When you go down to the woods today... (Chapter two)

Bang.... There it was again. Bang... Coming louder this time. BANG! Archie's heart pounded heavily on his chest which his pale hand pushed against in order to stop it, it didn't work. It caused his breathing to become heavily unsteady, forcing out more breath like a dragon's smoke in cold October air. 'What am I gonna do?! What on earth am I meant to do here?!' His thoughts screamed out so loud you could almost hear them. His body was cold but his heart set alight from fear of what might of happened to his best friend. He was so scared, he blamed himself, he was determined to find her but ever doubting himself, he didn't know if this was the best way to go about it. 'If I go with him I could find Sophie,' he thought, reasoning with himself. 'But this guy could be a raving lunatic, I don't know if he knows where Sophie is. Oh my Gosh! What am I going to do?!?' Archie stared accusingly at the stranger knelt beside him.1

"Listen, you wanna know where your friend is or not?" Pausing briefly. "It makes no difference what-so-ever to me if she dies or if she doesn't! I don't know her, she means nothing to me, not one iota, lad." He gave Archie a look that sent shivers down his spine. "Get yourself sorted mate, you choose if she dies or not. Think about it." The mysterious stranger waited for his reply, but when he didn't get one, he stood back up to full height and began to walk away. "Suit yourself..." He spoke in an angry, almost sarcastic tone.2

"Wait," He breathed. "Wait, please. Come back." Archie breathed, hoping against hope that he'd made the right decision. But, for now, there was nothing he could do about it, the man turned back to face him and came back. Archie stumbled around the ground trying to force himself onto his feet, using the large oak tree behind him to find his balance. He fell back to floor with a thud, he regretted even getting up. 3

"Wanna hand, mate?" The strangers broad Nottingham tones rung out loud and clear. He walked over to Archie, pulling his loose jeans back up before leaning to help him up (good thinking really), he obviously was in great need of a belt. He held out his hand. Archie examined it carefully before deciding it was safe enough to be helped up. He was still suspicious. 4

"When I fell earlier, I landed on my ankle... Now I can't stand on it. I can't go anywhere, which means I can't help Sophie, and they'll kill her, and it's all my fault!5

Ignoring Archie's passion for Sophie, The mysterious stranger asked "What have you actually done to you ankle?"6

"I think I broke it." The stranger scowled at Archie's ankle with a fearsome look in his eye, which frightened Archie more than it should have. He leant down and let his finger drift over the swollen ankle with a tender and gentle touch that you wouldn't expect from such a character.7

"It's not broken. It'll be fine in a while. Best advice, walk it off to be honest. Nuttin' else ya can do." He stood back up holding out his hand to Archie, "I don't bite you know, just tryin' to help ya, but if ya don't want it..."8

"No, no. I do, thanks." Archie took the strangers hand and was hauled to his feet. Now stood fully, leaning back again onto the large oak, he looked up and down the man who was so suspiciously kind to him. Scruffy ripped up jeans, with various holes from thigh to feet (Some maybe a little too reveling for Archie's liking). A black shirt only buttoned half way up revealing an almost white t-shirt, badly attempting to disguise blatant food stains. Not the kind of person Archie usually found himself associated with. "Why are helping me?" Archie asked inquiringly.9

"Looked like you need the 'elp son, so did ya little girlfriend." Archie opened his mouth to protest this statement but was interrupted before he even began. "What they doin' just ain't right! Takin' young girls off, God knows what they be doin' to 'em. Usually them girls, they ain't wanted, but every now an' again they make mistakes. Don't they? Like your chick she's wanted enough, she's cared about. Most of theses young lasses, they ain't." He stared at Archie as if he wanted a reply, Archie opened his mouth to speak but the mystery man carried on before he could. "They're only human, humans bound to make a mistake or two somewhere down the line. But that's just the thing I ain't all that sure about!" Archie looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate further, he didn't. Mystery man stared with intense passion and slight defiances through the thick blanket of trees, that forbid him to see where Sophie had gone. He stared as though he could see something, something Archie failed to. "Come on, lets get moving."10

"Wait, who are you?"11

"You can call me Phoenix." Phoenix's crystal clear sparkling blue oceans, that looked at with an ice cold heart where called eyes, sparked and flickered in the rise of the full moon. Archie shuddered as those same eyes penetrated his soul, he seemed almost unreal, supernatural if you will. Phoenix drew back a sharp breath, spun round on the heels of his tattered trainers and pointed straight ahead. "That way." He seemed to need to consult his inner thoughts on this. "She's that way."12

"How do you know?"13

"Somethings I just know." Shrugging in a way of showing such innocence Archie had never seen before. It was almost refreshing, almost.