The Woods Hold Secrets

My best friend and I sat and watched the sunrise, and for the first time in a while I felt whole. I stared at the clock the minutes were ticking by I was sure about it, but time still moved slowly, I was waiting for my plane gate to be called it had to have been over two hours since I first got here.

"Flight 280," the ground staff called out over the intercom. I rushed to grab my things, and hurriedly ran to the desk, ditching and dodging ongoers. As I made it onto the plane the stewardess greeted me, and I smiled before going to my seat. I was anxious, this was my first time seeing my best friend in three years face to face. I was worried, what if she didn’t look the same? What if we didn’t share the same things in common anymore? My mind was miles and miles away with dejected thoughts as it’s driver. I shouldn’t think like this, she is my best friend after all, we didn’t get to talk often and the few times we did it was far and in between.

The almost five hour flight from Columbia to Nebraska was nerve wreaking, I was alone with my thoughts and completely anxious, not just from seeing her again but from this flight I never wanted to be up in the air, but the drive would’ve been longer, and after seeing so many planes crash I was understandably nervous. “I take it this is your first time flying,” a voice said. I opened my once shut eyes to look at him, “How’d you know?” “You’ve got a firm grip on your armrest,” he said with a country drawl. I released the poor armrest in a hast, and gave him an uneasy smile, he chuckled. “James,” he held his hand out for a handshake. “Sam,” I replied shaking his hand.

James talked to me and helped me stop my thoughts from becoming turmoil. Before I knew it, the flight was ending, and I was now on Nebraska soil. I breathed in the crisp air relieved to be off the plane and away from the stuffy air. I walked through the terminal and waited for my baggage before riding the escalator to get out. “Sam!” a voice yelled out. I saw a big gold glittery sign with s-a-m spelled out and as a path cleared slightly, I saw her, Belle. Jumping around in white sneakers, black fitted pants, and a yellow crop top. I smiled so far from afar she looked the same. I smiled a genuine smile, and any lingering depressing thoughts I had, I left them when I ran down the escalator.

I ran straight into her arms and hugged her tight and she hugged back just as tight. When we parted there were tears gathered in her eyes, but the bright smile on her face blinded me into a smile .Her long brunet hair was in a ponytail, and her cheeks were flushed probably from all her yelling. “How are you?” Belle wondered. “I’m doing better,” I said with a tight smile. She seemed to notice the ingenuine smile on my face and hers dimmed a little before she changed topics, “Let’s get you home so you can settle in,” she grabbed the bag I had dropped when I attacked her with a hug and held my hand, as mother would do a small child.

The ride was silent but not awkward, thankfully the airport wasn’t so far from Bellridge County and four hundred more miles we would be in Ridgewood. Ridgewood was the town that we grew up in together, while I left Ridgewood to go to college Belle stayed behind and went to the local college. The once dull air was changed when Belle turned the radio on and an unfamiliar song came on, while it was unfamiliar to me Belle was singing loudly and off-key to the song. I laughed and smiled at her poor attempt at singing.

The moment we pulled up to her house the door was being pulled opened and her mom was trying to yank me from out the car before it was put in park. “Sam!” she yelled as she embraced me tightly. “It’s been so long,” she said grabbing the little bookbag I had resting on my lap, while Belle rounded the truck with my suitcase. That night we spent eating Mrs. Roberts ‘famous’ spaghetti and meatballs, while and her and Mr. Roberts badgered me with too many questions for one night. I smiled at Belle as I looked around the room that was once filled with posters from varies boy bands hanging on the wall, messy bedding and clothes thrown about. To a clean and pristine young adult's room, where posters once were now framed photos of her on her latest adventures with her new friends.

“Your room is nice,” I complimented, she could have so many adventures with her friend but could barely text me a ‘hello’. I went to bed that night wondering if I was wrong to feel forgotten?

I awoke to her side empty and cold before the bathroom door opened up. “C’mon Sleepyhead, get up and dressed and meet me downstairs for breakfast,” she threw a dry off towel and washcloth at me before walking out the room. I got up and showered barely looking at myself in the mirror and left to make the bed up.

I walked down the stairs and the aroma of pancakes hit my nostrils, I entered the kitchen to see Belle dancing around and singing along with her back to me, I made my presence known by grabbing her shoulders suddenly. “Jesus Christ don’t scare me like that,” I laughed hard as she hit me with a towel that was laying around on the counter.

“We’re going to go camping,” she suddenly announced happily after putting her phone down. I nodded not really caring what we did. “But we need food, flashlights, and water. So, we’ll be going shopping after this, okay?” “Yeah, sure that’s fine.” We finished breakfast without another word and cleaned the kitchen while making small talk. We got in the car and drove tot he small camping store, we walked around the aisles grabbing all the necessaries items on our concise list and some that weren’t, Belle had tasked me with finding good hiking snacks while she looked for flashlights. I had just grabbed the last snack before turning and running into someone.

 “Sorry,” I rushed out as I picked up the chips I dropped and looked up, “Holden?” “Sam?” we called out at the same time. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “I’m here for fall break, you?” “Same,” he answered. “I uh…I didn’t think you would come back here. You know after everything that happened.” “I wasn’t, but uh...Belle convinced me to otherwise.” “Hey Sam, I got the flashlights,” Belle said as she looked between us. “Okay, um...Belle you remember Holden from high school?” ,I said pointing in his direction. “Yeah it’s great to see you again,” Belle said as she and him hugged. “Well we better get going, Sam.” “Yeah right,” I turned to leave, but was stopped, “It was nice seeing you again.”

