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“Let's go, you guys!” Amanda raced ahead and Chris followed her, laughing. Nick grinned at Moss and xe looked away, xeir face red. Jaxson glanced at Moss and made a face, looking pointedly at Nick. Moss shoved his shoulder and he ran ahead, laughing.The air around them cooled as they stepped into the forest and the leaves shielded them from the sun. Moss looked around, picked up a small rock and slipped it in xeir bag. Ginny turned to wait for xim and xe jogged to catch up. They found a ravine and followed it, Halyn and Moss running in the ravine, jumping from rock to rock haphazardly while the others trail behind at a safer speed. At the bottom of the ravine, Moss and Jaxson found a cave. They shouted to the others and Moss pulled a flashlight out of xeir bag before shining it in the cave. They looked around and Jaxson started to step in before Moss pulled him back.The group finally caught up to them and they followed Moss into the small cave. Amanda laughed at the tight fit and the sound echoed around them. “We all barely fit! It would be perfectly comfortable if we had two less people in here.” Everyone laughed and Nick and Chris stepped out. “See? Perfectly comfortable!”Jaxson shrieked. “I felt something slide over my foot! Out out out out!” Everyone scrambled over each other to escape the cave. Moss moved back to it once everyone was out and turned on xeir flashlight. Xe scanned the cave floor and saw a small brown, black, and red snake.“It's just a garter snake! Look at him.” Xe picked up the small snake and held him up to the light filtering through the trees. “So pretty.”“Are you kidding me? That's gross!” Amanda said. Nick and Moss laughed.“He's harmless. He won't hurt you. He was just freaked out because we all piled into his house without asking. Let’s let him go back home.” Moss gently set the snake on the forest floor and they all watched it slither away.“What's over here?” Chris pointed north and started heading in that direction, everyone following him. They stopped at a giant fallen tree and Moss scaled it. Xe stood at the top and stared down at the group.“Who's short now?” Xe called down.Everyone exchanged glances and Chris called back, “still you!” Moss huffed and crossed xeir arms. Xe uncrossed them, frowning and scanning the group over and over again. Xe slid down the side of the tree and back to the group.“Where's Ginny?” Everyone looked around and panicked.“She was right next to me when we were walking here!” Jaxson said. He looked like he was about to cry. Amanda hugged him and everyone started walking around, calling out Ginny’s name. Jaxson pulled out his phone and called her but the call didn't go through. “No service!”Nick walked back to Jaxson and Amanda and everyone slowly returned shortly after. “We have to go look for her.”“We have to stay together!” Jaxson exclaimed.“Everyone pair off. Stay by your buddy no matter what!” Moss suggested. Everyone paired off. Jaxson stood next to Halyn, Gaby was next to Kelsie, and Nick moved next to Moss. Amanda looked around for Chris, but he was nowhere to be seen.“Chris is gone!” She screamed. Moss moved to her side.“Calm down! Well look for him as well. We have to stay calm or we won't find them.” She sucked in a shaky breath and nodded. Moss turned to Jaxson. “Did you try calling her?”“No service. We should just go.”Moss nodded. “Everyone stand next to your buddy and I’ll number the groups.” Everyone scrambled around and found their partner. Moss turned slightly pink when Nick made a beeline to xim, but quickly shook xeir head, trying to focus.“Okay. Now that we're all in groups-hold on, how many are there?” Xe cut ximself off and counted the groups. “Four groups. Gaby, you can join Nick and I.”“Why are we getting into groups in the first place? Shouldn't we stay together?” Addi asked.“This is just so everyone has someone to watch to make sure they don't also go missing.” Moss turned to the rest of the group. “Any other questions?” Everyone shook their heads. “Okay. Let's number off our groups. Jax and Halyn, you are group one. Nick, Gaby and I will be group two. Amanda and Kelsie, you're group three. Addi and Taylor, you guys will be group four. Everyone got their groups? Number off.”“One!” Jax said.“Two.” Gaby replied.“Three.” Amanda and Kelsie said in unison.“Four.” Taylor said. Moss nodded.