The Haunted Forest

CHAPTER ONE The Scotland summer days were extremely sweaty and indeed long. Students from the Pieterson High School were almost two days away from their summer vacation which they were eagerly waiting for. Samuel, Sarah, Jason and Elizabeth were best of friends since kindergarten. All four friends were surprisingly different from each other. They were all unique and special in their own way and their story was something that everyone admired but did they know about the paths they were about to unravel from lost souls to creepy witches and devils. Read on to discover what happens in the long journey of these four lost friends! ««««« The Grade: 12F learners were in their English class. Mrs. Naidoo was going over revision and was preparing their holiday work. Obviously none of the learners were interested as they all were already in their holiday vibes. Samuel, Sarah, Jason and Elizabeth were in the same class this year. Sarah was researching memorable holiday destinations in South America. Samuel was working on his new invention called ‘THE FIZZER’ (a so called electrical shocking machine). He was a guy usually interested in science and different crazy inventions. Elizabeth was applying her pink nail polish and lastly Jason was in the bathroom, in front of a mirror practicing his flirting techniques which were pretty attractive to most girls in the school. They were all lost in their own activity until Samuel accidently blew up the motor in his invention which did create a disruption in the class. “Mr. Samuel James, to the principal’s office immediately!” exclaimed Mrs. Naidoo. Samuel was not amused but regretful as it was the fifth time in this semester that he had to go to the principal’s office. He rolled his eyes as the class giggled silently. They wouldn’t want to test their English teacher’s patience or they would be digging their own grave especially in the last few days of the second semester. Samuel got off his chair and threw his bag over his shoulder as he walked out of the classroom. He was wondering what punishment his mother would give him this time. The last time she took away all of his fancy gadgets. Even his bedroom television was unplugged and removed from his room. He eventually argued with his father which led him to be grounded for a good long week. This time he was going to be sent to hell for sure but his friends wouldn’t let that happen. Sarah and Elizabeth glanced at each other with a smirk on their face as they knew the solution to Samuel’s problem. “Mrs. Naidoo, may I use the washroom, please?” questioned Sarah. “You may leave.” answered the arrogant teacher. Sarah left the classroom preparing a voice to sound like Samuel’s mother. She was excited to what she was about to do but she had to do it carefully as it could land her into huge trouble! CHAPTER TWO “Good day Principal Matsui. I just called to check if I can fetch Samuel from school. Actually there is a family funeral that we have to attend and I don’t want to be late as it begins in approximately half an hour and by the time Samuel gets ready, we will lose track of time. Sorry if there is any inconvenience sir.” said Samuel’s duplicate mother (Sarah) on a call. “Hmm…Mam, I have to applaud you as you called at the right time. Your son Samuel causes many disruptions in the classroom. It’s the fifth time in this semester that he caused an eruption. Look, we do have a science class for inventions like Samuel’s but he refuses to listen to us. Mam, I would really appreciate if you could show up at school as soon as possible”, replied the fairly frustrated principal. Sarah wasn’t aware that her job in saving Samuel was this difficult. Samuel was standing in front of the principal stressing out to what his mother was saying on the call. He wasn’t aware that it was Sarah which was the unfortunate part of the story. “Sir, I do understand that Samuel is a nuisance especially when it comes to his disastrous inventions but I promise that he won’t do it again and I do apologize on his behalf. I also would have come to school but as for now I can’t due to some important things coming up at work soon. As soon as I get a chance, I will show up at school. Please just let him know that I would be fetching him in a while. See you principal Matsui. Goodbye…” said Sarah and immediately she disconnected the call to avoid the waste of time. Principal Matsui was indeed not happy with the so called ‘don’t care attitude’ from Samuels duplicate mother, Sarah. ««««« Samuel couldn’t believe it that his crazy demonic Principal let him out so easy. He ran through the school halls and out the exit door just to see Jason and Elizabeth standing out there with their bags on their shoulders. His day was totally upside down and he was drowning in confusion from the start to the end. Just then Sarah drove around the corner screaming “Get in! Get in!” and immediately Samuel, Jason and Elizabeth opened the car door and jumped in. “Guys, what the hell is going on!” questioned a bewildered Samuel. Sarah laughed out loud and narrated the whole story to Samuel leaving him astonished. He felt so lucky to have the friends he had. “Thanks a lot guys.” mentioned Samuel. They all could