Fear and anxiety filled Rosalie’s heart as she was driven back to the cabin. She had refused to go to the hospital after giving her statement, instead she was able to convince the sheriff to let her go back to the cabin with him. She sat in the passenger seat of the old car, Paul next to her.

‘Are you sure that you don’t want to go to the hospital and get checked out?’ Paul asked as they drove down the long, winding road which would soon lead them to the cabin.

‘I want to be there, I have to know,’ Rosalie almost whispered, ‘I have to know if they are alive.’

Paul nodded.

The sun sat low in the sky, just peeking out from the horizon and through the trees. Rosalie watched the trees as they whizzed past her, noting how different the forest looked in the morning light.   

Rosalie caught her first glimpse of the cabin since Parker and her had run from Christopher and she gulped.

The car made its way along the dirt, passing other police cars and stopping over just to the side. People in varying uniforms were gathered along the area, men were outside the cabin, others with search dogs were walking around the area. Two ambulances were stationed beside the cabin but it was apparent that no-one had needed medical attention yet as the medics were standing and talking beside their trucks.

Among a group of men was one young man, worry and fear prominent on his features. His blonde hair and lightly tanned skin matched that of his sisters. When the car was parked the man look over, noticing its presence.

Rosalie ripped her seatbelt off and threw open the door, running the second her shoes hit the ground. The man ran towards her and they met in the middle, Rosalie burying her face into his chest for a few seconds before pulling away.

‘Jack, you’re here!’ Rosalie almost smiled at the boy. Jack was Sadie’s brother, the twenty-one year old lived and worked about an hour away from their home town.

Jack looked like he hadn’t slept, dark circles underneath his eyes and his blonde hair sat messily on his head. He wore jeans and a plain shirt, dirt rimming the bottom of the pants.

‘Did they find anyone yet?’ Rosalie asked, trying not to let the fear and anxiety creep into her fragile voice. Rosalie looked over to see that Paul was with a group of the policemen, talking intently about something.

Jack nodded, ‘They just radioed us a few minutes ago that they did find Parker in a cabin a few miles away.’

‘Is he alright?’ Rosalie asked hopefully.

‘He has a concussion and lost quite a bit of blood, but he will live. He’s on his way to the hospital now.’

Rosalie let out a relieved sigh, allowing herself only a moment to be happy that her friend was alive before allowing the fear for her other friends and her boyfriend to sink back into her chest.

‘The others?’ she asked, somewhat afraid that he would answer.

Jack threaded his hand through his blonde hair, shaking his head in disbelief as he spoke. ‘They found Deon’s b-body, he was dead. I-I saw it. Defiantly dead, all that blood.’

Rosalie put a comforting hand on his arm for a few seconds, ‘Sadie? Ben?’

He shook his head sadly.

‘They are dead?’ Rosalie gasped.

Jacks eyes widened considerably, ‘no, no,’ he corrected quickly. ‘They haven’t been able to find them yet.’

Rosalie felt some relief at that, but it still wasn’t the answer she had been hoping for. ‘Oh.’

‘I just want to go back out and search!’ Jack said exasperatedly. ‘Once they found the body they restricted those searching to cops and rangers, so I’ve just been waiting on news. I just want to find my sister!’

Rosalie winced at his tone and the blonde noticed immediately, his expression softening. ‘I’m sorry Rose.’

Jack led Rosalie to the cabin steps, where the girl hesitantly sat down next to Jack.

‘Why did this happen?’ Jack didn’t meet her eyes, looking out into the trees.

Rosalie bit her bottom lip, sadness overcoming her expression. ‘I am sorry that I couldn’t protect her Jack, I’m so sorry.’

‘Rose,’ Rosalie looked over to see that Jack was looking at her with a sympathetic expression. ‘None of this is your fault. None of it. From what I was told, Christopher was crazed. The cops told me that you said you were able to stop Chris, you did that, you saved yourself and you saved Parker. You are stronger than you know Rosalie.’

‘But I didn’t stop him in time, what if they are all dead? What if-’

Jack silenced her, putting his hand in hers and squeezing comfortingly, ‘shh.’

