Jude walked away, but Ashley grabbed him and stopped him. “You’re crazy, do you know that? Fuck’s sake, this is so dumb.”
“You coming or not?”
Ashley sighed. “One down, two down, but you best not get me killed.”
“If there are any witches or psychopaths in Devil’s Ditch,” he said, “then all we have to do is run faster than them. Simple.”
“No. All I have to do is run faster than you.”
The two of them laughed, but they soon fell silent. They barely said a single word as they headed back towards Devil’s Ditch.
Chapter Nine
Ash still couldn’t believe she was doing this. Yesterday had been one of the weirdest, freakiest days of her life. Now she was preparing to do the whole thing over again. To make matters even more bizarre, Jude was the one being brave. She was following him like a lost puppy.
“What do we do if she’s still there?” Ashley asked as they cut through the bushes, moving deeper into the woods. “Those chains were right through her hands. We should have brought tools.”
Jude glanced over his shoulder at her. “We’re not going to do anything. I have my phone, so I’ll take a picture as proof. Then, one of us can stay behind while the other gets help.”
“You want one of us to stay at that creepy farmhouse on our own? Fuck, Jude, I don’t know.”
“I’ll stay,” he said. “You can get help.”
It was a sunny morning, but things rapidly grew darker as the trees increased in number and their canopies thickened. It was also a little chilly despite the sunshine, and the ground felt damp underfoot. All the same, it was nice to be alone with Jude and away from her parents. They would probably be giving her a lecture right about now if she were at home. When her dad realised she’d snuck out, he was going to blow a fuse.
I’m already grounded. What else can he do to me?
Maybe I don’t want to find out.
They reached the part of the woods where Ricky and Lily had chased them yesterday. Ashley traced her index finger along the wound on her cheek and pictured it all over again. The cut had scabbed over. Hopefully, it wouldn’t leave a scar. The memory was enough to make her clench her fists. She wanted to punch Lily’s freckle-covered face.
I really hate that crazy-haired bitch.
“Okay,” Jude said, pointing, “let’s cut through here.”
They pushed their way through some more bushes. Ashley tried not to snag her clothes. The baggy black T-shirt was one of her favourites. It had no design on it except for the shape of a white hand throwing devil horns. Jude was wearing a T-shirt, too, except it was far more colourful, with white, green and red stripes running in a thin pattern. He looked like an ice cream lolly.
When they reached the top of the slope that led down into Devil’s Ditch, they stood beside each other with their hands on their hips, staring towards the bottom. Jude let out a whistle. “Still can’t believe we fell all the way down.”
“Actually, you pushed me.”
“I did it to save you. Pretty heroic if you ask me.”
She gave him a light tap on the arm. “The warrior princess is grateful. Now, how are we going to get back down there? I want it to be a lot less painful than last time.”
Jude nodded. “I agree. I think the best way to get down is on our stomachs. The more of our bodies touching the ground, the better grip we’ll have.”
“You’ve thought about this, huh?”
“A little bit. Just get down on your belly and you’ll be fine. I’ll go first.”
Ashley stood there and watched while Jude got on his knees and swivelled onto his belly. He scooted backwards over the crest of the slope and flattened himself against the mud. He looked up at her and smiled. “See? It’s fine.”
With a sigh, Ashley got down beside him, and the two of them shimmied down the slope on their bellies like a pair of demented worms. Once again, she couldn’t believe what she was doing. It was absurd. They were searching for a naked woman in the woods.
A woman who might be a ghost or a witch. A woman who might have put a worm in my sandwich last night and screwed with my laptop. Although, why would she do that if she needed help? Couldn’t she have asked us in a nice way?
Halfway down the slope, she had to stop and tug at her T-shirt. It had ridden up so high that her bra was exposed. She glanced over at Jude, blushing, but he wasn’t looking. In fact, he never looked at her that way. They were like brother and sister. Yet, for a moment, she was embarrassed by the thought of him seeing her underwear.
They reached the bottom of the slope relatively easily, which proved Jude’s methods correct. He stood up in front of her with a smug grin on his face. “Easy-peasy,” he said.
Ashley pulled at her T-shirt and brushed leaves and twigs off of her. When she realised how muddy she had got, she swore. “Dammit. This is one of my best tops.”
“It’ll wash clean. Big picture, Ash. Do you remember the way?”
She thought about yesterday’s events – remembered looking up at Ricky and Lily from the bottom of the slope – then followed her memory until she recalled which way she and Jude had gone. She pointed. “We went that way.”
Jude frowned and looked back and forth. “You sure? I thought we went over there.”
Ashley was sure. In fact, she could remember every minute of yesterday with perfect clarity. “We definitely walked that way. Trust me.”
“I do.” Jude headed in the direction she was pointing. Ashley
