The mud was thick and Diego struggled initially to pull away. Steering his moped towards the driest side of the path, he was then able to speed away; he didn’t look back at Christian as he rode off. Christian tried to start his moped but it wouldn’t start. He heard a faint growl as the wind picked up once again. He looked to the right into the long grass at the side of the road and saw a pair of glowing eyes. He hastily tried to start up the moped but it just wouldn’t.
“Diego!” he shouted, watching his friend ride off in the distance. Christian turned his focus back onto whatever was in the grass, the growling became louder as he tried again to get the moped started. He thought he heard a man scream, just as he finally got his moped started. In the side mirror he saw the pair of ochre eyes right behind him and then a set of sharp teeth grinding together. He pulled off on the muddy road but the wheel struck a rock; his moped jolted and he flew forward hitting his head.
Christian felt something warm running over his face as the rain started up again. He lifted his right hand, he had pins and needles in his fingers as he rubbed his forehead. He realised he was bleeding. His eyes became heavy as he heard panting followed by incessant sniffing. The humming echoed in his ears once again, before he passed out.
Diego began looking back while slowing down on the moped. “I can’t believe I’m even worried about him,” he said out loud, as he slowed down completely and then stopped. He was waiting for Christian but he was not coming; Diego felt uneasy realising he had stopped between the Renshaw woods on the way back to the Manor. Diego looked at his watch, it was already 6pm. So much for the Amusement Park he thought, as fine rain began to fall.
In the distance a set of headlights pierced the darkness, he moved his moped off the road as he waited for it to pass by. Hearing something behind him, he stared intensely into the darkness of the forest and let out a scream, as a conspiracy of ravens flew from within, making him almost fall over into the road.
The car hooted and stopped as Stuart rolled down his window; Melanie and Tieckey were so inquisitive they were practically hanging out of the back window.
“You fool!” Stuart scolded Diego, “You could have got yourself killed and caused a major accident!”
Diego apologised over and over again as Melanie and Tieckey giggled.
“What are you doing out here?” Tieckey asked the boy who was clearly rattled.
“I’m waiting for my friend Christian,” he answered looking at his watch again.
“Why don’t you just ride on?” Melanie urged him, remembering what she had seen earlier in the forest. But Diego shook his head.
“I think I will go and look for him,” Diego fretted turning his moped around. “He can’t be that far behind,” he tried to reassure himself.
“Be careful,” Melanie warned him, as she rolled up her window.
Stuart looked into Diego’s eyes, “I haven’t seen anyone on the road for miles, so maybe you should just get back to the Manor and wait for him to arrive.”
Diego shook his head once more, “I’m going to go and look for him,” he decided, starting the moped and riding back the way he came.
Stuart rolled up his window and drove on, as Melanie and Tieckey continued discussing what they were going to do for the rest of the evening.