Second chance ?

I was busy packing my bag for a trip with my friends. Last night at  our senior prom when everyone was busy gulping down their drinks, Satoru came up with this amazing plan of  road trip with a halt at a resort with hot springs. The perfect plan to let off the steam after 2  weeks of exams and a shitty senior prom where we had just fruit punches and no real alcohol not to mention the cringy prom dress and those ridiculous high heels. I wasn't able to fit all my clothes and other stuff into the bag when I heard a gentle tap on my door. It was mom, standing there in her comfy robe and soft slippers holding a novel in her hand. I could make out from her face that she wasn't much surprised to see the mess I had made while packing .......my room was always like this whenever I could not make a decision fast enough.
" Oh, honey you're doing it all wrong ,let me help you..........your friends are already here."
"Oh crap ! they are here so soon ! I haven't even checked your medicines yet , also I haven't wa-"
" It's okay honey you  don't have to worry so much, I can take care of myself quite well I'm still young enough !" she said her wrinkles curling up to form a smile.
" Yes you are, take care okay........I will call you once we get to the resort so don't worry about me and also take your medications on time also don't forget to feed the baby turtle that I got the other day ."
" Sometimes I feel like you are the mom and not me ..... now hurry your friends are waiting." she said closing the bag, now neatly arranged.
I gave her a hug and a quick peck on her cheek as I hurried downstairs with my bag.
Bethany was standing by the car gazing at the cloudless sky wearing a white shirt along with a yellow pleated skirt, her box braids were pulled up into a high pony tail. With her brown skin against the sunlight , she looked like a model. I quickly shook  off the expression from my face and looked down to what I was wearing..........a black shirt with a pair of blue jeans and white sneakers , my hair was tied up in a messy bun although some curls escaped and brushed against my face...................I guess this works too ?
" What took you so long Miss sloth ? We've been waiting for ages !" yelled Leo from the driver's seat.
" Oh c'mon Leo , we just got here , don't mind him sweetie let me help you with your bags." said Bethany.
" Yo girl ! get your ass in here and Leo don't just sit there you potato head go and open the car's trunk for her." grinned Leah with her ruffled ginger hair .
" Aye captain !" I laughed as I took a seat next to Satoru who was engrossed in observing a pine cone that he had probably picked up on the way here.
" So where is this resort exactly ?" I asked out of curiosity, afterall I was the only one who did not know it's location.
"It's a surprise ......... so we cannot tell you that so just sit back, relax  and enjoy the drive." said Leo as he hopped back into the driver's seat . "All  aboard ?Now lets get this baby moving !"
I loved spending time with them and I could even bet my life on their words but somehow this time something didn't feel right ......... Deep down I had a very unsettling feeling about all this. Maybe it was just excitement...........maybe?
Anyway the journey was going on quite smoothly. Satoru had tossed the pine cone out of the window and was now making cringy but at the same time funny puns. And the whole car was roaring with laughter. Leah would not stop opening snacks and Ethan had claimed his authority over the AUX cable and was blasting some pretty good music. When it came to music, there was no one better than him and so no one even protested. Bethany was busy taking pictures with her brand new camera while Leah was busy stealing  some glances at Ethan. And me ? I was busy sketching a portrait of a special someone. I was trying my best but I wasn't able to capture the true beauty in my drawing.
" What are you scribbling Evelyn ? Is that my portrait ? " asked Leah munching on a chip.
" HA ! as if she would draw a pig face like you, she must be busy sketching my handsome features."
Said Leo with a mocking tone.
" LEO ! You mutt face ! we look exactly the same ! If I am a pig face then you are no better than me."
Leah countered.
" Geez ! stop with that annoying name calling already , you two look exactly the same ! we're out here to enjoy for a while and not to start fights." said Bethany as she wiped her camera's lens.
While all this ruckus was going on , Satoru stole a glance at my sketch and gave me a thumbs up.
" HEY ! you were not supposed to see that ! " I yelled as I put my sketch book back into the kit.
" It's alright I won't tell anyone " he whispered.
A crimson red blush spread across my face as I turned to look out of the window. The cool breeze brushed against my face making me feel better. The snow clad mountains under the sun looked like little angels playing around. Soon it got dark with the rain clouds obstructing the sun. With the soft piano playing after an hour of rock music I fell asleep. And then I don't remember much what happened in between except for the sound of rain and the piano.
