A/N: Hello again! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, you guys are awesome! :) I'm so glad that you all like this story! And thanks for all of your ideas :) This chapter was fun to write so I hope you all enjoy it! :)
Chapter 8
Shane sprinted through the forest, with the others close at his heels.
All he could think about was Mitchie.
I'm going to kill Tess if she hurt her, he thought, fury bubbling up inside him. I'm going to kill her.
He rounded the corner and saw something that made his heart stop.
They were at a cliff side.
Shane froze.
He felt his world fall down around him. He squeezed his eyes shut.
I can't believe it. I can't believe Tess would be capable of murder.
Slow tears began building up, screening his eye's from the scene surrounding him.
He didn't want to see anymore.
"Mitchie!" Shane heard Caitlyn yell.
He spun around and looked in the direction that she was running in.
He squinted through the trees, and caught a glimpse of tangled brown hair.
His heart thumped heavily in his chest.
Oh God. Could it be?
Flashback- A few minutes ago.
A sharp intake of breath was enough to distract Tess from her thoughts. She whirled around.
Mitchie's eyes were fluttering open.
Tess gasped and took a step backwards.
She hadn't expected this.
Suddenly, she felt her feet slip out from beneath her. She flung her arms out to regain her balance, but to no avail.
The rest seemed to happen in slow motion.
Tess let out an ear splitting scream as she felt gravity disappear.
She was airborne.
And she was terrified.
End of Flashback
Mitchie could not get the scream out of her head. It was tormenting her.
Silent tears streamed down her cheeks.
She had no idea where she was, or how she had got here.
But she had seen everything.
Tess had screamed. She had fallen over the cliff, and Mitchie had lain there, frozen, unable to move.
When she heard the dull thump, and the screaming cease, she struggled to get to her feet, but found that she couldn't.
Mitchie began to panic.
Please tell me I'm dreaming, she prayed silently. Please tell me that this is all a nightmare, and that I'm going to wake up any second, and everything is going to be alright.
But she knew it wasn't.
Desperation consumed her.
She couldn't think clearly.
She couldn't breathe.
Stop it, Mitchie, she tried to tell herself. Just, calm down. Take deep breaths.
But she couldn't.
The image of Tess falling over the cliff was replaying itself over and over in her mind.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head furiously.
This can't be happening.
She tried to suck in a breath, but merely found herself choking instead.
She was running out of air.
Mitchie was now in such a frenzied state that she didn't even hear the voices yelling her name.
She couldn't even see the people crouching in front of her.
She couldn't even feel them shaking her, begging her to calm down, to breathe.
Mitchie tried to fight the blackness that was beginning to engulf her.
But she didn't have the strength.
She felt herself fading.
Voices were screaming her name, and she longed to reply.
Wet tears streamed down her face.
This was agony.
She didn't want to die.
But she couldn't hold on any longer.
She slipped silently into the darkness, the world as she knew it crumbling around her.
On the inside, she was screaming. Screaming for everyone she loved, that she was leaving behind. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.
Her heart stopped.
Just as the scream began to diminish within her, she felt a surge of air expand her lungs.
Another followed, and she felt a faint spark of hope.
The darkness that was enveloping her unwillingly began to release its hold…
"Do it again!" Nate screamed.
Shane was bent over Mitchie, performing mouth to mouth resuscitation.
Jason watched on in silent horror; for once, he was speechless.
Caitlyn was screaming hysterically, tears rolling down her face.
Shane tried to ignore everything that was going on around him. He pinched Mitchie's nostrils closed, tilted her head back and blew two quick breaths into her mouth.
He tried to keep calm, but his hands were shaking.
Shane rested his fingers on her bare neck, feeling for a pulse.
Nothing.
His heart was racing. He repeated the procedure twice more, his hope beginning to fade.
On the third attempt, he let out an exultant cry.
Mitchie's chest began to rise.
The breathing was slow and laboured, her pulse was weak, and she was still unconscious, barely clinging to life; but she was alive.
Shane knew he had to get Mitchie to a hospital. Fast.
He turned to the others, making no attempt to stop the tears that were now streaming down his cheeks.
