~~Ashley's POV~~
"I should get a shot from here!" Makayla's voice echoed through the cool breeze emanating from the dancing leaves hovering above us. "Ashley? Ashley!"
"Woah,"I relished audibly the view of a multicolored bird I was engrossed with. It would chirp and drum on the branch it was sitting on. Enthralled in the fascinating scene, I held up my phone to grab a shot when I suddenly jolted with a squeal.
"Makayla!" I stressed jovially to the figure already absorbed in humor, laughing hysterically. She'd whispered into my ears, grazing my skin with her breath.
"Why would you do that?!" I whined playfully.
"Was tryna get your attention, duhh!" She rolled her eyes at the 'duhh' sound.
"Now, it's gone," I announced on reverting to the branch to find it empty.
"Wanna take shots so bad? Here's the perfect figure for you!" She jumped into my direct view, wobbling her eyes with her chin dipped into the base of the V-shape created by her palm heels joined beneath them. I huffed with an amused smile that eventually evolved to a hearty laughter.
We were on a trip in the woods, downtown Chicago on a summer break. I'd suggested we take a nature work around here to cool off the steam from the semester's stress. Being the party girl, it wasn't as seamless getting her to hop on the idea. We both shared similar hobbies except this one. While I was kept preoccupied with the tall trees and variety of birds and various pretty insects here, she'd take over a thousand photos to commemorate a trip she wasn't initially digging. My hands were almost sore from all the time she'd stop spontaneously and strike a pose for me to take a shot.
Crouched, "Woah…" I muttered in admiration, submerging my hand in the water and letting its mild current flow against it. We'd come across a waterfall and pause to savor its serenity.
Then all of a sudden, my neck felt moist, freezing me at the impact of the chilly water against my bare skin. Startled, I soon loosened up when I remembered what a trickster I had as my company.
She did it again, and again, and again, while all I did was smile and chuckle lightly until cupping my hands beneath the water, I obtained a measure and flipped it over my shoulder in her direction.
I heard her cackle and then she scampered away when I inclined my knees toward her, still rocking my left hand in the water in a way that clearly told her I was trying to get back at her a second time. And just like that, a fun-filled moment came to play. We took turns splashing water on ourselves, dodging and flinching when the other party tried to retaliate.
It was me doing the wincing again, this time shutting my eyes alongside as a few droplets got in them.
In a blink, every sound that proved I wasn't by myself ceased. The only ones that could be heard from far and near were the repetitions of my laughter in the form of echoes.
My laughter broke down into a snicker, the length of my smile reducing the deeper it struck me that I was now alone, until it was gone. Odd.
Or was Makayla at it again?
Deep down, I already knew that wasn't the case. If it were, what held me back from opening my eyes so badly? I felt antsy now.
A bundle of nerves was already racing through my veins, the frosty air around me nipping my skin into goosebumps. I released bated breaths. The air around me felt eerie and oddly…
Familiar.
Then ever so cautiously, I opened my eyes only to be met with a vast voidness all around me. We'd come down here in the afternoon, but right now all I could see was proof of the night's approach. All of a sudden, it was dark out here, and arduous to see clearly.
"Ma…Makayla?" I called carefully, roving the empty space around me with my eyes. "Makayla?" Summoning the courage to uproot myself from the spot I was standing, I hailed her name in multiple directions repeatedly all to no avail. "Makaylaaaaa!!!" I finally shrilled with both hands on my ears, and bowing my head for the moment it lasted. Frustration was already gnawing me from within. One moment we were both here radiating with smiles, and the next moment totally looks like an excerpt from a horror film. How worse could it get?
After the intense yelling, I was left with an itchy throat the echoes of my voice still lingering until they diminished into gentle whispers and were gone. My breath escaped as shivering gasps as I used my hand to massage my sore throat.
I thought to cool off the heat in my throat by having some of the water from the waterfall. I lurched to its bank and knelt beside it.
Cupping both hands beneath the water's surface, I made an attempt to draw some of it, but failed thanks to my hands responding aptly to the erratic signals my raging heart was sending through my veins. Their tremors were alarming! Not to mention the aggressive pants and pounding noise all in the name of a heartbeat filling my eardrums that had rid me of any chances of thinking straight. I needed some of this to go down my throat. It felt hot and burning down there and I wasn't done screaming yet.
