What Lies In The Woods, Radically Revised and Edited-Akua Tuta

***I just cut over a thousand words out of this story, in preparation for sending it off to a bunch of publishers in hopes of publishing it. The main plot of the story remains the same, just alot of the babbling has been cut out. I would so appreciate it if ya'll took the time to read this and tell me what you think! Take Care!!

WHAT LIES IN THE WOODS

With wind ripping unmercifully at his body, Garret fumbled with his car keys, gripping his books tightly to his chest. Blinking furiously, he tried to clear the rain from his vision so he could focus on the icy ring of keys in his hand. Finding the right key, he grasp it firmly with numb fingers and quickly unlocked the drivers door of his late model Honda Accord which shimmed and bucked with the sudden bursts of wind. Sliding into the comfort of it’s worn interior, he slammed the door, shutting out the fierce weather. Water dripped steadily from his narrow face and strong jaw as he watched the storm torn world that lay beyond the foggy windshield. Earlier in the day, Garret had noticed a spattering of dark clouds in the heat-saturated blue sky but never expected the torrential rain that followed. The storm had moved in quickly and violently, releasing it’s untamed fury across the heavens. Announcing it’s arrival, thunder had reverberated across the parched land as the sky danced with immense streaks of lightening.

The early autumn storm had turned into a mini hurricane by the time school had ended at Scottsdale High. The smell of electricity still hung heavily in the desert air as the scorched earth drank up the rain like mothers milk. It wasn’t long before Garret’s fascination with the deluge began to tire and he began to wonder where his sister and James were. During lunch that day Garret, James, and Cally, Garret’s little sister, had agreed to meet their friend Adam at their favorite pizza joint after school. Knowing that either, James nor Cally were never on time, he’d already stalled within the school for a half an hour before finally braving the ferocious weather.

Running his hand through his sandy blond hair which remained plastered to his skull, he rubbed the water from his faded green eyes and switched the radio on. A small, amused smile played upon his lips after a few moments of searching for a station. He knew it was futile. Living in a very remote portion of the Oregon high desert, the only radio stations available in the area were country, talk, and religious. Promptly, he gave up and popped in a cassette of The Foo Fighters.

Cranking up the volume, Garret laid back into the tattered bucket seat and lost himself within the music’s beat. Soon, sleep fuzzed the edges of reality and he began to dream of the haunted memories which stalked him unmercifully.

Doomed to forever reply that horrible night, his mind fell helplessly into the past. The cops had said there was nothing that they could of done, but that hadn’t erased the screams which had echoed within Garret’s nightmares ever since. Nearly a year before, Garret, Cally, and James’s had been heading back from spending a day shopping in the mini-metropolis of Bend, 40 miles north of their little desert town. It was a chilly November evening and during the drive home, a storm had rolled in, bringing utter havoc with it. The weather raged, savagely throwing debris and tumble weeds into the path of Garret’s car. Unfortunately, the road they were on was like a kinked snake, filled with wicked winding curves and his windshield wipers couldn’t seem to keep up with the pelting rain and snow mix. Senses heightened, Garret’s knuckles were white from his desperate grip on the steering wheel. Slowing his speed to a mere crawl, he tried to navigate the rough, debris strewn road that unfurled before his dim headlights. He was guiding the car through an especially sharp corner when suddenly he was blinded, by blazing headlights directly in his lane. Jerking the wheel towards the soft ditch at the side of the road, he opted to crash into the ditch instead of the incoming car. As the events began to unravel with no thought to consequence, time slowed to a crawl and a single breath seemed to take an eternity. With a tremendous jolt, the word began whirling merrily and Garret dimly realized that the other car had just smacked into the back driver’s side of his Honda and sent it into a spin. The sound of screeching metal and howling tires filled the air as the car reeled across the asphalt. Garret could hear James cussing and Cally shrieking as he struggled to regain control of his vehicle as it spun down the middle of the roadway. Then, chaos was suddenly replaced by a deafening silence when the car slammed into the ditch that he’d originally aimed for. With the impact, Garret’s seatbelt held him in place but his face still slammed hard into the steering wheel.