Rosalie took a deep breath, returning the gesture.

She turned her head, looking back out into the trees, watching the warm sunlight as it bathed everything in its path in an orange glow.

She wondered where Sadie was. She hoped that her best friend was alive somewhere out there, she hoped that somehow she had been spared. Jack fidgeted nervously beside her and Rosalie hoped that he wouldn’t have to go through losing his sister. Sadie was loved by so many people and the thought of such a beautiful girl’s life ending just send shocks of pain through Rosalie’s heart.

Then there was Benjamin. He had gone after Sadie, he had done something so selfless. Didn’t he deserve to live?

Rosalie’s life had changed the day she and Benjamin had started dating. He was the reason she kept going, he was how she stayed so strong. He supported her, and the mere thought of having to go on without him made tears come to her eyes. Benjamin was the love of her life. Benjamin treated her with a respect and love that Christopher couldn’t match on his best day. Benjamin had become like a father to Mackenzie, reading her stories and scaring away monsters from under her bed. Rosalie remembered walking past Mackenzie’s room a few weeks before and seeing Benjamin reading a fairy tale to the little girl and it brought a slight smile to her lips.      

Rosalie remembered the first time that Benjamin had told her that he loved her, the look of pure happiness when she said it back still made her heart flutter. He gave her hope in a world where her parents were nothing but a fond memory and her sister was a crying mess who just wanted her mommy. Every time she looked at a photo of her parents, their happy smiles tearing at her heart, or heard her sister crying in the middle of the night she felt like she was breaking, like little pieces of her heart and soul were breaking inside of her.

Benjamin had given her hope, had given her the courage she needed to believe that they would get through this and that good things did happen.

Sadie had stuck by her, forever there to talk and to listen. Her friend was the definition of loyal and caring. Sadie deserved to live, Benjamin deserved to live, but Rosalie knew that they didn’t live in the fair and just world that she wished they did, and people didn’t always get what they deserved.

‘Rosalie?’ The girl looked up from her lap to see Paul standing before her.

‘Yes?’

‘We’ve found a body.’

Jack stiffened beside her and Rosalie held her breath for a second before meeting Pauls eyes. ‘Who was it?’

‘The body was Christopher Bryant’s.’ He said carefully.

Rosalie nodded guiltily, looking back down at her hands, the hands that held the gun which ended a life.

Jack patted her shoulder, ‘You did what you had to do Rosalie.’

The girl nodded, not raising her eyes. ‘Have Ben and Sadie been found yet?’ she asked.

‘Not yet,’ Paul told them. ‘Everyone’s still searching, we won’t give up until they are found.’ Paul walked away then, leaving Jack and Rosalie on the stairs. The wood of the stair was uncomfortable, but Rosalie didn’t care about herself, all of her thoughts were on her friends.

She sat there for a while longer, her mind flashing to memories of the night before, of the look in Christopher’s eyes when she shot him, of the last worried and love filled glance that she shared with Benjamin.

‘Rose look!’

Rosalie’s head whipped to look at Jack, who was looking into the tree line a mixed expression on his face. She followed his line of sight to see people making their way out of the tree line as medics and officers ran towards them.

Jack grasped her hand, pulling her from the steps and they ran, side by side until they were at the centre of the group of people.

There were three men and a girl, two of the men were holding the girl up as they walked. The girl had blonde hair, and was limping. Ligature marks circled her wrists and Rosalie wondered what had happened out there. Cuts lined the girls body and blood dripped down her neck and limbs, but she was breathing. She was alive. The sight before her sent a smile to her face.

‘SADIE!” Rosalie threw herself at the girl, wrapping her arms around her middle carefully and pressing her face into the girls shoulder.

Jack stood behind Rosalie, his hands on Sadies face. ‘You’re alive!’ he smiled at the girl.

The officers let go of the blonde, allowing Jack to hold her up while Rosalie hugged onto the girl. Rosalie pulled away with wide, wet eyes to look at her friend.

‘I was so worried that Christopher had killed you. Are you ok? What happened?’