Earnestly, I dipped my hands again and again but failed in my second and third attempts respectively. I'd cup some water above its surface level but before it traveled any reasonable distance, would give in to my tremors and seep through the space created between both hands. Unrelenting, I placed both hands by my sides and steeped pretty low, bringing my mouth down to the water's surface level. Just then, the skies clamored. Shedding light on what appeared to be…
I froze, narrowing my eyes thoughtfully. It went awfully quiet for a split second before it dawned on me what. Just. Went. Down.
Blood.
"Aaah." With a squeal, I sprung out of the steeping stance, landing on my butt instead as I receded fearfully, gliding it across the floor and supporting it with my hands acting as legs at the time. The darkness peaked, and the calm water body seemed to be agitating now.
Covering a reasonable distance, I tilted my upper body forward, and with my hands' support leapt to my heels. I was almost certain they'd touch my head if I ran any faster than I was. My head, my palpitating heart, my weak legs; this was the time they all had to obey me. Not minding how battered I already felt, I ran with all my might, my legs crushing and stomping on the dried leaves beneath them. Well, that was until…
"Ashley…" I came to a screeching halt at the whimpering sound of my name.
That voice. It was Makayla's.
"Makayla?!" I hailed, swinging my head in multiple directions as well as my eyes. In a normal circumstance, spinning this much would've made me dizzy but I guess priorities counted. At this point, no shred of me cared about my condition. "Makaylaaaaa!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
"Ashley!" The feminine distressful voice came through again, and this time my legs instinctively followed its direction.
"Makayla? Makayla!" Although my legs stuck to a path, my eyes functioned independently, meticulously searching the area even though they could see nothing. "Makayla!" I hailed vibrantly, framing my lips with my hands.
Preoccupied with getting to the voice's location, I didn't realize how much distance I'd covered until I was back where it all began – the bloody waterfall.
"Ash… Ashley." The voice was clear now, its echoes and whimpers slow and audible. I could hear her sobbing now as well.
Having plunged my eyes into the base of the waterfall, I cautiously raised them to see Makayla. It was quite dark but thanks to the open space over us, the moon could shed light on her figure. She was wearing a white loose dress shirt over….
I rolled my eyes downward and that was when it occurred to me that she was standing on the surface of the base of the waterfall.
"Makayla!" I cried out with as much energy as when she was not in sight. "Ma…Ma…" Unable to contain my sorrow, I drew both shivering hands into a facepalm to annul my ensuing sobs.
Looking closely, a dark shadow was then cast behind her. It looked more like a head framed in a black hoodie.
"Son of a gun!" At this point, I lost control over my lips. Those words jumped out of their own will in a yell on recognizing who the psycho was. "Show yourself, you bastard!" I ordered in a commanding voice that didn't match how much my whole body was vibrating.
Thanks to the darkness shrouding the area around them, I couldn't see him turn around until his deep blue eyes were staring deadly at me from behind Makayla.
"Son of a gun!" I mumbled spitefully to myself before taking impulsive steps toward them.
"Ash…" He shut her up with his hand tightly over her mouth. Although faint, I could still hear her muffled hum in protest.
"Please…" I fell to my knees, rubbing my palms together pleadingly. The cussing could be saved for later, Now, I wanted Makayla back in one piece. "Let her go, I beg you!" I pleaded, frustration leaking through the "you" as my voice gained minimal volume at that point.
Just then he pulled out something from behind, and the next thing I saw was a sharp tip glinting at the light's impact.
"No!" I protested. "Don't do it!"
*Ripping flesh*
The tip of the knife was gone, whereas its remainder was suspended in the air against her chest while a red patch slowly encroached the area around it.
"Noooooooo!!!!!!!" I shrieked vehemently, resulting in cawing sounds and the rigorous flapping of wings filling the air as the echoes of my voice scared the birds away. "You, bastard!" I cussed, hopping to my feet before charging toward them furiously.
He dropped Makayla, producing a dense splash as a result.
"Makayla!"
*Slosh*
'Oh shit! I guess the "standing technique" never applied to me.'
My legs parted with the hard floor, and now I was sinking. Despite rigorously flapping my legs against the dense current to help myself out, it only hastened the process. I tried to substitute with my hands but it ended in a massive fail.
"You ba…" My mouth got stuffed with blood, seizing my ability to speak instantly. Nevertheless, I kept glaring into those accursed eyes daringly until my whole being was covered.
~~~I shot my eyes open to a different scene but my sigh of relief was short-lived when I tried to speak only to realize my mouth was still stuffed with liquid. I was now lying against a hard base, my entire body submerged in water.