Page 60 of The Cuffing Game
And then he ran away. Away from Celine and Kyle. Away from the camera. And away from Mia’s show.
Beyond the trail, the woods were thick and unforgiving, sending Noah tripping and falling multiple times into the snow. But he didn’t stop.Couldn’tstop. His heart was pounding too loudly in his ears. His head, hammering along with it, a confusing and jumbled rush of thoughts and memories.
He’d moved an entire ocean away from home to flee from a life where he’d spend endless nights watchingmovies and TV shows to even just momentarily escape from reality.
In his head, Noah knew that this was different, that his current situation onThe Cuffing Gamewas not at all like the circumstances he faced back home. But his body took a lot more convincing.
I never should have come here.Noah had thought Mia’s show would be a fun challenge, but maybe it was one he hadn’t been ready for.
His legs gave out beneath him, and he got a face full of snow. A quiet “oof” escaped from his mouth. He turned over and lay there for a moment, chest heaving.
Snowflakes began falling around him in the twilight of the forest. It was beautiful. Peaceful, even.
Noah sat up when he felt like he could breathe again.
When he’d been running, he’d felt hot and cold all over, but now, as the icy wind cut through him, he was freezing. He stood up and began retracing his steps.
Noah had always thought he had a good sense of direction, but apparently that didn’t apply to the woods. Every tree, stump, and rock looked the same, worsened by the now steady snowfall that was slowly covering everything in sight.
He could have sworn he’d run for only ten, fifteen minutes tops, but he was still lost after he’d walked for much longer than that. Shadows stretched and lengthened as the sun sank. Soon, Noah was trembling again. He was stillwearing his coat, but the cold pierced into the exposed skin of his face, his lungs, everywhere.
Is this how I die?Noah thought.
For the sake of his pride, he hoped he was at least miles and miles away from the lodge. It’d be so embarrassing if his frozen, lifeless body ended up being discovered just five minutes away from everyone else.
His legs were about to give out again when he saw it: a small cabin in the woods not unlike the one he’d seen in a horror movie.
I’ll take my chances out in the cold,Noah thought.
He’d only taken ten more steps when a coyote’s howl pierced the thin air.
Noah turned around and dashed for the cabin.
At least most of the deaths inThe Cabin in the Woodswere quick.
The In-Between
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mia
Noah was missing, and it was Mia’s fault. Granted, it wasn’t like she’d told Noah to go off running into the woods. That was definitely a logical failing on his part. But they’d been out there because ofhershow. And she’d failed to keep everyone safe.
They’d ended up calling for help and halting production for the rest of the day. It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t like the show could go on with Noah missing and Celine sobbing inconsolably, even after Mia had tried her best to comfort her.
They were all back at the lodge now, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, Mia watched the recording of what happened from Kallie’s camera. She had somethoughts.But they had to find Noah and make sure he was safe first.
She was waiting to hear back from the search and rescue team when she got a call from an unknown number. Mia feared the worst. What if this was someone calling to saythey’d found Noah’s dead body? Her hands shook so much she almost dropped the phone. “Hello?”
“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m still alive.”
It was obviously him. Relief swept over Mia like a huge tidal wave. But she kept an edge to her voice as she said, “I’m hanging up. I hope you freeze to death.”
Noah laughed, but the sound was weaker than usual.
Mia bit her lip. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know if you know, but apparently an old lady owns the lodge we’re renting right now. It used to be her family home before she got older and built a smaller cabin for herself about ten minutes away. I got here and passed out for a bit. Sorry, I would have called sooner but I just woke up.”
