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The four of them walked around the forest, looking around for clues but there were none to follow. Xander wouldn’t allow them give up so they went deeper into the woods and searched until it was dark. Unfortunately, they still couldn’t find any sign of the girls. There was no means to tell time and the place felt spooky. Xander’s arms and left leg were worn. The pain had become excruciating but he couldn’t afford to give up. After searching a while longer, Joel spoke,
“Look, let’s go back. We’ve spent the whole day searching and calling out. Even if they are alive, the people who took them must have carried them far away by now. Let’s just hope that they are still alive. Hopefully, the people with them will be headed for New York too. It’s in our best interest to head back to the health center now so we can move with the rest of the people.”
Xander shook his head.
“No. I’m not leaving here without my sister. I’m not going to New York without her. I’d rather die here.”
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“But Xander, you heard what the soldier said. A swarm of soldiers will be returning tomorrow. What if they spot you here? Besides, we stand a better chance telling the guards of our findings and having them look for the girls. It’s better that way,” Harper said.
“I’ll skip that chance. I have to find my sister.”
“Xander, be reasonable. You can’t possibly do this on your own. You’re in no physical condition to walk this woodland alone,” Joel said.
“Don’t bother trying to dissuade me, Mr. Joel. You made me come this far. I’m not going back empty handed.” Tears were running down Xander’s cheeks by then.
Harper sighed.
“I know how you feel. I remember when I lost my husband. I found it hard to believe he was gone. It wasn’t until after many nights of starving myself in a bid to wake up from what I believed was a nightmare that I finally realized that he would never be coming back. So, do what you must. I wish you good luck. I hope we see at New York,” she said.
Xander couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t believe Grayson was gone.
Harper handed the glow stick over to him.
“Use it to find Grayson. Joel and I will find our way.”
“Good luck, Alexander,” Joel said.
Xander nodded and walked away deeper into the woods as Harper and Joel watched him go.
Chapter Five
" You have no idea what's coming at y'all...”
16th November, 2021
7:00pm
Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois.
USA.
Xander limped through the woods with the glow stick. He tried so hard not to be scared but it wasn’t working. The darkness was too dense for the glow stick to be effective but he managed it any way. He walked for many miles but he couldn’t hear a single human sound. He began to wonder if he had been foolish to come out that far.
He fell to the ground in tears. He knew he couldn’t turn back even if he wanted to. He was lost. Worse still, he hadn’t found his sister yet. The thought of his sister being dead weighed him down. He wished he could simply die there.
Then he heard it- something like a growl. His mind suddenly reverted to earlier that day when he had heard a similar growl. He didn’t know where it came from but the strength to get up filled him. He realized that he didn’t really want to die. He flashed his glow stick to the left and right in a bid to see what the roar had come from. He couldn’t see much though. The glow stick had dimmed. He swallowed hard and took some steps in the direction from which the sound came, trying as much as possible to not make any sound with his feet.
It appeared out of nowhere- a bear standing on its hind feet. Xander’s eyes widened in fear and he dropped the glow stick. He tried to limp away but he was too clumsy. His crutches fell from his hands and his body followed suit. The bear roared at him. It stood on all four of its feet not more than two meters away from Xander. He screamed in tears;
“Get away from me, you beast. Don’t kill me please.”
The bear wasn’t pacified by his pleas. It charged towards him.
It leapt up to take him down.