Sadie shook her head a slight smile gracing her lips, ‘He knocked me out, but I’m ok.’

‘Where’s Ben?’ Rosalie smiled at the girl, looking around but not seeing her boyfriend.

Sadie shared a worried glance with Jack before looking her friend in the eye and shaking her head sadly. ‘He didn’t make it Rose.’

Rosalie staggered back, the smile fading from her face in an instant and being replaced with non-belief. ‘no…no..’

‘I am so sorry Rose,’ Sadie cried, tears falling down her face. ‘He was trying to save me but-but Chris, he-he..’

‘No, you’re lying.’ Rosalie shook her head, ‘He has to be alright, he-he has to. Right Jack?’ She turned her gaze to the man, but he just gave her a sympathetic expression and tried to reach out to her comfortingly. Rosalie flinched away from him. ‘Where is he?’

Rosalie looked around, ‘BEN!’ She screamed, causing the attention of those around her to all come to rest on her.

‘Rose, he’s gone.’ Sadie cried.

Rosalie shook her head, her lower lip quivering. ‘He c-can’t be dead.’

Something in the tree line caught her attention and what she saw caused her heart to stop in her chest and the blood to freeze in her veins. Two men were carrying a stretcher, a black tarp covering a body.

She shook her head violently, ‘No!’ The girl lunged forwards, tears falling down her face. She was vaguely aware of arms wrapping around her middle, preventing her from reaching Benjamin. She cried, kicked and struggled in their arms before falling to the ground, her legs no longer working.

She heard a comforting voice in her ear, as she was pressed up against someone’s chest. She sobbed and shook, feeling like her entire world was breaking.

Christopher had killed Benjamin. Benjamin had died trying to protect them all, trying to do right by his friends.

Rosalie realised that she would never joke with him again, never see his beautiful smile, never feel his arms wrap around her. Rosalie sobbed harder as her heart was torn to pieces in her chest.

Sadie watched in horror as her friend cried on the ground, her face pressed into a cop’s uniform. Tears fell freely down Sadie’s cheeks as she witnessed her friend’s heartbreak.

A medic was suddenly in her face, trying to get her cuts looked at. She broke away from her brother and the medic, using all her strength to get to her friend. She fell on the ground next to Rosalie, ushering the cop away and pulling the brunette against her chest.

She pushed her friend’s hair back with her hand and let her cry against her, ignoring the pain in her own body.

‘It’s going to be ok Rose,’ she whispered into her friend ear, holding her close. ‘Shh.’

After a few minutes Jack managed to coax Rosalie and Sadie off of the ground, telling them that they were all going to the hospital. The three of them were put into an ambulance and taken to the local hospital where the girls could be looked over.

Rosalie hadn’t said a word the entire journey, instead she cried silently with her arms wrapped firmly around her middle. Sadie had tried to comfort her, but Rosalie had only flinched away from the contact.

Jack looked uncomfortable, his worried gaze switching often between Rosalie and his sister.

When they arrived at the hospital they got out of the ambulance slowly, but as soon as their feet were on the ground they heard the shouts. Rosalie heard her name being called and she looked up to see Sadie’s parents and her Aunt with Mackenzie in her arms, running towards them.

‘Mom! Dad!’ Sadie ran the short distance to her parents, who wrapped their arms around her. Her mother was crying and for a second Rosalie wished that she could be wrapped in the comforting arms of her parents, but then she looked into the crying eyes of her aunt and the outstretched arms of her little sister and Rosalie knew that she was loved, that she may not have her parents, but she had people who cared about her.

‘Rose!’ Mackenzie called out happily as the three of them met. Rosalie pulled her sister from her Aunts arms and held the girl tight to her chest, pressing her face into her hair.

‘I was so worried Rose.’ Her aunt said, hugging her from her free side.

‘You have no idea how happy I am to see you guys.’ Rosalie said, pressing a kiss to her sister’s cheek. Her aunt smiled at the two girls.

