CHAPTER : 02

Hazel was excited to attend Theo's party, but she was disappointed to find out that her friends Bae Shi-eon and Lennox were not there. She asked her friends if they were coming, but abruptly Julian broke her and he informed her that his car was too small to accommodate everyone. 

Hazel was annoyed because the car she's traveling belongs to Julian and she hates to share the belongings of Julian. 

However, when Arden confessed that she had kept this information from her intentionally, her frustration grew. 

Arden took Hazel's hand and apologized for not telling her earlier. She explained that she was afraid that Hazel might not come to the party if she knew that the car belonged to Julian.  Hazel was still upset, her anger got the best of her, and she demanded Julian to stop the car. 

"Stop the car, I said stop the car, Julian." Hazel screamed. 

Brixton, who had been silent until now, scolded Hazel for her behavior. She reminded her that Theo had always been there for her, and it was disrespectful to behave in such a manner by not attending his birthday party. Hazel felt ashamed of herself, but she couldn't help but feel angry and frustrated at the situation. 

Brixton's words hit home, and Hazel realized that she was being unreasonable. She took a deep breath, and her waves of anger slowly faded. She nodded her head and apologized to everyone in the car for causing problems. She knew that she had made a mistake, and she was grateful to have such understanding friends. 

Julian turned up the music to lighten the mood. As soon as everyone in the car started to sing along with the song and having a good time except Hazel. 

Hazel felt that she had been too self-centered and had not considered how her actions affected others. She realized that her behavior was causing chaos and that she needed to take responsibility for her actions.

As she leaned her head on the window and shut her eyes, Hazel was feeling overwhelmed with emotions. She was ashamed of her actions and felt guilty for causing a disturbance.

Julian and his friends stopped at a gas station to fill up the car and buy some snacks. While everyone got out of the car to go to the mart, Hazel chose to stay in the car and was lost in her thoughts. 

"Augustus? Can you come over here?" Lanita called him. 

"Yep, sure !" Augustus said and reached her. 

"What's the matter, Lanns?" He asked her. 

"Do something to make Julian and Hazel sit together, please," Lana pleaded.

"I hate him, but I'll do it for you. I loved the way you pleaded with me" he smiled. 

Augustus agreed to help and walked over to Julian to offer his assistance in fixing his car. 

"Hey, Julian! " Augustus called him.

"Yeah, what?" Julian's brows shrink, Augustus could sense the annoyance in Julian's tone.  But refusing it, Augustus said "I guess your car's condition is poor, let me fix it. "

"Thanks, but I don't want your help anyways" Julian demands, his voice was deep. 

Julian was initially hesitant and refused Augustus's help. He was annoyed and didn't want to interact with Augustus. 

Augustus explained that he was doing it for everyone's safety, and Julian eventually gave in and handed over the key to Augustus. 

Despite their differences, Augustus and Julian were able to work together for the safety of everyone in the car. 

"Alright everyone let's get into the car. Julian's car is facing a little trouble, but that'll be fixed in a while." Lana informed her friends. Everyone agreed and got into the car. 

"Julian, I'll start the car. You go push it from the back"  Augustus instructed Julian to push the car while he started it, and Lana called Arden to help Julian. Augustus asked Julian and Arden to push the car while he drove.

Once they got the car moving, Lana squealed, urging Arden and Julian to settle in the back seat. Brixton opened the door, and Arden and Julian got into the remaining seats.

As the car picked up speed, the wind blew through everyone's hair and they all felt alive. Hazel felt Julian's arms around her shoulders. Moving away from his hold.She looked out the window, admiring the scenery. She could hear the others chatting and laughing. 

Augustus drove the car with skill, navigating the winding roads with ease. He knew the area like the back of his hand, and he enjoyed showing it off to his friends. He pointed out landmarks and attractions, and everyone listened intently. 

As they drove, Hazel looked at Julian, admiring his messy hair and his warm smile. He looked back at her, his eyes darting back and forth. 

Arden noticed the exchange between Hazel and Julian. She interrupted Julian and asked him to drive the car. Augustus cut her off, reminding everyone about the car's mechanical issues. He knew that any delay could result in further complications. 

Lana pulled out her phone from her tote bag with a red bow tied in the corner of her bag. She started taking snaps of the group. She took a long snap of everyone laughing and chatting, and she added filters and creative tools to make it look even better. She saved the snap to her memories and added it to her story. She also added a timer to the snap, so her friends could view it for ten seconds.

Julian noticed Lana taking snaps and asked if he could take one too. Lana handed him her phone, and he took a snap of Hazel.

"Stop taking snaps of me, Julian. " She said and took the phone from his hands. 

"Fine!" He chuckles. 

Hazel decided to switch seats and sit with Arden instead. She felt irritated by his behavior. She got up from her seat, and her brunette hair fell on Julian's face. He could feel her warm breath, and he felt a sense of longing. 

Hazel was close to him, and he could feel her body heat. She tried to exchange the seat, but her hands touched his thighs as she struggled to hold on to something. Julian felt a shiver run down his spine, and he couldn't help but feel attracted to her.