We sat in the parking lot for a few minutes not saying a word, Belle’s head was resting on the stirring wheel. “What happened that night wasn’t our fault, it was self-defense,” she finally said after being silent for a while. “Then we should tell somebody.” “And risk going to prison, we got rid of his body, and we both lied to them, told them we never saw him that night”, she sat back in her seat, “We can tell them that is was self-defense, but everything that happened afterward wasn’t and you know it,” she said looking over at me. I said nothing as she started the car and drove us back to the house.

I went straight to her room and started to pack for the trip, “I didn’t shoot him”, I said when I heard her footsteps follow me. “You did that.” “Yeah, well you were my accomplice, and you kept this information from the police this long, you think that telling them now will do you any good?” “They’ll lock you away too, so like I said you won’t tell them anything,” she said as she finished packing her bag.

I didn’t say anything to Belle for the rest of the day, not throughout the drive to the forest, or setting up the tents, not even when we were eating. “We should go on a hike tomorrow,” “Cool,” I quietly said. It was windy that night, and I was happy that I had brought a windbreaker jacket with me. I moved closer to her and for the first time since I got here, we held an extended conversation, we talked and laughed into the wee hours of the morning before calling it a night.

The sun was shining brightly, and the birds annoyingly chirped loudly, I got out my tent was greeted by a smiling Belle who was cooking eggs, “Good morning.” “Good morning.” A nostalgic feeling washed over me reminding me of the last time we were here, and a small smile was on my face the whole time we got ready to go hiking. “I love you,” she out of the blue. “I love you too.”

“You know I love you, right?” Belle asked after a while of us walking around the hill. “Right” ,I said slowly as I turned around to look at her. “Why?” I wondered as I let my hand graze the flower bushes. “I want you to know that I’m so sorry.” I turned back to look at her again. “You’re not making any sense, what are you sorry for?” She didn’t answer she just walked up to me slowly, something felt off about her and I took a step back. “What’s wrong?” she still didn’t answer, she just kept walking towards me with her hand behind her back. “What do you have behind your back?”

I felt all the air leave my body as she pulled a knife from behind her back. “You were going to tell the cops, about what happened,” she said slowly. “I can’t have you telling the cops that I killed your abusive boyfriend.” “So, you’re going to kill me?” I questioned in disbelief. “I love how my life is, and you ratting to the cops what happened, will destroy everything I worked so hard to achieve. So, if I have to, I will put you down.” I slowly put my hands up as I walked backwards, “I won’t tell anyone, I promise, Belle please,” I cried. “I’m not going to prison,” she said as she lunged forward and stabbed me in the stomach. I screamed as I stumbled backwards and tumbled down the side of the mountain.

 I gasped for air as I tried to put pressure on my wound that was bleeding profusely, I looked up and saw her staring down at me and quickly start running down the side of the hill I rolled over onto my side and found the energy to stand up as soon as I got up I ran; I ran as fast as I could the harsh air I breathed burned my lungs. I quickly took off my heavy backpack and kept running, I ran to the camp site and grabbed the shirt I wore yesterday and wrapped it tightly around my wound and pulled out my phone ‘no service’ I started to cry I had to think of something fast. “Sam,” Belle sang out. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she taunted.

I looked around me for a hiding spot and spotted a high enough tree to climb. I breathed in deeply and started to climb the blood was making it hard to grip, and I had to stop myself from crying out in pain when I threw myself up on a tree branch to get higher up. I was high up enough were she couldn’t reach me or see me. “Sam, Sam please, please come out. I’m sorry, we have to get you to the hospital.” I watched her walk past the tree as she continued to call out for me. Hours had pasted and it had grown dark out, it’s been an hour seen Belle last came over here.

I decided to make a break for it, I carefully got down mindful of my wound. Once my feet were on the ground I took off running I ran far from the campsite before taking my phone out again, a single bar was at the top of my screen. I quickly dialed 9-1-1 but I was tackled to the ground, the phone was snatched out of my hands and the call was ended before my phone was tossed in the nearby lake. “You were always good at climbing,” she said as she held the knife to my throat.

“Belle please,” I sobbed out. She stared at me for a while before drawing her knife back, I searched around with my hand for a rock, anything to hit her with. "I'm sorry, but two can keep a secret if one of us is dead. You have to die," she smiled down at me. I had grabbed a nice sized rock when she had stabbed me again this time in the shoulder, I grunted out in pain as I hit her hard over the head and she dropped the knife clutching her head and rolled over. I rolled onto her and felt around for the knife, when I grabbed it and I stabbed her, she screamed out in pain.

She tried to scratch at me, but I held her hands down, and stabbed her until she stopped fighting me. I drug her lifeless body and threw her into the nearby lake and watched as she floated away, I sat down by the lake up against a tree and looked at the sky. Every star seemed so bright tonight and the moon’s reflection on the water looked lovely, I cried. This would be the last thing I ever saw, and as I closed my eyes tiredly, I smiled, it was a beautiful view.