Disorientated, Garret listened to the hot ticking of the engine and tried to comprehend what had just occurred. Feeling an intense pain blossoming in his head, he raised a hand to his throbbing face and his fingers came back scarlet. His entire body trembled with spent adrenaline as he turned his eyes to the seat next to him. Unmoving, James was slumped over with his head resting on the dashboard, his long black hair hiding his face. When he suddenly groaned and flopped back into his seat, head lolling, Garret felt relief wash through him. After a few moments of muttering, James opened his eyes wide and met Garret’s dazed gaze. Staring at each other for a long moment, they both quickly spun in their seats and looked to the backseat. Sitting behind James, Cally’s eyes were wide with shock as she raggedly gasp for air.

Choking on blood from his busted nose, Garret cleared his throat, “Is everyone all right?”

“What happened, Garret?” Cally asked in a quivering voice.

Garret shook his head, “I don’t know, I think there was a car in our lane and it hit us.”

Finally remembering the other vehicle, Garret flung open his car door and emerged from the battered body of his Honda, without saying a word. Peering around in the darkness, he promptly found what he was looking for, when flames began to paint the darkness, erupting from a late model luxury car located 100 ft down the highway. Perched precariously on it’s side, the car was quickly being engulfed by the ravenous fire. The blood in Garret’s heart suddenly turned to ice when he heard the unthinkable coming from hulking wreck. Screams of agony could be heard from the fiery depths of the car.

With a wretched sob bursting from Garret’s lips, he and James began sprinting down the middle of the roadway towards the rapidly burning car when suddenly the world exploded. Eerily, Garret felt himself picked up and flung backwards as though he were nothing more than a child’s toy. Slamming into the wet asphalt 15 feet from where he originated, he felt his breath leave his body and pain course through his nerve endings. Dread lay heavy in his heart when Garret begrudgingly realized that the car’s gas tank had exploded and whoever had been trapped within the car was now beyond help. Serenaded by the ringing in his ears, Garret rested upon the roadway and allowed the rain to trickle off his body like the tears pouring from his eyes. Later that night, while he lay upon a stark hospital bed, a police officer informed him that there had been a mother and two children within the car.

Suddenly, Garret’s cocoon of peace was rudely shattered when the passenger door was flung open. Water pouring down his high cheek bones, James’s grinning face appeared in the doorway. Sliding into the seat next to Garret, James’s dark eyes gleamed with amusement. “Waiting Long?” He inquired mischievously with a angelic look upon his Native American features.

Garret rolled his eyes and smiled, “Naw man, what’s your excuse this time?” Mockingly, James placed his hand on his chin. “Hmmm lemme think....There were these aliens and they wanted to study me, you know cause I’m such a fine specimen.”

Smirking, Garret rose an eyebrow in his direction.

James chuckled, “No really, Coach Williams wanted to talk to me my free throw’s, I’ve had a lousy average lately.”

Abruptly, James fell silent and locked the car door, peering out the passenger’s window with great interest. Garret studied him quizzically, wondering what he was up to when suddenly a fist began to pound the window and a voice cut through the howling wind. “Dang you James, let me in!”

Garret could see the blurred shape of a angry, rain soaked Cally through the foggy windows. He punched James lightly in the shoulder and said, “C’mon Man, let my ‘lil sis in before she blows away.” James flung open the door and leaned forward, letting Cally to get into the back seat. A furious wind ripped through the car and tore at Garret as Cally squeezed past James. After slamming the door and restoring the peace, a grinning James turned in the seat and flicked water at the younger girl. Adjusting the rear view mirror, Garret could see Cally glaring at James. “That was not funny, I was freezing out there!” Cally pouted.

James snorted with laughter,”Aw come on, I was just messing with you”

Garret watched as the scowl melted from Cally’s face. The anger left her hazel eyes as she swept back her dripping, earth colored hair.

Smirking, she remarked to James, “Yeah, whatever, I owe you one.”

Turning to Garret, she smiled apologetically, “Sorry I was late Garret, we were putting some finishing touches on the paper layout before we sent it off to the press.”

