Corl POV

..Continuation of chapter 22..

I shine my flashlight into the direction I believe they've gone. I pick up the pace because I know that there's definitely a possibility that they might be in trouble.

I continue running in the same direction before something immediately stops me in my tracks. I stand there in disbelief, my eyes wide. I see someone laying on the ground, seemingly lifeless. It's Elijah.

I immediately let my flashlight slip out of my hands as I fall to my knees.

"Elijah!" I yell, shaking him.

He flinches, opening his eyes and gasping for air. Frightened, I practically jump up.

"OH MY GOD, YOU SCARED ME!" He yells.

"I scared you?!" I question.

"Of course you scared me. You yelled my name and shook me. I thought you were the seeker so I was pretending to be dead," He explains.

"Ohhh. How did you end up on the ground and why did you scream?" I ask.

"I tripped," He explains.

"Hm. Makes sense. You sure are a clumsy one, aren't you?" I smirk.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," he says, getting up from off of the ground and brushing the dirt off his clothes.

A strange noise ripples through the forest. I immediately freeze. Elijah does too. We look at each other, concerned. The noise seemed relatively close.

"Stay quiet. We have to go find a hiding spot. Nothing's chasing us, so we have no reason to run just yet," Elijah whispers.

I nod, picking up my flashlight and following him as he tip-toes through the forest. I'm surprised by his quick thinking.

We travel through the forest, eyeing down trees and bushes in hopes of a good hiding spot. I cringe every time I step on a leaf.

"Hey Corl, what about this?" Elijah whispers, pointing his flashlight to a small pine tree with leaves that extend past the bottom part of the trunk.

"It seems like a good spot, but I'm not sure if we can both fit under there," I observe.

"True. I'll hide under here and you go find another spot. Just don't wander off too far," He suggests.

I nod and keep walking ahead, glancing back every few seconds to make sure I'm not too far from Elijah.

Then, it happens again. The strange noise. Only this time, it's a lot closer. So close that I can hear quick footsteps along with it.