see how grateful he was. As the day passed, Sarah was alone in the car with Elizabeth. She dropped off Samuel and Jason just after they left the Beaver sports field. Elizabeth opened a four finger kitkat and broke off two pieces. She waved the pieces in front of Sarah, “Want some?” she enquired. “I think I’m fine Elizabeth. Thanks for the offer though.” responded Sarah. Elizabeth took a deep breath and said “So? When are you gonna tell him, Sarah? I think his waiting. “Sarah took a quick glance at Elizabeth and saw her happily eating the kitkat without any regret. Sarah was tired. It was a long day. The teachers didn’t think twice before dumping a hell lot of work on the learners. “I don’t think it’s a great idea, Elizabeth. I don’t want to look like a jerk. I’ll wait for him to tell me he likes Me.” said Sarah. Just then she drove into Elizabeth’s rough gravel driveway. A freshly shined black Ferrari was parked in the driveway. “Sarah, I know you for fourteen years. You a person who would wait all your life but Samuel aren’t that kind of a guy you know. Waiting would just make you regret! Bye!” Snapped Elizabeth before she got off the car, shut the door and walked towards the front porch. Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After she cleared her mind before she started the car and drove off heading back to her house. ««««« It was a Wednesday morning. Kids were hurrying through the school halls at 10AM. Some learners were scared while some were excited as report cards were going to be issued. It was the last day for the second semester. Sarah and Elizabeth were cleaning out their lockers while Samuel and Jason were playing basketball. Things happened to be lively and chaotic at the Pieterson High School. The learners were very thunderous and rowdy but the school staff didn’t really mind as they knew the learners were really electrified since the holiday began in only a few more hours. The learner’s behaviors were always the same when it came to the last day of every semester. If no complaints came to the school principal then he would award them with loud music just before the school day ended. Sometimes he even let the learners go home early which was really thoughtful but today that was not the case. Today the teachers decided to ruin the learner’s summer vacation just a little. “Obviously these demons wouldn’t give us a break for once in our life.” muttered Sarah to Elizabeth after they overheard their English teacher speaking to the deputy principal about homework. “Give me a break!” Exclaimed Elizabeth who was already very irritated as a group of Grade: 8 kids knocked over her coffee when she just walked into the school this morning. The buzzer rang early and the school halls got even louder as learners slammed their lockers closed and stamped their feet hard against the tiled floor making their way to class. Samuel was not really affected with the noise as he had his headphones on with banging music. Just then he saw the Principal approaching him. Jason left his side and disappeared down the ear piercing maniac corridors. Samuel quickly pushed his headphones off and froze in his position in front of the principal. “Headphone’s out! Jason, you’ve got away yesterday but next time that won’t be the case. I will expel you. As today is the last day for this semester, I will not confiscate your headphones but if I see you using it again then get ready to say your farewell goodbyes to it! You fool!” Exclaimed Principal Matsui as he pushed his way through the learners. Samuel took a sticky note pad out of his pocket and quickly scribbled on it while he followed the principal. The bright pink sticky note said ‘I am so damn stupid so please slap me’. When he was happy with the first step to his mischief, he carefully stuck the note on the Principals creased yellow shirt. Then he suspiciously ran off in order not to get caught. Samuel heard learners laughing out loud as he made his way through the corridors in the direction to his class. “Mission accomplished!” Shouted Samuel as he jumped high and threw his fist in the air. When he walked into the classroom, everyone was doing their own thing like yesterday. The only difference was that the Math teacher, Mr. Smith was not teaching. He was sitting at his desk and it looked as if he was watching a movie. Samuel walked behind his chair to see what kind of a movie he was watching. It was ‘Pompeii’. “Not a bad choice in movies.” He said. The teacher smiled. Sarah, Elizabeth and Jason were sitting together at one desk. They lifted their heads when they saw Samuel stopping by. “What’s up?” asked Elizabeth. “Oh. Didn’t you see Principal Matsui’s shirt? The sticky note?” questioned Samuel. They all burst into laughter. “So you did that, genius.” said Sarah. Samuel blushed and nodded his head then he grabbed a chair and joined them. “So Sarah, What’s for the holidays?” asked Jason. Sarah was on her phone as usual. Jason tapped his finger tips on the wooden desk while Elizabeth was vandalizing the desk with her blue marker. She loved writing her i********: username all over the school property. Anything to make her famous, she would say when her friends tried to stop her. “Okay guys. So