Blessed with an excellent writing ability, Cally was the assistant editor for the school paper. Garret greatly admired his little sister, because although she was only sixteen, her writing awoke the imagination and set it afire.

“No problem Cally, I know you and James well enough to know that your never on time and I stalled for a while after school” Garret said with a grin as he started the car. “But think about Adam, we were supposed to meet him a half an hour ago at the Pizza Palace.”

James squirmed in his seat and whined in a girly voice, “Oh no, poor Adam, stuck chowing down an entire pizza by himself in a nice cozy booth.” Garret chuckled quietly as he headed towards the restaurant. A few minutes later, they arrived at the Pizza Palace and found Adam, his mouth crammed full of greasy pepperoni pizza. James nudged Cally and grinned, “See, I told you. Do I know him or what?” When Adam saw them he hurriedly swallowed and took a quick sip off his soda, “What took you guys so long?” He paused for moment, “Oh never mind, I know you James.” Studying Adam, Garret noticed that he had a hint of purple bruising beneath his earth colored eyes and wondered if he was having trouble sleeping. He knew that his friend had not had an easy life, his parents had died when he was an infant so his aunt had raised him. A year before, Adam had come to live with his grandmother in Scottsdale, after his aunt had fallen victim to the ravages of cancer. After sharing Chemistry and being paired together as lab partners, it hadn’t taken Garret and Adam very long to become friends.

Their foursome was a strange combination of personalities. Where Cally was intelligent and lively, James fit into the role of the easy going, jokester and Garret tended realistic and composed. Adam, although quiet, was a star athlete. With a wicked throwing arm, he was the best quarterback that Arthur Washington high school had seen in twenty years and the student body loved him for it.

“So,” Adam said through a mouth full of pizza, “I was thinking, I love hiking but I haven’t gotten to do it much lately. How ‘bout we all go on a camping trip this weekend?”

“Hey, right on! I love getting out for a good romp in the woods” James commented, wearing a smile.

“Ohhh.” Cally’s eyes lit up, “Garret, can we? We haven’t been camping in ages!”

Garret shrugged, “Sounds good to me. How bout we hike up to Angel falls, spend the night there, and then head back home the next day?”

Angel falls was an hour from Scottsdale and could only be reached by hiking in. The twisting fifteen mile trail which led to the scenic falls, wound through some gorgeous landscape and it was a relatively smooth hike.

All heads at the table bobbed up and down in agreement.

“All right then, sounds great,” Adam burped, sitting back grinning, “I’ve never been up there, it sounds awesome though from what I’ve heard. So, we’ll leave Saturday morning, bright and early?”



The morning dew still hung heavily to the earth on Saturday as Garret locked up his car and the group headed out on their long hike. James energetically led the group with Adam closely behind him, their voices echoing loudly through the stillness of the pines. Cally hung back with Garret and they walked in a comfortable silence, both merely enjoying the nature that thrived around them. Soon, the sun began filtering through the trees, warming the chilly autumn air and filling the murkiness around them with an assortment of rich earthy tones.

It wasn’t long before the sun had rose to the sky above them and they decided to stop for lunch. Welcoming the much needed break, James and Adam playfully wrestled, rolling around on the decaying pine needles that littered the ground while Garret and Cally watched, smiling. After the guys ran off in search of forest cooties, Garret chewed his sandwich and thoughtfully studied Cally.

“So hey, why so quiet?” He asked casually.

“Eh, it’s nothin” she said quietly, raising her downcast eyes to Garret.

“Ah, now I know your lying to me, I know something’s up, your quiet, but never THIS quiet, what’s buggin’ you?”he persisted with a grin.

“Oh Garret, That’s the problem.” She said worriedly, “ I don’t know what’s up either. I know this is gonna sound weird, but I got this really bad feeling like something’s wrong. I thought I was just trippin’, but it just keeps getting worse.”

“Oh Cally, you probably just forgot to feed yer cat or something minor like that, don’t stress over it” He rationalized, with an small smile.

Cally nodded, “Yeah, but I know that, but it’s like I can’t not stress on it, it’s driving me nuts.”

Garret frowned,“So, is it that bad, do you think we should head back or something?”