The group was ushered inside the emergency room and Rosalie put Mackenzie down on the ground but didn’t let go of her hand.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

After the girls were cleared by the doctors they were told that they would be able to see Parker soon. The girls and their families sat in the waiting room as Parker’s parents took their turn to see their son.

They sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs silently, the only sounds in the room were made by Mackenzie as she played with her dolls on a small table.

Rosalie and Sadie sat side-by-side, their hands linked between them. Sadies many cuts were covered by bandages and both of them had changed into clean clothes. Rosalie's hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was glad to not feel the dirtiness of the forest dirt and muck on her skin and through her hair.

Both Sadie's parents and Rosalie's Aunt had tried to engage them in conversation, but they wouldn't say more than a few words, instead just held each others hands tighter as they blinked back tears.

Every once in a while they would make eye contact but the words didn’t need to be said.

Sadie wished that she had been able to save Deon and Benjamin, wished that her friend didn’t have to suffer this heartbreak. Sadie was proud of her friend for shooting Christopher and felt empathy towards the girl who had to shoot a man she had once loved, that an innocent girl now had blood on her hands. Christopher was far from innocent, but Rosalie had ended a life none the less. 

 Rosalie wished that she could have saved them all, that Sadie didn’t have to loose Deon. She was proud of her friend for surviving and would be forever grateful that her friend was spared.

They both had broken hearts and were just trying to keep going.

None of it needed to be said, they both already knew, so they sat silently, the occasional tear falling down one of their cheeks as memories flashed before their eyes and pain filled their hearts.

‘He wants to see you two.’ Parker’s mother nodded towards the girls as both his mother and father walked back into the waiting room and sat down in the dark brown chairs.   

Sadie stood first, pulling Rosalie up with her. They walked silently down the hallways, stopping just outside the door to his room.

Rosalie hesitated, capturing Sadie’s attention.

‘Rose?’

‘I’m ok, It’s just, do you think he knows about Ben?’

‘I don’t know.’ Sadie told her.

Rosalie nodded sadly, hoping that they weren’t going to be the ones to tell their friend that Benjamin had died.

Sadie wrapped her hand around the knob, opening it slowly. Rosalie felt somewhat relieved to see the boy who was in the white bed. It gave her heart a little rest to know that he was here, breathing, living, safe.

The room was quite big for a single bed room. The walls were a sickening white, but Rosalie was just glad to see something other than trees and wooden walls. There was a small white chair next to the bed. A machine was beeping at a slow pace. The boy was on the bed in a hospital gown, sheets up to his waist. A thick white bandage covered his upper arm and a purple bruise coloured the side of his forehead.

‘Parker!’ Sadie quickly crossed the distance between them, standing as close to the bed as she could and looking him over intently.

‘Hi Guys.’ Parker smiled at the two girls before eyeing Rosalie carefully. ‘Rose?’

Rosalie walked up next to Sadie, ‘Do y-you know?’

Parker bit his bottom lip slowly and nodded, ‘Mom told me what happened to Ben and what happened with you and Chris.’

Rosalie nodded, looking at her feet.

‘Hey,’ Parker brought Rosalie’s gaze up to his face. ‘You did what you had to Rose, and I-I’m so sorry about Ben.’

Rosalie leant forward and carefully wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face into his shoulder. ‘I’m so glad you’re ok,’ she whispered, pulling away. Sadie sat in the chair beside the bed and Rosalie sat on the edge of the bed.

‘What happened to your head?’ Sadie asked.

Parker bit his lip in confusion, looking at the two girls. ‘I remember being in that other cabin, then Chris came in but I hid. He found the map to where you were going Rose, but that’s all I remember.’

‘It’s ok Parker, all that matters is that we are safe.’

‘Is it really over?’ Sadie asked quietly.

‘It’s over.’ Rosalie sighed, extending her hands. Sadie and Parker linked their hands with Rosalie, and then linked their spare hands with each other.

The three of them seemed to let out a communal sigh.

They were alive, they had survived.

Rosalie looked at both of her friends and felt the loss of Deon and Benjamin, but she also knew that if they had survived everything they had been through, then they could survive this.

Next is the Epilogue!