HUNTED - A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance

“Maybe we shouldn’t go” Poppy’s voice wavered as Alice and I posed on one of the many ‘keep away’ signs scattered throughout the clearing. I peered over as Alice stuck her tongue out and flipped her hair at Poppy, who looked to be near tears. I sighed and, ever the peacemaker, strode over to the crybaby.  “Don’t worry. None of it is true-“ “But the story says-“ she shook her head, perfect blonde curls bouncing with each turn. Poppy is perfect and childlike, the opposite of Alice. How we all got along, I’ll never know.  “Jesus, not that again. It’s just a f*****g story!” Alice trudged along our way, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.  “Alice, stop it” I threw a pointed look her way before hugging Poppy. Out of our group, Alice was the fearless one. Poppy was the baby who had a romanticised view of life, and I was the realist, the grandma.  “Fine. I’m going alone then.” She huffed in reply and strolled forward into the dense black forest, with trees that meshed with one another like a spider’s web. It would be near impossible to go through it.  “You can’t! There are monsters in there!” Poppy whisper-yelled, looking wide-eyed my way. A sign to tell me to stop Alice.  “Damn it, Alice, let’s just go back!” I pleaded, still holding a brave face. Though my insides flipped, a restless feeling settled over me as I kept watching her walk away. Something was off here. The air tasted different, the ground sunk deeper and… there was no wildlife. You’d expect to hear the sounds of insects or birds at least, but there was nothing. lt was far too quiet.  “f**k you! You go home! I just want to see the last pole and take a picture.”  “f**k it, Poppy stay here.” I watched her squirm in her spot before she took my hand and sprinted with me to reach Alice.  “I knew you’d come” she smirked. Smart ass.  “Shut up” Poppy frowned as she gripped onto my arm tighter. Something was really off. Maybe it was just my mind believing those damn fairytales I grew up with. The same one all the youths in this town had. Of monsters and witches harvesting children who dare walk these forests.  “I don’t like this, Eve” Poppy mumbled. Yeah, me too, I wanted to reply, but I was the only sane one in this group. Or at least I had to act like I was.  “Do you see the post yet?” I said far harsher than I intended.  “Not yet, I can’t see any f*****g thing in this place” And just on cue, a heavy mist enveloped us, blocking our already hindered view.  “Just like the stories Evie”, Poppy dug her nails into my flesh. My body was on high alert. I needed to get out of here. If only Alice was not so damn hard-headed.  “Damn it, Alice. We’re going back!” I stomp towards her, but my foot gets caught on something. I lost my footing and I tumbled forward. Like dominos, Poppy followed, and I tried my best to break her fall.  “s**t! Are you guys ok?” I heard a distant Alice scream. My head hit hard against something and Poppy, I suspect, was sniffling on top of me.  My vision was blurred, and I was distracted by a ringing in one ear to respond to Alice’s call. This is going to hurt in the morning. I was pulled to my feet by one of them and I dusted off any markings left by my fall on the filthy ground.  “Enough of this. We’re leaving.” I spit threw gritted teeth and was pleased that there was no retaliation from Alice. Cautiously, I keep my eyes planted on the forest floor, making sure that nothing trips me again. I felt the tension ease slightly when Poppy looped her arm in mine once more, as did Alice on my other side.  We were too deep in the forest. I swallowed my rising panic when I realised I had no idea how to get out of this labyrinth. I couldn’t let my troubles be known by either of the pair. I didn’t need Poppy to worry any further and Alice would be of no use. My chest tightened when I noticed we had circled the same area twice. There were no signs, no markings, nothing to help us out of here. The trees were so tall they barred our view of the sky. God knows how long we’ve been here now. It was so off-putting how quiet this place was. Even in the thick of it, there was just silence.  “We’re lost, aren’t we?” Poppy mumbled, now glued to my side. “Yes.” I couldn’t lie. I had no f*****g idea how to get us out of here. It was a mistake to ever come here.  “No, we’re not, you baby! Let’s just keep walking straight and we’ll be out of here soon.” Alice rolled her eyes as she led the group. It felt like we had been walking for hours now. Yet, surprisingly, I wasn’t tired. My eyes scanned the scenery before me, hoping to find a pocket in the trees that would lead us to safety. My ears strained for any sounds of civilisation, people talking, traffic blaring, or even dogs barking. Anything would be helpful so I could zone into it and get out. But none of that came.  “Wait, what’s that?” Poppy stopped moving and tugged me backwards. She pointed at something by her foot and just before I brushed it aside as a pest, a twinkle caught my eye. What could that be?  “Hold on.” She released her hold on me and bent to pick up the object. She polished it a bit with the sleeve of her top and then brought it up to her face to inspect. “Oh, it’s a bracelet.” A small smile played on her lips as she tried to put it on.  “s**t!” She promptly pulled it away from her arm and threw it at me as she rubbed where the bracelet contacted her skin. “It burned me.”  “The bracelet burned you?” Alice walked towards us with a brow raised in disbelief. She took the object from me and put it on.  “f**k, take it off!” Alice screamed, and I rushed to take it off her. She brought her injured arm to her lips and blew on it.  “See, I told you. Don’t put it on, Evelyn.” Poppy warned, her brows furrowed as she saw the bracelet in my hand.  I gazed at the band and was hit with a wave of nostalgia. I have seen this before. But I couldn’t place where I had. This piece of jewellery was not my style, it was a thick gold band with unfamiliar writing along it. No, I wouldn’t have bought something like this. Maybe it was gifted. Or an heirloom.  “Eve!” Alice pulled me from my daze, “Don’t put it on, it hurts like a bitch.” I grinned at her words because I had to put it on. The gold surface shimmered wonderfully. It was tempting me. Calling me to wear it. So not a second later, I did. And it didn’t burn. It shined brightly for a moment, and then the writing disappeared altogether. How did that happen? “Hey!” A hand waved over my face.  The sudden sound of rustling bushes and snapping twigs made my stomach drop and my heart stutter. The forest was silent until now. We were not alone.  “We need to run,” I whispered, grabbing onto my two friends harshly, feeling faint. I yanked on their arms to get them to start moving. Poppy immediately followed but Alice, as always, resisted.  “Why? What happened- “ A booming growl stops us all in our tracks. A wide-eyed glance at Poppy and Alice confirms that we heard the same thing. A heartbeat later, we all bolted forward. Our arms unwind from one another in order to run faster. A deafening sound of branches breaking rang from behind us which only spurred us on. “Alice!” I shriek. In our haste to depart, she took a harsh turn to the right. I couldn’t see her anymore. The gloom of the woodland cloaked her. Why the f**k would she split up from the group?  “Grab my hand!” I shouted at Poppy, who matched my pace. I outstretch my arm and feel a sense of relief when she entwines her fingers in mine. That comfort is ripped away from me when I witness a shadowy creature running beside her. I open my mouth to warn her, but nothing comes as the creature’s shape forms. She still hadn’t noticed. f**k.  “What is it?” She cries out, bug-eyed and flushed red. How could I tell her what I didn’t know? Instead of waiting for my reply, she turned to face what I was staring at and screamed a terrifying, heart-piercing scream. I can’t lose her too. I tried to run quicker with our joined hands. I wanted to take her back to the clearing safely. But she lost her balance and let go of my grip. I dashed back to help her, however, I was too late.  The monstrous thing darted out of the shade and snapped her away with its large and sharpened teeth. A monster. A real monster. Just like in the stories. We should never have come here. I was frozen in fear, I could not register what I had just seen. First Alice was gone, now this?  The sounds of low whines reminded me I was next. I had no idea if either of my friends were dead. Maybe Alice had found a way out. Maybe Poppy was somehow able to get out of the monster’s hold. Either way, I couldn’t save them by myself. I needed help. I needed to get out of here. So I ran. Hoping against hope that they were still alive and that they would be able to hold on until I made it back.