The InBetween

Three Hours Later (Tyrone's POV)

Three hours.

Yup, three hours.

They spent three hours following this river, three hours trudging along this woodland and THREE AGONIZING b****y HOURS listening to Connie and Miguel fight about who the 'leader' is.

In truth Tyrone didn't want either of them to be the group leader. HE wanted to be the group leader. But it was evident from day after meeting Miguel and Jacob that he would have to know his place beneath Miguel's feet. Sure he'd bicker with the guy but it was all in good fun, both parties knowing they didn't really mean it. (Apart from the odd time where they do but let's not talk about that).Plus there was Jacob, who was too soft to fight back against either of the three anyway. Anytime Tyrone did he'd be met with a pair of revolted faces, unbelievably offended that he would speak up.

So that's probably the big reason why they were aimlessly drifting by the river for the past three hours with only Connie and Miguel's quarrelling as mild entertainment. But it wasn't entertaining in the slightest anymore. Tyrone wanted more than anything right now was to open his mouth and scream- "PUT A SOCK IN IT. BOTH OF YOU!"

The words left his mouth before he even realized it. All three pairs of eyes nailed to him in surprise. Miguel spoke first with the same mocking tone in the girl's name "Tyrone, tell cONnIE here that she can't come out of nowhere after spying on us and tell us what to do!"

"Spy on you?" Connie argued, her pupils now aiming daggers at Miguel "When was I spying on you?"

"Earlier! You eavesdropped on our flashmob!"

"You say that like I witnessed secret information. That was just super bad dancing I was sadly not able to film."

"So now you're insulting my DANCING?!" Miguel tolerated a lot of crap from people, Tyrone knew that. But even the bullies in their school knew that insulting the boy's moves was crossing a line.

Miguel stomped back and forth furiously while the other three halted and watched. At last Miguel finished pacing, seemingly come to a decision after debating something in his head. He calmly looked over to Connie and said, "I'm going to hit you now. I've thought about it, and I don't care enough that you're a girl. You're just super annoying."

Connie for once didn't argue. Instead she raised her fists to challenge the boy. Tyrone rolled his eyes in a "here we go" fashion and Jacob quickly attempted to resolve it. He stepped in front of Miguel and put his extended arms on his shoulders to stop his movement. "Miguel please! She may be annoying but it's still a girl!"

"Jacob move."

"I'm not letting you hurt our only way out of here."

"I said MOVE."

With a two brief movements, Miguel brushed Jacob's hand off his shoulders and pushed the plump boy into the river. Tyrone jumped in after immediately, already knowing his friend would need help getting out.

Suddenly, like magic, a colossal wave travelled up the river toward them. It looked way too big to be in a river like this but definitely big enough to push the boys far from where they wanna go. Tyrone couldn't leave Jacob stranded, so he called on the so-called leaders for assistance. "Guys!"

The tide was too quick though, and just when Connie and Miguel turned to the face them the water already hit the pair like bricks, sending them washed even further down the bank.

Tyrone couldn't see anything, he just knew the river was suddenly deeper again, and it was FREEZING cold. His head broke the surface once and he saw Jacob's arms flailing like a tornado as Miguel and Connie ran after them on the side. The leader looked like he was about to jump in and save them when Tyrone shouted with all his strength "NO! Waters co-co-cold..." It just seemed to grow more cold as the tide carried them far. All Connie and Miguel could do was run after them and make sure they don't lose sight of their friends.

Tyrone felt his arms going numb as he silently sank back into the water. When he opened his eyes under the surface, what he saw he could never articulate. A pitch black void, the figure of a wolf glared at him with blood red eyes and pure white teeth. Behind the mutt another shadow-void-thing could be seen, this one the shape of a faceless man gripping Jacob, it's arms pinning the boy's to his side. Jacob was red in the face, certainly about to run out of air.

The weight of Tyrone's fear from seeing these black voids was replaced by the fear from Jacob drowning. Fear evolved into anger and before he knew it Tyrone kicked the wolf growling in front of him. It's form dissolved into a wisp of shadow, swimming up the stream where the tide was headed. Tyrone saw toward the strange man, screaming "Let him go, he needs to breathe!" Of course being underwater made it all bubbles but Tyrone didn't care, he didn't even need air despite losing a good amount in that outburst.

The figure took enjoyment out of Tyrone's bravery and saw up to him, letting Jacob free. The child let out a shriek of terror, which was muffled  by the waters but the bubbles leaving his mouth made it clear he was frightened. Tyrone swam to the entity in a fit of adrenaline before right-hooking it in the jaw. The figure backed up but the child wasn't done. He switched between left and right fist, decking the monster without delay. A final kick in the chest made the man dissolve into a wisp and follow it's partner up stream.

Tyrone grabbed Jacob and shook him as if to ask "Are you okay?" 

Jacob looked him in the eye with a nod and thumbs up, verifying his safety. He clung to Tyrone's frame as the scrawny kid tried battling the tide and swimming to the surface. No luck. The adrenaline was wearing off and Tyrone could feel the chilliness of the water reach his skin again. He looked ahead to where the river was taking them and gasped at what he saw. (He also gasped at how he was able to gasp underwater)

A dark ashen wall lay up ahead, waiting eagerly for the boys to slam into it. Tyrone wasn't sure how he knew, but it was definitely the wisps of black that almost took his friend. But he was freezing and practically paralyzed in the cold. Jacob couldn't swim and certainly couldn't carry them both out. He had no idea if the remaining pair were still following or had lost them after they went under. The last thing he could do was wrap his arms around his chubby buddy as they slammed into the wall. The shadows bending the sides of the wall and engulfing them into a shadowy sphere.

Everything went black, and Tyrone wasn't sure if it was because everything was literally black, or he just passed out.

Either way he didn't move again until much later, when he and his friend were found in chains.