for our summer vacation, I thought we should do a holiday together. There are some nice places in South America. Dad said he’ll pay for all expenses. Interested anybody?” proclaimed Sarah finally. They were all quiet for a moment until Elizabeth spoke up saying; “It’s a great idea but I do have life science classes to attend during the holiday.” They all thought for a while. “Eli, skip the classes or do an online class. If you don’t accompany us then neither would I have second thoughts about not going.” exclaimed Sarah. “She’s right.” admitted Samuel and Jason. “Okay fine. I guess it won’t hurt if I sacrifice just a little besides what can be more important than you guys.” replied a very determined Elizabeth. “Okay. Cool. You and I could maybe do more research about the place we will stay at. I’ll be sure to message you’ll in the afternoon.” said Sarah. They all agreed. Things were going great until they all started their preparation for the summer vacation. CHAPTER THREE Jason was packing his suitcase including Sarah, Elizabeth and Samuel. When they were done, Elizabeth’s and Sarah’s bags were rather heavier obviously because girls couldn’t stay without stuff like their cosmetics and mirrors. Samuel was in charge of the snacks and Jason took control of sporting activities when they reach their destination. As for the girls, nothing was organized completely at all! Sarah and Elizabeth suggested they shouldn’t take any food as they will purchase it and as for the entertainment, they were already planning how many visits they would take to the health and beauty spa. Both the boys and girls said they would visit the gym together. Sarah and Elizabeth were only looking forward to the sauna and a good massage which they hadn’t had in a really long time. But would they really have a nice time or was there going to be spoilers of unexpected creatures or should I say visitors from hell! ««««« “Guys, our flight is at three in the morning and I will not entertain delays especially from Sarah and Elizabeth. Do you all get that straight?” said Samuel strictly on a group call between his three other so called ‘besties’. Jason laughed on the call. The boys always mocked Sarah and Elizabeth when they spoke about using time wisely. “Samuel, if you really think we should use our time wisely then can we cut this call? From my personal opinion I think that we will wake up late in the morning because you not allowing us to go to bed!” said Jason. Sarah and Elizabeth second Jason. “Fine!” exclaimed Samuel and he exited the call including Jason, Sarah and Elizabeth. A couple of moments later they all headed off to bed but as soon as Jason switched off the light, he later regretted it. Samuel and the girls were already fast asleep but Jason wasn’t. He was terribly apprehensive, uneasy and alarmed for some mystifying reason. As he was slowly drifting off to sleep, Blake came and jumped on his bed which awoke him with a shock. Blake was Jason’s dog who was an indefatigable dog. “Blake! I’m trying to sleep. Get off!” moaned Jason who was very agitated. Sadly his fat dog wouldn’t budge. Jason compelled himself to get up. He carried his heavy dog and started walking in the direction to his bedroom door which was half way open. Unfortunately before Jason could even reach the door, he lost his step after being tripped by one of Blake’s rubber toy. He dropped Blake and was so close to falling on top of him but his dog was smart enough to move out of the way. Jason happened to hurt his foot and his head started spinning after hitting it hard on the polished wooden floor. Blake made his anger worse as he went and licked Samuel’s face playfully. Samuel slowly got off the floor and grabbed his stubborn dog by his collar. Then he pushed him out of the room and threw his rubber toy out. Finally he slammed his door shut and went of to bed while he massaged his neck. He lied on the bed and unfortunately he lost his sleep. It almost felt like bad luck hit his side. He looked at the time. It was already eleven on the clock and he only had about three more hours to rest. He had to get up early to get ready. Jason was turning and rolling from one side of the bed to the other. He lost his comfort and was feeling sick already. He got off the bed and went to his wardroom. Then he shuffled threw his clothes and took out his passport. He was so relieved because he was under the impression that he lost it. He opened the passport and smiled at his picture. “Ooh-la-la, I’m so handsome.” He said before he could close it but then he immediately opened it again to look at the date when the passport expires. “Oh shoot!” he muttered. The passport was expired. What was he going to do in the last minute? Without the passport he couldn’t aboard the plane. He was panic-stricken. He quickly ran to his mother’s room and awoke her. ”Mom, wake up! Mom! It’s an emergency. My passport happened to be expired!” Jason shouted. “Jason, I’m tired. I’m sleeping. I’ll take you tomorrow so we can renew it. Now go to bed. You can leave for Brazil on Friday or Saturday. Your friends won’t mind, I promise. Now go to bed, please.” muttered Jason’s mother. Jason was about to say something but she just shut him up