~Aiden~

T H E   W O R L D   W A Sa mess, created by Aiden. And now he was struggling to clean it up.

First his father. Then his mother and little sisters. Now Clara. Why did he have to complicate everything? He was losing his family, the only people that ever stood by him. Aiden was getting tired of pushing it down and acting like nothing was wrong. Every time he tried to help, he was shot down. He put a smile on his face and acted like he wasn't hurt. He covered up his feelings with laughter and did his best to hide his true self.

Clara was the only one that knew his secrets. She was the only one who truly knew who he was, and still kept by his side. And now he had lost her. She was gone, gone along with everyone else. He was left on his own.

Aiden punched a tree in frustration. Why did it have to be him? Why?

Immediately he hissed, pulling back his hand. It was turning purple. "That was a smart move." Aiden muttered to himself, sarcasm dripping off his tongue like venom. He chuckled humorlessly, continuing his walk. He had no set destination in mind, and was just wandering aimlessly through the forest, but he didn't care. He wanted to run. Run from his problems. Run from his life.

The rusty bike creaked as he dragged its handles along the trail. Leaves crunched underneath his worn-out sneakers, and he wondered where Clara had gone. How would she find her way home? 

He wandered through the labyrinth of trees, his mind drifting into his thoughts. The wind whistled in his ears.

Suddenly, he spotted something sticking out from behind a tree. They looked like...shoes? Was someone sitting there?

He walked towards the spot, turning around the tree. And his heart came to a stop.

It was a man. A dead man.

A dark haired man had been laid in an upright position up against the tree. Aiden rushed over to him, surveying the scene. There was a clearing up ahead, past a few trees. He looked down at the man.

An arrow was sticking out of his thigh, and the dark red blood had stained the grass.  Aiden turned him over. There were two bullet wounds. One on his back, and one in the middle of his chest.

When he removed his hand, they were sticky with blood. Aiden examined the wounds more closely. The arrow, that looked like it happened a while ago. But the bullet wounds - they were...fresh. He had been shot recently. 

They were in the middle of the forest. It took days to travel around here. It was heard by the gossiping townsfolk that once, someone came in and never left. It would take a long time to get out of here.

Which meant the killer was still in the forest.

Aiden got up and grabbed his bag, slowly backing away from the man.

And then, he ran.

***

It was night now. The crickets were chirping and the moon lit up the ground as the forest came alive. Owls hooted in the trees and the wind was blowing harder.

Aiden couldn't stop thinking about the dead man. Why would someone kill an innocent man like that? It didn't make sense.

It also meant he was in danger. Any moment now, the killer could stumble apon his little hideaway in the trees, and kill him just as he or she killed that man. Aiden wasn't sure what to do. How would he protect himself?

The gun crossed his mind. Of course. He had a gun in his bag. He was freaking Aiden Rogers. He was a thief, and he wasn't ashamed of it. His skills proved useful, not only for money but for protection. He would be able to fight off another guy if he used his gun, right?

But Clara's words held him back. Each time he looked at the gun, he thought of her. 

I can't look at you, with a gun in your hands, and think you're a murderer!

Was he any better than the person that killed the man he found in the woods?

He shook his head, thinking of Clara. He had made a promise to her. And now she was all alone in the forest, trying to find her way back. She had run away, and he let her. He let her leave, and now he was paying the price.

Oh god, she was alone. Alone in this vast forest, trying to find a way home. What if the murderer found her? What if they killed her? It would be his fault.

Aiden stood up. He needed to find her. He needed to protect her, even if it meant using the gun. He had made a promise to her. He wasn't going to break it. He wasn't going to let her die. It was his fault he had brought her into this. He needed to get her back to safety.

His eyes itched with tiredness as he swung the bag on his shoulder once more. He stepped out into the night sky, leaving behind the comfort of his hideaway in the tree.

"I'll find you, Clare bear." He whispered into the night. "I promise."