“Only sound off your number if your buddy is here. If not, tell us they're gone. Let's go.”They headed west and everyone grabbed their buddies' hands. Nick slipped his hand in Moss’ and xe flushed, glad for the first time that it was dark so Nick couldn't see xim. Gaby grabbed Moss’ other hand and xe focused on her hand, trying to clear xeir head. The group walked around a hill, Jaxson, Halyn, Amanda, and Kelsie climbing over it instead.Moss tripped over a branch and Gaby held out her hand to help xem up. Xe took it and thanked her. They walked for another five minutes, calling for Sarah and Chris. “Hold up, everyone. Sound off!”“One!”“Two.”Silence. Moss looked around and flipped on xeir flashlight to see better. Amanda and Kelsie were gone. “Okay. Nobody panic. But Kelsie and Amanda are both gone.” Everyone looked around in panic and Moss counted heads. “Hold on.” Xe counted again. “Addi, where's Taylor?”Addi whipped her head around. “She was with me, I swear! She didn't want to hold hands, said she was uncomfortable with it, so we didn't! I was just with her.” She looked like she was about to cry and Halyn looked the same.“Guys! We need to figure this out.” Moss sat down and everyone followed suit. “Listen. Someone is obviously taking us. Nobody is just wandering off and getting lost. Somebody has it out for us and I don't know why. Let's split off into groups of three instead of two. There's enough of us, right?” Nick looked around and nodded. “Okay. Addi and Halyn, you two are with me. Jax, Nick, and Gaby, you are group two.”“Why don't we just leave?!” Gaby asked. “Obviously, someone is trying to kill us all! We should’ve left a long time ago.”“We're not leaving them to whatever fate this person has for them!” Moss yelled.“We're going to join them if we don't leave!” Gaby countered. Moss opened xeir mouth to argue but closed it. Xe took a deep breath.“If you would like to leave, go ahead. I can't stop you, but if you leave-”“Fine!” Gaby got up and started walking back the way they came. “I'm not going to die to save our friends who are most likely already dead.”“You idiot! You are going to die before you even get back to the ravine!” Addi called. Moss rested xeir hand on her shoulder.“She's not going to listen. Let's just keep looking for the others.”“We need to re-split the groups because Gaby left.” Halyn said. Moss nodded.“Jax, you're with me. The rest of you are together in a group and I'm giving everyone a number.” Everyone nodded. Xe walked along the line of them and numbered them off. “Everyone, number off.”“One.” Addi started.“Two.” Jax continued.“Three.” Halyn said.“Four.” Nick followed.“And I'm five.” Moss finished. “Good. Let's continue. Stay in your groups!”They kept walking for ten minutes, calling out for the people who had disappeared. They all gathered again and Moss called for another sound off.“One.”“Two.”Silence. Moss looked around. “Halyn?” No reply. “Nick, Addi, you were with Halyn. Where are they?”“I don't know!” Addi shouted. Nick shook his head in agreement. Moss balled xeir fists and, after a moment of silence, punched a tree.“Fuck!” Nick rushed to xim and enveloped Moss’ hand in his.“Don't do that.” He scolded softly. Moss huffed and looked away.“What are we going to do?” Xe whispered. “Half of my friends have disappeared. How could I let them be taken without protecting them?!”Jax walked over to xim. “We’ll find them. We should keep looking.” Moss nodded and turned to the others.“Jax and I will go north. Nick and Addi, you two head south.” Nick and Addi nodded and started on their way. Nick glanced back at Moss and Moss looked away, flustered.Jax elbowed xeir shoulder, trying to distract himself from his fear by making fun of xim. Xe rolled xeir eyes and grabbed his hand. They walked north together and Jax tripped over a branch. Moss laughed and helped him up. As xe was straightening up, a scream ripped through the forest, closely followed by a gunshot and they whipped their heads around.“That sounded like…” Jax trailed off.“Addi!” Moss screamed. Xe took off towards the source of the sound, Jax running behind xim.They ran into Nick halfway there and he grabbed Moss when xe tried to run past him. “Hey, hey!” Moss stopped struggling in his arms for a moment. “She's gone. She's dead. You can't help her.”Moss’ eyes widened and stared into the forest behind Nick, sinking to the ground. Nick lowered himself as well and held Moss in a tight embrace as xe cried. Jax frowned.“How do you know she's dead?”“Because I saw her die. Someone, I didn't see who shot her.”“And why didn't you protect her?” He accused. Moss looked up at him, tears in xeir eyes.“Leave him alone Jax! If he would've tried to step in, he'd probably be dead as well!” Jax huffed and glared at Nick. Moss wiped xeir eyes and stood. “We need to keep looking. Let's go back to the cave from earlier. They might’ve decided to wait there.”