Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Once

Emma's cry resounded through the sky.I forgot to breathe for a moment, and froze on the spot, standing there like a sculpture, listening to the sound resounding through the water and mountains, and finally fell silent.Just relieved, Emma yelled again. This time I sprinted toward the call, stumbling through overgrown grass and boulders, my feet finding a foothold on the uneven ground.I don't know where I'm running, I just know I have to follow the voice that rings in my ears. After a while, it stopped abruptly, just as the screaming suddenly sounded.I stopped and looked around with wide eyes.I was still on the narrow path at the top of the cliff, with the sea crashing against the rocks to my right.It's darker now than it was five minutes ago, but I know it's not night yet.I looked up at the clouds and saw thick dark clouds covering the sky.The icy drizzle fell, as if covering the earth with a feather-light curtain, just like fog.The water beads up on my eyelashes and I can only see a few meters around me.Cautiously, I walked forward again.

"Emma?" I called. My voice echoed in my ears, but I didn't hear Emma's.I yelled again. "Emma? Where are you?" Still no response.I continued walking, and after about a minute, I came to a fork in the road.The road connected by a fork extends along the coast, and the other fork goes to the right. I can only see it extending towards the sea, which is a downhill slope.It is estimated that you can walk to the small bay from here. I clenched my hands into fists to keep my hands from shaking, and walked along the second fork.The path is uneven and has begun to slip.My shoes couldn't find any grip and I slipped and slid down the slope.The sound of the sea beating against the shore became louder and louder. After a while, there was no longer a compacted dirt road under my feet, but a lot of small stones appeared, and they collided together under my weight.I got to the cove.

I look around.The rain here is a bit heavier, as if the raindrops are not only falling from the sky, but even the sea water has turned into raindrops and landed.The cliffs were black, with white streaks where the lime had eroded.There is little sand on the seashore, covered with many pebbles, and scattered with seaweed and driftwood.Dodge's father was right: this is a good place to find firewood.It's just that I didn't see my two friends. "Emma?" I yelled again, and then, under my breath, "Darren?" None of them answered, but a bird was quacking angrily above my head.I restlessly shifted my weight from one foot to the other.Even with my coat on, I still feel cold, and the place feels eerie, as if countless pairs of eyes are watching me from tiny cracks in the rock wall.I couldn't help but take a half-step back, my feet responding to my body's desire to get out of here, and I forced myself to stand still lest I run away.

Where are Darren and Emma? I force myself to move forward.The front of me was strewn with stones, and the sound of the impact of the stones took my breath away.I assess my surroundings again, more thoroughly this time.It's a small bay surrounded by high cliffs, and there's plenty of room for two to hide. "Emma, ​​this is no fun!" I said aloud.If they were just trying to prank... But I know they are not.Stupid Emma screamed a lot: when she didn't get her way, when she wanted boys or anyone to pay attention to her, when a spider appeared.But I've never heard her call like this.Her cry was full of unadulterated fear.

Just when I was about to reach the water's edge, there was a sound.I stopped and turned my head to one side, trying to orient myself and figure out what made the movement.The sound is not continuous, but intermittent, without rules at all, and very vague.After a few long seconds, I finally realized what I was hearing. "Emma?" I rushed in the direction of the voice, my eyes fixed on a large rock among the pebbles on the far edge of the cliff. The closer I got, the louder the whimpering got, and by the end, I was sure she was right behind that.However, when I circled behind the rock, I stopped in surprise.

Emma sat curled up on the ground, her back squeezed against the corner of the rock.She hugged her arms to protect her chest, covered her mouth with her hands, kicked her feet non-stop, hoping to continue to retreat, but in fact she had no way to retreat. "Emma!" She didn't respond.Her eyes were out of focus, and although she looked in my direction, she didn't see me. "Emma!" I walked up to her and knelt beside her.I held her shoulder, but she still didn't notice me.I had to shake her vigorously and finally got her attention.Her eyes widened, staring at me in horror.

