6. On the run

Meanwhile, the friends are still fleeing from Sheila, not knowing where they're running at all.

"I knew it; I knew it from the beginning.
This forest is bad. I hate forests.
But nobody ever listens to me and now we also have a cracked up Sheila on the neck. Literally.
If we just would have a map..." Eric complained once again.

"Eric, it ain't the right moment now to argue 'bout that. You rather should run or do you wanna also end up the same way as Sheila?" Hank scolded him.

"No, but if we're unlucky, Sheila's gonna drive us into the deep forest, where we're probably gonna get lost completely and so we would be lost for ever in this goddamned forest."

"Oh, no, look! We don't run deeper into the forest, but directly out of it. That's the path we came, ain't it?" Diana shouted.

"I guess..." Presto mumbled.

The friends noticed it and ran straight to the end of the forest.

Eric, who ran as the last one again, turned around and wondered, "Hey, guys, I think we shook her off!"

But he hardly said this when Sheila appeared out of nowhere directly in front of him. She used her Cloak; that's why she could catch up with them without being noticed by her friends.

"Ah!" Eric screamed frightened.

And there Sheila jumped at Eric and pulled him to the ground. With a further horrified scream he fell under Sheila to the ground and defended himself against her, because Sheila was holding him tight to get to his neck unhindered.

"Let me go, Sheila! Otherwise I have to hurt you and I really don't wanna do that!"

The remaining friends turned back and wanted to help Eric. They pulled Sheila down from Eric. But Sheila, who was sitting on the ground now, didn't like that at all. She growled at her friends furiously and bared her teeth aggressively.

"Please Sheila; don't you know us any more? Please, you have to remember..." Hank talked to her, while Presto and Diana helped Eric to get up again.

But Sheila didn't react.

And she also didn't, when Bobby stepped beside Hank and begged, "Please, Sis... You simply couldn't have forgotten who we are, who I am...
You do remember, don't you? We're your friends. I'm your brother...
Sheila, please... Sis..."

Hank shook his head, laid a hand on the shoulder of the youngest and tried to get him away from Sheila, before she could jump up again and probably lunge at Bobby.
Sheila growled again dangerously and her eyes shone even brighter now.

"Run! I guess she's gonna attack any moment again!" Hank ordered to his friends, while he didn't lose sight of Sheila any moment. And he said to Bobby, "Bobby, come on, we can't do anything for her any more, believe me... I would like to if we could, but I'm afraid she's lost, for ever..."

His eyes were filled with tears with these words.

The young boy shook his head stubbornly, shook the hand off, took a step towards Sheila and said sulkily, "No! I can't leave her here... I can't and I don't wanna do it; she's my sister..." And tears also ran over his cheeks.

"Please Bobby..."

Suddenly Sheila talked to them, but her voice wasn't the same any longer, "Bobby... you are my brother... come to me..."

And Sheila smiled, baring her teeth with that.

"Sis? You remember me?" Bobby asked and took another step towards Sheila, who stretched out her arms for a hug.

"No, Bobby, don't. This there ain't Sheila any more; she ain't your sister any longer!" Hank said and grasped Bobby's arm and held him back.

"Please Hank... I wanna go to her..."

"Bobby, come to me..." Sheila lured again.

In the meantime, the others got out of the forest, awaiting Hank and Bobby.

"Hank, Bobby, come on!" Presto shouted to them.

"Bobby, we have to hurry up or else Sh... she is gonna attack us again. We really can't do anything for her any more... Please, believe me; if we could I would do it! I'm really sorry, Sheila..." Hank turned with his last words to his former friend.

Then Hank pulled the meanwhile crying boy behind himself.

"Sheila..." Bobby shouted again and again and looked at her crying, while he was pulled to the others by Hank.

Sheila kept on sitting on the ground for a moment. Then she jumped up and ran behind them; now really angry, because they got away from her and she was driven by her insatiable desire for blood.