Page 54 of Disharmony

“Ouch!” I yelp as a branch catches and scratches my leg.

My brain spirals into the worst-case scenario like I can’t stop. Are there any animals around that could kill me? Why do the holes in trees look like eyes?

The flashlight illuminates a narrow pathway ahead. I love watching true crime documentaries, and my thoughts stray to a gruesome murder that happened in the woods.

Music from the party sounds close by, but whatever turn I take doesn’t seem to bring me any closer. The darkness feels heavier, wrapping like a blanket around me.

Twigs snap.

“Fuck.” I swing in the direction of the noise and point with my phone. Nothing. “Is someone there?”

I start to run.

fifteen

Ripper

Fuck. I spooked her. I got too close.

I should have stayed in the shadows at a safe distance, but I had no choice when I saw her run into the woods. I couldn’t leave her unprotected. I needed to make sure she was safe.

Whatever drug she’d taken was making her paranoid. She tried to mask it but, even when sitting in silence, I noticed her eyes flitting around the darkness and how she flinched at the tiniest movement.

I should have answered to let her know I was there, but it’s too risky.

The woods are a safe space. She won’t run into any axe-wielding murderers, but there are other dangers. She’s running further from camp over uneven terrain.

I have two options: follow or stay put. The choice is easy.

I break into a light jog after her, making sure to disguise myself behind the trees. She’s tall for a woman, but I’m taller. My strides match hers two to one. Her clothes tear on branches as she sprints. Why doesn’t she stop?

“Go away,” she shouts. “Leave me alone!”

Is she talking to me, or to a voice in her head? I can’t leave her like this.

Time slows down.

I see it coming before it happens.

“Ash!” I call out but it’s too late.

She falls and tumbles down a steep slope in the forest floor. For someone who should be a trained dancer, she doesn’t fall gracefully. Her clumsiness only makes my fondness grow.

I peer over the edge to see her lying at the bottom of the ditch. Her black hair is splayed around her head like a wild halo crown atop the soil.

I hurry down to her side. There’s a cut on her head, but it looks superficial and her chest heaves as she groans. I pocket her phone at her side and turn off the blinding torch. I can navigate by moonlight.

“It’s okay, Ash,” I say soothingly in a gruff voice. “I’ll get you back safe.”

She squints up at me. “Ripper?”

I doubt she’ll remember this in the morning, but she can’t see my face properly. I scoop her up into my arms. She’s heavier than she looks—not fragile and frail, but someone strong.

“It’s me. You’re safe now,” I murmur. “Go to sleep.”

Her eyes flutter closed as she smiles. A smile I caused. A smile just for me.

What would the others say if they knew I got this close? They’d think I was mad, but I couldn’t leave her here…

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