The Silent Forest

Summary: A field trip becomes a nightmare when the gang is separated from the rest of the group in the middle of a vast forest. Things go from bad to worse when they discover that they are not alone.

Pairings: Chaylor, Troyella and some mild Zekepay. Ryan will also feature but with no pairing.

Disclaimer: Yep, I own it. *Keeps dreaming*

Warnings: Possible character death(s). Rated T for some language and quite a bit of violence/blood. Probable spelling and grammar mistakes due to my lack of beta.

2. Over The Edge


Chad heaved a sigh. 'The journey is short'. That's what the teacher had said. If this was his idea of short, then the man was deluded. They had to have been walking for at least two hours already. Their feet were sore, they were hungry and tired. Lunch was waiting for them at their meeting point but that was nowhere to be found.

"Too heavy for you?" Taylor asked from her position on Chad's back. Her feet had gotten tired and he'd offered to give her a piggy-back thinking that they'd arrive at their destination some time soon after.

"Nah," He said as she moved her head from where it rested on top of the cushion of his curls to lean over his shoulder and give him a quick peck on the cheek. Chad chuckled but his smile quickly dropped as his attention was caught by a tree stump. A tree stump he'd seen twice before. "Something's wrong, Tay." He told her quietly, not wanting to worry the others.

"Hmm?" She said, instantly concerned by his serious tone.

He put her down and stopped walking. She looked at him expectantly. "We're going in circles." He told her.

Taylor frowned. "What?" She shook her head and looked around, then leaned in close to him so that only he could hear what she was saying. "Are you sure?"

He nodded solemnly just as Gabriella and Troy reached them; walking together, laughing and holding hands. They seemed so carefree that Chad was reluctant to tell them the bad news.

"Hey guys." Troy greeted, still smiling.

"Something wrong?" Gabriella asked when she noticed the worry etched in both Taylor and Chad's eyes.

Taylor nodded as Chad called after Zeke, Sharpay and Ryan who were up ahead. When they were all together Chad spoke of his concerns.

"We're going in circles." He told them.

Sharpay laughed mockingly. "D'ya think so?" She asked sarcastically. She wasn't in the mood for Chad's games. This little act he had on was unconvincing and it was wasting time. She wanted her lunch. She wanted solid, leaf-free ground to stand on. She'd already tripped five times already. So, she wasn't falling for one of Chad's immature pranks. They'd been walking long enough; their meeting point should be right around the corner.

"I'm sure." He told her seriously. "Look around. We've been here before."

Ryan looked doubtful. "It's a forest Chad, everything looks the same." It was true. That was why he'd had trouble with the map. How do you tell one area of forest from another? He didn't tell the others of course. Knowing Sharpay, she'd snatch the map from him, tell him how it's done and end up getting them all lost. Lost. They couldn't be. Then again, Ryan's map reading skills weren't exactly perfect.

"It is a bit weird how long we've been walking." Gabriella said. She hadn't thought about it before. She and Troy had been so deep in conversation, just following the others. Who knows where they could have been going. For all they knew, they could be miles off track.

Troy nodded. "And there's been no sign of other groups… or Mr. Feeny." The reality of the situation started to sink in as he realised how serious it would be if they actually were lost. All the clues were adding up, it was just a shame it had taken them so long to figure it out. Subconsciously, he put a protective arm around Gabriella's shoulders.

"We've been reading the map properly." Zeke assured them. He was slightly offended. The others had left him and Ryan in charge of finding the way, never once offering to help them or take over for five minutes. Now they were blaming them for getting lost, which they weren't. They weren't. Were they? Zeke thought about what his mother had said to him that morning and realised that it was just his paranoia taking over. He took a deep breath and cleared the worrying thoughts out of his mind.

Chad pointed to the tree stump. "This is the third time we've passed that stump." He explained, ignoring Zeke. "And before you say anything, I know because last time we passed it I thought 'why is there a stump here if there are no people to cut down trees?'."

Taylor frowned. "True." She said. That was strange. But then, there were always scientists coming through the forest and taking samples of wood and stuff. However, if Chad was right, and his point was becoming increasingly convincing, they were in big trouble. Once you're lost in a forest, it's almost impossible to get back on track.

