In The Midst Of Adventure

Episode 18

Playlist - Celine Dion ~ Courage

Scott's POV:

Just a little thing left and I'll drown myself in sorrows just like my friends are doing right now, I needed to man up and leave this place with them before the worst would happen again that is why I'm holding my tears back. I knew the danger of coming to this forest but I refuse to accept reality and came all in the name of research. What if I die because of a stupid research? Is not like I'll be paid for the research I'm doing. I only wanted to be significant for once, no one recognizes me to be an outstanding guy since I was young, I was always bullied.

Coming here is to let everyone know that the gentle guy they see is a smart and intelligent guy who knows more than anyone of them. I wanted to be an hero to not just my school, but also to the whole of California. But with all that has happened now, I guess they'll just see me as a psychopath which they've always described me to be. I shook my head and sigh.

I thought deeply about everything and my thinking changed. Maybe my research is meant to help put an end to whatever monsters that has taken captives in this place that was meant to be peaceful and enjoyable place to visit. I might die in the process but I'll never be forgotten. And besides I now see another reason for coming here, is no longer about the research but is about saving lives.

I won't let any of this ladies in my arms get hurt by anyone, I rather die than see any of them get hurt again. The death of Trisha has opened my eyes to see what it really means to have someone die in your arms. Although I've lost my mom but not in my arms.

"I can understand the death of our friend is very heartbreaking, we can decide to sit here and cry over it from now till tomorrow, but I want you ladies to know it's not gonna change anything, it'll rather break our hearts more. So please do me a favor and muster up courage to face what awaits us. We have to move on, if Trisha was here she'd want the same thing, moving on." I said.

After a short moment of silence they released themselves from my hold.

"Scott is right, we need to continue our journey, we still have a long way to go." Cathy said and I felt slightly relieved.

"Where do we go from here?" Nat asked quietly.

"In search of a better place to rest our ahead before sunrise" I answered.

"Is anyone going to die again?" Bernie asked dumbly if I should say.

"Of course not! I exclaimed.

"I hope so" Nat responded sadly and stood up.

"Where are you going" I asked standing up along with her .

"You don't want to leave here anymore?" She asked in a raised brow.

"Ha!" I chuckled lightly, "of course I want to, I was scared you'd run away again", I said and then there was an awkward silence.

"Are we just going to stand here?" Bernie asked breaking the awkward silence.

"Not at all, we can start our journey again if you ladies are ready" I replied.

"Sure" Nat and Cathy said in unison.

"Alright, I have confidence in you all that we can get out of here alive despite whatever challenges and adventures that awaits us in front. Promise me you won't give in to fear, promise?" I requested as a tool of motivation to keep them going should anything happen to me. I waited patiently for their answer as they glanced up at each other.

"We promise" they replied in unison.

"Very good, now let's do this" I said and led them out of there. We kept walking in the forest with the touchlight I took from the house I just left. The light helped us see road path which I don't know where it was leading. We kept walking in the forest silently and then we heard a whimpering sound and we stopped on our tracks.

"What was that?" Nat asked with her eyes roaming around the trees and bushes.

"An animal?" I answered rethorically in a shrug. "C'mon, is nothing, is just an animal, this is a forest is expected. Let's keep going" I added and continued walking.

As I kept leading them to where I had once saw a tent, we got stopped by a wolf in the middle of the forest. A wolf appeared just right in front of us sending chills to everyone of us and making the ladies to scream on top of their lungs and having a firm grip on me. Since I was in front and they were at my back, I stood there with an open hands waiting and thinking of what to do with this animal.

The wolf howl at us, and I stepped back forgetting I had people in my back who I was protecting and then there was a loud squealing and when I turned around I saw the three ladies on the floor. "s**t!" I hissed and return my gaze on the wolf.

