#no compass

“Tai, everyone thinks this is a bad idea.” Van says. “Actually, not everybody, I agree—“ I feel Natalie hit my shoulder. “You’re not going.” She says sternly.

Taissa wants to go out on a mission to find some sign of civilization. “See? Sean agrees. We have to do something. We’re starving. There’s nothing to hunt.” Taissa explains. “The animals might be migrating.” Misty replies.

“That’s probably why the only game we’ve seen for weeks was the one sick deer. And it’s just gonna keep getting colder, and not ‘I better put on a coat’ cold. We’re talking ‘dying feels like falling asleep’ cold.” Taissa explains.

“What do you think, Lottie?” Laura Lee asks the brunette. She’s say across from Nat and I. She looks at me for a second before replying. “I don’t know.” She states.

“Look, guys, anyone who wants to come with me is welcome, but i’m going.” Taissa says. “You’re gonna want to take stuff with you, right? Like food and supplies? That’s not up to you.” Akilah replies.

“Well, you can’t just send her out there with nothing.” Shauna states. “This is insane. We don’t know where we are, just that we’re surrounded by big-ass mountains. What are you now, Edmund fucking Hillary?” Van asks. “Who?” Mari asks, confused.

“Like I said, we’re not on an island. If we go south, we’ve got to run into something eventually. A road, a town, anything.” Taissa says. “No. You can’t take the rifle. I’m all for what you’re trying to do, Tai, but the gun has to stay.” Nat replies.

I can tell she’s worried. I place a hand comfortingly on her knee and squeeze gently. She looks at me and smiles slightly, before looking away. Lottie is looking at us again. Not so much at Nat, more at my hand on her knee. She looks… sad.

“Okay. Fine. I could bring some of the stuff we don’t use every day. One of the axes, the compass…” “There’s a flare gun in the dead guy’s plane.” Jackie interrupts.

“Do not tell me that you, of all people, are on board with this.” Van looks at Jackie in disbelief. “What she’s saying makes sense. I mean, if she’s willing to go, then…” Jackie trails off.

“What if you’re wrong? What if there’s just nothing?” Laura Lee asks. “I don’t know.” Taissa answers. “You do know.” Lottie replies.

“Yeah. If i’m wrong, i’ll die out there.” Taissa pauses. “I’m leaving in an hour.” She states, and walks off.

~~

“No, Sean, you’re not going. End of discussion.” Natalie argues. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing, Nat! I want to at least try to do more than just survive.” I reply, packing supplies into my backpack.

“Sean, you can’t seriously think you can survive out there! No offense, dude, but you only have one arm! Which, by the way, needs to monitored constantly because it could get infected and you could die without the proper treatment.” Natalie replies.

“Which is exactly why i’m going. We need to find something—anything! Whatever that might be.” I argue back.

Natalie looks at me for a moment, eyes wide, her lips downturned in an angry frown. She slowly steps toward me and wraps her arms around my neck. “Please, Sean…” She says, her voice barely above a whisper, before she rests her head on my chest. “I can’t lose you.” Nat states.

I sigh, and wraps my arm around her waist and kiss the top of her head. “I love you, but i’m going.” I reply. Nat scoffs, and pulls away from me and faces the opposite direction with her arms crossed. “I love you too.” She whispers, and I grab my bag and walk out.

~~

“If you have to leave, will you at least take this?” Lottie asks, holding up some kind of… bone? “Yeah. Of course. What is it?” I ask, looking up at Lottie.

“Just take it. I think it’ll keep you safe.” Lottie replies, and I quirk an eyebrow at her. “You worried about me, Hotshot?” I ask teasingly. She doesn’t laugh or smile, she just looks at me with a very serious expression.

“I had a dream last night. Red smoke… and a river of blood. Just promise me you won’t lose it, okay?” Lottie asks, and I nod slightly. “Of course. Thanks, Lot.” I reply, and Lottie suddenly wraps her arms around me in a tight hug.

