I called out and nothing but silence replied. What happened for her to suddenly storm out like that? This was the only thought in my mind as I continued to call out for her. I had just come home from college, about to step up on the porch, when Ellie had rushed past me. Naturally, I called out to her, but she kept on running. I hurriedly put down my backpack and chased after her. Whatever happened to make her act like that must have been big. I scanned the surroundings, looking for any sign of a fifteen year old girl, but all I saw was a forest bending under the force of fall. The leaves were in different shades of reds and yellows. A light fog swirled all around me and the air seemed stale every time I took in a breath. Words like ominous and sinister popped into my head.  

I walked along a beat down path littered in crimson leaves. I had already been walking for a while and I could tell that sunset would be soon. There were only two things that kept me from collapsing on the piles of leaves on the side of the path. The thought of my sister alone and cold in these woods, and the eerie feeling of being watched. I felt like I was a rabbit sitting idly by waiting for a wolf to catch me. Every time I scanned my surroundings, though the only thing that filled my vision were the dark tree trunks and the scarlet leaves. I didn’t know if it was my nerves but every once in a while I swore I heard faint crunches and every time chills raced down my back.

As I continued to walk farther and farther down the leaf ridden path, the sun dipped closer towards the horizon with every step I took. I started to contemplate what I should do. I didn’t want to be stuck in this hell-like forest with whatever was creeping behind me when the sun went down. I could run, but I’m not that fast, and what if I ran out of breath before I could get anywhere. These thoughts were what kept my feet moving at a steady pace.

Crunch… Crunch…

I whipped around at the sound under something’s foot. This time I knew it wasn’t my nerves. The sound echoed in the space around me. My mouth went dry as I saw nothing but dark trunks and red leaves. Spinning around, I increased my pace, praying for an opening to appear. I just wanted out of this nightmare.

Crunch… Crunch…

I heard the sound again, frightened because the steps were never this close together.

Crunch… Crunch… Crunch… Crunch…

My hands started to shake and it felt as if my cheeks were stuffed with cotton. It was getting closer. Before I could hear the sound again, I took off. I ran as fast as I could, pumping my legs as fast as they could go. The only sound in my ears was the pounding of my heart. The thought of it following me was the last thing I thought of in that moment. I focused on being as agile as possible, desperate for something. Anything.  Faces flashed in my mind, one by one. Mom, Dad, Ellie. I wanted to see them again. I wanted to find out why Ellie ran away.

Determined to get out of the forest, I ran the fastest I had ever run. I suspect that the adrenaline that coursed through me had something to do with it. For the first time, I saw a slight change in the scenery, evident in the path beginning to curve. As I ran I could also see that the trees were thinning as well. Hope surged through me, urging my feet to bear with the pain a little longer and for my legs to move quicker. Before I knew it, I was sprinting towards what seemed to be a campsite. Families were scattered around the large opening, doing things that ranged from barbecuing to getting ready to go to sleep.

At my cry for help, several heads turned. I don’t know if it was the desperation in my voice or if it was my looks but people rushed to help me. They crowded around asking a bunch of questions at once. Faces of children and adults alike blurred in my vision. It was hard to answer them since I was gasping for air with my hands on my knees. Gulping in the much needed air, I tried to compose myself so I could answer the group of people around me. I was straightening up, words on the tip of my tongue,  when I saw a familiar figure in the distance. Her brown hair was disheveled and the state of her clothes mirrored mine. Seriously, what happened to her? I broke through the crowd and slowly walked to her since that is all my legs would allow me to do.

I was fairly close to her when she saw me. She looked at me for a long time, taking in our similar appearances. When she finally got over the initial shock, she came to me and threw her arms around me. She whispered my name and I could tell just by the slight tremor in her voice that she was on the verge of tears and I couldn’t blame her because I was too. Pushing her at arm's length, I looked at her face.

“Why’d you run out like that?” I voiced the question that had lingered in my mind since this whole thing started.

“There was somebody in our house.” As she said this, fear tainted her voice.This simple sentence managed to send ice down my spine.

“What?” I whispered, my voice naturally going low due to the jarring news.  “ Are you sure it wasn’t Mom or Dad?”

“They’re both at work today, remember.”

Lightly nodding, I took in the words that I did not want to hear.Pushing down the urge to question her more, I pulled her in for another hug. I shut my eyes and quietly said, “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”

“ I’m glad you’re fine, too but what happened to you?”

As she said this, I broke our embrace and told her nothing had happened. I think she knew it was a lie, but thankfully, she didn’t investigate further. I don’t know if I could lie to her if she asked again.
“Let’s call Mom and get this all sorted out.”

Ellie nodded her head, but didn’t answer. I guided her to the group of people, who still stood around watching us, to see if we could borrow somebody’s phone. We walked slowly, but surely. I could tell that we were both comforted by each other's presence. As we approached the group of people, I glanced at the opening that I had scrambled through only minutes earlier. As I looked, I could have sworn that I saw something moving in the shadows cast by the line of trees. It looked like it could be human. Could it be? I pushed away the thought and focused on the feeling of my sister standing next to me. I was ready to go home.