Chapter 27- We need to talk

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1 week later

We pack up all our things and are ready for our next move. The last week took longer than I thought and all the days were basically the same, we got up, ate breakfast then observed the investigation. I was so nervous and worried more than ever over the last week, I stayed mostly to the front of the group during the investigation and I was so alleviated when each day they didn't find anything on the masked men.

If I wasn't involved with him and knew about their secrets, I would've helped them on their investigation and find evidence on these masked men but I can't because I know way too much and it's overwhelming trying to keep everything a secret, I just hope that they leave here without finding anything and never come back again.

We begin our hike up the mountain with our 5 additional members to our group. Three of them are men, they are strong muscular men that look like they're ready to take on anything. The two women are also muscular with broad chins and just by looking at them I can tell they're experts at what they do.

We walk up the trail and my mind runs on him, it's been a week since our fight and since I've heard from him. I'm grateful for his absence from my life, I'm happy that he listened to me and finally agreed to leave me alone, who am I kidding? I'm more miserable than ever. I've been dodging calls and texts from everyone over the last week and I've been so depressed that I barely came out of the tent for the last week, I just came out to get some food then head back in. I think about him all the time especially when I'm alone. We walk for another 3 hours with multiple water breaks in between.

The investigators are constantly searching everywhere and looking through everything they could find trying to find evidence on the masked men, I pray that they don't. It's almost August and I miss everyone and everything at home and my birthday is in 6 days which I'm not looking forward to. We finally reach an open ground with short cut grass and trees to the side and the leaders stop and announce that this will be our spot for the next week.

We all set up our tents and get settled in. Last week Mr. Miller told us that our parents can come to visit us for the weekend next week down the trail and they already texted that on the group chat. I know my mother was thrilled when she heard that and she's probably gonna be the first parent here along with Nelson. Easton, Kate and I hang out in our tent for a while then we head outside to take a walk. We play I spy and I so far I'm in the lead, this reminds me of the time Hero and I were playing I spy when we were walking back from the stream and I lost, he just named things that were on me and yet it didn't seem that obvious and I still lost.

I blushed so hard when he said he spied something bright and so beautiful and radiant that it nearly seemed unreal and I thought he meant the stars or the sun or something but he said it was me, that was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me and I wanted to just hug him and kiss him when he said that but I thought it would be awkward so I didn't.

I miss him, I try to think about all the horrible things he said to me and how he hurt me hoping that I would hate him and stop thinking about him but it only makes me think about him even more. God, I can't stop thinking about him, every time I try to stop, there are things that always remind me of him and I find myself thinking about him for at least another hour. It's getting much darker faster so we decide to start heading back now. I don't know why but I feel like something's following us, I turn around several times to check but there's nothing.

I hear a loud twig snap followed by the rustling of leaves. It's him, I know it is, Oh god, he better not be anywhere in sight right now because I'm not alone everyone else is here and they will see him.

''What was that?'' Easton turns around with shock plastered across his face.

''I don't know but maybe we should hurry back to the tents'' I suggest to keep them from investigating the noise.

''Yeah, it's kinda spooky out there'' Kate says as she folds her arms across her chest.

We walk back and so far we don't hear anything, thank god. I hear a loud thud coming from behind us, oh god, if he wants to get my attention he should know that I'm not alone and he will get himself caught.

''Okay now what was that?'' Easton asks and just as I open my mouth to speak we hear it again. Oh my god, what is wrong with him? I'm trying my best to keep them away from him but he's making it so much harder, does he want to get caught?

Easton and Kate walk back to where they heard the noise and they look around but don't find anything relief flushes through me as they decide to hurry back. As soon as we reach back Easton opens his mouth and blabs out everything to the leaders that we heard, I just wanna cover his mouth with duct tape right now, he really is just like Nelson, Nelson would've done the same thing, he would've blabbed out everything to everyone.

The 5 investigators quickly pick up everything that they need and rush off to the direction we came from. My heart is racing right now, I know I shouldn't care about him and I should be happy if they find him or any evidence of his existence but I'm not, I worried to death about him and I wish I could stop them from going there but I can't because they'll know something's up. I walk back to the tents and Kate and I change into our sleepwear and Kate's on her phone for almost an hour now.

