(WEBSERIE) The Wrong Turn: Chapter Two

Previously on… Chapter One: https://kovaze.com/blog/106180 ----------- Chapter Two: The silence didn’t break. It stretched. Pressed. Crushed. Inside the car, no one moved. No one breathed. “...she’s gone,” Fran whispered, her voice hollow, like something inside her had already shut down. “Don’t say that,” Gabs snapped—but it came out weak. Fragile. “She’s GONE!” Fran cried, breaking. “They—did you SEE—?!” “STOP!” Ribs slammed her hand against the wheel. “Stop it—just stop!” Outside, the group hadn’t left. Poof. Glitter. Jaded. Melanie. Cristi. Torimarie. They stood exactly where they were. Watching. Waiting. Like nothing had happened. Like Kimmie had never existed. “They’re not even hiding it…” StayC murmured, shaking. “They don’t care,” BRAT said, jaw tight. “They don’t need to.” A slow creak echoed through the air. The gas station sign above them flickered once. Twice. Then steadied. “We need to go. NOW,” Bubba said, panic rising. “Drive—just DRIVE!” “I’m trying!” Ribs turned the key again. The engine coughed. Struggled. Then— ROARED to life. Hope exploded inside the car. “YES—GO!” Gabs shouted. Ribs slammed her foot on the gas. The car lurched forward— —but something slammed onto the hood. A body. Cristi. She hit hard, palms flat against the windshield, her face inches away from them. Smiling. “OH MY GOD—!” Fran screamed. “KEEP GOING!” BRAT yelled. Ribs didn’t hesitate. She floored it. Cristi clung for a second— Then slid off the hood with a thud, disappearing behind them. “Don’t stop—don’t stop—DON’T STOP!” StayC cried. The road stretched ahead. Dark. Endless. “Where’s the exit?!” Bubba twisted around, looking back. “Where’s the road we came from?!” “It should be RIGHT THERE!” Gabs said, turning, frantic. But behind them— There was no town. No gas station. No sign. Just trees. Thick. Closing in. “No…” Gabs whispered. “No, that’s not possible—” “We drove straight,” Ribs said, her voice dropping. “We didn’t turn. We didn’t—” “Then WHERE IS IT?!” Fran shouted. The car sped forward. Minutes passed. Or seconds. Time felt wrong. The forest didn’t change. Didn’t thin. Didn’t end. “I don’t like this,” StayC said, gripping the seat. “I really don’t like this—” “Just keep going,” BRAT said. “Eventually we’ll hit something. A highway. A house. ANYTHING.” A shape appeared ahead. Relief surged— “LIGHTS!” Bubba pointed. “There—there—!” A building. Familiar. Too familiar. “No…” Gabs said slowly. The car rolled closer. Closer. The crooked sign came into view. Broken. Faded. **WELCOME TO DRY CREEK** Silence detonated inside the car. “No, no, NO—!” Fran shook her head violently. “We LEFT—we LEFT!” “We didn’t,” Ribs said, barely breathing now. The gas station stood ahead. Exactly the same. Exactly where they started. And in front of it— They were there. Waiting. Again. Unmoved. Unchanged. Poof smiled wider this time. Glitter let out a soft laugh. Jaded crossed her arms, almost bored. Melanie cracked her neck. Cristi stood upright again. Unhurt. Torimarie whispered louder now. “They reset…” Bubba said, voice trembling. “They actually reset…” “We’re trapped,” StayC said. “No,” Gabs said, shaking her head, backing away from the idea. “No, there has to be a way out. There HAS to be—” The engine died. On its own. Click. Everything went still. Again. Footsteps. Slow. Surrounding them. Again. “They’re not letting us leave,” BRAT said quietly. “No,” Ribs replied. Her hands tightened on the wheel. “They’re not letting us survive.” A knock. This time on the back window. Fran turned slowly. Too slowly. Glitter stood there, inches from the glass. Her smile wider than before. “Round two?” she mouthed. Fran let out a broken sob. Outside, the circle closed tighter. Closer than before. More confident. More certain. Because now— There were only five. And Dry Creek had already learned how they run. This time— It wouldn’t let them get far.