"You ladies should get up!" I ordered glancing from them back to the wolf. I heard them crying shakily instead of doing what I ordered. Oh God, this girls needs to be useful here, give them sense and courage I prayed inwardly. "Natasha, listen up", I started glancing back and forth, I felt a bit relief to see them back on their feet while the wolf howls at me.

"I'm going to distract this wolf to get his attention on me, so you'll do me a favor and run as fast as you could with your friends to a safer place, do you hear me?" I asked.

"No, we can't leave you behind, we're on this together, we'll find a way to....."

"I'm not bargaining anything with you, Natasha, just do what I say, you hear me?!" I scolded her cutting off and the wolf howl and made a move towards us. Natasha and her friends squeal stepping back. "You see, now you have to listen to me, immediately I distract this thing and make it run after me, make sure you take your friends and run away to any where safer, okay?", I said fastly.

"Yes", she answered.

"Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself, I promise I'll come find you and your friends", I said in a rush and with that I did a counting "3,2,1" and I ran into the left hand side of the forest and the wolf chased after me.

Natasha's POV:

After watching Scott run off deep into the forest I turned and face my remaining friends. Although my heart still aches over the lost of Trish, but it's now my responsibility to keep my remaining friends safe. "Alright girls, let's get out of here, ready?", I asked and they nodded, "then let's do this".

We began running straight up to where Scott was leading us to before we were confronted by a wolf.

I didn't know what led me to choose that path but we kept running non-stop deep into the forest until we came to a stop at where there was a small tent. "A tent?" I mumbled out aloud.

"Could it be where Scott wanted to bring us to?" Cathy asked.

"Maybe, and now he's not here with us" I answered sadly.

"Too bad, but he promised to find us so he will" Bernie said.

"Yeah, that's right. C'mon, let's get inside and catch up some sleep before it gets to morning so we can gain some strength, it must be early hours of the morning by now" I told them and they nodded.

We made our way to the tent, my eyes scanned inside the tent to be sure it was clear before we got inside. We settled inside and sat on the floor that was covered with a wide clothing. I glanced up at my friends and all I could see is sadness, this is all my fault I hissed inwardly.

"I'm really sorry, Cathy and Bernie for putting you girls in such a terrible situation. Is because of me we lost our dear friend, Trisha", I paused and flashbacks of all our memories with Trish came into my mind and head.

I remembered the first time she dragged me to a nightclub with Bernie and she made me twerk in front of everyone after playing the truth and dare game. Another flashback of a beach party with some of her friends. More memories of the beautiful times at school and outside school, her constant playful fight with my kid brother, her jovial self clouded my mind. I didn't know when my sobs became louder and Cathy came up to me pulling me into a hug while Bernie sat there drowning in her own quiet sobs.

"Shh, it's okay, is not your fault she died, is just an unforeseen occurrence that we couldn't control, you never forced us to this place, it was our decision, stop blaming yourself" Cathy said patting my back.

"But if it weren't for me, we wouldn't have had the idea of coming here in the first place, is all my fault, how do we get out of here? What do I tell her parent when we get out of here?" I cried more hiccuping while Cathy engaged herself in sobs as well.

"What will I tell her parent, Cathy? They'll kill me if they find out I lured their daughter into this and she died over my stupid mistake."

"How about you worry if we'll get out of here alive?" Bernie asked throwing me off guard.

I slowly released myself from Cathy's embrace and gazed up at my friend dumbfounded.

"You see, you never thought of the present but the after. Think of leaving this goddamn place alive first before thinking of what would be said to the deceased parent. Your life is more important at this point in time, so just pray you, I and Cathy make it out of here alive." Bernie continued.

I sat there dumbfounded at her words, it does makes a lot of sense all she said, I have to think of being alive or them being alive and getting out of here before thinking of what lays outside here. "You're right, I never thought about that, but now that you mentioned it I'll keep that in mind. Thank you" I replied.

Afterwards, we gave each other a comforting hug before we lay down and shut our eyes closed to catch some sleep.

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