(A/N: chill gurl ain’t nobody taking him from you)

I smile at her as she pulls away, and I turn around to walk away, but she grabs my wrist. “One more thing.” She says, and spins me around and pulls me toward her, before grabbing the sides of my face and planting a firm kiss to my lips.

I pause for a moment, shocked, before I lean into it and wraps my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me. “Bow chicka wow-wow!” Van laughs as she passes by us, and we pull away.

“Stay safe.” Lottie sighs, and I nod, and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll try my best, okay? You have my word on that.” I promise.

~~

Everyone is exchanging hugs. Lottie hugs me tightly. “Remember your promise.” She whispers, and I nod slightly before pulling away. Nat walks over to me, and glances at Lottie before grabbing my face and kissing me like Lottie did earlier.

I kiss back, obviously, and she pulls away. “Don’t you fucking die on me, Shipman.” Nat demands, and I chuckle slightly. “I’ll try not to.”

“Wait! Wait for me. I’m coming.” Misty says as she sprints outside, wearing a backpack. “Ben, uh— Coach, um… please don’t try to talk me out of this, okay? I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I just… I feel like my team really needs me right now.” Misty explains to Coach.

“Oh. Wow. Well, that’s, uh… you know what? That’s really brave, Misty. I’ll do the best I can without you.” Coach replies, chuckling nervously.

Misty says something else, but I tune it out because of how awkward that whole show is.

Shauna walks up to me hesitantly. “Hey, Sha-Sha.” I smile. She chuckles. “Hey, Super Sean.” She replies, and I grin. “If you die, I’m totally telling on you.” Shauna jokes, and I laugh.

I feel tears prickling at my eyes, but I blink them away. “We’re twins. It’s, like, required by law that we die at the same time, so… I won’t.” I joke, and she laughs, before hugging me. I hug her back.

“I saw you slept in the attic with Tai. Save a spot for me, okay?” I ask, and she nods, before separating from me.

And with that, Mari, Van, Taissa, Akilah, Misty, and I leave. This better have a good fuckin’ ending.

~~

I put the bone necklace Lottie made for me on, and Van side eyes me. “What’s that? Is that from ‘hotshot’?” Van teases me about my nickname for Lottie.

“Okay, dude. Shut up.” I laugh. Van and I get along surprisingly well. “Seriously, though. Why do you call her that?” Taissa asks. She’s leading us.

Mari, Misty, and Akilah are behind Van and I. Van is walking beside me, and in front of us is Tai. “Well, y’know… she’s good at soccer, and when we talked for the first time I called her that, and it just kind of… stuck.” I explain.

“And she’s also hot?” Van asks, and I roll my eyes playfully. “And she’s hot. That too.” I chuckle. “I saw you two kissing. What happened to you and Nat?” Akilah asks.

“Oh, uh… Nat and I aren’t really… dating officially yet. And, i’ve always had something going between Lottie and I, so… yeah. Plus, she kissed me.” I explain.

“Okay, but what is that necklace?” Van asks, smiling. “A good luck charm. To keep me safe.” I reply, and she nods.

“You should be cautious, Sean.” Tai warns me. “Why?” I ask, confused. “Just saying… if this were a horror movie, she’d be the villain.” Taissa replies, and I scoff.

“Tai, she’s fucked up from the crash. She’s not evil.” I state. “If this were a horror movie, you’d be the first to die, Tai.” Van says.

“Why, because i’m black?” Tai asks, and I chuckle. “No, ‘cause you’re the skeptical one. They always go first, leaving the rest of us to keep doing dumb shit and die in unnecessarily brutal ways.” Van explains.

“Wait, hang on, why does the black character always die first?” Van asks. I scoff and start chuckling. “Racism. Obviously. They want the movie to seem inclusive without it actually being inclusive.” I reply. Tai laughs. “Alright, white savior.” Tai says “Oh, come on! I’m not a white savior for stating facts.” I laugh.

