No Turning Back [REWRITTEN]

Chapter 1

[326 hours, 57 minutes]

[Blake]

I turned the key in the ignition, and the rumbling engine went silent. Sticking the key in my pocket, I stepped out of the old Jeep I drove and onto the manmade dirt path that we called a small parking lot. Some gravel would probably do it some good, considering it was a sloppy mess when it rained, but we did with what we had.

I heard another door shut on the other side of the vehicle. A voice sighed contently, footsteps against the dirt ground alerted me of him moving towards the front of the car. I turned around to face him, finding bright, green eyes meeting my gaze from across the hood of the Jeep.

"Good to be back home, huh?" He said, hand resting on the black metal for a split second before jolting, nearly jumping back with a hiss through gritted teeth. It wasn't too hot outside, but it was enough that the sun caused the black vehicle to be... not too cool.

I laughed at the sudden, almost cartoonish reaction. "What, are you a cat today, Tyson?"

Tyson shook his hand a little, trying to shake away the burning sensation that had caused such a reaction.

"Shut up, man," he teased, though he was smiling and laughing through his annoyance.

I started heading down the path, letting Tyson catch up behind me as I made my way towards a tiny cluster of houses.

We weren't very deep into the forest, and the forest wasn't too dense, either. Birds darted through the trees over my head, communication through their songs and melodies that drifted through the air. The sun shone brightly, barely a cloud in the perfect blue sky. A light breeze drafted through the air, bringing a cool sensation as it brushed past me. Overall, it was just a beautiful day, and I was glad we were making the most of it.

"I'll bet you twenty bucks Malachi's sleeping over some homework or something on the picnic bench," Tyson said with a laugh, adjusting his baseball cap-style hat on his head. It had a logo of a wrench on it, and his black hair stuck out of the bottom like it was trying to escape its cloth made prison.

"I won't take you up on that one, because I know you're probably right," I rolled my eyes. I stuck my hands into my hoodie pocket, keeping them there as we walked down the trail.

"I kinda feel bad for the guy, y'know?" Tyson remarked. "He's got college to deal with, and his nephew's over for spring break for the next, what, two weeks because of the eclipse? He must be exhausted."

"Hey, if he didn't want the responsibility, he'd tell Noah's parents not to bring him," I replied. "They know he's trying to get into med school, I'm sure. He probably just wants to spend time with him, that's all."

"I guess you're right."

Something in my brain seemed to snap for a moment, a sort of watching sensation creeping into my head. I froze, suddenly looking around in confusion. My eyes scanned the forest on the left side of me, then the right, searching for anything that could possibly be there.

Tyson paused, turning to look at me with an eyebrow raised. "Blake? You good?"

I remained silent for a moment or two before slowly nodding in response, walking to catch up to him. "Yeah. Sorry, I thought I saw something."

"Good, thought a ghost or something had possessed ya or something," Tyson laughed, reaching up to ruffle the blonde hair on my head. He was a good foot shorter than me, but that never stopped him.

"Oh, shut up, you know I don't believe in that crap," I said, shoving his arm away from me. "Those are just kids' stories and stuff."

"Aw, come on, ghosts are cool!" Tyson argued with a grin.