and made him leave the room. He was worried and was unsure what to do. He had to tell Sarah, Samuel and Elizabeth about what’s going on. Immediately he grabbed his phone to call them but unfortunately his phone switched off as it was low in battery. He had to call his friends whatsoever. He turned his whole room upside down looking for his charger and eventually he found it so he plugged the charger in the socket and attached it to his phone. He had to have patience. Jason walked up and down the room stressing and thinking a way out of his mess. Finally the phone switched on. It made two beeps. Jason ran to it and made a call to Samuel. Two rings and Jason cut the call. He didn’t have patience at all! He called Sarah and thanks God! Sarah answered the call immediately. “Sarah! My passport is expired. What am I gonna do? Sorry but I think I can’t make it tomorrow. Mom said she’ll take me to renew it tomorrow. Sorry. Please let the others know.” said Jason. Sarah was quiet for a moment. At the very moment she was in her bedroom biting her nails and thinking a way out to help Jason. “Jason, umm… I’ll let the others know. I’ll also cancel our flight immediately. We can go on Saturday or whenever you ready. Okay?” said Sarah. She seemed very calm which made Jason feel better. “Thanks Sarah but I think you guys should go. I’ll sort myself out and I’ll leave for Brazil as soon as I can. Just message me the place we staying at before you’ll leave in the morning. Bye.’’ said Jason just before he cut the call. Jason put his phone down and took a deep breath. He was so angry that he didn’t check the date on the passport before planning the holiday. He walked to his bed and threw himself on it. Now he could feel the sleep coming. It was also getting cold so he pulled his blanket up and before he knew it, he was asleep. Fast asleep. CHAPTER FOUR It was around two in the morning when Sarah’s, Samuel’s and Elizabeth’s alarm clock rang. Unfortunately Jason was still asleep as there was no point of him waking up. Samuel was in the kitchen making his protein shake. Sarah happened to just finish in the shower and was trying her pity best not to make any noise as her single-parent mother and four year old sister was asleep. Elizabeth was sitting on her balcony drinking her morning coffee which was usually very bitter. Sarah and Elizabeth were still a bit cranky and lazy as they are not used to waking up so damn early in the morning. A while later Samuel was ready. Both the girls were still going over their cosmetic case to make sure everything was there. Sarah had everything but Elizabeth’s mascara was not there which left her panic-stricken. Immediately she crawled over to her queen size bed and searched underneath the mattress. As she was searching, her phone rang from across the room. Quickly she ran over. It was Samuel doing a group call with her and Sarah. She was confused as to why Jason was not a part of the call. Unfortunately she was not aware yet that Jason is not accompanying them. Elizabeth swiped her finger on her Samsung Galaxy A24 cell phone to answer the call. Her grandmother gifted her current phone for her eighteenth birthday which was just a week ago. Anyway, she put the phone to her ear and listened to what they had to say. “Umm, please don’t be late to the airport. I suggest that you two leave home now. Drive safely. Bye.” said an adamant Samuel. Elizabeth was going to ask as to why Jason was not a part of the call but she just left it for when they reach the airport. At the moment they didn’t have much time on their side to waste. Samuel was a bit moody as he missed his morning workout. Eventually they cut the call. Elizabeth’s phone was completely charged. She pulled the charger out, rolled it and stuffed it in her cosmetic bag. Looking for her mascara slipped her mind. She pushed her phone into her pocket but it didn’t go in completely which made it fall out. Unfortunately Elizabeth didn’t notice it fall which made her leave it behind. ««««« It wasn’t long before Samuel and Elizabeth reached the airport. Their flight was in fifteen minutes and Sarah was not at the airport yet. Samuel and Elizabeth began to stress out. They were worried. What if something happened to her on the way to the airport? Her mother wouldn’t spare the two of them. Samuel pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Sarah William’s number. The phone rang. No answer. He tried again. Still there was no answer. Samuel didn’t give up. He called again and he was so relieved when she answered the call. Sarah was driving on the M8 motorway on the way to the Glasgow Airport. ‘’Sorry I’m late. I’ll reach there in a few minutes. Relax. I’m hanging up now. Bye…’’ said Sarah as she cut the call. The roads were not busy at all as it was still early. It was dark and it made Sarah feel uncomfortable and scared. It was indeed very quiet. Sarah put the car radio on. The station she was listening to was Kingdom FM. They were playing her extreme favourite song, ‘Sculptures of anything goes’ by a famous band called ‘Arctic Monkeys’. Sarah happened to be crazy for their songs. Listening to their music made her feel much more relaxed. Her mind was at peace until a red Ford