Missing in the Woods

A man goes missing during a walk in the woods

The rocks crunched loudly under their feet as they walked up the path. It wasn't a steep hill, but Hugh was already puffing deeply. 

He didn't get to see his little sister Julie very often, so he'd been visibly irritated when her boyfriend, Sam, had said he would join them on their evening walk. Part of the reason Hugh had asked her to come was to talk about him. Hugh had never warmed to him, although it was difficult to say why. Everyone else seemed to love him,  and the strange thing was they actually got on quite well. There was just something Hugh didn't trust about him. 

"Come on, Hughbert" Julie shouted from up ahead. Sam was even further up the path, and as Hugh tried to catch up his face grew redder with every step. "You're getting old, big bro" Julie laughed, putting her arm around his shoulder as he caught her up. "Bloody hell, you're sweating like a beast". 

"Shut up", he replied, avoiding eye contact with his grinning sibling. "I've already cycled 30 miles today, remember". 

"It was about ten miles, you liar. And anyway you pushed the bike half the way".

Hugh didn't reply, focusing on trying to catch his breath and keeping pace with Julie and her bounding boyfriend. The rocky track forked in two up ahead, with the main path continuing one way and the other grassy route leading in to the woods. Sam had chosen the more adventurous of the two options, of course. The a*****e. 

"What do you reckon is down here?" Sam yelled back at them, rhetorically. Pushing branches aside, he ventured down the winding path through the trees. Hugh and Julie followed along the grassy route, rounding a corner just in time to see his white t-shirt disappear in to the trees. 

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"Julie, it's OK. Calm down. Please, just calm down. We'll find him". Julie's father tried to put his arm around his daughter, but she struggled free. She couldn't sit still, moving forward on the sofa with tears streaming down her face. 

"Your father's right, Julie" said the police officer, sitting on the seat opposite her. "We will find him. Now please, if you can try to tell me exactly where you last saw your boyfriend". He had his notebook in his hand and a pen ready to write down all the details. But Julie was uncontrollable. She couldn't get a single word out.

"Please Julie, I know it's difficult. But every piece of information you can give us now will help us find Sam". 

Hugh was pacing back and forth up and down the living room. His hands were on his head, and he rubbed them down over his face. He couldn't stop moving either, and even when he sat down, the police officer turned to see him rocking back and forth. Just as the officer turned back to Julie, the doorbell rang. He looked up at the clock. 

2.48am. This can't be good.

Hugh, Julie and their father all jumped up to rush to the front door, but the officer was already ahead of them and motioned them back with his hand. He pulled the door open with the other three right behind. But the officer's face fell as soon as he saw who it was. 

The second policeman stood on the doorstep. His face was as solemn as the other officer had ever seen it. Julie pushed her way past her father and Hugh, but was stopped in her tracks when she saw the second officer. He was holding something in his hand, and she froze still as she realised what it was. 

It was Sam's white t-shirt. And it was covered in blood. 

Reviews

[Marie]

Interesting and well written. But it didn't seem finished. There was no real climax. Ordinarily I believe the shorter a story is, the better it is. But this needs to be filled out.