I woke up to the sweetest voice, the voice that I've always heard in my dreams. But this time it wasn't one of those dreams , it was real. Bethany was waking me up for a short coffee break at an inn .When I opened my eyes I sat upright so quick that it gave my neck a real bad jerk.But the pain was nothing compared  to the fact that I had fallen asleep on Bethany's  shoulder all this time ................................
She and Satoru must've exchanged their places ........ Damn that Satoru ! quite a cheeky bastard he is ! Although he proved to be the best wing man ever.
Ethan and Leo went off to the gas station for a refill while the others stayed back for coffee. After an hour of break we continued our journey with Ethan driving this time.
" Hey Bethany can you sit next to Evelyn for rest of the time , I need some air , this coffee didn't make me feel any better." said Satoru faking to be motion sick.
Anyone could tell that he was bad at acting, regardless Bethany agreed  to sit next to me for the remaining way. I don't know if  I was happy or embarrassed but the feeling was good till it lasted.
As we proceeded further, the Sun disappeared behind the mountains laying a blanket of stars.
Bethany was now playing her Ukulele and Leo was singing along with it. The moon was yellow and the night still young as we drove past the woods. Everything was going on smoothly and with this pace we were supposed to reach at our location at midnight.
" I......I don't feel so good ........." Said Leah with her face pale as the white sand.
" I told you not to eat so much snacks you dummy ! Do you want to exchange seats with me so that you will get some air ? "  Said her worried twin.
" No , I'm fine ....... I'm just a little dizzy." she replied waving her hand .
And then the car gave a sudden jerk which made my face slam into the front seat.
" OOOOWWWW ! " I cried rubbing my forehead. "What's wrong Ethan ? "
"I don't know it's the car." he said trying to drive smooth once again but the car had other plans . It constantly kept making weird noises and ultimately came to a halt.
"NOOOO ! my precious baby !" Leo exclaimed as he hopped out of the car. He opened the hood to inspect what was wrong and his face said it all.
" Good Heavens this is going to take an Hour to fix !"
We all exclaimed in surprise and then burst out laughing. Road trips are bound to have a halt like this one way or other and we all knew how good Leo was when it came to cars. He always had some backup plan. Suddenly Ethan howled in excitement as he spotted a house in the woods.
" Look a house !" he exclaimed " we could ask them for help or even spend the night there !"
" I don't think that's a good idea , we should probably stay in the car........" Satoru suggested .
" Oh c'mon man ! don't be a pussy now. It's adventure time !" Ethan grinned.
" Sure let me grab my camera ." Said Bethany as she went in to retrieve her camera.
" What about you Evelyn ? You're coming too right ? " asked Satoru.
I wanted to say no but Ethan's puppy blue eyes were too pleading and I could not leave them to venture in the woods by themselves. I quickly grabbed my swiss knife and slipped it into my pocket without anyone knowing about it."
And so our group split in teams , the twins were staying back at the car with Leo repairing the car and Leah trying to recover herself while Satoru, Ethan , Bethany and I went to look out for help .
The woods were thick which made it difficult to move through them but we managed somehow. Satoru was freaking out at literally everything. Ethan was moving faster than everyone while Bethany was capturing every little detail in her camera. I could not help but stare at her from a distance.
The house that we were heading to was actually the remnants of a very old mansion. There was rubble all around the place and I had an ominous feeling as I eyed all the features of the house.
Before I could say anything  all of my friends were halfway into the ruins. I hurried upto them and was charmed as well. Although the house was in ruins it had some charm to it. The broken pillars had beautifully carved designs on them while the ceiling had numerous tiny hooks. I guess it was where the glass lights were hung. The structure of the house was quite old and fascinating. Leah would've loved to see all of this....only if she hadn't gobbled up all the snacks.
"Guys ! you need to see this !!!!!"
It was Ethan's voice . We all rushed to him to find a majestic pond in the backyard. The water was black and it reflected the starry sky . There was a tree halfway arched on the pond with little white flowers. Such a pretty sight ........ If I would've ever get a chance to build a mansion myself I would make it the exact replica of this . I turned my head to see Bethany standing at the edge of the pond with her camera in hand aiming for the perfect shot. Oh how lovely she looked ! She appeared like an angel basked in moonlight who had descended on earth for me. If only I could let her know how I feel........................