And with that, Aiden Rogers set down the road, listening to the sound of his bike tires against the leaves, and the sounds of the night forest.

***

Crunch.

The leaves crunched under Aiden's feet as he made his way through the trees, shining his flashlight all around him. Searching. 

Looking for his sister.

Snap.

Aiden jumped, quickly looking around. It was merely a twig. Nothing to be afraid of.

No one was there.

Rustle.

Who was that? Was someone hiding behind that bush, watching him, wishing to stay hidden?

No, it was the tree branch brushing against another. Was he going paranoid?

Aiden shone his flashlight up ahead. More trees, more grass, more leaves. The same things he had been seeing for the past hours - 

Wait, what was that? There was something up ahead.

Or someone.

Aiden squinted into the distance. It was a...a light? Maybe somebody was over there. Maybe they could help him. Maybe it was Clara.

Maybe it was the killer.

He ran over to the light source with his gun locked into position. As he drew nearer and nearer, he started to make out shapes. It wasn't a person. It was a house or something.

Aiden stopped running. He slowly walked up to the tiny cottage. The lights inside were turned on, and if he put his ear at the door, he could make out two voices talking to each other. He didn't knock. Not yet.

He looked around the front yard. A tiny pond rippled nearby. A target was set up atop a quite large tree trunk, and an two arrows pierced the board. Another one lay in the grass a few feet away from it.

Arrows. Was this the person that used the arrow to kill the man? 

He might have just stumbled apon a killer's cottage. 

Did killers even live in cottages? Shouldn't they have super scary villain-y lairs and stuff?

Aiden shook the thought from his head. It didn't matter. He found a killer. What if they had Clara? What if she was in danger? He had made a promise to protect her. Should he kill the killer?

But he wasn't a murderer. He was a thief. He didn't kill anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. Besides, this could be the wrong person. What if this wasn't even the killer?

He stared at the arrows, and glanced at his gun. The voices inside had died now, and a heavy silence filled the air as he contemplated his choices.

But he would never get to decide.

As Aiden stood from the ground once more, he felt a presence. Somebody was watching him. He shone the flashlight around, half expecting someone to jump out of a tree.

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed by his ear. It pierced the tree next to him, half an inch away from his head. Aiden's heart skipped a beat as he gripped his gun. "Who's there?"

And then the person came into focus. Something was pointed at him. A bow and arrow. Who even used a bow and arrow these days?

"I could ask you the same question." The person sneered. But what got him was the voice. 

It was a girl.

Aiden clicked his gun. "Lower your bow." he ordered, trying to see the person in the dark. His flashlight was still on the ground, shining on some leaves and twigs.

"Lower your gun." replied the voice. Aiden sighed. That wasn't going to happen.

"Are you the killer?" he asked, holding his gun in place.

"The what?" The girl came into view now. She had a hood that covered her long blonde hair, and was wearing a jacket. Her quiver was full. "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"The killer. You killed that man, didn't you? The dark haired one. There was an arrow sticking out of his thigh when I found him in the woods." Aiden told her, watching her face for any expressions. He couldn't see beneath her hood. "I'm Aiden Rogers. I don't want anything with you. In fact, I wanted to know if you had my sister. Or did you kill her too?" He spat at her.

"I didn't kill any...oh." Realization dawned in her smooth voice. "The arrow was not meant to kill that man. I only meant to injure him so that he would return home. Zane, he deserved it. He's tried to kill me multiple times. It was only self defense." She tried to explain. 

Aiden kept his gun pointed at her. "And the bullets? Don't tell me you didn't try to kill him. You shot him twice after you pierced him with the arrow." he snickered.

"What?" she asked, confused. She even dropped her bow in surprise. "I didn't...I didn't...Connor!" she yelled, turning towards the house.

A boy bounded out of the house, at her side in seconds. His dark hair fell over his silver eyes. "'Sup?"

"Did you go back and shoot Zane with your rifle?" she asked, fuming.