Shaking her head, she sighed, “No, that’d be stupid. I dunno, it’s just odd. I feel like I’m in the path of a freight train but I can’t see it coming. Perhaps I’m just having a weird anxiety attack.”

Garret nodded slowly and chuckled, “Mmkay, Maybe you just need to lay off the Double Shot Mocha Latte’s you love so much?”

With a small laugh, she nodded,“Yeah, it’s probably something like that, thanks for not thinking I’m a nut.”

“Well, Now, I didn’t say that you weren’t nuts....” He added with a grin.

Punching him playfully in the arm, they finished up their lunch joking easily and the foursome continued their hike.

Finally, when the sun was kissing the tree tops as it dove beneath the horizon, they reached Angel Falls.

High above them, a sharp cliff face rose 300ft into the air, a torrent of water cascaded down the weather beaten rocks like a flowing veil. The vivid sunset lit the waterfall with an glowing hue and made it glisten like liquid gold.

When the cool mist met their hot sweaty skin, it blissfully enveloped their tired bodies in a cooling blanket. Without hesitation, Adam and James ripped their shirts off and jumped into the crystal clear water, screaming girlishly at it’s bone chilling temperature.

Garret wet his hair down, relishing the feeling as the droplets to run their chilly fingers down his sunburned neck. Settling next to the water’s edge, Cally joined him and took her shoes off, dipping her pale feet into the river. James and Adam teased them for not joining them in their dip, but it wasn’t long before they joined Garret and Cally, shivering on the sun warmed rocks.

After a short rest, they began setting up camp next to the river’s edge, attempting to beat the impending darkness.

By the time they’d completed their chores and eaten dinner, night had fallen upon them, engulfing them hole within it’s dark maw. The black water of the Angel river, shimmered with the awakening stars as a nearly full moon rose above the trees and painted landscape with an ethereal pale haze.

They spent the remainder of the evening talking and laughing, hugged close to the roaring fire Cally had skillfully built. Later, as the night dragged on, a comfortable silence fell upon them.

“AHHHH,” James roared breaking the peaceful atmosphere, “It’s getting way too boring out here. Hey Garret, how bout a late night swim?”

Garret shook his head, “Hell no, you think I’m crazy?”

With an evil glint in his eye, James looked over to Adam, “Hey man, what do you think, Garret’s getting kinda stinky, don’t ya think he needs to take a dip?”

Laughing like lunatics, the were instantaneously on Garret, each of them grabbing an arm and a leg and heading towards the river. Shouting out curses, Garret made sure to grab on tightly to his friend’s arms and legs in order to bring them with him into the glacial waters and as a result all three of them plunged into the icy river. Standing chest deep in the chilly water, Garret slyly gazed in the direction of Cally’s hysterical laughter and then looked to Adam and James with an eyebrow raised. The three boys yelled in agreement and burst from the water after Cally. Screaming, she took off running, but inevitably she joined them in Angel River’s dark, frigid waters.

A few minutes later they were huddled next to the failing fire, shivering in the chilly night air. James piled wood onto the dying embers and soon their cloths were steaming from the roaring flames. Adam boiled some water, making cocoa for them to warm their stomachs as they talked late into the night.

Garret was literally seeing double by the time they decided to crash at 1am, he couldn’t believe how tired he was. Laying out their sleeping bags in a loose circle around the fire, they settled down on the uneven ground for the night. Slipping into the cocoon of his sleeping bag, Garret almost immediately fell into an intensely deep, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, he groggily drifted back from the abyss of unconsciousness. Curled inside his sleeping bag, he was serenaded by birds calling sweetly to each other and the soft roar of the waterfall. Hearing no sound of human activity, he poked his head out into the blinding whiteness of the overcast day and found it to be later than he thought. He was amazed he’d slept so long, since usually he woke at sunrise regardless of how late he’d stayed up the night before. Beside him, James’s sleeping bag still emitted soft snores as did Adam’s, but Cally’s was empty. She must have woken and gone off exploring, letting them sleep in.