I was so engrossed in admiring her that a gentle tap on my shoulder scared the living crap out of me. I quickly flung my swiss knife open holding it into a defence stance.
" Woah ! woah easy there girl ........it's me your pal Ethan."
" Oh crap ! you scared the hell outta me you moron ! " I nudged him closing the knife.
" I just wanted to let you know that the view from the top is stellar. "
" Then what are we waiting for ? Lead the way Ethan !" Said Bethany.
" Leo must be waiting for us , why don't we just go back ?" complained Satoru.
But Bethany grabbed his hand and mounted the stairs. The top floor had two huge rooms. This Must've been the bedrooms. The walls had some strange marks as if someone had clawed them. Each bedroom had a different interior and they were attached to a bathroom with tiny bathtubs. The room which had a balcony attached to it had a weird pattern on the floor. It somewhat resembled a Pentagon. Now this room had a really bad aura around it and I could feel it.
" Enough sight seeing for today guys , lets head back now. " I said much to Satoru's relief.
He dashed downstairs with a smile and said,
" I shall lead the way , now follow !"
Once we were out of the mansion I noticed that Ethan was not with us.
" Did you guys see Ethan ? "
" Yeah I saw him with Leah upstairs , she must've followed us." said Bethany.
Those two sure have a thing going on, I thought.
Satoru's phone buzzed, it was Leo . As Leo spoke from the other side Satoru's face grew pale.
" What's wrong buddy ? Let me speak with him " I said taking the phone from his trembling hands.
" Hey its Evelyn , is anything the matter ?"
" Oh Evelyn I need you people to hurry back , the car is now alright but Leah is puking real hard."
" But how is that possible ? she is here with Ethan..........."
" Nonsense Evelyn , she has been puking for the last 20 minutes."
I could not comprehend what I was been told when we heard a blood curdling scream. It was Ethan's voice . He was screaming in pain. We three sprinted off towards the car for our dear lives. As we began running , we could hear a woman laughing behind us. Satoru stumbled at a rock and fell on the ground. But before I could reach out to him he was dragged back into the woods. I screamed his name but kept running not wanting to look back . As we came close to the car, the sound of Satoru's screaming and the woman's laughter kept getting louder and louder. Bethany and I were both out of breath as we approached the car drenched in sweat. There was no time to explain , Bethany screamed at Leo to let her drive and took the wheel. She hit the gas pedal and the vehicle screeched as it came back to life.  We sped off  to get ourselves out of there but then out of no where , Ethan and Satoru appeared on the road soaked in blood. Their eyes were lifeless and their stare death cold.
Bethany drove past them and they just stood there unmoving . Leah  was sobbing while Leo had frozen. I could sense the stress , tension and fear in the air as we continued to drive out of the woods. The silence was broken by the woman's laughter....................now from inside the car. I turned my neck hesitantly to see a woman draped in bloody rags with bruised pale skin staring back at me with complete black eyes. She twisted her head at right angle and broke into a cheshire grin. Everyone was screaming with fear as she pierced Leah's neck with her sharp nails.
Bethany stomped on the break pedal ad dashed out of the car. But the ghost was already at her throat slicing it in half. Leo  was now running wild with rage looking at his sister's corpse and flung himself on to the ghost. But it wasn't much of a hassel for her. She just tore his torso in half and threw him as if it were an empty sac. I was frozen in my tracks watching her every move, unsure of what to do. She licked the blood off her fingers as she walked up to me and stabbed me in my guts with her sharp talons. I Screamed at top of my lungs and fell on the road coughing out blood while my whole life flashed before my eyes. My vision blurred as I wished ............ If only I could relieve this day , I would never let this happen..........

"Evelyn ..... Evelyn wake up we are taking a short break for coffee." It was Bethany's voice .
I was in the car.........asleep on Bethany's shoulder.............the sun was still up and it had just stopped raining. Leo and Ethan were leaving for the gas station while the others were going to wait at the inn.
I insisted on going with them to make sure that the car doesn't stop in the midway . I also picked up some medications or Leah and drove for the rest of the day using the GPS system ( avoiding the route that went through the woods).
To this day I am still not sure if that was just a night mare or a real experience ..................................