“Anyway, for the record, Lottie predicted prom queen last year. And the whole Mr. Jenkins scandal.” Van says.

“She did?” I ask. “Yeah! It was fuckin’ wild.” Van laughs. Taissa glares at Van. “What? She did! Chill out. Oh, my god. You get so serious about this shit.” Van says, bumping her shoulder against Tai’s.

~~

Nat’s POV

~~

Sean kissed Lottie. Well, Lottie kissed him first, but… that fucker kissed her back. Knowing him, he probably just did it to make me jealous. He knows Lottie likes him. It fuels his ego.

But, Jesus fucking Christ that boy makes me tick. Sometimes, when he’s being stupid and adorable, I can’t think straight. He makes me feel like i’m some preppy chick in a romance movie for heartbroken girls to cry at while watching.

I hate it. I hate him. I hate how he can make me feel like the only girl in the world, and then make me feel so damn angry.

I guess I can’t be angry. It’s not like I have some claim on him. I don’t own him. I’m the one who kept my feelings for him a secret for, what, like, three years? Ugh.

Not exactly my fault. I dropped hints. I’m not subtle. He’s just an oblivious idiot.

“Do you have a problem with me?” I hear Lottie’s voice ask from behind me. I sigh. “Not right now, Lottie.” I huff. “Oh. I just… okay.” Lottie sighs, and starts to walk away. “Wait—i’m sorry, Lot. I just… have a lot on my mind.” I explain. Not exactly a lie.

Like Sean’s stupid face. His dumb smile that makes my heart do a flip. His stupid jokes that I laugh way more than I should at. How his lips fit perfectly onto mine. How his dumb arm wrapped around Lottie when they kissed—

“Are you in love with Sean?” I blurt out like an angry word vomit. Fuck. “What?” Lottie chuckles, confused. “You heard me.” I reply, and Lottie scoffs. “Why is that important all of a sudden?” Lottie asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know, maybe because he’s my best friend?” I ask sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “I’m not in love with him. That’s an exaggeration.” Lottie pauses.

“…but I do have feelings for him. I have since last year. You know this. You picked up on it at last year’s prom.” Lottie explains.

“Well, don’t fuck it up. He’s a good guy.” I grumble, before I storm out of the cabin.

~~

Sean’s POV

~~

It’s dark out now. I’m clutching onto the necklace Lottie gave me like my life depends on it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. I am.

I hate being outside at night. I have since I got jumped on my walk home from my ex boyfriend’s house at ten pm. They broke one of my ribs. I lied and said it was a hit and run.

Van is going on and on about some movie. Usually, i’d be invested, but I can’t shake the feeling something bad is going to happen.

Howling in the distance startles me. I jump, and end up falling onto my back. I scramble back into my seated position by the campfire and let out a shaky exhale. “Jesus, dude. Are you okay?” Tai asks, and I nod. “We’ll be fine. Wolves are scared of humans. Besides, it doesn’t sound like they’re very close.” Tai reassures everyone.

“‘Wolves can kill anything if the pack is big enough.’” I quote coach. “Sean.” Tai glares at me. “It’s true.” I reply, my voice shaky. “I have a bad feeling.” I sigh.

“We can take turns keeping watch, just to be extra safe. But, I really don’t think we have anything to worry about.” Taissa says, and I nod. Van keeps talking about the movie, and I just lay back and try to fall asleep.

~~

“Definitely shouldn’t drink it.” Misty says. We’ve found a dark red river. Like from Lottie’s dream. “No shit. It smells weird.” Mari says. “What did Lottie say was in her dream?” Akilah asks me.

I take a deep breath. “A river of blood?” Akilah asks again. I approach the water, and cup some in my hands and smell it. “And a cloud of red smoke.” Mari adds.

“Yeah. And last night, I dreamed I went water-skiing with Princess Diana, so…” Taissa says, clearly trying to make a point. I grab onto the necklace Lottie gave me. “I think that mineral deposits can change the water’s color. Like iron, maybe?” Misty says.

