Chapter Six

"In a single file everyone. I don't want anyone to go off the landmarks." Leslie announced leading group B as they take photos, constantly talking to Group A and C through the walkie talkies.

"Lesley please can I take a leak?" Helena asked holding her legs.

"Seriously, Helena, now?" Lesley didn't believe her but there's no choice.

"Okay, let me go with you." Larry chipped.

"Okay you guys should hurry back." Lesley gave them permission to go, the duo held hands and went into the bush.

_______Group A

"Jack come in over." Callum press the push to talk button on the walkie talkie, calling out to Jack.

"Go ahead." Jack voice is heard few seconds later.

"Just checking, how long are we gonna be out here?" Callum pressed the push to talk button, taking a look at his group.

"I've found something." Claire said out of the blue giving Hayley a scare.

"What'd you find?" Ezra queried.

"I think it's a bike track." She replied, bending on one knee to take a better look.

"Bike tracks? In the middle of a forest." Ezra flouts.

"She's not mistaken. These are bike tracks." Callum stated. "Well you have to look closely to see clearly" Hayley added getting up. She and Claire took out pictures of the track.

"Does it mean someone lives in this forest or what, or some goody old bags decided to go for Joy riding right in the middle of Bear Forest. Ezra stated gawking at Hayley and Claire.

"Let's see where it leads." Claire said, after she was done taking photos.

"I don't think that's a good idea Claire." Hayley suggested.

"Why not? Is this not why we are here in this forest in the first place?" Claire sounded unperturbed.

"Well she's got a point Hayley, and besides, the sooner we find something tangible the sooner we leave this place." Ezra agreed. 

Callum just stared on, not saying a word.

"Alright let's go see if we could find anything." He spoke moving ahead of his group. "Try to keep up" he added as the trio starts walking behind him.

___________

A loud thud woke Peterson up from his short nap, he jerks breaking a little sweat.

He glanced at his wrist watch, it's some few minutes past Seven, the day is getting dark and he just had a bad feeling.

The loud banging came again, someone was outside, either trying to get in the bus or to get his attention, for a moment, he thought about contacting Jack but he swept the idea off. He wore his face hat and pressed a red button, opening the door, taking a flashlight, he stepped out of the bus and shone the flashlight around. A shadow ran into the forest. 

"Is anyone there?" He calls out, there was no response. "Answer me goddammit." He cursed, getting annoyed at the expensive joke he thought one of the students were playing on him.

He heard the bush rattle, he shone the flashlight to the direction, walking slowly, he gasps as the flashlight points at a man holding an axe, frightened, Peterson dropped the flashlight and started walking backward slowly as the man stepped out of the bush, wearing all black, he stood before Peterson, Peterson noticed he had a claw like scar in his left chin.

"Who are you?" Peterson trembling voice asked, trying to locate the bus key in his front pockets. The man starts walking towards him, watching to see Peterson's reaction. His eyes dark and soulless, Peterson regretted driving the students to the forest. "What do you want?" It was obvious he was scared and it is obvious the man is enjoying every bit of it.

His hands dangling at the key, Peterson turned and ran to the bus, he fidgeted with the locks, he felt the man's heavy breathing behind him and knew he was right behind him. Swallowing a huge amount of his saliva, he turned around to face the unknown man.

In a swing of his axe, Peterson's head came flying in the air. Blood quirts harshly as his headless body shook violently before crashing to the ground.

"Come in Peterson." The radio statics came up as Jack voice came through, the man stood above the headless body, he takes up the walkie talkie and stared at it for a moment. "Peterson, are you there?" Jack said over the radio, the man throws the walkie talkie to the ground and and steps on it, shattering it.

The man uses the axe and tears the bus four tyres, satisfied with what he's done, he picks up Peterson's bloodied head and holds his leg with his right hand, dragging his body away into the bush as he disappeares from sight.

___________________

"Helena where are we heading to?" Larry said as his girlfriend drags him along the dark bushes.

"To find a suitable and safe spot." Helena replied, looking back at him and winked.

Larry just couldn't say anything.

