Green Eternity: With You

Jeph’s POV

We ran in through the bush, light from the house fading fast made it hard to see where I was going. Twigs scratched at my legs and branches lashed at my face. Quinn and I were constantly falling over. The moon deciding to hide behind the trees tonight.
Quinn signalled for me to stop as he bent over trying to regain his breath. No noises to be heard, I guessed we were at least a few kilometres away from the house.
Snap – swish swish swish.
We were not alone.
Quinn and I crouched behind a shrubbery and tried to see whom we were sharing the forest with tonight.
As the moon peeked out from behind the clouds we were able to see properly. In front of us was an unofficial clearing, the trees seemed recently chopped down and looked a lot like chairs. I shook my head, Jeph, man, pull yourself together, nothing is happening, some other people from the party must’ve ran this way.
The noises became louder and people started to emerge from the thickest part of trees. I’m certain I didn’t see anyone like this at the party, and it certainly wasn’t Halloween.
Five hooded figures walked into the clearing, murmuring amongst them.
Then they did something I really wasn’t expecting, they sung.
All of them stood in a circle and swayed from side to side, the one closest to Quinn and I started, the others joining in one at a time on the offbeat;
“Under the full moon light we dance, spirits dance we dance, joining hands we dance joining souls rejoice”
Quinn and I looked at each other in bewilderment, trying our very hardest not to laugh as they repeated the song and started to dance.
“Lets get out of here” Quinn snickered.
I nodded; we got up, turned around, wham.
“FUCK!”
I had walked straight into a branch, it poked my eye!
Quinn froze, his eyes getting wider.
The singing stopped as the five people turned around.
All of them seemed to emit hisses, Quinn and I not wanting to know more looked at each other once and ran.
They ran too.
We took sharp turns to put them off, after a while I think it worked.
I looked over to Quinn who was doubled over, he looked up to me and shook his head.
“I think I took something man, is this a dream?”
I laughed and walked over to him, bending down too.
“I don’t know dude, I really don’t know, as long as we don’t run into those crazy fuckers again I don’t really want to think about it”
We nodded to each other then stood up.
“Good evening”
We were eye to eye with one of the hooded people, but he definitely wasn’t hooded anymore.
His eyes were wide and his pupils were barely existent, his mouth was pulled back in a sneer showing off his sharpened teeth, saliva dripping off them.
He ran his tongue over his teeth, tilting his head back ever so slightly as he raised his hands, fingers thin and bony crackling as they moved.
“Dude, we don’t want any trouble okay?” Quinn took a step towards the no longer hooded man.
The hooded man looked over to Quinn, Quinn held eye contact, then backed down.
“I wonder…” he paused.
Two people emerged from either side of him, taking their places a few metres away.
I gulped down my fear and confusion, hoping this was some silly little prank.
“Why on earth…” he paused again as two more people joined him.
“Two dashing young men…” in a split second he was standing behind Quinn and I.
I closed my eyes as the hairs on the back of my neck rose. The man inhaled, face placed between Quinn’s and mine.
“Would be out on a little midnight stroll on a night like…”
He was back in front of us, hands outstretched, head held back as he laughed.
“Tonight” he dragged out the word in monotone.
Not knowing what I was going to say, I opened my mouth.
The man strode forward, grabbed my neck and pressed me up against a tree.
His face inches from mine, his fingers crushing my airways.
“You listen here Jepharee Michael Howard, if I ever catch you out again it wont just be your neck on the line, do not cross us” his eyes were livid and every word he spoke sent flecks of spit onto my face.
He let go and disappeared into the night.
Black.