“I’m sure that’s what it is, then. Come on, this has been a fun detour, but we should keep moving.” Taissa replies, adjusting her backpack and walking off.

“Um, guys?” Mari asks, holding the compass. She holds it up to reveal that it’s just spinning. “The iron must be messing with the compass, right?” Taissa asks.

“I-I don’t know. Maybe?” Misty replies. “It’ll probably work again when we get away from this water.” Taissa states, and starts walking away again.

We don’t move, and Taissa turns around, frustrated. “Seriously? What?” Taissa asks, annoyed. “Should we… I don’t know, maybe think about going back?” Mari asks. Tai rolls her eyes. “We just need to get away from here.” Tai answers.

“Wait, let’s think about this.” Van says, and Tai walks over to her. “Think about what?” Tai asks. “I don’t know. This stream? It is a pretty big coincidence that Lottie dreamed about it.” Van states.

I nod. “Yeah. And now the compass is acting weird.” I reply. “What did Lottie say when we found the plane?” Mari asks Tai. “It didn’t want him to leave.” Mari states.

“You have to be fucking kidding me.” Tai sighs. “I’m just saying that—“ “What? What are you ‘just saying’? That the fucking woods don’t want us to leave? Do you know how insane that sounds?” Tai asks in disbelief.

“The woods don’t give a shit. And all of this nonsense with Lottie’s dreams and omens and whatever the fuck that is!” Tai points at my necklace, and I protectively cover it with my hand. “We can survive without a compass. We’ll use the sun to travel south, and we can place cairn stones or something under trees. There is a solution for everything. An explanation for everything.” Tai argues.

“Now, that said, nobody forced you to come with me. Anybody that wants to go back, by all means, but i’m losing daylight.” Taissa stomps off.

We all take one more look at the river before following her. I don’t trust this place. Not one bit.

~~

“I know it doesn’t feel like it, but we’re one step closer to home. I promise this will all be over soon.” Taissa promises. “We don’t need another speech, Taissa. We need to sleep.” Van states.

Taissa places her hands on her hips and looks at us. Van sighs. “I’ll take the first watch tonight.” She says, sitting up. “Let me do it. You should all rest.” Tai offers, and Van lays back down.

~~

I wake up to the girls screaming and I shoot up. All I can hear is yelling, barking, and growling. I fucking knew I had a reason to he scared. The fire has died down. I go to hold my necklace, but I can’t find it. Tai is nowhere to be found.

“Help!” A girl, I think Mari, yells, and I run toward the sound. I run face first into a tree, and I hear an unsettling crunch and feel an intense pain in my nose. Blood starts gushing out of it like a fountain, but I push forward anyway.

“Please help! Please!” She screams. I run toward it, but I’m tackled from behind, and I feel sharp claws dig into my back, and I cry out in pain.

Fuck. I need to get this damn wolf off me so I can help them. I need to help them. If they die, I don’t know what i’ll do with myself.

If I believed in god, i’d be praying like a sinner in church.

I flip around, and the wolf takes a chunk out of my stub and I scream. The pain is excruciating. My blood drips from its mouth as it growls, before lunging at my face.

I use my arm to block, and it sinks its teeth into the meat of my bicep. I try to kick it off, but it’s no use. This wolf is big, and it’s hungry.

This is it. This is how I die. I’m wolf chow. All of my struggle, everything I went through to survive, all of it is for nothing.

Before I can accept my fate, an image of Nat crying at my dead body stops me. I can’t let that happen. I pull my arm out of it’s maw and punch it in the throat. It lets out a welp before backing up, giving me an opportunity to get out from under it and run.

“Where are you?!” I scream. “Over here, Sean!” I hear Misty shout back, and I run toward the sound. Never in my life have I been as thankful as I am now to hear Misty fucking Quigley’s voice.

They’re keeping the wolves at bay using torches. “Where did Taissa and Van go?!” I ask. Just then, I see red light and smoke.