“Fine.” Jax took Moss’ hand and the three of them headed back to the cave. Another gunshot rang out behind them and they jumped. Moss grabbed Jax’s hand tighter and they sprinted to the cave. After a few minutes of running, Jax stopped. “We’re lost.”Moss looked around and frowned. “I think it was…no it was over…” Xe sighed. “Yeah, we're lost.”Nick placed his hand on xeir shoulder and looked around. “Can I borrow your flashlight?” Moss nodded and handed it to him. He flicked it on and shined it around. They grinned in unison when they saw the giant tree. “Just pass there.” He turned off the flashlight and handed it back to Moss. They took off past the tree and Moss grinned in sight of the cave.By now, the sun was starting to rise and Moss ran up to the cave. Xe poked xeir head in and immediately recoiled from the smell. The metallic smell of blood hung in the air like a cloud. Xe flipped on xier flashlight and shined it into the cave. Xe gasped, dropping the flashlight.The cave was filled with bodies, their limbs and torsos covered in blood. Their faces were clean, though. Moss gazed on in horror as he recognised Gaby, Halyn, and Addi as the bodies on top.He heard a slight scuffle and turned around to see Nick with his hand in Jaxson's hair, holding his head in place. Before xe could do anything, Nick brought a knife up to his throat and jerked his arm back, slitting his throat in one fluid movement. He dropped his body to the forest floor and stepped over it towards Moss.Xe backed away quickly, tripped on something, and fell to the ground. Xe looked down to see what tripped xim and almost vomited. A slightly yellowish arm was draped outside the cave entrance. Xe scrambled to xeir feet and saw Nick looking at xim curiously.“What have you done?” Moss whispered. Nick frowned and twirled his knife in his hand.“They were distracting you. Now you're mine. Only mine!” He smiled down at xim and raised a hand to brush xeir cheek. Moss felt something warm and wet smear on xeir face and flinched away from his hand. Nick pulled his hand away and frowned again. “I'm sorry, my love. I don't mean to frighten you, but it had to be done. I was hoping you wouldn't know but I am slightly relieved you do. Now I don't have to hide anything from you!”Moss looked around for anything xe could use or anyone to help xim, but there was nothing and nobody around. Xe considered screaming for help but xeir eyes caught the sunlight glinting off Nick's knife. Xe clamped xeir mouth shut and closed xeir eyes, hoping Nick would just kill xim and get it over with instead of dragging it out for so long.“Look at me, love.” Moss turned xeir face away from Nick. Nick grabbed xeir chin with his free hand and forced xim to face him. “Open your eyes. I want to see them.”Moss hesitated before opening xeir eyes. Xe was greeted by Nick's face smiling down at xim. “You have beautiful eyes. I'm sorry if you do not want this, but you will fall in love with me. Eventually.”Moss took a deep breath to calm xirself down and took a step back. Nick shifted slightly to follow xim. “I already loved you. This whole time I was distracted by you and I couldn't stop thinking about you. The others,” xeir breath caught slightly before continuing. “They knew and teased me about it. All in good fun, of course. I didn't want anyone but you.”Nick blinked, surprised, but quickly smiled. “I'm glad.” Moss tentatively moved closer to Nick and wrapped xeir arms around him. Nick widened his eyes in surprise but quickly enveloped Moss in his arms, dropping his knife so he couldn't hurt xim. He rested his head on Moss’, eyes closed and a smile spreading across his face.Moss stood frozen, a cold piece of metal stabbing into the side of his stomach. 3…2…1!Xe moved, grabbing the gun out of Nick's waistband and kicked the knife he dropped out of reach. Xe stepped back and raised the gun, pointing it at Nick who stood in shock. He slowly raised his hands above his hands in surrender. “Please, love. You'll hurt yourself.” Nick said, slightly condescending.“You seem to know everything about me, but you still think I won't shoot?”“I have no doubt that you will.” Nick corrected. “I'm more afraid of you getting hurt.”“I've been training with a pistol every other weekend for 3 years. I won't hurt myself.” Moss’ hand shook. Xe knew what xe had to do, and xe knew xe could do it, but why was it so difficult? Why did it hurt so much? “I want you to apologise. I want you to genuinely feel remorse for mercilessly murdering our friends when you could’ve just talked to me.”