn't going to stop."
His words offered little comfort.
Yes, they were alive. But Emily, their friend, was gone forever.
Ethan pulled Maya close, looking down at Emily's body. Her vacant eyes stared up into the cloudy sky, her face caked with dirt and blood. She remained unmoving. Unblinking. She was gone.
A shiver ran down Maya's spine. Though they were safe, neither Ethan nor Maya could stop trembling.
"We'll be ok. You're ok," Ethan kept repeating as he pulled her close. "We need to to get you to the medic."
Ethan managed to hold on to Maya as he limped toward the football field with Maya under his protective arm. She could feel the hot sticky blood caked with dirt on her face. Her blurred vision made it difficult for her to see where she was stepping, and her throat was dry. She saw Sarah ahead, who rushed forward to help assist them to place to sit on the cold bleachers. Medical personnel came rushing toward them.
Ethan pulled Maya close under his arm. "Is Mark going to be ok?" Maya asked Sarah.
"He'll live," Sarah responded. "But he won't be playing for awhile. Hey — where's Emily?"
The sound of more sirens approached.
"It was Emily," Ethan said, trembling. He kept Maya close. "I don't know. I just don't know."
His words offered little comfort. Yes, they were alive. But Emily, their friend, was gone forever, and the chilling image of her vacant eyes seared into their memory.
A shiver ran down Maya's spine. Though they were safe, their journey was far from over. Their world had twisted, filled with dark secrets and harrowing consequences. The pursuit of justice had taken a sinister turn, leaving them bound to a terrible secret, forever burdened by a life lost.
Love, it seemed, was a perilous game, and heartbreak its cruel reward. Perhaps true loneliness was the only safe haven. It was a bleak thought, one that settled heavy in Maya's heart as the weight of everything she'd endured finally crashed down around her.