Hi all! Please leave a review if you can! I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I made some corrections and edits to the previous chapters to get the story to flow in the direction I'm hoping for. (I was listening to Sleep Token and Bad Omens while writing this chapter to give some context as to what is about to come lol).

Chapter 4: Lost and Found

"It's hers."

There was utter silence among the three members. So silent, that the only noise they heard was their heartbeats pounding in their ears.

What finally broke the silence was the sound of leaves crunching from Danny sprinting on top of them. "Danny wait!" Sam called out, recovering from her state of shock.

However, Danny didn't slow down or respond to the familiar voice calling out to him. Sam and Chris quickly glanced at each other with disturbed expressions before quickly running after him.

Before they started running, Chris noticed a large hole surrounding the area where they found Cathy's VCOM. The hole looks almost like a body of water used to be there. "Sam, did you see Cathy's VCOM was in a large hole when we found it?" Chris said as they climbed out of that hole. Sam turned and flashed her flashlight over the area, "No, but that is weird. That's never been there before has it?" They gave each other looks of hesitation before running after Danny again.

It doesn't help he is the fastest sprinter on the team. However, Sam isn't that much slower than him. "Danny, wait! We need to stick together!" Chris shouted, trying to keep Danny within his limited sight. The night vision option in their eyewear has been malfunctioning lately, and Chris has been working on developing a new and improved model, but there are some glitches he is trying to fix before they use it on missions.

"Ugh, where are you going?! How can you even see right now? Are you sure this is the right way?!" Sam exclaimed, slightly annoyed and frustrated as they continued maneuvering through the woods in the dark.

After hurdling over some large rocks and logs, they finally heard a response, "I'm tracking her blood with my glasses!" His voice sounded pretty clear, almost like they were finally catching up to him. "Why didn't I think of that?" Chris responded, impressed but also a little disappointed in himself. After jumping on some rocks to get through a broad stream, Sam responded frankly, "Chris, a lot is going on right now to be concerned with who comes up with the ideas. The only thing that matters is getting Cathy back safely."

"Yeah, you're right Sam." Chris softly replied. He sighed in response to the situation, irritated for putting himself in it. Of course, finding Cathy is the top priority, and he wants to find his friend just like everyone else. He also doesn't want Sam to think he doesn't care about finding her or that he is selfish. He was impressed Danny used his eyewear to track the alien sediments in Cathy's blood. However, tracking her blood made Chris worry even more. How much blood did she lose or is currently losing?

Luckily for Chris, he didn't have much time to overthink before Sam called out, "Look ahead Chris, I can see Danny up there!" They were barely able to make out his silhouette. They were feeling fatigued after enduring the intense obstacle course of the forest. As they were getting closer to him, their night vision could nearly detect the backside of Danny standing at what looked like the end of the never-ending woods.

As they finally reached Danny, Chris put his hands on his knees, and Sam put her hands behind her head as they tried to catch their breath. Sam looked up as Chris closed his eyes, hoping to gain the feeling of breathing normal again. However, they both realized Danny was not panting or breathing heavily. He was standing completely still. "Danny.." Sam wheezed but soon recognized where they were. The sun was starting to rise, gradually allowing them to see what lies ahead of them.

They were on the edge of the woods, standing on a hill that led down to luscious green plains that eventually met with more trees and enormous mountains far off in the distance. The sun's rays were slowly peaking in between the mountain peaks, and the pastel colors of the sunrise flourished. Scents of moisture, pine, and firewood filled the morning crisp air. It was quite a serene sight that left Sam and Chris in awe.

Chris quickly checked the watch on his VCOM. It was 5:30 in the morning! Have they really been out for this long?

Chris looked up from his VCOM when he heard the slightest noise from Danny, who remained frozen. "Lo-look there." Danny shuddered, his voice moving more than his body.

Sam and Chris followed his eyes towards the direction he was looking and noticed a small wooden cabin in the distance. As the sun rose higher, they were able to examine the cabin that was embedded deep within the plains, abandoned, covered in foliage, and there was someone standing in front of the cabin's front door.

Wait, someone is standing by the cabin? Pretty creepy, but the chills that ran along Chris and Sam's spines came to a halt when they noticed who that figure was. They soon joined Danny in a state of paralysis.

"C-Cathy?" Sam barely managed to squeak.

They finally found their friend, who they were so deeply worried about. However, from what little they can see, she was standing and looking at the ground with no movements.

"Cathy!" Danny shouted, finally moving as he sprinted down the hill towards the cabin. Sam and Chris felt slightly skeptical about the weird cabin and their friend, who seemed much unlike herself.

Although they felt something off, they immediately followed Danny towards their friend. As they made their way to the cabin, Sam called out, "Danny, be careful! Something feels off!"

However, Danny was insistent on finding Cathy. After all, it is his fault she is missing. He has to find her. He has to see her. He has to make things right.

Danny was getting closer to Cathy, noticing that she did seem off. Yet all he could think about was the awful things he said to her and how much he needed to fix it.

Now, he is less than ten feet away from her, noticing how strange she appeared. She looked exactly like she did in the clubhouse, with no scratches or injuries.

Where did her blood come from then? Was the blood fake, or was this Cathy fake?

Danny didn't want to spend more time thinking about what could or couldn't be. He can figure it out now, with Cathy standing a few feet from him.

"Cathy I -!" Danny exclaimed as he leaped to her, hoping to hug her and apologize as soon as possible. However, he was caught off guard when he flew right through her and opened the front door to the cabin.

"Huh?" Danny asked, puzzled, with a hint of frustration in his tone. He looked down at his hands and back at Cathy, who disappeared. Sam and Chris cautiously trotted through the door, "Where'd she go?" Sam shouted, looking around. The three members began to look quickly around the living room of the cabin.

Crrrreeeaaaaak

"Huh, did you guys he-" Chris asked before he got abruptly cut off.

"Ahhh!" They all screamed as the wooden panels cracked open, and they fell through the floor.

It was a long drop before they landed on what felt like cold concrete. Lights immediately flicked on, and they realized they were in a large basement. They all stood up and looked around the large area. Danny stopped in his tracks, and soon Sam and Chris quickly followed him.

Their eyes widened as they saw Cathy being held in the air by a hooded figure. Their long, bony, purplish fingers gripped Cathy's hair, lifting her unconscious body in the air.

"How nice of you to join us." the figure mischievously stated in a deep, demonic, masculine voice.