Chapter 8: Wicked Games

Chapter 8:

Ouch. I feel something poke me. Ugh my head hurts I think to myself. I feel another poke but I'm too scared to look. Then I feel hands grab me and start to shake me violently. I snap out of it and freak out. Not knowing what to expect opening my eyes but it was Ashley and Patrick. I calm down for a second and then I remembered what happened

"Dad, Zach!" I yell while looking around and then rush up the ladder. A peak through the opening to find it empty. No Zach. No alienish being. Even my backpack was gone. I know I fell with my ice axe but I didn't see that when I woke up either. I wonder how long I was out. Now I'm stuck here defenseless. Tears start to roll down from my eyes. I head back down the ladder. "They're gone. They're all gone. My whole family is gone!" I cry.

Ashley and Patrick rush over and hug and comfort me. "We'll get through this. It's not safe here. We have to make it back to the tracks." Patrick said calmly but I could tell when his voice he was nervous.

We sneak outside and creep down the trail. Hopefully this plan works. We start to past the rock cropping. Patrick was leading the way. He stops. "Hey did you hear that? It sounded like a woman asking for help." Patrick tells us. We wait listening. Then we all hear it. Like a fan cry.

"Mom!" I shout. It can't be but it sounded just like her. How was she able to escape? I start to run over to the rocks but Patrick stops me.

"Alright guys I have to be sure and check. I can't leave anyone else out here. If something happens run as fast and far as you can." Patrick tells us as he turns his headlamp on the climb up. He looks above and freaks out as a tree branch above us moves but it was only an owl. Probably the same one Zach and I saw before. A few deep breaths later and he composes himself. He looks back at us one more time before going up. "Remember what I said."

He makes his way up. The light shaking with his movements. He goes behind a rock and the light stops. It's a stationary for a minute. Before it turns off.

"Patrick are you okay?" Ashley calls out.

Then it hits me. "No! It was a trap. The voice was inside our heads" I call out but it was too late. We hear a terrifying laughing in our heads as we see Patrick walk to the edge and stands there. Ashley and I turn on her lamps and shine them on his face. His expression was frozen in fear. I look shine it lower and his feet aren't even touching the ground as he floats above the drop.

"Do you really think you can escape us. We are far superior to you. There is no place to run. No place to hide." Patrick says any monotone voice. They must be controlling him. This is all a game to them right now I think myself. They are mocking us with how superior and advanced they are. We really have no chance to escape. But I'm going to try. Patrick points to us. What looks like blood rolls down from his eyes. "Daniel we told you that you would suffer. Your new friends were at the wrong place at the wrong time" he says as the body of Patrick falls from the rocks.

Ashley screams and starts to rush over to him but a bright white light shines down over the area. I chase after her for a few feet before I see being surrounding Patrick's body. Like before they come out of every dark crevice. From behind the rocks and the trees. A few standing on top of the rocky outcropping that he was dropped from. They creep towards us with their skinny arms pointing to us. I grab Ashley by the arm and we run as fast as we can.

I lead the way as I rush over the logs to get past the stream blocking our way. I hear a scream and a splash behind me. I look back and see Ashley in the stream. Before I could go back I see the beings surround her and grab her by the legs. They drag her as she screams hysterically. They look at me in the eyes. My headlamp reflecting off of their faces. They must not have froze her just so I know that they're out there and that she's terrified and suffering. Another person I wasn't able to help. I've failed to help everybody.