Taking my time, I crossed the road with my friend by my side. I didn't know what I was thinking. We were both late home. Our parents didn't trust the street at night, and to be honest, neither did we. But it was twenty minutes past our curfew and we were running out of time.

Alicia tugged my arm. "Where are we going?"

"The forest," I whispered as I didn't want anyone to hear, to try and stop us.

"THE FOREST?" I put my finger to her lips to shut her up. I dragged her towards the rusty, previously undisturbed gate that lead into darkness and fear. Rain poured down. A storm got ready to pounce.

I wanted an umbrella. I wished for my warm, well-lit home and a hot chocolate. I needed my family.

Suddenly, Alicia noticed something ahead of us, something that wasn't there. She was acting weird. Her eyes were noticeably wider than usual. She was shaking. She fumbled around the zip of her school bag for her key ring torch to light the dark in front of us. Then, she jumped back. She ran forwards into the unknown.

I tried to keep up with her, tried to tell her she was just imagining things. But she didn't listen. She barely even glanced my way.

"Ella!" Hearing her shout my name frightened me. However, she sounded kind of happy. What was going on? "Come quick! I found a-"

I waited for the end. But it never came. She was gone. Alicia was completely out of sight. I took a deep breath, and began to walk again. Slowly, this time. Prepared. Even if all I wanted now was to run back.

Dark green leaves coated my in a cloak with no escape. That was the only colour I could see. All sounds seemed to disappear. I was trapped in an eerie, unnerving silence. Walking further and further into my worst nightmare, I became more and more confused and terrified. She hadn't gone this far. Had she?

Without warning, a scream that could shatter glass broke the deadly quiet of the forest and shot me with fear like a bullet. Fear for Alicia, as well as my life.

I looked up at the new moon through the gap in the leaves. I wanted my friend back. I stared up at the sky. I didn't know what else to do, where she was, how to stop all this. I just wanted to go home, but I was lost.

The moon disappeared. It was weird. One second it was there, the next a shadow was blocking the light. My only light. The shadow was getting bigger. Everything above me was turning from green to black. I had to run, but I was fixed. The only thing above me now, was darkness.

Pain cut through my heart like a knife. I screamed.

That was the last thing I ever did.