She's really excited that Elliot's coming to visit this weekend and he says he has some good news for her, I hope it is to tell her that he likes her and wants to be more than just friends, she would want nothing more. We talk for another hour before she moves to her side of the tent and tells me goodnight and falls asleep, she's a really fast sleeper, she falls asleep in less than 10 minutes whereas I can't seem to fall asleep all night.

She falls asleep easily because she has nothing to worry about like me, she doesn't have to worry about a masked man who she shared her most intimate moments with, only to tell her that he hates her and he may be in love with one of the girls he sleeps around with, she doesn't have to worry about where he is and who he's with even though it's none of my business and I shouldn't but I can't help it, she doesn't have to worry if he's sleeping with a girl right now whom he claims he doesn't love but his actions say different, no she doesn't have to worry about any of those things because those things never happened to her before. I look up at the ceiling wanting to pull my hair out of frustration about if the investigators found anything, I hope they don't. What if they did?

What if they found him? What if he told on me? No, he wouldn't, oh yes he would, he hates me and he would do anything to ruin my internship and make my life miserable. I rise up from my spot as I see lights from a flashlight heading this way, it's the investigators. I press my ear against the tent listening to their conversation with the leaders.

''Nothing, we heard some noises but we found nothing. They're here, I can feel it and they're nearby but we just can't find them'' one of the investigators say.

I let out a sigh of relief then lie back down on my spot on the ground. Thank god they didn't find anything, I know I shouldn't be worried for him but I am and I can't help it, I'm more worried for him than he is for himself. I finally close my eyes and decide to get some sleep.

*******

''Don't scream it's me'' he whispers in my ear, oh yeah like that's supposed to make me feel better, his hand covering my mouth.

If his hand wasn't over my mouth I would've been screaming right now. I look up and all I see is a sheep mask in above me, inches from my face.

How did he get in here?

He releases his hand and throws me a dress from my bag.

''Put this on'' he commands.

''What? no, what the hell is wrong with you? you can't just-'' he cuts me off and puts his hand over my mouth again.

''Just put the dress on and let's go''

''No, what are you doing here?''

''I will explain that later, put the dress on and let us go''

''There is no later, I'm not going anywhere with you''

''Stessian just put the fucking dress on and let's go'' he says through his teeth, his eyes dark and his voice rough.

He heads outside giving me privacy to put the dress and I reluctantly put the dress on as I know he wouldn't leave if I don't and he'll make things worse for himself and for me if he causes a scene. He throws me my white pair of shoes from my bag and instructs me to put it on, he knows exactly where everything is. I look back at Kate and she is facing the opposite direction sound asleep, I pray that she doesn't wake up right now. He peeks outside the tent then grabs my wrist and pulls me outside with him.

I should scream or something right now so everyone will wake up and see him so that he would get caught and get the punishment he deserves but I can't do that.

No matter how much horrible things he said to me and the way he acted with me at the party I couldn't do that to him although if it was the other way around he would've gotten me caught in the first time he saw me but I'm not ruthless and I can't do that. Even if I did get him caught or in trouble that would hurt me forever.

''Where are you taking me?'' I ask trying to pull away from his grip.

''Somewhere where we can talk''

''No let go of me, I don't wanna go anywhere with you'' I say and he just ignores me and continues pulling me.

I have no idea where we are now, we've been walking for more than half an hour and the place is creepy and the fact that he's wearing the creepy sheep mask and is dressed in full black makes me even more frightened. He's leading the way for almost an hour now and I'm tired of walking, he walks so fast, if he wasn't holding my wrist and practically pulling me behind him I don't know how I would've kept up. We walk into a cave but it's blocked off with gigantic boulders to the front.

He lets go of my wrist and I just stand there, unsure of what to do. He walks to the side of the cave and I can't see what he did but as soon as he comes back some he tells me to follow him but instead I stand in my place. He grabs my wrist again and pulls me through a small space at the side of the cave. The cave is dark almost pitch black and I could barely see anything. He leads us down a staircase that reveals a wide hallway.