Puma vehicle knocked her clean and perfectly shined car off the road. Her left hand was bruised. Luckily she was not injured badly. It almost seemed like the person sitting in the Ford Puma hit her on purpose. She was confused as she never had enmity with anyone. Not at school, home or any other public places. She sat in the damaged Audi and watched as the Ford Puma drove away with speed. If the driver did not hit her on purpose then he/she would have got off to help her. She tried to start the car again but unfortunately she failed. The door was stuck so she couldn’t get off. Luckily a person who witnessed the accident was nice enough to help her. He drove and parked next to her car. It took him a while to get off the car and when he did, he walked towards her. The bachelor looked through the window and Sarah stared back. Definitely she knew she was going to be late for her 3am flight. The guy walked back to his car. He went straight for the trunk. He pushed a key in and opened it. Then he pulled out something that looked like a tool box. Sarah was watching carefully. Could she really trust this stranger? He did look cute. She watched as he walked back towards her car. He went around the vehicle to the passenger side and immediately pulled a hammer out of the tool box which he used to break the window and open the door. Sarah was a bit nervous. She continued to watch him and was alert just in case he decided to harm her or do something wrong. She couldn’t just trust an innocent face like that. He pushed his head through the open door. ‘’I’m Gabriel Alfredo. You must be Sarah. Are you okay.” said the bachelor who seemed to be really friendly. Sarah took a deep breath. Who really was this guy and how did he know her? Now she started to get scared. ‘’Yes, I’m Sarah. Sarah William. How do you know me? Wait, are you stalking me!?’’ shouted an alarmed Sarah. The guy named Gabriel put his head down and giggled. He looked up at her and said, ‘’Look Ms. William. Let me help you out then I’ll read your number plate out to you. Relax. I’m not stalking you. I just happened to look at your number plate when I was walking towards your car.’’ Sarah’s face went pale with embarrassment. She accepted his help and eventually she was outside the car. Gabriel Alfredo was nice enough to offer a ride to the airport as he was also heading there. His flight was at five and he was going back home to West Virginia in the United States of America. Sarah assumed that Elizabeth and Samuel left without her and she didn’t really mind it. She was going to take another flight to Brazil. On the way to the airport, she booked a flight with help from Gabriel. His car was absolutely neat inside. The seats had a covering of pure white leather and there was not a single scratch of dirt on it. Sarah was amused. During the seven minute drive, they took the opportunity to get to know each other more. Gabriel was twenty eight years old and he visited often Scotland for business trips. He was not a guy interested in traditions or marriages and things like that. Love is something he truly did not believe in. In the car, Sarah and Gabriel laughed a lot. When they reached the airport, they exchanged numbers. Gabriel walked her to the food court. They decided to sit there as they wait for their flight to be announced. As they walked to grab a seat, Sarah lifted her head and what met her eyes left her dumbfounded. CHAPTER FIVE Elizabeth and Samuel were occupying one of the tables. Both their faces were full of frustration. Sarah stopped in her tracks and looked at them. They stared back irritated. Gabriel followed her gaze. Slowly Sarah started towards Elizabeth and Samuel. They both got up and also walked towards her. Gabriel silently followed her. ‘’Umm, I can explain. I’m sorry. Actually, I met in an accident. This is Gabriel. He brought me here. Sorry.’’ said Sarah nervously. They looked at her and Samuel took a deep breath. ‘’Sarah, we are a bit angry but not because we missed our flight. We angry because you left us to wait for more than an hour which made us terribly worried.’’ said Samuel calmly to avoid any problems. Immediately Sarah went close to Samuel and hugged him tightly which left him breath-taken. Gabriel got a bit jealous though he just met her a while ago. Elizabeth was left shocked but also happy because she knew Sarah was now getting closer and closer to what she wanted for years. ‘’I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Please. Please. I’m sorry Samuel. I seriously didn’t mean to get you worried.’’ said Sarah. Samuel put his arm around her and said, ‘’Please relax. I’m happy you okay.’’ Sarah let go of him and looked at Elizabeth who winked at her and whispered, ‘’Yes!’’ Sarah looked at Samuel and blushed. Gabriel knew what he had to do to ruin the friendship both Samuel and Sarah had and Elizabeth could just see the anger Gabriel had on his face after her friends hugged. ‘’Hey, Gabriel! Wanna come and help me fetch some coffee for all of us. It is really cold.’’ said Elizabeth. Gabriel showed his fake smile and exclaimed, ‘’Sure, why not?’’ Elizabeth smiled. The two of them walked to the coffee station while Sarah and Samuel went to grab a table.