"And I can guarantee you," Chad continued. "That just over that hill," He pointed to where the flat ground rapidly dipped into a long, steep downward slant. "There's a sort of clearing with a really thin river."

Ryan narrowed his eyes at Chad sceptically.

"See for yourself." Chad told him.

Ryan did so and carefully approached the edge of the cliff-like decline. Holding a nearby tree for support, he cautiously leaned forward to peer over the edge. Sure enough, Chad was right. Roughly one-hundred yards down was a grassy area, free of trees, with the thin, wonky and almost invisible line of a river running through it.

"What can you see?" Asked Zeke who also attempted to peer over while keeping a wary distance.

"He's right." Ryan said quietly as he turned and nodded with confirmation.

They hadn't been expecting that. Even Chad was silently hoping he was wrong. Now they had a real problem on their hands. They were definitely lost.

Sharpay began to make her way towards her brother "Are you sure?" She said, trying to have a look.

Ryan stretched his hands out in front of him to stop his sister coming any closer. "Don't go near the edge, Shar. It's not safe." He told her.

"Maybe you should both come back over here." Gabriella suggested as she and the others grew increasingly concerned. "Where it's safe."

Sharpay rolled her eyes and ignored both Gabriella and her brothers warnings. "Relax, Ryan. I'm jus-."

"No." Ryan said stepping out in front of her. He was about to speak again when his foot slid out from beneath him on the dewy grass. He yelped as his hands flew around desperately trying to find something to cling onto. But to no avail. The last thing he saw before plummeting backwards was the horrified face of his twin sister as she frantically and unsuccessfully tried to grab him out of the air.

He thought he heard her scream. Although, that may have been the wind whistling in his ears. He landed hard on his back. The wind was knocked out of him. He continued to slide and roll unceremoniously as his hands clambered for grass or anything to hold on to. Hard stones dug into his side. Sharp twigs scratched his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut feeling sick and dizzy. The terrifying ride seemed to have no end.

At the top of the hill, Sharpay found herself frozen with shock as she watched her brother roll violently out of reach. She called after him as if he would somehow magically stop at the sound of his name. Then, before she could even think about it, she ran forward; chasing after him. The hill was far too steep. And her high heels proved increasingly inappropriate as on her very first step, one of the heels snapped. Her leg buckled. The rest of her body followed. And she, like her brother, began to plunge uncontrollably.

Zeke, now closest to the edge, saw her go and instinctively reached out to catch her. For a split second, her hand was in his. At that moment, it was as if time had frozen. Her eyes met his. Her facial expression twisted from one of shock and fear to one of surprise and gratitude. Then it changed again. This time to an apologetic look of regret. Zeke didn't realise why until it was too late. The force at which she was falling was too strong for him to handle. Rather than pull her to him, she ended up pulling him down the hill after her.

From a safe distance, Troy, Chad, Taylor and Gabriella watched the events unfold. It happened so quickly. One moment Ryan was there, the next he was gone. Then Zeke and Sharpay disappeared too. They exchanged worried glances as they heard Sharpay screaming as she had an undoubtedly painful fall.

Simultaneously, the four of them hurried forward to see what was happening and assess the situation. They stayed far from the edge, having witnessed first hand what happened when you got too close. They could distantly see Ryan, Sharpay and finally Zeke slow to a stop at the bottom of the hill, just beside the river. They waited anxiously for any sign of movement.

Zeke lay in an unnaturally twisted position on his side. Beside him, Sharpay lay flat on her back; arms and legs sprawled out, head bent to the side. Furthest from them, Ryan lay on his stomach with his face buried in the ground.

Not one of them moved.

A/N: Bit of a cliffy there. :P And so early on as well! But I like to get straight in with the action. I really am on a roll this weekend and have already started Chapter 3. But that won't be up soon I don't think. I really DO need to revise. *Bites lip* Don't wanna fail my exams now, do I?

Thanks to; Daydreamer299, ladykatyultimatefan, Kt luvs., ChaylorTwilightQueen10, ChocolatexChicaxCasey95 and RissaIzDeBomb. Your reviews are like love.

Hope you liked it. I'm thinking of doing a preview for the next chapter every time I update. What do you think?

xX M Xx