A flash, a boom, and I slowly drift into darkness. As I lay on the cold damp forest floor, the overwhelming feeling of death overcomes my heart and soul. This torment is over, I think. I lost but this torment is finally over. I feel the warm sticky liquid oozing from the back of my head as I continue to fade into darkness.

It was the first day of autumn, and the sun was shining radiantly. The leaves had just begun to change into the bright oranges, reds, and browns. They crunched under my feet as I arrived to the door steps of Jordan’s Victorian home. As I rang the doorbell, I felt as if my life was perfect, but that feeling faded when Jordan’s mother answered the door.

“Brittney… Have you seen Jordan? She never came home last night.” I could tell that she had been crying.

“Yes”, I thought.

“No ma’am. Last night was family time. I haven’t seen her since Friday evening.”

This statement was only half the truth. I had seen Jordan for a few short moments at a party, but she hadn’t arrived with me. She had been with some new boyfriend of hers. She had refused to tell me his name or where he was from. However, I was not sharing this information with her mother.

“Come inside.”

As I walked inside I felt tremendously tense. Without Jordan here, the huge white and black living room seemed small and dull. Her mother seemed severely agitated, although she knows that Jordan liked to disappear for a night or two. As I sank into the cushioned sofa, Jordan’s mom went to get water. I fidgeted nervously as I waited for her to get back. In my process of shifting, I noticed pictures of Jordan, Jason, and I laughing at a food fight.

I could hear her coming back into the living room. As she entered, I thought that disappearing is something Jordan does too often. Although, she usually let me know where she was headed, I was not worried about her safety. The possibility of her falling asleep in some random place was major, and she had always returned home soon. But, I didn’t want to discuss Jordan any further. I lied my way out.

“Oh, I just got a text from my mother. Cindy is sick. I have to go get her some soup. Jordan will come home soon. She always does. Thank you for the water.”

I could not get out of the house quick enough. It was eleven in the morning, and I had no thoughts of where my best friend could be or could have possibly been. She was too free-spirited and too wild to assume she would still even be in Savannah. I drove home with hope in my heart that she would be sitting on my porch, ready to tell me about her adventurous night.

Unfortunately, my hopes were crushed. As I walked sadly into my small home, I could hear my mother and Cindy watching “Fringe”. I soundlessly walked into my room and stared out into the woods. Thoughts of Jordan rushed through my mind as my phone beeped signaling that I had a new text. What I read sent chills into my heart.

“Hey, Britt. Had you and Jordan kept my little secret, neither of you would be in this situation. See, Jordan is a nice girl, and I would just hate to hurt her. Better hurry. –Jason”

The name made me go back to the old photograph in Jordan’s home. Surely this was an anecdote. Jason was in jail in Atlanta. He couldn’t have Jordan.

I replied, “Where?”

Beep. “Our old spot.”

Reply, “When?”

Beep. “Now”

I grabbed my oversized purse and keys and sprinted out the door. As I sped down the highway towards the woods, I prayed that this was just Jordan pulling a joke. I pulled into the trail, didn’t bother to turn off my car, and started sprinting towards the creek. I couldn’t get my legs to move fast enough.

I knew how Jason was. He had gotten into trouble for drugs, rape, and had shot a girl and paralyzed her. Jordan and I testified against him in court, where he was found guilty and vouched to get revenge. We thought nothing of this threat, but the day has come for him to get his wish, if it is really him.

The woods in Georgia are excruciatingly thick. Running through them is harder than out swimming a shark, and just as painful. I could feel the twigs and branched scratching my arms, as well as the brush grabbing at my ankles. I fell twice in the process of getting to Jordan, and I felt like I had been running for a decade. Finally I reached the opening of our spot when I heard a brusque voice.

´´You better hope our good friend shows, or else you get to go first.”

He then slapped her, causing her to fall. I heard her whimper, but she bounced back with a punch to the nose.

“Jordan! Run!”

She took off into the opposite direction, which was smart, because he could only catch one of us. I sprinted off, but I heard heavy footsteps trailing behind me. Jason knew that I was slower than Jordan. I heard him fumbling for something in his pockets, and then felt something fly by my shoulder. I didn’t have to see it to know that he had been shooting at me.

I was flying through the forest as my adrenaline increased. I was hoping to make it to a camping area or, even better, back to town. I needed to hide or throw Jason off my path, but the danger of being stuck between him and the woods was far too great. I couldn’t tell where he was, but I took my chance and veered off the trail.

After forty minutes of running I felt as if my body was shutting down, but I continued to sprint. After a few moments I could hear Jason’s footsteps getting closer and closer as he laughed at the expense of my pain. Time stopped as his large fingers grabbed my arm and jerked me to the ground. I screamed and fumbled to get an object to defend myself. I grabbed a large branch and began swinging violently.

Then I saw Jordan as she sat in astonishment as Jason hits me. She begins to throw rocks at him, but it did nothing. He continued to hit me until she got his face. He left as the throbbing in my head quickened its pace.

I had no hope. Time stood still, my body began to shiver, and the rain began to pour. I couldn’t move because fear had its hands clenched around me. I feared that Jason was watching and waiting for me to be bold and take off. I couldn’t tell if Jordan was near or not, and I hoped that she had escaped.

It has been twenty minutes since I have heard anything from Jason and Jordan. I lay here soaked from the rain, but I do not trust myself to leave. I sob silently from the pain in the back of my head and my legs. The crunching of leaves has just appeared, so I close my heavy eyelids and attempt to calm down.

“Oh, Brittney. You idiot” a taunting voice calls.

I continue to lay still and do not respond.

“I see. Good luck.”

Then comes a flash, a boom, and I slowly start drifting into darkness. As I lay on the cold damp ground, the overwhelming feeling of death overcomes my heart and soul. This torment is over, I think. I lost, but it is over. I feel the warm sticky liquid oozing from the back of my head. I continue to drift off into the dark, until I am still and have faded into nothing.