After relieving himself and rinsing his hands and face in the invigorating river water, he went about making coffee. Just as Garret was removing the percolating kettle from the fire, he heard James sleeping bag croak “I smell cofffeeeee”

Poking his head out, he squinted at Garret. “Morning man, pass a cup of java this way, eh?” James garbled in a rough voice.

Garret poured some of the steaming black liquid into a cup and handed it to him. Noticing that Adam was also stirring, he poured another cup and waited for him to emerged from his sleeping bag’s confines.

Flipping back the covers, Adam sat up, stretching like a cat and accepted the coffee with a gracious smile.

After James had downed his coffee, he finally noticed Cally’s absence. “Hey Garret, Where’s your little sis?”

Garret straightened suddenly, realizing he’d been awake for nearly an hour and still hadn’t seen her. “I dunno. She was gone when I woke up, I figured she was just out enjoying the morning with a short hike while our lazy butts slept in.”

Worry began creeping into his thoughts, it wasn’t like Cally to run off for so long. Glancing to James, Garret saw concern etching his features as well.

“Hey, maybe we should go looking for her, she could have fallen and gotten hurt or something” James commented as he stood and pulled his pants on over his boxers.

Thinking back to the conversation Garret had with Cally about her bad feeling, a darkness began overshadowing his thoughts as he hastily laced up his boots.

Following their lead, Adam promptly got dressed and a few minutes later they planning where each of them would search.

“Okay,” Adam said, taking charge, “Garret, you look around the camp and up and down the river. James, I thought you could take the higher trail to hike to the top of the falls and see if she’s up there, and I’ll continue on along the trail we were on yesterday in case she decided to explore the trail ahead.” looking from either of them he asked, “So, what do you guys think?”

Garret couldn’t find his voice so he merely nodded. Panic gnawed at the edges of his mind, he adored his sister, he couldn’t bear the thought of her being hurt in anyway.

“Sounds like a plan man, lets go and we’ll meet back here, let’s say in an hour, okay?” James said eagerly. Placing a hand on Garret’s shoulder, he smiled reassuringly, “Hey Garret, don’t freak, she’s probably out picking flowers or doing something girly, you know them females.”

Garret forced a smile, “Yeah, we’re probably getting all worried over nothing” He mumbled as he walked away. His own words doing nothing to ease his feeling of dread.

Adam called back over his shoulder, “Yeah don’t worry man, we’ll find her safe and sound, I’m sure of it.”

For the next hour, Garret called Cally’s name until he was hoarse as he searched frantically along the river banks and surrounding woods. On the way back to camp, his fear had blossomed into a raging monster and he’d prayed that she’d be there waiting. His heart fell like a bird shot from the sky when he found only Adam sitting on a log, next to the skeleton of the previous night’s fire.

“No luck?” he asked his friend as he approached.

Adam’s face was red from exertion and sweat dripped from his brow. Casting his eyes downward, he shook his head grimly, “No, not a thing. I jogged to the end of the trail, 4 miles ahead, not a sign of her.”

Garret sat down on a log suddenly feeling weak. What on earth was going on? This totally wasn’t like his sister, he knew that something must have happened to her and that concept scared him to death.

Adam looked at Garret sadly, “I’m really sorry this is happening, Dude. If we can’t find her soon, one of us could head back and alert the authorities.”

An apprehensive silence fell upon them as they sat pondering on what to do next. Then, Garret broke the stillness, asking “Hey, where’s James at? It’s been awhile.”

“Hey maybe he found her on the upper trail that leads to the top of the falls. Let’s head in that direction and see what’s up.” Adam suggested.

Garret stood up, eager to do anything that might lead to Cally’s whereabouts. Adam took the lead, setting a brisk pace up the steep grade. After a few minutes of climbing the rough trail, Garret was winded and with his heart pounding in his ears he soon lost sight of Adam, “Hey man wait up!” He called but apparently he was out of hearing distance. Shrugging, he figured he’d eventually catch up and began breathlessly calling Cally and James’s name as his eyes scanned the forest.

Hearing a noise behind him, Garret started to turn when suddenly there came a loud thud and a massive wave of pain blossomed within his skull. Crying out, he helplessly fell into the oblivion of unconsciousness.

