Page 35 of Taunting Tarran
‘Emma seems pretty into Paul,’ Rachel observes with a knowing smile. ‘Then, sheisgorgeous so what man wouldn’t beintoher?’
‘I’ve noticed,’ Anna replies, but theirconversation is abruptly cut short by a loud, piercing scream. Anna drops the plate she’s holding, and we all scramble outside.
‘What? What happened?’ Anna shouts, as we see Emma running towards us, panic etched into her face.
Rachel quickly pulls Emma aside, trying to assess where the blood on Emma’s face is coming from. I look out into the darkening forest.Where’s Paul?
‘It’s not my blood, it’s Paul’s.’
What?
‘He’s just behind me. Oh my god,’ Emma stammers, her voice trembling.
I knew this was a bad idea. There’s no hospital for miles. No one.
‘Calm down. What happened?’ Rachel demands, as Anna scans her eyes, her voice steady despite the chaos.
‘Something attacked us,’ Emma cries, her eyes wide with fear.
‘Attacked you?’ Anna repeats. ‘Like what?’
‘Yes! We were...kissing, and something came out of nowhere. I just ran. Oh my god…Paul,’ Emma sobs.
‘PAUL?’ Anna cries out, scanning the darkness. ‘PAUL?’
Paul bursts from the trees, his steps uneven, and his face pale as blood drips steadily from the gash on his arm. The sight jolts me into action before I even think – Rachel, already at his side, her hands reaching to steady him. Anna and I rush to help, our breaths tight.
‘Inside, quickly,’ I hiss, glancing around at the shadows. We drag him inside, the door slamming shutbehind us. Rachel’s hands are shaking, but she presses down on the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood.
‘Anna, grab the first aid kit.’
‘Where is it?’
‘Under the kitchen cabinet,’
Anna rushes to comply. Rachel was the sensible one; it is of no surprise she knows where the first aid kit is. Her hands shaking as she rummages through the supplies.
‘What attacked you?’ she asks, her voice now barely above a whisper.
‘I don’t know,’ Paul groans, wincing in pain. ‘It was fast, came out of nowhere.Shit, Pops is out there! I’ve got to...’
‘Lay back down, you’re bleeding,’ Rachel works quickly, cleaning and bandaging Paul’s wound. ‘This is deep. We need to get him to a hospital,’ she says with an urgent tone.
‘I’m not leaving Pops!’
‘We’ll stay here,’ Sarah interrupts. ‘Won’t we, Anna?’
‘I’m going with Paul,’ Emma says, as she squeezes his hand.
‘There’s nowhere for miles,’ Paul protests.
‘Help me get him to the car,’ Rachel insists, as she heaves him up.
As we struggle to move Paul, the eerie silence of the forest presses around us. I can’t shake the feeling we’re being watched, and whatever had attacked Paul was still out there, and perhaps had followed him back.
‘The tyres have been slashed!’ Emma’s voice trembles in fear.
‘WHAT?’ we shout, rushingover to see. All four tyres of our rental vehicle have been brutally slashed, large gouges splitting the rubber. Panic set in as we hurriedly take Paul back inside the safety of thefinca. ‘We need to secure this place,’ Paul suggests, his voice strained with pain. ‘Pull all the blinds down, lock the doors, and windows, and turn off the lights.’