"Who's Zane?" he replied nonchalantly.

"The man I shot with my bow!" the girl yelled, frustrated. "Did you kill him?"

"There were two bullet holes when I saw him a few hours ago. He was laid up against a tree, with an arrow in the thigh, and two bullet holes - one on his back, one on his chest." Aiden added, not dropping the gun.

"I haven't left to go hunting for days, Ash." The boy, Connor, informed her.

"They looked fresh." Aiden commented. "He was shot recently."

"I only use a bow and arrow. I didn't even mean to kill him. How could he have been shot?" Ash asked, ignoring him completely.

"I don't know, I-"

Awooo!

A wolf.

"A wolf." Connor told them, as if Aiden hadn't just thought that. "Get inside. Now."

"Why?" Ash asked. "They aren't really that bad, are they?"

Connor looked at her like she had three heads. "Ash, have you seen the wolves around here? They could kill you in a second. With or without your bow." He turned to Aiden. "And your gun won't do anything against them. Get inside. Both of you. Now." His voice was panicked, scared.

But it was too late.

A snarl came from behind them, and Aiden spun around. Two yellow eyes glared at them with hunger, prowling around. Waiting for the right moment. 

All around them were yellow eyes. They glowed in the dark, waiting for the signal.

And then, the first one pounced. It leaped out of a bush behind Ash and she screamed, but there was nowhere to run. She picked up her bow and tried to shoot it, but missed. Connor kicked the leader wolf away.

Suddenly, all of the wolves started to attack. There were too many to count. They ran and kicked and punched them away, fighting for their lives. The cottage wasn't too far from here, but would they make it?

Aiden's heart was pounding. He was filled up with adrenaline, and for one of the first times in his life - fear. This wasn't the feeling he felt as he jumped off buildings with stolen goods in his hand, running from the cops. This was different. Scary. He didn't like it.

Suddenly, he was attacked from behind. A wolf knocked him down and he fell to the ground face flat. 

This is it, he thought. This is the end.

The wolf sank its claws into his skin, teeth bared. Clara popped into his mind.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Newfound strength entered his body as he stood up, pushing the wolf off him. It approached once more, but Aiden was ready. 

With a yell, he punched the wolf away. He wasn't going to let a puny wolf break his promise. He kicked it away.

His vision was blurred. He could just barely hear Connor and Ash yelling his name in the distance, but he didn't care. He was angry. The wind whistled in his ears, stronger than ever.

The wind. It was doing something weird. Like it had its own mind.

The wind pushed away all the wolves as they tried to approach them, picking up and getting faster, stronger. A whirlwind surrounded them and wolves were blown away. Their howls of surprise faded away. One last ripple of air sent the remaining wolf - the leader - flying through the trees.

And then it was over. Aiden started panting, and he collapsed to the ground. He felt drained, tired. His eyes flickered closed. 

"How did you do that?" Ash came into his not-so-great view. Somehow, after all that, she still managed to keep her hood on.

"D-do what?" he croaked out, thinking that some sleep would be great right now. 

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Connor and Ash glancing at each other, probably wondering who this weird boy was, and what they were going to do now.

***

Sorry for the wait, guys. I know it's been UNBELIEVABLY LONG since I've updated. I was on vacation in Atlanta, and I literally got no service there, hence the long wait. Also I had a lot of things to take care of.

Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed. I didn't really know what I should have made happen in this chapter, so I decided to just go along with my writing and see where it took me. 

Remember to COTE and FOLLOW! Also, plz share this with your friends. The more comments/votes/followers/reads I get, the sooner I'll update.

Comment: what's your favorite netflix show?

Next update: honestly idk. whenever i feel like it i guess. i don't want to write a chapter just because i feel like i haven't written in a while. i want it to be as good as it can get, so whenever i get inspired, i'll write, i guess.

Dedicated to AlexStarAlvarez

Peace out! <3

-helloperson11