“I-” Nick took a step forward and Moss shook the gun slightly. He quickly stepped back. “I'm sorry. I shouldn’t’ve done that, and there's nothing I can do to fix it. I'm sorry. Now please put the gun down, before you get hurt.”Moss released the breath xe hadn't realised xe was holding and lowered the gun slightly. Nick smiled and stepped forward, his arms lowering as if he was going to hug him. Moss quickly raised the gun again and fired twice. Xe squeezed xeir eyes shut and heard a soft whoosh and a thump. Xe opened xeir eyes slightly and saw Nick on the ground, his eyes open and glassy. Moss gagged as xe watched blood spurt out of a hole in his forehead and upper torso. Xe stumbled backwards and tripped over the arm protruding from the cave again. Xe scrambled to xeir feet and looked around. Xe took in the scene, looked over xeir friends, murdered for love, and the man xe loved, murdered by xeir own hands.Xe looked down at the gun in xeir hand and quickly stashed it in xeir bag before moving to pick up the knife Nick had dropped. The knife that ended so many lives. Xe walked over to Nick, no Nick's body, and carefully slipped the blade into its hand and closed its hand around it. Xe backed away quickly and shuddered.Xe pulled an audio recording device out of xeir bag and, taking a deep breath, pressed record.Xe told the story of what happened and paused, having just confessed what xe had done. “And now is the end of the story. I stand with the broken bodies of my friends and the one I loved surrounding me. There is no one else in this world for me, and I cannot go on with the blood on my hands.” Xe pulled Nick’s gun out of xier bag and raised it to xeir temple. “Over the last 12 hours, I've cried and vomited and screamed and killed. I've been excited, afraid, angry, in love, shocked, and upset. So with these final words, I can say goodbye.” Xe held the recording device in xeir hand, xeir thumb hovering over the end recording button. Xe closed xeir eyes and squeezed the trigger. White flashed and a loud bang rang in xeir ears. Pain split white hot through xim and xe felt xirself fall. Xeir thumb pressed the button and xe smiled.As Moss laid on the forest floor, all xe could think in xeir last moments was how excited xe was to see xeir friends and apologise.“What the hell?” A man walked around the corner at the end of a ravine and he flinched back automatically because of the smell. He moved forward and saw the bodies of two teenage boys. “Oh my gods.” He called for backup on the radio on his uniform before investigating closer. He saw a pile of teenagers' bodies inside a shallow cave in the ravine wall. He looked around for any sort of weapon and saw one of the bodies outside the cave holding a knife, another holding a gun, a third laying crumpled on the ground, his throat slit. Looking closer, he saw a small device in the other hand of the one with the gun. He slipped a pair of gloves on and, careful not to disturb the body, picked up the device and slipped it in a plastic evidence bag. He examined it and saw the storage was full. He pressed play.“Ginny, the girl with long brown hair, the first to go, the one who didn’t know what was happening until it was too late.Chris, the blond boy, the second to die, the sweetheart with a sense of adventure.Amanda and Kelsie, the girl with tattoos and the dirty blonde haired girl, best friends their entire lives, together even to death. Timid and bold, the perfect pairing.Taylor, the brunette girl with long nails, the one who disappeared without a trace, who refused to hold hands with anyone, even at risk to her own demise.Gaby, the brunette girl with curly hair, the one who tried to leave before she was killed, only to be killed as she fled.Halyn, the black haired person, the fierce one, who was taken right under everyone’s noses.Addi, the dark brunette girl with straight hair, the one with survivor's guilt, who was with two dead people before they were taken.Jaxson, the boy with green hair, the last one to be killed by Nick, the one who tried to warn Moss, the one xe ignored until it was too late.Nick, the boy with the knife, the murderer, the one who killed for love, only to die by his lover's hand and his own weapon.Moss, the person with the gun, the lover, the protector who failed, who had no one left and couldn't handle it. The author.Lets go, you guys!’ Amanda raced ahead and Chris followed her.-” The officer paused the recording and hurried back to the station.