Augustus hit the brakes suddenly, and the car came to a screeching halt. A goat had wandered onto the road, and Augustus didn't want to hit it. Hazel's body fell over Julian's body, due to the sudden break. Julian grabbed her waist tightly, holding her close. Hazel's pupils widened, and she gulped her own saliva. She felt a sense of vulnerability and fear, but she also felt safe in Julian's arms.

Julian slowly let go of her waist, and Hazel settled next to Arden. She felt a sense of relief and Augustus started the car again. Hazel settled back into her seat next to Arden. They both felt a sense of awkwardness.

Hazel was a bit embarrassed by the sudden fall. But then Julian's grip on her waist made her feel so safe and secure. She looked up at him, and their eyes met. In that moment, she saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before. 

As the car rolled down the winding roads through the countryside, they were awestruck by the breathtaking views of nature that unfolded before their eyes. They could see the golden fields of wheat and corn swaying in the gentle breeze, and the cows and horses grazing peacefully in the fields. The small villages and towns that they passed by were picturesque, with their quaint and charming buildings and churches that looked like they had been frozen in time. 

The group took every opportunity to capture the beauty of the landscape by taking pictures and videos of everything they saw. They felt a sense of freedom and adventure as they explored the countryside, and they knew that this was going to be a trip that they would never forget. And finally they reached Theo's. 

END OF THE WEEKEND

( night at 11:45 pm  )

"Please don't kill me! Please, I beg you" 

Hazel's entire body was consumed with fear as she begged for her life. She felt like the room was closing in around her, the walls pressing in on her from all sides. 

The air felt cold and heavy, and she could barely breathe. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she clutched them together, her fingers interlocking in a desperate attempt to hold onto something. 

Her voice quivered with every word, her throat constricting with fear. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, each beat echoing through her entire body. It was as if her heart was trying to break free from her chest, to escape the terror that was consuming her. 

Tears streamed down her face, leaving a trail of salt on her skin. Her eyes were wide with terror, pleading with the killer to spare her life. She could see the cold, hard steel of the knife glinting in the dim light, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before it was plunged into her flesh. 

She felt completely helpless, as if she had no control over her own fate. The weight of her fear was suffocating, making it hard for her to breathe. She was trapped, unable to escape the situation, and the realization of her impending doom only made her more terrified. 

Her mind raced with thoughts of what could have led to this moment, but she couldn't focus on anything other than the fear that was consuming her. She wondered if she had done something to deserve this, if there was anything she could have done to avoid it. But the fear was too much for her to bear, and she knew that she had to do something, anything, to save herself. 

The killer taunted her with the knife, Hazel's body began to shake uncontrollably.

"I have no choice but to kill you, Hazel." the killer said.

"This isn't you, this isn't you." She fluttered. The terror was too much for her to bear. All she could do was beg and plead, hoping that the killer would show her mercy.

As the killer approached her, Hazel's heart raced with fear. She could feel the cold steel of the knife against her skin, and she knew that her time was running out. The blade glinted in the dim light, casting an eerie glow across the room. 

Slowly, the killer let the knife run down her pale skin, the sharp edge slicing through her flesh like a hot knife through butter. Hazel screamed in agony as the blood began to pour out of her wound, staining her clothes and the floor beneath her. The pain was unbearable, and her fear crawled down to her very bones. 

But even in the face of such horror, Hazel refused to give up. With all her strength, she pushed back against the killer, using every ounce of her energy to fight for her life. She felt the killer stumble and fall to the ground with a thud, and she knew that this was her chance to escape. 

With a burst of adrenaline, Hazel scrambled to her feet and ran towards the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear the killer behind her, but she didn't stop to look back. She knew that she had to keep moving, to keep running, if she wanted to survive. 

"Hazel? Hazel?."Julian's voice cut through the darkness like a beacon of light, and Hazel felt a sense of relief wash over her as she heard him calling her name.She stumbled towards him, her heart racing in her chest, and collapsed into his arms.  

She was exhausted, her throat dry and her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. But as Julian's hand glided over to her waist, his fingers touched a sticky-crimson blood.

"What happened?" he asked her, his voice filled with concern. But before Hazel could answer, she felt a wave of dizziness  and she knew that she was losing her consciousness. Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear, and she clung to Julian tightly, her fingers digging into his shoulders.

Julian tried to hold her up, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as he tried to keep her from falling. But as he looked down, he saw that Hazel was bleeding, the crimson liquid staining her clothes and his hands. His heart sank with dread, and he knew that they had to get help immediately.

Hazel was in a dire state, struggling to stay conscious. Her eyes were half-opened, and her breathing was labored. 

"Hazel, stay with me. Stay with me, please" Julian was desperately trying to keep her awake, cupping her cheeks and pleading with her to stay with him. He was crying, his tears falling onto her face as he begged her to hold on.

Suddenly, Hazel's eyes widened, and she saw the shadow of someone approaching Julian with a knife. Fear coursed through her, and she found her voice, gasping out a warning "He's here, Julian".  

"Who's here?" He asked her, hoping to get more information. Hazel struggled to speak, her breathing becoming more ragged as she tried to get the words out. She heaved a deep breath, her body shaking with fear, as she stumbled to say the words. 

Hazel's voice was weak, but she managed to speak and warn Julian "He's behind you!".