When You Go Down To The Woods Today.... (Chapter Four)

"Why are you going so God damned slowly?!" Archie growled try to suppress his rage, knowing that every second they wasted Sophie was moving further away. "We are never going to catch up to her are we!" Tears brimmed in his eyes, "and then who knows what'll happen to her!" He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down, after a few moments to collect his thoughts, and trying to think logically, he spoke again; "Sophie's going to die isn't she? And there's nothing you, me or anyone else can do about it." He let the tears dampen the soil beneath him, rolling from his pale cheeks.1

"Calm down young one, there is time yet, we will find here." Soothingly rubbing Archie's arm with one hand he attempted to comfort the disgruntled teenager. "Do you believe I'd let her die after coming this far? Another life will not be lost... I lost my girl, you won't lose yours! And that I promise you." Momentarily Pheonix's eyes caught Archie's, but then moved on, "Right then, lets get moving." 2

And then he clicked, "You lost someone like this too didn't you? Oh dude, I swear, I wouldn't have gone off on you like that! You know, if I had known tha..."3

"That what? I lost my fiance to those, those..."4

"Hey, hey, mate, chill yeah? " Pheonix was making Archie nervous and he took a step back to distance himself from a man who appeared that he cold kill if he so wished. Neither of them spoke a word for the next twenty minutes or so, the only sound was wind and the leaves crunching under foot. The elements, to take away the deafening silence.5

The wind whipped the boy's damp face, as it ran, desperately trying to escape it's predator, the wind ran through the trees, moaning and crying as it went. Not the most soothing of sounds, especially on a night like this one. A night, no party involved in the situation was likely to forget in a hurry.