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"GRAYSON!!"
His name echoed through the trees that stretched endlessly. It was dark.
Weak lights cut through with scattered beams that flickered every now and then as the students moved cautiously through the branches and wet grass.
Those whose phone hadn't died yet, used it as a flash light. Their dim screens are barely useful in the heavy darkness around them.
"Grayson!"
Luke's voice rang ahead and came back to him, along with the voices of the others that searched.
Rain adjusted the flashlight in her grip as she crossed over a fallen branch. Her body moved restlessly through the trees, every shadow suddenly looking wrong.
Behind her Hazel called repeatedly. Her voice cracked through halfway, yet she still continued. Rain looked her way, she looked awful.
Her mascara had long smudged beneath her eyes. Her hair had become messy from running her fingers through it too many times.
Every few minutes, she looked like she was about to cry again. Tommy stayed behind her, he tried to console her but gave up eventually after she yelled at him.
"I'll be fine when we find him."
Tommy stood quiet.
After a while, a boy from behind them spoke. "We need to split, cover more grounds."
"No." Luke answered quickly. "No one goes alone."
Nobody argued, especially after what happened. After the scream.
Rain drew in a sharp breath. She couldn't get it out of her head. The scream didn't sound fake, the memory of it kept replaying in her mind.
It sounded so real. So painful.
Hazel shouted his name again, "Grayson." Her voice tore through the woods before disappearing into nothing.
Rain stared at her for a second longer, she was really hurt by this. It was a feeling she understood too well.
Then,
A faint rustle caught their attention. Everyone went stiff. Rain's knuckles paled around the flashlight.
Luke turned sharply.
"Who is there?"
A few students instinctively stepped back, as Luke and a few others moved closer to the bushes.
Suddenly, the rustling stopped. Then came only the sound of the leaves shifting under the wind.
"It's nothing." Luke said to the crowd, as he walked forward.
Mason exhaled, his heart almost came out through his mouth. "Okay, I officially hate this." He muttered quietly.
But no one laughed, fear had settled too deep within their chest, as the search continued.
Hours had gone by. By the time they reached the edge of the woods, the sky had started to change.
It wasn't fully dark anymore, just grey. A few continued the search, while the others returned back to the school.
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The exhaustion followed them into the halls, their steps dragging like their bodies were too heavy.
Those who had stayed back at school, gave way as they entered. "What happened?" their curious voices welcomed them before they even sat.
The answer came late, delayed by fatigue.
"We…didn't find him."
The words landed hard, everyone looked at each other. Their worry slowly transformed into fear filled mutters overlapping each other.
Hazel moved toward a chair near the wall. She sat still, staring at nothing. Her face was dry now, but wasn't calm, just quiet.
Rain couldn't take her eyes off her. She understood all too well what hazel was going through, then she walked over.
"Are you okay?" Her voice was low. Hazel slowly lifted her head, then she looked away.
Rain scanned her, she already knew the answer but didnt understand why she asked in the first place. She lowered herself, and sat beside her. "We'll find him, don't worry."
Hazel finally turned. Her eyes were heavy, like she was holding back tears. " You don't get it." She said, her voice flat. "He just went out for a bit. That's it. He wouldn't just disappear."
Her finger curled. "Where could he have gone?"
That question lingered between them and in Rain's head. They all came out the moment the scream was heard, and yet they still haven't found him by now.
"You heard the scream right?' Hazel spoke again slightly more agitated. "What if something bad happened to him."
She wasn't sure how to answer. If something had indeed happened, they would have found his body atleast.
Rain shut her eyes for a moment. This was Grayson, he would have struggled at least, but it looked too clean. Her hand tightened over her shoulder "It's okay Hazel." She tried to assure her, that was the only thing she knew she could do.
Hazel stared at her like she wanted to believe, but couldn't fully reach it.
"Do you think he is safe?"
Rain's finger twitched from her question, the words hung in her throat as the memory of the fog flashed through her mind.
She wasn't sure why she was thinking of that. There were totally unrelated, right?
The fog wouldn't have cleared by now, it was too thick. So he couldn't have made his way through it. He had to be somewhere around. The only thing was, she wasn't sure if he was safe.
She had doubts, but she couldn't afford to let them spread. Rain nodded once, then pulled her in for a hug.
Across the room, voices continued rising as she picked up fragments of their conversation."
"....maybe an animal, a bear?"
"I haven't seen any wild animals like that in Town."
"Then what pulled him?"
Rain's eyes shifted slightly. She didn't look directly at them, she just listened. Her chest was heavy.
Drag marks, she had seen it clearly. But their words weighed on her mind.
No-one here has ever reported an animal attack in Sunset Cove, so what exactly took him into the woods?
Her lips pressed thinly as she thought.