We walk for about a minute before I spot a large metal door, he stops and pulls out a key from his pocket and opens the door. We step into a pitch-black room, he walks inside then flips the light switch on, brightening the room. I stand at my place by the doorway as I take in the sight in front of me.

There is a living room with a furniture set and a flat-screen tv to the front and to the side, there is the kitchen. The room is large and the ceiling is high, the walls are stone designed in a golden brown color. He pulls me inside and closes the door behind me.

''This is my place'' he says and makes his way to the kitchen.

Oh gosh, why did he bring me here?

He walks to the kitchen and pulls out what looks like a sub sandwich and heats it in the microwave.

''You live here?'' I ask him and the answer is so obvious.

''How can you live underground here?''

''Because it's mine,'' he replies without looking at me.

How can he live underground here and no one knows about it? I'm so confused right now, how can no one know that someone is living down here?

For a place underground it is surprisingly clean, big and very well put away and it's hard to believe that this is his place.

He makes his way back to me and pulls me gently by my wrist to the kitchen with him. He takes the sub out of the microwave and starts to walk down the hall in the middle. We walk straight into a bedroom and he rests the plate with the sub on the table beside the bed and kicks his boots off before pulling his t-shirt over his then his pants.

Oh god, he's standing almost naked in front of me while we're both alone in his bedroom.

No, no, no this is going to lead to something really bad and wrong. I need to leave.

The bedroom is at least twice the size of the room in the front. The bed is far to the end of the room and the room is caved in, the walls are stone designed similar to the front area and there is also a leather couch ahead of the bed, followed by a huge flat screen tv on the wall.

I see another door to the side of me, it's opened slightly and I glimpse a sink and I assume that's the bathroom. The room is huge and it's clean, surprising considering that he's living here. There is a desk with a bookshelf to the right of me with an office chair at the front of the desk. The room is laid out pretty well for an underground living area. He closes the bedroom door and moves to sit on the bed, the bed is also big and I'm guessing it's a king-sized. The sheets on the bed are dark blue which surprises me since no other color but black he seems to be aware of.

''Come over here'' he says and pats the spot next to him on the bed.

I walk over and I sit on the edge far away from him and I avoid eye contact.

''Oh come on, come over here'' he says.

I move from my spot to up the bed and sit by the pillows. He moves closer to me and puts his arm around the pillow at the back of me. I smell smoke from him, from his chest and it sends a rage through me, does he smoke every night? I don't even want to look to the side of me because the only sight there is his hardness pressed against his black boxers. He eats the sub and offers me but I decline without speaking.

''So you really not gonna talk to me?'' he smirks and as he speaks I can smell the alcohol on his breath.

He cannot be serious right now, after all the things he said to me, does he really expect me to talk to him again? After all, I really thought he got the idea and left me alone but he didn't.

I do want him to leave me alone but a bigger part of me doesn't want him to and secretly inside for the past week I have been wishing that I would see him even though I was mad at him and still am.

''I have nothing to say to you. Now take me back to the tent'' I demand.

''Yes you do and I have a lot to say to you too''

He gets up from the bed and walks over to the desk on the other side of the room and pulls out something that looks like money. If he just wanted to give me back the money he could've just dropped it off at the tent and not bring me here. I'm officially terrified and all I wanna do is run but I have no idea where to go. I'm alone with him in his house underground while he's half-naked here where nobody knows about and I don't even have my phone or anything with me, I have nothing but my clothes on me.

I am totally dependent on him right now, I have no phone or anything, I don't even know how to get back to the tent without him, I'm scared to death that he brought me down here to hurt me.

Did he bring me here to hurt me? Why did he bring me here?

Author's note: Hey guys! How are you? How's the story so far? Wow, can you guys believe he brought her to his house but why? I'm scared for her, I wonder why he brought her here? New chapter coming tomorrow so stay tuned and keep reading, comment, vote and follow me, bye, love you guys!