The next thing Garret became aware of was that he hurt all over. A haze of confusion clouded this thoughts. Opening his eyes, he found himself roughly leaned against a sharp rock, staring at a severely beaten James propped next to him. Garret gasp when he saw that James’s long black hair soaked with his own blood and his face was lumpy with swelling which distorted his features grotesquely. Still oozing scarlet from his numerous wounds, his breathing sounded labored as he slipped in and out of consciousness.

Noticing that his shirt was soaked with his own blood, Garret faintly realized he’d been worked over as well. Finally, the cobwebs that obscured his mind began to dissipate and he began studying his surroundings. Fear laced through his veins when he saw that he and James were sitting 15 feet from the edge of the cliff face that rose above the falls. Bearing his teeth, Garret began struggling to a sitting position when a voice from behind him stopped him cold. “I wouldn’t move if I were you”

Garret slowly turned to face his attacker and suddenly reality slipped out from under him. For a few moments, he could not breath or think with the shock of what his eyes were seeing. A shiny blade was held against the pale skin of Cally’s delicate neck, her soft lips were trembling as tears streamed down her dirty cheeks. Behind his terrified sister, wielding the blade threatening her life was their buddy Adam.

A madness shone in his dark eyes as he grinned at Garret. “You move, it’ll be the last thing your sister sees you do.”

Gaping slack-jawed, Garret couldn’t seem to find his voice. He felt like he’d fallen into the twilight zone, he just could not comprehend that Adam, their friend, was someone capable of creating the nightmare they were currently trapped in.

Garret then noticed James had awakened and had seen the precarious predicament they were in.

Beside Garret, James woke and saw the precarious predicament they were in.“Dude, don’t hurt the kid, what the hell is wrong with you?” He croaked in a ragged voice.

Adam laughed harshly, “I’m here to make things right. I bet your wondering, wondering what could drive a nice guy like me to want to watch you people die.” He pushed the blade into Cally’s neck and a thick droplet of crimson ran down her neck. Moaning, Cally’s entire body quaked with fear as Adam looked to Garret, with a challenging glint in his eye. “Betcha me making Cally bleed makes you want to murder me. Huh, Garret?”

Garret’s body shook with fury, “Yeah buddy, you have that right, I swear if you hurt her.....”

Adam smiled sadly, “All right then, you do understand my motives. So my friends lemme tell you a story. There was this guy, nice kid, although fatherless, he had a wonderful mother and an awesome kid brother and sister. Beautiful children, little ray’s of sunshine and the mother, she was the kindest, nicest lady you’d ever meet. Life was good” His eyes turned dark and burned into Garret as he continued, “So, one day, when the mother was driving, she got stuck in a storm, then this idiot ran her off the road and just stood by while she and her children burned to death. Any of this sounding familiar to any of you yet?”

For a moment, the air was thick with a shocked silence that came with the understanding, Garret moaned and James hissed in a sharp breath between his teeth.

“Oh my God, this can’t be happening” Garret gasp, “Adam, you have to know it was an accident. I’ve replayed that night in my mind a million times. It was storming so bad, but I had my eyes glued to the road and I could have sworn I was in my own lane. We came around that corner and suddenly there she was.” The rest of Garret’s sentence was lost as he fought back a sob.

“Adam, he’s right,” James spoke up, “It was just a horrible accident and we did try to help, as soon as we got our bearings we were running to the car when the world just exploded, there was nothing we could do. You know us Adam! You know we wouldn’t have just stood there”

Adam patiently listened to them, a flicker of doubt eclipsing his features before he shook his head. “No, see guys it’s not as easy as that. You ruined my life, you cannot fathom exactly what you took away from me.” his eyes shone with unshed tears, “Abby and Jason were great kids, smart, funny, they were my reason for living and my mom, she was such a doll, had a heart of gold. You stole that away from me and you have to pay for what you’ve done. It was so easy since I am really 21, I falsified documents and enrolled in your high school. None of you ever suspected a thing, I had you eating out of my hand day one.” Snorting with disgust, he continued, “You make me sick, going on about your lives, without a second thought to those precious souls you stole away. You reap what you sow and I am going to send you to hell so you can pay for what you’ve done”

“Adam please, I’m begging you, don’t hurt her” Garret pleaded as he started struggling to get to his feet.