_____________________

"Where are Larry and Helena. They've been long gone." Dane spoke, tired of seating on a stone and plainly tired of waiting.

"It hasn't been that long." Lesley said taking a sip from her water bottle.

"Larry, where are you guys?" Dane spoke into the walkie talkie.

No reply came forth.

"Larry, Helena where the hell are you guys." Dane sounded depressingly agitated.

Still no reply.

"They aren't answering." Dane spoke out, almost smashing his walkie talkie.

"Calm down Dane, am sure they're on there way back, maybe they just went a little side tracked." Leslie, said unbothered.

"It's getting dark, you know what. Fuck this trip, fuck this forest. Am heading back to the bus." Dane got up on his feet.

"Easy now cowboy... You can't go alone, if you wanna go back. Fine, but you have to wait till Helena and Larry get back."

"Wait till they get back you say, they are not answering their walkies, it's taken more than twenty minutes they left. And you want me to sit here like a statue, waiting for those two love birds, who knows if they aren't fucking eachother somewhere in this forest."

"I don't care. If I leave with you, they come back and not see us, they may get lost. And I was hired to guide you guys."

"They have their walkies, they can't get lost."

Leslie thought about it, undecided, she takes her walkie talkie and tried reaching Helena and Larry, unsuccessful, she contacted Jack.

"Come, in Jack."

"Go ahead Leslie. I hear you loud and Clear"

"Larry and Helena have gone off our trail and they are not responding to their walkies."

"Relax, I think they are somewhere around doing what young teenagers do when they're alone. And besides, you shouldn't have allowed those two leave the group alone."

"Well, I had no option. Now am starting to think it was a bad idea." 

"It doesn't surprise me that they aren't in the group." Ezra chipped in.

"Ezra, get off the walkie." Jack responded.

"Sorry Mr. D. It's not my fault you guys we're speaking on the same frequency. I wasn't eavesdropping." He defended.

"Yea, Mr. Daniels, we all were hearing you and Leslie's conversation." Emma voice came up, almost giggling.

"Emma, don't let me call you again."

"Sorry Mr. Daniels, am off."

"FYI, Change channels to talk privately." Alec answered.

"Yea, my brother is right Mr. Daniels."

"Wait guys, am I the only one who's thinking about what Larry and Helena are doing right now?" Ezra sound enthusiastic.

"Eww! Man, change channel please or you go off." Alec joked.

"If all of you don't get off your walkie talkies, you'll no longer that A plus in my maths course anymore." Jack finalized.

"Geez! Glad I've already gone off." Emma said again.

"Me too." Alec and Hayley followed.

"That will be a great disaster to my. . . well my course." Ezra went off.

"Kids." Jack mutters to himself.

"What do I do?" Leslie asked over the radio.

"I think the best thing to do now is go look for them, and when you do. Head for the bus." Jack replied.

"Roger, am out."

"We have to go look for them Dane." Leslie told the restless boy with her.

"I'm fed up with those two. You'll have to go alone. Am heading back to the bus." Dane didn't wait to listen to her anymore as he walked by her, taking the path they had earlier taken, fumbling and cursing at the failed trip, at least to him, the expedition is a failed experience.

_________________

"I think we should get back to Leslie and Dane." Larry sounded tired and uneasy, his girlfriend have been dragging him through the forest and not giving him a hint on what she was up to, he felt Leslie would have been worried since neither him or Helena were responding to their walkies. He wanted to but Helena had taken it from him and not threw it somewhere in the dark bush. He felt completely different about the whole thing and yet, he still couldn't say a word to her.

"Easy cowboy." Helena spoke, still holding his hand in hers.

"C'mon Elle, let's head back." He sounded frustrated and with the fact that they are alone in a huge forest, and stars almost settling in the sky.

"Am just looking for a place for us to be comfortable." She turned back to face him, at first, he stared at her but a second past and his gaze caught something else.

"You mean like that cabin over there?" Larry pointed to the direction of the cabin, all dark and spooky almost eighty feets away from them.

"Nice eye babe." Helena said seeing the cabin. 'C'mon, let's go see it." She added dragging Larry along by the hands