Nate was clutching Caitlyn in his arms. She had stopped screaming, but she looked terrified.
Nate was attempting to calm her down; it pained him to see her in such a distress.
"She'll be OK, Caitlyn. She's going to be alright."
Caitlyn began to sob harder, and Nate stroked her hair comfortingly.
"Once we get her to a hospital, she'll be fine."
"Where's Tess?" Shane asked warily, looking around him.
Jason was standing at the cliff's edge. He turned gravely towards them, pointing downwards.
Caitlyn gasped, and they all walked forwards in grim silence.
They stared downwards.
On a ledge fifty or so metres down, lay a motionless body.
Blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and Shane recognized Tess instantly.
Nate gaped.
"Oh my God. Is she… dead?"
They exchanged glances, unsure what to do.
Shane drew back from the edge, in shock from what he had just seen.
He turned to Mitchie, trying to think clearly.
OK. First thing's first. I've got to get Mitchie out of here.
Shane walked over to her, and his heart melted at the pained expression on her face.
He crouched beside her, caressing her hair lightly, trying to block out the image of Tess lying motionless at the bottom of the cliff.
Shane gingerly lifted Mitchie in his arms, and carried her bridal style to the edge of the forest.
"I'm taking Mitchie back," Shane called over his shoulder to the others. They were still standing near the cliff, talking quietly.
The talking ceased and they all turned to face him.
"Do you know the way?" Nate asked him after a moment.
Shane nodded.
"I think so."
"What about Tess?" Caitlyn asked hesitantly.
"Up to you," Shane replied with a tired sigh. He was already strolling away, intent on getting Mitchie to a hospital as quickly as possible.
Jason, Nate and Caitlyn looked at each other.
"What should we do?" Jason asked.
"Well, we can't leave her there," Nate said quietly.
Caitlyn frowned.
"What else can we do, though? We don't even know if she's alive."
"We could climb down the cliff and see," Jason suggested eagerly.
Nate glared at him.
"Jason, you can't climb down a cliff. That's why they call it a cliff. It's a vertical drop," he said, gesturing wildly. "The only way we can get down there is to abseil. Or fall over the edge." He added.
Jason nodded, his eyes widening.
"OK! lets do that, then."
"What? Fall over the edge?" Caitlyn asked with a grim laugh. "Great plan, you go first, Jason."
Nate grabbed Jason as he turned to obey.
"Don't be an idiot! She was joking!"
Jason looked crestfallen.
"But Tess could be hurt. We should help her."
Caitlyn's eyes narrowed.
"Look, Tess brought Mitchie to this place. She must've been planning to hurt her, or threaten her, or something. Think about it! If she had good intentions, she would've just stayed with Mitchie back at the clearing, and looked after her until Shane got back with help."
They were silent for a moment.
Nate frowned, trying to take it all in.
He blinked and looked at Caitlyn in confusion.
"What are you saying?"
Caitlyn avoided his eyes.
"I don't know, Nate."
She sighed.
"Maybe she deserved what she got; Maybe we should just.."
"Leave her here?" Nate finished, raising his eyebrows.
A tear rolled down Caitlyn's cheek. She didn't have the heart to nod.
"I don't know," she whispered quietly.
Nate wrapped her in his arms, and she sobbed quietly, leaning her head on his chest.
Tess felt her eyes flicker open, and she groaned softly.
The light was blinding.
She blinked in confusion, trying to sit up; but she couldn't move.
Her head ached, and a gasp escaped her lips.
She seemed to be frozen to the ground.
Her leg was twisted at a strange angle, but there was something wrong.
Tess tried not to panic. She reached out a trembling hand to touch her leg.
When she did, a sob caught in her throat.
She prodded it again, and the tears began to fall.
Why can't I feel it? She asked herself desperately, beginning to panic.
It was the strangest sensation. Tess could see her legs, but she couldn't feel anything.
She pinched one again, hard, praying to feel even the slightest bit of pain.
But there was nothing.
She screamed silently.
Why can't I feel it?
A/N: Not much of a cliffhanger, sorry, but it was the best I could do. :)
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