Chapter Five
"The Forest"

(Bella's POV)

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods are these I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here.
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

"He's a genius," I whispered to myself, holding a small book full of Robert Frost's poems close to the dim light of my lamp.

I'd been woken early by the sound of someone's tyres squealing right outside my house.

I glanced at my alarm clock to see that it was now almost 6am. My dad had already left for work. I'd been reading for over an hour, though it certainly didn't feel like more than ten minutes had passed. Nonetheless, sleep was worth losing just to read another one of Frost's masterpieces.

Fire And Ice
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what—

The piercing sound of the house phone startled me. I bolted upright, throwing my covers off of me in panic. Even in a town like Forks, the landline ringing at this hour wasn't normal. I grabbed my sweater off of the floor and pulled it over my head, struggling to get my arms through the holes in my haste.

I sprinted along the landing and down the stairs, successfully reaching the bottom without tripping. I would have stopped to appreciate this fact but there was no time, the phone was still ringing. I jogged the rest of the way to the kitchen until I reached the East wall. I caught my breath for a split second before I picked it up from the hook.

"Hello?"

My heart was hammering in my chest, waiting impatiently for the voice at the other end of the line to respond to me.

"Thank God," my dad quavered, almost inaudibly. "You're both alright?"

"Of course we are," I said, breathless, and now very confused. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Bella, you need to get out of town," he demanded. I had to hold the phone away from my ear because everything was so loud. It sounded as if he was trying to shout over something in the background.

"What?" I asked, suddenly unsure if I was dreaming this entire thing.

"Listen to me!" he bellowed, and I cringed into the wall behind me. "Look outside," he added more calmly.

I hesitantly walked through to the living room, flicking on the main light because the sun hadn't fully risen from her slumber yet. It was certainly cold in here but that wasn't the only reason I was trembling.

I peeked through the curtains, and my eyes fell upon an eerily motionless street.

"I don't see anyth—"

At that precise moment, an off-road jeep went flying down the street quicker than I'd ever seen any vehicle move out there. Though it was moving fast, I saw clearly that two people were clinging to the side of it. The car swerved, obviously trying to get them off.

I only let the curtain drop when an unrecognisable woman scurried past our driveway—a small child balanced on her hip.

"What's going on, dad?"

"I don't have time to explain. If one of them comes at you, aim for the head."

"If one of what comes—"

"Head North, Bella. Try to find someone who can help you." He paused briefly and I swear I heard a scream from outside. "Be brave, sweetheart. I love you both."

"Wait, dad, I can't—"

And he was gone.

A terrified sob burst out of me, and I clamped my hand over my mouth. I couldn't gather my thoughts. It was as if my brain momentarily stopped functioning due to complete and utter panic. My blood ran cold, my muscles froze, and I couldn't catch my breath. I wasn't sure what it felt like to have a heart attack but I was convinced I was on the verge of one.

You need to get out of town.

His words shot around my skull like a tornado.

I threw the phone down onto the sofa but it bounced back off and landed on the floor with a loud crash anyway. The loud sound made me jump, even though I literally watched it happen. I breathed deeply, grabbing my hair in frustration.

I took the stairs two by two, barging straight into Hollie's bedroom. I wasn't in the mind-set to consider trying to wake her gently. I just grabbed her from under the sheets, which effectively startled her fully awake. I regretted it as soon as I saw the fear on her little face but there was no time to correct it.

"It's okay," I assured her, even though it wasn't. "I need you to be a really big girl for me just now, alright?"

"Okay."

She looked up at me with the most innocent and trusting eyes, and I just couldn't let her see that I was frightened. I gave her the biggest smile I possibly could, flattening out her crazy hair.

"This is what you need to do," I whispered, holding her hands in mine. "Put on your winter socks with your knee-high boots. Find your gloves, a scarf and a really thick woollen sweater to wear. I'll get your parka." I took a deep breath, scanning her room quickly. "Grab your favourite book and Fluffles for my backpack."

"Can you do my hair in a braid today?"

I gulped, almost bursting into tears.

"Sweetheart, you're not going to kindergarten today," I explained softly. "I promise to explain it all to you later but I need you to do everything I asked as fast as you possibly can whilst I get my bag."

"I will!"

I left her then, falling through the doorway into my own room. I landed on the carpet with a dull thud but I couldn't stay down to suffer the pain. I fumbled to get up. I found my school bag next to my desk and emptied it of its contents. Textbooks and pens scattered everywhere. I grabbed my new notebook from my bedside table, along with my Robert Frost book and stuffed them both in there. I made sure to repack a couple of the pens too.