Glaring at him, Adam growled, “Ya know, I bet little Abby and Jason were begging for you to help them.”

Wincing and crying out, Garret made it to a crouching position, legs trembling with the coursing pain.

Rising to his feet, Adam brought Cally up along with him with the edge of the blade and began dragging her towards the edge of the cliff. “Hurting there a bit my friend? I was planning on tying you and James up but beating the hell out of you was more enjoyable and seemed to work just as well” He laughed bitterly

James glared at Adam through swollen slits, “You’re a real piece of work Adam, you sick son of a...”

With desperation chasing his frantic thoughts, Garret interrupted, “Adam, listen, your right, it was me driving the car, it was my fault and I don’t deserve to live after what I’ve done. You can do whatever you want to me but why not let James and Cally go?”

“Oh, nice try my friend, but I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. See, when I get back down the mountain, the story the cops are going to hear is that you three decided to climb up the fall’s rock face, even though I kept warning you it was a horrible idea. There was nothing I could do when you fell Garret, wiping out your sister and best friend on the way down. What a terrible tragedy it will be. But, I’m sure that if I let James and Cally go, the story they told the police would be much different and I don’t really fancy spending the rest of my life in prison.”

“So, here’s what I’m gonna do Garret, I’m gonna make you watch the two people you care about most in the world die and then, your going to join them. Sound good to you?” Adam said, his eyes black with rage as he neared the edge of the cliff.

Seeing his sister whimpering, her eyes pleading with him to help her, Garret’s aching body was overwhelmed by a flush of adrenaline.

With the quickness of a striking snake, he lunged toward them, startling Adam and causing him to step back wards. Suddenly, the ground on which Cally and Adam were standing, disintegrated beneath them as the edge of the cliff gave away. Adam let go of Cally in alarm and she forcefully flung herself back onto solid ground.

Garret landed hard on the ground at the edge of the cliff and with pure luck, he actually caught hold and grasp Adam’s hand tightly. Preventing him from falling to his death with a tremendous jolt to Garret’s shoulder.

Staring past Adam’s frightened face at the 300ft drop, Garret’s breath caught in his throat, the height making him feel sick and dizzy. Feeling himself beginning to slip, Garret dug his toes into the soft ground and desperately tried to halt his sliding. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he felt hands on his ankles, anchoring him and heard James say, “It’s alright man I got ya”

Looking down, Garret said, “Hold on Adam. Don’t worry, we’ll pull you up”

Adam’s eyes clouded with an ocean of conflicting emotions as he looked up at Garret.“My God, What have I done” He whispered softly. Tears welling up in his clear blue eyes, “Garret, I am sorry man how I’ve hurt you and yours. Thank you, all of you, for being such good friends.”

Smiling, Garret said, “It’s okay man, it’ll all be okay, I promise.”

With trembling lips, Adam forced a sad smile, “Yeah, it will be okay. Goodbye my friend.”

Garret cried out when his friend suddenly released his hold on his hand and kicked away from the cliff hard. Losing his grip, Garret watched as he soundlessly fell away from him and towards the jagged rocks that lay far below. Closing his eyes, he heard Adam’s life end a few moments later with a bone shattering thud.

In shock, Garret pulled away from the edge and was met with a tight hug from a crying Cally. Shuddering with emotion, Garret buried his head in her soft hair and held her tight. After a few minutes of exhausted silence, Garret looked to James who was propped against a tree staring blankly into the distance. Sensing Garret’s gaze, James looked to him and gave him a quivering smile then bowed his head.

Looking out over the sea of evergreen that unfolded in front of him, Garret knew that for the rest of his days his dreams would be haunted by Adam and his family. But he was comforted knowing that he would always have James and Cally there by his side to get him through. Squeezing Cally tighter, Garret gently brushed away the tears still standing on her cheeks and whispered, “It’s okay. We have each other. We’ll survive.”

THE END

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