"Heather!" Her fingers were like claws, digging deep into my collarbone, making me ache. "Emma, ​​where's Darren?" She shook her head, opened and closed her mouth, but couldn't speak. "Emma." I pulled her forward and made her lean against the stone wall, hoping that the shock would bring her back to reality. "Where's Darren?" "Disappeared," she whispered.Her eyes were wild. "Disappeared?" I couldn't help frowning, "Disappeared? What do you mean?" Then, I suddenly thought of a possibility. "Emma, ​​did he go into the water?" No response. "Is he in the sea, Emma?" I yelled in her face.She didn't answer, but just burst into tears.

I now decided that Darren—dumb Darren—must be showing off, and went into the sea pounding against the rocks, and I turned around sharply to take a closer look at the stormy waves.I search for the orange T-shirt he was wearing earlier.God, he could be anywhere!If his head hit a rock...if he swam too far...the water was that cold, he'd probably lose consciousness and float face down somewhere. I took half a step forward, still not sure what I should do.Something cold wrapped around my wrist, gripping it tightly like a tentacle. "Don't leave me!" Emma gasped. She came forward to grab me, but when I turned around, she pulled me back with her in a hurry.

"Emma—" "Don't leave me," she said again. I shook my head at her, devastated. "We have to help Darren," I said. "Where did he get into the water? Think about it, Emma!" I snapped, and she began to tremble again, and her eyes were lost. "Don't go there." She mumbled, covering her face with her hands again. "What?" My voice was sharp. "Don't go in the water, Heather. Don't, don't go in the water—" She broke down, choked up again. I gritted my teeth.The initial fear I felt diminished rapidly.Emma is fine.Darren... I'm getting more and more worried about him now.

"Emma!" I grabbed her T-shirt again and forced her to look at me. "Where's Darren?" She stares wildly around, then sweeps across the sky, then looks straight at me. "Disappeared." "What's going on?" Dodge shambled across the sand as soon as he saw our silhouette against the skyline.We must have looked weird, we were hugging, I was supporting Emma's full body weight, she had her arms around my neck so tight I was suffocating.Although she is small and exquisite, she is twice as heavy as Dodge.She wasn't hurt, she just refused to walk on her own.So, either you have to help her go, or you have to leave her.I thought about it for a minute, then pulled her up.