I was only wearing shorts with my sweater so I replaced them with a pair of jeans. I took my own advice and sported a pair of fluffy socks with my only knee-high boots. I knew I couldn't waste time trying to find other things so I darted out of my room and into the bathroom. The only remaining thing I had to get was Hollie's inhalers. She hasn't had an asthma attack for months but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

After that, I returned to my little sister. I found her sitting on the floor, one hand wrapping a scarf around her neck and the other attached to her boot.

"I can't get the zip up!"

"You're okay, it's okay. I'll get it, honey."

It was strange how her panic ensured my calm. I slowly pulled the stubborn zip the rest of the way up before wiping her tears away. I smiled again, noting that she was almost completely ready to go.

"My book and Fluffles are on my bed," she whispered, sniffling.

"That's my girl," I said, moving to put them in my bag as well. "You did awesome."

A shiver crawled up my spine as the two of us stood by the front door, hand in hand. Truth be told, I was trying to gather the courage to open it and step outside. I knew it was inside of me somewhere but I was struggling to find it.

"You're shaking," Hollie whispered.

I bent down to her level, so that she was looking into my eyes. "When we go outside, I need you to be as quiet as a mouse."

"Quiet as a mouse," she repeated, still nodding her head.

"Exactly." I carefully pulled the hood of her parka up so that her ears were sheltered from the cold. "Don't let go of my hand."

I stood up straight and swivelled to grab my keys from the hook. I tightened my hold on Hollie, took one deep breath, and slowly opened the door. The cold air hit us like a physical punch and I almost recoiled. Automatically, I scanned the surrounding area, checking for danger, before propelling us in the direction of my trusty truck. She was sitting right where I left her, waiting for us.

I opened the driver's door, shoving Hollie in before me. I pulled myself in, throwing my backpack on the floor by her feet, and lifted the key to the ignition. My hand was shaking so badly that I couldn't get it in the slot initially. When I did, I turned it violently in an attempt to bring the old lady to life. But nothing happened.

Not today.

God, no, please not today.

I tried again, but she failed me, and I was mad. So much for being trusty.

I slammed my hands down on the steering wheel, making Hollie jump half a foot in the air. I tried not to panic, I really did, but I had no idea what I was meant to do now.

"Okay," I breathed, closing my eyes.

I had to think logically about this. We obviously can't sit here forever and being out in the open isn't exactly the safest option. Since I apparently don't have a fucking car, we're going to have to move on foot which again, isn't exactly the safest option. If there is danger on the streets, where there are people, the best bet is to head somewhere that doesn't have any human population.

I glanced warily at the treeline surrounding my home.

Going into the forest wasn't really something I wanted to do at a time like this, because it felt a hell of a lot like something out of a horror film, but I didn't have any other option. I didn't plan ahead any further than that because I was frightened that it would lead me to a dead end, consequently prompting me to make the stupid decision to go back into the house. If my dad has taught me anything, it's that being on the move is better than being trapped.

"Let's go," I whispered, throwing open my door.

We ran into the trees, both of us tripping over anything our feet could find. I don't honestly know how we managed to remain upright the whole time. All I could hear was our rapid breaths and the branches crunching beneath us. I didn't have to worry about getting lost in here, there were trails everywhere and I knew the area well. I'd spent a lot of time wandering around under the canopy of trees.

"My toes hurt," Hollie said, trying to keep her voice quiet but loud enough that I'd hear her over the sound of our movements. I nodded to her.

I didn't stop for another minute or so, which is when we came across a fallen tree. I picked her up and set her on it, slipping off her boots one by one. She complains a lot about having sore toes and it's not because her shoes are too small. She always puts her socks on funny and so the second she brought it up, I knew all I had to do was fix them and she'd be fine.

I shimmied them around her feet whilst the two of us heaved, still breathless from the marathon. I sniffled, my nose was running due to the cool climate. I kept fiddling with her socks until she told me I'd gotten it right, and then I quickly pulled her boots back on.

"All better?" I asked her softly, readjusting her gloves so that they were on more securely.

"All better."

"Good," I whispered. "Let's have a little rest here and then we'll figure out—"

I didn't get to finish my sentence because something crashed into my side, knocking me to the forest floor. I squeezed my eyes shut in silent agony when my head hit the tree trunk. The impact left me even more breathless than I had been before. I reopened them, coming face to face with one of the most horrifying things I had ever seen.

Hollie screamed my name.