"Come help," I gasped, and I staggered over to him, momentarily forgetting that he sprained his ankle. "What's wrong with her?" he asked.I couldn’t speak, just leaned down and grabbed my knees, “Emma? Emma, ​​are you okay?” Emma didn't answer either, just threw herself into his arms.I looked at her suspiciously—it was pretty much what she usually does, but she was shaking and still sobbing.Dodge's eyes fell on me over her shoulder, completely blinded. "Where's Darren?" he asked me. I shrugged my shoulders and made a grimace that I was sorry. "I don't know, she wouldn't tell. She just kept telling me 'he's gone.'" My breathing was finally back to normal, but my legs were burning and my back was aching. "Disappeared, what do you mean?" Dodge asked. "Gone," I heard Emma murmur, pressing her face against his coat. "I'm sorry, Dodge. That's all she said to me." I ran my hand through my hair restlessly. "She's totally broken." Emma buried her face under Dodge's chin, and he nodded in embarrassment, smiling at me with a worried look in his eyes.First his best friend and now Darren.What exactly happened here? "Help me get her to camp," he said. Together, we half-dragged Emma to the fire, and the flames, flickering pleasantly, held an infinite fascination for me, and I was grateful that Dodge had lighted the fire with the last bit of driftwood.The firelight not only dispelled the growing darkness, but also gave me much-needed warmth.I was shaking almost as violently as Emma, ​​and the chill had penetrated to the marrow of my bones. Dodge's ankles were swollen high, but still supported most of Emma's weight, and Dodge tried to guide her into the folding chair.He gently put her down, but she couldn't even sit still, and slid down like a rag doll, slumped on the sand.Dodge sighed and reached out to help her, but I stopped him. "Just leave her there," I said. "She's cold." "Okay, but—" "Leave her alone." Emma didn't look up, didn't respond to us, just stared at the flames, shaking slightly. "What happened?" Dodge asked again. I don't have the answers he wants.Only Emma could answer, but unfortunately she was speechless.I stared down at her, watching her rub her arms, her skin baked pink so close to the fire. "I'll get her a coat," I muttered. I walked into the shadowy tent and knelt on the ground.The air cushion was now deflated, and my knees were on the ground, and it hurt.I ignored the discomfort, just bit my lip hard and rummaged through Emma's backpack.Tears blurred my eyes, and I didn't want Dodge to see me like this. Emma didn't respond at all.She was dumbfounded, and it must have something to do with Darren's disappearance.I couldn't even make her sure he had gone to sea.I once looked around the entire sea and tried to find him by the water's edge, but she suddenly had a seizure and pulled me away from the water's edge desperately.I've done my best, and I've been trying to get out of Emma's grip every second, until finally, I have to give up the search and get her out of there. I'm scared.Darren was gone, Martin was still missing, and there was no way for us to leave the beach.The Volvo wouldn't start, the Dodge couldn't possibly get out onto the road for God knows how many miles, and neither could Emma.Panic stuck in my throat, but I took a deep breath and swallowed it.My fingers found Emma's fuzzy, warm pink cardigan, pulled it out, and pressed it to my chest.The cardigan smelled of her perfume, and the familiar scent cleared my brain a little. I rubbed my face hard twice so they wouldn't see that I was crying. I stood up and stumbled towards the fire, which represented safety. "Is she better?" I asked as I approached. Emma was still squatting on the ground, and Dodge sat there watching her, his anxiety palpable.He shook his head at me and blinked twice violently.I turn away. "Emma?" I knelt down so I was at her eye level and handed her the cardigan.She stopped shaking her body, and although her face was still pale, at least she stopped crying. "Put it on." I ordered. She did as I told her, obediently stretched her arms into the cardigan, and fastened all the buttons including the buttons on the neck, but still stared intently at the bright center of the flame. "What are we going to do?" Dodge asked, tension in his voice.I ignored him and gave Emma my full attention. "Emma." I reached out, took one of her hands, and flattened it with force, "Emma, ​​look at me." She did, though I don't know if she saw me or not. "Emma, ​​where is Darren?" Her face immediately became contorted, and tears welled up in her eyes.She started shaking her head violently, moving faster and faster, almost out of control.I reached out and grabbed her chin with my other hand.Maybe I should start by asking easy questions. "Have you two gone to find firewood?" She nodded. "To the cove?" She nodded again. "Have you had a fight?" She shook her head.No. "Did Darren go somewhere? Alone?" She shook her head again. I looked at her, wondering what might have happened, and frowned in confusion.Could it be that I didn't see him? “Emma, ​​is Darren still in the bay?” She paused before answering, and my heart shuddered—where did we leave him?I don't want to go back in the dark.She shook her head slowly, and I breathed a sigh of relief.Another negative answer. I don't know what else to ask. "Emma, ​​where did Darren go?" "Disappeared," she repeated, and she wept again, distorting her words. "So where did he go, huh?" I whispered as best I could, but I was so deflated that my calm was about to crumble.We've been going in circles. "Is there anyone else there, Emma?" I was shocked.I almost forgot that Dodge was still there, watching us silently.I turned my head just in time to see Emma nodding.What? "Who is it?" I asked, but my voice was too sharp and eager.She curled up again, but I didn't notice her movement, and instead asked her more questions. "Did you see that man? Is it a man? What does it look like?" "Not human," Emma murmured. "Not people? What do you mean? Emma, ​​speak up! Are they old or young? Do you know them? Do you see where they're going?" "Not human," she said again, softer this time, "not human."